Gee, Some People Are Tough!

The arrogance of some people in this biz scares the beejeezers out of me and I don't know how to respond - whether to be shocked, or just plain pissed (honestly, if I ever act in that way do me a favor and prick my bubble. Please!) I'm just a little writer telling stories to entertain people, and didn't realize I was supposed to grovel to anyone willing to read my words. Not gonna happen -- sorry folks. I mean, at the end of the day we are all people and even the queen doesn't seem so regal caught on the can with her drawers down, right?

Take the recent debacle with the A and R Whitcoulls Group, a.k.a. the Angus and Robertson bookstore chain. That's kinda relevant to me since I recently went into our local branch to see if they had the Cup of Comfort books in stock and was told, yes, they could get them in, but they didn't stock them on the shelves. Hmm -- how many do you think we're gonna sell there, even if the press does a release? My guess would be none if readers can't see the books to fall in love with them, esp if they have to wait 6-9 weeks for an order to come in. Today's reader waits for no man. Or woman. I also noticed Eden Bradley and Gemma Halliday's books were not on their shelves, either. When I asked, I was told they too could be ordered in the same waiting deal as the Cup of Comfort stuff. Sigh. As Australia’s largest bookseller, with 180 bookstores and about 20% of the retail market, what's the story with A and R's limited range? It seems to be shrinking daily, or is that just my impression?

Anyhu, then I came across the article over at Making Light http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009263.html
and my brows about hit the roof.

A and R's commercial manager, Charlie Rimmer, recently sent a startling letter to Australian small publishers and distributors, demanding a substantial payment from each by August 17 (reportedly ranging from AU$2,500 to AU$20,000) if they want A and R to keep selling their books!!! They concluded that they have far too many suppliers and "over 40% of our supplier agreements fall below our requirements in terms of profit earned... Accordingly, we will be rationalizing our supplier numbers and setting a minimum earnings ratio of income to trade purchases that we expect to achieve from our suppliers."

Now I would have thought that having multiple suppliers—that is, a broad range of publishers and books to choose from— was a good thing. More choices, greater reader selection, more sales and so on. Everyone would benefit. But what would I know?

A and R's solution? They've "invited" said small suppliers to pay an attached invoice by Aug 17th 2007 to cover the gap for their business, and move them from an unacceptable level of profitability, to "above minimum threshold." If they fail to receive payment, they "will have no option but to remove ... from their list of authorised suppliers", and said businesses will "be unable to complete any further transactions with (A and R) until such time as the payment is made."

Yikes! It's a blackmail note! Even the remaining braincell not beat out of me at conference can see that! (Hmm, can I use this in an upcoming suspense novel? I'm really struggling to find something funny about it though.)

According to Michael Rakusin-Director of Tower Books Pty Ltd
"that’s a death threat. (no kiding!) They can’t afford to pay the mordida now, they can’t afford to give A and R a bigger discount, and they can’t afford to lose that large a percentage of their retail sales."

Interpretation- either way, they're screwed!

And if not for small press, where will those odd, offbeat different voices we've all come to know and love find a home? Used to be we jostled to be published, then to be seen as published because of the pecking order in WHERE we were published. But being published is no longer enough. Now we have to pay randsom to even get shelf space for published books. Scary stuff, no?

Going AWOL

I'm off to Sydney to the Australian Romance Writer's Conference. Be good while I'm gone. :-) Hopefully I'll return with heaps of gossip. Plus, I get to learn from Jennifer Crusie. What could be better than that. :-) sigh

Thanks to you all!

I'd like to thank everyone who entered The Marian Kind contest. You rock! P. Tupper, check your email, honey. :-)

I've been Interviewed

Pondering Blog- linked to Romance Reader at Heart- did an interview with Deb, Laura and myself in the wake of Brides & Bouquets 2007.

You can find it here.
http://rrahponderings.blogspot.com/2007/08/q-of-authors-of-brides-bouquets-2007.html

but I had to behave coz I had my halo gagging me. [For an ungagged interview, you'll have to wait until The Long and Short of It spot comes up -- I'm talking about The Marian Kind there. I'll let ya know ;-) ]

And I didn't yet mention this review...

From the long and the short of it review site. What a nice review. Made me smile. :-)

By guest reviewer: Nancy Lindley-Gauthier.

The Marian Kind
by Babe King

The Marian Kind by Babe King is one of those tales that does not coax the reader gently into the story, but seizes them by the throat and hauls them directly into the front seat of the dusty pickup truck. When Marian discovers some other lady's er, enhancements in handsome Rob's gym bags, the game is on. Jealousy fuels the start of this story, but incredible attraction fuels the love affair. Think you can guess what happens next?

