Is it just me or are there an extraordinary amount of ads on Craigslist lately trying to sell pictures and knick-knacks? Let’s face it, I am not driving across town or even down the street for a dust collector. Paintings? I’m guessing most people buy them on the spur of the moment (impulse buy) when they get a new house and think they need to spend an inordinate amount of money covering the wall. Sure, I have things on my walls. But…I did not spend 500 dollars on any of them. And even if I did…do people really think you can resell them in the secondary market for even half that?

Apparently they do because for the last three months, I have seen a huge increase in the number of ads featuring non-essentials such as paintings, vases, mismatched angel collections, pig collections, tea cups, ceramic dogs, cats, children and so on. But seriously. How are you going to talk someone into getting into the car and driving to a location…for an overpriced dust collector? These types of things used to sell in garage sales for 50 cents. They were sold to kids or grandmas that thought they were “cute.”

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that people are trying to sell these items to get back some cold hard cash. The problem is that in this economy people are not spending money on frivolous items, and certainly not overpriced frivolous items. When sellers finally decide to sell more practical items–such as plasma tvs–they want what they paid six months or a year ago. The secondary market has never worked that way, even if your ad says you’re selling the item to pay the rent. The other problem is that what you paid six months ago…is no longer the price of the item new. The prices have dropped every six months for the last two years for electronics. Maybe not by much, but why would anyone drive to see a single tv at a not-so-great-price when they can go to a showroom and see lots of them???

Oh, there’s still the bargain or two to be had. But at the moment there’s also a lot of clutter as people try to declutter their lives–and raise cash.

Nancy Fulda, editor, inventor, and executive owner at Anthology Builder is declaring the end of beta. And with it a half off sale, but it is only for a few scant hours! You have until July 1, 2009 NOON to get the half off price. (Regular price is 14.95 for a book that can contain up to 350 pages of stories.)

In her words:

We’re officially concluding beta testing tomorrow.

In order to test the finishing touches we’ve put on the web site (including the much-requested shopping cart system) we’re having a POP SALE today: 1/2 off all anthologies purchased before 12:00 noon EST tomorrow.

If you’ve been thinking about buying something on AB, you’ll never get a better chance.

You can select a book from the existing library here:

Anthology Library

You can delete, add, re-order or order anything from the library as-is.

Of the books I’ve ordered so far, this is my favorite:

Dragon Wings

You can create an anthology completely from scratch just by selecting stories and adding them to your “Book.” You get to select the cover and the title as well.

Here’s one I still need to buy for my collection!

Castles

And last, but not least, here’s one I need to finish building although really, it only needs a couple more stories:

One Day, Long Ago

While I was working hard in the garden this morning, I looked over to find Junior hanging–hanging on my drapes! All four of his little paws had their claws attached to my tomato drape and he just hung there, waiting to see how long the drapes would hold.

As punishment, I made him sit still for a brushing. He’s been shedding like crazy in this heat. He tried to eat the brush.

Today, I received a book all the way from…Australia! It’s not the first Australian author I’ve read (that would probably be Simon Haynes, but I read his first Hal Spacejock book as an e-book. Getting the e-book was a lot faster!) Kerrie, the blogger from Paradise, sent me this book–she highly recommended it in her review. When she told me she would be sending it, I wondered how long it would take. I’d estimate that it was well over a month to sail the seas and get to my front door. It’s a paperback book, larger than American trade size.

From the back:

Franz Schmidt arrives in Berlin in January 1939 to take up the position of Chief Auditor at the Reichsbank, the financial heart of the Third Reich. He has been positioned there by the enigmatic von Streck, a high-ranking member of the Nazi party but one who has a different agenda to that of the Fuehrer. Schmidt realises he must tread very carefully to avoid the zealous and passionate Fraulein Brandt, who is determined to destroy anyone unfaithful to the Party. After the murder of a co-worker, Schmidt is driven, despite von Streck’s orders to keep a low profile, to help the dead man’s assistant, who is now in grave danger herself.

As the Gestapo’s reach extends throughout the freezing city, Schmidt’s brief becomes clear. He must steal a copy of the Reich’s financing blueprint in an attempt to prevent the country’s march to war. Iron Heart is the second novel featuring Franz Schmidt and confirms Marshall Browne’s reputation as one of Australia’s foremost crime writers.

Completely unrelated, but very Australian–if you’ve never seen the bullion coins produced by the Australian mint, you should check them out. They do some stunning designs and have more than one collection, including a koala bear series, a kangaroo series, a Chinese calendar year (which depicts things like the year of the horse, the year of the ox, the mouse and so on). I put up a picture of one of my favorite coins from the kookaburra series on the right. No, I don’t own it, but I think it’s just a gorgeous coin. I’m also partial to birds and that little kooka is gorgeous! So if I ever make it to Australia, maybe I’ll be lucky and that will be my souvenir!

