Monday’s Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #amwriting #amediting #amcreative #Happy4th

Hi Everyone!

Alas, the Austria Scoop is no more as I am here back in the States. What I do propose is to tell you about things I’ve seen in Austria or happenings around where I live. Sure, many of you don’t want to know about where I live most of the time but now that I’ll be in two places, maybe there will be things you’ll love to hear about.

But if you’ve been following me, you know we’ve decided to keep our Nevada house, at least for now, and it’s only 30 miles from lost wages – errr – Las Vegas. The other place we’ll be living is Los Alamos, New Mexico, which happens to be only an hour and less than an hour from two of my favorite places in the world – Taos and Santa Fe – both have been places on my ‘to live at’ list forever. Matter of fact, when I first got married, I begged my husband to get a job in Los Alamos and for years he tried. We both think it ironic that he gets to work there at the end of his career though that’s at least another ten years.

Anyway, we’re fixing up the Nevada house with a new roof, possibly new windows and just a general overhaul because it needs it. And the New Mexico house will be renovated in certain areas because it was a duplex at the start of its life. It’s gone back and forth between a single family home and a duplex for a while now. It has a half acre and we have plans for the backyard as well.

When we were looking at homes, we decided from the start we wanted to live on top of the mesa instead of the other places we could have. Don’t get me wrong, we looked at the other places but nothing appeals more the me than a home in the mountains and at 7300 feet, this one qualifies. The first house we chose was one that was a duplex converted to a single family home with a yoga studio and two kitchens. The DH was in a quandary as to what we’d do with another kitchen when I told him that we could build a master retreat and use the plumbing for an awesome bathroom.

Once he was on board, we were happily making plans when we got in a bidding war. Unfortunately, we lost that house but the next one we bid on was two houses down with more done, like the windows, the electric, new roof and furnace upgrades plus it was cheaper. We do have to put in a drive and a garage but we figure those things balance out because the cost would have been about the same overall. We also have to get new siding but we have a plan and we can’t wait to do this.

We’ve talked for years about doing a renovation but the DH has been afraid because of horror stories. I reminded him that we always ‘negotiate’ things, so why not with this as well. Again, he’s on board and I can’t wait to have a fantastic summer home. The heat in Nevada is killing me and I’d decided within the first couple weeks that I couldn’t make this my home during the hot months. Hence the two places. Here’s a couple of pictures of the places appropriately marked.

Front of New Mexico House

Front of Nevada House

And who would I be if I didn’t wish everyone in the US a Happy 4^th of July! Keep it fun…keep it cool…and keep it safe. Hope you enjoyed this little look into what’s been happening with me on the new Monday Scoop. See you all next week!

Lynn 

Monday’s Austria Scoop ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #AWriterInVienna #amwriting #amsightseeing

Hi Everyone!

This week has been full of packing and getting ready for us to have visitors. Yes, while we’re packing, we’re getting one last set of people to come see us here. And I do love visitors especially when showing them the beauty of the city. This time we are hosting my DH’s brother and our nephew. We hope to show them why we like this city so much.

Vienna is a lovely city, steeped in history and still making a change in today’s world. It has been the host to many of the current peace talks and more summits regarding the governing of our home lands. Hardly a week has gone this past year when there hasn’t been an American dignitary in the city brokering some deal. Even the Iranian nuclear deal was done here and today, the Syrian issues is being discussed.

But the Vienna of the past is what really interests me. That doesn’t include the recent past, meaning WWII, mainly because I don’t write in that era at all and I’m interested in it for different reasons, some of which I may address in a later post. To be honest, I don’t really write in the historical era either but I do have a liking of all things Victorian and I might as well soak up that atmosphere while I’m here. We’ll be visiting some of those type places today as we go to the Sigmund Freud museum and various other places in Vienna. Yesterday, we did a long hike that I’m still reeling from…LOL!

Our weather in the past week has been the normal winter gloom. I’m sorry to say that makes me happy as I don’t like the weird weather but it is still unseasonably hot. We’ve had only one day where it dipped into the 30s though we’ve had several days where the wind chill has been dreadful. And the Austrian portion of the Alps now has snow. This is a good thing for all those skiers around.

We’ve also had some fog again. I’m sorry for the picture quality but I really wanted to show everyone just how dense it was. The fog was so dense, you really couldn’t tell it was day at all. Many days, this will have burned off by noon but not this one. The picture was taken from the foot of Stephansdom, looking up toward the steeple. This is something that you can normally see and it’s always interesting when you suddenly can’t. Yes, the steeple and much of the top of the cathedral has been hidden from view because of the dense fog. I’ve seen it a few times with the only other time where it was denser was when we returned home from a trip in October 2013.

Top of Stephandoms shrouded in fog

The second picture I’m showing you is of a mountain within an hour of Vienna called Schneeberg, which is the tallest mountain in the southern Austrian Alps. It was taken in September 2014 when we went there. The only way up to the top is by cog train. The place is closed in the winter due to the snow. From what we understand, there was less than a foot accumulated by January 1 when there should have been at least 2 feet. This year, there has been very little snow and the winds have been kicking around what snow there is. The last picture is of the same kirche as the previous one. It’s from a website that Schneeberg has set up to show the world it’s small mountain. For more pictures of the Austrian southern Alps, go to www.schneeberg.tv.

