Russell Writes

My new book, Ghostly Tidewater Trilogy, goes live

2011-12-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

My new eBook, Ghostly Tidewater Trilogy, has gone live on Amazon. It also has been submitted to Barnes and Noble and iPad and will appear shortly.

Amazon Kindle Store Link

Sequential thinking on taxes

2011-09-21T12:06:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

One of the things the folks in Washington don't seem to get is that citizens want them to demonstrate a change in their spending behavior before we sign on to giving them more money. That's just common sense. Their handling of our money has caused them to lose credibility big time. They cook up useless programs and dangerous regulations, overpay for under performance, continue policies, programs and services that have long outlived their purpose, duplicate services at every level of government, fund foreign governments whose leaders pocket the money, allow massive waste, fraud and improper utilization of services, micromanage or manage using outmoded technologies and practices. I could go on.

They need to change their ways before we sign on for any new spending, and they need to stick to the new behavior for a few years to show they are not going to backslide right away. Then I might be willing to pay more in taxes, but only to pay down the debt. This would be similar to charitable giving where the donor chooses to restrict the gift to endowment. In fact, that is what Warren Buffett should do, write a check to Uncle Sam and restrict it to debt pay down.

Another change I would like to see is the exact opposite of the President's Buffett strategy. I belief that every citizen should pay something so that every one of us has skin in the game. I call my strategy the Sawbuck strategy. Everybody pays $5. We should stop picking on specific groups, and approach this as a team.

Radio interview

2011-09-19T12:59:00.001-07:00

My radio interview about A POINTED DEATH is airing today (9/19) on The Author Show

http://www.theauthorsshow.com/

Perfect water

2011-09-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

I hope the families of the victims of 9/11 are pleased with the way the World Trade Center monument, Gravity's Rainbow, turned out. The more I see it, the more I like it. I think the choice of waterfalls was inspired, and I predict this memorial will become as cherished as the Vietnam memorial is today. I am having a harder time appreciating the Pentagon and the Shanksville memorials through the medium of television, although I think the flowers at the Pennsylvania site are also a wonderful choice and will bring peace and reconciliation to this scene of violent struggle and death. The twin fountains, however, I get in a New York minute. There are so many symbols in the water. The water represents the innocence of those who perished. It captures the communally remembered images of falling people and buildings, and stands for the tears of those left behind. The surface of the water ripples with a turbulence that signifies our rage at what was done to us, and yet it is the antithesis of the vivid fire that burned into our retinas that morning. The water is a sacrament, offering peace, solace, redemption and renewal both for individuals who mourn and for lower Manhattan. Water also is elemental, representing endurance and the connectedness of all things and all souls. The shapes of the fountains and the reflective nature of the surface and to the visitor's connection with the event being commemorated. I am sure the sound of the water adds another dimension similar to the way the sound in a seashell blends with your own pulse as you listen. This tribute was a long time coming, but it is wonderful they got it right. I look forward to my next visit to New York when I will be able to pay my respects firsthand.

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Saint Steve

2011-08-27T09:52:00.001-07:00

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During this month of downgrades, hurricanes and political failures, it has been uplifting to focus on the remarkable career of Steve Jobs. Here is a man who embodies the virtues we would like young people to emulate. His vision, persistence, devotion to excellence, risk tolerance and ability to thrive on failure are assets in business and in life. His commitment to breaking down boundaries between science and art and between different industries has freed all of us from many hidebound and constraining commercial practices. I think his most important contribution though has been the way he had unleashed the productivity of so many other people, knocking down barriers to creativity for people the world over. There are many people out there who make fine products, but only a rare few who put tools in your hands that magnify your own productivity. I say, Steve Jobs for sainthood!

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Hurricanes of my childhood

2011-08-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

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I have vivid recollections of the hurricanes of my childhood. Well, not too vivid in one case because I was delirious. I had been out all day on the water and managed to get a bad sunburn which as dusk turned to evening progressed into frank sun poisoning. I think this was Hazel and she left me with these hazy images of our living room lit by (what else?) a hurricane lamp. We were stranded at the farm because the flooding covered a low spot on our dirt lane out to the Macadam road. So, we had to be patient and wait. There is a lot of waiting with hurricanes. The waiting in the eye of the storm is especially weird. I think the barometric pressure gets to you and messes with your mind. I'm sure my parents were very worried about my fever. My mother kept taking my temperature and putting cold compresses on my forehead. Funny, the things you recall. The buckets of water collected for us and our animals looked out of place next to the formal wing chair.

We lost power for a longer time with Connie, long enough to read all of The House of the Seven Gables by hurricane lamp. To this day, the smell of kerosene reminds me of that book.

I can't remember which hurricane took the wharf away while we stood on the shore and watched. Only moments before, my father and uncle had rescued the boat motors of several neighbors. People used to store their motors in little shacks at the end of the dock. Folks probably don't do much of that anymore. Too much theft. Anyway, the shack and the dock started to sway as they brought the last of the motors ashore. The whole thing collapsed into the waves and receded upriver like so much kindling.

People used to hunker down in hurricanes. Now, the government orders us inland like so much kindling on the tide.

A sorbet affair

2011-08-26T10:48:00.001-07:00

Each of us has an embarrassing incident in our past that haunts us forever. I have a list of them, and the memory of such events comes back at odd times with no apparent connection to current experiences. The sorbet affair is a case in point.

When I was a college student I worked one summer as a waitress in a weekend resort outside Cleveland. It was a big sprawling place with several restaurants, a banquet hall, and multiple bars. The main dining room featured an extensive menu which was a challenge for new employees to master. One of the specials was a five course meal with choice of entree which included a palette cleanser course of grapefruit sorbet.

One night as fate would have it, the owner of the resort was seated in my section. I had been working for about two weeks, and was getting my rhythm, but when another server told me who the man was, it shook me up. I worked hard at keeping up with my other tables while lavishing special attention on this one.

A particular challenge in waitressing in those days was complying with the labor laws while insuring that you got good tips. Employees could only work for three hours straight after which they had to take a fifteen minute break. You may never have waited tables, but you have been a customer. Can you imagine being abandoned by your server for fifteen minutes, while you stared at an empty coffee cup or waited for your check? Of course, we punched out, kept right on serving our customers and punched back in so that our tip income was not placed in jeopardy. On busy nights, we sent one waitress to the time clock with several punch cards. This was against the rules and risky, but efficient. The time clock problem was compounded at this particular resort because the device was located at the far end of the complex for the convenience of the cleaning and maintenance staff. I guess this particular business owner was more of a hotel man than a restaurant man, because he was rather inconsiderate of his wait and kitchen staff. It was quite a sprint to the far side of the resort and back.

It was my turn to make the run. I was young and I made good time, but the trip disrupted my concentration on the five course meal I was serving to the big boss and his companion. I forgot his sorbet course.

When the man settled his check, he called me over and pointed out my error. I apologized profusely and asked him if he would like me to bring the sorbet, but he declined. What I really wanted to say was that if he hadn't placed the blasted time clock in the next county, he would have gotten his sorbet at the proper time, but it was an age when you didn't make excuses to your elders. I thought I was going to lose my job.

Perhaps it was remembering the impact the punch clock regulations had on me personally that has brought this incident to mind. We have been hearing a lot about regulations and their unintended consequences in the news lately. Or perhaps it was the nature of my exchange with the restaurant owner. Several times in the past month I have been the victim of some sort of failure or mistake when I have bought a product or service. In each case there was no apology whatsoever. In one case, the error was a medication error. A pharmacy gave my mother a medication that was not the intended drug and had another person's name on the vial. Mother has macular degeneration, so I check all her medications. When I returned the package to the pharmacy, the drug was exchanged, but despite the fact that four people assisted me, including the chief pharmacist, there was no apology. I guess saying, "Sorry we almost killed your mom," is hard to wrap your mouth around. They all wanted to see whose employee number was on the receipt to learn who was in trouble.

Today as a consumer I feel like I am being treated as a three dimensional statistic rather than a human being. The idea that the pharmacy's mistake had inconvenienced me, since I had to drive across town needlessly, did not even register with the folks at the counter. They did get the part about the drug switch being life threatening, but only to their careers. There was no empathy for a person who might have lost her mother. Somewhere along the line, the relationship between the helper and the helped has evaporated. Is it the 'me' generation? I'm sure modern pharmacies have their version of the punch clock problem, but I still wish people would acknowledge mistakes and apologize. It would make for a better world.

Founders sending a message

2011-08-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

I was thinking that the East Coast earthquake originated in Virginia, the epicenter of American democratic leadership, surrounded by the homes of Washington, Jefferson and Madison. The shaker cleared out the buildings in the district basically shutting down the government for the day. The next thing we hear is that a crack has been discovered in the Washington monument. Perhaps the founding fathers are so fed up with what is going on in Washington they have decided to send a message. Or they are spinning so fast in their graves, the vibes have unleashed a tremor?

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Marriage, a sinking ship?

2011-08-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

Image by liquidnight via Flickr

I think back in the Sixties, we arrived at the free love crossroads, took a wrong turn and got lost for fifty years. We reached that seminal destination due to technological, economic and cultural advances. Innovation freed the housewife from labor intensive chores. Machines transformed the workplace so that the majority of jobs were no longer dependent on muscles. A trend toward equal rights and opportunities for women gave women back control of their reproductive destiny, their personal freedom and their assets. Both young men and women began to identify and reject certain hypocritical and unethical features of the otherwise stable, productive and cohesive post WWII society their parents built, including racism, loveless marriages, abusive relationships, poor treatment for disabled and mentally challenged persons, homophobia and child abuse.

Technology delivered the birth control pill and in another decade, DNA science rendered the determination of paternity foolproof and the need for chastity moot. Class and geographic mobility eliminated or confused communal ties and rendered the need or desire to marry within a group or social stratum unnecessary or impossible.

All of these factors made the original reasons for marriage obsolete from both a personal and a societal point of view. The first generation to be heavily impacted by all this charge was the Boomers. Because we were so young, our response was naive and simplistic -- free love! Problem was, as we matured, we never went back and had a serious conversation about what marriage should become. The kneejerk response that you can infer from our behavior, was 'whatever you want it to be, baby!' And that is what marriage has become. Now, we have reached a point where the institution is so sullied, distorted and abused or debauched, it is unrecognizable. Liz Taylor and her seven marriages is more obscene than garden variety infidelity, although John Edwards and his ilk have taken that particular sin to new levels of shame.

Unfortunately, governments and corporations have continued to pretend that the institution of marriage supports the societal goals of community stability, protection of children and workplace productivity, and continue to heap privileges on the marital state, including extra benefits, special legal standing, tax incentives and the like. Anyone who spends two minutes with the statistics on foster care, spousal battery, divorce, out of wedlock births, and juvenile delinquency knows this is all smoke and mirrors.

My gay friends have spent a lot of time and energy lately making churches and states recognize their need/right to be married. I wish then happiness, but I have no interest in supporting this initiative, because I feel they are boarding a sinking ship.

Of course, I am single, so you may ask why I care. One reason is that the guy in the office next to me got five times the amount of employee benefits in dollar terms than I did because he was married with children, yet I worked just as hard as he did and had a better attendance record because I didn't have to take little Janie to the dentist. I paid taxes for schools, parks and youth services for his kids. Now his kids are the ones who are flash mobing Philadelphia. So he did a lousy job of child rearing despite all the extra bennies he got, and now my taxes fund the prisons for his delinquents. I feel cheated and not a little scared.

The 'love' of the Sixties may have been free but it hasn't ended up being cheap. We abandoned religious and other value systems because they were too constraining, and we didn't really achieve much but fecklessness. Although free love involved two people, it was really all about I. Boomers under-appreciated the safety of the world they lived in, a world where getting food was easy, getting work was easy and more and more leisure was enjoyed by all. A family huddled at the hearth praying the wolf was not going to beat down the door was an image they didn't recognize. The family unit as a means of survival never crossed their minds. Boomers didn't realize their freedom from want and fear unleashed a focus on the self unprecedented in history. The costs of the 'me' generation has come home to roost everywhere in nuisance lawsuits, expensive attempts to legislate political correctness, high crime and vandalism rates, educational systems that don't educate, crass consumerism, obesity and highly placed leaders who engage in low behavior.

For decades, we have allowed Hollywood and Madison Avenue to be the arbiters of taste and values. The result is the only things we worship are celebrity, conspicuous consumption and carbohydrates, or the eradication of same to achieve sculpted abs. Hollywood in particular, continues to flog the myth of romantic love at the expense of every other form of commitment or connection. Movie 'love' is a state of blissful euphoria shared by two beautiful people who have a backstage army of plastic surgeons, personal trainers, stylists, shrinks and couturiers.

The media and the AIDS epidemic pretty much took the mystery and magic out of sex. Sex used to be part of the forbidden world of adulthood -- a rite of passage. Today, eleven year olds do it. And congressmen text it.

Now we live in an age where sex is completely divorced from marriage in that you can reproduce by artificial insemination with or with surrogacy or, for that matter, cloning (coming to a clinic near you). You also can reproduce outside of marriage without stigma. Of course, we have arrived at a time in the evolution of Western Civilization where folks don't seem that anxious to reproduce anyway. Economists argue that a negative birthrate is a bad thing for any nation, but you don't see policy makers rushing to make child bearing more attractive.

Of course, after the bearing, there is the rearing. Many people argue that two heterosexual parents are ideal. The child grows up exposed to both gender role models, and two people can share the mountain of tasks and expenses involved in bringing up a kid. Yet many single parents do fine, gay and lesbian parents do just fine and it does not require a marriage license for two people to collaborate successfully in caring for a child. Moreover, there are some kids in this world who seem to require six or eight parents. You've sat next to them in restaurants. (What every kid really needs is one good parent with enough tiger in her to put the child's welfare above her own, make the youngster understand he is not the center of the known universe, show him that what Mom is raising is a productive individual not a texting coach potato or a shopping diva.)

So, I think it might be about time to reassess the value of marriage in modern culture, whether or not it should be incentivized and what should be the 'rules' for the married state. We need to sort out from the Gordian knot of the old idea, the separate threads of sex, love, commitment, parenting and sharing.

There are benefits to marriage that have nothing to do with reproduction. There is the mutual help and companionship angle. Since we all are living longer, this takes on more importance. It is a lot cheaper for society, if your partner looks after you when you become sick or demented. Also, coupling up is a far better use of resources than living alone. All these single people knocking around in their own apartments and houses is kind of wasteful. Think of New York City which is now majority solo. Shared assets such as automobiles, washers, and dryers are a sound economy. Sharing joys such as pets and collectibles makes fun things more affordable and accessible.

Society does benefit from asexual partnering, but probably not at a level that requires incentives or regulation, and as far as the church is concerned, sharing a microwave oven does not require a sacrament.

The commitment to live as a couple necessitates some sort of agreement, so that the parties can plan and make forward going decisions, and such contracts are easily devised. They could even expire and be renewable. If this sounds a little loveless, it is important to note that conventional marriage has inflicted much pain as well as bliss.

The only aspect of the two-person relationship the state, employers and the church clearly have an interest in directing is the parent piece. Bringing a child into the world who will not be loved, fed, protected, socialized and educated is both a crime and a sin. The prisons are full of the consequences of bad parenting. Yet this is the area where prior approval is not required, enforcement is light and sanctions are all but nonexistent.

We believe we have the right to procreate and that right is limited only in that you may not force another person to do it with you. Pro lifers believe a child once conceived has the right to be born. But nobody has the right to mold a child into a sociopath or neglect or abuse a child in such a way that she becomes a burden for the state.

If you witness the potential destruction of property, such as a burning house, you rush in an put out the fire. But all of us stand by and watch the destruction of children every day, and we do not take to task our leadership or our consciences.

I hope I never see the day when the US ala China licenses something as personal as child bearing. On the other hand, society should find ways to reward Tiger Mothers, married or single, and penalize bad parents.

Black Fridays

2011-08-14T15:46:00.001-07:00

I had one of those Fridays where I should have stayed in bed. We have a house we are trying to sell, and one of the compressor/condenser units went kaput. Fortunately I had it under a service contract with Sears. The technician came out several weeks ago, diagnosed the problem, declared the unit reparable and ordered the requisite parts. I kept checking the house, and in the fullness of time the first part arrived -- all seventy-eight pounds of it. Picture me hefting the thing over the sill in the 109 degree heat.

Image via Wikipedia

The technician said there would be two boxes. Several days passed and no second parcel materialized, so with sinking shoulders, I headed for the phone. (You know how much time can be consumed 'on hold' these days while somebody in India tries to fix your problem, presuming they grasp your problem in the first place.) Finally, I penetrated the phone tree and spoke with a live person. I was shuffled to another person, put on hold several more times, and finally was told there was only one box in the shipment. Now, I'm a desert rat, and I know from painful experience what compressors and condensers look like. I told her that was not possible given the size of the box. She insisted there was to be only one box. I was ready for her though. I had the packing slip from the box in my hand. It said the other item would be shipping separately. More precious moments of my life on hold. She came back and said she would follow up with me later. She called back the following day, and said I was right. There were two boxes, but the other box had been shipped directly to the technician who would be bringing it with him on Friday.

Friday arrived and I journeyed to my other house at 7:30 am for my service 'window' of 8a - 12p. At 12:15p I called the repair department to inquire about the location of my technician. About a half hour later, the gatehouse where my other home is located called to say that the technician was there. The guard handed the technician the phone. He was the same technician who had diagnosed the problem and he realized that he had been sent to the wrong address. I gave him the correct address. He and his assistant arrived in another twenty minutes.

"Where's the other box?" he asked.

"According to Sears, you have it," I informed him. He and his assistant returned to their truck to utilize the special computer for communicating with the powers that be in the Sears parts and repair department.

They returned to my entry. "The parts in El Cajon," he said. "They'll ship it and we'll have to reschedule. The next appointment I have available is next Friday."

"Lucky me," I said.

I have another week ahead of me of checking on the delivery of the elusive box. Or cooling my heels 'on hold.'

What I want to know is how I find my way through the phone tree to the young woman who told me the part had been shipped to the technician. Did she just make that up to mess with me? Did her boyfriend break up with her and she had to direct her rage somewhere else before she exploded? Does she not have an air conditioner and harbor envy for people who do? Does she like to fantasize about sixty-something women lifting eighty pound boxes? Inquiring minds want to know.

Have a cool Friday!

A Sad Anniversary

2011-08-04T10:24:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow marks the passing of a wonderful dog. Buddy was the inspiration for my children's book, and we were fortunate to enjoy his company for six wonderful years. He just fell over in my office one day and died. I think maybe this sudden death thing may run in the Standard Poodle breed, especially in the Royals, the really big dudes.

I wrote the following poem shortly after his passing, so I thought I would publish it again to honor his memory. What a special guy. We sure do miss you, Babe.

Come Back

(after Dorothy Parker)

A mild and most bewildered little shade

paces my darkened office all alone,

stares in disbelief at the rug where he

died, oh so suddenly last Tuesday morn,

gone with one exhale as I composed with

my back to him, his head fell on his paws.

I typed away as he ebbed away. Soft.

Praying was my first thought when I turned. Spoke

Buddy? Buddy. Buddy! Then I knelt down,

the first mourning tears already falling,

touching the already heavy form. Eyes

sinking back away from me. Please don't go!

I held him close. Done it a thousand times.

The loving heart that beat, "I'll never leave

You. Ever." Was still. Still, I hoped we'd be

together years from now. Assumption dashed.

Opened myself to grief and pain. Only

through this sad journey did I come to terms,

accepting. Then I found that I could see

him. His lanky silhouette in the night.

Buddy you kept your word! You have not left.

Earthy angel, soiled paws and frowzy ears

No Standard Poodle you, my dear. Noble

friend. You must go, you know. To claim your wings.

All dogs go to heaven it is said. But

Before you fly, please promise that you'll come

back. For me. When it is time. Okay?

Back. To lead bewildered, weary me. Home.

Autographing Kindle Books

2011-08-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Someone has actually accomplishing the feat of enabling the autographing eBooks! Kindlegraph is now available and authors can enter the books on the Kindlegraph site so readers know they are available for personalization. When a buyer requests an autograph an email comes to the author's mailbox with the request. In a special box, the author types the personalization. Under the message box is a signing tab. If you are familiar with electronic contract signing software, you will recognize the signature tab immediately. When you click on the tab, you get choices. You can select from a menu of script signatures or you can use the writing software to create your own freehand signature. I am not good enough with my mouse to make my cursive look like anything other than chicken scratch, so I have opted one of the standard choices. Some day, I'll have a few scotches and try the freehand tool again. It may be one of those situation where you have to be complete relaxed to succeed.

You would be amazed at how many authors have been wringing their hands over this autographing problem in the eBook world. I guess writers really love those book signing gigs at stores and conferences. Personally, I think the practice is archaic and it will die of with the current generation. At least I did until I saw Kindlegraph. Since I type pretty fast, I can be far more generous with my personalization. This is sort of like book signing meet Twitter or something.

Check this out. It is way cool.

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Goodreads giveaway for BUDDY'S TAIL and A POINTED DEATH

2011-08-03T12:39:00.001-07:00

I am running giveaways for two of my books this month -- BUDDY'S TAIL and A POINTED DEATH. Go on over there, enter and get lucky!

http://www.goodreads.com

Deselecting girls -- choices and consequences

2011-06-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal, the weekend edition, contained a book review by Jonathan Last about Mara Hvistendahl's Book, Unnatural Selection; Choosing Boys over Girl and the Consequences of a World Full of Men. Hvistendahl writes about countries which regulate, promote or condone the preferential birthing of boys. As my readers know, my mystery, A POINTED DEATH, deals with this subject, although I can't say how as it might spoil the plot for you. The author makes several frightening points. Some really big countries like China and India are involved in sex selection favoring males, the anti-girl families are the rich ones not the poor, and societies with more men tend to be more violent. She also note that cultures with fewer women don't hold females more dear, rather the opposite, the women are more likely to be exploited. Also, she notes, big countries with too many men steal women from small countries.

Both the author and the reviewer ponder the impact of gendercide on the right to have an abortion. One result might be the narrowing or loss of abortion rights. I would prefer to focus less on the fear of losing rights and more on changing for the better the perceived value of women.

It is sad to contemplate the prospects of women in countries where political, economic and cultural constraints make having daughters such an undesirable outcome. We need a lot of wattage to shine the beacon of female equality, opportunity, intellect and productivity into the dark corners of the globe.

‘BUDDY'S TAIL' WINS PURPLE DRAGONFLY BOOK AWARD

2011-06-15T13:14:00.001-07:00

PALM DESERT, CA (June 15, 2011) – The judges of the second annual Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes excellence in children's literature, have spoken, and Buddy's Tail by K. Anne Russell, won honorable mention in the Animals/Pets category.

"Winning any place in the Purple Dragonfly Contest is a huge honor because in order to maintain the integrity of the Dragonfly Book Awards, a minimum score of 72 out of 80 must be earned for a 1st Place award, 64 out of 80 for a 2nd Place and 56 out of 80 for an Honorable Mention – even if it is the sole entry in a category," explains Linda Radke, president of Five Star Publications, the sponsor of the Dragonfly Book Awards. "Competition is steep, too, because there is no publication date limit as long as the book is still in print."

Buddy's Tail, is about Buddy Boutonniere, a rescued Standard Poodle who finds love and purpose in this world and the next. His pal MacKenzie, a take-charge Border Collie who narrates Buddy's story, learns the power of friendship and acceptance through Buddy's travails and triumphs. The book retails for $7.99 (paperback) and can be purchased at Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and the Apple iPad bookstore.

For a complete list of winners including all 1st and 2nd places and Honorable Mentions, visit www.FiveStarBookAwards.com and click on "Winners."

The Chocolate Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which is open to any and all books about or relating in some way to food, is already underway with an August 1 deadline for entries; as is the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, which honors all genres of books in 50 categories, with a February 1, 2012 deadline. However, Royal Dragonfly submissions postmarked December 1, 2011 or earlier are eligible for the Early Bird reward: a free e-copy of The Economical Guide to Self-Publishing or Promote Like a Pro: Small Budget, Big Show. The 3rd Annual Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest will launch following notification of the Chocolate Dragonfly winners.

For complete winners' lists including 2nd Place and Honorable Mention wins, rules and entry forms for any of the Dragonfly Book Awards contests, visit www.FiveStarBookAwards.com. For more details on Five Star Publications, email info@FiveStarPublications.com or call 480-940-8182.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Linda Radke, Five Star Publications

Phone: 480-940-8182

E-mail: info@FiveStarPublications.com

or author

E-mail: russell@rwwra.com

Phone: 760-773-4470

High-res photo available

to the media upon request

Buddy's Tail recognized by Purple Dragonfly Children's Book Awards

2011-06-15T12:24:00.001-07:00

Buddy's Tail has received an honorable mention in the animals/pets category of the annual Purple Dragonfly competition sponsored by Fire Star Publications. Here is a link to the Five Star award web site:

Five Star Publications

China's cyberassaults: life imitates genre

2011-06-15T08:33:00.001-07:00

Today, on the opinion page of the WSJ is an article by Richard Clarke opining about China's assault on the computer networks of America's businesses and the need for the US government to do something about it. This scenario is very close to the plot of my mystery thriller, A POINTED DEATH, which deals with the stealing of industrial intellectual property and biological samples in the biotechnology industry. Sadly, truth is imitating fiction, although I am not claiming any huge prescience or originality here. The Chinese certainly give fiction writers s lot of fodder when it comes to nefarious doings. It is kind of like the Russians during the Cold War; an author just couldn't resist making them the heavies. These days we have a lot of evil actors to choose from, but when it comes to cyber-hacking, it is pretty clear who leads the pack.

A Pointed Death (The Pointer Mysteries)

'DEED SO' Giveaway on Goodreads

2011-06-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am running a giveaway on the Goodreads site for my novel DEED SO. If you are not already a member of Goodreads, this would be a good time to join!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Deed So

by Kath Russell

Giveaway ends July 07, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Pictures from California Crime Writers Conference

2011-06-13T15:13:00.001-07:00

Elaine Ash has posted the pictures she took at the California Crime Writers Conference held in Pasadena this past weekend. There's even a picture of me! It was a great conference and all the organizers are to be congratulated for a job well done. This is a joint Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America Southern California chapter effort. Be sure to consider attending next year!

http://ashedit.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/california-crime-writers-conference-2011-part-2-2/

I 'neutral' you!

2011-06-09T15:42:00.001-07:00

Peter Funt published a telling op-ed in the WSJ today about the word 'disrespecting' and its current usage. He made several chilling points. First, the word respect has come to mean an entitlement rather than something you earn. And the more entitled people become about respect, the quicker they are to cry 'disrespect' when they feel the least bit offended. An offense can be something as simple as not getting what you want. Sometimes, it gets positively scary when people turn Webster on his venerable ear.

In the hopes of getting things back on track, I'm going to propose a new usage. It is non-threatening, and presupposes no baggage. When I meet a stranger, I will accord her a neutral status. She has no negative or positive attributes. I give her the benefit of the doubt, of course. She is the human version of a tabula rasa, and we are a positive species by nature. Hope is in our DNA.

I think this is a fair beginning because I don't know her. I believe it is unreasonable for her to expect respect from me because I have no data. For the very same reason, she should expect me NOT to disrespect her. I don't have any data for that conclusion either. So, I will treat her as an ordinary human being, a fellow traveler on life's journey, a fellow citizen with the same one vote I have, a 'do unto other' opportunity according to the Christian canon.

Let's say we're on a bus. An elderly person boards the bus, and the stranger gets up and gives the senior her seat. Now, the pendulum swings in the respect direction. Conversely, let's say she takes up two seats, throws trash on the floor and yells into her cell phone with total disregard for her fellow passengers. The pendulum swings into the disrespect danger zone. I smile or frown and turn away according to my data.

There are people in public life who don't seem to understand that you can push the pendulum so far into the danger zone, it flies off the fulcrum right out into space. Their public, personal and professional lives are a train wreck and yet they seem to think someone owes them respect. Moreover, they believe others can disrespect them more than they already have disrespected themselves. Their moral and ethical pendulums are sorely in need of calibration. They are so far gone that people don't want to relate to them at all, other than to find a bushel basket to stuff them under. Their fellow humans have moved from a position of neutrality to one of wanting to neutralize these offensive brothers, or maybe just erase their slate altogether.

Today we live and die by image,which we can finesse for a while, but in the end becomes the sum total of our actions. Am I just getting old, or are there a lot of Dorian Grays walking around?

So, should we meet in the future, know that I neutral you from the bottom of my heart...

Book Trailer for BUDDY'S TAIL Launches

2011-05-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiwh82_k-anne-russell-book-trailer_people

Deed So by Kath Russell Book Club Discussion Guide from BookMovement --Book Clubs, Book Reviews, Discussion Questions, Book Lists

2011-05-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Deed So by Kath Russell Book Club Discussion Guide from BookMovement --Book Clubs, Book Reviews, Discussion Questions, Book Lists

Science Literacy for Girls: Start Early to Defeat Dependency

2011-04-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

After birth, female and male children continue to develop along divergent paths when it comes to their ability to learn science. As Abigail James points out in Teaching the Female Brain, the left side of the brain, where language skills reside, develops earlier in girls, while the right side, the part responsible spatial cognition develops earlier in boys. Differences emerge in how the sexes reason to solve problems, use language to communicate, relate to other humans and interact with the environment. Girls deploy more words and are better at managing boredom. Boys are better at abstract thinking and occupy more space when playing. Girls are better at groups, but boys are better at teams.

Image via Wikipedia

Skill and sensory development occur at different times in male and female infants. According to Gurian and colleagues (Boys and Girls Learn Differently), infant girls can recognize the faces of people they know in photographs at four months of age and male infants cannot. Girls have better peripheral vision while boys have superior narrow vision and depth of vision. Even emotional maturation develops differently. Boys are quicker to anger, while girls are quicker to sadden.

Moreover, parents, family members and friends socialize children in different ways depending on their sex. Even the most aware parent can unwittingly engage in gender bias when performing the most elemental of acts, such as hugging. Skolnick and colleagues (How to Encourage Girls in Math and Science) reported that mothers started directing boys away from their persons to go exploring at about six months, but continued to worry more about the well-being of their daughters, and kept their girls physically closer longer.

Beyond parents, are the family members and friends who just want to enjoy the new human and are not thinking critically about that chubby-cheeked cherub's chances for mastering astrophysics. Uncle Henry, who tosses baby Freddie in the air, but tickles little Patricia under her cute little chins. Or Aunt Marcia who always brings Patricia a doll and Freddie a truck or tractor.

As a kid, I always wanted the truck. To this day, I remember fondly a two-level gas station, complete with gas pumps and vehicles that a thoughtful relative gave me one Christmas. I also remember the microscope, chemistry set and the circuit board template for making a variety of gizmos, and the very personal gift of my father's own Ham radio Morse Code key and circuitry. Now that was something. Or at least it was until he made me memorize and use the code, and demonstrate proficiency at a certain speed.

The behavior of adults around children can impact a girl's success with science in a number of ways. We know adults can reinforce destructive stereotypes. They also can encourage behavior that may be innate, but is not particularly useful in mastering science. Always praising a daughter for her flowery prose style, and never encouraging her to try a graphic presentation or a chart to make her point is an example of encouraging a child away from skills she needs to develop. Grownups can discourage behavior that would be useful in scientific inquiry, such as exploration and experimentation, deeming it too unladylike or dangerous. Telling a girl to stay clean and not muss her cloths, is the same thing as putting her in a straightjacket when it comes to learning about the natural world.

The professionals (see Science for Girls: Successful Classroom Strategies) by Susan Gibbs Goetz) say that what unthinking adults are engaged in is the 'dependency training' of girls, and that behaviorists can see the effects of this subversive instruction as early as that first birthday. Girls begin to lose confidence in their ability to do science from the get-go. It may even go beyond loss of self-confidence to the instilling of fear. Fear to try, fear to fail.

What can parents do to combat dependency training? First, knowledge is power. Understanding the developmental paths of boys and girls, and their strengths and weaknesses as it relates to learning, is important in guiding your parental choices and your reactions to a child's behavior. Spend some time on the internet. Some other suggestions follow --

Objective recap: Parents can review at the end of the day or the week, what they have observed in terms of learning behavior. What learning opportunities occurred and how did the child problem solve? Was there an example of analytical thinking? How did the parent or other adult who was present react to the behavior? Was the response constructive? Thing about keeping an activity journal to support this discussion.

In-law management: You have the right to raise your child according to your own rules. Relatives and friends need feedback if they are stereotyping.

Toy inventory: Do an inventory of your daughter's toys. Stand back and assess the hoard as a whole. Make a list of toys that should be acquired, and share it with relatives for gift-giving.

Space assessment: Does your daughter have room to spread out? Project room, not just reading room?

Explorer gear. Does your daughter have clothing that is suitable and safe for active exploring and experimenting? Don't forget the shoes!

When families commit to open up experiences for girls to reach for science, they turn dependency into opportunity.

The Battle for Science Literacy Begins in the Womb

2011-04-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I said I was going to start blogging about science literacy for women at the bassinet level. Already I have made a mistake. We need to start in the womb. There are differences in male and female fetuses that may play a role in the way boys and girls learn science and math. Michael Gurian and Kathy Stevens in their book, Boys and Girls Learn Differently! A Guide for Teachers and Parents, published lists of fundamental differences at various stages in development that affect learning, including development in utero.

Image via Wikipedia

Some of the findings support old wives tales that any mom or midwife will tell you. For example, male fetuses are generally more active than female fetuses. How often have you heard a mother-to-be react to a hearty kick with the comment, "I know this one is a boy."

The male fetus produces testosterone and the female fetus produces estrogen. So the hormonal system is already setting up boys to be more assertive, even before they're born. In addition, the female fetus produces more serotonin, than the male. Serotonin, is a hormone that calms you down, and many people take serotonin substitutes to aid sleep, especially women after menopause.

In the male brain, the basal ganglia or reptilian complex is emphasized, which is responsible for aggressive behavior, territoriality and dominance, while in the female brain, it is the cingulate gyrus or limbic part, which is responsible for emotion, motivation and nurturing behavior.

Although the fetus starts out as undifferentiated and basically female, changes instigated by hormone bursts significantly alter males and females before birth. Thus the template for our contrasting performance in learning about science is being built in the womb.

This must seem frustrating to parents. Even in a safe, protected place where social influences can't get at her, your daughter's brain is being wired to make it harder for her to learn science and math.

