http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:53:32 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/01/20/155332.php Parker OwensThe Frugal Book Promoter contains marketing information for writers by a writer. Chapters include information on: Public relations- what it is, how to get it free, and what to avoid Differences between branding, bios, and pitches How to build a media kit and contact the media How to build credentials Writer's conferences Using the web Contracts Hiring a publicist And many other ideas for publicity (like book fairs, contests, and discussion groups)Some sophisticated advice included branding yourself rather than publicizing an individual book. Anyone interesting in marketing his or her books needs to consider how to sell themselves as an author so they can create a fan base that keeps buying.A whole chapter is included on writing thank you notes. It may seem inane, but as presented, appears to be an important PR tool. Thank you notes create goodwill and help people remember you.Excellent tips included tracking and statistically analyzing your publicity efforts. If you can quantify your marketing efforts by how many inches of advertising space, or number of press releases sent, you can correlate promotion efforts and sales. She also recommends doubling each number the following year for increased success.One of the more interesting chapters is on Amazon.com. You can use the ideas in this chapter for Amazon, or extrapolate the ideas to other online book outlets like Barnes and Noble. Information includes how to take advantage of some of the extras like bios and displaying book indices, and how the ratings and advice sections work. It also solves the mysteries of the Amazon's Top Reviewers List and other cryptic stuff. There are ideas on how to use Amazon's “So you'd like to” article exchange, and sneaky ways to use Listmania.Whether you are still writing your manuscript, or have already published and want to create a new surge in buyers, this book is for you. It is a useful reference guide containing info on many esoteric topics for every level, from beginner to established pro.For more information, go to her website at http://carolynhowardjohnson.com. Keep up to date with her blog at http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson Books42528@blogcritics.org Fri, 20 Jan 2006 15:53:32 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/01/10/042607.php Parker OwensThe River details the scientific history surrounding the origin of AIDS. Through a well-documented tale, Hooper brings the reader to the conclusion that the OPV/AIDS(oral polio vaccine) theory is correct. Even thought the book clocks in at about 1070 pages, it's a page-turner. Its main premise is that AIDS began with polio vaccine manufactured using cells from monkeys. SIV morphed into HIV during cross-species contamination.The tale reminds us that even with the best medical and scientific intentions, it is so human to screw up and make things worse. I don't blame the polio researchers involved in the AIDS fiasco, and I don't believe that is the intent of this book. After all, vaccines have helped rid the world of terrible diseases. Or at least they have slowed the spread.Still, it's scary to imagine what evils we might be releasing with our animal organ transplants and other experimental medical techniques involving organic substances. We've unleashed Pandora's Box in order to save the world, and knowingly, we feel compelled to continue our medical inquiries.One of the larger questions in the book concerns our use of Africans and other third world people, prisoners, and the mentally challenged in our medical experiments. This is a historical look and I don't know if this practice has continued. I do believe we still experiment on prisoners and our military, but I hope our use of other populations has slowed. (Not that any experimentation is right.)I'm not that interested in history, but this book fascinated me. It is a bit pricey but I got it from the library. If you'd like to look at some free materials, there is a website with background material. Books42043@blogcritics.org Tue, 10 Jan 2006 04:26:07 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/01/02/142339.php Parker OwensWhat are your current projects?My big project is getting out the word on my book, VoiceMale, which is being published by Simon & Schuster this month (January 2006). I'm preparing for a seven-city U.S. book tour, including an appearance on “Good Morning America” on Jan. 9.The good thing is that I love talking about the book. I spent a couple of years interviewing men about their marriages. I gave them anonymity, so I got juicy material on how they deal with sex, housework, raising kids and other issues. Now I get to tell the public what they said.And they said a lot. The book is based on the notion that men – though quiet in comparison to women – actually have lots of opinions about marriage and relationships. And my findings challenge gender stereotypes. For example, I found that men are not commitment-phobic; that they don’t have only sex on their minds; and that they are willing to be changed by their wives. The good news is that despite the many marital problems they have, married men generally love being married; more than 90 percent would marry the same woman if they had a chance to do it again.Do you have any specific training in male psychology? I have 15 years of on-the-job training. As a newspaper reporter for the San Jose Mercury-News, I began writing about “the men’s movement” in 1990. Then, in 1992, I launched a freelance syndicated column on men. The column was picked up by Universal Press Syndicate and distributed to about 35 newspapers weekly. Each week for four years, I wrote on an issue of the day from the man’s point of view. I focused on a largely unexplored niche: the personal lives of men. This involved interviewing hundreds of men about their wives, marriages, children, jobs, fathers, mothers, and more.In 1997, I retired the column to devote extra time to my first book, FatherLoss: How sons of all ages come to terms with the deaths of their dads. That book was released by Hyperion in 2001. I began work on VoiceMale the following year. Why should males read VoiceMale? Should females read it?It's for both sexes. A man who reads VoiceMale will gain insight into himself. He'll see how other men deal with marriage and intimate relationships. A woman who reads VoiceMale will better understand the man in her life. She’ll find out what men as a group think and feel about their marriages. This is a good launching point for more specific conversation with her own husband or boyfriend.Can you talk a little about how you began to work at the Carnegie Center, and what kind of students you have? What are the common problems you see repeatedly with beginning writers?I started at the Carnegie Center in 1998 by taking a nonfiction writing class. The Center's director then encouraged me to teach. I found that I enjoyed teaching very much. Gradually, I