Bookmarks: Ludlum I'm Not

I approach the drop.

I steal a glimpse over my shoulder to make sure I'm not being followed by anyone except my camera crew.

"Little...free...liberry...dot..............org! This is the place."

I write an encoded note so my contact will know this is the right book. Or maybe I sign it.

You know, this Little Free Library's got a pretty good collection.

(all photos by John Sandel)

No need to be sneaky. Leave a book, take a book. It's free. This LFL is at 1614 Las Lunas Street, Pasadena.

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As the end of my daily posting looms I'm excited to have free time, but I don't want too much. I'd love to visit your book club and talk about Camelot & Vine, for example. Or if you're involved with anime cons, invite me! I'd love to come.

I keep a calendar on the main page of my website, so if I'm not here you can always check there.
Next up: tomorrow, Sunday April 28th, 2pm at Barnes and Noble in Old Town Pasadena, a group signing of Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition.
The following Sunday, May 5th, I'll be signing and selling books to benefit the Bloom Again Foundation at Lunafest, at Descanso Gardens. It starts at 12:30pm. Click the link to buy your tickets in advance.
Then Litfest! May 11, all day, at Central Park in Pasadena. Look for the Boz Books booth.

More on my website. I hope to see you at one or all of these events.

Bookmarks: Bank of America and Jeezus

Don't mess with Liz Raci.

When Liz and her family bought their home during the last housing bubble, they got a 5-year fixed, 25-year adjustable rate loan. Their plan was to refinance before the end of those first five years.

(We're entering a new bubble. Don't do this.)

At the time, many people did the same, and what happened to Liz happened to a lot of those people: due to its own error, Bank of America raised the adjustable rate so Liz's monthly payment was three times higher than in the original agreement. Liz knew this was wrong, so she took on the bank.

That, and she didn't tell her family their home was in jeopardy. That's a lot of pressure. Don't do this either.

In the book, Liz leads us through her confrontations with Bank of America as well as Jesus, where she learns things about herself, good and bad, that she never expected to know.

Here are a few things we learn:

When you know you're right, don't give up. Be a nice, sweet, constant pain in the ass.

Take notes. Keep names, dates and phone numbers.

Whatever your faith, there will be times it fails you. Let it fail. Be brave. Demand answers from your god.

Liz tells her story in a clear and funny voice. I helped a little with copy editing. Liz knows how to tell a story, but she knows her limitations. In the acknowledgements she thanks "Petrea Burchard, without whom this book would have no punctuation."

I asked Liz if she wanted to say anything in this post. She sent me two of her favorite quotes from the feedback she's received:

"I too am in loan modification and was going to just walk away, it has been so long and hard. And I thank you, now I am going to fight and stay in my home."

"A friend recommended your book and I do not have any loan issues but it made me feel courageous and gave me a fighting spirit, yes, never give up."

Bank of America and Jeezus is, on the surface, about finding faith. But really it's about three years of incredible persistence and personal power, bolstered at times by faith and at times by humor, and mostly by monumental stubbornness for which BofA was no match.

The ebook is available here.

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Notes on other booky stuff:

Today at noon:
Among others, Margaret Finnegan and I will be signing Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition at the Prospect Park Books booth (#63) at the LA Times Festival of books. Click on the link to Margaret to win a free copy of Camelot & Vine.

Bookmarks: Guerilla Marketing

This Little Free Library at 3405 Florecita Drive in Altadena invites you to sit down and browse. Sweet, isn't it? I exclaimed out loud when I saw this one, and I didn't even have Boz with me to mask the fact that I was talking to myself. The concept of the Little Free Library is "take a book, leave a book." The "Florecita Farm Little Free Library," erected in honor of Elmer E. Nielson, had a bunch of good ones.

This is the only one in Altadena listed with littlefreelibrary.org, though there might be an unofficial Altadena branch. I promise to investigate. I'll also be checking out the Pasadena branches, as I continue my marketing plan.

In other news, you may remember Anita Davison, the British novelist who kicked off the Saturday Bookmarks series with her book, Royalist Rebel. She invited me to post on her blog, so I wrote about the concept of networking as giving, and the strange circumstances that introduced the two of us. And here's Anita's review of Camelot & Vine, on Historical Novel Review.

Bookmarks: Original Book Club

Before you scroll down: any guesses as to where I've been for the past few days?

