Tag: A. Catherine Noon

  • Love\’s a Beach Blog Hop

    Stay tuned for the 17th. I\’ll be participating in the Love\’s a Beach Blog Hop over on Taurus and Taurus. You could win a Nook Touch, signed books, ebooks, and other great prizes. Mark your calendar!

  • Love\’s a Beach Blog Hop

    Stay tuned for the 17th. I\’ll be participating in the Love\’s a Beach Blog Hop over on Taurus and Taurus. You could win a Nook Touch, signed books, ebooks, and other great prizes. Mark your calendar!

  • Join Me at Torquere Press Today for Silk and Linen

    Join me today at Romance for the Rest of Us, the blog of Torquere Press.  My post, Silk and Linen, shares some of my favorite haircare secrets.  I hope you enjoy!

  • Tue Cent Twosday – A Guest Post with Kimberley Troutte

    Speeding Down the Road to Digital Publication

    a Guest Post by Kimberley Troutte

    Thank you for having me here today. Noony asked me to talk about how much digital publishing has changed the publishing industry for romance writers. Boy, where to begin?

    One great place to start is at the top with RWA (the Romance Writers of America). Every summer RWA has a big conference to discuss the industry, network, eat good food…you know, regular stuff. When I went this time I was struck by how different this conference was from the first one I attended in 2006. All because of a little invention called an ebook.

    A mere six years ago, there was a sense that a book not published by the traditional NY Big Six Publishers was somehow inferior. Self-published books were rarely considered by editors. Most writers needed an agent to get to the big houses and finding an agent to represent a new writer was tough. Being a budding romance writer, I dreamed of one day achieving that lofty pinnacle–publication at a big New York house. I thought it was my only road to success.

    And it was a rough road full of bumps, sinkholes and heavily manned gates.

    In those days (gosh, I feel like I\’m talking about the Dark Ages) the journey started when a writer completed a manuscript and sent letters (by snail mail mostly) to agents and editors to try to sell the story. The wait time to hear from one of these professionals was painfully long as the writer trucked pages back and forth and paid a small fortune to the Post Office. If a writer was lucky enough to score a good agent who then sold the work, the wait was a year or two before the book hit the shelves. A year or two.

    That was only six years ago–before Kindle, Nook, Facebook, Twitter, and email submissions. We\’ve come a long way, baby.

    At the 2012 RWA conference, all the buzz was about authors who found success by publishing through small digital-first publishers or on their own. (Fifty Shades of Gray, anyone?) The publishers heard these success stories too and, well, they freaked out a little. Imagine the big New York watching a corner of the publishing market slip through their fingers. Not only that, many already established authors were self-publishing their own works and making , gasp, more money.

    New York houses are now in a rush to catch up to the Digital Age by opening Digital lines. Editors are looking for authors to fill new spots for various genres and story lengths. Some agents troll through ebook lists looking for clients to represent. Publishers look for hot-selling indie books to publish.

    Wow, what a difference six years can make.

    What about those long waiting periods? Well, a writer can self-publish her own book in a matter of days. Days, not years. Publishing houses have had to reduce publishing times in order to compete with Amazon and to woo authors who don\’t want to wait years. In Anaheim, Kensington said that they can publish an ebook in about six months. I heard another house say 10-12 weeks! The rush to ebook publication is on.

    What does this mean to writers?

    Opportunity. Faster publication. Getting books into readers hands that have previously languished on a writer\’s harddrive. Possibilities.

    I\’ll tell you what it means to me personally.

    I used to suffer from stress dreams. Sometimes in my nightmares, I’d drive an out-of-control car at top speeds straight downhill. My kids screamed in the back seat while I stomped the useless brakes and tried to steer away from the ocean looming at the bottom of the road. I had that stupid dream five or six times and understood what it meant. My desire to be published was butting heads with gatekeepers who were tough about letting a genre-mixer storyteller like me through the gates. My goal to be published was as out of my control as that darn car was. What could I do?

    One day Carrie Underwood sang \”Jesus, Take the Wheel.\” And I realized that I shouldn’t spend so much time trying to steer that car. Instead, I needed to let go of the things I couldn\’t control and focus on what was important.

    Writing is one of those important things. I stopped worrying about how I was going to get published and focused on writing the best books I can. Learning, growing, digging deeper, I let my passion and love fill the pages. I found pure bliss. My stories were infinitely better.

    And now there are more roads to publication. My car is zipping along and whether I\’ll park at a small press, Amazon, or a big house, who knows? I have more control. One way or another, my beloved stories will be read thanks to all those indie-authors who were brave enough to pave the way and to the awesome readers who buy books.

    No more nightmares, only sweet dreams and well-paved roads from now on.

