Are You In With The In Crowd?

This past week I felt like I was definitely in with the in crowd. That's because I heard tons of commercials for Turbo Tax and H and R Block. Guess what I was doing?

Okay, if you've read my blogs before, you already know the answer. I was getting my tax papers organized. That's not an easy thing for me, since my methods are not recommended. I used to be able to balance my checkbooks, but have given up on that idea. I do type out my registers in Excel, so they're easier to subtract and read.

I use more than one charge card for author and publishing expenses, mainly because I can't resist getting those Amazon credits. I also have a business card which I use when going to dinner meetings, plus an older charge card which has automatically deducted my web hosting and provider fees for years. (That's right, you may be surprised to know I do have a website at http://www.morganmandel.com/ . It's got lots of stuff on it, but is not updated as often as my blogs)

I'm veering off course on ths subject. Anyway, I did it! I've got all my income tax stuff ready in the nick of time. We're heading off to the accountant this afternoon. I'm thankful I only go through this once a year.

For those who can use Turbo Tax, I salute you. I'm afraid I'm too far gone now into using an accountant. I don't know half of what she does with depreciation and other mysterious concepts.

Anyway, I did better than last year. Last year I had to skip my Step Class so I could finish organizing it all.. Today, I was fortunate enough to go to my class and suffer through another grueling session of trying to get fit. Aren't I lucky!

What about you? Are you in with the in crowd? Are you doing your taxes, or have you finished them?

Forever Young

I'm working on Forever Young, my Boomer thriller about a widow who takes pills which take her back from age 55 to age 25. I've put aside my children's book about Rascal, because I don't have time for both. Spring Fling Conference is on April 23 and my manuscript is only half done.

So, I'll be posting here and there when I can. I invite you to mention your work in progress in the comment section, if you wish.

Read about Marilyn (FM) Meredith's Axe to Grind at Acme

Marilyn (FM) Meredith has an Axe to Grind. Read about it at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/

Caught by Surprise at Blood-Red Pencil

Find out today at The Blood-Red Pencil how I was Caught by Surprise.
Don't let it happen to you!

Morgan Mandel

What's Your Favorite Social Network? Why?

On March 28, I'm speaking about Social Networking for Fun and/or Promotion at the Niles Public Library. I can tell people what I think, but what do you think? Tell me  What's your Favorite Social Network? Why?

Let me know and I may mention you in my speech.

Thanks,
Morgan

When and Where to Prune

Wednesday evening I was watching a show called Chicago Tonight on WTTW in Chicago. Phil Ponce interviewed an expert from the Chicago Botanical Garden.

One of the topics was it's not too early to prune. Right now, you can look for spots dead or damaged from winter and cut them off.

That said, she also mentioned you need to know your plants and bushes. With some of them, it's better to wait until they've fully flowered before pruning them, or else you may cut off where the flowers were going to bloom.

Of course, the topic reminded me of editing. I have the terrible habit of editing too closely when I'm writing my manuscript. I should be eliminating the obvious mistakes, then going on to the finish line. Then I can go back and remove or rearrange what doesn't work. When it's all done and I believe I've done my best, I'll hand it over to a professional editor, like Helen Ginger, who did a great job editing my romantic suspense, Killer Career. 

Anyway, for now, I'll keep reminding myself to forge ahead. Let's see if it works.

What about you? Do you know when and where to prune?

Check Out the Ask the Editor Free For All

Today, we're hosting the Ask The Editor Free For All at http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/

Got a question for an editor? Pop on over and leave it in the comment section, and one or more of the editors will provide an answer also in the comment section.  Leave your website or blogspot along with your name. If the answer to a question needs to be explained at length, one of our editors will devote an entire blog to it later.

Don't miss a chance for this free promo. Last count, The Blood Red Pencil had 674 followers.

Get on over and ask your question.

Tax Man Cometh

I'm being dragged away from my work-in-progress by necessity, and I'm not happy about it. Today, I'm doing what I should have been doing right along - Keeping our financial stuff in order. No, my checkbooks are not balanced - they're barely legible. I'm in the midst of transferring the second register into Excel, where it will make a lot more sense to look at. It's almost 6:00 pm and I'm up to September, 2009. My goal is to get through December on the Excel register. It may take a while since half the time I didn't bother entering payroll deposits or ATM withdrawals in the register. That's the trouble with automatic debit. It's too easy to ignore balancing the checkbook and figure if the ATM receipt shows there's money, everythings's okay. Once in a while I do go to the bank's site also to see if any major checks are lurking out there uncashed. Sad to say, I don't go there often enough.

During the week, I'll color code highlights in these registers to reflect whether or not it's a business expense, or household deduction. Then, I'll go through the charge card statements and do the same thing.  I know, lots of people use a separate business charge card to make things easier on themselves, and I did transfer some of my expenses over to a business charge, but I'm still hooked on Amazon and like to gather points there for purchases.

Next Sunday I'll tackle my business checking and savings accounts. They're less intricate, since I like to keep the money I make from my books in them and that's all. The system that works for me is to put into savings whatever I didn't have to collect sales taxes on, such as bookstore signing payouts. The business checking account is for the opposite - books sold that needed to be accounted for to the State of Illinois for sales tax purposes. Fortunately, I got their sales tax payment out of the way at the end of December, since that's when it was due. One less item to worry about.

Anyway, I have a deadline of March 13 to put it into the hands of the accountant, and you can probably surmise from this post that I'm under the gun. I hope all the effort will be worth it in the end after all the writing expenses have been added up and deducted.

Whatever happens is always a surprise to me. That's because, in case you can't tell, I'm no financial wizard. I'll get it done somehow. I know that because I always do. (g)

What about you? Have you finished your taxes? Okay, now you can brag about how great your system is if you feel like it.

Just Another Love Story

It's Saturday night. While the DH is out watching a wrestling match, here I am, sitting in front of the TV watching another love story, this one called the Wedding Date. I've seen it before, but can't help watching it again.

There's something about a love story that makes me feel good. The same thing's true about a good romance novel. I love happy endings.

What about you? Have you seen or read a good love story lately?

Calendar, sticky notes, both? How do you remember things?

How do you remember things? Do you keep a calendar? What kind?
I have more than a few, but they're all the kind I write on with pen and paper. One by my desk at work, one by my desk at home, one on the wall at home, plus one in my purse. I also use sticky notes by my desks at work and at home and in my purse.

What about you? How do you remember things? Do you use a typical calendar, or maybe one on your phone, or sticky notes, maybe both calendar and sticky notes?

See Acme - Blog or Website - The Eternal Question

Well, now I notice that it depends which monitor I'm using how the extra pages will be displayed on the top of my blog. My monitor at home shows them all the way across, but the monitor here at work is a little smaller, so some of the tabs went into another row. It's hard to tell how displays will happen for anything, but I'll probably keep it this way anyway. Lots of people are investing in larger monitors lately.

Anyway, today's subject at my Wednesday group blog at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ today is
Blog or Website - The Eternal Question. Come on over and give us your take on the subject.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

How to Add Extra Pages on Your Blogger Blog

If you'd like tabs and extra pages for your Blogger Blog like I have on the top of mine, sign into your blog, go to the top right and Pick Customize, then go to the Dashboard. Go to the Layout tab and look for where you can add a Gadget. On mine, the choice is in the middle after the title, or on the left sidebar. By choosing the middle one, you can get tabs that go across the page. How many depends on your template, but the most you can add are ten. By picking the sidebar, you'll get a list effect.