Author James Maxey is raising money for breast cancer research. He has 50 books–you give a donation, even as little as a dollar, and he’ll send you a copy of Dragonseed. Here’s the blog entry where you can find the info on donating and how to get your book:

Books for Breast Cancer Research

The other book pictured here, Nobody Gets the Girl is also by James Maxey. So far as I know, it has nothing to do with the charity effort, but I couldn’t resist looking it up to see what it was about. Yes, it’s another book that must be added to my TBR pile! I like this kind of book–it sounds funny, zany, weird. The amazon reviews were good too. Sounds like it has an intricate plot. Could be a fun read!!!

Today it is supposed to get to 104. Give or take. The walks in the morning are dreadful. Stifling. It never gets below 75, so there’s a wall of heat to greet us every morning. It slaps us in the face. The air is like walking in a vacuum. You breathe in, but feel like you missed the important, oxygen component.

The lawn looks like it was blasted by a furnace. The garden…as of this morning has a curtain or three hanging strategically in front of the tomato plants. These will “block” just a tiny bit of the afternoon sun. The melon types seem to handle the heat. The tomatoes, not so much. Junior thought my curtain idea was great. He spent the time yanking on them and getting yelled at. He likes to play “curtain.” He does it inside once in a while. He grabs the curtain, I yell “Junior!” and he ducks behind the curtain to “hide.” Then pretty soon, he peers out from underneath and makes a run for it.

He knows he is not supposed to play “curtain.” That did not stop him this morning. As I pinned the “drapes” on one side of the tomatoes, he lunged for them, grabbed and tried to wrestle them away. Then, quick as a cat, he dodged round the other side and sprinted for safety. But he came back and tried again a few times. Luckily (or unluckily as the case may be) it’s too hot for him to be out there destroying my curtains during the day.

Some years I can save the plants. I suspect I will be pulling up a couple of them. The good old Wisconsin–that one I knew didn’t handle the heat–and the Opener. I think the opening is over. We’ll see if the Celebrities make it. They have tomatoes, but they aren’t looking their best.

Scamp is working on becoming more photogenic–really she is. Of course when you scamper about in the half light, skulking in the shadows, it’s difficult. BUT, as you can see, Scamp has finally started using the pet door!!! We suspect that she was waiting for us to turn off the lights so she could sneak in…

She doesn’t come and go as freely as Junior. No, she opens the door, sticks her paw through, and waves it around a bit. Then she retracts it. Then she puts her head in, but only partway (you can’t even see her ears–she’s quite hilarious looking.) When she is almost positive that there is no danger, she’ll pop through. But she’s still pretty wary. If we move around too much or sneeze, she’ll make a beeline for the cat door. And no, she’s not nearly so cautious going out. She does it in one leap, very graceful, looking like a star pony in the horse jump.

She comes in now, at least once a day and plays with the catnip toy. She checks over her shoulder constantly. But then, what would you expect? She survived probably at least two years on her own, watching her back and being a wild, feral cat. For her, she’s come a long way!

Thanks Dad. For everything, but especially for telling me not to be a sissy and convincing me that I could do everything the boys could do. And then when I couldn’t, thanks for teaching me that everyone has limits and that’s okay. Recognizing my limits and my strengths has helped shape my life, made many choices a lot better and made some of the failures a little easier. Of course you never recognized my failures. Your take on it was always, “Get back on the horse. If that one won’t ride, find one that will.”

Giddy-up!

This appears to be the week where all the publishing tips come in at once! I have found a plethora of gems from the editor(s) over at Mundania Press.

In my posts on publicity, it was probably pretty obvious that going with a smaller press (i.e. not one of the huge houses) may mean the author has to work harder at publicity or in getting books in bookstores. Turns out, there are a few advantages:

First, when working with a big house, an author usually has NO say in the cover. If you have a good editor and a good agent, you might be able to wheedle a few changes to the cover art. When working with a smaller press, Niki Browning (aka Skye), the Art Director for Mundania Press, wrote a great blog post for authors on the subject of cover art. Here’s a couple of samples:

Let’s face it; unless you are Stephen King or Mary Higgins Clark, your cover is what will sell your book so it better be a good one.

So how do you, the author, help to make sure your cover is the best it could possibly be? Well let’s go over some basics.

Wiggle room
Give the artist breathing room; don’t be too set on your vision…

…

Lack of focus
It’s ok to be vague. Give your artist several pieces of imagery you’d like to see on the cover and we can work with that.

…

Remember, we want the books with our covers to sell just as much as you do.

Go read the whole thing. It’s a very informative post. No matter who you are working with, Skye has some great tips.