Never: not unless a granny with occasional, convenient 'dementia' has already occurred to you. There is nothing predictable here. From powerful and unexpected characters to bizarre events, this story keeps your attention. And the discoveries along the way - like how chocolate bubble bath might disagree with your average computer circuitry - only add to the fun.

Clever descriptions offer a bit of a giggle in between fast action scenes (the love interest is compared to an array of fresh-from-the bakery delights) and the romance sizzles all the way through. The Marian Kind by Babe King is a quick read because it simply won't allow the reader to step away.

'Nuther Sale!!!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!! "Scratch That!" just sold to Cup of Comfort for Cat Lovers. I am delighted! I love these books.

and this is a good time to remind you that Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers comes out August 8th! I lead that anthology with "Bloodlines and Heartstrings." Yep, Cup of Comfort have been good to me, not to mention Colleen is a real darling to work with.

Contest Reminder

Just a reminder that this contest is still running and draws August 6th!



Raspberry Creme Heaven Chocolate, Marshmallow Parfait Bath Beads, Gel and scrubber, and 2 bilby chocolates for your pillow. Mmmm. That really is my idea of heaven!

How to make it yours ...

On July 10th, Freya's Bower release my romantic comedy suspense, "The Marian Kind." For the paltry sum of $3.25, I promise you a fun, wild ride.

Check it out!
http://www.freyasbower.com/content/view/217/76/

So buy the book, email me Granny Tuck's name for Dogzilla at

mixalns@yahoo.com

and you'll go in the running to win this great prize. I'll draw the lucky reader on my birthday, August 6th. Entries are automatically added to my reader's list, and I'll also be drawing one lucky reader from that list to win their choice of either a stuffed bilby, or an Australia bag.

So lots of prizes! Get reading! Get entering! And good luck!



Romance and mayhem have never been more fun!

Sold!

Freya's Bower contracted Between the Gutter and the Sky! Yay! Release will probably be November-ish. Color me excited. I love this story. My very first novel, finally in the hands of readers. Squeeee!

Getting it Back in the Box....

Those who read my madcap romantic comedies may be surprised to know I have a dark side. Which isn't so odd when you think about it. How do you know you have light unless it cuts through darkness? In a very Machiavellian sense, one creates/defines the other.

I think of my writing like a perfume. Comedy is the happy top note -- the first thing people notice and pick up. It engages the senses and is pleasing. Darkness is the base note -- that underlying depth that allows the lighter scents to delight. It lingers longer and works on a different part of your senses. A peripheral awareness that changes how you perceive the whole.

So far, I haven't combined them equally in one story, though I suppose all my stories contain a subtle dab of the other end of the spectrum. A touch of black in the humor. A touch of humor in the despair.

I just finished getting my first novel length romance edited for a full request. I love this story. Between the Gutter and the Sky was the reason I started writing in the first place. A fire in my belly that demanded to be quenched. But, despite humorous banter between the hero and heroine, this is no comedy. In fact, the story dipped into dark, skinned off areas of my past. Places that maybe should have remained hidden. Locked away. Because Gutter deals with control coming from emotional
pain. How love can break through that control and yet cushion the pain to make it bearable.

Yeah, Gutter is personal. I wait with baited breath to see how others will react to this story, to see if it resonates with their own dark, skinned areas, too.

My reactions to editing this piece made me reconsider the whole "open a vein on the page" philosophy. Yes, hopefully it makes for stirring, emotional, resonant reading, but how does the author recover from that? How do you stem the bleeding? Get your shit back in the box?

I put this to my fellow writers over on Romance Divas, and thought their insightful suggestions should be listed here, in case you, too, need some emotional first aid.

Mama Divine: burn a copy of it. one page at a time even. bury the ashes. plant a tree or something in the spot. and then have something bubbly to drink.

Lisa: talking about it with someone I trust. Then, once everything necessary is said, I spend a few days mulling it over before I realize that the past is the past-done and gone and nothing I can do about it. I can choose to let whatever happened have power over me, or I can choose to move ahead.

Nell: Open a special file and spend the first five mins of your writing time getting it out of your system in there then go ack to what you want to do.

3jen: calm and center yourself. Going running (almost every day) does that for me. A combination of the deep breathing, the exertion that burns off excess adrenaline, the sensation that yes, you can run away from your problems

Adelle : Bring pen to paper and get it out, so you can let the past be the past and move forward.