took on more classes, then accepted a position as writer-in-residence at the Center. Now, a lot of my time is spent working one-on-one with writers of all ages and skill levels. The biggest challenge for writers, I've found, is giving the necessary time to practice, and to revising. People often see writing as a "talent," but it's really a learned skill that improves the more you do it. Also, a lot of writers want a piece of writing to come out finished. But first drafts are almost never final drafts -- or shouldn't be. It usually takes a second and third revision before it even begins to look good. Hemingway was known to revise some of his writing 50 or 100 times before deciding he'd gotten it "right".How did you get your appearance on Good Morning America?My publisher, Simon & Schuster, got me the gig on GMA. It's a great one --a few million people will be watching. With a quality book, a good launch, and my own laser-like focus on marketing over the next few months, I'm optimistic that this book can be a best-seller. Neil Chethik is an author, speaker and writer-in-residence at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning in Lexington, Ky. Chethik is also the author of FatherLoss: How Sons of All Ages Come To Terms With the Deaths of Their Dads (Hyperion, 2001). You can reach him at his website: www.VoiceMaleBook.com, or through his e-mail: nchet@aol.com Books41713@blogcritics.org Mon, 2 Jan 2006 14:23:39 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/12/14/093247.php Parker OwensMy daughter has finally learned how to blow bubbles with gum. You would think this would be something all kids could do, part of the kids' bill of rights, but it isn't so. My daughter struggled to blow gum. We'd buy packs and packs of it, and I'd have to give lessons to her in front of the mirror. Relatives and friends jumped in and gave their techniques. She would chew frequently, and I hollered "Practice, practice, practice!" my standard lame words of encouragement whenever she is learning something new. The bubble gum wrappers piled up, and I worried about the sugar on her teeth.Well, the struggle finally paid off, and she can now blow a proper bubble. Trouble is, she is doing it wrong, in my opinion, but she has struggled so long I don't want to tell her. She puts two fingers in her mouth when she does it, to hold down one end of what I call the gum wall, and sticks her tongue out in a disturbing manner while she blows.She likes to get really close to me when she does it, to make sure that I see it, and then blows grape smell all over me and spittle. Why couldn't she be obsessed with something that doesn't involve spit and getting gum stuck all over the place? I'm about ready to ban gum from our house.She is so proud; I hate to tell her she's doing it wrong. Perhaps it will all straighten out in time, or maybe she'll get over this obsession.Soon, I'll tell her about the woman in Kentucky who was on the Guinness World Records show. She could blow bubbles by placing the gum over her nostrils. Not yet, though. I'll wait until the stress of the holidays is over. Culture40966@blogcritics.org Wed, 14 Dec 2005 09:32:47 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/11/17/081830.php Parker OwensWhat is your book about? My book is narrative nonfiction. My granddaughter was stillborn after a full term healthy pregnancy and normal labor. My normal reaction to despair is research, and when I searched I found very little info on grandparent grief. Grandparents were viewed as support to their bereaved child, but not recognized as mourners. The book started with some of my journal entries and evolved from there. I explore theoretical models of grief as well as talk about society's lack of validation. I quote several other bereaved grandparents as well as several leading experts in the bereavement field. I talk about caring for self, relating to surviving grandchildren, maintaining a connection with and ways to remember the deceased grandchild, as well as explore the many roles of grandparents in today's society. There is an extensive bibliography, both of printed material and internet resources/agencies, etc., specializing in grief and pregnancy/infant loss.What has been the reaction of the book from your family?The only family members who knew I was writing the book were my son and his wife, the couple whose baby was stillborn. They encouraged me through the entire process. I told the rest of my family when Booklocker was actually publishing my book. They were stunned. They have all told me how proud they are that I did this. I haven't received any negative feedback at all.Could you go over the stages of grief - are different for grandparents? My book goes into great detail about the traditional stages of grief, however, modern theorists are moving away from this and acknowledging that grief is really a lifelong process. Grandparents have the additional burden of seeing our child in so much pain, knowing that this is the one thing we can't make better, while also mourning our grandchild. In the process of writing your book, did you heal your own grief?One of the issues I discuss in my book is that there really is no endpoint to grief, especially grief of this nature. Writing the book was how I did my grieving, but I wouldn't say that it healed my grief. Writing has always been cathartic.What kind of research did you do for the book? I did a great deal of research once I started writing. I have done bereavement counseling and taught bereavement workshops so I have a firm grounding in grief theory. I contacted several large support organizations with online newsletters and requested that they post my request for bereaved grandparents who were willing to be quoted about their experience of grief. During my research, I came across many articles and works that touched me, and I contacted the publisher or author for permission to quote. Probably the most validating experience I had during the background process was that every single therapist/author/counselor I contacted with requests for permission to quote from their writing granted permission; each and every one included a personal statement in their response saying how valuable and how needed my book is. That also helped spur my decision to self-publish. It seems like the subject of grief might be difficult to sell to a publisher, but you obviously have found a niche. Did you try to publish the traditional way before embracing self-publishing?I attempted traditional publishing prior to making the decision to self-publish. I purchased Elizabeth Lyons' book on how to write a nonfiction book proposal as well as well as Jeff Herman's 2005 edition of Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, and studied them thoroughly. I did a great deal of market research and truly believed that I had a solid niche market for my book. It was actually the market research rather than the lack of interest from traditional publishers that helped me to decide to self-publish. I knew there was a market, and even