tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76459952893958305272024-03-18T21:58:34.460-05:00Not All Who Wander Are LostMusings, rants, questions and reviews . . . what makes a writer of romance and fantasy tick?Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-6021707647434426452018-05-31T08:11:00.001-05:002018-05-31T08:11:28.355-05:00And Promo is the Name of the Game We're at T-2 days until the start of summer vacation. Ah yes, summer vacation....that time of year when I can have bathroom breaks when I want them, take more than 10 minutes to eat lunch and I can drink a pot of coffee after 3pm. Glorious days. Anyway, back to the point. This summer, I decided that in order to make a little money, I'll have to spend a little money. I heard something at the RWA (Romance Writers of America) Chicagoland Spring Fling this year, "you have to give away a bunch of books before you sell a bunch of books." Huh? That refrain, have free stories, novellas even novels up on Amazon was repeated over and over again. Of course, I thought, these are those people who can crank out two hundred pages in two weeks. That's not me. I am a slow writer. A book and a novella a year, maybe with another story tossed in, is as quick as I can write. Can I?<br />
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Well, this got me thinking. So, during May I set aside the full-length novel I was working on (another in my time travel/historical series--more on that later) and plotted out 4 stories that were going to be Amazon freebies. Or for $.99. I haven't completely decided yet, but I'm leaning toward free even if it goes against my little Italian/Bohemian heart. I finished one this week and it's currently with an editor. It will be going out to beta readers (something else I learned about at this conference) as soon as the editor is done and should be up for order by June 15th at the latest. I'm actually shooting for a June 11th date, but that's to upload and I'm told it could take a little time to do that. I'm also not all that confident in my formatting skills on kindle at the moment.<br />
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In addition to the freebies I am in promo after promo this coming month! One June 1st, the Sizzling Summer Reads Party kicks off at TRR <a href="https://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php">https://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php</a>. Check right here for that link. I'm trying to get the banner up on my website, but I might need some technical help with that. Hmm.... I'm also part of a FB multi-author event on June 15th and next week I'm participating in a Book Birthday Bash with another Rebecca in Perth, Australia. It might require me to get up at 5am to play along and the math involved in the time zones is making my head hurt, but I'm game.<br />
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Will any or all of this work? Not a clue! All I know is that they can't fault me for trying. I'm targeting my Ascended series, which I am now officially calling my Ascended Series, instead of the Fallen Series and I promise I will change that on the website as soon as I can get into it. (I need to do some things from home). I'm hoping in August, when I'll be able to see my Kindle sales and page reads from June, that I'll see some more sales. Maybe I'll be able to buy fries with my burger next time!! Livin' the dream and promo on!!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-7732487412091824712018-05-15T16:49:00.002-05:002018-05-15T16:49:21.577-05:00Adventure in Self-PublishingSo, I'm attempting something this summer that I've never before thought I'd attempt. I'm going to try to publish a couple of smaller pieces myself instead of going through my publisher. Now, that doesn't mean that I have anything against my publisher. I don't. I love my editor and I've had nothing but a positive experience with them. However, I've been hearing over and over at the various conventions I've gone to this year that indie, what used to be called self, publishing is the way to go to really earn money.<br />
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Here's a fact of life in publishing, no matter the means....you need to spend money to make money. That doesn't mean that you pay a vanity press to publish your manuscript. No, a publisher should always pay you and not the other way around. What I mean is that the publisher or the author, depending on who is putting out the book, is going to need to pony up some cash for marketing. Now, unless you're Stephen King or your publishing company is enormous they're not going to do much by way of marketing that isn't free. They need to make money too. If you publish through a company you're stuck with what they can do for you or for what you, the author, wants to pay for. Now, I've done boosted FB posts, I did an Amazon giveaway (messed that up), and I've done a few other things. If you're the sole proprietor of your work, you can adjust prices yourself and use the Amazon Marketing Services, which is apparently the holy grail of making money at this.<br />
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So, I'm willing to try it. I'm currently finishing up a novella in the same world as Ribbons of Moonlight--the Commander gets his comeuppance a the hands of Connor's cousins in the highlands, a clever and pretty trio of highland lassies who are not going to benignly accept his presence. It's been kind of fun diving into their stories. My plan is to put that story out either free or permafree and use it as a reader hook. I also have some Star Circle story plans and one for my angel series which I'm thinking of rebranding.<br />
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So much to think about. My head is kind of spinning. I'm not going to neglect my main novels. I promise. I'm finally getting to Redemption of the Fallen this summer and outlining Guardian of the Fallen, the next one in line. There are still four novels in the angel series that are going to be written. My goal is a July 1 release for Torrents of Darkness, quickly followed (within the month, I hope!!!) of the next time travel romance A Strange Wind. So, there it is. It's an aggressive schedule and here's hoping that life doesn't explode all over me as it has a tendency to do.<br />
<br />Please, sign up for my brand spanking new email! You should (if I got the automation set up correctly) get a sneak peak of Redemption of the Fallen for your trouble. You'll also be eligible for special giveaways and chances to get books in your hand first. All you have to do is visit my website and sign up on the little pop up box that appears!<br />
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<a href="https://rebeccalfrencl.weebly.com/">https://rebeccalfrencl.weebly.com/</a>Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-59713392082960499212018-02-23T10:32:00.001-06:002018-02-23T10:32:23.184-06:00I Must Be Missing Something So, the title of this post isn't all that surprising. I'm certain there are a lot of things that I'm missing, but I'm speaking of marketing tactics in particular. I was at Capricon last weekend, a local science fiction/fantasy and writing/gaming convention. I love it. It was a great Con. There was a wonderfully positive vibe this year. I also got to sit next to Timothy Zahn on a Star Wars panel for an hour and a half and completely geek out. So, that was good.<br />
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There was a panel on marketing your book. Unfortunately, I was moderating a panel on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at 200 years old at the same time. So, I send my husband to the marketing panel armed with a pen and paper. He can back with a ton of scribbled notes. One of those notes, one of those things that everyone mentioned was BookBub. Now, I've heard of BookBub. I get emails from them all the time. I don't know why it never dawned on me to look at them from an author's perspective instead of a reader. Duh. Like I said, there are some things I miss.<br />