Sure enough, that's Kelly in the top photo, faithful pooch to the Chieftess and Chief, Kathy and Dan Watson. My pictures don't do justice to Mammoth, but the Chieftess' do. If you haven't met her, I suggest you visit her at Mammoth Lakes Daily Photo.

Mammoth Lakes is a gorgeous ski resort in the California Sierras, east of Yosemite and south of Mono Lake. Everywhere you turn there's another heart-filling vista. I defy you to beat this place for scenery.

It was also the scene of my first book club visit for Camelot & Vine. I spent a fantastic evening with the Mammoth Lakes Original Book Club. I heard about their lives, answered questions about the book, and jotted down feedback. It was one of those evenings that, when it was all over, my face hurt from smiling.

The next day, Kathy introduced me to the head librarian (gorgeous library) and the owner of the Booky Joint independent bookstore (which is charming, superbly stocked, and smells really good).

I'm posting two photos of the book club to make sure everyone gets to show their best side.

Kelly is no fool. She knew we were all there to see her and she made the best of it. Chieftess Kathy sits at left with Kelly, with (L-R) Edyth, Jodi, Peggy, JoAnne, Pat, me and Debby.

Here's Kelly with Carolyn, Edyth, Jodi, Peggy, JoAnne, Pat, me, and Debby.

I enjoyed meeting each of these women. Knowing Kathy, the fact that they're all interesting and smart is no surprise. Thank you, Mammoth Lakes Original Book Club! Your Original Book Club is original for me, too.

And thank you, Kathy and Dan Watson for sharing your comfy hearth with me.

Bookmarks: Classics

If you visit Trinity College Dublin you can pay €9 (about $13.50 U.S.) to see the original Book of Kells. It's said to be one of the oldest illuminated manuscripts in existence, and perhaps the most beautiful. I mean to visit Trinity College Dublin ASAP.

The First Folio of Shakespeare, printed in 1623 not long after Shakespeare's death, is less rare. Scholars believe that about 750 originals were printed. After nearly 400 years, 228 still exist. That's a pretty good ratio. One of them lives at the Huntington Library and Gardens, right here in San Marino. Often, you can see the Huntington's First Folio displayed under glass, in the same room as their Gutenberg Bible.

There are those who say "under glass" view will soon be the norm with the most common of hard-bound books. Maybe. In fact, sure, why not? I've always loved hard-bound books for their beauty, even when I used to buy them new. I even have a Pinterest board called "Books As Beauty." But hardbacks are getting so expensive, if you actually read a lot you can't afford them, unless you buy them used.

There's a huff-puff lately about whether or not digital books will replace print. I don't think they will, though as digital readers become easier to use (and not so ugly, please), more people will use them for their convenience, not to mention the price. Since the beginning of time, humans have been all about convenience. Since money was invented, we've been all about getting it cheap. I don't know when money was invented, or when time began.

Just like movies didn't kill radio, and TV didn't kill movies, and video didn't kill TV, digital books are not going to kill print books. Print books may die, but that'll be suicide, not murder.


I hope you'll check out my guest post on Blurb Is A Verb, the blog of Sarah Pinneo, author of Julia's Child. I love the tag line for her book: "A delectable comedy for every woman who has ever wondered if buying that $6 box of organic crackers makes her a hero or a sucker." My post is called Everything Takes Longer Than You Think It Will. Feel free to leave a comment!

Bookmarks: Follow Me

One of my "commute" shots, at Cahuenga Blvd. and Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles

When I started using Twitter, I immediately followed writers because writers are known to be witty and entertaining. Thus my Twitter stream would be a cocktail party of constant twit-wit. But at least half the writers I've followed tweet nothing but advertisements for their books. My stream becomes more difficult to read (not to mention more dull) with each new link-laden pitch.

Will #Harry meet #Sally? find out at www.afghk;l
My friends love #an'orhw39i3 !
Nominated for two #SelfNom awards!...? http://nr[0hW
Click here! www. 1t09483t7
#FFpqt49ei Buy www.apgohw4g http://=50 this!

I unfollow these people. I'm sure they unfollow me, too, because they're on Twitter to collect followers, not to make contacts. They might think they're on Twitter to make sales, though I doubt that's going to happen. It's like they're hitting people over the head repeatedly with bus stop benches.

I'm on Twitter mostly so people can find me if that's where they happen to look. Do you use Twitter? What do you use it for? What does it take for you to buy a product from someone you meet on Twitter? I would imagine you would at least have to like them first, but I'm guessing.