Slightly side view of Elisabeth Kirche in late September, 2014

Front view of Elisabeth Kirche February 15, 2016

I’m showing you both pictures because I wanted you to see the weather difference when compared to our first years here. Then it was more of what’s known as a classic Vienna winter. This year has been anything but classic. However, it has allowed us more moveability where we’re not just confined to indoor venues. Last winter, we would have never been able to do the walk from Kahlenburg to Nussdorf like we did yesterday. We’ve been sliding down instead of the slow, easy pace we took.

Tomorrow, we’ll be going to the UN and seeing Schonbrunn for one last visit. While I can’t wait to get home, it sure will be hard to leave this city with it’s wonderful history behind. That’s about it for this rendition of A Writer in Vienna or commonly known as Monday’s Austria Scoop.

Hope you enjoyed this little look into Austria and beyond. See you all next week!

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting #NCIS

Well, I finally did it. Between the packing and insomnia and just general blahs, I’ve hurt my back. When I twist it funny, I usually turn introspective and think about what I should be, could be and want to be doing. Anything other than the pain.

But writing can be a painful experience not unlike a back ache and it makes me wonder why so many people continue if it is that painful. Sure, getting the voices out of your head and on screen or paper is the best way to come to grips with the writer in you but if it’s downright painful…nah…I don’t get it.

Yeah, I get the part that the plot needs to be just so and that the grammar Nazis might be out to get you. Yes, you want everything perfect but at what price? Yes, writing is my life but my life is rich and full and so much more than I ever expected when I was twelve and started on this journey. I’ve also learned nothing is perfect as perfection is an illusion slung by those who feel they are perfect. Pity them as they miss out on so much with their search and illusion of perfection. I repeat, nothing is perfect. Right now, the height of perfection to me is getting the words down on that screen during this chaotic period in my life. Editing will come later. Submission will come later as will publication.

So no, I don’t see these down times as bad per se but more enlightening. If I’m not writing or sitting in my chair every waking moment, I’m studying through a variety of online classes, movies and TV series. With my current back ache, I can’t stand to be in bed too long as it makes my back hurt more but I can’t walk much either. There are some times when I can’t sit up for long periods and all I can do is be in bed. I’m happy that this time I’m up more than I’m down.

The one thing I can’t control however is my wandering mind. Pain does that to me and the main thing it hurts is my focus. And in writing, focus is everything. One must focus on their story in order to get it down and as correct as possible. One must love their story and nurture it from cradle to grave and beyond. It is why writers’ write.

When focus is just beyond my reach, I don’t let my mind flounder and figure out ways to make me miserable, yes writers have that wonderful knack for doing just that. I find ways to expand my mind. And like many writers, I binge on TV series. For the last few months, whenever I’ve had insomnia, I watched NCIS from the start to the current season.

And all I can say is wow. Wow because I can’t believe I missed an awesome series all these years but watching those character arcs as well as the storylines themselves is a chance to learn about characterization. The setting is pretty much the same and there are very few episodes when it comes into play. When it does, it changes the whole schematic of the series but I digress.

Watching the characters’ grow is something I can’t always get from a writing craft book as I’m a visual person. See things on the screen and suddenly, I get some portion of character building that I didn’t get before. It helps me on so many different levels as my books are all about the characters. Sure setting and plot are there too but they all enhance the characters. Having character driven plots is brought home in a weekly series. Alas, now I have to find another series I can learn something from to watch.

I forgot my love of TV being here in Europe for the past 5 years. My husband could never understand why I liked to watch TV and while here, I got why he didn’t so even though we have cable, it’s rarely watched and just part of my internet package. However, over here, I realized that by not watching TV, I’m not as creative as I once was and that bums me out horribly. I think I’ve always known that as I love to go to the movies, have a DVR night at home with my youngest who’s an actor and all those things that stimulated me.

I’ve always said that you can find an idea anywhere and it’s so very true. I still can take a walk, come back and write down at least three to five ideas for a story. Years ago, I would have taken at least half of them to develop. Now, I’m lucky if I find one that makes me see the story when it takes me. And it’s all because I haven’t been poked and prodded through outside stimuli as before.

If nothing else, that is what I’m looking forward to…a rousing time with my writer friends, family and more…as well as being back fully on the writer’s train. Imperfections and all. And I’ll remember this year, it will be all about me and my writing. See you all next week. Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting

I had a migraine yesterday and my head felt like it was going to explode. It’s been years since I’ve had my last one but since I’ve been extra stressed these last few weeks, I guess it all caught up with me. Add to that a whole slew of hot flashes, which I haven’t had in a long time either, and my body was just done.

So I decided right in the middle of all my head throbbing that I needed to concentrate on all the good things going on. Yes, there are stressful things happening in my life but none of them are bad. I’ve been stressed for coordinating a cross-country trip from Washington DC to home. Now, this is something that I’ve been waiting for a long time and it shouldn’t stress me out at all.

No, it should make me happy that I’m going to see relatives that I haven’t seen in years. We need those times to bond with family and that is nothing to stress about. Sure, it’s hard to pin down my husband and get him to make decisions. But I can try to make some preliminary decisions and present the package to him. And while I don’t like to be in charge of everything, I can handle it for a little while before I throw in the towel. If nothing else, I will know that things have been done correctly and not haphazardly thrown together just to get them done.