For that initial nine months of waiting, is there anything parents can do to begin leveling the playing field for daughters? There is. This is the time to begin a dialog about gender neutral parenting. It is important for mothers and fathers to reach a consensus on how they as a team will approach this issue. It is a time to learn through reading and research and conversations with professionals how boys and girls absorb and process information.

Image via Wikipedia

This also is a very good time to observe the behaviors of family members and friends. At the baby showers and in the conversations about religious observations such as christenings, parents will quickly see which grandparent, aunt or neighbor is gone to pose a challenge with regard to stereotyping your daughter. It is never too early to start making known your intentions for creating a neutral environment for your female child when it comes to her education, her experience of the natural world and her career aspirations.

Science Literacy for Women: a Fiction Author's Point of View

2011-04-14T11:25:00.001-07:00

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I have written three novels. The first, a mystery, is set in the biotechnology industry. The second is a coming-of-age story set in 1962, the year The Feminine Mystique was published, and the era when women began to question their traditional roles and reach beyond the 'female' professions to exciting new opportunities. The year I graduated from college, 1970, marked the beginning of the gender studies movement. Despite all the progress that has been made in improving science education, making it gender neutral and leveling the playing field for women in the workforce, American women are still the weaker sex in science. Mind you, I don't think American men are as educated in the sciences as they should be either, but women lag even farther behind in science literacy.

The market for my adult books is female, especially for the mystery. When female readers finish A POINTED DEATH, they congratulate themselves on 'getting through' the science. They admit to having been intimidated by the setting, and credit my lovable characters for getting them through the science bits. This is a little worrisome when you are writing a series. My male readers never express any misgivings about the technical terrain of the novel. Of course, I worked hard to make sure I explained all the scientific and medical references, especially any upon which the plot turned. You have to give mystery readers a level playing field so they have a shot at solving the crime puzzle.

What worries me about the relationship of women to science is a great deal bigger than book sales. Our world has evolved into a two-tier job market. The lower end is getting lower; technology has seen to that. Machines have taken all the thinking and much of the skill out of many jobs (probably the joy too). You press buttons, you flip burgers. At the other end of the spectrum, where the really exciting jobs and the big paychecks are, are careers that require solid skills in math and pure and applied science. These people have to keep going back to school, just to keep up. Women have fewer of these jobs because somewhere along the way they were encouraged to shut the door on science, or had the door slammed firmly in their face.

I also worry about this because women make up half of the electorate. As citizens of an advanced society, we are increasingly asked to follow debates and make decisions about math and science. Women must understand the current arguments about the nation's budget deficits and debt. Recently, we have been treated to news about nuclear plants, space exploration, earthquake prediction, dying oysters in Louisiana, Amazon's cloud and a computerized three-dimensional model of the human brain. Every voter needs to have a basic grounding in the sciences, or she is just a dupe of the loudest, best funded activist group.

Of course, we can spread the blame around. In the past some science and math teaching was pretty bad. I had a calculus professor at Northwestern University who spent more time at the Dow demonstrations than he did teaching me, and the faculty and administration did nothing about it. I suffered through two classes with him before hanging up my slide rule. It broke my father's heart. (He was an engineer.) I was much more fortunate in my biology professors. Good thing too, because I ended up working in the healthcare and then the biotechnology industry, a sector that did not exist when I graduated from college. I owe those professors my ability to work in a high-paying technical field. I thank you and my 401(k) thanks you. This is another crucial point though. New industries arise and others die out. Our world is moving very fast, and the worker has to change with it. That kind of flexibility comes from having a strong base to build on and a facility for critical thinking. Without science education, women are being left at the starting line when it comes to remunerative employment, and they can never catch up.

Anyway, it is my opinion that solving this problem involves attacking it at all levels. Many taskforces have addressed this in higher education and at the K-12 level. I think it starts much earlier and is pervasive in society. I am going to blog about this a lot over the next few months. I'm going to start at the bassinet level and work up and out. Okay, okay, I'm thinking I'm going to write a book. So stop by often and chime in with your two cents. Together, we can beat this thing.

Poodle discovers no good deed goes unpunished in fourth-grade-level canine adventure story

2011-04-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

Poodle discovers no good deed goes unpunished in fourth-grade-level canine adventure story

Sale on DEED SO

2011-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

I forgot to post this to my blog when I returned home from the Left Coast Crime conference. I lowered the price on the Kindle version of DEED SO in honor of Maryland Day (3/25), to $3.40. The significance of the '34' is that Maryland was founded in 1634. I also adjusted the price on the trade paperback version to $16.34 from $16.99. Fun! Anyway, the Kindle sale is running for a week until 4/2 at midnight, so you still have time.

DEED SO is set in a fictional Southern Maryland town in 1962, the last year of innocence, the year before the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights movement, the women's rights movement and the Vietnam war change America forever. The book tries to explain, for those of you who are still wondering, why the Baby Boomers turned out the way they did.

Think To Kill a Mockingbird, only with oysters and crabs cakes...

SASSIES a New Category of Amateur Sleuths

2011-03-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I coined this one myself, but it is a sub genre I have been thinking about for a while. The SASSIES are the Scientific Amateur Sleuth Sisters. In other words, these gals have careers in a science profession other than those which are associated with professional crime solving, such as the forensic pathology. The amateurs work in scientific or technical businesses, academic settings, regulatory agencies, etc. They can be in biotechnology, nanotechnology or cloud computing.

The SASSIES often find themselves in Thrillzies, because they tend to go after bad guys who are a little more complicated than your basic rotten ex-husband. SASSIES like thrilling adventures, but they don't throw as many punches or splash buckets of blood which is what we have come to expect from contemporary thrillers. SASSIES are just as worldly wise as other thriller protagonists, but they are a lot neater.

My protagonist, Nola Billingsley is a SASSIE, and she exemplifies how SASSIES are taking mysteries into new territory -- the modern workplace, where women have high-powered careers in high tech, aerospace, high finance, biosciences, etc. They are tough because they have broken so many glass ceilings!

Ideas Picked Up at Left Coast Crime 2011 in Santa Fe

2011-03-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

I picked up on a couple of possible emerging trends while attending the Left Coast Crime Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. By the way, the organizers this year did a bang up job and deserve copious kudos! I particularly enjoyed the Cuento channel, not just because my own presentation was a Cuento, but because I found the topics presented in that track to be the most innovative or provocative. I also appreciated being 'showcased' at the new authors breakfast, a particularly gracious idea cooked up by our thoughtful hosts.

Now, to the trends --

A new sub genre seems to be emerging, called variously Cozy Thrillers or Thrillzies. I have seen references to this fledgling category in the blogosphere, but it was useful to hear it 'validated' at a major conference. Women authors are penning more thrillers, but their work tends to be less violent, dark and fever-paced compared to the classic thriller. I think my own mystery/triller, A POINTED DEATH, falls in this category.

I also noticed quite a few authors who are writing amateur sleuth books that feature a female protagonist from the world of science, technology or medicine. I am not talking about forensic pathologists and other science-trained individuals who work in law enforcement and detection. I mean science types who are in the private sector or the academy. This is a great trend that reflects the progress women have made and the changed face of the modern American workplace.

I've come up with a designation for this emerging sub genre, the SASSIES, for Scientific Amateur Sleuth Sisters. If you are an author who fits in the SASS grouping, drop me an email. (russellwrites@gmail.com)

To all my friends at LCC, see you next year in Sacramento CA!

The Femme Fatales on Thrillzies

One-Child Rule in the News

2011-03-09T13:25:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

The parenting regulations of the Chinese government that featured in my mystery, A POINTED, DEATH, were the subject of an article in the Wall Street Journal today. The Commission which oversees the policy, decided to keep it in place for another five years, according to the story, written by Jeremy Page. The one-child rule has produced a significant gender imbalance in China in the thirty years it has been in place.

As a single lady, it is interesting to fantasize about a world with a lot of spare men. Generally, women are used to the situation being the other way round. But in the real world, imbalances either way cause social, economic and even international problems.

As with social policies the world over, the rules don't apply to everyone. Certain groups are exempted, and if you have money, you pay a fine when you have a second kid. Sounds like the Obamacare setup. Page reported that one proposal floating around is a two-child policy which would be implemented across the board. But as with all such regulatory systems, a few years would elapse and the same sort of exemptions would probably begin to creep in.

Perhaps they could come up with a trading system comparable to energy credits. Every citizen would receive the same number of credits which could be used if they wished to have a child, or traded to someone who wished to have more than one child. Infertile people could give their credits to siblings or friends, perhaps in return for a promise of a little help from the bonus youngster when they enter their childless old age. Or they could just sell the credits to the highest bidder and sock the money away for a rainy day. Gosh, once you start down this social engineering path, the possibilities are endless. . . and scary.

Of course, the plot of A POINTED DEATH was scarier than this, but you'll have to read the book to find out how and why. :)

Purchasing Power is the Best Revenge

2011-03-09T11:15:00.001-08:00

Today's Wall Street Journal featured an article by Amy Chozick entitled Television's Senior Moment. Chozick writes that TV producers are finally waking up to the need to provide programming for Baby Boomers because the Boomers continue to be an elephant-sized market for them, and a juicy demographic that advertisers want to reach. HelllOOOOOO! What took them so long? Chozick details the changing behaviors and changing assumptions that account for the shift.

Back in the day, people who reached sixty-five, retired and basically stopped buying a lot of stuff. They certainly didn't buy cutting-edge products like iPad and smart phones. Advertisers figured that people who purchased laxatives and hearing aids were not a target market for iPod Nanos. They focused on young people, because when you get your first apartment or house, you need lots of stuff.

Boomers, however, are not behaving like their grandparents. They are not going quietly into the night. Either due to necessity or choice, they are not approaching retirement in the, well, traditional retiring way. They are working longer, pursuing second careers or working hard at volunteering. Some are pursing avocations such as painting or writing that straddle the cusp of work and play.

Of, and did I mention purchasing power? Who has the assets? Boomers do, that's who. They ARE buying new technology. And they have not lost their activist in-your-face mentality. Boomers expect to see themselves in the sitcoms and the ads. They won't tolerate being pitched by twenty-somethings. Besides, what credibility does a twenty-something spokesperson have on Viagra?

Since the Boomers were the original TV generation, it is kinda sweet to see the networks wise up and come back on bended knee to the folks who loved them first and best. Now, I hope that other businesses catch the wave. Clothing designers. Motion picture producers. Hotel room designers.

Publishers need to get the message too. The book market is a Boomer market, and certain genres are deeply skewed to the Boomer generation. (Check out the demographics in the mystery market, for example. Boomer broads own this market, honey!) Boomers do not want to read about teenage vampire love.

I should disclose I have an axe to grind. Both of my novels, A POINTED DEATH and DEED SO are written for the Boomer demographic. Hey, to paraphrase Leslie Gore, it's my market and I'll serve it if I want to!

A final note about Chozick's piece -- she really made my day. She reported that Steven Tyler of American Idol is my age! I knew I loved that guy.

Women Who Are Scared of Science

2011-03-07T12:49:00.001-08:00

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One of my missions in writing mystery novels is creating role models for women that weren't there when I was coming along. I love developing protagonists who are scientists or entrepreneurs in science-based businesses. There are a myriad of careers today from biotech to nanoscience where women are making their mark in the lab and in the board room. I feel my part is helping to see that these career women show up in fiction too! And I dream of the version that ends up on the big screen as well!

Unfortunately, I have encountered a teensy problem with writing about female entrepreneurs in technology businesses. Women readers are scared of plots that hinge on science. They are concerned they won't be able to follow the techno talk and the twists and turns of scientific nuance that are the meat and potatoes of the thriller genre. Many of the bloggers who received review copies of my book cracked the book open with fear and trepidation, only to be surprised that they COULD follow the genetic engineering lingo. After all the progress that has been made in our educational institutions, we still have a gender gap when it comes to feeling comfortable about scientific content.

I worked very hard to make my book accessible to my readership. I was in medical and high tech PR for most of my career, and I got pretty good a 'translating' leading edge science into prose lay people could follow. However, I can't do anything about the perception a reader might have when she reads the back cover blurb.

What can we do about this? First of all, I think we have to start young. I don't think I am the one to do this, but I would like some fellow writer to take on a Nancy Drew type series that features a young girl who is a science jock (pardon the distaff metaphor). This would be so much more worthwhile than all these heroines we have who are pining away over boy vampires. Maybe we could get a sponsorship from a big corporation for grants to writers who are creating content that elevates the role of women in science. There are a number of women's science organizations who also should focus on this issue.

Science is not something to be afraid of. It just is. I look forward to the day when women readers react the same way whether the heroine works for Pfizer or Prada. Guys who read my stuff never think twice about getting through the science even if they are liberal arts majors. They worry about whether they can get through the shopping episodes...

Distinguished Company

2011-03-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am touring again with the PumpUpYourBook pros, and the lineup of March authors is impressive. It is great to be touring with such accomplished folks! Check them out --

A Pointed Death Trailer

2011-03-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post a blog link to the trailer of my mystery on YouTube. The trailer was produced for me by the folks at PumpUpYourBook.com. Enjoy!

A Pointed Death Trailer

A Shamrock of a Rating!

2011-03-06T14:38:00.001-08:00

A Pointed Death is rated a "5" on the blog, Our Whiskey Lullaby, the
perfect blog site for St. Patrick's Day.

http://ourwhiskeylullaby.blogspot.com/2011/03/pointed-death-review.html

Designing Winning Protagonists for Today's Mystery Market

2011-02-21T13:00:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

This is the title of my upcoming presentation at Left Coast Crime 2011
in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was selected as a Cuento presentation.

What do reader demographics and buying patterns tell us about what the
contemporary reader wants? How do you design characters to appeal to
big segments of the market? Can fictional characters be positive role
models for readers, especially younger readers? Let's have some fun
predicting what future 'breakthrough' protagonists will be like!

That's what I'm going to be talking about. Hope to see you there!

Catching up on Deed So

2011-02-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on reviews for the blogosphere for my coming-of-age novel, DEED SO:

"The characters are enduring and likable," says Miriam in her blog, Wheels Have Eyes.

Literary Litter had this to say: " It holds some powerful happenings. I actually had to stop and put the book down at one point because I was sobbing uncontrollably."

Niki at Niki's Book Reviews said, "A wonderfully written historical fiction~it really made me think."

Shirley at My Bookshelf said, "Deed So is a moving, and, at times, on the edge of your seat, fictional work that spans several genres including drama, action/adventure, suspense, YA and adult."

In a subsequent post, where she asked the question, "What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?" Shirley said, " I think it has the makings of a blockbuster! "

Am I humble and hugely flattered or what!

Melody Ravert, who is the Baltimore Writing Examiner at Examiner.com, said, "In the midst of threats and turmoil, the author uses a godly character to give the town hope." See Melody's article here.

Catching up on A Pointed Death

2011-02-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

I am very far behind on telling you about what the blogoshere is saying about my mystery, A POINTED DEATH.

Rachel posted a review on her blog, Jacob's Beloved's Books, which started out as follows: "I am not usually a fan of mysteries. They often seem like pre-scripted storylines with fill-in-the-blank characters and place names. Not so with this book." Rachel also posts first line and funniest line for all her reviews.

Miriam at her blog, The Phantom Paragrapher, said APD was "A humourous light-hearted mystery..." I adore her logo, "Librarian by day, book reviewer by night."

"Funny wonderful characters," says Glenda Bixler in her review. Glenda's main blog is at Book Reader's Heaven.

Babs (Barbara Hightower) said, "This book is for everyone, we have murder, politics, business issues and science. I have to admit I thought it was going to be a bit slow or boring, but I was proved wrong." See more at Bab's World of Books.

Literary Litter said, "All you cozy readers out there should pay heed to this one."

Jackie said, "I was vastly entertained throughout the story with the antics of Nora's Mom and sidekick pointer dog Skootch..." on her blog, Housewife Blues and Chihuahua Stories. What until Jackie meets Javier, the Chihuahua hero in my forthcoming book, Buddy's Tail (http://www.buddystail.com).

Phew! I know I have missed a few, but I'll get those posted soon!

Book Trailer "Deed So" by Katharine Russell

2011-02-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Not Talking Down to Readers

2011-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sandie Kirkland reviewed A POINTED DEATH today on her blog, Booksie's Blog. "The mystery is difficult enough that the reader doesn't feel talked down to," she said. This is an important point. When I worked in the biotech industry I did a lot of 'translating' of complicated science for lay people. This can be done without 'dumbing down' discoveries for readers. The best science writers know this and turn out crisp, clear, informative and entertaining prose for the public. (See any issue of Scientific American or Science.) I think writing fiction is no different. The presentation of technical settings and scientific factoids should be seamless. I'm gonna keep on trying and hope my readers will let me know when I get off track.

Of the sexual encounters in the book, she added they had "none of the coyness that is so often found in mysteries and which is off-putting." I agree with Sandie. Coyness is hard for the modern reader to swallow. Moreover, it would be a tough sell in Nola's world. It would jar you and throw you right out of the story.

See the entire review here -

http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/pointed-death-by-kath-russell.html

2011-01-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

I am guest blogging today for Joemmama at her blog, Life Happens While Books are Waiting, a blog about books and lagniappe. I'm blogging about the reasons for having a book produced as an audio book, and the very special rewards for doing so, particularly in my case. Check it out.

http://joemmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/guest-post-kath-russell.html

P.S., Joemmama expects to review A Pointed Death tomorrow.

New reviews out for both my books!