I like Twitter, or at least my Utopian idea of it, but I rarely think of anything witty to say in 140 characters. (Ha! And I expected other writers to be witty.)

It's okay to advertise, just not every minute of every day. By the way, Camelot & Vine is nominated for five SelfNom awards! Wish me luck.

Bookmarks: Nutshells

Frequently, writers must describe their works in a nutshell. For example, when seeking an agent or publisher for a novel, the writer sends a query letter. In the space of a single page, the query must describe your book's plot, main characters and central conflict. It must also convey your style, show off your credits, and tell the recipient why he should spend months of his life marketing your masterpiece.

Jacket copy is another form of nutshell description. When I browse through a book store, I read the jacket copy to find out what each book is about. The writer has to grab me in a paragraph or two.

Writers of essays and magazine articles have to write pithy pitches, too. They've got to sell that baby within the space of an email so short the editor won't have to scroll to read it all.

Although everyone has to write them, I'm not sure query letters are the best way to screen the good from the bad. There has to be some way, though, otherwise agents and publishers and their poor assistants would have to read through 500 novels to find one worth publishing (at least, maybe, after a long string of edits). I speak from experience.

Some people are good at query letters. But someone who's a genius at expressing herself in a 350-page novel can be clumsy at spitting it out in a single page. Too bad, pal! I've heard famous authors say it was easier to write the whole novel than the itty bitty query letter.

Then there are loglines. A logline conveys your entire story in a single sentence--the same nut in a smaller shell. Loglines are used a lot for screenplays, but every writer needs to be able to use them. When someone asks, "What's your book about?" you'd better spit it out, and it had better not take all day.

Think of it: you've spent X number of years squeezing your blood onto the page to tell the story in your heart. Now, describe that to me in a nutshell.

And you'd better get it right.

Bookmarks: The Chocolate Princess in the Land of Plenty

When Yolanda Allen walks into a room, you already know she's coming because her smile gets there first. I met her at Webster's Fine Stationers in Altadena, where I was visiting with Lori and Scott Webster about selling my book in their store.

(Lori & Scott are die-hard supporters of local artists of all kinds. Both of my thumbs go up to them, plus all my fingers, toes, and elbows.)

Yolanda and her sister Valerie Jackson worked long and hard to create The Chocolate Princess in the Land of Plenty, a "classically-styled, contemporary fairytale for readers of all ages." This beautiful book catches your eye on the shelf. Illustrator Sylvia L. Walker has created a work of art on every page.

You can get a signed copy for your little princess tomorrow, February 10th, at The Rose Bowl Flea Market where the authors will have a table from 9am to 3pm. If you miss that, show up at Webster's Fine Stationers on Saturday, February 16, 2013 between 1pm and 3pm for a book signing with Valerie, Yolanda, and illustrator Sylvia L. Walker.

If you don't have a little princess of your own, chocolate or other, you still might Like the Facebook page.

The Altadena/Pasadena Black History parade is the 16th, starting at 10am. You have time to see the Parade and go to the book signing!

Bookmarks: Clout

First first first!
Remember Kim Fay, and The Map of Lost Memories? I reviewed Kim's book for Hometown Pasadena. Now, The Map of Lost Memories is a 2013 Edgar Award finalist for best first novel by an American Author. Congratulations, Kim!

Kim has got herself some clout. I'm going to have clout, too. In the five days since I've released Camelot & Vine on Kindle I've been busy, you know, marketing my book. I want to find the right audience for my literary work, and I believe I've got it.

It's the broccoli lobby. These people are my fans.

You go to the grocery store. You shake hands, chat people up. It's touch and go. Today I'll try the farmers' market. They can't exactly kick you out of an outdoor market.

I've also been uploading C&V to Barnes & Noble, which is also Pubit, which is also Nook. Do the multiple monikers make life easier for someone, I wonder? A friend who does this all the time can't figure out why it takes me so long. It takes her about fifteen minutes to upload a book. It takes me days. I have to format, upload, format again, try to figure out why it looks weird, upload again, count the pages...

And what do I call the file? Barnes & Noble? BN? Pubit? Nook? I decided to name the file BN/Pubit/Nukeit/Fercrissakes. That'll work as long as I remember to look for it under B (listed near Broccoli).

Print: gotta make a phone call. I think one of my emails got lost.

Diesel, Sony, Kobo, Blio: all finished, not showing up yet.

iBookstore: also finished, but apparently this one takes even longer. Very mysterious.