After that, go back to the Dashboard. If you have more than one blog, pick the one you want to work on. When the list of posts comes up, instead of clicking on one of those, look on the top left for Edit Post (that's where mine is. Yours might be somewhere else)

After you click that, you should get a choice to add a page. When that comes up, fill it out the same same way you would a regular post and click Publish, or Draft if you don't want it up right away.

Ten pages are possible if your blog template is wide enough. Otherwise, you'll probably get less. Also, if your page names are long, you may end up with more than one row. I shortened my titles when that happened to me.

After it's done, you can decide whether or not you like the way it looks. If you don't like the new look, you can always delete and go back to how your blog looked before. I like the idea of having the tabs where everyone can see them right away and be enticed to check out the contents, although I do think my blog has a busier look now. I guess I'll have to accept that for the greater good.

Are you going to add extra pages? If so, let us know how it worked for you.
Morgan Mandel

What Should I Put On My Extra Pages?

Now that Blogger has added a new feature where blogs can now have up to 10 more pages added to them, I'm in a quandary. What should I put on those extra pages? I'm thinking maybe a bio, book excerpts, some photos. Still, that's a lot of pages to fill up. If I do fill them up, I wonder if I'll even need my website any  more at http://www.morganmandel.com/ . It's something to ponder.

Not only that, when will I ever have time to start such a project?

Will you be using your extra pages? What will you use them for?

PS You can access this by going to Layout and picking the first gadget which gives you the ability to add pages.

Small Press Author Does Indie

Hi Gang,
I'm over at Celia Yeary's blog today telling about my experience publishing Killer Career - Small Press Author Does Indie - Come on over and give your take as well at
http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/2010/02/morgan-mandel-indie-and-traditional.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Buzz and Am I the Only One Out of Control?

I'm happy to be one of the author/bloggers interviewed at Book Marketing Buzz today.
By the way, Am I The Only One Out of Control Lately? See Acme Authors Link.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Dick Francis Is Gone

I was going to post something about Valentine's Day, but then I heard the news that one of my favorite mystery writers had died. I first read a Dick Francis' mystery many years ago from the high school library. I immediately searched for more of them. As soon as one came out, I had to read it.

I never tired of his characters, many of whom were ex-jockeys like himself. They had an admirable sang froid manner of dealing with whatever life handed out and rising above the evil and/or pain. Here's a link to an article about Dick Francis:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/7236708/Dick-Francis-dies-aged-89.html

I note that his son, Felix, plans to carry on writing novels. It will be interesting to see how well he does without his Dad's collaboration. Felix has some very large shoes to fill, figuratively speaking. Having been a jockey, I doubt if Dick Francis had very large feet. He may have been small physically, but his stature in the mystery community was great.

Though I never met Dick Francis, I'll miss him.

Dann and Raymond's Movie Club Oscar Night

Not too much time to blog, since tonight I was over at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library for another great program of Dann and Raymond's Movie Club by the dynamic duo, longtime Daily Herald film critic, Dann Gire, and renowned author, newspaper freelancer, and musician, Raymond Benson.

The DH and I, along with an estimated a crowd of about 200, were treated to choice film clips, informed comments and quips about current movies and actors nominated this year for the Oscars.

I hadn't seen many of the films, but now I intend to do so, except for perhaps Up. That movie should have been named Down. The short clip left just about everyone in the audience sniffling and wiping their eyes. I don't feel like going through that experience again.

Other than that downer, it was an enjoyable evening.

Have you seen any of the nominated films? Will you be watching the Oscars?

How Much Sleep Do You Get?

I think someone said 7-8 hours is a good amount of sleep to get. If not, all kinds of bad stuff is predicted, such as higher blood pressure, not thinking right, not remembering.

I'm lucky if I get 6 hours of sleep. I can't seem to manage to get more. If I go to bed earlier, I don't fall asleep. If I fall asleep on the couch ahead of time, I can't sleep. It seems the best solution is to stay up until I'm good and tired and then I can sleep.

Unfortunately, that's not the recommended allowance. What about you? How much sleep do you get? Do you think you need more?

Tummy Tuck Anyone?

I've still got until Feb 26 to learn all I can from the 30 days of free lessons from Lynda.com , which Adobe offered when I purchased Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Today, I stumbled upon a neat one that does virtual tummy tucks. They show a man with a hefty belly. After a few magic software adjustments, he's looking mighty lean.

Hmm, maybe I'll get out some of my photos and see about a tummy tuck here and there. It's a painless operation. All it takes is some brain strain and a few clicks here and there.

Would you also like to be a patient? Who knows, maybe I could get a whole waiting room going. I promise not to charge as much as a regular plastic surgeon. (G)

Morgan

Cell Phone or Email?

I can't help but marvel at all the people who walk down the street or drive with a cell phone stuck to the ear. Whatever do they have to talk about for so long?

It's particularly mystifying to me, since I rarily use my  iPhone as a phone. I take photos with it, check my email, and do all sorts of other things instead. The DH and I communicate back and forth on my cell while I'm at work, I'll call other members of the family about plans, or I'll use the phone for long distance calling, but that's about it. I always have a huge amount of units rolled over to the next month.

On the other hand, I'm constantly on the computer using the email feature to communicate with friends, promote my books, arrange book signings, learn all sorts of things, swap jokes, and various other reasons. Somehow email seems more civilized. I'm not demanding someone instantly talk to me. I'm allowing that person to respond when it's convenient, with the understanding that I'm receiving the same courtesy.

Some people say that email has taken away from the personalization of communicating. Maybe, but I tend to believe that even though I don't hear that other person's voice, I'm actually sharing a lot more. I don't know about you, but I tend to reveal more about myself when I write than when I speak.

It's your turn. Tell us, do you prefer cell phone communication over email?  Or, maybe you use them equally?

Facebook's New Design - Do You Like It?

I opened up Facebook this morning and got confused. Overnight apparently a remodeling job was going on. The Daily Herald Business Section this morning said the new design is meant to streamline navigation and also let the games and apps stand out more.

I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I like it. What about you?  What's your take on Facebook's new design?

How Silly Can They Be

Twice in the same day I saw women walking Downtown wearing shoulder bags facing their backs. I also saw women wearing boots with high pointy heels. It's winter in Illinois, snowy, icy and slippery. How silly can they be?

Guys are not excempt from doing silly things. What about putting house or car keys in the coat pocket and leaving the coat in another room at a party? keys have a habit of falling out. Coats have been known to go off with the wrong owners.

When you write, do you let your characters do silly things? Do they do them as a matter of habit or as a mistake? Depending on the answer and the skill of the author, the reader can look on your character as ridiculous or endearing. It's fun to create a quirky character, but the challenge is in not making the person seem too dumb.

What about you? As a reader, do you enjoy it when a character does silly things? What would seem too silly?

As a writer, do you let one of your characters do silly things? On a regular basis? Maybe only once, but it turns out to be once too many?

Please Visit - It's There Somewhere

I'd appreciate your visiting my guest post at Kaye Barley's blog. The topic is It's There Somewhere. Some of you may relate to this one -
http://meanderingsandmuses.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-there-somewhere-by-morgan-mandel.html

If you missed it, you can still come over to comment about whether or not to include politics on blogs at
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/2010/02/political-views-by-morgan-mandel.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Never Too Old To Learn New Tricks

I bought Adobe Elements 7 over a year ago, but only learned a few basics. Then, I discovered I needed Adobe Photoshop CS4 to really get things done.

Well, I get 30 days of free videos to learn all this Adobe stuff. Over the weekend, I spent many hours listening to the videos and taking notes. Now, the trick is to apply what I learned so far, before I forget.

Tonight I worked on removing blemishes and whitening teeth. The teeth one is hard, because I don't have a steady hand. Even with the minus tool for erasing, I'm still not very good at it. The remove blemish one I had more luck with.

Also, I had fun doing the panorama one. I did one of Rascal in the snow I may use for a book cover or illustration some day.

What about you? Have you played with Adobe? Or, maybe you've been learning something else lately. What is it?

Arianna Huffington - The Huffington Post

Friday night I caught a great interview of Arianna Huffington by Elizabeth Brackett on The Friday Night Show, at WTTW, on Channel 11 in our neck of the woods.

As I listened, I admired her positive attitude, which she attributes to her mother who told her not to be afraid of failure. As a young girl from a poor family in Greece, Arianna dreamed of going to Cambridge and got there by means of a scholarship.

I was not only drawn to Arianna's engaging manner, but also to the fact that she authored 12 books, and was once a candidate for Governor of California. Her latest venture is The Huffington Post, The Internet Newspaper:News Blogs Video Community, which boasts an astronomical number of followers, something like 22 million visitors a month. She's a great believer in the power of the Internet, not only as entertainment, but also for information.

I'm not sure how long it'll be up at the WTTW site, but here's a link to her interview:
http://www.wttw.com/  It's highly motivating and worth a listen. If you check it out, let me know how you like it.

Morgan Mandel

I Didn't Want to Do It

I didn't want to do it. Others have, but I thought maybe I could get away without it. Well, I can't keep coming over here all day and night to check the comment section, to delete a certain spammer that keeps showing up.

So, unfortunately, for now I'm doing the word verification thing. I hate to have people type in those extra letters. It's such an annoyance. I'm hoping that after a while the spammer will turn his or her attentions elsewhere and I can go back to letting my comment people not have to jump through hoops.

Anyway, please don't let it scare you away. I do appreciate your comments here.

Morgan Mandel

Should Rascal Get Her Own Blog?

I'm not sure if Rascal should get her own blog or stay here. Or maybe, later after her book is ready, I'll send her off on her own.

I'm also not sure if I should keep my same name for my book about Rascal or figure out a new one. It's hard to decide these things.

In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out how to work the Adobe Photoshop software. I found some apps for the Iphone I'm checking out, plus a Children's Book for Dummies and Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Dummies.

Lots of learning and deciding.

Ipad or Kindle? That is the Question - One of Many

Well, the great unveiling happened. The latest gizmo has emerged on the scene. With the revelation of the Ipad, questions buzzed in my head. Is it worth the extra money? How much bigger is it than a Kindle? It seems like it could be wider that the average Kindle, and I don't need the International one. I do know it's more expensive than a Kindle. I also know I'm not into playing games, so I wouldn't use it for that. Would I use if for music? Well, my Iphone does a great job on that already. Why carry around something larger if that's the purpose.

Would I use it for reading books? Now that is a good question. How would it compare comfortwise to a Kindle? I tried out a Kindle from our local library and my eyes were very happy - no strain.

Now, with the Ipad and it's color screen, I suppose I can see a nice cover on the screen. I like that idea. But what about glare? Will that be a factor? What about fonts? I guess they can be manipulated. Another big question - What about the price of Ibooks? Will they be more because of the fancier trappings? Amazon does have some great prices for kindle books right now. Will Apple want to compete or will it go for the higher market?

And what about publishing on the Ipad? Are self-publishers allowed?

I'm such an impatient person, but I guess I'll need to wait a little longer for the answers to all these questions. I'm kind of thinking I can't afford buying and maintaining this fun gizmo, especially since for me it would just be a glorified ereader, and not serve too many more purposes - still it is cute.

What about you? Are you tempted?

Going to the Dogs Over at Acme Authors Link

Going to the Dogs - See What I'm talking about at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/.

Thanks,
Morgan

Describe Your Work In Progress

Right now I've got two works in progress. One's a children's lesson book about my deaf dog, Rascal. The other is a thriller on aging targeted for the Boomer generation.

What about you? Tell us briefly about your work or works in progress in the comment section.

Thanks,

Morgan

Beware - Don't Look If You're Easily Grossed Out

B.S. Photo - Rascal before the snow.

Whether or not you're a dog owner, you'll know what I'm talking about here.

The past few months, we've had tons of snow in our part of Illinois, but thanks to the recent warmer weather and rain, most of the white stuff has disappeared.

Hidden underneath the pretty white stuff was - to put it indelicately - a lot of crap. I spent a good part of Saturday and  this morning scooping it up with a shovel and depositing it into plastic garbage bags.

You may wonder how I can think of relating this nasty little chore to writing. Here goes -

After you've finished your manuscript, it may look beautiful and wonderful to you, but beware. Hidden under that false beauty can be all sorts of nasty piles of stuff that need to be removed. If you're savvy enough, you can tackle the cleanup job yourself. Otherwise, you may need the help of a critique group or editor to do the chore for you. Here are a few nasties to clean up:

Backstory dumps - Do readers really need to know right away every little thing that already happened?

Overly long descriptions - Sure, they look pretty, but do they move the story forward?

Adjectives and adverbs - They're the lazy way of writing and slow down a story. Make sure you have the best words for what you want to say, like action verbs and exact nouns.

Orphan letters - Did you start a word in your writing excitement, then begin another one without completing the first?

I told you I could do it. Never underestimate my ability to relate anything to writing. Anyway, today I'll be working on my Rascal manuscript and looking for spots to remove some of that, to put it indelicately, crap.

If you know of other hidden nasties to look for, please share with us. Or, maybe you have a dog and can relate to my chore today. (g)

Writers Reading

Just want to mention my contribution to the Writers Reading series at Un:Bound is up now. Yes, authors do read, believe it or not. At least this one does.

Please come on over  to see my books. Learn when, where and what I read at http://hagelrat.blogspot.com/2010/01/writers-reading-morgan-mandel.html

Tell us what you read and where, while you're at it.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

EDITORS - AGENTS - Julia Quinn - Cherry Adair - SPRING FLING CONFERENCE This April

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP -

Spring Fling 2010 Writers’ Conference
Sponsor: Chicago North chapter RWA
Location: Hyatt/Deerfield, IL
Fee: $159
Date: April 23-24, 2010

Speakers: Keynote Speaker is Cherry Adair; Headline speaker is Julia Quinn; also attending: Paige Wheeler (agent), Amanda Bergeron (Avon/HarperCollins), and Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches Trashy Books. Publishing Houses: Avon/HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, Inc., Samhain and The Wild Rose Press. Agencies: Larsen Pomada Agency, Fox Literary, Folio Literary Mgmt, and Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Represenatives. Conference Features: Editor and agent pitch sessions; craft, career, and special interest workshops; Fire & Ice award ceremony, book signing, silent auction to benefit literacy charity, bookseller/librarian event and more.

FMI, http://www.chicagospringfling.com/ or email conference@chicagonorthrwa.org .

After Diane commented asking if I would be going, I thought I better add a note - YES, I'll be there for sure. I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's my local chapter. I'll be offering more news on other chapter members in attendance once I have the list, but let's just say lots of them are published authors.

Do you like conferences? What's your favorite? Maybe you'd like to try this one.

A Feel Good Story

The DH and I were very upset to read in the Daily Herald earlier that a man's pit bulls had been stolen. We know what unscrupulous people will do with that breed. Before Rascal, we didn't care for Amstaffs ourselves. That all changed when we adopted her.