2011-01-26T14:04:00.000-08:00

Michelle Vasquez has reviewed A POINTED DEATH on her blog, Life in Review.

http://michellevsblog.blogspot.com/

Michelle also reviews a lot of Christian books, so she was careful to pointed out to her readers in that category, that this mystery has some sex and also the occasional bad word.

Her Christian readers would probably be more interested in my other novel, DEED SO. Speaking of DEED SO, I got a wonderful review from a TOP 50 Amazon reviewer, Charles Ashbacher, who really understood the book and the times. Hit the link below and scroll down for his review.

http://www.amazon.com/Deed-So-Kath-Russell/dp/145377503X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296079271&sr=8-1

Writing Mysteries with Humor

2011-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

I am guest blogging at Lori's Reading Corner today. My subject is writing mysteries with humor. Here's the link to Lori's site!

http://www.lorisreadingcorner.com/2011/01/guest-postvirtual-tour-kath-russell.html

New Review of A POINTED DEATH at Books, Thoughts and a Few Adventures

2011-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

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Patty at Books, Thoughts and a Few Adventures reviews A POINTED DEATH, blogging about Skootch, Janie Belle and all that San Francisco atmosphere and charm! Just the mention of chocolate has made my mouth water!

Here's the link!

http://patty-adaywithme.blogspot.com/2011/01/cable-cars-fog-irish-coffee-ghiradelli.html

The Elephant in Every Boomer's Room

2011-01-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

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When I was writing my coming-of-age book, DEED SO which is set in the early Sixties, I created many characters who were Greatest Generation folk, because they were the parents, aunts, uncles, teachers and neighbors of the young people who were at the center of my story. The world the kids inhabited as they were growing up was built and controlled by this Greatest Generation. World War II and its predecessor, the Great Depression, modeled their parents in indelible ways, and it was this crucible of formative experiences, that made the GGs who they were, and explained how they set up their society. The postwar world they created was a direct reaction to the upheavals they had survived. Their new reality was all about normalcy, stability, predictability, calm, politeness, loyalty, productivity, patriotism, cohesiveness, and, despite the Cold War, peace, at least at home. They focused on family and community, not global travel or saving the Guatemalan nuthatch.

It was hard for Boomers to understand why all this serenity was so vital to their elders. They knew about the depression and the global war. How could they not? The evidence was all around them, and not just on Veteran's Day. But knowing about events and living through them are vastly different things. A Boomer could try to image what dangling from a parachute over Normandy at night was like when it appeared half the world was shooting at you, but the visceral impact was always just out of reach. Programs like Victory at Sea and Twentieth Century aired ever Sunday. Of course, we know now how edited the documentary footage was, and we realize that when they were watching, our parents were piecing in the horrific stuff between the splices. It was obvious that older people saw those events through different eyes, but try as we might, we couldn't approximate the terror of swimming away from a burning oil slick in the Pacific as your ship went under. To us the GGs were heroes, to them they were survivors. When asked, most GGs would not share their gastly experiences. For them to talk of such things was to awaken the evil and allow it to contaminate the peaceful environment they had built. The elephant in the living room of every Baby Boomer was always World War II.

Rocking the boat, causing a scene or bringing too much attention to yourself was considered very bad. Because of the safe world surrounding them, Boomers themselves looked at change or novelty as positive, whereas their parents looked at it as negative. My father was absolutely sure that another depression was just around the corner, and that every international disturbance would involve us in a shooting war. I remember how tense our house was during the Hungarian Revolution and the Cuban Missile Crisis. As a kid, it was impossible for me to understand how those events could possibly affect me. My parents were reacting to invisible threats, but they were reacting, so I walked on eggs.

I know much has been made about the impact of the constant threat of nuclear annihilation on the Boomer psyche. Truth be told, it didn't bother me except for the time I got gum in my braids from crawling under my desk. We dutifully ducked and covered because of the elephant in the room. We practiced a lot of behaviors, from cleaning our plates to saving rubber bands, because of that elephant.

In the late Sixties we rejected the behaviors of compliance in favor of protest, experimentation and abandonment of inhibition. We escaped the room and the pachyderm. I think I have a deeper understanding today of why our late teen and early adult years were so traumatic for the GGs. It wasn't so much the changes we sought as the risks we took in pursuing them. Given the way they were wired, we always looked like we were destroying the house in an attempt to remodel the garage. "Leave well enough alone" was their motto, and "no stone unturned" was ours.

And now as Boomers begin their exit from the stage, we have to ask what sort of elephant we have left in the room for our kids? I know it is a gray elephant. I just hope it isn't a Dorian Gray elephant.

2011-01-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

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Rachel at Jacob's Beloved's Books has a novel blog twist called Teaser Tuesdays.

You do a quote from a book you are reading that would intrigue a prospective reader.

Of course, you must be careful to avoid selecting a quote that also is a plot spoiler.

See what she selected to reprint from A POINTED DEATH --

http://jacobsbeloved.blogspot.com/2011/01/teaser-tuesday-pointed-death-by-kath.html

Rachel currently lives in Alberta BC. I love it up there. Hey, Canada, I'm on Kindle and Nook!

A Review of A POINTED DEATH by a YA/Urban Fantasy Pro

2011-01-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

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It was especially gratifying to receive a very positive review from Tiger who focuses on YA and urban fantasy, because this suggests A POINTED DEATH can appeal to a wider audience than forty-somethings and beyond. Tiger pointed out that she is no science jock, so all that techy stuff would not normally be her choice, so her favorable impression is doubly important. Just goes to show you, that a soft spot for fun dogs and sexy men is pretty much universal among us gals. Check out her blog, Tiger's All-Consuming Books --

http://tigersallconsumingbooks.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-pointed-death-by-kath-russell.html

Martin Luther King Day and Deed So

2011-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

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An article in The Desert Sun reprinted from the Chicago Tribune noted that younger people cannot imagine a world that isn't integrated. They never experienced "segregated classrooms and racially designated drinking fountains."

When I was writing my novel, DEED SO, which is set in 1962, I re-experienced the world of segregation. I had forgotten how many constrains and barriers there were. While writing the novel, those separations came back to me -- the balconies in churches and theaters were the Negroes were expected to sit. The buildings with two water fountains and two entrances. The 'whites only' signs. When I looked back as a white person, an author and an adult, I also saw what my childish eyes could not -- the shrunken opportunities and the broken dreams.

In retrospect, it is breathtaking what Dr. King and others accomplished. However, it also underscores the importance of educating people about those times. A little chill went up my spine when I realized people can no longer picture how things were, because it suggests they might not fully value what is. They have to reach to embrace the urgency, audacity and authority of King's message. Writers, teachers and parents must continue to find ways to make history come alive, so we never lose the image in our rear-view mirrors of what we have left behind.

To go backward is unthinkable, but ignorance can make it possible. The same sun that shines down on me on this peaceful holiday of reflection, shone this morning on people who are in bondage. Separatism is not dead, and slave holding and slave trading stalk the planet. The work of a free people is never done.

I'm book clubbing this month!

2011-01-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

If you belong to a book club and don't know about BookMovement.com, now's the time to find out! BookMovement.com is this great web site where your club can win free books, line up appearances by authors, download great discussion questions, and find out what other clubs are reading and liking. My mystery, A POINTED DEATH, is one of the featured books this month, and I am really looking forward to the experience. BookMovement.com provides a great service for both readers and writers.

Also, if you have been thinking about starting a book club, they'll help you with that too. Become the Oprah of your neighborhood. What a great New Years resolution!

Virtual Tour Continues at WV Stitcher

2011-01-14T11:04:00.000-08:00

My virtual blog tour for A POINTED DEATH pays a visit to WV Stitcher today. Brenda says, "The scenes revolving around Skootch and his inhaling the libido enhancing herbs were out of this world funny, not to mention his fear of horses or the fights he had with sea-gulls." See the rest of her review on her blog at --

http://kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com/2011/01/pointed-death-by-kath-russell-blog-tour.html

Review of DEED SO posted on Kirkus Today

2011-01-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

A review of my coming-of-age novel DEED SO was published by Kirkus Discoveries today. The reviewer said, Deed So was "A long, provocative work of historical fiction anchored by a young, winning protagonist." Click the link for the complete review. Deed So is available at Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, Kindle, Barnes & Nobel Nook, Apple iPad and other retailers.

I visit two book reviewer sites in one day!

2011-01-10T16:07:00.001-08:00

Thoughts in Progress

http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/

At Thoughts in Progress, I guest blog about writing hybrid mysteries -- mysteries that combine romance and humor. Mason Canyon asks readers to share their feelings about combining genres, a discussion that is very interesting to me! Thanks for raising this issue, MC!

Bibliotica.com

http://www.bibliotica.com/

On Bibiotica, MissMeliss provides a thorough, charming and very flattering review of A POINTED DEATH, and also suggests what food and beverage would go well with this book. Very clever!

I Am Touring at 'Review From Here' Today

2011-01-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

It is day five of my Pump Up Your Book virtual book tour and I am visiting Review From Here today. While there, I picked up an exciting new piece of technology from Odiogo.com. You'll note just above this post, there is a little button you can press if you would prefer to listen to rather than read this post. Instant Podcast! What a cool app! Now, I just have to get used to listening to myself as a guy until I find out from the developers if there is a female voice option and, if so, manage to implement it. Anyway, beggars can't be choosers, 'cause signing up is free. It works with a wide range of blog platforms and delivers to all the popular receiving devices.

You can subscribe to my blog post using your chosen device here.

I'm Touring at Rundpinne.com Today

2011-01-06T12:02:00.000-08:00

After reading A Pointed Death, Jennifer comes up with a suggestion for a new category -- "cozy suspense." What do you think? Click here for her review.

Rundpinne.com

Black Diamonds Book Reviews gives A POINTED DEATH Five Diamonds

2011-01-05T15:09:00.001-08:00

Black Diamonds Book Reviews gave my mystery five out of five diamonds! Cheryl particularly enjoyed the canine sidekick character, Skootch. You can read her review here -

http://cherylbaryl.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-of-pointed-death-by-kath-russell.html

Phew, this virtual touring with PumpUpYourBook.com is exhausting. I wonder if they give frequent blogger points? Come on Skootch, we need to jog on over to our next stop.

Guest Blogging at Emeraldfire's Bookmark

2011-01-05T14:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I did a little guest blogging at Emeraldfire's Bookmark. I blogged about extending the mystery genre through the use of dynamic characters in exciting new professions. Check it out! My appearance on Emeraldfire's blog is part of my virtual book tour that kicked off Monday at PumpUpYourBook.com. Emeraldfire reviewed my book and gave it an A+! I was really excited. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that A POINTED DEATH has an Irish pub in it? Emeraldfire, in case you didn't know, was born in Belfast.

http://emeraldfiresbookmark.blogspot.com/2011/01/taking-mystery-genre-in-new-directions.html

Playing Whack-A-Mole with Your Characters

2010-12-22T04:10:00.001-08:00

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I have heard that this happens to writers, but it had never happened to me before. Well, there's always a first time. I was working on a short story and one of the main characters, a gal named Sylvia, kept trying to become Rita. Every time I went back and edited the manuscript, Sylvia had managed to morph into Rita in a paragraph or two. Sure there's spell check, but writer's often embellish their work as they edit, and if I introduced any new prose, up popped Rita. I was so fixated on extinguishing Rita I failed to notice that Frasier had become Frazier. Sneaky bastard. He just changed his name as easily as Dr. Jekyll became Mr. Hyde.

I blame Elizabeth George for this second mutiny. I was reading her book, This Body of Death, when I was writing the story. She has a character named Frazer who was I presume, for some nefarious purpose known only to him, trying to escape her tale and enter mine. Why would he do this? George is a famous writer and I am just a sniveling scribe by comparison. Perhaps he thought he'd have more control over me because I am less experienced. Who knows? Characters, as every writer knows, are willful children, pesky, opaque, malicious. unrelenting, stormy and stubborn as mules. People who don't write fiction think we have total control over these creations. Ha! I am planning to give Rita voice in another story. I hope that will make her happy and she will behave. I am still not speaking to Frazer/Frazier/Frasier. I could get even by changing his name to Lemuel. What do you think?

'Kindle Author' Blogger David Wisehart Interviews Me Regarding A Pointed Death

2010-11-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

David Wisehart, who blogs on all things Kindle has posted his interview with me about the publishing of my mystery, A Pointed Death.
http://kindle-author.blogspot.com/2010/11/kindle-author-interview-kath-russell.html

If you own a Kindle or are contemplating the purchase of a Kindle you should check out his blog for book purchase ideas, accessories, etc. Lots of good links for writers too.

DEED SO goes live on Amazon.com!

2010-11-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

It took longer this time, but my new novel finally came up on Amazon.com. The timeline for the Kindle version of this book is January. I think the folks at CreateSpace did another gorgeous job on the cover and interior design. Sorry that the 'search inside' feature is up yet, or you could see for yourself.

New coming of age novel debuts

2010-11-20T09:57:00.001-08:00

My second novel, Deed So is available at http://www.createspace.com/3478301, and will go live on Amazon.com soon. Additional information is available at the book's web site, http://www.deedsonovel.com.

My elevator pitch for Deed So is that it is To Kill a Mockingbird meets American Graffiti.

Description --

Welcome to 1962, one year before the world would witness President John F. Kennedy assassinated, and a time before civil rights, women's rights, and the Vietnam War changed everything. Deed So by Katharine Russell chronicles the coming-of-age of brainy twelve-year-old Haddie Bashford, a sensitive young girl who wants nothing more than to leave the close-minded world of her home in Wicomico Corners. When Haddie witnesses the killing of a black teen by a down-on-his-luck white farmer, her family becomes embroiled in a web of hatred that threatens to engulf the whole town. Tempers flare and prejudice heats to a boiling point, even as Haddie struggles to fully comprehend what is going on, especially the dark consequences within her own family. When the murder case goes to trial, neighbor is pitted against neighbor, and the violence escalates to a dangerous level. As the case drags on, arson erupts, paralyzing the community. Can the town—and Haddie—survive?

Intertwining the major themes of struggle, equality, loyalty, and love that defined a generation, Deed So is a provocative snapshot of a tense time in history. Filled with larger-than-life characters, pitch perfect dialogue, and a wonderful sense of history, Deed So is as moving as it is thrilling. Haunting, edgy, and thought-provoking, this is a perfect read for fans of To Kill a Mocking Bird or Nicholas Sparks.

Back Cover Copy --

A young girl struggles to understand a tightening web of racial and generational tensions during the turbulent 1960s in the astonishing new novel, Deed So by Katharine Russell. All twelve-year-old Haddie Bashford wants is to leave the closed-minded world of Wicomico Corners behind, in the hopes that a brighter future awaits elsewhere. But when she witnesses the brutal killing of a black teen, Haddie finds her family embroiled in turmoil fraught with racial tensions. Tempers flare as the case goes to trial, but things are about to get even hotter when an arsonist suddenly begins to terrorize the town. Can Haddie help save her town—and herself? Gorgeously written and filled with warm, luminous characters, Deed So is both a snapshot of a tumultuous time and a moving coming-of-age story of a remarkable young girl.

Betrayal in the Workplace

2010-11-07T17:18:00.001-08:00

In my mystery, A POINTED DEATH, the heroine, Nola Billingsley, is betrayed by an employee who works in the start-up company she founded. Roger Chen takes advantage of Nola and her colleagues during a time when they are extremely vulnerable. He embezzles from their dwindling reserves of capital when they are distracted by a web developer problem. Taken by surprise, Nola pulls herself together quickly and gets rid of the bad egg before he can do any more damage to her fragile enterprise. Of course, Nola takes Roger's crime personally; she is a founder of the company, and the creep's actions harm the reputation of the firm just as they are beginning to attract significant business.

Unfortunately, crime in the workplace is not an uncommon occurrence. Beyond frank malfeasance, we also face a lot of behaviors that destroy the atmosphere of trust so necessary to a productive work environment or shatter the willingness of employees to work together as a team. It is worthwhile planning in advance what you would do if confronted with a situation like Nola's.

When you first discover that an employee or colleague has betrayed you, you experience shock and disbelief. Nobody wants to accept that they have been working day after day right next to a crook or a liar. It offends our sense of safety and well being. What happens next is akin to what we experience when told we have a terminal disease. We go through the five stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining and depression, followed by acceptance. The important thing is that you have to move through this process quickly so that you can get to where you need to be as a responsible employee, supervisor or manager -- the proactive phase where you analyze and act to protect yourself, other employees and the business.

First, it is important to analyze the betrayal and assign it to the right category: 1) law breaking and/or significant damage or threat to the operation of the business; 2) counterproductive behaviors such as acute or chronic petty damage or misappropriation of resources, reducing productivity, ignoring or violating policies and procedures; 3) chronic badmouthing, backstabbing and rumor mongering that destroys trust and undermines teamwork; or 4) personal animosity directed at you.

The first category requires prompt legal action and involves the assistance of various internal professionals, including the security department, and possibly law enforcement. The second and third necessitate the assistance of the human resources department. People in these categories need to be processed out the door, utilizing the proper procedures established by corporate policy. The fourth category might involve the human resources department and your supervisor, or it might be something you can resolve yourself by confronting the individual. It is important to be fact-based and objective. Escalating a personal matter between you and a coworker to business threat status is going to reflect negatively on you. Take a deep breath, step back and take stock.