Smashwords: "Pending review." This is why all the others don't show up. I think. Like I said, I have the clout of broccoli behind me.

Oh hey! I applied for a Goodreads author page. Someone there named Molly has already reviewed Belinda's Birthday. She gave it one star. This is great! Reviews are very important.

I am a novelist, baby! Pass the broccoli!

Bookmarks: Literary Pasadena

Amid all the editing and proofreading I've been doing lately (I've practically memorized Camelot & Vine), a pleasant task came my way the other day. I was asked to proofread my contribution to a new book that's coming out in April called Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition.

You're going to want to get a copy of this book. It contains short stories by many of Pasadena's best authors, plus excerpts from upcoming works, and more. I'm honored to be a part of it.

Funny thing about my novel, Camelot & Vine. I've been working on it for so long I'm embarrassed to say. It's a good book, I think. I won't know 'til you read it, but it's mine, I love it, and it's a fun story.  If it were War & Peace I might be willing to tell you how long it took me to write it. I have slaved over the proofreading, tweaking where I dare, and sometimes wishing I could rewrite the whole damn thing.

Not so with my little short story in Literary Pasadena. I wrote it. I like it. Done.

Why is that? What's the difference?

The picture: parrots. They invaded our neighborhood last week. Enlarge the photo and see, they are all along the phone wires, all the way down the street. When I took this they were in every treetop, on every wire, flying everywhere. The noise they make is deafening.

I chose this picture because to me, the parrots are uniquely Pasadena. Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition, will be uniquely Pasadena, too.

Bookmarks: Kate Wong

Ta dah! Cover debut!
  
Graphic designer Kate Wong designed the cover of Camelot & Vine as well as the book's interior. Kate is a dream to work with and I'm so happy with the way the book is going to look. For today's Bookmarks, I thought an interview with Kate was in order. Check out her links. She has a lot to offer.

*****

I understand this is your first book design project. Do you plan to do more? 
I would love to do more book design—especially covers or illustration. I’m guilty as sin when it comes to judging books by their covers, but perhaps being a graphic designer makes that impulse unavoidable! One thing I love is a special edition book that’s highly designed inside and out: gorgeous cover plus extra bits and pieces of beautiful illustration or graphics sprinkled throughout. That is a project I would love to be a part of. 

What do you like about designing books? 
I’m also a writer, so I think book design really unites the visual and verbal elements of my career. I also love the idea of designing a cover that can make someone like me pick up a book. While interior layouts on most books aren’t as much fun to do, there’s a sense of accomplishment to completing a design that is clear, readable, and undistracting—it’s an exercise in restraint. 

What's the hardest part? 
With any project—book design, branding, editorial—getting on the same page as the client is always the biggest obstacle. Once we’re both clear on the desired result, things fall together easily. As for interior layout design, it’s really difficult to choose a typeface! It’s tough to get that perfect font that looks beautiful and readable. 

Where did you study graphic design? 
I’ve taken a few courses at UCSD extension to learn how to use Adobe Creative Suite, but when it comes to theory I’ve learned from reading—mainly design blogs. I like to think I’m artistic and have a natural instinct for this, but just absorbing the images out there does wonders! Someday I would love to study graphic design, or maybe illustration, but right now I love just working. As a side note, my real degree is a B.A. in humanities, with a focus on political satire. 

What inspires you? What influences your style? 

I’m always inspired by anything colorful, quirky, or whimsical. Like a lot of designers right now, I love a modern, super-clean look, but a sense of playfulness is something I really gravitate towards. I love unexpected pairings—for instance an ultra contemporary design with a classic font. I think the contrast gives the design more impact! 

Tell us about Dog Stalking and Striped Cat Studio.
My design blog, Striped Cat Studio, started as a way to promote my freelance business, but it’s sort of taken on a life of its own. I try to focus on graphic design in relation to other aspects of life (fashion, for instance), and the way graphic design can make our lives prettier. Dog Stalking is probably the column least related to the rest of my blog, and it’s also my favorite. It was born from my obsession with dogs, and the fact that I don’t own one—I spend weekends intentionally visiting places where people take their dogs, then feature watercolor portraits of dogs I’ve met on the blog every week. Someday, I’d love to turn Dog Stalking into a book. 
(Boz got stalked and I bought the original!) 

What are your plans for this year? 
I have too many plans this year to count! Focusing my business, marketing, building relationships with new clients…plus non-designy things like refinishing the mid-century chair I found at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. 