Anyway, here's the new story we saw today, which makes us feel really good. It would make Rascal feel good, too, if she knew -
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=352525

Rituals - What Are Yours? at Acme Today

It's Wednesday, so I'm posting at my group blog today. Come on over to tell us your rituals at
Rituals - What Are Yours?  http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/

Thanks,
Morgan

As Time Goes By - Find it at Blood-Red Pencil

In deference to my wonderful guest, Penny Warner yesterday at Make Mine Mystery,  I didn't mention my post at Blood-Red Pencil called As Time Goes By - There's still time to check it out to and see if any of it applies to you -


http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2010/01/as-time-goes-by-morgan-mandel.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Penny Warner is my Guest Today at Make Mine Mystery

Come on over to http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/ to welcome my guest, Penny Warner, author of 50 books, with a new release, How to Host a Killer Party. She tells us in her post How to Survive a Book Event When Nobody's Heard of You.  -- Thanks, Morgan Mandel

Google Is So Smart!

Last night the DH had trouble starting the hand-me-down laptop I gave him when I switched to a lighter one for the train. He'd push the Start button, the lights would go on, then turn off. We changed the adaptor, but that didn't help.

In desperation, I went to Google on my desktop computer and typed, "Dell Latitude D600 starter." It wasn't long before I found a link where other people had experienced the same problem as the DH. The solution was strange, but worth a try - Press the Start button, while firmly holding down F9 and F10.

We tried it. It worked!!

Google Is So Smart!!!

Have you had a similar experience when Google solved one of your problems?

Scary moment on way to today's book signing

Trust me, you don't want to be on the train enroute to your book signing, happen to check your email on your iPhone and see one from the bookseller saying Important!

Turns out someone took my glossy 8x10 poster, that's all, thank goodness.

I've got 4 more with various promo with me.

All is well so far for my book signing today at Barnes and Noble DePaul Center 1 East Jackson Chicago
12-2
Morgan

Sent from my iPhone

Back to the Books Plus Book Signing Wednesday

I'm having a book signing for Killer Career Wednesday at Barnes & Noble DePaul Center, 1 East Jackson (Jackson & State) in Downtown Chicago, from 12-2pm

If you can stop by and say hi, I'd appreciate it.

Speaking of books - One of my resolutions for 2010 is to spend more time on my works in progress, Our Little Rascal, and Forever Young, because I want to get them finished this year. Some days I may not be blogging, but I will do so as often as time permits.

My other resolution is to lose weight. That's as tough as finding extra time to write.

We'll see how successful I am at keeping my resolutions.

Writing Day

Life has been hectic and I've not had time to indulge in what I want to do most, which is finish my works in progress - the book on Rascal, then the Boomer thriller.

So, I've declared today a Writing Day! I'll be back soon.

Morgan

A Typical Slush Pile in Downtown Chicago

SEE MY POST BELOW  ABOUT SLUSH PILES ---

Slush Piles

I don't like slush piles. They're scary and messy. Unfortunately, with the recent snowfall extending from Wednesday night, through Thursday and up until Friday morning, I find an overabundance of them.
If I must negotiate one, I tread carefully and hope I don't slip and fall.

The best thing to do is avoid them altogether. I look for spots that are either snow packed or kind of dry where it's easier for me to walk. I look for sheltered areas, like under awnings. I walk through buildings instead of outside when I can.

As a writer, I also try to avoid slush piles. A few ways to do that are:

1. Address your query to a specific editor or agent.
2. Pitch to an editor or agent at a conference. A good pitch may result in a submission request.
3. Research what an editor or agent wants before you submit anything to them.

Do you know of any other ways? What has worked or not worked for you?

Can't Stay Still

I can't stay still today.
That's because Killer Career is featured over at Chris Verstraete's Candid Canine site about First Graphs,
http://candidcanine.blogspot.com/2010/01/first-graphs-killer-career-by-morgan.html

It's Wednesday, which means I'm over at
 http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/2010/01/all-important-first-graphs-by-morgan.html
my group blog  discussing Those All Important First Graphs

If you have the time, please check out the blogs and leave a comment at one or both or here or all.

Thanks,
Morgan

New Apple Whatever

I really want a kindle, but I also really want to see what Apple is cooking up. If I buy a kindle now, I may wish I'd saved that money and put it toward the new Whatever that's being hinted at by Apple.

To tantalize me, Yahoo keeps running an article this week, not really giving any new information, just speculating enough to whet my appetite.
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/108492/check-expectations-for-apples-tablet-at-the-door

I don't want to wait. I hate waiting, but I'll see if I can hold out. Hopefully, it won't be too long. If I like whatever the Whatever turns out to be, hopefully, it won't cost too much. Also, hopefully, it will work the way it should. Right now there's a glitch with the Iphone software making it necessary for me to jump through hoops to get my photos off the phone, which didn't happen before their update.

So, maybe I should get that kindle. I have enough Amazon points saved up. No, maybe I should wait.

What about you? Do you have a kindle? Are you curious about Apple's new Whatever?

Come On Over Please

On this back-to-the-day-job day, I find myself with two posts at other blogspots, so I'm hoping to divert your attention to them.

How Far Can You Go is at http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/

Carola Dunn, Mystery Author, is over at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/

Comments are appreciated at one or both or here or all.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Double M Rewind at Make Mine Mystery

You'll find a Double M Rewind at Make Mine Mystery today. I'm choosing worthwhile posts and re-posting them here or on my group blogs. It's a shame to let them go to waste when many people didn't see them the first time around. This one is a guest post from Cyndia Depre about her pet writing peeves and contains much useful information.  Here's the link:
http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/2010/01/rewind-from-double-m-featuring-cyndia.html

Tomorrow, I'll find another for your enjoyment, since I'm doing two days at Make Mine Mystery this week.
Thanks,
Morgan

Breaking News - Killer Career Just Got a Brand New Review

I'm interrupting my regular blogs to bring you this Breaking News -

Killer Career just received another review, about which I'm very happy.

April Pohren from Cafe of Dreams writes:
"Killer Career is filled with delightful twists, turns and satisfying suspense. Readers will have a hard time putting this down, once they have begun the first page."


For the full review, come on over to
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/2009/12/review-killer-career-by-morgan-mandel.html

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Skype

One of my recent bargains was a half-price webcam with a built-in micrphone. $20 seemed an inexpensive way to try something different, like Skype.

Have you had any luck with it? Is it hard to do? What do you use Skype for?

If you haven't used it, are you thinking of trying it?

Let me know.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

See Acme about Starting Over

Hi Gang,
I'm over at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ on Wednesday. Topic is Starting Over. Come on over and share your thoughts about starting over in the New Year.

Thanks,
Morgan

Cars

I own a 2003 Dodge Neon, which doesn't get much use since I commute most of the time on the train. It's cute, but not anywhere near as classy or expensive as the car on the left,owned by Exotic Car Share, in which I was fortunate enough to ride in the 2007 Arlington Heights Frontier Days Parade.

Cars have a way of reflecting their owners. Not many rich people drive around in beaters, at least not that I know of, unless they're trying to go incognito.

You can use cars to describe your characters when you write. I used cars as symbolism in my mystery, Two Wrongs. One of the cars was an Infiniti, which Cathy, the love interest for the protagonist, Danny, drove. I won't tell you what happened to her. You can get a hint by the model of the car, or better yet, read the book to find out for sure.

What about you? What do certain cars say about their owners? What kind of car do your drive, or would you like to drive, if you could? Or, if you're a writer, have you ever used cars to help describe characters?