Skyla Dawn (acquisitions editor for Mundania Press) also did a fabulous blog post–giving up the keys to the Kingdom, she talks about the submission process at Mundania. She includes all the important details and links to other posts that are related:

Stats from the Slush Pile
Why they can’t publish previously published (re: self-published) work.
Acquisition Tips
How to Inquire About a Submission
Why Rejections Don’t Include Feedback
What Made a Book a “yes!”
Perspective on Rejections
Publishing is like Dating
Don’t Burn that Bridge!

It may seem like an exhausting list, but trust me–those tips are GOLD. Sure, some of them seem obvious (and just what kind of dating life did the editor have anyway???) but every single one is worth reading. Mundania Press also has a nice little submission stats update on the right sidebar–telling authors that check in, just how far along the editors have read. I’d have to say it’s one of the more friendly sites I’ve visited.

In yesterday’s post I covered points and tips that book publicist PJ Nunn shared at a recent Sister’s in Crime meeting in Austin, Texas. Today I’m going to talk about some of my thoughts. For now, I’ll mainly cover: Internet promotion versus Everything Else

PJ talked about a promotion pyramid (she didn’t have the graphic, but described it and I may have gotten some of the details…let’s just say there’s room for error). At the bottom of the pyramid (most important) was print/library, then radio, signings and last, at the top, internet.

I thought it an interesting pyramid and probably the exact opposite of how I would prioritize. I don’t know if it is a generation thing (I think I’m the same age as she is) or just a usage thing. I have never subscribed to a newspaper. Ever. I don’t listen to talk radio. When a commercial comes on, I switch stations (almost compulsively, I kid you not.) I rarely hear ads. For one to stay with me…probably isn’t going to happen.

PJ mentioned that the internet can become the worst time-sink of all the activities. I agree. Just like anything else, you have to prioritize your time. But…the internet is where I get *all* my book recommendations these days. Maybe I’m a minority. And I’m not saying I want to miss out on other opportunities. I’d prioritize the library pretty high on the list as well.

PJ didn’t mention that she blogged on Dead Guy until I raised my hand and asked about it. Yet–as an advertising tool, it must have worked because I attended the talk after learning about it from reading…the Dead Guy post. There were about fifteen of us in attendance, and I was the only one that heard about it via the internet that I know of. So yeah, the hit rate wasn’t high. But I don’t participate in Sister’s in Crime (I don’t have a book published so there’s not a lot of incentive.) I also don’t go out much so even had the bookstore had a notice I never would have seen it.

I order most of my books online (seriously–99 percent.) My book club is online. I read reviews online. I get a number of books from the library, and if I am likely to attend an event–it will be at the library. I’ll hear about the event by chance or because the library posts it on their internet page (which I see frequently when I’m out browsing to see if they have a title.)

Now, granted, I’m just one book buyer/reader. BUT after listening to PJ talk, I felt that yes, I’d have to give more consideration to some of the other things on the pyramid. I still left feeling that the internet was probably the most important tool I could use. Why? Because of all the things that she talked about, the internet was the most cost-effective. It won’t reach everyone. But neither do any of the other mediums. A book signing is going to eat up an entire day and possibly have travel costs as well as smaller costs (a candy dish, a display, etc.) And there is no guarantee you’ll sell any books at all. In fact, if I were to be published by a small publisher, book signings would fall lower on the list because the chance of being carried by stores would be even smaller.

Libraries are my second pick because I’ve seen how well they work. Not just talks either. A visit to a library to talk to the librarian about your book can mean the book gets displayed or promoted during its release–or during a special promotion on certain topics.

Newspaper and other print? If I had to pay for it, I’d skip. Like anyone, I’d love to be reviewed anywhere, but there are long lines to get reviewed. I’d have to study each market carefully before “spending” an ARC or print copy. I’m a reviewer. It is impossible to review every book I am sent.

I think you have to pick a few markets and try really hard to get coverage. The topic of review markets has been discussed on Dead Guy before and I think most people felt that a professional review beat blog reviews hands-down. I…tended to disagree with that. Any review is good. Reviews on sites with lots of traffic are obviously better than an individual blog (such as my own.) But competition is fierce. I think you gotta try to get the mentions where you can and not be snobby about it. We’d all love to be on Oprah, but it isn’t going to happen.

Then too, I spend time reading book blogs. Professional ones and hobby ones. Some people will probably only read the “pro” ones. Some people are just looking to talk books.

Radio: I’m ambivalent about radio simply because I don’t listen. I wouldn’t turn down a radio spot. I’ve been on the radio before (it’s a little nerve-wracking). The key is: If someone is listening to the radio, are they going to stop and take the time to write down the book title? Maybe. But it’s not an impulse buy.

I’ll talk a little more about radio and podcasts–it came up during the Q&A and again, I found it pretty interesting.

And keep in mind that PJ wasn’t against the internet — but the internet is something you can do for yourself. Some of the other venues might be harder and that’s where an author can benefit from her network and knowledge.