Seeley : if you feel the need to 'talk' blog it under a different name. That way it's not only written, it's out there.

RG: Exercise, stretching while you allow yourself to breathe aka yoga, sitting with your feet/or bottom firmly on the ground and allowing yourself to "root" into the earth for balance. You'll find the physical movements help with the mental. If you need to focus on why it is you feel this way those activities should clear your mind enough to separate thought and emotion.

Ashley: Writing itself is cathartic. When I get like that, it's the ONLY thing that exorcises those demons.

Kristen: endorphin-releasing activity might be good, dancing, singing, sex - whatever

Cup of Noodles: I simply use it

Cinthia: WRITE IT....longhand on paper. In a journal, a notebook, whatever. There's something very meditative and deeply personal about the connection between our emotions and the paper with the pen/pencil acting as a medium.

So if you find yourself bleeding and shocked after finishing a piece of work, firstly, kudos. It takes courage to bleed. But mostly I hope these suggestions bring you comfort and healing. In shared wisdom and experience there is strength.

Sweet As...

If you like your romance sweet and heartfelt and you haven't yet been to Sweeter Romantic Notions, why not? They have a new site up, and I have to say, Diana and Dayna are amazing in the work they do.

Here's the page they put in about me.

http://www.sweeterromanticnotions.com/?page_id=15

I'm chuffed. :-)

Thursday 13

Men are lucky. No hormones. Well, none that count. Testosterone is a friend. Not so progesterone. Here for my fellow sufferers are 13 explanations of the acronym PMS.

1. Pass My Shotgun
2. Plainly, men suck!
3. Ply Me with Sugar
4. Pissy Mood Syndrome
5. Padded Middle Sweatpants
6. Pimples May Show
7. Puffy Mid Section
8. Potential Murder Suspect
9. Psychosis Makes Sense
10. Purchase More Shoes
11. Psycho Manic Shopper
12. Pack My Stuff
13. Pricks May Suffer

M.I.A.

Yep, I've been missing in action, or mia culpa, whichever way you want to read that. I was desperate to get into the Jennifer Crusie sessions at the August conference, but needed a novel length MS pubbed to do so. So, I sent a query to Freya's Bower. Next day I got a request for 50p, and less than 24 hrs later a request for a full. But Between the Gutter and the Sky needed some major edits. This was the first novel I ever wrote, and it is heart-rending fire-in-the-belly stuff all the way, but I didn't have any craft when I wrote it. Soooooooo, had to fix head hopping and jiggle scene arcs and remove telling. That kinda thing. But it's DONE! And I love it. Made me cry, uncontrollably, even 4 years after I wrote it. I'm certain Freya's Bower will pick it up. Certain. I am proud of this book. And that feels good.

I won a Book!

Second Sight by Debbie Mumford. Deb is a fellow Freya's Bower writer, and here's her latest short (though not from FB.)

Beneath and Beyond

by

Debbie Mumford

Archaeologist Erin Carstedter is a no-nonsense kind of gal. Her colleagues know, if she can’t examine it with a microscope or define it by scientific method, it doesn’t exist. Erin’s beliefs are about to be tested by the most exciting archaeological find of this (or any other) century. A ruin has been discovered beneath the polar ice cap some fifty miles north of Alert, Canada. What Erin and her colleague, Dr. Matt Davidson, discover in those icy depths will challenge her thinking…and change the world forever.

Publisher: Lavender Isis Press

Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy

Format: eStory (23 pages)

Buy Beneath and Beyond here!

I've only just got into Second SIght, but I can tell you it's dark and gritty, with a sideorder of paranormal. So if that's your thing, why not check her out?

Ronda Thompson Passes

And we're all in shock. So quick! And a warning to us all not to take our time here for granted. Every day is a gift, even if some of those you wish you could return and exchange.

The timing threw me, since I had just started to read my first Ronda Thompson this week. One of her Wulfs of London series. I've been meaning to for ages. Kristen put me onto her, but I started and then... well, let's just say if I was on a boat, they might throw me overboard as a jinx.

So cancer claims another victim, curse it! We're none of us immune. I offer my condolences to all who knew Ronda, and I lift a virtual glass in her honor.

RIP Ronda Thompson.

Pimps

I've been pimped all over the place today. Had a list of sites, but the computer ate them. Drat! I do still have this one from Pet's Gazette which is pimping the anthology I lead- Cup of Comfort for Dog Lovers- releases August http://www.okpetgazette.com/

Don't forget to enter my contests for The Marian Kind and Something Blue!

