Get It Right

Happy Mother's Day! I want to wish Mom all the best today and every day. I love you very much.

My allergies have finally calmed down, so to celebrate, I went birding yesterday morning. It has been a rainy weekend, but we were supposed to have a break for a few hours so I headed out to see if I missed all of the warblers that come through Kansas on their way north.

Fortunately, I wasn't too late: I saw prothonotary, Tennessee and yellow-rumped warblers, all of which were beautiful. Along the way, I saw some little thrushes that flitted in and out of my view, so I added "wood thrush" to my list. That evening, I emailed a partial list of my sightings to a friend of mine who has taught me a lot about birding and nature. He's a fellow member of our local Audubon group.

A few hours later, he replied that I did "pretty well" on my solitary walk, but he had a question: was I sure those were wood thrushes, or could they be the more common Swainson's thrushes?

Uh, oh! Many people wouldn't know (or care about) the difference, but I'm a birder so I care. I could easily have said, "Oh, yes, I'm sure they were wood thrushes. How could you question me?" But I didn't do that, mostly because I suddenly suspected that he might be right. I thought back and realized I'd seen the birds in shadow, without taking particular note of their color, and I'd made an assumption. Big mistake! So what to do?

I did the only thing that made sense: I went back this morning. I was very lucky because the rain held off but the sky was ominous enough that there weren't very many people there. My reward for double-checking myself was a perfect morning of birding ... and I saw even more birds than the day before!

Sure enough, my friend was right: those were Swainson's thrushes. I was certain this time and I learned my lesson: don't assume that you know what that bird over there is. Look closely, which is how I saw a hummingbird, an indigo bunting, catbirds and a cedar waxwing. Each time I thought it was something common, but each time my assumption was wrong and it was a good thing I checked with my binoculars.

Now I can feel good about my two-day list of birds because I know it's right. And I thanked my friend for correcting me. That's how I learn.

I just wish the lesson could always be learned in such a beautiful setting, full of birdsong and the occasional rumble of thunder.

Book Signing Advice

You've been asked to do a book signing. Now what?

Well, first of all, don't panic! I'm one of the world's shyest people, so if I can do it, you can do it!

Your next step is to communicate with the people at the venue. Find out several things from them:
Who takes care of publicity? (Usually both of you will contribute to this.)
Where will you be located? (Don't let them stick you in the back. Near the front door is best.)
Will they provide a table? Chair? Book stand(s)? Pen(s)? (I always bring my own pens, just in case.)
Will people purchase the book from you or the store? (The store is better because they can take care of the sales tax.)
What is your share? (I wouldn't worry too much about this because you're really concerned more about publicity than money, but you don't want to get cheated either. If your books are on consignment there, you'll already know this.)

Make sure you tell everyone you know about the upcoming event. Post it everywhere you can online and put up posters wherever you might find book lovers (the library is a great place). Usually the venue will also want you to put up a poster. Make sure it looks good and gives the date, time and location. It should also feature your book(s) and give a teaser so people will want to come learn more about it/them.

As the day approaches, consider what you want to wear. Make it appropriate for the location and your genre. If you're a writer of children's books, I wouldn't recommend fishnet stockings! Don't be too formal because you want people to think you're approachable.

You should also consider how many of your books to bring with you. Often the venue can give advice on this, but you'll also have some idea of what to expect. If you're J.K. Rowling, you'll bring a few more books than if you're Diane McCallum. (I usually take five or ten copies.)

You should get there early so you can set things up the way you like. Arrange your books in a way that catches attention. Spread out any business cards, bookmarks or other materials you have. It's a good idea to have something that people can take with them, even if they don't buy anything. You never know if they might decide later that your book sounds good after all. (I have separate bookmarks for each of my novels.)

Have in mind what you're going to write when you sign the book, but beware: some people only want you to sign it, so ask first! I always get their name (and ask them to spell it, even if it's Jim) and ask who to make it out to, because sometimes the book is a gift. Think about what else you'd like to include to make it more personal. If there isn't a big line waiting, chat with the person to get some ideas. If there's a line (which has never happened to me), then have a fallback phrase that you can sign ("thanks for your support," "thanks for coming to the signing," something like that).

Here's the most important advice, though: make eye contact and smile! And have fun! If you're in a good mood and seem approachable, people will be more likely to step forward to meet you, even if they don't plan to buy a book. Sometimes you can convince them that they want to support you because you're such a nice, outgoing person ... and they'll buy a book. You never know.

With a little preparation, your first book signing will be an enjoyable experience. Even if you don't sell a single copy, you've made yourself available and received some valuable publicity.

Congratulations! This is one step in the process of getting your books discovered. Make the most of it.

Spellbound Book Signing

I made an appearance at Spellbound Bookstore and Cafe today as part of their Grand Re-Opening at their new location in Pittsburg, KS. I want to thank Brett for inviting me as one of the local authors for a book signing. If you go to their Facebook page, you can see a photo of the local authors in attendance (including me) and read reviews of their books (including Outsider). Here's the link: Spellbound FB Page

It was fun! We were there for two hours and I had plenty of time to chat with the other four authors, each of whom provided me with insights and good conversation. We all learned things from each other. Thank you to Kathy Manning Gronau, Loren Chancey, Melissa Fite Johnson and Richard Crooks!

Diane at Spellbound Bookstore 4-25-15

Quite a few people came in while we were there and I was asked some very good questions. It's always fun to "talk shop" and revisit how I managed to write my novels. I got some good feedback on Outsider and even sold two copies, so I'd call that a success.

It was good to see people supporting the local bookstore, too. I hope that will continue because it was sad when Pittsburg didn't have one. I wish Spellbound continued success!

I'm ready to do it again!

Distractions

I've been trying to work on the fourth novel but there have been a few distractions.
I finally got over my virus, only to be struck by monstrous allergies, which are threatening to rob me of my voice again! Argh. (See last week's blog about my voice.)

I also spent some time finishing up my second video, this one about my second novel, Another Shot. If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to do so here: Another Shot video  Let me know in the comments what you think. It was fun to make, although this one seemed a little harder than the first one. I think I was trying too hard this time around because I wanted it to be better than the first. I don't know if I succeeded or not, but at least it's out there.

I've also been spending entirely too much time on Facebook lately. I "blame" it on my good friend Bill Zahren (we met at Morningside College), who keeps posting updates on his first two novels. He's hoping to get the first one published this year and I wish him every success. He has a page where you can follow his progress here: Bill Zahren-author FB Page

Despite all this, I am getting some work done on the fourth novel. I'm pleased with the first seven chapters (although they could always use a little tweaking), but now I need to move on to the rest and make them better. In a few weeks, I'll let you know the title of the novel, but I'm still swirling it around in my head to see if I think it works.

The local bookstore, Spellbound, is planning some type of event for local authors in Pittsburg, KS, next weekend and I'm hoping to take part in it. I don't have any details yet, but I will post them on Facebook, Google+, my Amazon author page and my Goodreads author page as soon as I get them. Stay tuned!

And that's the latest! Thanks again for your support.

Voice

I took an unintentional vacation from writing recently when a virus took root in my throat like some evil alien weed. I felt like a character in a horror movie, although some people probably thought it was a bit of a comedy when I lost my voice and could only blink apologetically at people. My co-worker suggested "interpretive dance," but I made do with sign language and occasional notes on scraps of paper.

It's amazing how much you miss the ability to talk when you lose your voice! I, like many people, completely take my voice for granted until it's not there anymore. Not that I have the most important things to say, but I did miss the ability to express my indignation/joy/irritation/relief/various other emotions when they occurred. Whether anyone else missed it is another matter entirely.

And thus I gained at least some understanding of the fascination for Facebook, Twitter, etc. Typing those little epiphanies and sending them out into the world is a way of expressing ourselves, letting others know that we're here and we have something to say. I know that most of the stuff I post on Facebook is probably ignored, but I post it anyway because it's my way of declaring my existence: I'm Diane and I'm here!
(Did you hear me, Horton?)

I'm not sure I feel the same way about my novels, though. I didn't release them to let everyone know that Diane McCallum exists. I think I released them to let everyone know that Sean Foster, Ben Lamont, Reggie Hawkins and several others exist. The characters had a story to tell and I wanted to share that.

So I'm their voice (even when I'm mute), and as long as they have stories to tell, I plan to pass those along.

Work on the fourth novel continues!

Closet Spaceship Part 12

When I first told Reggie about my visit with Sean, he laughed.

I sat in the conference room, watching him fill a cup with coffee. By the time he sat down next to me, he’d grown serious.

“You sure that was Sean?” he asked. “Doesn’t sound like him.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Am I sure it was Sean? Really?”

“Okay, okay.” He took a drink. “Never seen him run from anything before.”

“You talked to him,” I said. “What’d you say?”

“I said you’re an ax murderer.”

My eyeballs were getting a lot of exercise. “What’d you really say?”

“I told him who you are, is all. What’d you do?”

“I waved an ax at him,” I said. “I guess I can’t really blame him. If some strange woman appeared outside my door and said she was from the past, I’d lock the door, too.”

“Yeah, but I told him you’re okay,” Reggie said. “There’s got to be something else.”

He took another drink.

I thought back to the conversation, trying to remember when Sean seemed to get scared.

“I told him I’m your friend, then I told him to call you …” I was thinking out loud.

“What’d you say after he talked to me?” Reggie asked.

“I don’t remember. Uh, something about people in 2015 knowing him.”

“Huh.” He took another drink.

“Wait a minute,” I said. “Maybe that’s it! I said people in 2015 knew him and they might think he was fictional. What if he thinks they don’t think he’s fictional?”

When I get excited, I tend to bundle a lot of words together and fling them outward all at the same time. It makes me spend a lot of time rewriting, but that’s when I’m writing—it’s a little hard to rewrite what I say.

Reggie looked puzzled. “What?”

“He thinks people are reading about him,” I explained. “That’s got to be intimidating, right?”

“But what about during his trial? Everybody was reading about him then.”

“Oh.” This was enough to deflate my theory.

“Listen, you know him better than anybody,” Reggie said. “Keep thinking.”

It’s not easy being a writer. (Wait, it’s never easy? Okay, sometimes when the words are flowing, maybe. Other times, not so much. But I still love it.)

I sat back in my chair, thinking about all the articles written about Sean at the time. I guess that wouldn’t be fun, having your name plastered all over the place followed by the words “criminal” or “smuggler” or “convicted.”

Yet that hadn’t affected Sean. He’d been himself when he met the crew, not bitter or ready to slam a door in their faces. And now it was done …

“Okay,” I said.

“I figured you’d get it,” Reggie said.

I nodded. “And you got it a long time ago.”

Reggie shrugged.

“He thought he put all of that behind him,” I said. “And those articles were just about superficial stuff, not the real Sean. He reads fiction: he knows what a writer can do, digging around in a character’s head all the time. So I’m bringing back the past and revealing more about him than he might want to have known.”

I wanted to find Sean and apologize to him.

“I’m not really evil,” I said. “Am I?”

Reggie laughed. “Nah. Don’t worry, he’ll get over it.”

I hope he’s right.

(Happy Easter.)

Closet Spaceship Part 11

I have mixed emotions about Sean. It’s true that he introduced me to the crew, and he did give me an exciting story to start out the series, but there’s also the fact that he’s not a full-time member of the crew, although Reggie wishes he was. It’s not that I have anything against teachers; I’m married to one, after all. It’s just that he’s chosen his own path and it diverges from the crew, at least most of the time.

Wait--most of the time? Does this mean you’ll see Sean again? Yes, it’s true: he will make an appearance in the future. I could never dump him in the recycle bin, never to be seen again, mostly because he’s a good lens through which to see the crew, but also because he can be their sounding board. You might have noticed that Reggie will say things to Sean that he would never say to his crewmates. And sometimes Sean can put into words what others are thinking but don’t want to say out loud.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should see Sean … or rather, if he should see me.

But then I wondered what he could say to me. It might be worth hearing, so I decided to give it a try.

Not long after the events of Another Shot, he came home to his little apartment to discover me sitting on the floor outside his door. He stopped about a meter away.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

I smiled. “Not really. Let’s just say I’m a friend of Reggie.”

At first he smiled back, but then he looked puzzled. I guess I don’t exactly fit the bill of the person you’d imagine as Reggie’s friend. He made no move toward me.

“He didn’t tell you about me?” I asked.

“No,” Sean said.

I stood up, which made him take a step back.

“He would’ve told you if I’m dangerous,” I said. “But call him if it’ll make you feel better.”

He took another step back, pulled out his phone and pushed a button on the face. Then he turned his back on me and I heard a one-sided conversation, although it wasn’t too hard to guess what was being said on the other side.

“Hi. Yeah. Um, there’s this woman here. Yeah. Yeah.” Sean glanced over his shoulder at me. “Really? Yeah. Are you sure? But how come I’ve never heard … From the—Reg, come on. Really? If you say so. Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Sean put his phone away and turned to stare at me.

I could only take it for a few seconds before I giggled and spread out my arms a little. “Not what you expected, huh?”

“Seriously?” he asked. “From the past?”

“That’s right. You might be surprised to know that some people in 2015 know who you are. I mean, I think they think you’re fictional, but still …”

Sean looked a little pale.

“I think you’d better sit down,” I said, stepping away from the door. “If you want me to stay out here, I will.”

He continued to stare at me as he stepped closer to the door. I noticed that he didn’t have a key in his hands, which were both clutching at the strap of his backpack as if it was a safety line.

“Um, a key usually helps,” I offered.

“Key?” he asked. “For what?”

“The door.”

“What door?” His shoulder bumped against it so he glanced at it. “Oh.”

He bent down to peer at a little rectangular panel on the right side of the door. Seconds later, the door popped open.

“Wow.” I stepped forward. “Retinal scanner?”

Sean stumbled through the doorway into the apartment. He half-shut the door and stared out at me.

I stepped back. “Sean, I’m not a ghost or anything. I won’t hurt you. Do you want me to go away?”

“Actually, yes.” He closed the door.

Well, I didn’t expect that. So much for what he would say to me.