Giving and Receiving

Giving makes me feel good. Sharing love with my family, a smile with a child, a writing tip with an author, walks with my dog - there are so many ways I can give to others and feel good about it.

Receiving also makes me feel good, but for some reason it's harder for me to accept from others than to give to them.

Why I'm writing about this today is because it's the end of the year. The DH and I didn't make as much money in 2009 as in prior years. Still, there are many less fortunate than us. Also, there are tons of worthy causes in need of support, especially with our sagging economy.

For the next day or so, I'll be making out checks to my favorite charities. This is a practice I perform every year after Christmas. It's a way to give back a portion of what I've received during the year. Some of my favorite charities are: Little City, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, National Federation of the Blind, American Lung Association, Alzheimer's Disease Research, Catholic Relief, American Red Cross. There are more, but I don't want to bore you with my entire list.

I'll get a tax break in return for sharing, but much more than that will be the feeling that I've helped in some way to make this world a better place.

What about you? Do you enjoy giving to charities?

Words, Numbers or Both? Which Do You Like?

Today, I really am going to work on my State of Illinois Sales Tax form. The due date is coming up very soon. Besides, it's not that great outside, so I don't feel like going anywhere. I have a  borrowed kindle from the library that's due, but other than that I'll stay indoors. (Really tempted to get one. Not sure if I'll wait for the Apple version. I head it might be twice as much)

I hate working with figures. Good thing I'm not rich. Arithmetic is a pain. I've heard that people who have an aptitude for words are not always happy working with numbers, and are not always as successful at it.

What about you? Do you like one better than the other? Or, are you lucky enough to like both?

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

This pic was taken about four years ago, when I could actually put up a large tree and decorate it. I'm doing the small fiber optic one this year and making sure it's way out of reach.

Maybe next year I can trust Rascal enough to do the works again. We'll see. (g)

Be safe and happy!
Morgan

Come on Over

I'm over at a few other blogs today. If you get a chance, come on over to see the Christmas Decorations at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/

At http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/  the topic is Spoiled Milk. Ever sit down to read a good book and been disappointed?

If you haven't yet, check out the post below about the Paper War.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Paper War

I've been waging a war on paper the last few days. So far, paper is winning. The more I clean up, the more of it I find. The problem is, for much of it, I feel an obligation to do a thorough examination and decide whether or not it's worth keeping.

The mailperson is my enemy. He, sometimes she, keeps leaving more paper in my mail box. I'm not talking about my Christmas cards, which I cherish, but all the other stuff dropped off for me to sort out. At times it's torture to come home and see the new pile the DH has set on the kitchen table.

I've discovered tons of magazines over a year old. They were trying to hide in a magazine holder on the side of the couch, but not doing a good job of it, since they were spilling over. Of course, I decided to check the headings on the covers to see if some of the information inside might prove valuable. Wouldn't you know it, I was right. Many articles seemed to good to give up.

I've already mentioned here before about how I also have a compulsion to print out emails that seem important to me. The result is I have lots of important pieces of paper. When there's an abundance, which is the most important? And, where's the one I really need? It is a quandary.

What about you? Is paper your enemy? Are you also waging a war against it? Who is winning?

Library Displays - See Make Mine Mystery Monday

Have you tried a library display? If you want to see mine, come on over to Make Mine Mystery on Monday.

Thanks,
Morgan

Christmas Card Blues Is Up at Un:Bound Today

Hi Gang,
 I've written a short Christmas story which is being featured at Un:Bound today.
You may be able to relate to some of it.

I'd appreciate your going over to look and leave a comment.
Thanks,
Morgan

Rascal's Turn to Post

Today, I'm going to tackle my State of Illinois sales tax form, which is due by the end of the month. It's a necessary evil for making book sales outside of stores.

So, I let Rascal do a post instead. You can read it at http://www.doggyspace.com/journal/57331

If you understand her frustration, you can share it with her here or there.

Thanks,
Morgan

Enjoying My End Cap

Wow! I've got an end cap going at Waldenbooks! It doesn't happen often, but I'm enjoying the sight while it lasts. It's one of those rare thrills in my life as an author. I treasure every one of them.

The reason for the end cap is I'm doing a KILLER CAREER Book Signing at Waldenbooks, 500 W. Madison (Ogilvie Transportation Center) in Chicago on Friday, from 12 - 2, or longer, if supply lasts.

Hope to see a few of you there.

Stop on By and Give your Take on Facebook Fan Pages

I'm the Wednesday person at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ 
The topic is about Facebook Fan Pages. Come on over and give your take.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

What do you wear at home?

I have separate clothes for work or going out than I do for at home. Even though we're allowed to wear jeans at work, still when I get home I usually change into more comfortable clothes as soon as I can. I like to wear my old cotton blend stretchy kind of pants and one or another of my not so great looking, yet comfy tops, along with my slippers. I hardly ever go barefoot. For one thing, with my crummy flat feet, the foot doctor says that's one of the worst things I could do. I also have some fleece vests and fleece jackets for the really cold, windy days when I'm sitting at the keyboard at home and it gets drafty inside.

What about you? Do you have separate clothes for in public and at home, or do you dress the same?

Rascal Visits Bentley's Corner Barkery

Rascal gets so much joy from visiting Bentley's Corner Barkery we take her there at least once or twice a week. On the way there, as we were walking down the street, a guy said, "That's a good looking dog."

Afterwards, the DH and I had to laugh. As usual, Rascal's more popular than either of us. Since I've got some new friends here now, you've probably not seen a video of our dog child, so here's one from one of her visits to Bentley's.

Are you ready?

I am so not ready for Christmas. I just realized I don't have much time either. One good thing is the DH is off Friday and possibly all next week, so I can give him a few chores to do, which may help some. I'm counting on him to put stamps and labels on the Christmas cards, and do a few things around the house to straighten it out some. Unfortunately, I'm the organizer in the family, so I can't expect too much on the getting-the- house ready front. That's pathetic, since I'm not very organized. (g)

Anyway, I hope to get the house into decent shape before Christmas, when I do my annual meal for the family. There's also that Christmas list to get together. Time is ticking away.

What about you? Are you ready for Christmas? Or do you celebrate another Holiday? If so, are you ready?

Please Welcome Mary Cunningham, Cynthia's Attic Author

Discovering Family in Cynthia's Attic

One of the main reasons for writing "Cynthia's Attic" came from my failure - failure to appreciate my ancestors. Our family stories are probably no more or less interesting than most, and I went out of my way to avoid remembering most of them or asking questions about my grandparents lives.

For instance. Did I bother to ask my grandfather what it was like playing in the first night football game in America?

Or did I try to find out just which relative "supposedly" sold a city block on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles for $20,000? Guaranteed, I would not be sitting here writing a blog had that particular relative held on to the property.

Then there's the story, "Cynthia's Attic: Curse of the Bayou," of my great-great grandfather, Augustus Boilliat who disappeared in 1860 while taking a load of produce down the Mississippi River to New Orleans? Oh, sure I've read different accounts about what happened to him, but lost forever are the stories his grandson (my grandfather) could've told me about facts he'd heard from my great-great grandmother, Marie Julia, about her husband's disappearance.

I remember a few accounts told by my dad about his adventures as a teenage cave guide at one of the largest caves in the Southern Indiana area, Wyandotte, but I only have to guess at some of the adventures he must've had.

That's why I'm writing adventures I wanted my ancestors to have; adventures I can enjoy with them through the eyes and voice of my character, Gus.