I see my writing like that. I write fast and sometimes, I wish I wrote slow, really slow. I’ll be honest, I have slowed down from what I used to do. I try to put it down on the screen correctly just once. But sometimes my head and my hands get ahead of what I have planned and it is more like a data dump yet better formed. On my very best day ever, I wrote over 13k words and then I couldn’t do much for a while.

Yeah, I used to be the data dump queen, at least in my mind, and I couldn’t understand why things weren’t flowing like they should. So I do know that I’ve become better over the years. And to be honest, I love writing fast. I mean if I didn’t, I would not have completed 50k in January and that’s what I did. Sure, like I’ve said before, I know that a whole lot of editing will be going on but at least it’s down and on the page.

I really am a big believer of the Nora Roberts’ philosophy of ‘I can’t fix a blank page.’ It is the one motto that every writer needs to take to heart. None of us can fix it if it isn’t down to fix. None of us can get better if we don’t try again and again and again. And it doesn’t matter what you are trying. It could be life, it could be baseball or rugby or it can be writing. Doing makes perfect and putting it on the page is doing.

I guess my thought for this week is that one needs to do, no matter in what, in order to accomplish what one wants. And believe me, I’ve waited a long, long time for my writing career to take off.

This year, it will be all about me and my writing. See you all next week. Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting #amstressed

I have been in writer’s hell. And no, it isn’t about the writing either.

We finally get to go home and while it’s sad for my husband, I’m in heaven in so many ways. Now don’t get me wrong as I am sad to be leaving my fabulous flat with the horrid location and the many friends I’ve finally made here. For me, it means that I can finally concentrate on my career with my goals.

See, when I’m in the States, I can do that easily as there is very little time I have to spend on my husband’s things. Here, it’s been all about him and while he doesn’t see it that way, it’s just the way it is. I’ve had to deal with things over here that I would have never had to deal about at home.

I mean, I don’t have to file health insurance claims because those are all done automatically in the US. Here, because we have private insurance, it has been my job to get all those things together and file them. Here, I have to remind the husband to not forget our train tickets so we can get around. At home, if I use his car, I fill it up with gas and we’re good.

There are so many no-brainer things that must be done here that it’s driven me crazy the whole time we’ve lived here. I’m constantly sending the DH lists on what to get at the commissary. Or remind him that we need things from the pharmacy. At home, I can just go pick them up myself. Here there is a total reliance on each other to do what the other asks that it can be…well…disconcerting. I hate being separated by the language thing and though many would say that it’s my fault, I was already learning a language when I arrived and didn’t want to add to that confusion.

So, we’re finally getting ready to go home and I have deadlines I need to meet before we leave. I am also the coordinator of all things travel, this includes coming up with the ways to get between places as well as lodging that can include a pet and other considerations. Again, not that it’s rocket science or anything but I already had my own deadlines and now I have our deadlines. And our deadlines have put me into a writer’s hell.

Why you may ask. Well…first, it makes me stressed and I’m not sleeping…then I’m thinking too much of all the things that can go wrong. Yes, yes, I know I can do it all but it has just hyped my stress level out of this world.

However, that being said, I am also finding my solace in writing. Meaning, I’m producing a lot and some of it isn’t as good as I want it to be. I guess I’ll be editing lots more.

But that’s okay…at least I’m writing.

See you all next week. Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting #brainstorming

This week has been a joyous week in my writer kingdom.

I am going on a writing journey. No, seriously, I’m flying to Spain tomorrow to spend a week with one of my writing besties, Nina Croft. Drop by and see this author’s amazing books by just clicking her name. You’ll go to her website and see some pictures of where I’m staying. I’ll be on her almond farm a whole week.

We plan to sprint, write, brainstorm and do all those wonderful things that writers do when they get together. It will be amazing and awesome and just downright fun. I’m getting more excited as I type this. And yeah, this is being done early as in early Saturday morning because I leave Vienna at 8:50 am. Check my Facebook Page to see what I’m up to in the writing department. I guarantee that I will be posting a few things here and there.

As if my trip weren’t enough…remember last week when I submitted a proposal to my agent? I said that I was hopeful because it was one of my favorite stories. All right, I might not have said it exactly that way but that’s what I meant. And you know what? That enthusiasm paid off as that’s the next series my agent wants me to pursue. I know you can’t see me but I’m truly jumping for joy. This is so awesome! You have no idea just how much I love that story.

But now the hard work comes in. I have to finish polishing the first novel and believe me, it’s not going to be an easy task. I’d been working on it off and on for a few years. Part of the issue is that I made up a language and then realized I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. At least I tried. Then I realized that I needed to take a language I knew, or wanted to know, and bastardize it a little. Or a lot. I think I’ve finally come up with a solution that will work well for me.

Unfortunately, these things take time and as soon as I can get that first book to her, then she wants to shop it around. That means, Deceiving the Scotsman has sunk to second spot and won’t be worked on as much as I thought. I’ll still have it as my NaNo book but the priorities have changed a little bit. This is good because it isn’t boring and makes me do some juggling.