with a traditional publisher I would be doing the majority of the marketing. I finally decided that if I would be doing all the work, then why hand over the rights and profits to somebody else. My book is based on such an intimate experience; I knew I would not take kindly to editing. While I was mailing query letters and proposals out, I had to mentally prepare myself to deal with rejection.What made you choose Booklocker?Again, I researched self-publishing POD companies thoroughly, including reading blogs of authors talking about their experiences. I am impressed with the fact that Booklocker is a relatively small operation, run by a husband and wife team. I had concentrated on independent publishers when I was sending out proposals, and I felt that Booklocker would be a good fit for me. All Booklocker titles have an ISBN and are listed on Amazon.com and B&N.com. I have also found my book listed on many other online bookstores.Has Booklocker helped you at all with your marketing efforts? I know you are prominently featured on their home page as a top seller, but do you also have a web page through that site, or have they done press releases or any group advertising?Booklocker has many articles on promotion, but they don't do any direct marketing. I have a book page on their web site - the link is at the bottom of these interview questions. My book is also featured on the web site of a support organization for grandparents. I've done press releases, been featured in book reviews in several newsletters, and I do intense, targeted marketing, including public speaking engagements at conferences. Did you hire someone to do your cover? Could you tell us a little bit about that process?I hired a graphics artist to design my cover through Booklocker. She was a joy to work with. I explained the nature of my book, and told her my general ideas for the cover. She submitted several cover designs and asked for my ideas/input on the lettering. I am extremely pleased with her design, and have received numerous compliments on it.How long did it take for your book to become available for sale after signing up with Booklocker?The process went more quickly than I expected. It was available in about 3 weeks. How many copies have you sold? It is difficult for me to give you an estimate, as my book has only been available for about 3 months. I've not received the information from sales through Amazon, etc., yet.Do you get a percentage quarterly, monthly, etc.? How do you receive payment?Royalties are paid by check on a monthly basis. Can you outline some of your marketing plan?My marketing has been very targeted. I prepared an announcement and included quotes from people who read the book and sent it to organizations and agencies dealing with pregnancy/newborn/child loss. I also sent the announcement to hospice agencies. I was interviewed for the local paper. I send review copies to large perinatal bereavement organizations and have found that to be quite successful. I also offer agencies willing to put a link to my Booklocker page a percentage of the proceeds generated through sales from that link. I write articles for newsletters on issues of perinatal loss and grandparent grief. The next phase of my marketing plan involves an announcement to nursing schools, hospital labor and delivery and special care nursery units, departments of social work, and university thanatology programs. The most difficult part has been aggressively promoting myself but I'm getting better. I have a few colleagues who have been quite helpful with promotion activities. I am a Delaware native, and I've been playing up the "local author" angle, which seems to make a difference in a small state.Have you done book signings or other events? I've done two book signings and have a third one scheduled. I am doing several presentations to hospital staff on issues of bereavement. I also submitted abstracts for presentations at several large national conferences on perinatal loss. I am an experienced public speaker and really enjoy doing workshops. I have submitted a review copy of my book to the committee organizing a book fair at a national conference on perinatal lossEmail Nina at ninabde@aol.com. To purchase Forgotten Tears, go to http://www.booklocker.com/books/2081.html For more information on grief, go to www.agast.org Books39672@blogcritics.org Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:18:30 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/31/084314.php Parker OwensDo you recall how your interest in writing began? After reading Dracula at the age of twelve, I was fascinated by horror and fantasy. When I couldn't find enough of the kinds of stories I liked at the public library, I started writing my own. I wanted to read fiction from the viewpoint of the "monster," and I was also attracted to anything dealing with relationships between human and nonhuman beings. Those types of fiction were much less common in the 1960s than they are now. My first complete story, written when I was thirteen, was a romance between a man and a ghost. As a child, were you interested in scary things? I was an extremely timid child, and hysterically afraid of the dark. I've always been somewhat afraid of unsupported heights (i.e., of falling) and it got worse rather than better as I grew up. In childhood, I played on slides, which I became too frightened to do as a teenager. I wouldn't even consider climbing on one now. So I wasn't interested in things that *really* scared me; I wanted to stay far away from them! But I can remember always having been drawn to stories of *imaginary* scary things, monsters such as ghosts and vampires, though I didn't start reading that kind of fiction until about age twelve. Maybe that was a way of compensating for real-life fears. Do you remember a book or movie from your childhood that scared you? I was terrified of the whale in Pinocchio (the Disney cartoon feature). In elementary school, one of my teachers read us a 19th-century poem, written in dialect, "Little Orphant Annie," by New England poet James Whitcomb Riley. It's a warning to naughty children that "the goblins will get you if you don't watch out," and there is a line about "big Black Things" swooping down to grab one of the wicked children and snatch her away through the ceiling. That one kept me awake crying. What do you see as the influences on your writing? The classic horror authors such as Poe, Bram Stoker, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, M. R. James, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen, H. P. Lovecraft, and the early Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and Theodore Sturgeon were the influences that inspired me to start writing in the first place. I consider myself lucky, in a weird way, that I saw very few horror movies while growing up and never saw a vampire film until my early twenties. I had a solid grounding in the classics before being exposed to more recent stuff. As a professional writer, I consider Marion Zimmer Bradley and