The idea for Cynthia's Attic: The Magician's Castle came from detailed genealogy research done by my cousin, Betty. Long before the Internet, she traveled to Switzerland to search for documents that would tie our great-grandmother, Harriet Kistler, to Peter Kistler the First, President of the Republic of Bern, 1470-1480. I've tried to honor the Kistler family in the fourth adventure in Cynthia's Attic.

Thanks, Morgan, for having me as a guest!

          Mary Cunningham

Mary Cunningham is the author of the award-winning 'Tween fantasy/mystery series, Cynthia’s Attic. She is proud to announce the release of book four, "The Magician's Castle," Dec 1, 2009. Her children's mystery series was inspired by a recurring dream about a mysterious attic. After realizing that the dream took place in the home of her childhood friend, Cynthia, the dreams stopped and the writing began.

She is also co-writer of the humor-filled, women's lifestyle book, "Women Only Over Fifty (WOOF)," along with published stories, "Ghost Light" and "Christmas Daisy," A Cynthia's Attic short story.

To celebrate the release of "The Magician's Castle," (Quake/Echelon Press, DEC 1, 2009), a winner will be chosen on each blog stop to receive a copy of the "Cynthia's Attic" short story, "Christmas With Daisy!" So, be sure to make a comment!


Mary Cunningham Books
http://www.marycunninghambooks.com/

Cynthia's Attic Blog
http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com/

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Cunningham/e/B002BLNEK4/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=digital-text&field-author=Mary%20Cunningham

Fictionwise
http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/a20811/Mary-Cunningham/?

Quake/Echelon Press
http://www.echelonpress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=23&zenid=4ac57b7ae19fa071cab3b4295df7baf3



Please leave a comment to welcome Mary.

Check out the Mystery of the Missing Checks

Monday, I'm over at my group blog, http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/, where I'm blogging about the mystery of the missing checks. Come on over and find out what it's all about.

Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Can We Talk?

I'm firming up some dates for speaking engagements in 2010. One's tentatively set for March 28, at 1:30 at the Niles Public Library, another probably in mid May at the Schaumburg Township District Library.

Also, coming up is a radio interview at WJJQ again on May 7, at 9:35 a.m. before my booksigning May 8 at Cover to Cover Books in Tomahawk, WI.

I've heard that some people are more afraid of public speaking than of dying. Surprisingly, I find it easier each time I do it. As long as I have my cheat sheet with me to glance down at once in a while for security and I like what I'm talking about, I'm okay.

What about you? Do you like to talk or would you rather not?

Helpless

Over the Holiday weekend I took a good look at my house and that familiar helples feeling washed over me again. It seemed like an insurmountable task to get the place in order. It still does.

I spend so much time writing and promoting after I do my day job, what little time I have left is precious. Still, sometimes I just have to buckle down and ignore my compulsion to write and make myself clean house instead. I tackled the spare bedroom, which had clothes and all kinds of other articles strewn over the bed, on the floor, and anywhere you can think of, compliments of myself and the DH, who were equally guilty.  I did make some headway, which made me feel good, but if I had more time I know I could do better. Also, there are so many other projects left to do if I were to get the house really into shape. I'm wondering how much I'll get done before Christmas, when I have my family over.

Maybe over the weekend I can get more done, that is, after I do the Illinois sales tax form first, which is due by the end of the month. I've got almost all of my check statements, except one, which I think I can find online, so maybe I can get that done. You may have guessed I'm not the most organized person in the world.

Anyway, let's see how far I can get cleaning up. I've got this kindle on loan from the library, with about 9 days left on it, and lots of good books on it beckoning to me. I've got some great ideas for stories I want to start and others I want to continue. I've got some blog buddies I haven't visited for a while. I wonder what will win out. (g)

What about you? What do you do about housework? Does it get in the way sometimes?

PS The not so surprising results are up on the left for my EZ poll. I'll have to do a harder one some time.

New Killer Career Excerpt at Acme Authors Link

Hi Gang,
Today, I've got a new Killer Career excerpt up at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ . This one continues from the first excerpt I posted on Monday at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/

If you're curious about my recently released romantic suspense, come on over to one or both blogs to check it out.

Thanks,
Morgan

Time Out for Kindle Reading

Our local library has 8 kindles available for its patrons. The DH and I both got on the waiting list, mainly so I could use one. His number was reached and we picked up the kindle on Sunday afternoon. Now I've got a kindle to read for 2 weeks! So far I'm really loving it, especially the current book I'm reading, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

What about you? Do you own a kindle? Or, have you tried someone else's? Would you like to?

Who's Doing Cyber Monday?

I'm very carefully going to check out the Cyber Monday deals. I have a few items in mind that I plan to buy, but it would be very nice if they'd go on sale and save me some money. I won't be spending much. Can't afford to do so this year.

What about you?

Did You Shop on Black Friday?

There's still time to take the poll to the left about what you ate at Thanksgiving.
About Black Friday -
The DH despises mob scenes, but my brother and I do love the adventure of shopping on Black Friday. We weren't courageous enough to get up at the crack of dawn, though, so we did miss out on a few goodies, like the snuglee blankets and pots and pans sets at Menards, and some other items. I did manage to get some work gloves at almost 50 cents each pair, and a boot/shoe dryer which sounded interesting and was less than $9.00. The biggest extravagance there was this turntable with MP3 encoding/AM FM radio combination thing, but that was only $49.00, which isn't too bad. I didn't go for any of the high ticket items.

I didn't do too bad, but do have some Staples rebates to send in. They're pretty easy to do online, so I don't mind doing them. I bought some USB flash drives, batteries, and CD rewrites there.

I also bought a reversible light grey, almost white bubble coat and some grey boots at Walmart, both items $7.00 each, which I plan to use walking Rascal.

What about you? Did you shop on Black Friday? If so, what kind of deals did you get?

So, this year I was pretty practical, but it was still fun and I did get a few things I hadn't expected to find.

What about you? Did you shop on Black Friday? If so, what kind of finds did you get?

Did you eat any of these foods at Thanksgiving dinner?

Since it's a busy time and an eating time, here's an easy poll to take in the left column. It's okay to pick multiple answers as long as they don't conflict. You can also leave a comment about a particularly favorite dish, if you wish.

Morgan

Still Time Plus Giving Thanks

Still time to let us know  below when you read.
Today, at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ I'm giving thanks for the gift of writing. What about you?

When Do You Read?

When I stopped to catch my breath after publishing Killer Career, it dawned on me I'd neglected the enjoyment of reading for too long. During my ten minute breakfast, I'd read the newspaper or a writing magazine, but couldn't get into fiction because I'd have to tear myself away too soon to leave for work.

I'd spent most of my commuting time on the train either writing or promoting my books, and at lunch the same. 

On vacation, I'd had time to read and wanted to spend more time on the other side of the book, so to speak.
To remedy the situation, I tuck a paperback into my tote bag each morning. I read it sometimes on the commuter train, most of the time during lunch or my breaks.

At home in the evening, I very rarely read. There's too much noise and too many interruptions from the TV, the dog and the DH. Right now for example, Rascal is whining for no reason except to get my attention, while a commercial is playing in the living room.

Anyway, I'm glad to have found a way to fit reading back into my schedule and look forward to my time  away from the real world each day, even though it's for a short while.

What about you? When do you read?

Harlequin at War with RWA and MWA

Saturday, Nov. 21 - Morgan Mandel and Margot Justes will be autographing books at the 29th Annual Home Decor, Crafts and More Show at Our Lady of the Wayside, Park Street and Ridge, Arlington Heights, IL from 9-4pm. Stop by and say Hi.