What does your ideal career look like? What's your vision? 
My dream is working on a project that falls somewhere between Anthology magazine and Bri Emery’s blog Designlovefest: amazing writing, style, travel, beautiful design…I want to be involved with all of those things! I’ve never had a full time job working for someone else, and at this point I can’t imagine that sort of career for myself.

*****

Thank you, Kate. I'm so glad I got to work with you and I hope we do it again.

Bookmarks: Royalist Rebel

For this second installment of PDP's Saturday Bookmarks series, I'd like to introduce you to author Anita Seymour, aka Anita Davison. I met Anita due to our mutual admiration for The Brimstone Butterfly, Caro Riikonen. Caro blogged about and posted photos of the great British houses and castles she toured. She was a private person with a unique voice, and I eagerly awaited her every post.

One day Caro's friends posted a final message to her readers. Caro had taken her own life.

Saddened, and wanting to know more, I googled Caro. I found a post by Anita, lamenting Caro's passing. I commented, and we've been corresponding ever since.

Royalist Rebel, Anita's new book, will be released in five days! Here's a glowing blurb from international best-selling historical fiction author Gillian Bagwell, formerly of the Pasadena Shakespeare Company:

"Royalist Rebel brings to vivid life the perilous days of the English Civil Wars, when the families who had been the most loyal to the crown had the most to fear. Elizabeth Dysart is an engaging heroine, and our blood thrills with hers as she looks danger in the eye and meets every challenge with courage. Anita Seymour skillfully recounts one of the most tumultuous periods in Britain’s history, and her novel is a great addition to the heartbreaking story of those times."
--Gillian Bagwell, author of The Darling Strumpet, The King’s Mistress (U.S. title The September Queen) and Venus in Winter. 

Royalist Rebel by Anita Seymour

Intelligent, witty and beautiful, Elizabeth Murray wasn’t born noble; her family’s fortunes came from her Scottish father’s boyhood friendship with King Charles. As the heir to Ham House, their mansion on the Thames near Richmond, Elizabeth was always destined for greater things. 

Royalist Rebel is the story of Elizabeth’s youth during the English Civil War, of a determined and passionate young woman dedicated to Ham House, the Royalist cause and the three men in her life; her father William Murray, son of a minister who rose to become King Charles’ friend and confidant, the rich baronet Lionel Tollemache, her husband of twenty years who adored her and John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale, Charles II’s favourite.

With William Murray at King Charles’ exiled court in Oxford, the five Murray women have to cope alone. Crippled by fines for their Royalist sympathies, and besieged by the Surrey Sequestration Committee, Elizabeth must find a wealthy, non-political husband to save herself, her sisters, and their inheritance. 

Royalist Rebel by Claymore Books, an imprint of Pen and Sword, is released on 17^th January 2013

http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Historical-Fiction/c/146/

For a little background on the novel, see Anita’s Book Blog.

The National Trust Website of Elizabeth Murray’s former home, Ham House, at Petersham near Richmond, Surrey. 

Anita’s Blog, The Disorganized Author. 

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The Brimstone Butterfly remains a superb resource for authors of history and historical fiction who need a peek inside those famous houses. And though Caro never knew it, she introduced me to a friend. Royalist Rebel is featured on the front page of the Ham House website. It may not surprise you that the Brimstone Butterfly visited Ham House, too.

Bookmarks

The Battery Books and Music, South Pasadena

Today I begin a regular Saturday feature on writing, reading, and books. Not just my books, but also guest authors, libraries, book shops, ideas, writing tips, and fun stuff. I'm just busting to talk about this stuff. I'm calling it "Bookmarks," and I welcome your suggestions.

I won't limit it to Pasadena, though of course I'll include a local photo. (That's the rule, and I obey the rules, most of the time. It's easier to get away with being bad when no one expects it.)

And what better way to kick off this feature than with footwear? Chain mail--or maille--running shoes for the knights of Camelot & Vine. Or maybe not. So much for literature.

Actually, literature is doing fine. The publishing industry is changing, but reading isn't going away. Just like we changed the way we listen to music (I wish I'd kept those LP's), and the way we watch movies (have you seen a VHS tape lately? I don't miss those), we're reading in new ways. TV wasn't the end of the movie business, and ebooks aren't the end of publishing. They're just another way of reading.

I'm keeping my books, though.

For now, enjoy the documentary Bad Writing, streaming free for the month of January only. I owe thanks for the link to Karin Bugge, the excellent writer known as the Altadena Hiker.