I’d also like to think we are on the cusp of change. The internet has opened entire venues that were closed before–including researching and accessing information such as this. It’s a wonderful tool that can provide an author with exposure, interaction and discussions.

This weekend I attended a talk by book publicist P.J. Nunn. (Thanks to the local Austin Sisters in Crime chapter for setting it up.) PJ blogs once a week over at Dead Guy where she imparts little gems about what authors need to do to get noticed. You can also find out more about PJ’s company, Breakthrough Promotions, on her website.

Anyway, I brought home a few useful tips and facts. Since I read Dead Guy, not all of the things were a surprise, but I tried to condense a few of the more interesting tidbits here:

1. Once you sign a contract with a book company, you need to start looking for a publicist if you intend to hire one. Actual events won’t be scheduled, but you’ll have time to interview various publicists and once you hire one, she will keep you in the back of her mind–when booksellers or radio people call her looking for a book tie-in, she’ll know if you and your book are a good fit.
   
   P.J. likes to know about a book coming out twelve to eighteen months in advance to work you into the schedule and do the best job. She works with authors with a shorter time-frame all the time, but the longer in advance she knows, the better. You don’t need a publicist BEFORE the contract is signed.
2. Books distributed by other than Ingrim or Baker (as is common with smaller publishers) cannot generally be carried by major book chains without going through an approval process. In other words, if your book won’t be distributed by the big name distributors, you won’t appear in stores. You MAY be able to get one or two local chain store(s) to carry the book if they know you (you shop there, you take the time to introduce yourself, etc). The chains won’t order them unless someone comes in and requests the book. They will order that single copy for the customer, but not carry the book on the shelf (this is actually true of some bookstores even if you are with a major publisher–if the book isn’t on their buy list, they will only order the one copy).
   
   There is an approved list of small publishers/vendors that the chains reference to see if they will carry your book, but this list is not readily obtainable–nor is it easy to get a publisher on the list if it is not already on there. You will have a harder time selling your book through bookstores. For any signings, you may have to supply the books yourself (the bookstores will process them and you’ll get paid for sales, but you have to have the inventory). This is something to take into consideration when you’re signing that contract. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t sign–but it does mean you should know your selling job is going to be harder. A few publicists may try to help you/your publisher get on the approved list, but it is difficult and not something the bookstores are particularly interested in doing. PJ didn’t use the word “impossible,” but you could see it on her forehead.
3. Print announcements (newspapers, magazines) are the hardest advertising/announcements to obtain these days. You must schedule three to six months in advance. You generally must have a personal angle/hook to get a write-up–not just being a local writer, but a tie-in with some event. For example, if you write cooking cozies, you have a better chance of a local radio or paper spot if you use that book angle during a large summertime cook-off.
4. Kirkus and Library Journal require two copies of your book in order to even consider doing a review. Publisher’s Weekly requires one (I think–better plan on two just in case). In these times of cutbacks, consider that your author copies (the number of free copies you get from your publisher varies by contract) are going to be used for publicity. You might want to try and get more copies in your contract so you have more to use for publicity.
5. If you don’t get ARCs (Advance User Copies) from the publisher, consider doing your own semi-professional bound copies at Kinkos/Office Max to send to some review places. It must look nice!!! Do not make a hack job of it or your book will likely be set aside and ignored. (Ten to twenty ARCS is a common number of ARCS done today, but that number is dwindling. That number is also generally a smaller number with small presses.)
6. If you write a Christmas book (as is quite common with cozies) you have a limited shelf life. Be aware of this when/if you’re asked to do a specialty/holiday book of any sort.
7. Take something eye-catching to your book signing. Examples: Lego displays that depict a scene in the book. Mini-crime scene. Framed objects or a poster board with clippings/objects that apply to your book. Do not dress as a vampire or get too cute…do not go naked with a sign board of your book cover covering…parts of your body!
8. What can a first time author expect from a publicist? As an unknown, a publicist should be able to get you:
    
   • reviews on the internet
   • Local paper announcement (sometimes these are very difficult.)
   • Book signings
   • Library Appearance
   • Radio Appearance (local, smaller markets)
   • Maybe local tv

How much would something like the above package cost? Anywhere from $500 to $25,000, depending on the publicist. If you hire a publicist, ASK what you will get for your money–how many interviews, print appearances, signings, etc. Keep in mind the publicist may not get every single one that you talk about–but you should have some sort of meter in mind for your money. PJ works with “packages,” trying to set up “x” number of things for a certain price and more for a higher price. This may seem obvious, but it is not–many publicists will take your money with no particular plan in place.

I’ll talk more tomorrow or later in the week about my impressions of the discussions at the meeting–my own personal take-away. If you have questions, throw them in the comments–or visit Dead Guys and post comments for PJ there. She’s very approachable and helpful.