The purpose of this post is not to provide and HR lecture, but to lay out a playing field for authors who are trying to create authentic workplace plots. The wonderful opportunity for writers presented by the discussion above, is that human beings don't always use their heads. Real people act in haste, blow things out of proportion, get angry, indulge in revenge fantasies and fail to call in the experts. Even the cool-headed folks can be thwarted by other parties to the process who don't follow through or follow their own agendas.

As you create your characters and your plots, you can achieve high drama or hilarious comedy by exploiting the typical betrayals unfolding every day in the modern office. With skill, planning and a little research, you can stir up a cauldron of conflict that will mesmerize your readers.

The Real Thieves in the Workplace

2010-11-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

My mystery, A POINTED DEATH, centers on a nefarious creep named Roger Chen, who embezzles from the heroine, Nola Billingsley's startup company. Of course, the theft of money, goods and raw materials from corporations of all sizes is a huge problem. Just ask any insurance agent. But stealing can involve many things that have value to a company. In fact, the theft of intangibles probably has greater impact on businesses than the people with their hands in the cash drawer. While the damage from this type of thievery is harder to gauge, it is nonetheless significant.

Writers who wish to portray authentic work environments in their books and short stories would do well to weave into their plots some of the following 'theft' behaviors:

1. Time. That guy in the next cubicle who plays Internet poker all day, is stealing time.

2. Information. Companies often pay thousands for subscriptions and industry reports. Copying them for a friend is a no-no.

3. Secrets/Know-how. Competitors would just love to know the formula for Coke, or those special tricks that go into making a perfect surfboard.

4. Strategy/Plans. Product launch strategies involve elements of timing and placement. Letting the cat out of the bag, can reduce effectiveness.

5. Ideas/Creativity. Companies pay for top talent who can dream up fresh approaches from Super Bowl ads to compute software. misappropriating their work product is intellectual property theft and is the same as a writer plagiarizing another writer's work.

6. Expertise. Having a good mentor is one thing. Pestering her for advice every other minute makes you a leach.

7. Resources. All those pads of paper, pens, rulers and coffee cups aren't free. They may be small, but if enough people walk out the door with them, it adds up. And using the copier to print the manuscript of your novel is abusing a privilege.

8. Reputation. Workers often engage in behaviors that jeopardize their employers good reputation. Being disrespectful to customers is an example. Bad-mouthing the company's products in front of customers is another.

9. Safety. Engaging in unsafe behavior at the workplace put other workers at risk, and can saddle an employer with medical and damages expenses and higher insurance costs.

10. Health/Environment. People who smoke in the building against company policy are exposing other employees to secondhand smoke. Workers who fail to observe recycling practices are costing the company money.

11. Civility/Decorum. Troublemakers create a negative atmosphere that lowers productivity.

12. People. Engaging in behaviors that make other employees want to dust off their resumes and get a job elsewhere, is robbing a business of its most important asset, its people. Workers or supervisors who engage in sexual harassment or discrimination poison the work environment, chase good people away and put their employers in legal jeopardy. Bullies, rumor mongers and back stabbers do so as well.

When you develop a character who is a manager or a supervisor, you might throw employees in her way who are engaging in some of these behaviors. The bad folks become obstacles to her achieving her goals. Good stories are always about conflict, and today's workplace is full of it, both petty and profound.

Setting: Dealing With the Modern Office

2010-11-04T16:59:00.001-07:00

My new book, A POINTED DEATH, has a biotech consultant for a heroine. Nola Billingsley has to spend a lot of time in the offices of her clients, and, to solve the murder, she has to get around these workplaces with imagination and stealth! While I was writing the book, I had to overcome a problem -- today's places of business, even high tech business, are pretty boring. The cookie cutter sameness of the contemporary workplace presents a challenge for all writers of modern fiction. After hours of trying to enliven a description of that ubiquitous cubicle, with its computer, monitor, keyboard, phone, and file cabinet, any writer can be forgiven for fantasizing about a village smithy or a medieval dungeon. Even if one of your characters works from home, her office in the back bedroom contains pretty much the same equipment. Moreover, whether your characters are supervisors or telemarketers their work process and output looks and sounds much the same.

When your plot involves white collar workers, you are faced with the cubicle dilemma. You can't make everything happen over lunch or while the characters commute on the subway. The action moves forward based on conflicts that arise in the workplace, so you have to spend time there to lend credibility to your story. How can a writer put life into these settings? Here are some suggestions, I came up with while writing A POINTED DEATH:

1. Focus on the details. Every industry has its own artifacts and tschotskes.

2. Develop the culture. Apple and Goldman Sachs have unique corporate cultures.

3. Capture the language. Don't overdo it, but latch on to a little jargon to spruce up you dialog.

4. Goals and norms. Firms have objectives, employees have performance reviews on the horizon. What do the characters 'want' in business terms?

5. Find the special taboos. Every industry has them. In science-based operations, falsifying data is verboten.

6. Play up office politics, gossip and rumors. Each company has a Chicken Little who spreads misinformation about layoffs and changes in the benefits package.

7. Exploit interpersonal relationships. You don't have to write a sexual harassment incident into every chapter, but you do want to reveal interdependences among your characters. Chuck coaches the soccer team and Elise's kid in one of his players. Elise tips Chuck off when their boss is going to be out of the office.

8. Bring the outdoors indoors. Unlike its counterpart in St. Paul, an office building in Pasadena won't have a coat rack jammed with parkas.

9. Let the competition win. Every business has a built-in conflict with the competitor breathing down its neck. Increase the tension by having the rival introduce a hot new product.

10. Exploit individual foibles. Janie's keyboard is encrusted with crumbs and smears because she has a snacking problem, and fastidious Ramona cannot bring herself to touch it. Ah, but the information Ramona needs to expose Brent's treachery is on Janie's computer.

I hope this list helps you on your next project!

***

My Mystery, A Pointed Death, is available on Amazon.com

2010-08-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

My book, A Pointed Death, the first novel in the Pointer Mystery Series, is now available on Amazon.com. The Kindle version will be available within the month. I am publishing the mysteries under the pen name of Kath Russell.

Here is some of the promo copy for your reading pleasure --

"A Pointed Death is a comical mystery thriller set in the world of technology, featuring a feisty female heroine and her shorthaired pointer, Skootch.

Set against a wild and wacky backdrop of San Francisco, the epicenter of the biotech industry, A Pointed Death tells a smart, funny, and chilling story of espionage and modern love. Techno whiz Nola Billingsley finds her former employee, an amoral creep who stole secrets from startup companies, murdered. She begins a flirtation with the inspector assigned to the case, and counts on her shorthaired pointer Skootch to watch her back as she’s hurled into a world of danger and deceit. Smart, witty, and playful, A Pointed Death looks at both the landmines in today’s technology as well as the perils of romance, and introduces a feisty female heroine you won’t forget."

Publishers R Us

2010-07-09T17:56:00.001-07:00

In a self-publishing project, who, exactly, is the publisher? While you may be working with a 'publishing house' that provides comprehensive support for authors, with a range of services, from editing, through design and production to marketing, publicity and distribution, the truth is you are the publisher. That's right, you, the author!

How did the tables get turned? It all has to do with the assumption of risk. In the old publishing business model, the house who took you on also shouldered the risk of editing, printing, publicizing and distributing your book. The company even paid an advance which, no matter what the book achieved in the marketplace, never had to be given back. If the book was well-received, everybody won, but if it took a swan dive, your publisher took a beating, not to mention the fact that she could have chosen a different project (the opportunity cost represented by your snoozer of a novel).

In the self-publishing business model, you take the risk. You pay the publisher a fee for her services. As long as your check doesn't bounce, she makes a profit. Although you might want to rely on your publisher's advice regarding aspects of your project, it is important to remember that the guidance you receive is provided to a customer, not a business partner. The intensity (accuracy, completeness) of her response just isn't going to be there, because she doesn't have that much skin in the game.

Given the treatment they may have received from traditional publishing houses, many authors don't feel like partners. Well, maybe junior or silent partners would be a good way to put it. This handling reflects the imbalance in the risk taken on and in the knowledge of and access to the market. Writers are used to taking more of a passive role in relation to the downstream phases of the publishing process, waiting while others made the important decisions.

But, you argue, what about my reputation? I'm risking ME! Isn't that a lot of risk? And I spent years writing and rewriting my novel, when I could have been freelancing for $$. Isn't that risk? Yes, but here's the thing --until somebody pays you for the manuscript, it has no value (except to you and your mother, of course). When a publisher gives you an advance, voila, the project takes on value, but the publisher has to keep on spending until the book is released, and spending even more for promotion and distribution. In a business relationship, the partner who invests the most capital and has the know how to complete the product development cycle, calls the shots. In the self-publisher relationship, the printing house has invested in assuring a steady flow of clients, not bestsellers.

In view of this profound difference in the author's role vis-a-vis the book project, it is crucial that we authors transform our thinking and behavior. A passive attitude toward the project plan, the production process, the book and author positioning, and the promotion will result in failure. We must become the CEOs of our enterprise. Okay, it is a very small enterprise with only one product -- our debut book, but remember, many grand conglomerates started in garages.

I have always wanted to be a successful author, but, truth is, I really don't know that much about the business of publishing. The bad news is that in the modern business model, all of us are going to have to learn about every aspect of the book trade. The good news is that we can learn this stuff and the resources now exist online for us to educate ourselves. We just have to do what successful CEOs have always done. Recognize what we don't know and seek expert sources to advance along the learning curve. CEOs conduct R & D, hire skilled consultants, employees or contractors, monitor performance and kill initiatives that aren't working. The guy who runs Merck doesn't know how to operate the capsule filling machine, and the guy who runs Ford, would probably be a disaster running the crash test operation. Chances are you already have contracted for resources you don't have the skills to produce yourself. Your book cover is a good example. Professional editorial services are another.

What steps should you take in becoming the CEO of your project?

1. Define the project. What kind of book did you write? If it is a cozy, go online and find five similar cozies. Collect and compare every metric you can about these competitors. Assess their rankings. Check out author web pages and blogs. Read reviews. Then write a succinct paragraph about your specific market niche.

2. Define your 'corporate identity.' Write a paragraph about how you, the author of the above cozy, should appear to her public. If this is your market, I doubt you want to post a picture of yourself in dominatrix leather on your web page.

3. Establish goals. Based on the market demand for similar books, set a realistic sales goal. Consider setting goals for other important milestones in market penetration. For example, when would it be realistic to see your first reviews appear?

4. Assess resources. Assess your own skills and knowledge and conduct outreach to fill in the gaps. Are mentors available to you? What blogs and publications address your needs? How much money can you devote to this project? Although platforms are more closely associated with nonfiction authors, fiction authors often have good platforms. Example: Your murder mystery is set at a dog show. You breed prize-winning dachshunds.

5. Conduct research. Write down questions you have about various publishing approaches. Research the answers on the web. Do the same for book marketing and distribution. Deepen your understanding by making a list of pros and cons for the choices you are going to be making.

6. Write a project plan. Put your entire plan on paper. Break down all the activities listed to the implementation task level. An example would be: Get book reviews. Identify appropriate reviewers. Craft contact email. Send emails. Mail book copies. Follow up. Collect reviews. Ask for permission to use quotes. Decide how you will measure the impact of the activities on your list. Ask yourself whether all of your planned actions are directed at your stated goals. Make sure you aren't wasting your time on outmoded or low-return activities.

7. Make a timeline. Determine the implementation times for the activities in your plan and lay them out on a timeline or calendar. Note important conference dates and contest mailing deadlines. Some activities will overlap. Note any important deadlines and any potential conflicts. Remember, you are the worker bee as well as the chief executive. Know your limitations.

8. Make an operating budget. Make a budget for expenses AND expenditures of your time. If you have a job, particularly a full time job, be realistic about what you can accomplish. Be sure to account for family commitments. Create a separate bank account for your book project.

9. Implement and monitor. Implement your plan. Don't put it in a drawer. Refer to it frequently. Monitor your progress. Are your actions producing the expected results?

10. Make course corrections. Some of the initiatives you implemented may not be effective. Have the discipline to cut your losses, substitute better activities or concentrate on the things that are working well.

Go ahead, free yourself from your rigid mystery genre and write a hybrid

2010-07-06T13:14:00.001-07:00

Okay, the dirty little secret is out of the bag. You don't need to stick to those rigid genres anymore when writing your mystery or romance. Of course, many successful writers threw the genre straitjacket away long ago. Look at Janet Evanovich, who created the enormously successful Stephanie Plum series, a hybrid of mystery and romance. It also is a humorous mystery and a pet mystery. I could go on, but I think I have proven my point about Janet's work.

Now, what Janet and the other uber successful writers do is one thing. They have been living in a "do as I say, not as I do" world, or at least you would be led to believe so by the agents and editors you talk to. We still are advised that cozies need to be cozies and noirs cannot have a sunny moment. The reason, the pros offer is that readers of specific genres will not tolerate deviations from the format. I have always thought that such thinking sells readers short. I believe Stephanie Plum's sales numbers prove that readers are plum smart.

Another reason, writers were told to stick to the genre straitjacket was marketing and distribution. A book had to fit in a category so it would be in the right place on the shelf, and the publicity folk could craft a succinct message to tout the new offering. Traditional media required short, unambiguous messages because ad space was expensive. To make this work, you had to focus on one audience, one group of well-defined readers. Locked room mystery readers. True crime readers.

Fortunately, cyber marketing and distribution have broken these chains, freeing us to spin blended plots and promote our books to all the audiences who might enjoy reading our work. Sure, the back cover blurb still has to be pretty short, but the book's description on Amazon and the other eStores can be as long as it needs to be, letting all appropriate readers know this book's for them. Moreover, tagging can address any niche audience or any subject area, such as the book's location or time period.

The best way to get a handle on the important niches for your hybrid book is to develop buyer personas. David Meerman Scott explains the use of buyer personas in depth, in his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. Buyer personas help us understand the interests, attitudes and behaviors of, in our case, a particular type of reader. Marketers often name these personas to put flesh on the demographics and thought patterns captured in the persona construct.

In my mystery, A POINTED DEATH, coming in August from CreateSpace, the main character is a woman amateur sleuth. Nola Billingsley has a high powered job in the biotechnology industry, so she is not a quilter, post mistress or owner of a bed and breakfast. Her world is the stuff of genetic engineering patents and clinical trials. However, she has spent so much time building her career, that she is forty-something, still single and living with her mother. Janie Belle Billingsley is a Southerner -- a bourbon-drinking, church going card sharp. Nola has a love interest named Harrison and a gas-passing dog named Skootch. Nola also has a love/hate relationship with her home city, San Francisco. It seems the city has a pesky way of tripping up her love life. Nola's pals are a diverse bunch of hyper educated, hard driving scientists and entrepreneurs. The dead guy in the piece hails from an important Bay Area Chinese clan.

You can see that there are a number of buyer personas who might want to read A POINTED DEATH. You could stick with amateur sleuth mystery buyers or dog mystery buyers, but it is important to go deeper and be more descriptive. Perhaps the most important persona here is a woman who likes to read about other women in professional, managerial and administrative positions in knowledge worker industries, such as high tech, biotech and high finance. I call this buyer persona Carly Meg Clinton. She is no wallflower and she doesn't like fictional characters who would take no for an answer, particularly if the naysayer is male.

You can see how a brainy buyer like Carly Meg Clinton might influence the development of the Marketing and PR plan for A POINTED DEATH. It affects promotional language on book jackets, web pages and press releases. It informs cover letters to reviewers. It directs author blogging subject matter. It impacts tagging.

However, another important facet of modern book marketing is that you don't have to chose this persona at the expense of all the others. You can reach out to personas who love pet mysteries and wacky Southern characters through special web pages, sidebars, outreach stories, links and tags. Not one of the significant themes or threads in your manuscript need go un-mined. I must emphasize significant though, because there must be enough substance in your book to hold a reader once she commits to you. And you also need to think about whether you are prepared to carry that thread into the second book and the third...

The cyber marketing reality has opened the door to richer, more innovative stories, and has provided a path, or actually a myriad of paths to reach the readers who share your passions. It is great to be alive today and writing!

The Long Tail and the Unpublished Author

2010-07-05T14:29:00.001-07:00

If you are an unpublished author who is contemplating a self-publishing strategy, but you are afraid to move forward because you don't think you will sell enough books to recover your investment, take heart. Your book might be a perfect product for the long tail market. The long tail was a concept popularized by Chris Anderson in his book, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, now out in a revised edition. His thesis was that the changed production, distribution and marketing models offered by the Internet mean that niche markets can be profitable, and a lot of niche markets can be very profitable.

Web technologies, including search engines, e-stores and shopping carts, and other technologies such as print-on-demand, mean that publishers no longer have to predict demand and maintain warehouses full of real books, promoters no longer have to reach millions of prospective buyers and customers no longer have to visit real stores. The altered investment playing field liberates the seller from focusing on blockbuster markets and the marketer from honing one mass market message. This is great news for authors, particularly new authors.

Of course, you still have to write a great book. If you have been getting rejection letters that say, "this is a lovely book, but the cozy market is saturated," or perhaps, "your writing is beautiful, but I can't sell a hybrid like this to an editor," you have a legitimate book that can't get to market because the traditional publishing system is geared to old market thinking. Agents and editors look for big hits or surefire genre fits to reduce the risk of developing books the old bricks and mortar way. They often avoid entire segments because they believe they are stagnant or declining in readership, even though the readership is still in the millions. But to a new author a smaller or quiescent market can represent a very attractive opportunity and a comfortable living.

