What I’ve been up to

I haven't been blogging lately.  Work, children, life and the rest have kept me too busy.  I've also had a headache for the last 5 days.  On the brighter side I'm editing a novel and writing another one. 

I have no real news to share.  The waiting game is incredibly difficult.  I find myself fantasizing about seeing my novel in stores.  That's the goal now.  I've seen my work on the internet.  I've gotten fan letters.  I've held a print novel in my hand.  I have not yet walked into a bookstore and found one of my titles sitting on the shelf.  I'll go nuts when that happens. 

Well, back to...housecleaning.  YUCK!!!!!

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www.JenniferCloud.com

4:42 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

RT review

My co-author has already announced this but good news can be repeated.  Romantic Times magazine gave Her Eyes  4 1/2 stars.  Amira Press posted the review.  I don't have a copy of it yet.

I love good news. 

4:32 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Waiting time

The edits are finished on Sweet Jane and the novel is heading to my agent.  ( I love saying that.)  Now I have to try and not think about it.  It's out of my hands.  I hate waiting.  Yikes.  This is nerve racking.  I have to wonder where Sweet Jane will end up and hope she ends up somewhere great.

My LSB titles are coming down on April 30th.  The Fictionwise outlet will probably remove them in May.  My little site only has three novels on it now.  Swearing off small epubs does have its downside.  So much of my work is now unavailable.  Don't get me wrong.  I'll still buy ebooks.  There are some good titles from small epubs and hits from large publishers available in ebook versions.  I'm just tired of being a writer where that is my major format.

Now I get to work on my new novel. I love watching a new story unfold.

I also have a beta reader looking at one of my older unpublished novels.  I need to edit it again.  I can't see its flaws but I'm hoping the beta can.

Back to work.

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www.JenniferCloud.com

6:50 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

I HAVE NEWS!!!!!!!!
Current mood: bouncy

I have news.  I will not have to kidnap an agent.  One willingly called my house.  That's right.  The agent was not under duress of any kind.  I have a wonderful agent.  Whoohoo.  She's been in the business for many years and has sold to all those places I dream about.  Sweet Jane will have a home.   

Now for happy dancing.

www.JenniferCloud.com

5:47 PM - 4 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Dancing Skeletons
Current mood: blah

Dancing Skeletons

No, I’m not planning for Halloween.  I’m staring blankly at my keyboard.  I hit 35,000 words on a story and it stopped.  Stopped cold.OMG.  It’s just a skeleton of what it should be.  It has no flesh.  It has no meat on its bones.  All I can think of is there isn’t enough story told from the hero’s POV.  Perhaps this is the key to giving it life.

My website got switched to its new server without problems.  I love it when there are no problems.  It’s a lovely rarity.

Now I must get back to work but all I see is the hero sitting in a cemetery.  I hope this story doesn’t hit the recycle bin.  It has promise.  I can feel it.  Maybe soon I can write it.

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www.JenniferCloud.com

10:17 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

You think trying to get a book deal is hard

You think trying to get published is hard.  Try getting old work removed from sites.  Please keep in mind that the work I am referencing is either in POD or ebook or both.  We are not talking about stocked copies.

Let’s take the Mardi Gras Publishing fiasco as an example.  Here the company stiffed the authors but at least returned the rights of the work.  Hurray.  After Mardi Gras does all this, it’s up to the author to make sure all those online stores actually pull the work from their sites.  Not an easy task.  Fictionwise is pretty easy.  I didn’t have to do a thing.  They were notified that the publisher closed and immediately pulled the works.  You would think all companies could do this if Fictionwise could.

Ha.

BooksinMotion or something like that wouldn’t pull my Mardi Gras titles.  They told me to go through Lightning Source who supplies their ebook titles.  I contact Lightning Source and they tell me that Books in Motion has been notified and their listing should be updated.  I forward that to Books in Motion.  They have to hear it from Lightning Source.  Several emails later and the books are pulled.

Now I have to start this cycle again for Diesel Books or whatever their name is.  They have my Mardi Gras novel pulled in PDF form but still have the LIT version on the site.  Silly me, I emailed them thinking they would simply fix it.  Not so.  Although it’s obvious they tried to pull the book, simply pulling the other format would be too easy.  We must not have things easy.

The whole world has been talking about Amazon.  They are pulling some Buy Now buttons on some publishers listings.  The only PODs allowed will be their more expensive and (IMHO) problematic Booksurge version.  (It’s harder for bookstores to order a BookSurge book) Or that’s their long term plan.  Many publishers haven’t been affected yet.  I’m afraid that they will be.  It sucks.  Fine.  People will go elsewhere for titles.  Does that mean they’ll finally pull all the MGP titles still in inventory. Somehow I doubt it.  When MGP folded, I had to send them emails just to get Black Rose pulled from their site.  After repeated emails, I finally got a response stating that they admit no wrong doing.  WTF.  I didn’t want them to admit anything just pull the damn book. 