Yeah, I know it’s Tuesday. But I was going to write this post yesterday…

More Neem Oil
I notice that when I use Neem oil, the bees stay away. I don’t think it kills them (unless it’s a direct shot) but I don’t think they like the smell. So for the cucumbers and melons (the aphids) I switched back to soap/water. That won’t help with any mildew problems, but let’s face it. It’s one hundred degrees out there every day. If I don’t overdo the soapy water, I shouldn’t have to worry much about mildew.

Bottom line, the Neem oil works great for some things, but it, like everything else I’ve tried, needs to be supplemented. I found it worked best on mildews when I did every other week with milk. For the spider mites on the tomato plants, the Neem oil has to be done weekly–and it’s about that time again. I’m going to give those bees at least another day without it in the garden though. I can only spray so much in this heat anyway.

Writing Short Stories
Apparently writing a couple of new short stories in April/May is bad timing. Several of the markets I like to submit to are closed for the summer…several more markets have been closed for a while and a couple of them have gone under completely. Rats.

Given the difficulty of getting published these days, am I the only one that doesn’t bother very often with mailing in a sub? I do a lot of email subs, but many of the older (and most successful) magazines aren’t likely to publish my stuff (because my stuff tends to be light, not dark fantasy, not serious and not sci/fi). I’ve found that their return times are quite long (except for Fantasy and Science Fiction edited by Gorden Van Gelder, who is pretty quick with decisions on subs) and I already know my chances are slim to none. So most of the time I save my paper and postage. I tend to submit to magazines that I like to read with the odd chance taken now and then on a new venue (be it snail mail sub or email.)

Kindle Sales
I posted this in my column over at BSCreview, but I know that not everyone catches the column. For writers and readers, this is pretty interesting info: J.A. Konrath, author of the Jack Daniels thrillers, posted his kindle sales info--how many, where he priced things, how much he made, and so on. Pretty interesting, at least for me.

I’m amazed at how many kindles are selling–along with the books that go on them. I always felt that ebooks would take off someday, simply based on price and mobility. I didn’t think it would be a device that cost 350 out the gate, but there are more and more sites selling ebooks. I read them on my laptop, although I still prefer a book in many ways. I’d read on a device–but not one that cost me 350!

Junior
Little Junior and his mom were in the yard playing yesterday as they do most days. They were standing right next to each other. Junior is now bigger than mom Scamp!!! I wonder when he’ll stop growing??? He looks full grown to me–his legs are longer than mom’s, but she didn’t have the benefit of decent meals from birth. I guess we’ll see. Both cats are doing very well. They seem quite happy with their lot in life. They play a lot–chase lizards, birds and each other. They eat when they want and they sleep a lot in this heat!!!!

Dark Wolf is still doing his feature columns with artists. This week he talks to Nicole Cardiff–and what fabulous art she does! The interview is one of the more interesting as well (maybe because blue is her favorite color????) I loved the part where she mentions that talent is only five percent of the formula…

Go check out the interview, which has several very nice samples of her work. For even more, check out Nicole’s Website.

I really like the one with the wolf. And I love the colors she uses.

I love everything I grow in my garden. Otherwise I wouldn’t grow it. Right? Well, this year, as in years past, I grew green onions. You know, those mild, sweet bunches of onions that go so nicely in soups or dips…or for finishing off things that need a bit of delightful garnish.

I’d just like to know who developed these particular green onions. They were very difficult to get started. Lots of seeds, not so many sprouts. Then when they did get going–huge. Leafy. Very nice looking onions. I put some in our Miso Soup yesterday. They decorate the dish with a delightful sprig of green and add just that little crunchy goodness. In this case, they start out sweet, just like you’re expecting. Then there’s this…bite. Sort of a hint of flame, like a radish. By the time you swallow, the flame has ignited, not unlike a Jalapeno seed. It burns the back of your throat. Like wasabi, when you breathe, your sinuses clear to somewhere north of Wisconsin. When you breathe out, you’re lucky if the couch doesn’t start on fire…

Who knew???? Maybe these things were pollinated by…a dragon.

The Neem Oil is working against the spider mites and aphids, but I do have to spray weekly. I was sooo hoping to find something safe that didn’t require constant upkeep. It’s now, when it’s 95 every day, that I’m thankful I didn’t plant so many tomato plants. No, I’m not getting as many big fat tomatoes–barely enough for us, but when I have to go out in the evenings to spray when it is still pushing 91, I am just happy to get done inside an hour. I think the neighbors are going to be disappointed this year. Yields aren’t high enough for sharing. Maybe there will be enough cucumbers. I picked two yesterday and there are another three coming in.

I do have one watermelon forming. It’s small yet so don’t be counting my watermelons before they are larger than a quarter!!! There’s a just-bigger-than-a-golf-ball cantaloupe out there too. No sprite melons. I haven’t even seen anything but male blossoms. The plant is beautiful though. Nice and green and creeping all over the garden.

The chili plants had a few beetles chewing on them. The snap pea plants are almost completely dead except near the very top. Disappointing yields on those and I planted them five or six times. A bird ate all my blueberries. Sometimes you get fruits, sometimes you get work without the yield. I’ll have to instruct those cats to watch the blueberry bush more carefully (like AT ALL.) The cats have been doing their job where the tomatoes are concerned. Different bird, different time of day.

Not to worry. I’m focused on those melons even though I’m not counting on them.

Normally, I’d save this for my monthly column over at BSCreview, but I’ve got something else planned for that column (which if it works out will be super cool.  Hint:  It might be some artwork from a guy that does cozy artwork and children’s artwork!)

There’s a really great interview conducted by Jeremy L. C. Jones in the latest Clarkesworld magazine. Jeremy interviewed the editors of probably the top ten fiction magazines (spec fic) out there.   While a lot of the ground covered shouldn’t be new to anyone who has been submitting for a while–there are some gems to be had.

This line by Nielsen Hayden (Tor) was great:

Read something other than SF. Do something with your life other than struggling to sell SF stories.

So true. When you consider how little writing pays and the competition? If you put all your eggs in that basket, all you’re going to end up with is smelly eggs! To point: On the BlackGate Forum a couple of weeks ago, John O’Neill (editor of BlackGate) mentioned that BlackGate had been open for submissions for about three weeks. They had over 300 subs come in…so far…and counting.

BlackGate publishes probably 12 to maybe 15 stories per issue. They do about 3 issues a year. You do the math on the chances of having a story accepted.

O’Neill had this very interesting tidbit:

I once got an angry letter from a reader asking why I didn’t publish more medieval fantasy, with castles, princesses and dragons and the like. I thought it was a bit ridiculous at first. Isn’t everyone as tired of that as I am? How many dragon—slaying stories do we need? But now I think I understand what she meant. Like most editors I respond best to genuine innovation in fiction — the original, truly well-crafted setting, the character with a fresh voice — but there’s a very real hunger for the familiar among readers, especially the trappings of the fantasy of our youth. I think we ignore that at our peril.

I am that reader. I’m not tired of medieval fantasy with castles and dragons. Some of the “innovative” stuff just…isn’t my cup of tea. I’m often looking for comfort food when I read, not the newest, exotic snail sauce.

There’s some really great stuff out there in the interview–every single editor has something interesting to say. Check it out.

As part of my research for my trip to Rome, I’ve been reading up on the art in the Vatican.  Not to be a philistine, and remember I am uneducated in artworks, but it seems to me that the people depicted are quite well-fed (looking a little flabby with extra pounds around the waists here and there.)

Of course, this wouldn’t be all that obvious if they wore clothes.  What is up with that?  Over half the pictures I’ve seen depict completely naked people–sort of implying that in that day and age, clothes were not popular.  When the people in the images are wearing clothes they seem to be half draped in clothing (body parts…leak out here and there–a boob here, a missing fig leaf there.)

I’m not complaining about the quality of the art, mind you, I’m just noticing. Makes me wonder if they are trying to depict what was considered normal/beautiful for the time or if because the scenes often depict a holy image of some sort if the nakedness is meant to portray us in all our…glory?  Hmm.

At any rate, I’m sure the pictures (like most things) are better seen in person.  Most of the ones in the books I’m reading are black and white and that tends to make them a confusing picture of crowds of people.  It’s hard to tell what any of them are supposed to be doing, even when you’re familiar with things like the story of Moses and the Flood and the Last Judgment and so on.

I am learning quite a bit and I’m looking forward to seeing the real things.

So, some of you know I’m a craigslist shopper/watcher.  Especially when I’m actually looking for say, furniture (small buffet or kitchen island).  I often window shop, browsing through the ads, just in case there is a Bargain To Be Had.  Mostly I am just flumoxed by the ads–the lack of information, the lack of a picture or the almost infamous misspellings.  How do you expect to sell a “chester drawers” when people looking for a chest of drawers are not likely to search on your “as I say it spelling?”

How about the “Painting by well-known Mexican Artist” that…neglects to mention said name of artist?

Why does it only occur to about half the people, half the time that those buying furniture need to know the dimensions of the piece of furniture in order to tell if the piece will fit?

How many people are there in this world that buy throw rugs for hundreds of dollars *or thousands* only to get them home and realize they “don’t fit in the planned space” or “clash with the couch?”   And why do they all think said rug can be sold for the original price????

Why do people think they can get so much money for entertainment centers when they want to jettison theirs because they replaced their tv with a flat-screen that hangs from the wall????

And last, but not least, if you are selling or giving away puppies, it might be helpful if you didn’t confuse them with food.  They are “purebreds” not pure breads.

Finally!  Scamp decided to cooperate and offer a few select shots.   In the first one, she is being attacked by the mockingbird(s) that I told you about.  The attacks don’t seem to bother her much, but the birds do a lot of fussing, squawking and noise making.

Last night and this morning, we propped open the cat door and got her to come inside using the door.  Junior wasn’t around when it happened last night and boy, did he seem upset that she had been using his door!  He refused to go in the door, instead waiting for us to open the screen door and let him in!!!  Then he sniffed around the place, very suspicious.

Strange, these cats.  They hang around outside all the time.  They seem to cover the exact same territory.  And she’s been in here before just not in a long while (not since the new door.)   Apparently he wasn’t too fond of the idea, but he does seem to have adjusted because at 5 am he called for us from the living room to inform us…that he was awake I guess.  Then about an hour later, he called again, this time to inform us that Scamp was waiting outside to be fed…

It’s getting rather warm here in Texas. The tomatoes are starting to come in and I have one cucumber about to be ready. I’ve been told that I’m not providing enough of a Junior update for some of his fans. But as you can see, it isn’t my fault. Junior isn’t as active during daylight hours now that we get to near or above 90 every day. He’s in and out (mostly out) during the night. He has a morning run and an evening run. But during the day? Yup. This is our quality time together. Sometimes a tail, now and then a foot.

I thought I had a good picture of Mom Scamp to share, but when I loaded it, she was NOT looking at the camera. I swear she was when I clicked the shutter, but being a cat, she decided today was not a good day for pictures.

Both kitties are doing remarkably well. Junior still gets those blisters on his feet, but in general, he handles them. He helps in the garden in the mornings now and then and both cats have been doing their duty in keeping the birds out of the garden. I’ve only lost one tomato to a mockingbird this year and that’s an awesome record. Of course, the mockingbirds spend an inordinate amount of time chasing the *cats* even though you’d think it would be the other way around. Strangely, the birds seem to recognize that Scamp is the better hunter–they dive-bomb her almost constantly this time of year (they probably have little baby birds around) . The birds almost ignore Junior except when he’s out in a very open spot. Maybe I can get a good picture of Scamp trying to escape the birds!!!

Look what just arrived in my mailbox! Yup, a fabulous collection of mystery short stories (including a great little cozy by Kaye C. Hill). Criminal Tendencies seems to be available through Amazon now, although I thought the release date was Sept!

For every copy sold, a dollar will be given to the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund.

I’ll be doing a full review of Criminal Tendencies for BSCreview, but I will say that I’ve already sampled the stories. I enjoyed Kaye C Hill’s bizarre little story–a reminder of why I like her main protag, Lexy Lomax and her adorable little dog. I also read Val McDermid’s Sneeze for Danger –I liked it a lot. I haven’t sampled any of McDermid’s work before, but I had heard of her. The story was tight, clever and ended all too soon. I’m going to be hunting down some more of her work.

If you like mysteries–the range of writers is quite interesting: Peter Lovesey, Andrew Taylor, Simon Brett, Reginal Hill, Peter James—Zoe Sharp (I’ve been meaning to try her stuff!) and so on for twenty some-odd stories.

The book is also available at Bookdespository (free shipping almost any place worldwide!) and it appears to be on sale (I’m not sure what the regular price is, but it’s listed at $11.51).

Writing:
Interesting article from Mike Resnick about “Last Impressions.” Really it’s more about believing in yourself. Even if I didn’t like a story I wrote, I’m not sure I’d delete it entirely. I’ve always maintained that writing and reading is a supply/demand issue. There are more writers than readers.

Oils:
Grapeseed oil: It does make very good dressing. I used it in place of olive oil in mixing a packet of Italian Seasoning. Very nice. The oil, like a good olive oil, is a very light green, which makes a pretty dressing. I still plan on trying it in my cesear dressing, the one I make from scratch. I think grapeseed may be slightly thicker so it will be interesting to see how that turns out. At any rate, at this point, I highly recommend the oil. It’s been a success in everything I’ve tried, including the facial and body creams. Some sites that sell the oil right from the grove also sell cream products.

Gardening:
Viva Italia–new roma variety for me and this year it produced! Good size and a very nice taste. Not mushy and if I actually kept one for more than a day, I could tell you how it holds up over time. The only thing is that the plant isn’t doing all that well. I don’t know if it has trouble with the heat or one of the many various diseases that are common around here (thrips and other insects tend to carry various leaf viruses to the plants.) I’ve already lost the Siberian (last year two plants made it, but the warmer it got, the harder they struggled). I’m not sure Viva can Viva all summer here. The other roma I have is still growing–no tomatoes on it yet, but the plant still looks good. It’s a generic seed packet that supposedly has disease resistance–all those fancy letters after the type.

All of my tomato plants show signs of some sort of leaf virus, but this is pretty standard for Texas (yellowing leaves, especially near the bottom/older leaves.) The Celebrity handles it okay–keeps producing in spite of it and so do the Juliet plants. The opener looks good, but it is not producing like the Opener last year. The Wisconsin looks good too, and sad to say, it’s producing just like last year–two or three very nice looking tomatoes. It’s getting hot…

I’m picking a blueberry here and there (we aren’t talking enough for a pie. I don’t think I’ll be getting enough for a pie!!! Maybe next year. The new plants look good but did not blossom. This is expected because it takes a year or two before the bushes produce.) I also picked the first raspberry this morning, which was a surprise. I had only seen very small ones so far and had failed to notice a strand that was nearly ready!

The thrips are around in astounding numbers despite my best efforts (neem oil and insecticidal soap). I’m hopeful that after the initial swarm they will die, go away or otherwise…die! The neem oil is keeping the spider mite numbers under control. That is a first for me. It’s damn hard to find anything that works on them.

Cruising Along:
So…I’m planning this cruise thing for my parents. Anyone know what to see on a day excursion in Florence, Italy????

Finally the tomatoes are turning! Getting about two a week. Hoping the juliets (large grape) will start turning faster. I kinda need more than two of those to make a salad…

Neem oil versus milk for mildew/fungus: I think the milk wins. Both seem to help, but the milk seems more effective. When I was only using neem oil, I still saw mildew to such a large degree on the snap peas, I think it could have overtaken and killed the plant. The mildew was probably caused by cloudy/wet weather we had, as well as possibly spread by no-see-ums. They were flocking about.

Remember that you need sunlight (according to studies) for milk to work. I spray after it rains and have been combining it with the neem oil. I use the milk at about half strength (mixed from the dry powder.) I think the milk worked better on the rosebush spots too.

Neem oil has been fairly effective against spider mites. That is to say it is keeping them under control. It hasn’t eliminated them completely, but I’m not sure a nuclear bomb could do that. I spray in the evenings when a few cooler days are expected. I am very careful not to use more than the recommended mix because it can and does burn the leaves (both my snap peas and tomatoes got burned when I wasn’t measuring very carefully). Using less than the recommended mix, doesn’t seem to get the mites. Mites are stubborn and way too hardy.

Neem is very effective against aphids. Not sure about thripes yet, but I’m trying. The thripes get into the blossoms of tomato, cucumber and other melons. Whenever they are around, the fruit seems to have a hard time setting (doesn’t set at all or the fruit is small and/or deformed.) I think I have less thripes around than last year, but none of the melons or cucs have set yet. Ants are a huge problem because the minute I kill off the aphids and thripes, the ants bring more into the garden to harvest the “dew” from these insects. I hate ants almost as much as the thripes.

There is also a lack of bees in the garden–a bit unusual since I had a gazillion earlier. There was a late freeze which might have affected them. I’m told the neem oil is perfectly safe for bees and never spray them directly at any rate. Of course when bug season starts around here, there are many other gardeners spraying more lethal ingredients than I use.

A lot of readers love browsing in a bookstore–find that gem and instant gratification, you get to take your purchase home! Instant gratification is nice–especially if I’m about to go on a trip and *need* a book. But I also like getting packages in the mail. A book package. I get enough of them, that when one shows up, I wonder which one it is. It’s like it’s my birthday and the presents are all for me. I sort of know what is in the package, but I sort of don’t. There’s that surprise factor and that, Oooh goody! I’ve been waiting for that.

Today a nice package awaited. You can already see it was Jack With A Twist (Red Dress Ink) by Brenda Janowitz. Signed. Wheee! Always a nice touch.

The back of the book reads (in part):

Planning a wedding can be a trying experience…

Brook’s landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiance, Jack. But that’s okay. These two professionals aren’t going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch…right?

Wrong!

Jack’s starting to pull every dirty trick in the book and Brooke’s starting to suspect that maybe he isn’t the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiance at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she’ll have to choose between the case of her life or actually having a life.

Could be a fun read!

Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries, No. 1) by Blaize Clement was a great little read. I don’t usually like mysteries that involve anyone getting over their grief, but this was handled as such a real, but manageable problem in the novel, that it pulled my heartstrings without bogging it down or breaking. The novel was fun, very fast-paced, warm and well-done. There are cats and dogs–and the author doesn’t stint when it comes to giving them a role in the novel, making this a wonderful read.

The character development is top-notch and there are enough side plots going on that it was impossible for me to guess the culprit. The personalities were real and complicated. There’s plenty of room for Dixie (the main character) to grow and develop. She has a heart (she’s a pet sitter, she *has* to have one or more!) and I’m greatly looking forward to her next adventure.