See, I’m a writer that loves to be extremely busy but I do have to have a plan. One of the things that will happen this week with my friend this week is doing some planning along with brainstorming. There is nothing better than having another writer face-to-face to work out some problem you’re having with a project.

So, I’m happy and jazzed about a variety of things. I’ll keep you posted on all of them. See you all next week. Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting #nanowrimo

This week has really kicked in for me with the ‘I am the master of my fate’ mentality. While I did do quite a bit of writing last week in preparation for NaNoWriMo, that stands for the National Novel Writing Month, it’s nothing compared to the kick in the butt November 1^st brought.

Last week I finished up with a proposal to my agent. I sent her a series I’d been sitting on a long time. The first book isn’t quite done and the language isn’t quite finished. It’s epic fantasy with a romance quest at its center and while I shelved it so very long ago because of there being no market for it, I don’t know why it set there because the market changed.

Sure, I know the book isn’t quite done yet but it has won awards and every editor I showed it to asked about it. But still, I sat on it. And sat on it. And then some more. When I talked to my agent over the summer about my contemporary erotic romance series, The MacKenzie Clan, she reminded me that it was time to also think of my next big project.

Ugh, I thought as I was already struggling with Book 2, Deceiving the Scotsman, in the series because I just couldn’t feel the characters or the story. Not like the first one. I’d already done the synopsis, the blurb, long and short log lines. I knew where that book was going but it just wasn’t coming to me. I had worked on it a few years ago for NaNoWriMo and afterwards edited it and tossed over 50% of what I wrote. Man did that hurt.

Sure, the story had gone through a major rehaul, which it needed, a new title change and basically, a whole new set of characters because what I first proposed to my agent got nixed. I had actually wanted to kill off a character in the first book. I was told by not only my agent, but several critique partners, that readers would have a vested interest in that character and there was no way I could kill him off so his wife could go with another man.

Hence, the chopping and trying to put together a manuscript that just might have some redeeming things that can be added to this second book. And that is probably the problem. I had a whole other book in mind and suddenly, it’s not the one that’s going in the series. To say I was bummed in the least is an understatement. I definitely needed to think about a whole different series.

So, I pulled out the epic fantasy romance and read it again. Somewhere along the way, I realized just how good this story was and why I loved it so much. I read through it and fixed some minor things as it had been thoroughly scrubbed and clean when I shelved it. Then I did an amazing thing. I started working on a second proposal that is another fantasy romance. It too had won writing awards in its day but it was another I shelved because my first agent told me it read like a young adult novel.

Uhh…no…it read like a fantasy novel and I didn’t realize at the time the woman had no experience with a novel like that. It took got put away, thinking I’d never finish it. Yet, I’ve decided I’m going to work on it too. Matter of fact, I plan to submit the proposal tomorrow. It had a little more cleanup to do as only the first chapter was really 100% in my mind. Also, it was a little bare in the synopsis, blurb and tag line areas that I had to put some time into.

I know you’re wondering just why I’m tell you all of this at all. The very fact that I’m participating in NaNoWriMo is embracing the whole ‘master of my fate’ thing to the fullest. If I hadn’t been planning to participate here, I wouldn’t have started looking at Deceiving the Scotsman to try and figure out how to tackle the problems of learning to love the characters again. I wouldn’t have been thinking about submitting not one but two proposals to my agent.

I wouldn’t have thought that I could do any of this until I totally grasped the concept of ‘I am the master of my fate’ to the fullest. Again, only I can change the lack of writing. Only I can make the magic happen again.

Right now, the best thing that NaNoWriMo has done for me is to create a passion for something I love. Sure, reading all the craft books doesn’t hurt but there is nothing like NaNo to get your but in the chair because you are competing against yourself to finish a novel in a month.

Heck, if I do it right, I can have this thing cranked out in about 10 days at the max. That means I’ll be able to start another book as well. Today I’m into it for over 1800 words and that’s more than my NaNo minimum. But to do this project well and start a second novel, I’ll need to be doing about 9k a day. I’ll keep you posted.

See you all next week. Until then…

Lynn 

An Apology ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amreading #amwriting #amediting

Hi everyone!

I wanted to apologize for not having a Monday's Austria Scoop or My So-Called Writing Life columns this week. I started with a bang and had no internet all of Monday and most of Tuesday. Today comes along and we're having thunderstorms.

To top it off, I'm heading to a conference in Munich and was going to notify you that next week I was taking vacation. Unfortunately, that turned out to be two weeks.

But I can guarantee you that on Monday, July 20th, you'll be in for a special treat with Monday's Austria Scoop. You'll be going to an Austrian wedding with me, complete with pictures that I'm allowed to show and I'll even explain some of the traditions I learned about during the whole wedding process as we've, my DH and I, have been privy to a lot of the happenings.

Also, on Tuesday, July 21st, My So-Called Writing Life will have a run down on conferences and what an author can expect about them. There are so many out there and it all comes down to what you need or want. I'll go over some of the better ones and tell you all about my experience in Munich.

Talk to you then and hope each one of you have an awesome time until I return!

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amediting

Well, it’s the last day of June and I’m still struggling to get the report I promised done as well as up. When I started rearranging the date, I found that there was a lot more good information there than I expected.

