A Good Time Was Had by All!

I’ve done signings where I’ve sold more books, but none have been quite as special as this one. There are several reasons.

First, I have a three book contract for the Fat Cat mysteries, writing as Janet Cantrell. The first book came out last September, 2014. We had moved from Texas, where I had lots of writing contacts, and I didn’t do a signing for it. It sold well anyway (national bestseller on two lists, Barnes & Noble and Bookscan), but I missed doing a signing. So this was my first signing as Janet Cantrell, for the second in the series, FAT CAT SPREADS OUT.

Second, this was a new first for me. I was asked to do this signing by the store! I went in to sign the stock of FAT CAT AT LARGE, the first book, last fall. As I was signing the books at the information desk, I was asked if I’d like to do a signing when the second one came out. I didn’t fall over, but felt like it. The Barnes & Noble here is not open for a signing at all, so I assumed maybe no one did local author signings in this town. However, Books A Million not only offered this signing, but wants me to come back when the third book comes out.

Third, the people who showed up were special. Neyland’s grandparents were there from Nashville. They used to own Mysteries and more until December, I believe. Neyland is one of my biggest fans, according to his mommy, Mary Ann Fisher. She sent me a picture of him reading my first book and promised to send one of him reading the book Greg and Mary Bruss bought last Saturday.

Another person I was glad to see was Dawn Frazier, who has been an online fan of the books and lives near.

Then there was the staff. I couldn’t have asked for nicer people! Rachel and Will each bought a book and looked after me and my husband while we were there.

I’m so glad I’ll be going back in March!

Conferences and Conventions

by Kaye George (who will also be Janet  Cantrell at the next convention)

Are these good for authors to attend? I had a publisher who insisted they are a waste of time and money. True, they do use up these things, but I could never call them a waste. I’ve gotten SO much out of them. After all, it’s due to Malice Domestic and Killer Nashville that I can call myself an award winning writer!

Besides the opportunity to win awards and put cool things on your book covers and in your bio, the psychological benefits are enormous.

I’ll never forget the time I arrived at Malice late Thursday night and, after chucking my things in my room, headed down to the bar for a drink. Vicki Delaney came up to me while I was ordering and said, “Hey sailor, can I show you a good time?” Vicki is a stitch! I joined her and a small group of writers at a table. We were the only ones in the bar. A rousing discussion of ellipses and em-dashes ensued. You can’t find fun like that if you’re not with a bunch of writers!

Then there was the time I lunched with Annamaria Alfieri in Nashville. She had attended a session that I hadn’t been able to, so she filled me in. We were talking about human trafficking, to use the polite term, which had been the topic I’d missed, but we were also talking about plot possibilities. When mystery writers get together, serious discussions of murder methods, plot devices, and the dark side of the human psyche flow. I would feel awkward speaking about those things in public if I weren’t with other writers. I wonder what the waiters at those conferences think.

When I first started attending conferences, I gained a huge amount of knowledge from listening to panel members talk about details of writing, also about publishing, submitting, and just plain keeping on in the face of the incredible amount of rejection we all experience.

As I’ve gotten published and am now speaking on panels, I find that I don’t need to attend the sessions about nuts and bolts writing so much, but still find it great fun to see the people I know behind the panel tables.

Which brings up another benefit, getting to meet people face to face that I’ve known online—sometimes for years. Sometimes I’m surprised at how short or tall people are, and by what their voices sound like, especially accents. After I’ve met someone, I can hear their voice as I read email exchanges and blog posts, and can picture them much better than I can from a tiny headshot.

Also, of course, there’s always the hope that attending mystery readers and fans will discover and like your books!

By the way, I’ll be at Malice Domestic in May and if you’re free at 3 on Saturday, my panel will be called “The Paws That Refresh”—a panel by writers who use pets in their novels. I think you’ll have time to get down to the bar to see the Kentucky Derby at 4. If you leave early for that, I’ll forgive you.

Have I missed any of the benefits of conferences?

Does Anyone Know How to Market?

by Kaye George (also w.a. Janet Cantrell)

I was asked for tips today from a writer who is newly published. I gave her what I could think of at the moment: Goodreads giveaway, read Jeffrey Marks’ INTENT TO SELL, watch what Rebecca Dalhke does.