Jacqueline Lichtenberg to be my mentors. Bradley accepted and published my first piece of professional fiction, a story in her anthology Free Amazons of Darkover, and several more thereafter. She was a very demanding editor, in a good way; if you sold a story to her, you knew you'd accomplished something. Jacqueline Lichtenberg taught a weekend writing workshop I attended many years ago, and she has given me a lot of generous advice and encouragement since. The sources that have influenced the development of my vampire species include: The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin Shattered Glass and its sequels by Elaine Bergstrom Those Of My Blood by Jacqueline Lichtenberg Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain series that began with Hotel Transylvania The Dracula Tape and its sequels by Fred Saberhagen. I discuss the "vampire as another species" motif in detail in my nonfiction book Different Blood: The Vampire As Alien, covering many of my favorite books on that theme. I love Stephen King but wouldn't exactly call him an influence, since my writing isn't much like his. Can you share a little of your current work with us? My current work in progress is a contemporary romance about a wizard who gets cursed into the form of a St. Bernard and falls in love with an ordinary woman who rescues the "stray dog" that collides with her car. This plot premise is a lot of fun for me because we have a St. Bernard (named Frodo). I'm also working on a short story for an anthology being assembled by a writers' group I belong to. The tale is set on Halloween and plays with a twist on a familiar urban legend, the Vanishing Hitchhiker. I wondered how bereaved family members would react if they kept receiving nocturnal visitors year after year, claiming they've given a ride to the family's dead child.Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?In general, the first draft process. I'm a torturously slow writer (by my standards), and I'd like to become faster and more fluent. In particular, the dreaded "sagging middle." I usually have a fairly definite idea from the first how a novel or story is going to begin and end. Concocting a plausible plot with plenty of complications on the way to the end is more difficult. Do you only write horror? I also write paranormal romance (from Silhouette, Ellora's Cave, and Amber Quill), which I consider a natural extension of my love for horror and fantasy, and I've written some straight fantasy, such as two books in collaboration with my husband, Wild Sorceress and Besieged Adept. In December, Amber Quill is going to publish Besieged Adept, a fantasy novel my husband and I wrote in collaboration. Actually, the initial idea and most of the raw work were his. He's starting the third book in that series now. My most recent publications, other than "Foxfire" (mentioned below), were a vampire romance, Embracing Darkness (Silhouette, March 2005), and a reformed demon romance novelette in Ellora's Cavemen: Legendary Tails II (Ellora's Cave, June 2005). I have an elf-human romance under consideration with a publisher now. I've had a lot of nonfiction published about the supernatural in literature, especially vampires, most recently Different Blood: The Vampire As Alien (Amber Quill). My books that are closer to “pure” horror include two vampire novels, Dark Changeling and Child Of Twilight (its sequel), from Hard Shell Word Factory and From The Dark Places (somewhat Lovecraftian) and Shadow Of The Beast (a werewolf novel) from Amber Quill. Can you tell us a little about your collaboration process with your husband? We once sold a story to Marion Zimmer Bradley in which he suggested the plot premise, and I elaborated it and wrote the text with his input. For the "Wild Sorceress" series, however, the plot premise and characters completely originated with him. We discuss the plotlines together and brainstorm about potential problems or disagreements. He does all the first-draft writing, which I like because writing in that "raw" stage is hard for me. Then I edit each scene as it is produced, often several times before the whole book comes together. The byline includes both of our names. He has a science fiction vampire story, "Vanishing Breed," written in 1970 and still in print in one anthology, that helped to inspire my vampire series. Information on his biography and work can be found on my website under the link "Co-Author Leslie Roy Carter." Do you ever get scared while you write your stories? No, partly because, after all, the characters and situations are my own creations, and in large part because I've been reading and writing about "monsters" for so long that I find them cozy and friendly more than scary. The last book that gave me a genuine scare was Stephen King's Pet Sematary, which I still consider one of his best. Do your scary characters ever invade your dreams or scare you in some other way? No, I have very dull dreams most of the time, pervaded with anxiety but with no excitingly frightening elements. Do you wish you led the life of one of your characters? No. Most of them have too many hazardous, potentially lethal experiences. I agree with Bilbo Baggins: "Adventures are nasty uncomfortable things that make you late for dinner." A good writer makes his/her characters suffer; why would we want to be in their places? However, I wouldn't mind leading a life like that of Eloise, wife of Claude Darvell, one of my vampires (found in Child Of Twilight from Amber Quill Press and "Tall, Dark, and Deadly" in the anthology Things That Go Bump In The Night 2 from Ellora's Cave). Eloise is an idealized version of myself. She has a nicer figure, more confidence, and a far more successful writing career, as well as a ravishingly seductive vampire mate. Why do you think we like the experience of being scared? There are several theories, all of which make sense to me to some extent. Perhaps it's the pleasure of vicariously experiencing dangerous situations while fully aware that we're safe in reality. One theory is that frightening stories and movies perform the same physiological function as a roller coaster (which I would never, ever ride on; that's too much like real-life fear for me). Being scared in the absence of real danger, according to this theory, provokes the compensatory release of endorphins, the body's natural opiates. In other words, scaring oneself on purpose is a way of getting high. Many people (strange as it seems to me) thrive on thrilling experiences that are actually dangerous, such as white-water rafting, skydiving, etc. Scary stories give a similar thrill in complete safety. H. P. Lovecraft, in his book on supernatural fiction, famously says, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest of fears is that of the unknown" (probably not a completely exact quote). He connects this fear to the awe felt at the contemplation of the vastness of an indifferent, potentially lethal universe. Personally, I think an important function of horror fiction is as a form of spiritual