To give you an idea of what I’m going to give you on Thursday, you will be getting a list of single day promotions, multiday promotions and the list of those who rejected me or didn’t get back to me. You will also get the timeline of when things started, ended and what days I had bumps in sales. I will tell you who I advertised with on those bump days and while that day might have several places I went, I should be able to give some insight on just who gave me that bump.

And yes, there are some definite bump producing advertisers in the list. Amazingly so. Like I said, I was really surprised when I started putting the data together this past weekend. I would have had it done but this week is one of the few weeks that I even have anything to do with what my husband does for a living. This week, there’s dinners out, ambassadors’ parties to attend and so much more as he has meetings/conferences here in Vienna.

That said, most of my writing has been blogging and articles or interviews this past week. Yeah, the boring stuff. I did a few things on some stories but not a lot and in one way that makes me very, very sad. Yet, it’s not often I get to do anything with my husband regarding his career. The reasons are many: they only have a couple of meetings a year where Americans are involved and budget cuts.

See, I used to get invited to everything. Or at least for that first year. Then the budget cuts started and the people who planned the parties realized that they could do a cheaper party if no spouses were invited. So they stopped inviting us altogether. Now, it made me angry because that was one of the biggest reasons I came here with my husband. He thought we’d be entertaining a lot and that I’d need to do the social thing with him.

But au contraire, it wasn’t to be.

I did tell him tonight that I was going to take him to a writers’ shindig because then he could feel like I do. LOL! Lots of people I don’t know, all saying hi like they know me, and more food than you can ever imagine. None of which I really ate because I want to be home having my own 4^th of July celebration. And it’s times that this when I dream of home more than usual. I’ll miss everything you’re enjoying, so think of me this Saturday.

I’ll be posting the marketing information Thursday. Promise. Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amreading

I know that I promised yesterday that this one would be up on time but…I’ve been writing most of the day and I figure that is a good excuse to not be posting this. Never mind that the internet decided to be a PIA today and be flaking in and out. It happens a lot here with the older buildings and the rain. Matter-of-fact, I can’t buzz anyone into the building until all the electronics dry out. Oh, the joys of living in an older flat. Sigh.

This past week I have done quite a bit. I’ve written a few blogs and started on the second book in the MacKenzie Clan series with a vengeance this week. The book is titled Deceiving the Scotsman and it’s about the heroine’s assistant and the hero’s brother both from the first book. And it all begins at a wedding. I’ll be posting random bits and pieces on some of the My Sexy Saturday posts. It has a little bit of suspense and intrigue and once I get things more gelled in my mind, I’ll let you all in on it.

And I know that I promised last week to share information regarding specific marketing information regarding my last book but I’m still writing it. I don’t want it to be anything more than a piece about what worked and didn’t work for me. Opinion has no place, other than how it relates to the event, in an article of that nature. I want to be fair and non-judgmental on every level. That means, it needs to be looked over by the crit partners once it’s completed the way I like.

If luck holds out, I might be able to have it up for Thursday’s Tidbits. That’s the day that I actually plan to share information tidbits, which have helped me along the way. Now, other authors can do this too and if you have a tidbit you want to share, just send me an email at lynncrain@cox.net and let me know. I can schedule you in any time and let you know the requirements.

Another great thing that happened to me was that I finally read some of the books that are piling up on my tablet in the Kindle app. Yeah, there are hundreds there. Some I’ve purchased, others I’ve downloaded when an author had a free day and I wanted to help them with their counts. But I don’t think that works anymore and in the last six months, I’ve been more choosy about who I’ve been downloading. Meaning, if I don’t think I’ll ever read it, I don’t download it any more. The only ones that I will download automatically, are friends and authors I know. Yes, I really do believe in the back-scratch theory.

Anyway, the book that I think every writer should read came to me in a StoryBundle Package. That package was full of great writer’s books and I feel that I should be reading one fiction and one non-fiction book at all times. Of course, one is for pleasure and the other to help me hone my craft. I am one of those who feel learning is a life-long mission. I will never learn it all, especially in writing, so I must always be taking a class or reading a book in regards to getting better as a writer.

One of the books in the bundle was by a favorite author of mine, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. She is someone I learned about long ago and wanted her to be my editor if I ever got into the short story market. Today, she is a powerhouse as far as self-publishing goes and gives out damn good information that writers need. This book is called The Write Attitude and most of it is taken from her Thursday blog called The Business Rusch. She blogs about other things but Thursdays are special. The link goes to the pages and all of the articles available.

This book has a compilation of what she considers her best articles on certain topics. Things like being the best writer you can be and life. She calls those things that we can’t predict ‘life rolls’ and by gosh, she’s right. Kris explains it so much better than I can and I had to admit, there were places I was practically crying because she could have been talking to me. I swear, I have done all the bad, the good and the ugly things she mention in this book.

No…not really…but it seems like it. I mean, I’ve yet to follow an editor into the bathroom and shove a manuscript under a stall door. So, I guess I am better than some. LOL!

If you are in a place that you feel like you’ll never dig yourself out of then this is the writing book for you. It is flat out motivating and has tons of useful information. I am already reading parts of it again and definitely looking into taking some classes with her and her husband, Dean Wesley Smith. These two, without even knowing it, formulated much of how I think about writing science fiction. Maybe if I had studied with them years ago, I would have more confidence in myself and be a better writer overall.

