Nerves
I'm completely in a tizzy about the upcoming Printers Row Book Fair I will be in this weekend in Chicago. My nerves are just jangling. It doesn't seem like any big thing to worry about, and people have told me it has a really relaxed atmosphere. Plus, I'm going to be sharing a tent with a good writing friend. So, why am I freaking out?
It's because I am envisioning thousands of people walking up to me and asking "What's the book about?" Now, I do have what they call the Elevator Speech to explain it, plus they can look at the back cover of the book to read the blurb. But when I have to actually DO the Elevator Speech, I always stumble and bumble and go off-script. I never say it the same way twice. I have learned that there are plenty of other writers who do this, but that doesn't help much. I'm also afraid I'm going to scare off some people with the angels theme, because they will think it's a religious book. On the other hand, I don't want the fundamentalists because they will find plenty to be offended about in this book. Ack! What to do.
The bookmarks are printed and we will get the poster today (yay, hubby). I brainstormed with my boothmate today and we decided to have a free candy dish (can't hurt). I'm doing a drawing for free Angel Cards, which I will display. We have tarps if it rains, umbrellas, and my friend wants me to bring a boom box to play music--since her book, "Hudson Lake", is about the life of Bix Biederbecke. (Please forgive me if I spelled that incorrectly.)
Anyway, my stop today on the Virtual Book Tour is at The Book Peddler http://thebookpedler.wordpress.com/
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch, "Excited Light, angels, Printers Row Book Fair, magical realism, contemporary fantasy
June 8, 2007
June 7, 2007
I'm way behind...
I know! I'm supposed to write a blog every day during this book tour. But things have just gotten out of hand. I have to write guest blogs and answer interviews. And...there's that little thing called Life that I have to get on with also. Such as going to the dentist and buying my niece a birthday present. That's done, but now I've got a zillion things left to do.
So, just know that I'm going to be a guest on The Book Pedler tomorrow. We did an interview and it's different from the other ones you may have seen.
I'm ducking out. Bye for now.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch, "Excited Light", angels, contemporary fantasy, New Age
So, just know that I'm going to be a guest on The Book Pedler tomorrow. We did an interview and it's different from the other ones you may have seen.
I'm ducking out. Bye for now.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch, "Excited Light", angels, contemporary fantasy, New Age
June 6, 2007
Royalties!
Royalties!
Today, I received my first royalty check from iUniverse for my novel, "Excited Light". It's not a lot of money, but it covers the price I paid to have the book printed, plus another 50% worth of profit. Not too bad. I feel like framing the thing, except I want the money.
There is no stop today in my Virtual Book Tour, so I can just blather about whatever I want today--and naturally, nothing comes to mind. The French Open has ceased to be interesting with the usual suspects in the quarter finals. Serena is out, so there go the Americans.
Not much here but a lot of work. I have to write a guest blog for another stop on the tour, so rather than write two blogs in one day, I shall bid you adieu.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch, Excited Light, contemporary fantasy,New Age,
angels, magical realism
Today, I received my first royalty check from iUniverse for my novel, "Excited Light". It's not a lot of money, but it covers the price I paid to have the book printed, plus another 50% worth of profit. Not too bad. I feel like framing the thing, except I want the money.
There is no stop today in my Virtual Book Tour, so I can just blather about whatever I want today--and naturally, nothing comes to mind. The French Open has ceased to be interesting with the usual suspects in the quarter finals. Serena is out, so there go the Americans.
Not much here but a lot of work. I have to write a guest blog for another stop on the tour, so rather than write two blogs in one day, I shall bid you adieu.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch, Excited Light, contemporary fantasy,New Age,
angels, magical realism
June 5, 2007
Why I don't get writer's block
Something came up on my Chicago Writers Association mailing list about having a writing day job. Does it burn you out for fiction writing, someone wanted to know.
I couldn't disagree more. Having a day-to-day job taught me how to write every day, no
matter how I felt (good discipline for writers), to get things in on deadline, polished my grammar and punctuation skills, and taught me to write about *anything*, even if it was out of my comfort zone.
Because I was in the features department, I also had a lot of leeway and was able to develop a style that was my own. All of these skills are important for fiction writers.
People often want to know what is the best training for a writer, and I always respond, get a job where you have to write every day. Once you learn to write in spite of bad moods, stomach aches, anger, frustration with your kids, or if you just plain-old don't feel like it, then you have become a true writer. Writers write, regardless of things swirling around them. Okay, grief over a loved one or other tragic events will qualify for time off. And vacations should always be true vacations. But people who say they are writers, but don't have anything to show for it really drive me crazy. Get it down on the screen or on paper! Ah, my screed for the day.