experience. At least this is the answer I give to the occasional fellow Christian who wonders how I reconcile faith with enjoying horror. This is an odd question, since traditional horror fiction often emphasizes the spiritual struggle between good and evil -- all those crosses waved at vampires, for instance. Especially in our secular culture, tales of the supernatural provide a welcome hint that something beyond the purely material realm exists. They help to fill a void left by the modern phenomenon that belief in a Higher Power is no longer nearly universal, the way it was in previous eras (or assumed to be universal -- those who didn't believe mostly kept quiet). Pet Sematary is a good example, exploring the different ways people react to death, and what might happen if we could transgress the boundaries of nature to bring back the dead. Do you do anything special for Halloween? Do you use it as an opportunity to market your books? After all these decades of having to stay home and give out candy or take my own kids trick-or-treating, I have never got into the habit of doing anything special for Halloween in terms of parties. I wear Halloween accessories to work that week and sometimes while answering the door on the big night, although not a full costume. For book promotion, I don't do anything intensive but do take advantage of October promotional opportunities that arise. This is a good month for publishers to release horror and supernatural-themed works. Erotic romance publisher Ellora's Cave has just published a shapeshifter anthology, Transformations, containing a kitsune novella by me, "Foxfire." A kitsune is a fox spirit in Japanese mythology. They are noted for their sensual natures and have many intriguing powers in addition to changing shape between human and fox. Margaret’s website can be found at www.margaretlcarter.com Email her at MLCVamp@aol.com To subscribe to the Carter’s Crypt newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/margaretlcartersnewsfromthecrypt Publishers: Harlequin/Silhouette Hard Shell Word Factory Ellora's Cave Amber Quill Press Books38806@blogcritics.org Mon, 31 Oct 2005 08:43:14 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/25/161614.php Parker OwensFor a long while, I've wanted to write about the resident scary animal on our block, who I lovingly refer to as the Evil Parrot. I've resisted writing so far because I didn't think anyone would believe my tale. My sound file is proof the Evil Parrot exists. The Evil Parrot is one of those huge jobs whose body is about the size of a small dog, and feathers/wings stretch down to the height of a small child.The owners of Evil Parrot aren't too friendly. The woman is a lumpen fifty something with greasy stringy hair and bad posture. She likes to wag her finger at the kids, and the spare flesh on her arm jiggles when she does it. One of her eyes wanders. The man I've never seen. There's a large upholstered chair big as a tank right beyond the door. I can only see the man's huge stomach and mountainous legs as he watches a very loud TV. He doesn't get involved with any dramas outside in the yard. The woman sets the parrot outside in a small tree, and lurks behind the banisters on the porch to warn the children, "Don't come too close! The parrot bites!"They didn't have to tell my daughter twice, but some of the other kids like to flirt with danger and try to touch it. Some of them throw rocks at it.Evil Parrot reminds me of some of the scary animals from my youth. In my case, it was a big dog that ran loose in the neighborhood. It never bit anyone, but it would run up to children and snarl. Eventually the pound took it away. It was probably only in the neighborhood half a summer, but at the time it felt like a serial killer had invaded our block. I was afraid to go outside.The Evil Parrot makes me not want to go outside, too. I have to keep all my windows closed when the bird is out. The bird's speech is haunted. It mimics the sound of children at play, and it's cries sounds like the devil's children. The screeches of children living in a tortured reality right on the other side of an alternate plane of existence pierces my calm. Listen to the bird and see what you think.Link to parrot sounds Culture38501@blogcritics.org Tue, 25 Oct 2005 16:16:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/24/100526.php Parker OwensDo you recall how your interest in writing began?Not really. I remember as a kid I played with writing both fiction and nonfiction. And, there was the neighborhood newspaper that my cousin organized and I contributed to -- those kinds of childhood activities. I enjoy reading and began my college career as an English major. I married a writer and have been a part of a writing community for over thirty years. It seems everyone writes in some way or another.What do you see as the influences on your writing?I suspect all my personal experiences and reading are ground up in my consciousness and become seasoning for the writing. Can you talk to us a little about the science and math themes in your work? How did that start?After leaving the field of math teaching, I became interested in the history of math and science and in the people who do math and science -- in their thought processes and how their love of science affected their personal lives. The special difficulties women often have in incorporating their love of science with their personal lives is of special interest to me. I try to communicate the appreciation for the beauty of the ideas, the hypnotic effect of losing oneself in a problem or puzzle, the joy of discovery, that drive the scientist.How do you do your research?Read. Read. Read. Keep an index file of all characters and places that will appear. Read everything available about the main subject / person being studied. -- examine the bibliographies of others writing on the topic and read their references. Then read about the era. Read the literature of the time. Read the general history of the time. Read about as many of the people who touched the main characters life as possible. Then research the places where the character lives and visits. Finally, force myself to stop doing research, which I really love, and begin the job of reproducing what has become a strong feeling for the era, the place and the people. Did you need to do specific research on science or math?Yes. Research into the math of Kovalevskaya was needed. Fortunately, a very good study of her mathematics was done by Roger Cooke in his book The Mathematics of Sonya Kovalevskaya. A Russian mathematician/historian P. Kochina has published several articles on Kovalevskaya's work. I investigated the ideas that fascinated the mathematicians and scientists who associated with Kovalevskaya.Did you copy or study real women mathematicians or scientists (besides Sofya) for your characters? Yes, I studied other women scientists. I also studied men scientists of the time. Sofya associated with women who were or were to become prominent in the sciences. I did not come across any other women who pursued mathematics with Sofya's intensity. Although at one point Sofya felt that another Russian woman might be a rival for the honor of first woman Ph.D. in mathematics. Julia Lermontova became the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Julia and Sofya shared an apartment while studying in Heidelberg and again in Berlin where they both did graduate work. Julia knew Mendeleev (creator of the periodic table of elements that everyone studies in high school chemistry). After receiving her degree, Julia worked with leading Russian chemists. Sofya was a friend of Maria Bokova-Sechenova who became one of the first women physicians in Russia. Bokova-Sechenova assisted her husband I.M. Sechenov with his work in physiology. Sofya was also in a circle of literary notables. So I needed to do research into their lives and work. When Sofya was 16 years old she met the great Russian novelist F. Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov). Sofya and Dostoevsky remained friends until his death in 1881. While in England, Sofya met Georg Eliot and corresponded a little with her. When Sofya moved to Sweden, she came to know Ibsen slightly. Sofya was close friends with a Swedish woman, Anne Edgren Leffler, who enjoyed some fame at the time as a playwright and novelist. Sofya met Anton Chekhov. Chekhov was a friend of her fiancé, Maxim Kovalevsky.In Beyond the Limit, I attempted to present scientists and authors as true to their real life personalities as possible. Is Sofya Kovalevskaya a real person? Sofya is a very real person. She was born in 1850 in Moscow and died in 1891 in Stockholm. Beyond the Limit accurately relates events from the period of Sofya's life where she is struggling to obtain an education. Beyond the Limit covers roughly the years of Sofya's life from 1866 to 1874. Future works will cover Sofya's search for a career and her success in research.What was it about her life that spoke to you as a person or writer? It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it is that first attracted me to Sofya's story. Perhaps it was that she faced so many of the same challenges that confront women today. So her story impressed me as very timely.Perhaps it was that she was attracted to both mathematics and literature. I have always been attracted to both fields. Then again, her life is one fascinating adventure that begs for retelling. She was part of very turbulent political and social times. She knew an amazing number of interesting people -- scientists, authors and political figures. She was always courageous and persistent, if not always likable. Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?The challenge is to stay strictly historically accurate while telling a fun story. When writing a fictionalized biography choosing which events and which relationships to emphasize which to downplay or omit can be a challenge. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?A difficult question because I have favorites in different areas.Fred Saberhagen for science fiction and fantasy. He addresses the large issues -- what it means to be a human, the use of power, good versus evil. He has a great command of history which makes for interesting reading. Most importantly, he focuses on telling an entertaining story. Ann Hibner Koblitz for her brilliant biography of Kovalevskaya A Convergence of Lives. She's written one other books and numerous articles and essays in the field of women's studies, particularly the achievements of Russian women. I'm always impressed by the extent of her research and her clear style.Constance Reid for numerous biographies of mathematicians. She ventured into a field where very few had worked . There are far too few scholarly lives of mathematicians available to readers, especially if the reader is restricted to English. Although her books are not widely read, they form a very important contribution to the history of science and scientists. Elizabeth Peters / Barbara Michaels / Barbara Mertz for her thoroughly enjoyable fiction. She always combines an impressive knowledge of history, an interesting female heroine, and a sense of humor into a fun read. There are other authors who vie for my free time reading among them Janet Ivanovich and Nevada Barr. These writers, among others, deliver an interesting character and setting and a smooth style -- a fun, fast read. Are you related to Fred Saberhagen?Yes. Fred and I have been married for over 37 years. We have three grown children and six grandchildren. Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?I expect my writing will be in historical fiction, especially biographical, and most probably science or technology related. I'm toying with the idea of directing my writing to young adults.I find that I also enjoy speaking engagements relating to my writing and to the topic of women in science.Do you hope to encourage young girls to think about a career as a scientist or mathematician? Is that why you are interested in writing young adult?Not exactly. Primarily I want to tell a good story. What I'd like to encourage is a realization by young adults that obstacles and prejudices can be overcome. That when they find a field they love and want to work in, they should pursue their dream. If a young woman is interested in math, and perhaps considering a career in the field, I certainly want her to see examples of women who have succeeded. I also hope to show that many women who are fascinated by math and science are quite interesting people and lead full and interesting lives. Contact Joan by email at joan@joanspicci.com or through regular post at Joan Spicci Saberhagen, PO Box 11243, Albuquerque NM, 87192. Order books at http://www.joanspicci.com/JoanBookshop2.htm. Both new and used copies of Beyond the Limit in hardcopy are available from www.amazon.com and other online booksellers. Several distributors carry an electronic version of the book.Beyond the Limit : The Dream of Sofya Kovalevskaya was originally published in 2002 by Forge Books a division of Tor Books. Joans website is at http://www.joanspicci.com. Books38417@blogcritics.org Mon, 24 Oct 2005 10:05:26 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/21/165142.php Parker OwensWhen I was young, I never thought I'd be a good housekeeper when I grew up. I went through my twenties and thirties, and still wasn't a good housekeeper. I'd let the tables pile up with paper and leave the garbage by the back door for weeks. The cats would pee on the floor beside the litter box before I'd change the litter. I was lazy, I guess, and still not grown up.I grew up when I had a child. My fears for her health made me a super cleaner. All the sudden it mattered if the toilet was clean, because she might fall in or put her hands on the toilet seat, then right into her eyes or mouth. I didn't want any pets in the house, because I didn't want her eating their food or playing in their water bowls. I didn't want the cats licking milk out of her bowl while she ate cereal during Saturday