    Biography

    Kimberley Troutte has been a substitute teacher, caterer, financial analyst for a major defense contractor, aerobics instructor, real-estate broker, freelance writer, homework corrector and caregiver to all the creatures the kids/hubby/dog drag in. She lives with her husband, two sons, one dog and four snakes in Southern California.

  • On Writing Blocks

    Join me at the Writer\’s Retreat for my thoughts on being blocked when you\’re writing.

  • Mini-Vacation Today

    Since we\’re still on vacation, I figured I\’d share with you the view of my desk at home.  Complete with Boria, acting like it\’s his boudoir.

    Cats.  
    Sigh.

    Boria

  • On the Road Again… la la la

    We\’re heading over to Ohio to visit family. I figured today would be a good day to highlight one of the hidden gems of Toledo, The Toledo Museum of Art.

    A couple things set this museum apart and make it worth a visit. First, they decided they couldn\’t bring the most expensive pieces to Toledo. Instead, they created exhibits with artists related to the masters\’ works. If they can\’t bring in the most important Monet, they\’ll bring a smaller one in and then highlight artists who influenced them and who they, in turn, influenced.

    Their website is another admirable creation. They highlight art each week in blog posts, reviewing the pieces in their collection and the traveling exhibitions.

    I suggest checking out the website, at the least, and if you can, visit the museum. It is well worth a visit.

  • Why M/M Fascinates Us

    Have you been curious why \”male/male\” or M/M romance is such a fascinating read?  Join me today at Samhain Publishing for the discussion.

  • The Secret to Enthusiasm

    Okay. Let\’s be blunt. Enthusiasm isn\’t always lauded. In fact, many times folks want to put it down, as thought an adult being enthusiastic is indecent, or that the enthusiastic person will use up all the available energy and there won\’t be any left for others.

    Here, then, is the secret to enthusiasm, so that it will spread like a virus and then we\’ll all have it.

    What makes you passionate?

    What gets you ranting?

    When you have the time, what do you like to do? Not the socially-acceptable answer, but the real truth?

    What common themes occur in the answer to the previous question?

    The more that you understand these things, the more enthusiastic you become about them.  Don\’t be afraid to follow your passion.  No matter what people say, being enthusiastic is the secret to happiness.

  • Unusual Travelogue

    Curious about salt caves? Come with me today where I\’m blogging at Delilah Devlin\’s blog about the Galos Salt Caves.

  • Erotica Readers and Writers Association

    I figured I\’d share a link today, because a little later on I have news!  So stay tuned.

    In the meantime, check out the Erotica Readers and Writers Association!  Pretty cool, no?  I like how classy their front page is, as well as the subject.  There\’s a time and place for more gritty sexy stuff, but I also appreciate artful erotica.

  • Tue Cent Twosday – The Pen vs. the Keyboard

    In my writing group, I often hear complaints when I suggest we try a written exercise as opposed to one with a laptop or other computer device. I have said it before and I’ll likely say it again: writing by hand is important and valuable to anyone working with their own creativity, be they writers or other artists. In fact, I would argue that writing by hand is useful for everyone, and not just creatives. That does not mean that writing with a keyboard isn’t valuable in its own way too, but that one shouldn’t avoid handwriting altogether.

    Here are the five most common complaints and suggestions on how to address them:

    “I never write by hand.”

    I’m surprised by how many people say this to me. What’s even more surprising is how many of them aren’t Gen Y folks. The stereotype is that Gen Y folks only type, and that Gen X and Boomers are more “old school.” I haven’t seen this stereotype borne out.

    My response to it is simple: give it a try. Even if you only use it for writing exercises, think of them like you do the gym or music drills. The more you do it, the easier it gets.

    “I write too slow, and forget all the things I want to say.”

    This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Our minds become fragmented by technology. I watch people try to have a conversation during writing group, or even just write. Smart phones buzz and people immediately look at them, even mid-sentence, to see what they say. Like coffee-fueled five-year-olds, we have lost the ability to carry one thought in our minds for longer than a few moments before we are distracted, like the dog in the movie “Up.” This isn’t healthy, nor is it good for our intelligence.

    Writing by hand slows us down so that we can catch up with ourselves. Typing on a computer means that we are staring at a clock, are prone to distraction from Facebook, email, and other programs, and that we can go at the speed of hyper instead of the speed of the hand. There is a reality within us that we can only hear when we slow down enough to listen.

    “My hand cramps.”

    This is a reasonable complaint. Like any other physical activity, stretch often and build up your strength. Maybe only write for fifteen minutes the first time, then work your way up to a longer session.

    “I can’t read my own writing, so why bother?”

    It’s like when we were taught to write way back when we were kids. Just practice. You’ll get better with time and attention.

    “It’s more efficient to type.”

    The objective isn’t to be efficient, it’s to see what we have to say. Efficiency is not the most important goal for a writer; clarity is.

    Give it a try. You might be surprised what you learn.

    Next time:  \”In Defense of the Pen\”