Personally, I know my flaws and have some great ideas on how to go around or through them. Every writer has to find the path that is good for them and the one that will work. Still, I highly recommend going to look at the book and check out Kris’ website. You will not be sorry.

Next week, or possibly Thursday, I will be sharing the marketing information and where I feel you’ll get the most bang-for-your-buck on a limited budget of just $250. And don’t despair, you can go it too.

Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting

Yes, this week is very late again and last week was totally forgotten. For both I apologize but I do have good reasons.

This past week from last Wednesday to today, it has been very, very humid. Humidity and I don’t get along. Matter of fact, I have been accused of being depressed because when it’s too humid, I normally sleep a lot during the day. Of course, what people don’t see is that I sometimes stay up all night because I function better.

Then there are the headaches that I get. They aren’t really migraines but the pain is pretty close to the same according to my doctor. So, when I’m hurting and have a headache because of humidity, I will retreat to sleep. Though there have been a few cool days, like today, I’ve needed a nap nearly every day anytime from noon until 6 in the evening to just function somewhat normally. I haven’t been this way all my life but it did start in my early 40s when I began menopause and hasn’t let up since.

Today, I had a nap and also a Skype call with my agent that took precedent over everything else. It was a fantastic call and The MacKenzie Clan series will hopefully be at a NYC publisher very soon. Starting July 6, she’ll be shopping this one around. Today book 1 is called Loving the Scotsman but it started its life very, very differently. You can look up Where’s My Underwear? or Loving the Scotsman here on the blog to get the full scoop on this wonderful story and the rest of the series.

Yes, it went from a romantic comedy to a more serious book but I blame the characters for that since I’m a pantser all the way. I started writing this nice little short story that morphed into a novella and the next thing I knew it had a life of its own and a backstory to match. It took me a few years to complete because I wanted it perfect and IMHO, it is. It’s also an award-winning book that hopefully will find a home very, very soon. I’ll be writing Book 2 and 3 in the coming months and posting some wonderful snippets right here for My Sexy Saturday.

Today’s real subject is something I’ve been thinking about and it was only in the past three weeks when two incidents happened that made me think about it long and hard. One of the incidents was where I conveyed a bit of information about an agent to an author friend and the other was where I gave my opinion on a speaker coming to my State side writers group.

I didn’t feel bad about giving out the information because I felt it was based in fact but then a few comments let me know that my view was suddenly skewed. My information had become irrelevant and I wondered how that could have ever happened. I was always so on top of the latest info and everything in the publishing world.

I would attend a couple of conferences a year, read everything that I could get my hands on regarding markets and the like. But without the face time I had with other authors where I could gauge information relayed to me, to be truth or personal opinion, I had little to no basis on what I had said because my information was old. About five years plus old. That makes what I said irrelevant to the current situation.

Sure, I had passed on information based on things I had learned from other writers previously. And that information probably was true, or perceived as true, when it was given to me. However, five years down the road, not so much so and therefore only hearsay and irrelevant.

No, I am not one to arbitrarily give out bad information. I normally give out information told to me from reputable sources or seen first-hand. I don’t tell tall tales about agents, publishers or other authors nor about speakers, no matter who they are or how I might personally feel about them. If I give out information it is usually something I’ve heard or seen sometime within a 6-12 month time frame.

However, you have to be in situations to get that information and since I hadn’t been to any large conferences for five years, I gave very old intel. And that is bad. I apologize to everyone as it wasn’t my intent to give out information that didn’t mean anything but it did teach me a lesson. Don’t get hoof and mouth disease unless you can back up your facts with up-to-date information. Everything else is hogwash.

Am I sorry that it happened? Yes, I am sorry but I am not sorry that I tried to do some author friends a solid and pass on that information. Authors, for all their time spent alone, do not live in a void and one of the best ways to learn is to put yourself out there at conferences, writer retreats and meetings where you can actually brush elbows with readers, authors and other publishing professionals.

Next time, I will check my facts more carefully and try to remember where and when I heard that tidbit. Obviously, not all tidbits are meant to be shared and that’s a whole other story for another time. But the tidbits I do share will at least be learned from a more relevant time frame.

Next week, I hope to share some information regarding my recent release and what I did to advertise it. While my sales were small, I do feel I got some really good data from which to make some assumptions for future releases.

Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amreading

I’m in synopsis hell and have decided without a doubt that I hate writing them. Those little outline type pages that is supposed to divulge everything about your story within a couple thousand words. I suck at them. Sure, I can write something down about each chapter but I have never, ever done them successfully in my mind. They always seem lacking something.

Take today for example. I send my final synopsis to my critique group as I’m about to send the whole packet to my agent. This is the book of my heart and is something I’ve slaved over for years it seems like. In reality, I wrote it very fast and it just took years to edit to my satisfaction. It is the one story I have always felt is my breakout story if I ever had one. And when I did finally decide to start shopping it around, I have a couple of years of personal things that make me keep moving it to the back burner because I didn’t want to ruin it.

Frankly, I’m beginning to think that all those years of classes didn’t account for much because at this moment, I feel very, very stupid. And I shouldn’t. Synopses are hard for everyone. One of my problems is that this is part of a series. Book 1 and its synopsis is complete or so I thought. I just got back the crits and boy, I feel down yet somehow relieved. I knew it needed work and now I see just how much. Ugh. Yet all are simple fixes with a line here, a delete there.