If you were faced with trying to self-publish your book ten years ago, you confronted a daunting task in terms of promotion. Traditional advertising and publicity were expensive, highly specialized businesses. Publishers were offering less and less of these services to their stables of writers and writers without publishers were up a creek without a paddle. Today, the Internet offers any author, who is willing to toot her own horn and learn some basic, very user-friendly techniques, a means for reaching any audience who might reasonably have an interest in her work. Moreover, thanks to Amazon and other epublishing outlets, and to a vast array of small business solutions, she can chose to be as involved or removed in the actual sales of her book as she wishes.

Assuming you have a good fiction book, I would recommend the following:

1. Spend your limited resources on comprehensive editorial support, good interior design, an attractive, web-friendly cover and compelling back cover copy. Make the product the best that it can possibly be. Then offer the book for sale in POD and electronically.

2. Spend your limited time on getting your name and project out on the web. Develop a web site for the book, and blog about your book process and any other topic for which you have a platform. Join groups that have a passion for reading your genre.

3. Understand who your potential readers are. Don't think of just one group, for example, mystery readers who like locked room mysteries. Is the protagonist a doctor? Does her cat feature prominently in the book? Is the book set in Los Angeles? Does she hang glide? Think of all the communities your book speaks to and find them on the web. Develop a web-centric marketing plan that reaches and builds recognition with these audiences.

4. Run the numbers. Does your mystery take place on a yacht? Well, how many mystery-reading yachtsmen are there? The subscription numbers for Yachting or Boating magazine might be a good starting point, presuming the vessel features significantly in the plot. There are data on the Internet that can help you estimate the size of your niche markets.

5. Enumerate all your affinity groups. List you alumni group, your church group, your fitness club -- all the communities where you are known and people care about you. Make sure they know you have published a book. Link to your friends and acquaintances via social media.

6. Spend the effort to get others to recognize and endorse your work. Use your inventory of copies to reach out to reviewers. Review the work of other authors, particularly those who are writing in your genre. Fill your blog with interesting and constructive information people can use. Credibility is earned with effort and honesty.

7. Leave the selling of your book to others and instead write the sequel. Unless you are a nonfiction author with a broad platform and a lot of collateral products, maintaining your own bookstore is a waste of your talent. Focus on writing more fiction, including short stories, or creative nonfiction, memoirs or essays, and selling or self-publishing these new projects.

8. Limit your direct marketing involvement in face-to-face and web-to-face activities to large, efficient venues. Examples are big conferences such as Bouchercon or guest blogging gigs on very established blogger sites. Avoid touring strings of small towns with bookstores or libraries that produce a turnout of a dozen prospects.

9. Be responsive to your readers and fellow bloggers. In the beginning, your market will be right-sized to you for intimate and timely response. You have an opportunity to be direct, personal and nimble in a way famous authors cannot.

10. Keep working and don't get antsy about time. The long tail is not deadline driven in the way the traditional market is. Major publishers need to move on to next season's authors, but you have the breathing space to build your momentum and your constituencies in the long tail.

12 Predictions about the New Publishing Business Model

2010-07-01T13:18:00.001-07:00

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The publishing business is changing faster than almost anyone wants to admit. I feel like I am watching the Berlin Wall come down again. Change is scary, but it is exciting to contemplate the new structures that might emerge in the wake of all the carnage. Here are some predictions based on the opportunities that new technology and new spaces are creating:

1. Blended bookstore business strategies. I believe some bookstores will survive by marrying bookselling with other businesses. The chains already have cooped the coffeehouse marriage, but other combinations are available. The childcare bookstore. The women's fitness bookstore. The movie house bookstore. The speed dating bookstore (possibly franchised by eHarmony.) The over 55 bookstore (absolutely no children please). My favorite is the bar bookstore, where you are served the cocktail of the day (the Poetini, the Bronterita) by your favorite librista (or would it be booktender?) as you thumb through prospective purchases. Just remember, if you spill on it, you've bought it.

2. The Cadillac editorial business. I know freelance editors abound nationwide, but soon some smart New Yorker will aggregate a brain trust of editorial staff who have been laid off from the big houses. This first rate talent won't come cheap, but authors who want the best will be able to access top editors. This business will be web centered, and will offer personal consultation via webcam or conference call. There might be a sliding scale of charges. As an author becomes more successful, she might 'trade up' to a more experienced editor. The brand would offer related services including legal and translation support.

3. The Cadillac book review source. Reviewing is alive and well on the web, but quality is all over the ballpark and review content is not organized. I believe there is an audience willing to pay for quality review and critique content that is packaged and delivered attractively and efficiently. The New York Review of Books, the Midwest Book Review and other respected players already are online, but they are behind the curve in technical terms. Soon, a geekier bibliophile will create a snappy subscription service that delivers a high-end, independent daily ezine to your computer, mobile or Kindle.

4. Seamless software. I have purchased software or downloaded freeware purporting to be the perfect tool for authors creating manuscripts. I've been disappointed in every case. Now, we also need integrated solutions for delivering manuscripts in proper formats to the production departments of POD publishers and to Kindle and other reader devices. Soon a sophisticated software deliverer will create the single solution, with pull-down menus for appropriate publishing fonts, trim size, HTML and MOBI conversion, and tools that facilitate the sectioning and pagination of front matter, back matter, chapters and tables of contents. Perhaps we could convince Quickbooks to perform the same service for authors that they do for the accounting-challenged, where they provide a template for double entry bookkeeping that a non-CPA can use with confidence. Then, we authors could finally have quick books, pardon the pun.

5. The Amazon insider business report. Amazon is aggregating a community of authors and supplying them with useful products. I believe Amazon will expand its offerings to include market data. Imagine getting a report on the publishing industry that looks like the report you get from your broker each month. Amazon will charge a fee, but for working writers these data are a business expense.

6. Pre-publishing analytical services. Authors need feedback that is constructive, unbiased and actionable. Such support used to come from agents and editors, but many writers no longer have access to these resources. Does the sidekick need additional character development? Does the plot momentum grind to a halt in the middle of the book? Of course, there are critiquing groups, but often fellow writers have axes to grind, like to hear themselves talk or never read anything in your genre. I believe there is a significant unmet need within the writing community for professional reader services, essentially a service that provides pre-publication feedback from focus groups or beta test groups of objective, experienced reviewers who are using standardized evaluation templates. The service also could control for variables including geography, age, sex and other factors that affect an individual's assessment of a manuscript. This is a wonderful revenue opportunity for teaching faculty, retirees, home-bound moms and other writers.

7. Aftermarket agents. Many agents will specialize in identifying promising self-published authors and assisting them in optimizing the return from their already published work. I believe that such relationships will increasingly be the subject of negotiation over fees, particularly with regard to nonfiction projects. Many attorneys will provide these services as well.

8. Survival of the fittest houses. Many existing publishing houses will be successful in negotiating a path between the Sylla and Charybdis of technology and competition. In order to strike a balance and differentiate themselves from the new players, they will bring back many of the services they used to provide to authors, countering technical expertise with the personal touch. Such houses will downsize their family of brands much as the car companies have done. They also will extend their brands into new content markets.

9. Author brands. Major authors like Stephen King and Janet Evanovich will publish the work of other authors. They are mentor/magnets and they will aggregate promising newcomers in their genres.

10. Reader's consortiums. Readers who are passionate about particular types of books will band together and approach authors to negotiate for content that fits their reading desires. In the future, 'advances' will come from genre and sub-genre groups like this, who will act like angel investors for mid-market authors. This trend will probably begin in the romance segment. Serialized stories also will be supported this way, with authors building a subscriber base for continuing stories. Proactive authors will begin to 'advertise' for financial supporters of specific projects on Craig's List.

11. Unique books. We will see more experimental and genre-defying works reach the market. Many of these efforts will end up in the cyber-dustbin. However, some will blaze new trails, inventing genres and content categories. Imaginative cyber-scribes will create a new generation of beloved characters and exciting yarns that surprise, terrify, comfort and amaze.

12. Always the lawyers. Because so many writers are reaching the market now who are working without a net of experienced professionals protecting their project, mistakes will be made. Litigation over libels, trademark infringement and plagiarism will increase. Unscrupulous hucksters also will prey on unsupported writers, because they don't have to fear the watchful presence of a publisher or agent. Cyber-publishing will be a bit like the Old West for a while, and in any commercial arena, your lawyer is the gunslinger.

Next, I'll blog about attributes of a successful cyber author.

12 Things I'll Miss about the Old Publishing Business Model

2010-07-01T10:31:00.001-07:00

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The brave new world of cyper-publishing has arrived, and while I love this exciting space, there are things I miss about the old publishing business model. I am publishing my mystery, A Pointed Death, the first book in the Pointer Mystery series as a POD and an eBook with Amazon under the penname, Kath Russell. This is a thrilling process, but the rhythm of birthing a book this way is different, and the market my book will enter is radically transformed from the comfortable bookseller world we knew. Here's what I'll miss:

1. Quality control. Traditional book publishing had a high barrier to entry and a myriad of checks and balances in the production process to assure a quality product. If a reader purchased a book from a major publisher, she was reasonably assured of a good experience. Now, on the web, a vanity book can have a cyber face that is the equal of a book from a venerable firm. The reader has to work harder to make sure she is not buying a pig in a poke. Thank heaven for Amazon's 'Look Inside' feature and the customer reviews.

2. Bookstores. I love bookstores, especially the quirky, smarmy, off-the-beaten-track independents, but, sadly, the vast majority of such stores are doomed. They cannot compete with the pricing, access to titles and ease of delivery of the cyber stores. The delicious shopping experience of wandering the aisles, handling the volumes and enjoying the themed displays offered by a local bookseller with whom you have developed a personal relationship is soon to be only a memory. Progress is painful.

3. Agents who represent new authors. Unless you are uber-connected or uber-platformed, you can forget about landing an agent if you are publishing your maiden book. Increasingly, first-time authors will publish first and attract representation based on the performance of their work. Savvy agents will swoop down and snap up the promising performers, making money on international markets, audio and film rights, etc.

4. Team effort, team spirit. It used to take a village to publish a book. A group of people representing a range of skills from editing to design and marketing to pr, came together to launch an author and her work. Today, a writer might assemble the same set of skills on behalf of her project, but the experts are strangers and many are faceless contacts. The warmth, support and camaraderie of interpersonal relationships are lost. There is no professional shoulder to cry on when you get that first bad review, so your husband, partner or mother is going to have to bear the brunt.

5. Publishing a hardbound book. As irrational as it is, I know I would love to see my own work between hard covers. The heft. The gravitas. However, this makes less and less sense for the vast majority of books. The price of a well-made hardcover is too high for escapist reading, and the cheaply produced hard-bounds you find in CostCo, diminish good books and the authors who write them. Hard-bound publishing is destined to shrink to a coffee table business.

6. Book rooms at conferences. When the panelists finish speaking at a writers' or book lovers' conference, a throng of avid attendees surges toward the book room to score a book by a speaker who impressed them. They head to the signing room with their prize and ask the author to autograph the book. In the future, listeners will simply open their Kindle's internet connection and download the book without ever leaving their seats. The panelists will be 'approved' by electronic orders the way political ads are rated in a Frank Luntz opinion poll. I'll miss milling around in the book room, running into friends and making new finds at the book tables, but I won't miss lugging the sagging bag of purchases back home on the plane. I hope conference organizers can work a deal with Amazon so that any attendee who downloads a speaker's book during the meeting can receive a conference discount. This could be accomplished by providing Amazon with a list of attendee Kindle account e-mail addresses, author/speaker names and the conference dates.

7. Newspaper book reviews and book sections. Most people who love books love reading about books and authors. Increasingly, you have to do this on the Internet. Every morning I read The Wall Street Journal which offers a daily book review, but the newspaper business is under siege and few papers can afford to provide such features or attract audiences who will support book critics.

8. Libraries, book mobiles and stacks. I have vivid, happy memories of the libraries of my childhood and college years. Surviving small town libraries now are community centers, and the amount of space occupied by books is shrinking. At Northwestern University, the stacks were a labyrinth of cerebral and tactile exploration. Of course, I also remember the frustration, even horror of discovering that a particular volume needed for a term paper was missing and quite possibly miss-shelved. Soon you will download a cyber copy of a book from the library's web site and the copy will become unusable when your borrowing period runs out. This means we also are to be deprived of those great news stories about the library books that were twenty years overdue found after the funeral in Uncle Elmer's attic.

9. Used textbooks with annotations. Academic publishing will be transformed by the new technologies, liberating professors pursuing exoteric subjects of interest to a handful of other academics, and students with shrinking education dollars from the crushing costs of the traditional system. I'll miss the little coffee stains, doodles and class notes of students of yesteryear, and the sense of continuity and solidarity those marginalia engendered.

10. Giving fiction books as gifts. Passing on a favorite author to a friend is always a treat. Acknowledging a special connection with your friend or demonstrating your understanding of your friend's love affair with London or passion for locked box mysteries through your specific choice enhances the meaning of the gift. Somehow, an Amazon gift card is not as personal.

Donating books is another form of giving. When things get out of control on our bookshelves, and we feel the floor boards in the house can no longer be expected to support the weight of our hoard, we make a trip to the local library, senor center or church thrift shop. As more books become electronic, we need to make sure that we find ways to provide reading material to people on limited incomes and to children. Free cyber content is one way, but we need to make sure this is working at least as well as the old methods and, one hopes, better.

11. Sensory loss. Books and book places smell. New books, old books, reaaaaalllllyyy old books, cookbooks, your birding field manual, all have an odor. My boy scout manual which belonged to my father had a variety of mysterious smudges and a blood stain. I expect the blood was my father's spilled during one of my uncle's pranks. Uncle Carroll became a doctor. The book smells of mildew, gunpowder and seaweed. Books also bring us tactile pleasure. A crisp jacket, creamy pages, a firm spine. The crumbling front plate of the family bible. Books make sounds too. The smack of satisfaction when you close the binding after finishing the thrilling last page of an international adventure tome. The rustle of the pages as you try to find that perfect description of San Francisco at dusk. The beckoning whisper of the pages of the novel you left open on your desk by the window. Is it the wind, or are the pages alive? You be the judge, but one thing is for certain -- that whimpy click the Kindle's 'next page' button makes has a lot to live up to.

12. Glamour. The old publishing industry had a certain glamour. It was the fashion industry for your gray matter. Read the right books and you could partake a tiny bit of the allure of the New York deals and the martinis, the dressmaker suits, the gossip, the scandal and the money. During the classic era of film, there was always a character who was an agent, or an author or a publisher, a critic or a columnist. And of course, there was that symbiotic relationship with the movie business. Steve Jobs has created an aura of hipness around Apple. Although you can sense Jeff Bezos' energy and vision, I don't think he has created a replacement culture for the publishing business, nor can the thousands of self-publishers accomplish this. We'll have to wait and see what the new ethos of the emerging publishing model will be.

12 Things I Won't Miss about the Old Publishing Business Model

2010-06-30T10:09:00.001-07:00

When I started to get serious about writing as a career, I realized I had a lot to learn about the publishing industry. Because I was a successful executive in the biopharmaceutical field and an MBA, I recognized every industry has its own structure, operating imperatives and competitive characteristics. While innovation, particularly technological change can alter the playing field in any industry, some practices survive for decades, even centuries. Thirty years ago in the pharmaceutical business, chemists dominated research and development. They didn't pay much mind to biologists, because they didn't think biology had anything to offer in drug development. The gene splicers changed all that. Now genes and proteins are the meat and potatoes of drug development. As I looked at publishing, I saw many assumptions and practices that were ripe for change. Sure enough, along came technology and exciting new competitors to the rescue, and the hallowed old walls around many of these behaviors started to come tumbling down.

I am in the process of publishing my mystery, A Pointed Death, as a POD book through Amazon's CreateSpace program and as an eBook through Kindle. I feel in control of the process and also very liberated from bottlenecks in the traditional publishing process that mystified me as I immersed myself in the world of publishing. As an experienced manager, the world of Amazon is a fit for me because I can see how value is added to my project at each stage of development. Cyber-publishing is a flattened business model and much more transparent with regard to vital information, such as customer feedback. Here are some of the things I won't miss about the old publishing business model.

1. High barrier to entry. Many industries present a barrier problem, but it usually has to do with capital or know-how. By contrast, publishing has a thicket of poorly organized gatekeepers who deploy outmoded technology, labor-intensive processes and subjective search criteria to winnow out the worthy projects. The writer wades through an undifferentiated sea of agents, secretaries, assistants and editors trying to find that elusive fit between her project and the necessary champion. The editors chase the fad book of the moment and the agents focus on the hot genres. Innovative writing is ignored and, therefore, discouraged because nobody is going to take a flier on an original manuscript. The rejection process is not designed to produce quality, only conformity.

2. Cockeyed value proposition. In the old, old days, a publishing house did everything for its authors. Editors who really held your hand. Marketing and publicity. Strategy. Advocacy. A personal relationship. No more. Over time all the value-added stuff was wrung out from the process for all but the most successful of authors. Publishers could get away with this as long as they controlled the production and distribution channels, but they don't control these anymore. What they have is a brand, but most publishers are not very good at brand management. How much are you as an author willing pay for a brand? In the case of authors who are writing nonfiction and have a strong platform of their own, the answer is fast becoming, "Nothing." These writers are flocking to POD in droves. Which part of the book market is the largest? Nonfiction. This is another emperor-has-no-clothes story or the literary version of the Wizard of Oz. Don't look behind that curtain!