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So, I logged on, got my books vetted and added and set up my first ad. I've then stalked my "click" rate and my Amazon book rank. In two days I've only gotten about 12 clicks. And that book rank? Yeah, hasn't budged. Maybe I didn't think big enough. Maybe I didn't pony up enough cash for the ad. I'd actually like to eventually make some money on my books. I listened all weekend to other authors, some of whom were self-published, many of them without as many books as I have out, talking about how they were making hundreds of dollars a month. Or how they had hundreds of downloads or over 50 reviews. It's frustrating. I'm struggling to make a quarter a month in royalties. I'm struggling to see any downloads. I'm struggling to get the people who are related to me by blood and marriage to leave me a one or two sentence review.<br />
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I'll just keep writing. Keep trying. Keep shouting into that abyss of marketing trying to get my voice heard. They're good books. At least that's what the few people I know who have read them tell me. It's just so hard to get your name out there. I'll also go back and research everything I know about this BookBub service. Like I said, there must be something I'm missing.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-37857999149729789272017-12-13T10:10:00.003-06:002017-12-13T10:10:31.254-06:00Not So MerrySo, I've been really crabby this past week or so. We decked the halls, I've been baking, wrapping and shopping. I've watched all the Christmas movies that make me sniffle and laugh and I've tipped back a couple of glasses. To no avail. I'm still crabby and I cannot seem to get into the holiday spirit this year. I finished another book, had a release and even gave a release party. Which reminds me, I have to send out messages to my winners tonight. And still...<br />
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What do you do when you just can't count your blessings? I know they're there. I can list them for you if you'd like me to, but I won't. It just all seems too much like bragging. There are reasons I don't really want to get into at the moment since they don't completely concern me and I've never been one to air anyone else's business, but it's bringing me down. And if it's bringing me down, I can only imagine what it's doing to the principals involved.<br />
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It reminds me of the Christmas after my grandmother died. Grandma loved Christmas. It was her favorite holiday and she'd go crazy with presents and food. So, when she was gone and we were facing the first Christmas out there it was hard. Everything I'd ever known was different. This year even the house we used to have Christmas in is vacant. So, another era passes. I think the older I get the more and more difficult it is to adjust to changes. I'm happy in my little ruts. I think we all are. The older and older I get I also realize how things can change. Maybe it's the thought that this current change isn't temporary. It's a new normal that I don't want to get used to. I want to stomp my feet and have a temper tantrum and tell everyone to stop being stubborn and just get over it all, but it's not that simple. Nothing is ever that simple, is it?<br />
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So, I'll kindle the candles and pass the cookies. I'll roll the meatballs and layer the lasagnas and if my heart isn't in it completely, I'll soldier on. Eventually, we'll all get used to the new normal, and relearn how to count our blessings, even as we mourn what we've lost.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-89771960405723839152017-11-06T10:54:00.000-06:002017-11-06T10:54:13.469-06:00And We've Finished Another One!! So, Flames of the Fallen, my next fallen angel story is off to the proofreaders, where they'll find all the typos my eyes skimmed over because after three edits with an editor is still after three edits on my own. After a while your brain sort of shuts off and you don't even see the issues. Then you have good old Word, which decides to change a character's name EVERY time you type it. I'm pretty certain that I missed at least one of them.<br />
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Flames is the third novel in the series. I have seven novels planned. There are also two completed novellas and a third one I'm currently writing. The hope is that I'll be getting that one done by the end of the year and off to Solstice. It's the last novella I have planned right now. Of course, Flames was supposed to be the last novella and it turned into a full-blown novel. It's the same old story with me....get to a certain point in the story and have to make a decision. Do I go where I'd originally planned on going? Or do I take this detour here that will make it a much better, but much longer story? I usually take the detour. This detour was actually inspired by a character someone else created.<br />
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Two years ago this May, I auctioned off the chance to create a character in the next Fallen book. It was an epic fail at the charity auction. I'm honest enough with myself to admit that. I thought it was a cool idea--the opportunity to create a character that would be in print. Apparently, I'm the only one who thought so. It sold for the minimum bid to the school secretary who gave the opportunity to her daughter. Her daughter created the character, but left one crucial choice up to me. When I asked what she'd like her character to be---human, angel, fallen angel or demonic baddie--she left that up to me. So, I decided to think outside of the box. It then lead to a twist that I can't reveal or I give away too much in the new story. Suffice to say that I loved this character so much, she's now one of the main characters of the last Fallen novella.<br />
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Stay tuned...Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-70945053467349381472017-08-07T09:22:00.000-05:002017-08-07T09:22:15.830-05:00Been A While...So, I've been a very neglectful blogger this year. I was so good for the first couple of years, but sort of tapered off this past year. It's not a bad thing, though. It just means that life has gotten a lot fuller and left me less time to spend spilling my thoughts out into the internet ether. I have been writing. In fact, I just finished a new Fallen book. Initially Flames of the Fallen was supposed to be a novella for last summer's Solstice anthology. I also auctioned off the ability to name/create a character for this book at my daughter's school auction last May. Thought it was a cool idea. Thought it would be unique enough to get some bids. Added signed copies of the other Fallen books, a bottle of wine and some chocolate to the basket. Got a total of 2 bids and one of them was a pity bid from a member of the family. Ouch. Yeah, so I learned my lesson about trying to be clever. Just donated wine this year. That one went much better. Tells you the priorities of the people bidding! Of course, if you were paying for Catholic school, you'd drink too! We have a nice little wine collection downstairs ourselves.<br />
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Anyway, the daughter of the school secretary came up with this character called Magen. Tall, red haired with green eyes and a klutz. She was supposed to be a minor character, but she was just so funny! I had such a good time writing her, and added in a more than a little twist into her character, that she became one of the main characters. I hope she likes the character she created. I know I do. Now, to start trying to come up with the back of the book. I hate that part. Seriously, hate that part. And work on a book launch idea. Hmmmm. Time to get back to work!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-61881015318876853512017-04-03T13:36:00.000-05:002017-04-03T13:36:26.382-05:00Trying To Get The Energy to FinishEver written yourself into a bit of a corner? I have. I changed something in my latest WIP (work in progress) and it opened up so much in terms of the story. It'll honestly be a much better and much stronger story at the end. It's just going back and unravelling that wearies me. I know what I need to do. I know what I need to write. It's a little like weaving. I'd gotten so far in the scarf and then realized that if I went back and changed the pattern a little bit here it would turn out so much cooler than I'd originally intended. It's just going back, picking out the stitches and restarting. I just have to get going and plow through. I'm looking forward to parts that come later, the neat plot twists this change opened up.<br />
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I've done this before. These angel stories have a tendency to warp on me. They start off as one thing and something else occurs to me about eighty pages in and it sends the story off the rails. It turns out to be a stronger story in the end, much more complex and much more interesting, but it takes time to work backwards through the story to fit in those little hints and clues.<br />
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I have my spring break coming up. No one else in my house is out of work or school that week. After spending the first day doing absolutely nothing useful at all, I'm planning on settling down to plow through those changes. Then, I can spend more of my time getting to the good parts. This is going to be good, if I do say so myself.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-63487021361803218832016-12-21T10:58:00.002-06:002016-12-21T10:58:28.899-06:00The Character Renaming QuandryYou know, I had several bog ideas this past two months. I did. I really did. To quote Shakespeare, "Tis gone, tis gone..." The best laid plans, right? I've been writing and working and working out this past couple of month. My daughter started guitar lessons and we still have karate and art club and now glee choir on top of my own committees and commitments, so life has been a little packed and the blog has suffered as a result. But that's all to the good. As I tell my students, you can't write the great American novel without having lived the great American life. I don't have a great American life. I'm no Hemingway or Twain, but I've got a good little life.<br />
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We also got a puppy. His name is Magnus, after Magnus Chase of Rich Riordan fame. The daughter and I read book one together last summer on our Walt Disney World trip and she loved the name. My husband looked at me a little strangely, but went with it. Now, the name fits. Interesting the way that works, doesn't it?<br />
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I've had characters whose names I've had to change for one reason or another. In Ascent of the Fallen, I was asked to changed Serafina's cousin's name. It was originally Sam, but was changed to Dan because there were too many characters with "S" names. The editor didn't want people to get confused. I get it, but even for a minor little character it was pretty difficult to do. When I was in 6th grade, I came up with my first characters. I lived with those characters, loved them and wrote hundreds upon hundreds of pages about them. It became my first trilogy. One that will most likely never see the light of day because, well, I wrote it starting in 6th grade. I pulled it out a while ago...pulled out the idea, that is. Can't pull out the actual files anymore unless someone has a big 5 inch floppy disk drive anywhere around, provided I can find all my hand labeled floppies in my dad's basement.<br />
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I digress. One of the things I looked at when I looked back over the idea was changing the character's names. I mean, I spelled Michael--Mikel, and thought I was cool. They can't be changed though, can they? Even as childish as some of the names were, and some of them were (a bad guy named Darklor, what was I thinking?!?) I can't change them. Their names have become over the years and the part of the fabric of who they are. So, the idea will still sit in the back of my head. I pull it out and tinker with it when I'm between angel books, but I don't think I'll ever get that far with it. It's nice to visit with those characters for a while, though. They were quite important pieces of my young imagination. Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-50032977944158440492016-09-20T13:00:00.001-05:002016-09-20T13:00:31.942-05:00Kicking the MuseIt was a great idea--a little novella, no more than sixty to eighty pages--wham, bam and we have another publishing credit under out belt. Yeah. Cocky much? Apparently so. That little idea morphed on me. It's going to be good, but it's in that part of a book that you drag yourself through. I don't know about you, but 20,000 words is my Achilles heel. I'm flying until then and next thing I know, I hit that word count and SPLAT!! Smashed to bits, the wreckage of ideas floating around me.<br />
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I know what I have to do. I know I have to get my inner lazy teen to just sit down, focus and plow through. Once I get the story to the half way mark--usually around 30,000 to 35,000 words I'm golden. I can see that long slide to "The End." It's the uphill climb I dread.<br />
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Ironically, it reminds me a lot of the plot map I'm poun--er, refreshing the memory of--in classes this past month. I'm excited to start a new project, so the new setting, the new characters, the new conflict they all fly like the exposition in a story. It's the rising action, the mountainous climb to the climax. I get about halfway up and want to make base camp. For months. Well, it's move or freeze time.<br />
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Like last year, I wanted to finish FIRST OF THE FALLEN by the end of my Christmas Break. Same deal here. I was hoping to get it finished over summer break, but I admit I let my little kid out to play and once released after two weeks in Disney World, she didn't want to sit down at the dining room table and get back to work. It's been hard enough keeping that personality in the box for the beginning of the school year. Particularly a school year in which I'm under evaluation. Yikes! Don't need to let her slip the leash.<br />
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So, yes, back on track. FLAMES OF THE FALLEN done by the end of Christmas break and a new angels book (though this one is more ifrits and demons and magicians, oh my!) in the new calendar year. I promise!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-11391283600552660062016-08-15T09:03:00.002-05:002016-08-15T09:03:25.649-05:00Gearing UpI'm at t-minus three days and counting to starting the new school year. It wasn't as prolific a summer as I'd hoped. I had great big plans. I was going to finish up FLAMES OF THE FALLEN and make a huge dent in REDEMPTION OF THE FALLEN. Yeah. No. Flames got a little out of control--ha! No pun intended. So, it's the next book I'm working on. I think. It was supposed to be another novella like SHADES OF THE FALLEN. However, I had a brainstorm and it's growing up before my eyes.<br />
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Ah well. I also really enjoyed my summer. We went to Florida for two weeks and I got to spend a ton of time in Walt Disney World, which is one of my favorite places in the universe. My dream is to some day be able to be a snow bird. That requires selling a lot more books.<br />
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Is it funny that I can't seem to concentrate on anything this week? This is my 20th year in the classroom and some things never change. I never can the week school starts. I start thinking about everything I need to get done in the first few days of school. I start to kick myself back into that hyper-organized gear I need to be in during the year. Ironically, I get a lot more accomplished during the school year than the summer. I'm hideously inefficient in the summer.<br />
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So, I apologize to everyone who thought there'd be another release so soon after the last one. I try, but it takes me a while. My goal is to finish this one over Christmas break, so the same pattern as FIRST OF THE FALLEN, which was supposed to be two short stories, by the way. I'm heading back into the classroom, so my children have to come before my characters for a little while!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-88126135862207905082016-07-02T10:11:00.001-05:002016-07-02T10:11:17.899-05:00Free for the Taking...Which Kind of Burns MeUsually, I'm of the opinion that any publicity is good publicity. However, I'm a little bit annoyed at the moment. I've spent the last hour looking up my own books online. I've found five websites where you can download my books for free. I sent three cease and desist emails to get them removed. The fourth I can't find any contact information at all and the fifth one is the one that really peeved me. First of all, in order to have my copyrighted material removed I have to provide the specific download links they have, must send it from a company email (yahoo, gmail, etc will be rejected) and then prove it's my work. PROVE IT'S MY WORK!!!<br />
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Yeah, that last part is the one that burns me. How the hell do I prove it's my work. Show them the agonizing screen shots of a work in progress? Show them a link to the publisher's page where my picture and my name are right there?<br />
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I've been published since RIBBONS OF MOONLIGHT, I think that was 2008. I've found, and my other writing colleagues, have found hundreds and hundreds of websites where our books can be downloaded for free. If the counts on the webpages are to be believed I've had over two thousand free downloads in the last six months. Even at fifty cents an ebook that's a grand. A thousand dollars.<br />
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Now, I don't do this for the money. However, it burns me that people aren't willing to pony up the $.99 to $4.00 for one of my books. They're not that expensive. Heck, a cup of fancy coffee costs more and a book lasts a whole lot longer. You'd also be amazed at how many people expect to get a free print copy of my books. I pay for those. Admittedly, I get a discount, but I'm supposed to sell them at publisher prices so I can make my royalty.<br />
<br />It takes an author, depending on the writer and their lives, anywhere from six months to three years (or more if you're Geaorge RR Martin) to write a book. We make anywhere from five cents (with the Kindle pages read thing) to over a dollar for each book sold. That's it. So, all those free downloads hit hard. They're also readers who aren't ever going to leave reviews, which are hard enough to get on their own. Or they leave reviews on the pirate sites, encouraging more and more people to steal the books.<br />
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I'm a copyright cop. I buy all my books and I purchase all my movies. I use Youtube only for excerpts and public domain material. I stroke out on my students when they offer to bring in bootleg movies. However, it's also common in our culture that artists, of every stripe, are constantly being told, "you shouldn't complain. It's exposure. You should be happy so many people are reading your books. Next time they'll buy one." Ah. No. Next book they'll hop back on that torrent site and grab the next one. Artists are always asked to donate their hard earned work for free, give it away and then told to be happy about it. Why? It would be like telling a dentist, "You know, fill a few hundred cavities and word of mouth will get around. Soon people will start coming in here and paying you for your work."<br />
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I will toss out free copies of my books. I'll give them away to libraries and other authors for giveaways because we're all in this together. However, I will continue to hunt down the pirate site and send them cease and dismiss orders. That's my hard work. (Anyone who tells you writing with a full time job, a small person, a family and a life isn't hard work is lying to you.) I deserve that fifty cents an ecopy. We're not all JK Rowling and Stephen King, who, by the way, don't deserve to have their work stolen just because they're doing well. I hope anyone who's ever tempted to download a book or movie or tv series without paying for it thinks a little bit about how they'd feel if someone came in and expected them to work for free.<br />
<br />Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-17107132635113031722016-05-31T07:49:00.002-05:002016-05-31T07:49:47.552-05:00Off the Deep EndI can't do anything half way. Ask anyone who knows me well. I'm kind of an all or nothing kind of person. I either love something or don't care about it at all. I either commit to a frightening degree or I will avoid, avoid, avoid... About two months ago I decided that I needed to do something to get healthier. I was running up the stairs at work and was winded. Well, that's not good. So, I start trying to figure out what I can do. I stumbled across an ad on my Facebook feed--posted there by a union friend of mine--that a local gym was offering a six week weight loss challenge. <div>
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I thought about it. I scoured every inch of the gym's website. Twice. I looked up their classes. Then I looked up what the heck Tabata was because I've never heard of it. I talked to Brian and then I pulled the trigger. So, yeah. That's where I've been these past two months. Oh, and finishing up the school year which anyone knows--8th graders in May? Not pretty. </div>
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So, I started boxing. Two times a week a first. Then three boxing classes, one circuit training class and one power stretch class. After the first class I literally limped into the house. No, I'm not being overly dramatic. Ask my husband. I LIMPED into the house. Three days later I hurt, but I gritted my teeth and went back in. And again. And again. Something else about me--I'm stubborn. I had decided that I was going to get into a shape that wasn't circular or die trying. The problem was I was a little afraid it might kill me. </div>
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Seven weeks later, the weight loss challenge is over. I did lose weight, not nearly enough and not the miraculous, halo of light inducing amounts I was vainly hoping for, but I did lose weight. I also signed up for the summer session. So, yes, I'm continuing on this "getting in shape" journey. The school year is officially over tomorrow so I'll have more time in the mornings to go to the gym. My daughter's going to love that, I'm sure, but she's gotten used to being dragged along with me, her kindle in hand. I have a new goal by the time school starts up again. There is a number involved, which if I shared with you I'd have to kill you all and I don't want to do that to my lovely readers. The real goal though has more to do with what I gained over these last seven weeks than with what I lost. I lost pounds and inches, but I gained confidence. I learned that I can work harder than I thought I can. I learned to wrap my wrists for boxing and ice my knees afterwards. I learned that I could do twenty flights of stairs in an hour long class. I learned I still hate to run, but I keep putting one foot in front of the other. Someday I will not be the last one back in the door. </div>
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Bits and pieces of Patriot (the gym I've been going to) and bits and pieces of Nick, one of the owners, have been working their ways into my newest book. I knew I was going to make my hero go to a gym, have an interesting scene already planned out between him and Asha, but the setting had always been a little vague. I have the setting now. I know what it looks like, I know what it smells like and I know what it feels like. Should be an interesting summer! </div>
Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-84706633820743399212016-04-26T07:11:00.001-05:002016-04-26T07:11:57.604-05:00Well, I Thought It Was A Good IdeaYou know what they say about the road to hell, right? Well, my daughter's new school, just like the old one, has an auction as their big fundraiser. Every family is required to either donate something to the auction or they're "asked" to purchase a certain amount of raffle tickets. Well, I thought I had a great idea for a unique raffle item. I'm working on a summer solstice novella. Though, if the beginning is any indication it won't be short enough to fit into the anthology and I'll look to publish it on its own. Anyway, that's not the point. I figured since I was working on it now, I would auction off the opportunity to create a character. I created a character sheet, gave a copy of book one, so they could see what they were getting into. I figured there are going to be hundreds of people at this thing. Someone will think this is a good idea and think it's kind of neat to be able to create a character.<br />
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Well, my grand notion got exactly two bids. And one of them was from my father in law, who I'm pretty sure was throwing me bone. So much for my grand idea. Next year I'll just donate a bottle of wine and a Target gift card. I'll get more bids that way.<br />
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Just disappointing. That's all. You'd think I'd be well used to print based disappointment. I can't tell you how many craft shows I've gone to and say smiling faintly while people pass by trying not to meet my eye. Or the time I brought a bunch of books to my union thing--1500 women you'd think Rue's cover would catch someone's eye! Nope. Hauled every single copy back out again. So many people shake their heads at me and say, "Oh, I don't have time to read." No time to read? They might as well tell me they don't have time to eat! I was in panic mode yesterday when my kindle froze. I can't sleep without reading at least a page or two.<br />
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Ah well. That idea was a bust. I'll try something else. Gotta keep trying. Someday, something will click. Until then I'll be up here on my cliff shouting out into the void.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-32547102812620264032016-03-29T09:10:00.004-05:002016-03-29T09:10:30.502-05:00Down the Rabbit HoleWhoa. It's been a while, hasn't it? I have no excuses. There have been multiple times during the last couple of months that I've thought--I really need to do another blog. Then I just didn't. Don't know why. I don't know if there were just a mental block or pure bone-deep laziness. Maybe a combination of both.<br />
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I read something both disturbing and interesting yesterday. A writing acquaintance of mine put out on her blog that she was retiring. She loved to write, loved to create worlds and characters, but no matter that, she was tired. Tired of piracy that robbed her of her minute royalties and tired of feeling like she was talking to the same three or four people who interacted with her various pages. I admit, it's daunting. I've thought about it myself. Perhaps that's a little of what was behind my blog neglect. If I didn't do a blog who was really going to notice?<br />
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I'm a few days away from a new book going live. FIRST OF THE FALLEN--the next adventure in the Fallen series. It was supposed to be a short story or novella about Nathanial and his lost love Iya. It was mentioned just a bit in ASCENT OF THE FALLEN and intrigued me. Then I decided that Semiazas, the lord of the dark angels, probably had a story in there too. So, what was supposed to be a novella and a short story became another full grown novel. It's a good story. My editor said that she'd been following my books since I started with Solstice and she thinks that it's my best book yet.<br />
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So, it's exciting. A new book and a great compliment, but it's also tempered by reality. I know, no matter how good the book is that it's unlikely to break into the top 100 on any of Amazon.com's best seller lists. I've only been there on one book. It would require everyone I know and others who I don't to all buy the book in a matter of hours. Not happening. Particularly since I know there are a lot of people I actually know, who don't read and won't buy my books even though they know me. Ah well. It's not like I write for the money. Heaven's knows I was excited last month. I could actually afford two lattes with my royalty check.<br />
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I'm grateful to everyone who buys one of my books. I'm grateful to everyone who wishes me well even if they never buy one of my books. I'll keep writing and hoping that people will still support me. So, best seller list or not, here we come!<br />
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I have a bunch of books to give away at my release party next week Saturday and I have the kindle pre-order link if you would like!<br />
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RELEASE PARTY--<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/904230953030060/">https://www.facebook.com/events/904230953030060/</a><br />
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PRE-ORDER LINK<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Fallen-Rebecca-L-Frencl-ebook/dp/B01DFGYTOI">http://www.amazon.com/First-Fallen-Rebecca-L-Frencl-ebook/dp/B01DFGYTOI</a>Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-24748922886318550702015-12-24T08:53:00.002-06:002015-12-24T08:54:14.556-06:00Time WarpsWarp speed ahead! Alright, I know Star Wars is what's all the rage right now, not Star Trek, but I couldn't think of an appropriate Star Wars term. Maybe something along the lines of, "Someone turn off the hyperdrive!" We seem to be going Ludicrous Speed! Got a little bit of Spaceballs in there to round everything out. No, seriously, when did time fly so quickly? I remember when I was my daughter's age time seemed to slow down around Christmas time. I remember my brother and I having days to inspect, weigh and practically sniff the presents under the tree. Tony always had the dilemma on whether or not to open the largest present first or heighten the anticipation by leaving it last. Me? I was always looking for the books. My 8 year old has been dancing, literally dancing, around the house this week singing about how long Christmas is taking to get here.<br />
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I actually thought that when I had the week before Christmas off I'd be able to savor the anticipation a little bit more. I've been enjoying the not so small one's agony a little too much, but I still can't believe that it's already Christmas Eve. I feel like I turned around twice and BAM! Here we are.<br />
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Why can't other times go by so quickly? You know, like that long slow drag of February. For the shortest month of the year it's the longest month in a school calendar. Or May. May should be a nice, quick month with graduation at the end of it. Nope. There's always more month at the end of the unit and presentations never take as long as you'd like them to when you have the time. They drag out when you have exactly two days scheduled for them.<br />
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The older I've gotten the faster time has flown. I remember when summer vacation was long and slow and felt about as many days as Phineas and Ferb's show. Now, the weeks and days fly by and I don't fit in half of what I thought I would. I am very well aware that the majority of the "obligations" I have in my life are optional. We all fill our days with stuff that when you look right at it you don't have to do. No one will die if you don't and you won't lose your job. However, some of those are pleasures. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends this break, going to the Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert and taking my nieces to their first wine tasting ever. However, I also want to grab the hands of the clock and make them slow down a little bit. I want a few mornings of cold sunshine, hot coffee and a good book.<br />
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I also want the time to be able to write, "The End" in my latest book. As to that...I'd better get back to it. Time's flying!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-20048030887064611032015-11-23T08:27:00.000-06:002015-11-23T08:27:26.717-06:00ThankfulThe snow is already up to the tops of my boots here in the burbs of Chicago. I have a snowman I can look eye to eye with in my front yard and yet it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Welcome to the Midwest! It should be 50 by Thursday so all the snow will turn to leafy brown sludge rimed with ice in the mornings. However, it's the time of year we all turn our minds to our blessings instead of the irritations of things like the weather.<br />
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I find it interesting that every November my Facebook wall explodes with people telling the world what they're thankful for. Every day for the entire month until we get sucked into the wonderful world of Christmas shopping and elbowing people out of the way for the newest creepy Elmo toy. Don't get me started on that elf on the shelf thing. (Shivers) I swear those things are plotting against us when we're not looking.<br />
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Back to thankfulness. I decided to not participate in the public declaiming of thanks this year. I have in the past, but for some reason decided not to this year. I don't know why. I am thankful though. I'm thankful for being tired at the end of the day because I have a job. I'm thankful for not being able to decide what to make for dinner because it means there are choices in my pantry and freezer. I'm thankful for dog hair on the carpet because it means one of my boys is still with me. I'm thankful for toys all over the table and shrieky little girl laughter because it means that my daughter is happy and able to play. I'm thankful for a full calendar and busy days, for too many presents to buy and too much food to prepare, a house to clean and a car to fill with gas. It means I have a lot of friends and family who want to celebrate with us. I have a house I can afford and a car to get back and forth to the job and hobbies that keep me so busy.<br />
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I don't like waiting until the end of the year to count my blessings. I try and remember to take a little bit of time more often throughout the course of the year, but if you don't or you can't I hope this season reminds you to count those blessings. There's a quote that I'm sure I'm just going to paraphrase--there are people who wish they were you. Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-7273460430192005212015-11-08T09:38:00.002-06:002015-11-08T09:39:00.913-06:00Do Your ResearchMy students had research papers due this week. We'd spent five weeks reading the Walter Dean Myers book <i>Fallen Angels</i> and researching and learning about the Vietnam War. We always do the Vietnam War in October to November because it's a war we so rarely get to it in social studies and it's such an important part of our national history and identity. Anyway, we spent two weeks on the who research process. It's always a struggle.There are always a couple of kids who think because they found the information and copied it it's theirs. Plagiarism is an uphill battle in the classroom. I think we got the point across.<br />
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As writers, you'd think that all you do is just make stuff up. Right? Well, kind of. We do make up a lot of stuff. And we have to keep all that made up stuff straight. I actually have a notebook in which I write down definitions and descriptions of the things I've created in my worlds. However, there is a lot of research that needs to happen. We don't know everything. No one can. So, we have to research. Just recently, I decided to drop one of my characters into a world that's very close to the ancient Mayans. I know nothing about the Mayans other than I learned watching <i>El Dorado</i> with Miguel and Tulio. Which, I discovered after doing some research was pretty well researched itself. Who knew!<br />
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I've written one historical romance novel and one modern paranormal romance with a lot of fantasy. also have a fantasy trilogy under my belt. The trilogy, despite being the longest and most complicated, was by far the easiest to write. The modern paranormal was next. I had to keep checking out google maps to make sure the streets I was referring to were actually where I thought they were. However, that's modern. So, it was pretty simple.<br />
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The historical romance, though...yikes! I don't know much about the regency era in England. Not my favorite period romances even though I wrote one. I know. I know. Why write a regency romance when you don't like the time period--that's the time period in which the poetic inspiration of the story was set. I had to turn to research. Lots of research. I know more about the regency period than I ever wanted to. I would stumble across something I needed to know and have to stop the story and dive into research. It made the story stumble and limp along at times, but overall I think it made for a better story.<br />
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So, even though you're a writer and get paid (not all that much, but still...) to make things up, you need to keep the story grounded in reality. It might slow down the writing process, but it makes for a better story. I like to research as I go along, so I'm not tempted to shove in too much and really bog down the flow. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to my Maya.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-25680950876191819162015-10-13T18:27:00.002-05:002015-10-13T18:27:49.264-05:00Banned Books Month--Imagine the Possibilities!I love Banned Books Month. I spent a class period a week or so ago going through what books have been challenged most throughout the last ten years. A lot of the books are still old stand bys: The Catcher in the Rye, Huck Finn, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The kids were a little shocked at how many of the books they've loved over the last several years have been challenged. They were shocked that in the recent past some communities had hosted book burnings for books like the Harry Potter and Twilight series. They didn't understand what anyone could have thought was so bad about them. They understood why 50 Shades has been challenged, even though it's not intended for them at all. <div>
<br />That last one got me thinking. Full disclosure, I haven't read any of the Shades books. I'm not a prude, but I was warned that the grammar was so appalling I'd have a seizure before the end of the second chapter. So, in order to avoid an aneurysm I've left those books alone. However, I wonder how much of their appeal is the fact that mommy porn is a huge industry and how much is because they've been reviled and challenged so much. I didn't read Dan Brown's DaVinci code until it was all over the news. Same with Harry Potter and Twilight--didn't pick though up until the last books were on their ways. Everyone was talking about them. So, I had to see what they were all about. </div>
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As an author, I do think about what would happen if people found something controversial in my books. I write about fallen angels and the religion piece, no matter how inclusive I try to be, I'm sure the stories will and can offend someone. Part of me cringes at that thought, but there's another part, a teeny tiny part, that wonders if that would shoot my numbers through the roof at that point. Hmmm. I'm not interested enough to try to provoke people. I'll just keep writing the stories I want to write, the stories the people in my head keep telling me. </div>
Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-19853850503313083882015-09-05T08:03:00.002-05:002015-09-05T08:03:17.458-05:00Review of "A Life Without Living"I really didn't intend to read A Life Without Living in two days, but I have to admit that I really wanted to see what happened. Let me try and let you know what's going on without giving too much away. Four hundred years before Kattarina betrayed the wrong man. Promised to marry Alessandro, she falls in love with Gio, love at first sight, and they plan to run away. Unfortunately, Alessandro found them out and Kattarina paid with her life. As a member of a powerful magical clan, Alessandro curses both lovers. Kattarina is destined to be reborn after each death while Gio is doomed to roam the world trying to find her and win her away from Alessandro.<br />
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In this life, Kattarina is Katie and she's married to Alex--Alessandro in this incarnation. Gio, and his friend Willem, have long been tracking Kate. Unfortunately, every other time they've come this close Alex has discovered them and Kate has once more paid. This time, though, Gio has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Claire, a Watcher. The young Watcher has vowed to use her considerable powers to help keep Kate safe.<br />
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Will Gio succeed? Will he find Kate after four hundred years of heartbreak? Will Claire help them outwit Alex?<br />
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You know when you're watching a movie and you just know something bad is going to happen and you clutch the pillow and watch with one eye open? That's kind of how the second half of this book reads. You just know this whole house of cards is going to tumble down around Gio and Kate. I really liked Gio's character. He was so earnest and at times frantic. At one point, so close to Kate, Willem has to knock him out so he doesn't blow the whole thing. Kate's character took a little time for me to warm up to. I couldn't believe, for a little while, that Gio was so in love with this insecure twit. However, as the story progressed, I saw that she really wasn't a twit. It was the combination of a twisted little spell that ate away at her self-confidence and was fed by her own self-doubts and a classically controlling husband.<br />