Do all writers feel this way sometimes? Do they wonder why they write when they can’t get the story idea down in a synopsis correctly? I swear I have been studying this for years but looking at this…I am sure I missed the boat. More than one boat matter of fact.

So let’s look at the anatomy of a synopsis. Again, there are definitely some things that a synopsis needs and doesn’t need to do.

·        It needs to cover the big parts of a story and not the little details. Matter of fact, little details can bog it down to the point of it not being a great selling tool for your novel.

·        It needs to be written in third person, present tense.

·        It is the one time where telling the story is important but does not need to be a blow by blow detail oriented summary of every aspect of your book.

·        It needs to introduce all your characters, their main conflict as well as their emotional story arc.

·        There are no cliffhangers allowed as it tells of your plot twists and the ending. It’s point is to show that you have strategicly layered your story and that it sticks together the way it should.

           

            Sounds simple right? Ha! Do not fool yourself as this can be just as hard as it was to complete the book. When writing these things I had to have some zen moments and remind myself that I could do this. It isn’t rocket science though there was a moment I certainly thought it was.

            Now, I’m off to finish everything but I’d like to remind you that I am promoting my latest book Night of the Blue Moon…and it’s the last book in the Blue Moon Magic series. It has a few fans already and is slowly getting some sales. You can find a lot of information right here on the blog as well as the series blog at Our Blue Moon World.

And no, I haven’t forgotten that I was going to write an article about ebook pricing, synopses just took center stage. That topic will be covered next week!

Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amreading

Sorry for posting so late but this is week full of promotion, promotion and more promotion. It’s all part and parcel of being an author. I can’t go a week without doing something promotion wise and there are many days I want off this train.

I remember years ago, when I was first starting out, I had this vision of someone else doing all my promotion. I dreamed of the day where all I had to do was approve it and off it went. I suppose in some weird way, I saw my life sort of like the one seen in the 1989 movie, She-Devil, where the author just seems to float on air and everything gets done and she has scads of fans.

Not.

Today, I know that there are times when life doesn’t live up to the fantasy. I frequently say that it’s not all tiaras and limos. Matter of fact, I can’t remember ever when it was tiaras and limos at all. Sure, when going to some RWA conferences, I’ve ridden in a limo. Needless to say, that was really the only choice of vehicle available. In Hawaii, to get from the airport to the hotels, it was cheaper to reserve a limo than to take a taxi. Same for New York and New Orleans.

Here where I live in Vienna, most of the taxis are Mercedes or BMWs or some other luxury car. Does that mean I’m driven around in limos here? I suppose if you look at it in some weird way, yes. The fact is that those are the normal occurrences in those places and therefore, I go with the norm of where I’m at.

Did it make me feel special? Not really. Only one limo, and that was in New Orleans, was it a stretch with a bar and we laughed all the way there. We only got it because the driver’s fare didn’t show up and he had to go back to the airport anyway. He gave us a good deal and off we went. Most of the time in the States, the limos have been town cars and enough said there.

So, back to promo. In that other world where I dreamed that someone else did it for me, I suppose I just took it for granted. In this world, I take nothing for granted and work very hard to get the word out there about my books. I blog, I Facebook and I tweet. I also do newsletters, Pinterest and a few other things, like selected promo with places like eBookSoda and BKnights as examples.

All of this takes time and effort to coordinate it and while I do get help, it does take a big chunk out of my writing day. I write a lot of erotic content and this time, I had to find places that would boost sales while taking erotic content. And we’re not talking overtly erotic here. Most of my eroticism happens during love making sessions and I use all the big words. I’ve been told on a number of occasions that I write sweet erotic romance. Huh? How do I market that?

Even though I’m doing all this right now, I know as a writer that the best promotion of any book I write is word of mouth. That’s where a fan tells another fan and then another until it snowballs and suddenly you have good sales and if you’re lucky, a best seller on your hands.

Right now, I am lucky enough to have a few award winning books under my belt and I’m hope that eventually, they will translate into sales. Part of my problem is that I have been extremely slow in getting my next books out. It’s been nearly a year between them and I know that this is a problem. And it’s not a problem of me not writing fast. That I can do but being out of my normal environs sometimes takes it all out of me and all I want to do is retreat.

Yeah, like I’ve said, I should be living the dream because I’m in Europe and my time is my own and yada, yada, yada. Sometimes it isn’t that simple. Sometimes it’s just wrapping your head around your situation and learning to live with it. I’m a slow learner in that area and now it’s almost time for us to leave and return home.

What am I promoting, you may ask…the book is Night of the Blue Moon…and it’s the last book in the Blue Moon Magic series. It has a few fans already and is slowly getting some sales. You can find a lot of information right here on the blog as well as the series blog at Our Blue Moon World.

And speaking of books. I did buy the next Longmire book by Craig Johnson. It cost way too much and though it’s an enjoyable read, my topic next week will be regarding ebook pricing.

Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #amreading

This was a week that I took a daily break from writing. I blamed it on bad internet connections, bad headache, bad allergies, you name it, I used it this week. Not to say those things weren’t true, they were but being a writer is like being a mother sometimes you have to put away how you’re feeling and get the job done.