3. Lengthy production timeframe. For most projects, it simply takes too long for the book to get to market. High profile projects, of course, get lightening treatment. Expect to read the General McChrystal biography next week. Like all innovative people, writers need to finish a project and move on, not be held hostage to an interminable production schedule. With POD and e-Publishing, the wait is eliminated. With some works, timeliness may make all the difference in terms of sales.

3. Product life cycle issues. After all the work, your book enjoys a brief moment of glory and poof, you are in the backlist. Then you are out of print. Readers used to get pretty frustrated by this as well. Remember finding an author you really liked only to have difficulty sourcing the other books in her series. Thank you, Amazon and others for making all of this irrelevant.

4. Annihilating trees. I know there has to be control and an accounting, but I always hated the idea that bookstores returned unsold books to the publisher. I would imagine those pallets of bound paper wending their way back to some warehouse and see a coppice of ancient oaks weeping. The electronic approach marries efficiency to ecology.

5. Low-return marketing rituals. The book tour always seemed to me to be a poor use of time -- for the writer, the reader and the bookstore owner. Not every author is articulate, warm and engaging in person. Moreover, so many things can happen to destroy the value of the event or even prevent its occurrence. Rain, traffic, unfortunate gastrointestinal disturbances. Writers only have their time and stories to sell. They should jealously guard their hours and look for promotional activities that are more scalable. A web tour also may not attract many participants, but at least you avoid the travel time and expense. Launch parties and other publishing rituals contribute little to a book's success.

6. Too many bottlenecks, gatekeepers. Remember all the agents who told you they were not taking on any new clients or the publishing house who only publishes six books a year. This is another example of a scalability problem. It is one thing never to get published because your project is not very good; it is quite another to be kept from the market because of other people's capacity or throughput limitations.

7. Reliance on hidebound formulas. Any industry that puts forward a lot of rules, regulations, boxes to check and guidelines to follow is usually riding for a fall. The genre system is an example of this in publishing. Publishers will tell you, you have to fit in these categories because otherwise bookstores don't know where to put you and readers don't know where to find you. Funny thing is, readers don't think this way. Look at Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I would describe her work as mystery-thriller-romance-LOL humor-women's-wacky pet-wackier sidekick-funkindabook. Readers love her. And now, with tags, readers can know all of this and more. In fact, on Amazon readers help other readers find what they are looking for.

8. Lack of data. I know that loving a manuscript is a subjective thing, but the subjectivity of artistic appreciation has become a crutch for many professionals. Sometimes, it is hard to get straight answers from people in the business. How many books did you agent last year and how many of them did you place? What about the year before? How many mysteries have you edited? What were the sales of the top three? Authors often have had difficulty coming by useful metrics, but the Internet is changing that. Writers can see for themselves what readers are buying and why, they can look at the numbers and not have to deal with the spin of industry mavens.

9. Snobs and in-group behavior. "I represent mystery and memoir, but my passion is literary fiction." Eye roll. "Our house has one Holy Grail, great writing." Spare me. Melville, Tolstoy and Dickens couldn't get published today. Professional gatherings are filled with talk about great writing, character development, motivation, dialog, opening sentences, beats, arcs, etc. We dissect, but we don't converge. Amazon readers are doing that for us with their little thumbs up and thumbs down consensus. In the end, enough people have to like the totality of your yarn. Some professionals will shudder and say this is the tyranny of the mob. Not so. Worthy literary fiction that is not being published today will find a home on the web because the literary readership niche will find and support those authors more efficiently than was the case under the old model. (See below.)

10. Sharing the Profits. The old model was more akin to the situation in drug development or the movie business. The drug discoverer or the script writer gets a small percentage because the subsequent stages of production, testing and marketing are ruinously expensive, shifting the project risk to the folks responsible for those parts of the process. The POD and eBook models offer authors a bigger share of the pie because they have removed middlemen and eliminated inventory and other risk issues that pushed the breakeven of projects up to the point where the author would never see anything beyond the advance.

11.Customer and channel distance. Authors have always gotten customer feedback, but today that feedback comes much more quickly, directly and richly. It is possible to see what is driving your sales, whether a particular reviewer, blog, seller or page on your web site, and develop more of a sense of what specifically in your book is attracting or (gasp) confusing readers. Thanks to the Internet, you can gain an intimate understanding of who your readers are and allow you to develop a positive long-term relationship with buyers who respond to your work. Cyber-publishing also aligns promotional effort with sales more closely in real time. Instead of working off an advance you've already spent, you are building your profits, and you can see the result of the effort you put in right in your numbers, all in all, a happier proposition. The more effort you put in blogging, establishing links, asking for reviews, and deploying web ads, the more you will be rewarded.

12. Hierarchical vs. leveled decision-making. Many businesses have found that when you put the worker into the decision making process, the product improves. The Japanese auto companies put this philosophy to work on the assembly line. In the cyber-world, you are invited into the learning curve, and you will learn what works for your kind of project faster than under the old model. In the old days, writers often were treated like hothouse flowers, too delicate for nasty old business decisions. Now you will find yourself in the driver's seat.

You can see by now, I believe the new publishing model is more author-centric, especially if you are a writer with a business background, or just a person who likes a certain amount of control in her life! There are of course, downsides to the new model. Next, I'll blog about some of the things I'll miss about the old way of doing business.

Here's the Boeuf !

2009-09-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

While vacationing in the East, we saw the Julie & Julia movie, and, when we returned home, I dug out my copy of Mastering the Art and dusted it off. I purchased mine in the early Seventies when I got my first apartment in Chicago, but I can't remember ever preparing a recipe from its pages. My recollection is that I was too intimidated. I felt confident enough to use Joy and the New York Times tome but the Julia Child work, devoted as it was to French cuisine, was too off-putting for me at the time. Moreover, I didn't have much time. As a liberated woman I was pursuing a career and attending business school at night. There was not much room in my schedule for dinners requiring six hours of preparation.

I thumbed through the pages, thinking to myself, you have the time now, and your years of cooking experience have rendered you confident enough to take on the woman herself. I decided I would make the Boeuf Bourguignon for a new friends. Never mind that it was August in the California desert and the heavy meal was a nonsensical choice given the 108 degree temperature, not to mention that I have become a lifelong devotee of the low carb diet due to girth issues. As I perused the list of required ingredients, I realized I hadn't tasted real butter in five years.

Rediscovering Julia made me hyperaware of Julia-related media activity, both social and commercial, not unlike the way you notice a particular car model when you've just bought one. I took note of the return of Julia's cooking episodes to various television channels. On one such episode, I got to wondering where my copy of Volume II of her epic work had gotten to. I returned to my bookshelves, but I could not find it. Kneeling in front of the bookcase like a novitiate at a convent chapel rail, I came to the conclusion I never bought the second book in the first place. Given the amount of use I had gotten out of Volume I, this seemed a wise decision. After all, those hard bound volumes weren't cheap and my early salaries, despite the first Master's degree that preceded the MBA were not stellar. The differential in pay for female employees in those days was steep as the side of a perfect soufflé.

I decided to rectify the omission and purchase Volume II forthwith. I logged into my Amazon account and pulled up a new copy. Phew! Volume II was not going to come cheap now either. I decided I really didn't need a new copy, and a used book would better match my yellowing first volume. Unfortunately, the asking prices on used copies were not that much different from the pristine newbies. Never fear, I thought, there's always eBay! I hit my eBay bookmark and typed in the appropriate search words. There were several auctions in progress and I selected the one that best fit my needs. I am too embarrassed to tell you how much I finally had to bid for the used copy to win it, but I now own both volumes.

With Julia mania in full flower, it is not surprising that my invited guests were more than happy to come eat Bouef Bourguignon despite the heat. I encouraged them to wear shorts with forgiving waistlines rather than attempting to look the part of guests at a traditional Gallic repast.

Assembling the ingredients for the dish required trips to four grocery stores. I had trouble acquiring small white onions, scallions and a big chunk of bacon complete with rind in the desert. The Coachella Valley is not a gourmet cooking Mecca. Retired people, seasonal residents, golfers, vacationers, and recent immigrants who run pool cleaning or garden maintenance services don't spend a lot of time preparing complicated meals. With a few exceptions, the fare runs to steaks, California salads, quesadillas and chicken fingers.

I did finally lay hands on all the necessary ingredients and, after a morning of golf to burn the calories I would be ingesting at my elegant dinner party, I started preparing the feast. An hour into the ordeal, the kitchen looked like Williams Sonoma during inventory. I had every casserole, sauce pan, sieve and measuring cup I owned out on a counter. Flour filled the grout between the floor tiles and dusted the front of my jeans. Attracted by the aroma, Tony Purrkins, our cat, scored a paper towel I had used to blot the beef before browning and tried to drag it into the living room, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

I became nervous I had not purchased enough butter. Sure, I had counted up the tablespoons in the actual recipes, but I hadn't accounted for all the dots here and dabs there and the big pats that were to go on the side dishes of peas and potatoes before they were taken to the table.

The important difference about the way Julia cooked and the rest of us untutored kitchen rubes is that you never just throw anything into a pot. Each ingredient requires its own send up, its own moment in the sun. In many cases, the item in question requires its own sauce. That sauce might vary by only one or two ingredients from the sauce of another vegetable that is destined to end up in the same casserole; nevertheless, it must be prepared separately. Moreover, each ingredient is honored with its own optimal cooking time. Compare this with our contemporary mania for ten or twenty minute meals preferably prepared in one step and in dish. Not much honor there.

The penultimate steps for Julia's dishes are crucial and sacramental. Food is sieved away from its juices and those juices are augmented and then reduced, transformed one last time to a perfection of aromatic complexity, before they are reintroduced to their mate, like Homeric heroes back from a quest. The entire assembly at the end is like a bridal procession, when each bridesmaid and groomsman arrives at the altar at the preordained moment dressed to the nines. With all this thought and preparation, of course, the marriage is made in heaven.

My dinner was a success. The robust and distinctive intertwining of flavors, the freshness and fullness of the first bite, followed by the satisfying complexity of the aftertaste, demonstrated to me what only hours of hard work and patience can achieve. The leftovers were just as tasty.

My only issue with the experience is this. While Julia Child may have written a cookbook for American women without servants, she also wrote for American wives without jobs. I remember that generation well because it was my Mother's generation. While my Mother had a volunteer schedule that would put many executives to shame in terms of work product, she only held a paying job once, when I was in my late teens, and my father was not thrilled with the idea. Her job in his mind and to a large degree her own was to make a home for him and do a good job of child rearing. Although she rarely spent six hours in the kitchen even for a dinner party, Mom was a fabulous from scratch cook, and we only ate TV dinners as a novelty. I look back on those years as a magical time in American history when the postwar economy easily supported the single bread winner nuclear family lifestyle for most middle income folks. Yet, I do not wish to go back there.

I took the career route, and although I had a blast, I finished up a single and childless Boomer. I did cook gourmet food for many a hapless date. While American women of my generation were liberated and the workplace male was accepting the inevitable, the guys of my generation still yearned for superior food prep skills from their prospective mates. It was okay to get promoted to supervisor during the day as long as you could roast a chicken and bake a pie when you got home.

Today, I don't think X and Y generation men dare have any expectations of their brides other than the ability to twirl a microwave dial. The Julie of the film found the cooking a means of reducing the stress produced from working in a mind-numbing job and subsequently used it as a way to break into professional writing, her ultimate career goal. What about the rest of you modern gals? Where in today's fast food landscape does substantive cooking fit? Where in the insanity of binge eating, super sizing and fad dieting? Where in the contemporary household picture of condos and lofts? Or where in the media scene of Iron Chef cook-offs and toxic TV kitchens where celebrity food mavens wield Sabatiers like scimitars?

I think the answer to this has less to do with food than with feelings. Since most of us work only with our minds and have to remind ourselves to infuse physical exercise into our schedules like remembering to baste a roast, we're better off not being food obsessed. We only require about 1,200 calories, and the idea of spending hours to prepare a meal the size of a first class stamp, seems a poor use of time. Our own government is beginning to view food as a toxic substance, and, any day, may start taking action against people who enjoy food too much.

I think that where Julia meals fit is as a substitute for religion, art and community. In our secular, urban, mass produced, transient, stranger-dominated existence, our lonely old souls hunger for ritual, meaning and connection. We cry out to be fed holistically not with so many calories. This also explains why just going to a restaurant does not do the trick. A beautiful dish brilliantly plated at the hands of another cannot take the place of a personal statement even if you pick up the bill. It is like comparing a nuptial gift purchased from a department store registry with a wedding quilt stitched by the friends of the bride. When you walk into a restaurant, the aromas are all mixed up and impersonal. When you enter the home of a friend who has invited you for dinner, the smells coming from the kitchen are meant just for you.

The places in life left to us where we can express individuality, spirit, caring and connection to any meaningful degree are vanishing. Sure, I have my blog and my Face Book page, but they seem shallow and ephemeral compared to my grandmother's cutwork tablecloth or my aunt's handwritten and bound book of family recipes or the scratching post my father hammered together out of wood scraps in his shop off the garage for my apartment-bound cat. That cat is long dead and so is my father, but I still cherish the scratching post. It smells of the Virginia woods, of sawdust and of love.

As intimidating as Julia's cooking is, it is uncompromising and authentic, and because of that, it will survive, even thrive in our hologram world, as a beacon for all of us who desire real sustenance. Bon Appetit!

Welcome to Kindle Anonymous

2009-07-08T12:43:00.001-07:00

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As recent purchasers of Kindle, my cousin, Sally, and I quickly saw the addictive properties of this technology and we saw the future. Yes, the next big thing will be Kindle abuser support groups. The instant gratification of downloading a bestseller is too much for some people. They will put themselves on the road to bankruptcy and physical disabilities. I envision a rash of doctor visits for finger paralysis , the Kindle equivalent of gambler elbow or wrist, from pulling the one-armed bandits or pushing the spin button on the newer models. Mother always preferred the older models, because, she said, at least you got some exercise.

For book lovers, Kindle has let the gratification genie out of the bottle. There you are, lying in bed and you finish a great book. No problemo. In seconds, you've downloaded the next book in the series without so much as disturbing the snoring rhythm of your husband, dog, cat or whomever it is you sleep with. No waiting in line for the surly clerk at the megastore to stop talking to the girl with the plunging neckline, or lurking in your front yard while your mail carrier finishes eating his lunch under the elm tree and delivers your parcel of new paperbacks.

"Hello, I'm Katharine, and I am a Kindle abuser." We must get a jump on the problems inherent with Kindle as with any new technology. A caring community, we must help the Kindle abuser cope with her inability to control her, eh, thumb. Below, I humbly offer twelve steps to safer Kindle use. I hope these suggestions will prove beneficial, if you are starting a Kindle support group in your area.

1. Turn the Wireless Feature Off. Turning the wireless connection off on the Kindle not only extends battery life, it can give you that extra few seconds to get control of yourself and just say no to excessive book buying.

2. Never Kindle During or After Alcohol. We know that imbibing liquor lowers inhibitions. Never drink and Kindle simultaneously. Besides, you don't want to spill a Martini on your device.

3. Avoid Keeping Up with the Jones. Book buying is not a contest. The building of larger and larger McMansions has been a destructive phenomenon in our society. A McLibrary trend would be equality devastating, albeit, tempting. You are an individual. Read at your own pace and according to your own tastes.

4. Understand Your Buying Patterns. Analyze the type and timing of your purchases. You will quickly learn your weakest moments and the genres you are powerless to resist. Knowledge is power!

5. Establish a Book Buying Budget. Decide how much you can afford to spend on books each month. If you have to wait three days at the end of the month to download the new Evanovich, think how proud you will be of your newfound discipline.

6. Read Reviews Before Buying. Make a pact with yourself that you will read at least three reviews of a book before buying it, or talk to three friends before you download. We often do this for movies, why not books? This behavior will slow your purchasing down a bit, but it also may improve the quality of your library.

7. Establish Purchase-Free Zones and Hours. Pick certain places in your house and certain times of the day when you do not permit yourself to make purchases. Try this for several weeks, then expand the purchase-free zones.

8. Set Up Kindle Swap Meets. I haven't read all the fine print in the Amazon terms, but I don't see why I can't loan my Kindle to a friend just as I loan my print books. For example, I could swap my Kindle with my cousin for the weekend and she could read some of the titles I have and she doesn't, and I could read her stuff.

9. Join Kindle Book Clubs. Book club members put effort into selecting the books they discuss. The selection and meeting discussion process will slow you down and make you savor your purchases more. The club will help you move away from the "slam bam, thank you Mam" way you may be reading now. Borrow a page from dieters and become a gourmet rather than a glutton.

10. Use Free Book Interstices. For every purchased book you read, commit to reading a free book before making your next buy. You'll find yourself reading great literature from the past and thanking yourself for it.

11. Support Other Addicts. Be there for others who need reinforcement in weak moments. I know I will have to be there for my cousin. She has a late night book binging problem.

12. Enforce Healthy Kindle Reading Habits. A major problem with addictions is what they do to the health and well being of the addict and also to the addict's family members. For yourself, try reading on the treadmill so you don't turn into a bloated coach potato in the first six months of owning your Kindle. Also, read aloud to your kids or grandparents or commit to reading aloud at the local nursing home. Don't let your addiction separate you from family and community.