But, really, besides those, how does one market a new mystery? How do YOU market your mysteries?

Here are some things I do (never knowing what works and what doesn’t).

I guest blog when a new book or short story anthology comes out, wherever I can. I’ve accumulated a list of places where I seem welcome and am always looking for new ones, usually mentioned on one of the writers’ lists I belong to.

I put the news in my newsletter. I put it on my blogs. I cross-reference these as best I can for increased visibility.

If I’m in an area with cool bookstores, I get signings. I now have a signing lined up here in Knoxville at Books A Million for my second Fat Cat book.

I try to appear on panels at conferences, also to increase visibility.

For every brand new story and book, I post the releases on the discussion lists and Facebook groups I belong to.

I try to build up hype before publication with the above-mentioned Goodreads giveaways, plus giveaways on guest blogs and my own blogs. I give away ARCs as well as actual books.

When a conference accepts auction baskets for charity, I put one together with some themed items for the new release. I already have a few cute cat things for Malice in May to promote my Fat Cat series.

I had mugs made for DEATH IN THE TIME OF ICE and for EINE KLEINE MURDER and have done giveaways of them.

When a conference lets me take bids on a name in one of my upcoming novels, I do that. It’s amazing how much attention those get! Some day I hope to be coordinated enough to offer a pet name in an upcoming book.

If a book takes place in a real town, I contact someone official there to let them know.

I have no idea if any of this does any good. But I do know that if I don’t do anything, I won’t sell much.

Any great ideas?

Some Quotes on Writing

by Kaye George

I love to collect inspirational quotes, that is, quotes that inspire my writing. I’d love to hear your favorites. Here are some of mine. Several of these have been posted here before, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat the best ones.

“If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.” -Orson Welles

“The way to make a film is to begin with an earthquake and work up to a climax.” -Cecil B. DeMille

“I'm thinking literary focuses on the moment when the character changes, and the genre focuses on what the character does with that change.” -Stephen D. Rogers

“No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you’re still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” -Unknown

“Writing is a lot like prostitution. First you do it for love. Then you do it for money. Then you recruit others. “ -Moliere

 "Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." - Pablo Picasso

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Every time you sit down to write, you should be afraid of losing the reader at any moment of any page." - Playwright William Gibson

“That was the moment I changed from an amateur to a professional.  I assumed the burden of the professional which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you are writing and aren’t writing particularly well.”-Agatha Christie

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." – Confucius

The Party’s Over

Over the holidays, I did something I haven’t done since I started my latest series. I took five days off in a row from writing. That is, I didn’t sit at the computer and put words into the file for Fat Cat #3 (which doesn’t have a title yet). However, it wasn’t completely gone from my mind, except for short stretches of fun with the family.

Things kept popping up in my head and I noted them down. As soon as I could, I would perch on the edge of my office chair and type them into my notes. If that wasn’t possible, I’d stick the paper I had scribbled upon on the stack to the left of my keyboard. That’s my stack for whatever I’m currently working on, for the most part.

I dreaded getting back into the story, but, you know what? It wasn’t that bad. I’m so glad I did take the trouble to jot those ideas down because I used every single one, or will within a day or two.

Friday I did some gift returns, but did manage to get 880 words written. I’ll wait until Monday to do the rest of the gift stuff, I think. Saturday will be a zoo! Besides, I need a whole day to luxuriate in the freedom to write without thinking about the one gift left, the cards to mail, the peanut brittle (which I never did make), and the meal planning.

I love Christmas and love kids and grandkids being here. I also love the relaxation when everything’s over!

Have any of you taken a chunk of time off from writing during the winter holidays? Do you have any tricks for getting back into it?

Animals Rights Day

by Kaye George

A lot of writers include animals in many of our our stories. A book without animals is kind of like a house without a pet—feels empty.

International Animal Rights Day was the 10th of this month, did you know that? There are many horrific stories I could tell, of course, to convince you that more work needs to be done for the poor creatures who have no words to express themselves, let along cell phones and access to social media. However, I don’t want to bring you a downer in this holiday season, so save those thoughts for January.

This is the season of Good Will to All. I’m sure Santa treats his reindeer well. How could they make it around the world like that if they weren’t in tip-top condition?