Anyway, my wonderful Virtual Book Tour continues at The Wolf Never Sleeps. I have some more writer's advice on there, in saltier language. Also, this tour seems to be working, because some people are buying my book on Amazon. My numbers jumped up and I couldn't be happier.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
angels, contemporary fantasy,
I couldn't disagree more. Having a day-to-day job taught me how to write every day, no
matter how I felt (good discipline for writers), to get things in on deadline, polished my grammar and punctuation skills, and taught me to write about *anything*, even if it was out of my comfort zone.
Because I was in the features department, I also had a lot of leeway and was able to develop a style that was my own. All of these skills are important for fiction writers.
People often want to know what is the best training for a writer, and I always respond, get a job where you have to write every day. Once you learn to write in spite of bad moods, stomach aches, anger, frustration with your kids, or if you just plain-old don't feel like it, then you have become a true writer. Writers write, regardless of things swirling around them. Okay, grief over a loved one or other tragic events will qualify for time off. And vacations should always be true vacations. But people who say they are writers, but don't have anything to show for it really drive me crazy. Get it down on the screen or on paper! Ah, my screed for the day.
Anyway, my wonderful Virtual Book Tour continues at The Wolf Never Sleeps. I have some more writer's advice on there, in saltier language. Also, this tour seems to be working, because some people are buying my book on Amazon. My numbers jumped up and I couldn't be happier.
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
angels, contemporary fantasy,
June 4, 2007
There I am!
Yup, I'm in the wonderfully named Plug Your Book Web site today on my Virtual Book Tour.
Who is that woman in the picture on the top? Eudora Welty? It's not Lillian Hellman. I know she's got to be someone famous, but I can't place it. Anyway, the site also has a link to my You Tube book trailer, so that's cool, too.
Last evening brought in some powerful thunderstorms and it has cooled off significantly here. There are puddles and flooded streets. Yuck. I suppose we need the rain, but could it be less messy? I have to do the post office thing, then run some clean clothes down to my son (yes, I still do his laundry). He's in that hell of the last two weeks of school, so I feel bad for him; I picked up some essentials like bottled water, batteries and will also bring him some stamps. They closed the White Hen (you guys know what that is, right? a convenience store?) in his building, so there's nowhere closeby to pick up this kind of thing. And he doesn't have his car downtown. I keep telling him that once I get a big-time advance on a book of mine, I'll buy him garage space. Right now, it's just too astronomical. And the subway is two blocks away.
Then I zip home to work on getting things done for the Printers Row Book Fair. I actually shouldn't be panicking. Hubby is home. Thank goodness, because I was getting very lonely. Just Netflix and me.
Anyone watch last night's "The Sopranos"? I have very few shows I watch with any regularity, "The Daily Show" and "The Sopranos," being tops, then maybe "House" or "30 Rock." And, of course, the French Open. Anyway, "The Sopranos" is down to its final episode next week and it's so freaking depressing. Last night's episode just gave me the chills. Anyone else out there have any opinions on what's going to happen? My guess is that Tony lives, but his "family" is destroyed.
Okay, on that lovely note, see you tomorrow when my next book stop is The Wolf Never Sleeps..
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
contemporary fantasy,
angels,
Printers Row Book Fair
Who is that woman in the picture on the top? Eudora Welty? It's not Lillian Hellman. I know she's got to be someone famous, but I can't place it. Anyway, the site also has a link to my You Tube book trailer, so that's cool, too.
Last evening brought in some powerful thunderstorms and it has cooled off significantly here. There are puddles and flooded streets. Yuck. I suppose we need the rain, but could it be less messy? I have to do the post office thing, then run some clean clothes down to my son (yes, I still do his laundry). He's in that hell of the last two weeks of school, so I feel bad for him; I picked up some essentials like bottled water, batteries and will also bring him some stamps. They closed the White Hen (you guys know what that is, right? a convenience store?) in his building, so there's nowhere closeby to pick up this kind of thing. And he doesn't have his car downtown. I keep telling him that once I get a big-time advance on a book of mine, I'll buy him garage space. Right now, it's just too astronomical. And the subway is two blocks away.
Then I zip home to work on getting things done for the Printers Row Book Fair. I actually shouldn't be panicking. Hubby is home. Thank goodness, because I was getting very lonely. Just Netflix and me.