And my bonus step . . .

13. Keep Reading Regular Books. I for one, have about four years worth of reading material, a significant investment. Just because I love my Kindle, I should not abandon the stack of novels and short story collections in my office, bedroom, bathroom, etc. Besides, I have not lost my love of print books, I've just found a new friend. It's like welcoming a new baby into the family. I will find opportunities to read print books, perhaps by the pool when I am slathered in suntan lotion.

One thing is for sure. I will not be able to deal with my Kindle addiction by going cold turkey. Abstinence is not an option, so I am just going to have to find ways to use my Kindle responsibly.

I hope you find this helpful. If you have other suggestions for the growing number of Kindle addicts, please add them below.

Kindle-ing a Love Affair with eBooks

2009-06-29T14:06:00.001-07:00

After I returned home from the California Crime Writers Conference, where I saw editors, agents and authors toting their devices around from session to session, stealing peeks at their latest reading matter in moments of downtime, I signed on to my Amazon account and ordered my Kindle. It was time.

Earlier that week, I was in a doctor's waiting room with my mother and I watched two people reading eBooks contentedly as I fumed. I had forgotten to bring along the novel I was reading and the magazine choices in the waiting room ranged from awful to pathetic. Then there was that conversation with my cousin, who was thinking about buying a Kindle so that she could order books in bed. You know that moment at 2:00 am when you finish a great book, you are wide awake, there are no extra books on the nightstand and if you get out of bed, you'll freeze your tootsies on the cold floor or fall over the dog on the way to your bookshelf.

It was clear to me that Kindle mania was reaching critical mass and that I had arrived at that time in a new technology's market penetration when I was comfortable with being a buyer. I plunked the Kindle down into my shopping cart and headed for checkout.

A few days later, I opened the front door to rescue our newspaper from the sprinkler system and found the Amazon box waiting for me. Kindle's packaging was beautiful, functional and reasonably easy to unwrap, which is saying a lot these days, when you can send yourself to the emergency room trying to open some new products. Who are these guys who attended the Fort Knox school of package design anyway?

I bought the jacket for my Kindle. Now I'm not so sure I needed to do that. Of course, I haven't traveled with my device yet, so maybe I am speaking too soon. However, my original reason for opting for the cover was my belief that the device would feel more like a book and I would be more comfortable holding it if it had a spine and a front and back. Now I realize that was a silly assumption. Holding the naked Kindle is a very satisfying experience. I think I am channeling some atavistic persona, an ancient version of myself who remembers reading from tablets in ancient Greece or scrolls in Imperial Rome.

Reading books on Kindle gives me a new relationship with the printed word. I am discovering the physicality of words all over again just as I did when I got my first Mac in 1985 or bought the really big monitor for my new HP last year. I also recalled the experience of giving up chalk in favor of that first white board and how delicious it was to follow the smooth glide of the marker across the surface. I wonder how long it will be before this fresh perspective wears off, but for right now it is like that first rather formal handshake with an important new acquaintance, the mutual regard and the unmistakable sensation that a new journey has begun that will leave you changed for the better. The enchantment of embarking on a voyage is enhanced by the impressive portraits of favorite authors that appear like book plates when Kindle is on, but sleeping. Poe, Twain, and Dickinson invite you to pass beyond the screen into a world of endless pleasure, rendered boundless by digital wizardry.

Of course, I did some serious buying and have a nice cyber shelf or two of books to look forward to, but I also downloaded some free books, including Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. How delightful to read the opening pages of that tale again! Irving's observations about the contrast in pace between the bustling cities of his time and the rural valley of farm people at the center of his story seemed more modern and knowing than President Obama's guns and religion remarks.

But the really fun thing I did this morning was to load my own manuscripts and read them on the Kindle. It took me a while to realize that the Kindle power cord also is a computer UBS cord and I wasted time looking for a cable that would work with my Kindle, but once I studied the picture of the cable in the online store, I realized Amazon had given me all that I required. I needed to save my files as text documents before I dragged and dropped them into the Kindle document folder, but this only took a few moments. I wanted to read my own creative writing on my Kindle early on, before the newness of the device wears off. Voila! There were my titles nestled in the list with the bestsellers I had purchased! Wow! Wowie Wow Wow!

Once I got over the rush of publishing myself for myself, I came down out of the clouds and saw what was really powerful about doing this. Reading your own work on Kindle is not only exciting, it is as useful in its way as reading your manuscript aloud or putting your book away for a month and coming back to it fresh. It is another editing exercise that you can use to improve your writing. Seeing your paragraphs on the Kindle page forces you to compare your work to published material. The flow of the prose, the rhythm of the dialogue sections, the pacing, the chapter breaks -- you'll be looking at all of this and more with a critical eye, made more discriminating by this new technology. Now, go back to the menu and press the text-to-speech button. Wow! Wowie Wow Wow!

Taking Writer's Conferences to the Next Level

2009-06-24T18:18:00.001-07:00

In a 6/22 post on In Reference to Murder (http://inreferenceto murder.typepad.com), BV Lawson offered some very interesting reflections, including links to others with something to say (Jenny Bent, Debra Webb and Barbara D'Amato), about the value of writer's conferences. With so many conferences competing in an economy that is showing few signs of vigor, organizers should be looking for ways to differentiate their product. Even if this weren't the case, I think attendees and presenters who have been traveling to these events for several years would welcome some judicious innovation.

How can we as a community take our conferences to the next level? What are some of the problems we might solve if we shook things up a little? We're all familiar with the standard fare - tracks to please writers at different stages of professional development, the learned panel of (fill in the blank with agents, editors, authors), the star-studded keynote speaker, the pitch session, the smarmy rewrite workshop, the late night reading session, the no-host cocktail party where three agents huddle together in self defense against a tidal wave of publishing wannabes. As I get to know more agents, I am developing real empathy for them in this all-too-familiar moment. It must be unsettling to face a stampede of calculating strangers threatening to pin you to the facade of the portable bar before you can snatch your glass of Chateau d'Plonk and retreat behind the nametag table.

Opportunity #1: Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could invent fresher ways for people to get to know each other? As a group we are never short on words and we know exactly what to say in dialogue, but put us in front of a stranger and we are as tongue-tied as a minister at a pole dancer convention.

Opportunity #2: Wouldn't it be great if we could deliver basic information in exciting, new formats so that even those people who have heard the same advice fifty times get something they can use? For example, agents and editors feel obligated to point out that typos in submissions are the death knell. Yet, panelists are so tired of going over this old ground, they rush ahead and fail to add anything helpful. How can there be anything new about typos, you ask? There is and I will get back to it in a minute.

Opportunity #3:Wouldn't it be great if there was more spontaneity at conferences? I know organizers try to pack in as much as possible so attendees feel they are getting their money's worth, but I don't think the problem lies with delivering value. Rather, speakers are pigeonholed into the roles they must play by virtue of their industry position and panel assignment. Besides, an agent has to play the agent role because there are competitors and prospective clients in the room. Editors are trying to maintain their brand as well. Projecting the proper image all the time, doesn't leave you much of a chance to think outside the box or be a good listener.

Opportunity #4: How can we better leverage all the talent in the room? At the California Crime Writers Conference in Pasadena, the organizers delivered a brain trust of publishing know-how, but each attendee managed exposure to only a subset of that fire power. There must be better ways to spread the wealth. I believe the same thing can be said for the writing talent among the attendees. I am willing to bet that surfing from session to session were a number of exceptional writers waiting to be plucked from obscurity. How can we make conferences into a better venue for unearthing gems?

Okay, enough questions. How about some possible answers. (If you have a suggestions, I hope you will post below.) I like to come up with new ideas by borrowing solutions from other industries or organizations, countries or constructs. This involves trying on a new way of doing things like trying on a new outfit or hairstyle. Even if the up-do doesn't quite suit, the experience can take you in a new direction. So, I'm disclosing right here, all my suggestions are a) stolen from somewhere else, and b) put forward in the hope of stirring the pot.

Case Studies: (stolen from business school) When I was earning my MBA, about half the subjects I studied were taught by the case method. Case studies of publishing successes would make for interesting presentations at writing conferences. The author, agent and editor could talk about the book acquisition and launch, what worked, what didn't and the course corrections they implemented.

Role Play: (stolen from psychologists) It would be fun to have agents and editors act out the pitch of a recently published book. It would be even more fun when they switched roles. Or a writer and editor when the editor requests a major rewrite.

Plot Jeopardy: (stolen from improvisation theater) A panel of experienced writers is asked to develop a plot sequentially. They are given a starting premise and each author adds the next twist.

Cross-Country Rally (stolen from sports car enthusiasts) A team of randomly assigned attendees is sent on a chase for clues around the hotel with a time limit. Taking what they find, they develop a story and a query letter to sell it. A panel of agents hears the impromptu epistles.

Skunk Works (stolen from the high tech industry) A randomly assigned group of attendees and guest pros is asked to brainstorm a major industry problem and bring their suggested solutions to the entire group.

Speed Agenting (stolen from dating, or was it dialing?) Agents get five minutes to tell authors why they should represent them. Isn't it fun to turn the tables! Just think, when you get to the cocktail party, you already will have met the attendees so they won't be strangers anymore.

All of these approaches are good icebreakers. They move the spotlight off individuals and expectations and on to open dialogue and problem solving. Before I close and wait for your suggestions, I'll go back to the issue of typos. (I'll bet you thought I forgot!) Again, I'll borrow my thought from a different discipline, the world of clinical testing and statistical sampling. Specialists in these fields worry about how many times they revisit the data they are using, because every time they do they can alter or contaminate it. They don't dive into the data willy-nilly; they have a plan. Now, substitute manuscript for data. I wonder how many times I have edited a manuscript and managed to introduce more typos than I eliminated. That pesky cursor! You turn away to answer the phone, click your mouse and poof, you erase a word or letter or introduce a page break. Step awaaaaaaay from the mouse! I hope agents and editors move away from telling audiences to eliminate typos and move toward sharing their process for producing pristine manuscripts.

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Twelve Actions to Take When You Return From a Writer's Conference

2009-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

So you've just returned from The California Crime Writer's Conference, which was a smashing success, but how much of a success was the confab for you? Despite the fun we writers have at these get-togethers, published or not, we don't go to these meetings for our heath. Now is the time to sit down at your desk and capture the value of the investment you made in time and money and, I might add, time away from your manuscript, to attend this important gathering. Here are a dozen DO's for making sure you get everything you can out of the conference experience --

1. Run Your Pre-Conference Checklist. Of course you had a pre-conference checklist, didn't you? If you did not, you have learned your first lesson for your next conference. Your checklist should be based on a strategy built on your needs at your stage of the publishing process. I have a finished manuscript I have edited a half dozen times, a synopsis and a pithy query letter and am well into the outreach process, so I researched the agents who were attending the conference and developed a list of actions for the ones who match my project. I was following up with some people and making new contacts with others. When I reviewed my list after returning home, I saw I had accomplished all my agent-related tasks. I also had objectives about the sessions I wanted to attend and mentors with whom I wanted to catch up. I had to sacrifice one session, to interact with an agent I wanted to meet, but I thought this was a good trade-off. I caught up with an important mentor, Jerrilyn Farmer, updated her on my progress, and got some more good advice (no surprise there!). I also got her to autograph her new book with the divine Joan Rivers, Murder at the Academy Awards (Pocket Books).

2. Make a Detailed Task List and Start Executing. Before I left Pasadena, I started a list of follow-up actions and I finished the list at home the morning after the conference. There were agents who had requested partials, agents with partials who requested additional information, leads about other agents that came from authors at the conference, and a long list of web sites and blogs to check out, mentioned by various speakers and panelists. I will have completed my follow-ups within five days of the conference's close.

3. Evaluate Your Interpersonal Interactions. While your memory of the conference is fresh, think back over your interactions with the organizers, speakers, and attendees. What worked and what didn't? Were you comfortable introducing yourself to strangers? How did you start the conversations? Writers love words, but that doesn't mean they are good at small talk. If your recollection of some of those conversations is painful, because the exchange was awkward, you might want to hone your interpersonal skills. How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes (McGraw Hill) is a wonderful, easy-to-read book that can help you buff your cocktail party banter.

4. Determine Which Activities Were Most Productive. The agent cocktail party and agent-focused panels were the most productive sessions for me, because that it where my publication journey is focused now. If you are at an earlier stage in the process, these sessions would not be as wise a use of your time as, for example, a session on the rewrite. There were people in the agent sessions who were writing the first few chapters of their novels. Of course, writers must learn all they can about the agenting process, but there is a proper time for everything.

5. Decide Which Activities Were Least Productive. The organizers of the CCWC conference did a stellar job of creating meaningful programs, but not everything, albeit juicy with content, will suit your own agenda equally well. For example, I loved the luncheon talks, but when there is a speaker, table conversation must cease, and opportunities for dialogue are lost. Long speeches also eat up the time for audience/speaker interaction and trap listeners who are uncomfortable exiting when somebody is talking.

6. Evaluate the Competitive Intelligence. Although intimate conferences are not large enough to represent the book market, even in one genre, they can afford opportunities to assess trends and spot emerging opportunities. Moreover, you might get an up-close-and-personal look at a competitor who is marketing directly in your space. Let's say you are working on an embroidery cozy and the author of a quilting series is a panelist at the meeting. How well attended is her presentation? What questions were asked? Why do people like her protagonist? How long was her line in the book signing room? If she is popular, how is your work similar to hers and how can you differentiate your project in a bold, fresh way?

7. Evaluate New Marketing Ideas. Always gather up whatever is being handed out. Look for new ideas for marketing books. Agatha winner Hank Phillippi Ryan marketed Prime Time with a clever little lip balm. Since the protagonist in my mystery series is a bit of a klutz and a destroyer of silk blouses, I thought I might try to do the same thing with a diminutive vial of spot remover.

8. Write Down Cool New Writing Tips. One thing's for sure when you spend two days in the company of over 150 writers: you're going to hear new ideas about writing. Suggestions for breaking those pesky blocks. New tools, from software to research sources. Take the time to look back over your notes and pluck a few gems out of the scrawl. It's all about moving your writing to the next level. One of my favorites from this conference came from Carolyn Howard Johnson, the Frugal Editor. Carolyn suggested repackaging, repurposing and reusing material in different venues and different timeframes. If you have spent a lot of time researching and writing a piece, you should get as much mileage as you can out of your effort!

9. Write Down New Story Ideas. When people talk about their experiences, their stories often ignite memories of your own past experiences that could prove useful in a storyline. Or when they talk about the plot of their new mystery, the poolside scene makes you remember you were tossed in a half-filled pool at a wild party and you hit your head hard enough to need stitches. You could have drowned, but you didn't. But in the new plot forming in your head the bikinied gal drowns, unleashing a legal nightmare for the pool's owner and destroying the alibi of the hunky former lifeguard who snuck away from the party to commit MURDER. Make sure you write down all the ideas you had for new books, short stories and essays.

10. Document What You Spent. Even though you may not have published yet, you are a professional writer and you must treat what you are doing as a business. Pull all those receipts from the bottom of your purse, smooth them out and total up what you spent. Not everything will be a legitimate business expense, but it is important to get control of your conference behavior. I try to set a limit to how many books I buy when attending these conferences. I usually go over my limit, but because I set a limit, I don't go over by much. I also try to control my calorie intake and I bring my exercise togs along. When your book is published and you go on those book tours, you don't want to sacrifice you figure on the altar of your success, so develop those good behaviors early!

11. Compare Conferences. Take some time to assess the conference you have just attended to others. How did CCWC stack up in terms of value? Did the content warrant the expenditure It is important to learn which programs deliver the biggest return in terms of your particular objectives. In 2010, you'll have a prioritized list of meetings. Stick to your writing career priorities and don't be swayed by an alluring venue. I am sure that for the vast majority of attendees, CCWC was a very good deal!

12. Give Yourself a Grade. Okay, now we've reached the real bottom line. How did you perform throughout this conference opportunity? Did you arrive at the conference focused like a heat-seeking missile? Did you stick to your plan? Are you making good use of the ideas and contacts you brought away from the meeting? Remember, the biggest factor in capturing value from your investment in a writer's conference is YOU!

Kudos to Sisters in Crime LA and the So Cal Chapter of Mystery Writers of America for a great program, great eats and greater fellowship. Way to go!

RussellWrites Blog by http://russellwrites.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

A Food Group Laments

2009-06-24T14:48:00.001-07:00

Lowly carb, the peasant of foods,

maligned by every diet book around,

I lie on the plate pasty and eschewed,

as praises for veg and protein abound.

While I am modest, homey comfort fare,

guys at the processing plant sap my fiber,

and now the slim misses pass me sans a care,

for fish, greens and organic cauliflower.

All I've tried to do without flourish is provide

good nourishment for pennies on the dollar,

and for my pains they've sent me down the slide

to the bowels of the food pyramid cellar.

Why I am the object of such foody hate?

After all, I did not supersize myself,

or insist I be bathed in hot transfat,

or altered to extend my life on shelf.

I pray for the day I am rehabilitated

like my friend the egg who was ostracized

for years because he was cholesterol-tainted,

now back from the gulag, by Rachel Ray lionized.

If your hips are broad, get to the Bow-Flex, gyrate,

Your abdomen protrudes? Do some crunches!

Stop blaming the humble carbohydrate

for those gargantuan guilty lunches.

RussellWrites Blog by http://russellwrites.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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