morning cartoons.A psychologist might say I started my super cleaning activities because I felt out of control. That might be correct. I do feel out of control, and cleaning makes me feel better.I have discovered three cleaning products I can't live without. The Bissell Quick Steamer Powerbrush is a cheap rug steamer, no heavier or cumbersome than a vacuum cleaner. When I used it the first time, I cleaned the whole carpet in our downstairs, and spent the next three hours yelling at kids not to walk on it. It was a lovely, peak experience. I had quite a sense of accomplishment as I emptied the blackened water, and cut and removed big globs of hair from the front roller.The Magic Eraser is truly a magical bit of rubbery foam goodness. I have no idea how it works. You wet it and rub it over spots. You don't have to rub hard, and the spots disappear. Get one, and you'll be amazed at how the spots and smudges come off the wall. You only need one, they last a long time. At my daughter's daycare, they said it even removes permanent marker, but I've not tried it on that yet. It also works on crayon marks.Lysol spray with bleach removes stubborn stains like kool-aid from the counter top. Now, I know Lysol is pure poison, and I use it sparingly, but if you have a stain you need to remove, this product will do it. Probably bleach in a spray bottle would do the same thing. You'd think my cleaning life would be completely fulfilled, but truth is I still have a problem cleaning my linoleum. It is always dirty and my next major purchase is the Bissell Steam Mop for floors. I've heard it doesn't get up scuff marks, and I need a magic potion for that.Once I get the linoleum clean, I'd say my life will be pretty darn perfect. You wait and see. Culture38306@blogcritics.org Fri, 21 Oct 2005 16:51:42 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/17/084932.php Parker OwensDid you try to publish the traditional way before embracing self-publishing? Can you talk a little about your experience and frustrations?My venture in traditional publishing has had both ups and downs, but The Didymus Contingency was never sent to or rejected by a traditional publisher. My first book, The Screenplay Workbook, was published in 2003 by Lone Eagle Publishing. This was a great success and the book is still doing wonderfully and used as screenwriting curriculum at many schools.But non-fiction and fiction are two different beasts. The Didymus Contingency was my first novel. I'd been writing screenplays for years (12 screenplays at the time) and decided to go on hiatus from screenwriting and write a novel. When I was finished, the manuscript was put on the shelf. I continued writing screenplays, thinking the novel bug was out of my system. I was wrong.I wrote my second novel, Raising the Past, a year later (2003) and have completed two more, one in 2004 and one in 2005. I have been shopping Raising the Past around, with little luck. Partly because I'm very picky. I sent the manuscript to two publishers and maybe five agencies. So I know the frustration of rejection, but not on the grand scale many authors experience. And now that I have an agent, that has been to my benefit. The field is still wide open for him to play in.Ultimately, I chose self-publishing for The Didymus Contingency because its content and style (a Christian thriller written for a mass market audience-it contains cursing, drunkenness, graphic violence...) would make finding a traditional publisher as a unpublished novelist very tricky. James Rollins, author of Map of Bones, and Sandstorm, also advised me it might be the best route for the book (for which he provided a blurb-as seen on the cover.)Can you tell us a little about the Christian market, and if you were trying to sell your book to that market.As I mentioned, it is a Christian book in the sense that it involves Jesus in a positive way, but the way I chose to write it (and the way I choose to write in general) is for a mass market audience. I didn't censor myself or my characters because I might offend other Christians. I don't see how an author can truly portray the real world while censoring what characters do and say. That said, I have only heard good things from Christians who have read it and all have found the cursing, drinking and violence to be in good taste and necessary to the story. What made you choose Lulu to self-publish the book?I was extremely skeptical about self-publishing when I began. I am well aware of the stigma placed on self-published books, and without a ton of money to spend on marketing, I knew I was in for an uphill battle. When I started searching for self-publishers online, it was really just for fun. I saw many that cost a bundle up front, from hundreds to thousands. I found several that were less expensive, but didn't offer global distribution or ISBN's. And some required you to use their custom made covers. After spending an hour here and there over two or three days, I came across Lulu.Lulu sold me on self publishing. The only money I had to spend was on the copies I ordered and the global distribution package, which I believe was around $150 at the time. My total cost was under $200, including three beta prints so I could make some revisions and style changes. That is something just not possible anywhere else that I know of. The best thing is, I made my money back in the first month after the book's release.In addition to Lulu's fantastic pricing was the fact that I could design the interior and exterior myself. This was music to my ears. Before writing, I was an illustrator and graphic designer. Being a bit of a control freak made Lulu the perfect fit for me. Before it was released, I could tweak the book until I was 100% satisfied...and it didn't cost a dime.Does Lulu offer editorial services, and did you take advantage of them?I cannot say for certain if Lulu offers any official in house editing services (though I don't think so), but I know they allow others to post their services on the website. I didn't use any services because my wife is an excellent editor and my professional editor from The Screenplay Workbook edited The Didymus Contingency for free.Do all Lulu titles have an ISBN, and are they all listed on amazon.com and b&n.com?You have to pay for the ISBN. There are two packages: Basic Distribution gives you an ISBN and adds your book to Books in Print. It makes your book accessible to bookstores, but not available online (though it would be online at Lulu). This costs about $35. I chose to go with Global Distribution. This adds your book to Books in Print, but also enters you into Ingrams' (a major distributor) database. Your book becomes available on Amazon (in the U.S., but also in Canada, Germany, the U.K., France and Japan), Barnes&Noble.com, Borders.com and just about every other online bookseller in the world including places like Target, buy.com and Wal-Mart.By comparison, the closest service to Lulu I was able to find was IUniverse. The cheapest package there with global distribution was $460. Granted, they