With the announcement of the new Horizons line by Harlequin, the battle has begun. RWA's denounced Harlequin for opening this vanity line, going so far as to take away recommended publisher status and free attendance privileges at the RWA National Conference. MWA has issued a warning and is awaiting Harlequin's response.

On the surface, it seems that Harlequin is trying to take advantage of writers who, unable to get traditional publishing contracts, will gladly pay to get their books published. It doesn't appear they'll make much of a profit by doing so.

Although Harlequin says that the HH line, as it will be dubbed, will be kept separate from the traditional Harlequin books as far as distribution and advertising goes, many traditional Harlequin authors are still uneasy, wondering if Harlequin's strength and reputation could be diluted by this latest move.

As with other industries, the book industry is struggling to keep afloat in these troubling financial times. Maybe this is just one more way for Harlequin to ensure a cash flow by offering an avenue for authors who may have fallen through the cracks or who would just like a book published as a keepsake. Whether or not the books are up to par in quality may or may not be relevant to such individuals seeking such a service. The trickle down effect still has serious authors worried.

What's your take on Harlequin's move? Is Harlequin cheapening its brand, or hedging its bets to cover all bases in a competitive market? Will this be good or bad for Harlequin, and/or for authors in general?

Please Welcome My Guest, Julie Lomoe, Mystery author

Say hello to my guest, mystery author, Julie Lomoe. 

A little bit about Julie -

Julie Lomoe has been named 2009 Author of the Year by the Friends of the Albany Public Library. She was honored at a luncheon on November 14th, and she’s scheduled her first Blog Book Tour to help celebrate and spread the word about this achievement.

And she's a dog lover, too. Her dog has lots more hair than mine. (g)

Julie self-published her two mystery novels, Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders (2006) and Eldercide (2008). She tried the traditional route to publication for both books, but after a limited number of rejections, she found the process inordinately depressing and turned to print-on-demand technology instead, using the Texas publishing company Virtual Bookworm. She loves the control and involvement she’s had over the published product, including the fact that she was able to use her own cover illustrations for both books. Although she still hopes to land a traditional agent and publisher, she intends to do so on her own terms when the time and the match feel right.

The library’s selection committee for the Author of the Year award chose Julie especially for her novel Eldercide, because of its relevance to current issues surrounding health care reform and our nation’s treatment of the elderly and of end-of-life issues. The award has been given for decades, but this is the first time the committee has chosen a self-published rather than a traditionally published book.

In May, 2009, Julie joined the online Blog Book Tours group. Since then, much to her own amazement, her blog, Julie Lomoe’s Musings Mysterioso (http://julielomoe.wordpress.com) has generated over 14,000 visits. She thanks Dani Greer and the other writers at the BBT Café for encouraging her in this new challenge.
For more about Julie and her background, go to http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/, where she is also featured today.

Both of Julie's books are available online from Virtual Bookworm, Amazon.Com, plus Barnes and Noble

And Now Let's Hear from Julie


IN PRAISE OF SELF-PUBLISHING by Julie Lomoe


True confession time: I’m a self-published author, I’m out and I’m proud! There’s still a certain stigma associated with self-publishing, but the publishing industry is undergoing seismic changes, and I believe those of us who’ve bypassed the traditional system are taking back our power and gaining greater credibility with every passing day.

When I began blogging seriously back in May, I posted about my bipolar diagnosis, saying I’m out and I’m proud. At that time I wrote that self-publishing with a print-on-demand publisher rather a traditional publisher had even more stigma attached than revealing that I’m bipolar. But in the six months since then, I’ve changed my mind. Here are some reasons why.

On Saturday, November 14th, I was honored as 2009 Author of the Year by the Friends of the Albany Public Library for my suspense novel Eldercide. They had a wonderful luncheon in my honor, and when their President Gene Damm introduced me, he pointed out that although they’ve been giving the award for decades, this is the first time they’ve ever chosen a self-published author. The fact that I was self-published didn’t weigh into their decision either positively or negatively; they simply thought my book was the best of the many they considered, and they liked the way I dealt with important social issues regarding aging and death.

In October, I moderated two panels for the Poisoned Pen Web Con, sponsored by Poisoned Pen Press and billed as the first-ever virtual worldwide mystery conference. When I volunteered to serve as moderator, the organizers didn’t ask who had published my books. Rather, they gave me free rein in organizing my panels on social issues and point-of-view. Most of the authors on the panels, which I put together by e-mailing back and forth, had far more impressive publishing track records than mine, but it didn’t matter. (By the way, you can visit the Web Con at the link above to read my panels and access the rest of the conference proceedings free of charge.)

Putting together those two panels made me even more grateful that I took the self-publishing route. Especially in the social issues panel, authors related stories of agents and editors who dictated what they should and shouldn’t write. Child abuse was taboo, for example. Appealing to the broadest possible audience without offending anyone seemed to be the dominant concern, and for the most part, the authors acceded to the restrictions. Those of us who self-publish have no such limitations – we’re free to write about whatever we want, however we want, and to build our own readership without having to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

I tried the traditional route to publication for both my mystery novels. While attempting unsuccessfully to find an agent for Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders, which deals with mysterious deaths at a social club for the mentally ill on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, I wrote Eldercide. Perhaps mental illness was too specialized a topic, I thought, and I hoped for more success with the novel that drew on my experience running a home health care agency. No such luck: the rejections continued. Approximately 15 rejections for each book – not many at all, but enough to throw me into a profound clinical depression. I nearly gave up, until some writer friends convinced me to try print-on-demand publishing. I did due-diligence online research on POD companies and settled on Virtual Bookworm, a company in Texas that received consistently good reviews. Within two months of my decision, I had a published book in my hands. I had a major say in the design and layout, and I did my own cover illustration. Lo and behold, my depression lifted, and it hasn’t come back since.

Do I still want a big-time agent and publisher? Yes, that would be great, but my life no longer depends on it. And I plan to acquire them on my terms, when and if I choose. In the meantime, the people buying my books don’t care who the publisher is. Bookstores and libraries carry them when I do the necessary outreach, and they’re available worldwide through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. At my high school reunion last June in Milwaukee, I learned the school had purchased both books for their collection of alumni writers. And a fellow alumna from Norway, an exchange student back in the day, had bought them online as well.

Do I recommend POD self-publishing to other aspiring authors? Absolutely, and even more so since I’ve met Morgan and so many other successfully self-published writers on line. I firmly believe we’re just beginning to come into our power. I’ve written more on this topic at my own blog, Julie Lomoe’s Musings Mysterioso. Just check the directory, where topics are archived by subject. Hope to see you there. And thanks, Morgan, for inviting me here today!

Julie Lomoe's Musings Mysterioso
http://julielomoe.wordpress.com/
For more about Julie, come on over to http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/ today, but first -
Please welcome Julie by leaving a comment here.

Boots and what they say

It's Fall. So far in Illinois the weather's a bit cooler, but not too bad for around here. As I trudge to work in Downtown Chicago and watch others on a similar mission to get to their jobs, I can't help but notice their feet, or more accurately, what's on them.

I'm still wearing gym shoes and will as long as I can. I guess I'm slow on the uptrend, or just not with it. When did boots become so popular that women wear them when they don't really have to yet? In the past 3-4 weeks, I've seen a parade of all sorts of boots, from the leather, or fake leather, to the suede, vinyl, rubber, and synthetics. The leather ones are usually brown or black, with an occasional gray or cordovan. They're with either pointy tall heels or sensible flat heels, low to the ground or with tire tread like soles and heels. The suedes are usually tan or beige, with not much of a sole or heel, and look almost look tall slippers.