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I know the author is working diligently on book two. I'm hoping that book two delves a little deeper in Alex's character. I really want to know what he's so evil. What is it about Kate that drives him to such lengths to keep her?<br />
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If you're looking for a good suspenseful read, pick up SC Alban's book and give it a try. You won't regret it. <br />
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Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-22451850802735081482015-08-29T09:21:00.004-05:002015-08-29T09:21:51.291-05:00The Power of WritingI was asked a few interview questions by the local newspaper this past week in my capacity as an English teacher. One of the questions kind of stuck with me. It centered on the idea of when people study of culture they generally look to the social sciences. Did I believe that was an accurate measure or was literature a clearer look?<br />
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Well, I got to hop up onto my soapbox for a while. It's an interesting question, isn't it? The literature snob in me, of course has an opinion. A strong one, which I'm sure surprises no one who actually knows me well. We need to remember that history is written by the victors. Generally written by the victors after some judicious pruning. Think about the treatment of World War II in American history books. It's the Greatest Generation--the generation that buckled down, planted victory gardens and won the war over in Europe when France and Britain couldn't go it alone. Those entries completely downplay the fact that the US shrugged it's shoulders over the first shots into Poland in 1939, and only got involved after we were attacked at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. It also makes very little mention of the detainment camps in Utah and Arizona in which we incarcerated our own citizens on the fear that they might be collaborating with the enemy. Or what about the chapters or westward expansion? How much print is spent on the plight of Native Americans who were displaced by the intrepid explorers?<br />
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Therefore, I think, in order to get a true look at any culture we need to look at the literature of the time. What did they find important enough to write about? What did they find entertaining or shocking or frightening? I believe the fiction of the day, if it existed, really tells about what was important to a people. Reading the newspapers of the time--the yellow journalism is outrageous during certain eras and no better than fiction in a lot of cases--but it lets us know what the media felt the public needed to know. The writings in diaries and letters give us intimate glimpses in the daily lives of people that a history text can never have.<br />
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So, what do you think? Do you agree? Is literature a true window into the heart of a culture? Kind of an intimidating thought for those of us who are writers. What about our work speaks to the heart of the current time period? What will people think two hundred years from now when they read our work? Makes you want to be really careful about what you put into print!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-38284459266640090022015-07-22T08:39:00.000-05:002015-07-22T08:45:48.176-05:00Argh! Pirates!In the last two weeks my publishing company has found and identified two different pirating sites. We've all since rallied together, sent them cease and desist emails and gotten our books taken down, but after a little bit of research I find it's kind of like keeping your finger in the dam to stop the leak. I spent a little bit of time last night typing in my various book titles and seeing what popped up. It was a little distressing to find five different options (that all suspiciously lead to the same log-in screen) that offered free pdfs of my books.<br />
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I also found a message thread on a book site in which someone asked if anyone knew if there were a free pdf of Ascent of the Fallen out there since this person really wanted to read it. There were then five or six replies. None of them knew where to find the free copy and a couple of the comments were flattering my author ego. One of them stated that the poster couldn't imagine their life without this book. Another said that the book was outstanding. I admit, I preened a little at the compliments and the sentiments, but the book is only $3.00 in Kindle format. Most of us can find that in the couch. If you can't, then get it out of the library or borrow it from someone who's purchased the book. Kindle to Kindle loaning is a thing. </div>
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It seems like such a harmless thing. Borrow the book, read it, maybe leave a review somewhere (though most likely not). Admittedly, I don't make much on each book, but every cent counts. People who wouldn't ever think about walking into a store and taking a book off the shelf and walking out with it, think nothing of downloading free pdfs of books. It's the same thing. It's difficult enough trying to write the book, get the word out and get people to read and review the book. Usually I just shrug my shoulders and carry on. When I find a pirate site I send them an email and then post their information in my publishing group so everyone else knows. We all do the same. However, this time it just got to me. I have such fits with my students about copy/paste and their bootlegged movies. So many of them think nothing of either activity and they drive me up a wall. I suppose just seeing how many pirate sites there are out there just hit me as a little discouraging last night. </div>
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If you want your favorite indie authors to keep writing their stories, to not just throw their hands up in despair and quit, then you need to actually buy the books. Buy the books, read them, review them and let them know how much you loved their characters and their worlds. That's what will keep your favorite indie writers writing. Take my word for it. </div>
Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-58406215094342126472015-07-02T09:35:00.002-05:002015-07-02T09:35:41.002-05:00The ProcessEvery writer has a slightly different process they use to get the story out of their heads and onto the page. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. There is no "one way." Most writers, though do some sort of outlining. I've heard of authors who outline everything! Down to some descriptions or dialogue. When I heard that the first thought I had was, "what's the fun in that?!?"<br />
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I prefer broad, rather sweeping outlines. For example, I'm working on "First of the Fallen" right now. "First" is also a prequel to "Ascent of the Fallen." It takes place during the Christianization of Ireland, soon after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. So, a lot of my notes are historical notes in all caps in parentheses--either questions that I need to know the answers to in order to keep the research strong, or answers to previous questions I'd asked that need to be worked into the narrative. My actual outline notes are also in all caps under the appropriate chapter heading. Not that that means the chapters will actually stay as-is. Those can always change at my whim or at the direction of an editor. My notes say things like: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE TUATHA DE OFFER TO TAKE IYA WITH THEM INTO THE UNDERHILL WHERE SHE CAN LIVE FOREVER WITH THEM UNTIL THE WORLD IS MORE THAN READY FOR THE RETURN OF THE OLD GODS. (That was a fun scene to write, by the way...) </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some authors use more traditional looking outlines. I've tried, but they don't work for me. I prefer the episodic outlines that give me insight on the scene I need to write next. It makes for a choppy first draft, but that's part of the editing process. That's another thing. First drafts are the ugly stepsisters of the writing world. No one wants to talk about them. They're ugly, and choppy, and filled with plot holes and inconsistencies. They're actually the bare bones of the book you're writing. During the editing process you go through the story, make sure everyone's accounted for and you haven't changed everyone's eye color. By the time you're done going through the draft, you might actually have a book on your hands. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, no matter your process--detailed outline, episodic outline or flying by the seat of your pants--part of the process is the same. You need to actually sit down and write the thing! You need to put your butt in the seat and your fingers on the keys, to paraphrase on of my favorite writers Anne McCaffrey. </span>Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-61898855202974659452015-06-15T09:35:00.002-05:002015-06-15T09:35:26.592-05:00Struggling to RememberI'm finally off for the summer. This was one of the longest years I've had so far in my 18 year career in the classroom. We had a lot of changes to deal with and some stress within the team so it made the year just drag. However, the school year is done and I settled down this morning to continue on <i>FIRST OF THE FALLEN</i>, the prequel to <i>Ascent of the Fallen</i>. I sat down and stared. And stared. And stared...<br />
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Wow, am I out of practice! Writing is one of those things you need to keep up with. If you wait a little too long it's just so hard to get back into it. I have all my notes. I know pretty much where I'm supposed to go, but I'm not a really detailed outline type of person. I have notes that say things like "Asmoday shows up to yank Semiazas' chain." That's it. Nothing else. Apparently I had a plan and an idea, but didn't bother to write it down in much detail.<br />
<br />So, I didn't really write anything today, but I reread everything. I got to know the characters again. I reminded myself what I was doing and where I was going with this. That's half the battle. Not bad for an idea that was supposed to be a short story and a novella. I also just realized that I'd thrown in a plot twist right at the end of my last writing session and I had no idea where I was going with that. That took some thought. I think I have it though.<br />
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My goal, and yes, I'm throwing out there for everyone to see, is to be done with this story in its entirety by the end of July. That includes the rereads and the editing. I have about another hundred pages to go in this story (unless I decide to take another detour). So, that should be doable. My August I want to spend sketching out the rest of <i>Redemption of the Fallen-</i>-the next book after Ascent of the Fallen, the story that kind of wraps around the events in <i>Shades of the Fallen</i>. There we are. I have a goal and a plan.<br />
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Wish me luck!Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-69473141542235398682015-05-16T09:07:00.000-05:002015-05-16T09:07:14.445-05:00Fighting the Good FightLife has seriously gotten in the way this past two months and exploded into nasty little bits of rubble over the last week. I've been pretty good about keeping the blog to primarily writing and marketing issues for the last couple of months, but there hasn't been a lot of writing going on these past two months.<br />
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Sometimes it works that way. There are weeks when the words are flowing. You can barely keep up and the characters are at your shoulder cheering you one, telling you to type faster. Then there are weeks when you're as a fast as a turtle stampeding through peanut butter. Uphill. Then there are those weeks when there are no words. I've have had a no words week this week.<br />
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My daughter's little Catholic school is in jeopardy of closing. So, the parents and the alumni and the staff are closing ranks and trying to beg for one more year. We were told last week. Told we needed 30 more bodies in the seats to stay open. Told we had 10 days in which to find them. I'm feeling a little betrayed and bewildered right now. I feel as though the church is giving up on the school, and by extension, my child. The depression, the panic, the frantic casting around looking for options if the horrible does happen. The fear of that first day of school all over again--she's comfortable at her little school, she has friends, the teachers all know her. We chose that school over the larger one in the area on purpose. I wanted my daughter to have the same sort of experience I had at my little Catholic school years ago. Of course, the writing was on the wall then. My little school closed two years after I graduated too.<br />
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So, there haven't been any words this week. The only words I've written outside of work have been to the Bishop and the pastor asking for a stay of execution, if you will. Some might think it's a little hypocritical for a public school teacher to fight so hard to keep open a tiny Catholic school in the western suburbs, but I want for my daughter what I had. I know that there are wonderful things happening in public school classrooms. I know the teachers love their children there too, but I want to be able to have that shared experience with my daughter, the knowledge that she had the same sort of grammar school experience I had. There's nothing hypocritical about that.<br />
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I'm hoping there will be more words next week. My angels have been suspiciously silent. Maybe they know something I don't. So, I'll read, I'll plot, I'll plan and I'll pray--for the school, for my little girl and for the words to return.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645995289395830527.post-55177792927013717662015-03-22T18:29:00.000-05:002015-03-22T18:29:25.901-05:00When Stories Take a TwistSo, my latest project was supposed to be another novella and then a short story. I'd just finished up "Shades of the Fallen," a novella that takes place after "Ascent of the Fallen" and the arch angel Nathanial's tragic story was just waiting to be told. We learned a little bit about it in Ascent, but I was sure there would be more to it than just what Nathanial told Rue. I was right.<br />
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I decided to set the story in Ireland during the Christianization, after St. Patrick's death. So, I dove into research and decided that it was going to be a nice little twenty page novella. Then, I thought, hmmm... the dark angel Semiazas who we met in Ascent is a very interesting character. I wonder what his story is? What could drive one of the first of the angels, and Simeon's brother, to make a deal with the devil and found the Fallen Isles. Well, then Semiazas's story and Nathanial's started to weave around one another. Then the demon Asmoday stuck his nose in and things got really complicated.<br />
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It's interesting when a story takes a turn like that. I thought I was going to have a nice little novella and a short story. Well, at 23,000 words I think I'm about a third of the way through. I keep finding all these loose ends that need to be tied off and ways to weave them back into the story. I know where it's supposed to go. I know how it's supposed to end and that's half the battle. It's a much more interesting and complicated of a story than it had been. It's actually changed titles as well. It was supposed to be called Trials of the Fallen because Nathanial was going to face a trial. Then when Semiazas stuck his oar in it became First of the Fallen and Trials got pushed back into a later book. Actually, this story gave the idea on how to wrap up this entire Fallen story arc. I have seven books total planned and it's a glorious and heady thing. Well, I have seven books planned right now. We'll see if I actually stay on that track. These books seem to always start out as novellas and have a tendency to get away from me. What a wonderful problem to have.Rebecca L. Frenclhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15119862935506768993noreply@blogger.com0