The only constant in life is change.

Everything keeps on changing.

As I mentioned below, in another post, publication of books 2 and 3 of the Lady Anne series have been put off until next year. I’m disappointed but philosophical; s*%t happens.

On a happier note, I’ve begun a new blog to follow my reading passion, cozy murder mysteries. Check it out: http://cozymurdermysteries.blogspot.com/

Stay tuned!!!!

Bookalicious, Baby!

Hey all,

Check out this wonderful Q&A with Wanda Lynne Young at Bookalicious!

http://yummymummyclub.ca/wanda_lynne_young:_bookalicious#

This was so much fun… thanks, Wanda Lynne!

I’m today’s Fresh Pick!

Yay… this is so nice. At Fresh Fiction I am today’s Fresh Pick!

Check it out:
http://freshfiction.com/pick.php

Stephen King – On Writing

I used to read a lot of how-to writing books, but since I’ve become a published author I don’t read so many. But a friend gave me Stephen King’s book ‘On Writing’. While it is touted as a how-to, it is so much more than that. Part memoir, part why-to, and lastly, part how-to, it is an engrossing look at one man’s journey to becoming a novelist.

Making writing your a career is like dieting or the road to enlightenment… every individual has their own path, what works best for them, and to be successful is to adhere to your firearms… stick to your guns. I will freely admit that right now I am having a little trouble with this. How do I satisfy myself and the reading public’s tastes? How do I do what I need to do and yet write something that will be commercially viable? How do I meld what I want to write with what I should be writing?

It’s not like I’m writing The Unbearable Lightness of Being here. I write commercial fiction, genre fiction, and I love it passionately.

So King’s book comes at a good time for me. A friend asked me, “Does it explain why he’s such a weird person?” And I replied yes, it does. It explains how he uses his nightmares and dreams, his fear and his failures, his glorious depths and fearful heights, and I find it wholly admirable. It explains in part how all writers are a little ‘weird’.

I’ll admit I’ve only read a couple of Stephen King books, Carrie and Misery. I tried to read Gerald’s Game and couldn’t. His stuff is a little too offbeat for me, perhaps. But after reading On Writing, I think I will be looking through his backlist to see what else there is.

But first I’ll finish On Writing. I’m reading it slowly, digesting little bits like an especially flavourful entree that you want to linger over.

I’m glad I’m reading it.

Casablanca Blog – Fun Friday!

For a fun time call…. me!

No, no, no, I mean check out my Casablanca blog entry today for a fun time:

http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/2009/08/fun-friday.html

Who is Bronwyn West…

And why won’t she stop bugging me?

Ah, the terrors of social networking. We all have to do it, published authors in the midlist, I mean. The stars of romance fiction don’t have to, but some of them do anyway; Nora doesn’t have to, but she pops up now and then on blog message boards. You don’t often see Mary Balogh, Diana Gabaldon, or Jo Beverley, though.

Facebook, Myspace, BookBlogs, Published Authors ning… those are some of the ones I do, as well as blogging here and on the Casablanca blog.

But FaceBook… grrr! I routinely friend anyone who asks, and as long as they behave nicely, I leave things be. (I don’t respond to the ‘John Doe just became a fan of John Doe and thinks you should too’ idiots) But there’s always one in a crowd who goes overboard, and it seems to me that on FaceBook Bronwyn West (nice name, btw) whoever she is, is that one person. It started innocently enough with the page suggestions, etc. Then I noticed multiple suggestions from her for every single freaking fracking social networking site online, sometimes ten a day. I had had enough a week or so ago, so I unfriended her on FaceBook and sent her a sternly worded letter asking her to please take me off whatever list she has me on.

After that I got a chipper and impersonal note saying she had started up an email account for me!!! The nerve… an email account!! That’s mighty personal.
This morning it was two from her for Octopop, whatever that is!!!

In my spam email box this morning I had another Bronwyn West invitation for something called Naijapals, to meet Nigerian Pals, and now (I’m sure you’ve all gotten plenty of the Nigerian 419 scam emails) I’m beginning to wonder if I should feel sorry for Bronwyn. Has her mail or FaceBook been hacked into? Poor woman. Actually, her picture looks very nice, smiling face, kind eyes. Maybe I’ve been too hard on her. Should I refriend her?

Oh Noooo… I’ve drunk the social networking koolaid! Help me before I friend again.

I knew that!

When I am stressed or tired, have had bad news, am worried or unhappy, I, like many others, reach for the teapot. I always feel better after a cuppa, and here is the proof that I’m not alone!

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090813/world/lifestyle_britain_health_research_drink

For me there is only one tea – Tetley – and it must be brewed in a pot, not a cup. Interesting story… I was doing a little research into whether Tetley tea is even available in the United States and I discovered that yes, it is, but it is weaker because Americans brew their tea in the mug, while Canadians are more likely to make it in the pot.

So there ya go! One of the few big differences (or many subtle ones) between Americans and Canadians.

The best thing about a cup of tea, to me, is sharing one with friends!

40 years ago today…

The song ‘Woodstock’ was written by my all time favorite singer/songwriter, Canadian Joni Mitchell. However, sadly enough, her version of the song is not the one I like. (Though I love everything else she does, especially River, Chelsea Morning, Help Me, Free Man in Paris…)

Matthews Southern Comfort is a one hit wonder of a band, but their ethereal rendition of the song is the best, in my humble opinion.

The irony is, of course, given the words, Joni Mitchell did not make it to Woodstock. She was supposed to go to the Dick Cavett show, and she honored the commitment and missed the iconic festival.

Forty years ago today the festival began.

I should have done this before now…

I don’t know if you’re like this, but when I’m not looking forward to doing something, I drag my feet and procrastinate something awful. And so I have been doing for a few weeks.

Some time ago I learned that Lady Anne Book 2 – Lady Anne and the Ghost’s Revenge – and Book 3 – Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse – would not be coming out on schedule in August and November respectively.

The sad fact is, Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark has not sold as well as was expected, and the publisher felt it was in the series best interest to delay publication of Books 2 and 3 to ‘reposition’ the series.

The books are now scheduled to be released in the Fall of 2010, and I have been assured that that is a firm date.

I’m terribly disappointed and have been avoiding the whole subject – though I did send the information out to subscribers to my newsletter – but I’m starting to see reviews of The Ghost’s Revenge online, (good reviews, for the most part) and I got a very nice letter from a reader this morning asking what was going on; she had heard from Amazon that the book was not coming out August 1st, and they didn’t know when it would be.  I knew I had to do something.

So… sigh. At least now you know.

This seems to be happening fairly often recently, and on Dear Author they did a post recently on whether readers are bothered by writers online bashing their publisher. Click here to see the post!

In my case, I’ve been lucky. Sourcebooks Casablanca has been nothing but professional, and I appreciate it.

If you want to be kept up-to-date, then go to my website and sign up for my newsletter!

And in a related note, will someone PLEASE tell Harriet Klausner that my name is not Donna Lea Simmons???

Blogging and Interview!

Hi all,

Just a quick note…

‘Nuff Said

Check this out!

‘Nuff said.