You can track the path of Santa and his deer here if you’d like to.

http://www.noradsanta.org/

When I was little, I worried that our dog, Skipper, who died while still a puppy, wouldn’t get to heaven. I also wanted there to be horses there, since my parents weren’t going to get me one while I was on earth, evidently. (Sure enough, they never did. It was plain that our back yard was plenty big enough for one little horse, but they couldn’t see that.)

Tommy, who lived across the alley and was Catholic (I was Methodist—still am), assured me that dogs and cats and horses would never be in Heaven. They would go, he said, to Limbo. I would also go there since I wasn’t Catholic. I made up my mind right then that I much rather be going to Limbo, not Heaven. It would be full of superior-sounding boys like Tommy.

I wonder if it’s a coincidence that Pope Francis chose this time to tell the little boy, “Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” It’s almost enough to make me want to go to Heaven, after all.

All animal photos from morguefiles

Photo of Pope Francis from Wikipedia

New Release, New Name, New Publisher

I’d like to tell you about where my journey has led me. I also want to tell you who I am now, so you’ll know it’s me.

This month I set out on a new path. Or maybe this month is the culmination of a path started last year. Previously, I’ve self-published a series (that started out at a small press), and have started two more with a couple of terrific small presses, Barking Rain Press and Untreed Reads.

I love working with both these presses. Their approaches are different, but both go all out for their authors. The people who run them are constantly thinking of ways to help us get ahead.

I guess that wasn’t enough, though, because a new series debuted this month. FAT CAT AT LARGE, by Janet Cantrell (that’s me), was released by Berkley Prime Crime. They’ve been extremely generous, too, furnishing books for review and giveaways. (B&N link and Amazon link)

My other series have all won awards, Agatha nominations and a Silver Falchion Finalist. This one, my FAT CAT book, though, debuted as a national bestseller on two different lists—Barnes & Noble and Bookscan. I’ve been to a couple of bookstores that were happy to have me sign the stock. And, let me tell you, that is a thrill and a half!

I consider myself one of the luckiest mystery writers alive, being able to work with such wonderful publishers and editors, and my agent, Kim Lionetti at BookEnds, too! Berkley Prime Crime, Untreed Reads, Barking Rain Press, and Me (Kaye George).

Different Strokes for Different Folks, But Different Names?

Let’s start with genres. Some writers are able to conquer more than one, most of them closely related. Like mystery and romantic suspense. Even romance and mystery are related and many do both of these. This brings us to the topic I want to discuss: names.

I know several authors who use more than one name for publication. Okay, I AM one. So far I’ve used two, but in 2014 will have a book out with a third name. What are the reasons for using different names and are those reasons valid?

**Here’s what I’ve come up with on using multiple names.

PRO: Using one name per genre is less confusing to readers.

CON: If a reader likes your writing in one genre, the reader might like it in another and you’d be easier to find with only one name.

**On using a pen name.

PRO: Your real name is hard to remember/pronounce/spell.

CON: Look at Janet Evanovich. Had anyone heard of that name before she made it big? An unusual name is more memorable.

PRO: You want to protect your job/spouse/family by using a pen name.

CON: Nothing occurs to me for this.

Personally, I’m participating in a couple of the above. My real name is hard to remember and spell, so I came up with Kaye George as a pen name. However, when I wrote a book solely for my grandkids I used my real name, Judy Egner, so that would be less confusing for them. Another book for another grandkid is in the works if I ever put aside the time to finish it. My third name, Janet  Cantrell, is being used for a hired work, so that was necessary and not a choice for me (although I did choose the name).

However, when my Neanderthal mystery is published, I’ll use the same pen name I’ve used for most of my work, Kaye George. It IS a mystery, but it’s very different from my other mysteries. I’ve written the gamut under this name from cozy and light and fluffy, to medium and traditional, to tough and hard-boiled to horror. One of my cousins read one of my horror tales (“The Bathroom”) and said she was afraid to read anything else by me. Exactly the reaction I want! Except that I want people to read my horror who are looking for horror! That cousin prefers cozies. I did steer her away from the rest of my horror stories. I hope she read something else eventually.

Maybe it’s a mistake not to differentiate my work with different names. Maybe not. It’s a little late to change that now, though!