Most of the time, I’m that way. I will plug along with the biggest pounding headache or allergy headache until I can’t see straight and then I’ll lay down. Not this week. This week is a big week as I’m celebrating the re-release of Night of the Blue Moon, one of my award winning books. It starts with a bang tomorrow.

First, there will be a post here. Then there will be a Thunderclap where I get tweeted or FB shared with over 800K worth of people. That is so exciting in itself and sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it. Then between now and May 20^th, when I’m supposed to raise the price to $2.99, it’s going to be shared, tweeted and promoted by others. The price of the book is $0.99 right now and if the promotion goes well, I may just leave it on sale for a little bit longer. The link will be shared tomorrow.

Now back to why I took a break. I know I had a lot of things to do with the re-release of my book. I’ve done them today, yesterday, I’ll be doing them tomorrow. So why then am I taking a break?

One word…Longmire. Yup, I’m a die-hard Longmire fan and Netflix recently released season 3 on the world. Since they are the new network of the series, that means they are prepping us for something. I know it won’t be until fall but I like to be early. So I’ve been having a Longmire Fest since last Friday when I noticed the announcement.

Add to that, another Longmire novel was released today and you’ve got one happy reader. Yes, writers are readers and it’s important that we do. Most writers don’t read stories in their genre when they are writing because they don’t want any slippage from what they read to their page.

Sometimes I adhere to that and sometimes I don’t. I don’t read as much as I used to and it saddens me. Therefore, I won’t stop a story I’m reading just because I’ve suddenly decided to write something similar. And that’s all it would ever be is similar. The reasons are many but the biggest fact is my imagination isn’t like anyone else in any way. You can give two writers the same prompt and they will come up with totally different stories. In my honest opinion, the only time they would be close is if they ever worked together, graduated from the same writing school or something along those lines.

After all, there are no new ideas in the way of plots. All writers know that there are about twenty basic plotlines and everything we write is a deviation of one of those. Take that number and multiply it by the number of writers, you get an idea of just how many storylines can come up.

Sure, there may be some overlap. I can’t name the times that I’ve read a story and said to myself, ‘I had that idea…why didn’t I act upon it?’ Most ideas, in general, have been thought about by at least two different people in the world. The names or circumstances will be different, but the germ of an idea might be the same.

I’m off to read Longmire…heck I’ll probably stay up all night…next week, maybe I’ll let you know just why I love Craig Johnson’s writing so darn much!

Until then…

Lynn 

My So-Called Writing Life ~ @oddlynn3 #LynnCrain #amwriting #PCers #MSSAuthors

Writing is a business, and every writer should know this. For clarification, if one plans on making money writing then it becomes more than just a hobby or past time. That doesn’t mean writers aren’t supposed to enjoy their word or find a deeper meaning in it, it just means we need to look at things with a different eye.

I am reminded daily just what it means to be a selling writer. Every day, I try to move books that I wrote and it’s a very hard thing to do. Most of the time, I just rely on word of mouth as that is the best technique to get readers to pick up your stories. When one reader picks up your book and shares it with another, a writer knows there is no higher praise.

Yet, there are writers who don’t maximize their efforts by using the tools they have available. And all writers need to have those tools at their disposal whenever necessary. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more can make a writers life easier without being overbearing toward readers.

Yes, it’s true that a reader doesn’t want to be pummeled with information about your book. However, it does take at least a week of seeing something before they might check it out. Most of the time, I will do a week or two of intense information on a release then back off to a more leisurely pace when letting folks know about new books.

One of the items that writers do have at their disposal are the share buttons on their website or blog. Every author should use them to share their books at least once a week or whenever they are doing events such as blog hops. It saddens me when I see writers not using those very simple social media buttons to share their stories with the world. It saddens me even more when those buttons aren’t available at their website.

For those of us who do participate in event blogs, it makes it harder to do our bit in sharing other writers when those options are available to us. Now that doesn’t mean we can’t share your work, it means it’s less convenient to do so. In this day and age, convenience is everything.

I will go through a whole blog list to share those who are easy to share first and schedule that informaton. Those with no share options will get done second as I have to compose the tweet or Facebook share from scratch before I can schedule it. Once all those items have been shared, I will then go back and comment on all the posts. Doing this takes a lot of time for me. If it takes a lot of time for me, it does for other writers and most of us see it as time spent away from writing.

None of us want to spend time away from our writing, so many times the things we should do become a burden and don’t get done at all. Things like sharing another writers post. Those are things we should be doing for each other because when one of us wins, we all win because writers have long memories like an elephant. We won’t forget those who help us along our way.

Most of us are lifelong readers and will read an author’s work to help them. If we like it, we’ll come back for more just like any other reader. Most of our readers will get a first book then the rest of the series because they love it. I’ll do that as well. Sometimes I will wait until the whole series is out before I start. Others I’ll just grumble during the months between books.

But it all comes back to writing is a business. Part of that business is sharing our work and the work of others. It’s called the rule of reciprocity and it’s something we all should be practicing especially in the romance markets along with all it’s subgenres. There’s enough for each of us out there and we need to remember that as we move along our journey, our quest for a set number of readers.

Share for yourself, share for others and share because it’s the right thing to do. People remember kindness and the way you make them feel.

Until next week…

Lynn