Sunshine and E-Books

Sunshine

Have you ever had one of those days? You know the type; it’s wonderful out side, your body is full of energy, you’ve completed all your chores, and all you need to do – want to do – is write? Yah, I thought you’d know. It’s a wonderful kind of day, isn’t it? So you sit down at your desk, open your MS, open a window to let in the nice, cool air, place your fingers on the keys and then… Nothing happens.

Monday was such a day, and Tuesday as well. I wanted to write, needed to write, but nothing wanted to come out. I sat staring at the screen for more than 2 hours, and still nothing would come out. Now I have to do double the work this weekend to get caught up. At least I was able to write up a couple of outlines for some short stories. I’ll work on one next month and the other, well, the next. It should be no problem, now. Rain is on the wind and dark clouds are blanketing the sun.

E-Books

I was talking with a friend the other day. She had just published her first book with Samhain Publishing and was very excited. I was excited for her, and it got me thinking. I’ve been working on my story for LUNA books, but what about e-books? My mind started whirling, full of questions as well as pros and cons about the e-publishing world.

Since they are a growing industry, acceptance is relatively simpler than house publishing. They also accept new authors with open arms.

But e-publishing feels so fake to me. If I can’t hold my book in my hands, it doesn’t feel real. Besides that, I hate reading long novels on the computer screen; it gives me headaches. Nothing beats curling up on the couch with a cat sitting in your lap, the sun shinning through a window, a good book in your hands.

Then again, Samhain gives their writers 40% on each book sold. With an average sale price of $3.99-$4.99, that’s comes out to about $1.59-$1.99 per book. Wow. Much more than the $0.59 from each house published book.

Of course, how many people actually buy e-books? House published books are sold to millions, while e-publishing closer to the hundreds. Right? I’m not really sure, and have yet to find any information about it.

Oh, there are so many questions and things to consider. I still plan on sending my LUNA off to … well, LUNA. And if they don’t accept it, I’ll polish it and send it off to another house. But this e-book idea is still another possibility I may consider. If any of you readers have anything to add – questions, facts, or information – please feel free to add them. Hopefully I’ll have an answer or idea on what I’m going to do. Before I loose faith all together.

Happy Writing,
Amber

A Writer's Plight

I sat down to write last night, and the words flowed from my fingers like water. Not a river or flash flood, filling up page after page. Simply a small stream, the kind that winds it's way through the trees and over meadow. One page, than another fell be hind the onslaught of my pencil until, more than half way into chapter 3, the stream dried up. Well, it didn't actually dry up so much as fork into two directions. One way, the path my story was to take, was bone dry with only puddles to mark where water once flowed. The other way, that of my characters, flowed full and fast. A virtual rapid amidst washerwomen and daffodils.

Though I wished to fallow my original path, the idea dry save for a few known moments that where crucial to my story, the path of my character beckoned. A sparkling, rushing stream is much more inviting than that of a dried up one. And the laughing conversation of the washerwomen a reprieve from castle life. But I was dedicated. I would not deviate from the chosen path. And I would pound that into my character if need be.

Low and behold, a voice from the shadows encouraged, encouraged, my character to revolt. Of course, like any good character, that is exactly what she did. So now I stand here, at the edge of a waterfall with no end in sight, waiting for my character to take the plunge. And she will, it's in her nature.

As I once told a friend: Characters are a lot like children. When you tell them to do something, especially when it is for their own good, they'll quickly go they other way. For if given half the change, a character will spit in your eye and laugh.

Happy Writing,
Amber



Parties and Pirates

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where the official calibration days of LUNA-books' 2nd anniversary. Many LUNA authors where present (those who where not to busy writing up their next book, that is), many prizes where given, and a fine time was had by all - even if most of us where sleep deprived. I can't wait until next year.

While partying I was doing research for one of my books (to be named latter) and found some very interesting sites about pirates. But it was the woman pirates that caught my interest (especially since my pirate is a woman). The fallowing was taken from The Pirates Hold. While I do not know how valid the information is, it matches what I have found else where. Anne is a very inspiring modle for my own heroine.