Then there are those waterproof boots that seem to have caught on even before the seasonal boot craze. Most of them are outrageous in color and design, and don't always match much of anything,  but apparently afford good protection from the dreaded wet sock syndrome.

I don't know about you, but I hate the thought of something confining my legs. I don't wear boots until I have to, like when it's really cold or when there's ice or snow on the ground. Then, I reluctantly throw on my boots, which are a sturdy variety with sensible heels, since I don't care to lose my balance.

And what about the guys, what kind of boots do they wear? I don't see them wearing boots just yet, at least not Downtown. In the neighborhoods, I might see them wearing cowboy boots with jeans. Personally, I found those cowboy boots very sexy. When the weather gets messier, Downtown I'm sure I'll see them wearing the kind that slip on over dress shoes, or maybe even galoshes if it's really messy out.

You just might ask what boots have to do with writing. As in almost everything in everyday life, there's a connection.

A description of what kind of boots a woman wears hints at her personality, such as:

High heels - risk taker.

Sturdy heels - sensible person.

Designer boots - wealthy or someone who overspends to make a good impression. The over-spender could be insecure, or another risk taker.

Suede boots - very popular these days - Someone who likes creature comforts, or just likes following the trend.

And the guys -

Cowboy boots - Alpha kind of guy, sure of himself, or maybe just someone looking for something comfortable with jeans

Galoshes - Practical, not worried about appearances

Slipons - Executive type, fashion conscious.


Now what about you? When do you put your boots on? What kind do you wear? What do your boots say about you?

Slides, Anyone?

I added a few slides of my books to my blogspot. I'm not sure yet if they should stay on or not.

Do you have more trouble loading my blogspot with the slides up? Do you like them or are they too distracting?

A Christmas Tree Already

On the way home from work yesterday, I passed a house that already had a lighted and decorated Christmas tree up and showing by the window.

Is it not too soon for that? In my mind, the day after Thanksgiving is when the Christmas Season starts. That's when it's fair game to put up a tree and decorations and start shopping. The way things are going this year, I'll be lucky if I get organized enough to decorate a few days before Christmas.

With our dog, Rascal, who lives up to her name, we'll probably go with a fiber optic small tree on top of an end table. One of these days I may pull put the larger tree from the box in the basement and set it up, but not until our doggy is a little more sedate. I don't feel like chasing her to get ornaments out of her mouth. I will be putting up knick knacks, lights inside and decorations on the walls, so it will still look Christmasy. No lights outside because for some reason we have no outlets outside.

While we're on the subject of Christmas trees and such, be sure to add holidays in your books. You can mention decorations and lights  or Easter eggs and baskets, or even mattress sales in your descriptions to ground the reader as to the season.
Now, back to that tree I saw. What about you? When do you decorate for Christmas? What do you put up?

Winners and Losers at the CMAs and Life

I love country music and almost every country performer. While watching the CMAs, I enjoyed seeing the winners accept their awards. On the other hand, it was hard for me to see the losers do their best to appear gracious and for the most part succeeding.

For every winner, there's a loser. In life and in books, it's the same way. How people react to their good and bad fortune shows what their characters are made of.  You don't have to tell a reader who the good guy or  bad guy is. Let their actions speak for themselves. The readers are smart enough to figure it out.

PS Can't finish this blog without saying - You Rock, Taylor Swift! You are one smart, talented teenager! Congrats on all your awards, especially, Entertainer of the Year!!!

CMA Awards Tonight and Twitter

One of my favorite shows is on tonight - the CMA Awards. If you're a country music fan, you're probably like me and will be glued to the TV 8pm EST, or in my case 7pm, in the flatlands of Illinois.

Almost all my favorite performers will be there, except I hear that Rascal Flatts can't make it.

I'll be on Twitter during the show also. That's part of the fun of it - discussing and dissecting outfits, performers, songs and even commercials, kind of like I'm at a giant party with people who all go for the same thing and want to share.

What about you? What kind of music do you like? Do you tweet during a favorite show or event?

Things People Say and Do at Book Signings

Saturday was a Killer Career book signing at Barnes and Noble in Schaumburg. I just love the way they do their posters, by the way. Very professional looking.

It was 70 degrees outside, which is an unusual temperature for November. Needless to say, not everyone wanted to waste such a beautiful day by pending it inside a book shop.

The usual assortment of customers did come by, some asking me questions about how long it took to write my book, how I got started, and how many books I'd written.
Some said they'd never heard of me. I've heard that one before. (g) 

What was surprising is that three children, not at the same time or with the same party, asked for my autograph - two on the back of bookmarks, one on a slip of paper. That usually doesn't happen. Maybe it's the economy. I don't know if their parents put them up to it, or if they thought of it themselves.

One person asked about my book and then said she doesn't buy from Barnes and Noble, but online instead. Since she was in the store, I can only assume she was scouting there for books first. I don't know.

Oh, yes, a variation on the restroom question was, "Where are the dictionaries?"

Another took the time to show me some missing pages in one of the magazines.

What about you? What questions have people asked you at book signings? Anything that stood out at a book signing you'd like to share?

New Review for Killer Career

I'm happy to report a new review for Killer Career, this time from Lucille P. Robinson, from Sassy Brit's Gang at


http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2009/11/killer-career-morgan-mandel-choice-one.html



Thanks,
Morgan Mandel

Do You Feed Your Blog?

Booksigning Sat, 11/7, Killer Career by Morgan Mandel at Barnes & Noble, 590 E. Golf Rd, Schaumburg - Stop in and say Hi

About Blog Feeding -

Whenever I see an RSS feed available, I use it by filling in my blog name and the url. The result is Double M is carried on many ning networks where I"m a member. Some include http://bookplace.ning.com/ , http://sixtyandsavvy.ning.com/, http://crimespace.ning.com/ and many more.

What about you? Do you feed your blog? Where? How?

What's On Acme Authors Link and Still Time to Share Snippets

Over at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com/, you'll find out how a conference is like a garage sale. Also, if you haven't done so, you're still welcome to share one review snippet. Read how to do it and share below.
Thanks,
Morgan

Share Your Review Snippets, Everyone

PLEASE SHARE YOUR REVIEW SNIPPETS -

Rules are:
Use the comment section.
Only one per person.
Snippet must only be one sentence or it will be deleted.
You must include the reviewer and/or url of the review site, depending on your reviewer's instructions.
It must have been approved for sharing by the reviewer. I take no responsibility for any unapproved quotes.
You may include the name of only one book and only one buy link.
You may include your name and either one website or one blogspot.
No pictures.

Example:

"Killer Career is a walk on the wild side as Morgan Mandel pours forth a compelling story of deception and intrigue." - George Thompson - http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/killer_career_by_morgan_mandel
Killer Career - http://digital-bookshop.com/
Morgan Mandel - http://www.morganmandel.com/

OKAY, NOW IT'S YOUR TURN ---

#19 Hallopalooza Results & Check Out Make Mine Mystery Monday

The results are in at Hallopalooza Stop #19 - Jonnie Hartling's comment won the prize for this stop - a cap or tee shirt. I've already been in contact with her.

Thanks to everyone who participated.

Monday, at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/, I'm hosting Rolf Hitzer, author of Hoodoo Sea. Come on over to check him and his book out.

Thanks,

Morgan