format the interior of the book, but that's nothing a little elbow grease can't take care of. But the single biggest reason I chose Lulu over IUniverse, and the reason I'd advise avoiding IUniverse is this. You have to sign a (3 year) contract, giving IUniverse the worldwide English license to the book! You can cancel the license, but it takes 30 days to go through. That makes them the publisher, not the author, and it takes away tons of control. Lulu is a far more customizable service and is much more affordable. That said, I am envious of IUniverse's Star Program, for which I would qualify...How many copies have you sold?I'd like to keep numbers to myself, but I can tell you this. Most print-on-demand books are considered a success if they sell 500 copies total. I passed that number in the first two months, which was much quicker than I anticipated.Do you attribute any of your books success to the similarity with Da Vinci code?Not at all. It has been compared to Da Vinci a few times but it really shouldn't be. This is happening to just about every religious thriller published today. Any story that involves Jesus or the Catholic Church is now a Da Vinci rip off. I'm a Dan Brown fan too, but he didn't invent the genre. For those in disbelief, check out The Da Vinci Legacy, published in the 80's. Dan Brown is following in the footsteps of those who paved the religious thriller road, just like me. The only similarity between The Didymus Contingency and The Da Vinci Code is that they include some aspect of Jesus in the storyline and both titles start with 'The D...". The similarities end there.Many people have written and said they enjoyed The Didymus Contingency more than The Da Vinci Code and I'll accept that, but when I hear comparisons, it just reveals the person commenting has only read the back cover.Can you tell us a little of your marketing plan?My marketing plan was sheer genius! No, wait...I didn't really have one. I put together a mailing list of about 200 people and inundated them with release dates, cover images and the like and annoyed them into forwarding the information to everyone they knew, and so on. A lot of the initial sales I would attribute to that effort. The sustained sales are coming primarily through word of mouth. Most people that buy the book recommend it to others. One woman bought seven copies at a signing, one for every member of her family...and no, it wasn't my mother. Other than that, I have the website and several good reviews from official book reviewers like Round Table Reviews and Christian Book Previews.My plan was to make the absolute best book I could and let it sell itself. So far, that's working.To what do you attribute your incredible success?When the book hit the Barnes&Noble.com bestseller list, I was in shock. That it hung out there for a few days and took the #1 spot in Christian Thrillers and Action Thrillers surprised me even more. It has also been a best seller on Amazon Canada several times over now. The primary force behind the success of the book is the book itself. People really enjoy it and the word is spreading. I'd also like to think, that being a Christian novel, perhaps I've had a little divine intervention on the book's behalf!Have you done any book signings? (And how did you make that happen with POD?)I have had two book signings so far, one at Barnes & Noble, the other at Waldenbooks. Both were extremely successful, with books being sold out. At Barnes & Noble, I had done signings in the past for The Screenplay Workbook (three, in fact) so I had established a relationship there and getting in again was just a matter of asking. However, with Barnes & Noble I had to bring my own copies to sell on consignment. Because they are print-on-demand, they are not returnable and thus, B&N will not stock them (though they kept three consignment copies for the shelf).For Waldenbooks I simply went to the store and asked, 'Do you sell self-published books?" to which they replied, 'No, we are run by Borders now, and here are their rules." I read the rules and was pretty much guaranteed that A. I'd never get my book in the store, and B. I'd never schedule a signing. Regardless, I took out a copy and offered to let them keep and read it. The manager looked at the cover, read the blurb from James Rollins and everything changed in that instant. 'Oh! My assistant manager is a huge James Rollins fan!"The assistant manager took the book home, read it, and loved it. I had the first book signing at this Waldenbooks in two years scheduled within a few days. The book is now stocked in the store at all times (ordered through Ingrams, not through me on consignment) and is right up there on the shelf next to who else? James Rollins. Tell us how you were discovered by a mainstream agent.I was sitting down for a day of writing and like every day I began by checking my e-mail. 'Receiving 1 of 1..." flashed across the screen. Then I saw who it was from: a literary agency whose name I instantly recognized. I thought, 'Why are they writing to me? Did I submit something to them?"As it turned out they had seen The Didymus Contingency on Amazon, did some research on me, read the good reviews and decided I might be worth their while. They weren't even aware of the book's B&N bestseller status, which it had achieved the day before. They asked for a copy of the book, which I sent out immediately, and within a few days, I had an offer for representation. I gladly accepted. My new agent has just begun shopping it around domestically, but there has been an offer for the Romanian rights (for a Romanian translation) and interest from a large German publisher (for a German translation) as well.So far, the book, and Lulu have far exceeded my expectations. My plan was to sell 10,000 copies and then approach publishers and agents. Now, thanks to rising interest in the book and the exposure offered by Lulu, I don't have to worry selling 10,000 copies. So far it's been every self-publishers dream come true. When do you anticipate hitting the 10k mark?Honestly, I don't anticipate hitting it at all. I hope my agent sells the book to a traditional publisher. I decided not to put too much effort into a continuing marketing campaign, because that will be important when the book is republished. If the book doesn't sell for some reason, I will set a new 10k goal and ramp up marketing efforts, but right now my eyes aren't even on that prize. Instead I'm focusing on my fifth novel, something closer to the genre of The Didymus Contingency, to follow up on the book's eventual (hopeful) sale. At the current rate of sales, without any marketing on my part, it would take about three years to hit the 10k mark.Jeremy Robinson's eMail and Website.Availability: Signed copies of the book can be bought via my website, Website. Non-signed copies can be bought through online booksellers around the globe like Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and of course, at Lulu.com Edited: PC Books38034@blogcritics.org Mon, 17 Oct 2005 08:49:32 EDT