Anyone watch last night's "The Sopranos"? I have very few shows I watch with any regularity, "The Daily Show" and "The Sopranos," being tops, then maybe "House" or "30 Rock." And, of course, the French Open. Anyway, "The Sopranos" is down to its final episode next week and it's so freaking depressing. Last night's episode just gave me the chills. Anyone else out there have any opinions on what's going to happen? My guess is that Tony lives, but his "family" is destroyed.
Okay, on that lovely note, see you tomorrow when my next book stop is The Wolf Never Sleeps..
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
contemporary fantasy,
angels,
Printers Row Book Fair
June 3, 2007
Next stop...
My Virtual Book Tour continues tomorrow at http://www.plugyourbook.blogspot.com/, an aptly named site. I mean how close to the truth can you get than "plug your book"? I guess there's a site for everything. Certainly if you put just about any word into Google, you'll get about a hundred results.
Right now, I'm winding down after a rather un-relaxing Sunday of dashing about trying to get things done. I also attacked the weeds. Die, die, die! It's getting better. It doesn't look like a tropical jungle anymore. But I really need my husband and his chain saw for the neighbor's bushes that are growing through the fence into MY garden. Bushes, humph. They don't know their boundaries. Plus a climbing rose bush died, probably due to our rough spring. Requiem for a rose bush. Sigh. I need to buy a replacement.
I really did try to take pix of yesterday's 80th birthday party for my aunt, but that's a little difficult when you haven't brought your camera. D'oh! Good one, Lynn. I took a couple shots with my cell phone, but they look fuzzy. Not sure what was going on there. Accept it, I'm mechanically challenged. I'm still trying to figure out how to take people off my phone book on my cell phone. (When we bought the phone hubby downloaded my address book into it, and I've got people on there who I haven't talked to in years--and some I never want to talk to again!)
I'm beginning to panic about the Printer's Row festival. I don't have my bookmarks printed yet. (Need hubby.) The post cards I sent out had the wrong time for Sunday, so there's that to fix. I'll probably have to e-mail everyone. I have to have my posters printed at Kinko's or whereever and once again I need expert help on how to get this done. I'm not at all calm and collected. I saw the street corner where we will be sitting. Right in the middle of things, but also right by my son's apartment, so I'll have a place to take shelter, grab a cool drink, maybe even invite friends over if my son is willing. I plan to stay there that night, so that I don't have to schlep everything back home on Saturday night, then schlep it back on Sunday.
Look, if I didn't have anything to panic about, it just wouldn't be me.
See ya Monday!
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
angels,
contemporary fantasy,
Printers Row Book Fair
Right now, I'm winding down after a rather un-relaxing Sunday of dashing about trying to get things done. I also attacked the weeds. Die, die, die! It's getting better. It doesn't look like a tropical jungle anymore. But I really need my husband and his chain saw for the neighbor's bushes that are growing through the fence into MY garden. Bushes, humph. They don't know their boundaries. Plus a climbing rose bush died, probably due to our rough spring. Requiem for a rose bush. Sigh. I need to buy a replacement.
I really did try to take pix of yesterday's 80th birthday party for my aunt, but that's a little difficult when you haven't brought your camera. D'oh! Good one, Lynn. I took a couple shots with my cell phone, but they look fuzzy. Not sure what was going on there. Accept it, I'm mechanically challenged. I'm still trying to figure out how to take people off my phone book on my cell phone. (When we bought the phone hubby downloaded my address book into it, and I've got people on there who I haven't talked to in years--and some I never want to talk to again!)
I'm beginning to panic about the Printer's Row festival. I don't have my bookmarks printed yet. (Need hubby.) The post cards I sent out had the wrong time for Sunday, so there's that to fix. I'll probably have to e-mail everyone. I have to have my posters printed at Kinko's or whereever and once again I need expert help on how to get this done. I'm not at all calm and collected. I saw the street corner where we will be sitting. Right in the middle of things, but also right by my son's apartment, so I'll have a place to take shelter, grab a cool drink, maybe even invite friends over if my son is willing. I plan to stay there that night, so that I don't have to schlep everything back home on Saturday night, then schlep it back on Sunday.
Look, if I didn't have anything to panic about, it just wouldn't be me.
See ya Monday!
Lynn
Lynn Voedisch,
Excited Light,
angels,
contemporary fantasy,
Printers Row Book Fair
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)