And if you're not going to the Romance Diva virtual conference, why not? Rhonda did a great trim the fat seminar that saw me murder a dozen thats. The Larsen Pomada agency had an interesting talk where I found out she's looking for an MS just like the one I'm currently writing. Fancy that! Plus there's the bar and awesome door prizes. So move your bootie on over there!

Babe (who really needs more than 3 hours sleep... yawn.)

The Marian Kind Now On Sale!

And the first review is out, too! Cocktail Reviews gave The Marian Kind 5 champagne flutes!!!

Author: Babe King
Publisher: Freya’s Bower

REVIEW BY BLACK RUSSIAN

What a nutso read! Marian, the daughter of a funeral director, makes the dead pretty. If anyone knows how to use make-up, she does! While having a conversation with her boyfriend, Rob, she gets the idea in her head that he wants to break up with her, that he is hiding something. It doesn’t help that Rob has been spending time with a woman named Jennifer Perrin. Marian’s thoughts run wild. However, she soon finds out that he has been hiding a little more than she bargained for…

Set yourself up for a fun ride! Marian aids Rob in unravelling a mystery, one that takes them to the office of the local Sheriff. Here, they meet an annoying dog and Granny, a.k.a Celia Tuck. Dog and Granny join Marian and Rob on their quest to solve a crime, with hilarious results. A fake boob implant brings hilarity to the tale, along with excellent one-liners that made me laugh out loud.

A breath of fresh air, The Marian Kind is a must read for all romantic comedy readers.

Favourite lines:

He took a scone and stared like it was Snow White’s apple. Personally, I never saw Snow White’s problem. I mean, the girl escaped a ton of housework for those messy dwarves, had a lovely long nap surrounded by flowers, then got woken by a handsome prince and lived happily ever after in a palace. Hello? I should be so lucky.

Either the fairies in her top paddock were contagious or the music was for real.—top paddock! Hilarious!

None so shabby, eh?

This Could Be Yours!

Raspberry Creme Heaven Chocolate, Marshmallow Parfait Bath Beads, Gel and scrubber, and 2 bilby chocolates for your pillow. Mmmm. That really is my idea of heaven!

How to make it yours ...

On July 10th, Freya's Bower release my romantic comedy suspense, "The Marian Kind." For the paltry sum of $3.25, I promise you a fun, wild ride.

Check it out!
http://www.freyasbower.com/content/view/217/76/

So buy the book, email me Granny Tuck's name for Dogzilla at

mixalns@yahoo.com

and you'll go in the running to win this great prize. I'll draw the lucky reader on my birthday, August 6th. Entries are automatically added to my reader's list, and I'll also be drawing one lucky reader from that list to win their choice of either a stuffed bilby, or an Australia bag.

So lots of prizes! Get reading! Get entering! And good luck!



Romance and mayhem have never been more fun!

Invitation & a free Read!

Chats & Free Reads!

Come and join Freya's Bower this coming weekend (July 7 & 8) at our Yahoo Author Chat group . This will be an entire weekend of FB authors. We will have some fun giveaways, Q&A, and just plain old good times with fast and furious conversation mixed in. Be sure to join early as new members to FB's Author Chat group are subject to approval.

FB will also be hosting a live chat on Sunday, July 8.
When: 8:00 p.m. EST
Where: http://kmfrontain.cbox.ws/
How: Secure your screen name and register by clicking the "profile" link.

In other news, Freya's Bower is starting free reads!

Freya's Bower will be offering a new free download through our store once a month. Sometimes, the story will be as long as a novella; other times, it will be a short story.

The first two chapters of this month's free read are only available through Freya's Bower store newsletter, which you can join once you register in the store, and will be available starting next week. If you are already a member, you are in luck. If you aren't, all you have to do is sign up for the FB newsletter by becoming a member of our store and checking the box to receive our newsletter. None of your information will ever be sold or used for anything other than the newsletter. The rest of the novella will be available for download absolutely free. No purchase is necessary!

Just Say No!

Thirteen Things You Really Should Say No To

1. An invitation to Peter Benchley's Beach Party

2. Or to Rosemary's Baby Shower

3. A lift from Dodi and Di

4. Or Princess Di

5. Or really anyone with die in their name

6. A free shave and haircut in Fleet Street

7. A Sleep Over with Jimmy Jones

8. Or at the McBeth's house

9. A shower at Bates Motel

10. A manicure booked by the jigsaw killer

11. An invitation to Willard's Pet Show

12. Jacko's Baby Sitting service

13. The question, "Do you mind if I give you a Babe King romance?" :-)

Go Fourth and Conquer!

Happy Fourth to all my American Buddies!