Anne Bonny

Anne was born in Ireland, an illegitimate child of prominent lawyer, William Cormac, and the family maid, Peg Brennan (my best guess at the year of birth is around 1700-1705, marriable age was around 13-14, if the marriage to Bonny lasted 1-3 years and time with Rackham at about the same that would have made her somewhere between 15-20 at the time of the trial). Her father fled the scandal surrounding the birth taking mother and child with him to Charleston, South Carolina. Although the father prospered as a merchant in the colonies, he and the mother appear to have been somewhat less successful as parents. Anne was troublesome, headstrong and ill-tempered. While many of the stories were exaggerated, they include a stabbing incident with a servant girl and the sound thrashing of a would be rapist.

Anne eventually married the unsuccessful James Bonny. The marriage faired poorly as James, taking his wife to the pirate haven of New Providence, had a hard time supporting his wife. He eventually turned informer for the new governor, Woodes Rogers, further alienating his headstrong wife. Disillusioned with her husband, Anne transferred her affections to the peacock like figure of Calico Jack Rackham. Rackham returned Anne's affections by lavishing her with gifts. When James Bonny refused Rackham's offer to buy Anne, the couple snuck aboard a merchant sloop with a handful of Rackham's old pirate buddies and took over the ship. Thus began Anne's pirate career.

While Calico Jack looked the part of the dashing pirate, his career was somewhat lackluster, at least after taking up with Anne. The prizes taken seem to have been mostly coastal traders and fishing boats. Mary Read seems to have joined the pirates when a Dutch trader she was serving on was taken by the pirates. At some point during Anne's sojourn with Calico Jack she is said to have gotten pregnant and have been set ashore in Cuba to deliver the baby. She was later picked up and carried on with Rackham as before.

In late October, 1720, off the coast of Jamaica, a British Navy sloop, commanded by a Captain Barnet, came across Rackham's anchored ship. With most of the crew drunk the only resistance the pirates put up was offered by Anne and Mary. Realizing that the fight was lost the women turned on their less than courageous crewmates, killing one and wounding others, screaming at them to 'fight like men'. Anne and the others of the pirate crew were captured and put on trial for piracy. All were sentenced to death, but Anne and Mary escaped the noose by pleading their bellies (no English court would kill an unborn child).

Anne seems to have disappeared from the world's stage at this point, there is some conjecture that her wealthy father bought her release after the birth of the child.

It's that time again. Time to change your calendar, send the family home, and write out those ridiculously long resolutions that you have absolutely no plan on keeping (and if you do, I'm sure you've already broken half of them by now). Yep, I'm talking about the New Year's Resolution. I've made them for years and have failed to keep a single one of them. But, as with any sort of tradition, I sat down on December 31st, went over my plan, and wrote out my Resolution.

1) Finish my MS. Not very hard if I put butt-to-chair and fallow my plan of writing 600 words (about 3 pages) each and everyday.

2) Finish 2 shorts and submit them. Ok, come on. A short should be verry easy, right? Not! You have less room to finish your plot, and in my case they seem to grow to novel size. I plan on writing 200 words/day (1 page) each month for this.

3) Walk the dog more. Yes, we all have the scary "lose weight" on our list, and they never seam to work. So I've decided to change mine a bit. Instead of 'losing weight' I'm goint to walk the dog 2 blocks in the morning and 2 in the evening. Nough said.

4) Update my web site and blog more often. Once every couple of moths is some what pathetic. I'm aiming for twice a month at the least.

5) Finish MS. Yes, I need it on their twice, just in case ;-)

Well, now that my goals are down and in front of millions of eyes (ok, at lease 50 pair) I feel confident in completing each and everyone. With a little (or a lot) of hard work, I'm sure I can do this. And if I start to slip, feel free to give me a swift kick in the right direction.

How about you? What are your New Year's resolutions? Do you even have any? I'd love to know! It's always interesting to see what other people expect for themselves.

Happy Writing and a Happy New Year,
Amber

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