Lesson learned
1-buy from Fictionwise.  Yes I know epublishers make more money when you buy from them but I don’t want my cc number at fifteen sites.

2-Find new online retailer for print books.  Maybe BN.com.  Any suggestions?

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www.JenniferCloud.com

1:02 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The Sillies
Current mood: silly

Well, another day has gone by and Random House has again forgotten to come to my house with a wheelbarrow full of money.  They haven’t even had the decency to call.  I can only imagine one of their imprints is fighting for which part of the company gets to publish my work.  Perhaps NAL or Harper is to blame for this terribly slow process. 

On a more serious note, I had a dream.  (Yes, one in addition to the mess above.) I’m not sure if you’ve seen the commercials where lenders compete for clients and homeowners turn away bank execs.  I think I saw this commercial too many times though.  In my dream I had a line of agents waiting while I handed out the rejection slips to them.  A premonition.  Doubtful.  I’m more likely to blame the burrito I had for dinner.

I’m still looking for partners to help me with my caffeine and chocolate induced kidnapping of acquisitions editors.  If this fails, maybe I’ll get one of those Voodoo guys to help me.

Okay-enough rambling.  Back to work.

Oops-One more thing.  My website might be down for a couple of days.  They are switching the servers.
--
www.JenniferCloud.com

6:05 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Easter and everything

I hope everyone had a happy Easter.  I gave my girls candy and we hid plastic eggs.  I wouldn’t dare hide the real ones.  Imagine if they didn’t find them all.  Yikes.  I read them the Bible story about Easter.  All they took away from it was that they should be getting chocolate crosses.  Oh well.  That’s what I get for giving them the candy first.

My father came down with his family and they visited us.  All in all it was a nice holiday.

I’m still playing the waiting game with various publishers and an agent.  I’m happy to play it considering the state of some of the smaller places.  DearAuthor.com lists two more epublishers going under and some nasty surprises about one of the oldest epublishers.  For once none of the bad news had an impact on my books.  I’m so tired of my books not getting a fair shot because of a bad publisher.

I should be getting to work on a new newsletter.  I think that newsletter is going to go out every other month instead of every month.  It’s just easier that way.  Okay, I’m a little lazy.  That also means I should be getting back to work.  My newest rough draft is going slow.  I’m only at 31,000 words.

9:21 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

I’m Back
Current mood: bouncy

I’m Back

I’ve been gone for a few days for my sister-in-law’s wedding.  It was wonderful.  She made a beautiful bride.  She’s the kind of lady that has a smile that lights up the room.  She’s always had that smile too.  I’ve seen her childhood pics.  Most of them have her grinning from ear to ear.

I received a pleasant surprise upon my return.  It’s a great review for Her Eyes.  Here’s the link
http://sagefire.pencraft.biz/mar08/Review.Her_Eyes.html

Here’s a small quote from the review.
"It is an exciting, original and complex story with unforgettable characters and just the right balance of sensuality, excitement and dialogue." by Dianna Petry

All work (c) 2008, MD Johnson, all rights reserved. (The legal stuff)

Also, here’s the link to the book excerpt on AmiraPress.
http://www.amirapress.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=91

Now I have to catch up on laundry and get back to the novel that’s been banging around in my brain all weekend.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

--
www.JenniferCloud.com

7:16 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Reader’s tastes

Reader's tastes

I suppose everyone has different loves when it comes to books.  I try to give different genres and authors a try.  I've found some real gems but I've also found some duds.  I have a few friends that I exchange emails with and discuss these treasures or wastes of money.

The other day a friend emailed me and insisted I try this new suspense/mystery author.  She told me this author was wonderful.  Said she was a NY published author with a rising star.  (My friend knows I read a great deal of ebooks because I don't like some of the trends in the paperback world.)  She promised this author was one of the best.

Well, I hated the book.  It was BORING.  I know the stigma associated with epublishing.  I'm not arguing it.  I know NY is the place to be published.  That didn't change my mind that this author wasn't wonderful in any format.  Now I am grouped with the "just don't get it" sect.  (I think that I got it a little too early and the predictability of the book made it an impossible read for me.)

So all these brings me to a point.  Really, it does.  Why are others insulted when we don't share love for a book?  I think books are personal.  We either connect and become carried away with the story or we don't.

I also discovered this lovely post on a blog.  You might want to check it out.
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/index.php/weblog/embrace_your_bad_taste/

It's fun.  BTW-having to do with the above blog link-I do embrace my bad taste, especially when it comes to movies.  I love a good bad B horror flick. 

Back to work for me.

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www.JenniferCloud.com

12:14 AM - 0 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment