Read 'Til You Drop

Mark just called me.  He took the subway in to work this morning, and when he got to the station, he sprinted for the train.  He just made it into the car and maneuvered his way toward the pole, so that he could stand and read his book.  A woman was holding onto the pole, already reading.

Reading SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.

He said that he didn't say anything to her, because he worried that would seem creepy.  He didn't take a picture of her with his cell phone, because that would be creepier.

But somewhere out there, someone is on page 210 of SORCERY!

Mindy, amused and wondering if the woman was someone she knows!

Two years ago, I did a reading from GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT for a group of librarians.  The day following the reading, one of the librarians sent me email telling me that she was "disgusted" and "repulsed" by my website, because it used martini glasses to attract young girls to reading my book.  (She then asked me for help getting a job, but that's another matter...)

I was somewhat flabbergasted at the time.  The librarian had sat through my reading.  She had heard narration from the book.  She knew (or should have known) that the "girl" in the title was a twenty-something young adult. 

I thanked the librarian for her opinion and continued to use the martini glasses on my website and as an icon here on LiveJournal.

This coming summer, though, GIRL'S GUIDE and SORCERY *are* going to be presented as YA books.  They'll get new covers - the text will stay the same, but the design will be different.  And since I'll be marketing to a different demographic, I've updated both my web design and my default LiveJournal icon.

www.mindyklasky.com

Happy New Year!

Mindy, wondering what people think - about the new artwork or the old librarian-created controversy

Several weeks ago, I was interviewed for Barnes & Noble's Meet the Writers podcast series.  I eagerly awaited the posting of the podcast, so that I could share it with all of you, and so that I could confirm just how totally dorky my voice sounds in recording.

Alas, B&N revamped their Meet the Writers page, and my podcast was lost, and then it was found again (for one very short afternoon), and then it was lost all over again.

Finally, however, it seems to be up in a somewhat permanent form:

http://media.barnesandnoble.com/?fr_story=50e36754468d0183cee1a36fb4c14c898c25b914&rf=bm

And now you, too, can hear how totally dorky my voice sounds in recording!

Mindy, posting on the fly

So, earlier this week, I was up in New York, on business for the day-job.  On a lunch break, I headed downtown to have lunch with my editor (and, it turns out, two other editors in the Harlequin monolith!)  Amid great company, dining on superb food (gorgonzola hazelnut ravioli in a sage butter sauce!), I received most excellent writing news:  GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT and SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL are going to be re-released this summer as part of a new YA line launched by Harlequin!

The YA books will be trade paperbacks, with new covers.  They're going to be released under the Mira imprint (Harlequin's mainstream fiction line).  The program is slated to run for at least three months, and the other authors are Sarah Mlynowski (MILKRUN and FISHBOWL) and Wendy Markham (SLIGHTLY SINGLE and SLIGHTLY SETTLED).

I am absolutely thrilled at the news.  I love Sarah's and Wendy's books, and I'm honored to be in their company.  I've seen drafts of possible cover art for the new release of my books, and I'm very happy with the ideas.

Basically, I couldn't be more pleased!

Mindy, sharing good news to round out the crazy month of November

So, yesterday, I did a reading of SORCERY for a group of law librarians in DC.  I had bought some copies of the novel to sell at the reading (since I've been utterly unable to get a single bookstore in town to be interested in sponsoring a reading.)  I decided that, in the interest of being a good librarian and easy-going author, that I should  have change for the people who bothered to attend and cared to buy a copy of the book.

Therefore, at noon yesterday, I found myself standing in a branch of Chevy Chase Bank, holding a twenty and a ten.  There was one other person in the bank, a man filling out a deposit slip.  One of the three (all unoccupied) tellers called me over to her window and asked if she could help me.  I asked for six five-dollar-bills.  She asked if I had an account at the bank, and I said no.  She then asked if I would like to open an account, so that I could change my legal tender.  Laughing incredulously, I told her no, and I told her that I would never do business with her bank for the rest of my life.

As I turned to storm out the door, the man who was completing his deposit slip offered to get me my change.  I told him that I truly did appreciate his offer, but that I wouldn't have anything to do with the bank.

The Adams National Bank (a small, local bank) in the middle of the next block changed my money, asked if there was anything else that they could do for me, and wished me a nice day.

I wasn't asking Chevy Chase to cash a check.  I wasn't asking them to extend credit.  Banks have metastasized to every corner of every intersection downtown, but they apparently don't want to build good neighborhood relations or reach out to anyone other than their own already-paying customers.

Now, was I totally out of line?

Mindy, who had a great time at the reading last night!

I was interviewed by the Twinsburg (Ohio) Public Library about SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL, being an author, etc.  The interview is in their monthly magazine:

http://www.twinsburglibrary.org/magazine/November_2007.pdf

The Library seems to do a lot of outreach activities, and they've actively built an online presence.  If you've got some time, swing by to check out their website - and to see the sorts of things that you can ask *your* public library to do for you!

Mindy, always pleased to see libraries changing with the times :-)

A few weeks ago, I noted that I was going to take a Virtual Tour, in support of the release of SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.  That Tour launched yesterday.  In addition to the SFNovelists questions which were spread far and wide and hither and yon by my writers group friends, including anghara and halspacejock - and which you can read here:  http://www.sfnovelists.com/2007/09/25/launch-day-interviews-mindy-klaskykelly-mccullough/ - many people came up with many creative questions for me to answer.  Take a peek!

elsceetaria - one of my first LiveJournal friends - asked me a number of questions after she'd had a chance to read the book.  Her questions, therefore, focus on my writing process and assorted symbolic meanings in SORCERY:  http://elsceetaria.livejournal.com/

Jackie Kessler, author of HELL'S BELLES, kept me laughing for hours as her main character, Jezebel, interviewed my main character, Jane Madison.  Jezebel is one wicked woman - and I mean that in the nicest of ways.  If you read no other link from this post, stop by Jackie's page:  http://www.jackiekessler.com/blog/2007/09/24/witchy-woman/

jimhines - a great force here on LiveJournal - asked me some of the funniest questions I've been asked on this round of interviewing (including one high-pressure short essay question :-) ):  http://jimhines.livejournal.com/310579.html

Mary Castillo, author of SWITCHCRAFT, interviewed me for her blog, Chica Lit, asking some great questions about writing multiple books and books in series:  http://www.marycastillo.blogspot.com/

moondancerdrake - a relatively new LiveJournal friend - was kind enough to feature me in her weekly Author's Spotlight, with questions that focused on my past and its influence on my writing:  http://moondancerdrake.livejournal.com/9362.html

sassyjinx - one of my newest LiveJournal friends - posted her questions and my answers here:  http://sassyjinx.livejournal.com/5840.html (including some great questions about the writing process!)

Veronica Asks presented me with a number of questions about astrology, witchcraft, and the writing process:  http://veronikaasks.blogspot.com/2007/09/mindy-klasky.html

Mindy, truly overwhelmed by the number of people who played along with the Virtual Tour!

As virtually all of you know, Harriet Klausner is a book reviewer.   She reviews hundreds of books a year.  She likes everything she reviews, and she loves many of those books.  Over the years, two things have happened with Harriet reviews:  they've become more and more incoherent (presumably as she's typing too fast to correct herself, given the thousands of pages she must read each day), and they've been posted in more and more places.  Any one Harriet review is likely to appear in at least two dozen book review forums on the Web.

(Many authors despise Harriet for her less-than-thoughtful reviews.  Many people have wondered if Harriet actually has read all the books she says she has read.  Many people accuse Harriet of reading the back cover copy of books and basing her review on that information.)

Well, Harriet has reviewed SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.  She doesn't spoil the plot *too* much (although she does, a bit.)  She gets several details wrong.  She misconstrues, in a fairly substantial way, the title of the first book in the series.  But she doesn't work too much damage, given the fact that this review is the one that is going to proliferate across the web for the next several months...

One incarnation:  http://www.alternative-worlds.com/2007/09/18/sorcery-and-the-single-girl/

Have you come across Harriet before?  Do you agree with her reviews?  Disagree?  Think that her technique is good, bad, or ugly?

Mindy, shrugging

SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL will be in bookstores on September 25!  SORCERY is my second book about Jane Madison, a librarian who finds out that she's a witch.  Jane attempts to balance her job, her love life, and her desperate attempts to join the most prestigious coven on the Eastern seaboard.

According to my editor, there is a *chance* that I can make a national bestseller list with this book IF enough people buy the book very early in its release.  (Enough copies have been printed, and the distribution should be in place...)  Therefore, if you are at all inclined to buy the book, could you consider making your purchase on September 25?

Also, I am going to follow up on last year's successful Virtual Book Tour for GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT with a new tour for SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.  I would be happy to answer up to five questions about the book, writing, publishing, or just about anything else, if you will post my answers on your blog or website on or around September 25!  Please email your questions to me with the subject Virtual Book Tour at mindy@mindyklasky.com. 

Anyone who posts answers for my Virtual Book Tour will be entered into a drawing for a gift bag containing a signed copy of SORCERY, some pewter witchcraft charms, notecards, etc.  Also, anyone who emails me a photo of SORCERY in a bookstore will receive a signed cover flat (a cardstock version of the full-color cover), along with a set of tiny pewter witchcraft charms!  Finally, you can enter a drawing for a signed copy of SORCERY by entering this month's contest on my blog: www.mindyklasky.com/contest.html

Thanks to all of you for your constant support! (And please feel free to distribute this message as widely as you'd like!)

Mindy, psyched for the official launch

Writing Marathon progresseth well!  I have completed my read-through of all prior writing on MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL, and I have about 15,000 words left to write.  Piece of cake!

Which brings me to the point:  Yesterday morning, my sister-in-law stopped by, bearing baked goods.  After reading the first chapter of SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL (in a bookstore near you!  September 25!), she decided that she absolutely, positively *needed* to create Melissa White's confection, Almond Lust.  And then, for good measure, she decided to create an "adult" version with dark chocolate - Lust After Dark.  And *then* because she's a more amazing baker than I'll ever be, she decided to bake both versions, drizzle them in chocolate, and stop by to sustain me in my writing labors.  The bars look like the product of a professional kitchen, and they taste AMAZING.  I get one as a reward for each chapter I finish in its entirety :-)

So - question for the groupmind:  Would you participate in a "bake sale" project for a Good Cause (e.g., First Book)?  If I listed the names of the treats from Melissa White's bakery, Cake Walk, would you submit recipes that you have (or that you develop specifically for the cause)?  Would you consider buying a copy of a recipe book, if it were reasonably priced from a source like lulu.com (assuming that there were no copyright disasters lurking in the corner)?  Any other thoughts about this sort of thing? 

Mindy, encouraging her friends' list to circulate this post, to gauge a wider level of interest...

Three more weeks, till SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL arrives in a bookstore near you.  Although the book is technically considered an "October release", its official launch date is September 25.  I am sitting on pins and needles, waiting to see how this baby will do out there in the Big Bad World.

So, to distract myself from worry, I've decided to have a contest.  The first person to send me a photo of SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL in its native habitat (any bricks and mortar bookstore of your choosing) receives a signed cover flat (a cardstock version of the full-color cover), along with a set of tiny pewter witchcraft charms.  I'll also post your photo on my blog and/or website.

In other news, I spent the weekend pounding away on writing MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL (the third Jane Madison book, due on 9/30).  I got about 15,000 words written, and another 5000 edited.  That leaves me in good shape for Writing Marathon, which will take place next week.

And you?  How did you spend the weekend?  If you were in the States, did you picnic on Labor Day?

Mindy, mourning the vacation from work of one kind, as she prepare to return to work of another kind...

SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL will be in bookstores near you on September 25.  Yesterday, I received my first review, from Publishers Weekly:

Sorcery and the Single Girl
Mindy Klasky. Red Dress Ink, $13.95 paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-373-89563-2

Klasky emphasizes the importance of being true to yourself and having faith in friends and family in her bewitching second romance featuring fledgling witch Jane Madison (after Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft). Young librarian Jane believes getting into the elite Washington Coven, ruled by the prodigious Teresa Alison Sidney, is of major importance. If Jane wants to hold on to her familiar, her valuable book and gemstone collection and David Montrose, her hunky protector and instructor, she has to meet the coven’s standards for knowledge and skill. When slickly seductive Graeme Henderson starts laying it on suspiciously thick, and David insists that friendly coven witch Haylee can’t be trusted, Jane must decide what’s most important: trying to impress the popular coven snobs, or taking control of her power and doing what she knows is best for herself. Klasky’s moral lesson is obvious, but readers who identify with Jane’s remembered high school social angst will cheer her all the way.

* * *

Hmmm...  Bewitching second romance....  Yeah, I can live with that!  :-)

Mindy, off to work on the third!

I know that you kind-hearted souls will forgive me for my laxity in posting - I've been on the road with the day-job, and life has been more than the usual whirlwind (a condition that, alas, will likely last through the end of this month!)  I had a swell time at BEA, though, and wanted to pass on a few of my impressions.

The Javits Center was huge and hot - Friday was something of an endurance test for all involved.  The floor seemed even more crowded than DC was last year.  While I found a half dozen ARCs that I couldn't live without, far fewer publishers seemed to have stacks and stacks of books for the taking.  Most publishers seemed to be doing what Harlequin does - having structured signing times for key authors, where you wait in line to get the book that you want.  I totally understand that change - it only makes fiscal sense to hand out free books to people who have *some* likelihood of buying the things en masse - but it was a disappointment all the same.  (Even more disappointing for the ever-supportive accompanying spouse, but he rallied like the good man that he is.)

I had a great time with First Book, who was present at the Expo as well.  First Book is starting a new campaign - What Book Got You Hooked.  You can check it out at www.firstbook.org - they are collecting the names of the books that first got readers reading.  I don't remember the earliest books that entranced me, but I fell in love with storytelling, and with the possibilities of narrators who don't understand everything that's going on around them with E.L. Konigsberg's JENNIFER, HECATE, MACBETH, WILLIAM MCKINLEY, and ME, ELIZABETH.  Stop by First Book and tell them what book got you hooked!

My signing was a grand success - we gave away all the ARCs of SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL within half an hour of the signing's start.  There were a few people that I recognized from last year, plus a number of people who were new to me.  I was thrilled to have a line of at least two or three people the entire duration of the signing.

While at the Harlequin booth, I conducted a podcast.  I'm not sure when it will be posted, but I'll let you know when it is.

Oh - and as I was leaving the convention floor, I ran into Justine Larbalestier (the MAGIC OR MADNESS series) and Scott Westerfeld (PEEPS, and the UGLIES series).  I got to squee like a fangirl, which was kindly received by those incredibly YA authors.

And that's about all of my report from the floor!

Mindy, back to day-job scurrying for a bit...

For the past several years, I've accomplished most of my writing by conducting "Writing Marathons", taking a week off from the day job and hammering out 30,000 polished words in nine days.  (I do one or two for a book, and get the other 30K in dribs and drabs.) 

That system, alas, is in jeopardy with my new day-job.  I gave up two weeks of annual leave to take the job, and I don't get any leave for the first three months of my employment.  I need to figure out other ways to get the writing done.

Announcing:  Writing Fun Run.  Writing Fun Run compares to Writing Marathon as a 5K compares to a Marathon.  By the end of this weekend, I'll have written about 10,000 new words, editing them into I-think-they're-final status.  I'm having fun with SORCERY - my First Reader spotted an oversight in narration in Chapter Three.  When I went to fix it, I realized that Chapter Four really was going to turn out a lot more interesting - if by interesting, I mean full of magic and character exploration.  Oh, and a little bit of sex.

After polishing up the revised Chapter Four, I went over to Macy's to do some emergency shopping.  I'm going to be on the road for all but four days of June, and I needed to get an interchangeable summer wardrobe, suitable for offices in very hot, often very humid cities.  I was overwhelmingly successful (let's hear it for the current fashion trend of black and white, with alternating small and large prints!  :-) )  My travel packing will be assisted by my not spending more than four days in any one city - I'll get to repeat outfits!

And now... back to more running.  For fun.

Mindy, serenaded by the motorcycles of Rolling Thunder

Writing requires a lot of patience - delayed gratification is generally the name of the game.  It can easily take a year from the time I write "The End" on a manuscript before I see it in a store.

Yesterday, I received a packet from Red Dress, containing the Author's Alteration pages for SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL.  (AA pages are Red Dress's equivalent of page proofs - they aren't typeset, but they have every word on every line, as expected in the final typeset version.  The pages are printed in Courier, with numbers on each page, and line numbers running down the left side.)  This is the last stage that I see before books hit the stores - I make edits by noting page number, line number, and word change(s).

While the pages aren't due back until 5/28, I have a lot of time demands in the next few weeks, so I decided to get as much done today as I could.  I started reading at about 9:30 this morning, and I took breaks to eat lunch and dinner, and to watch two half-innings of the Red Sox/Orioles game.

And tonight, I finished the AAs.

Yea.

(The pages were very clean; I don't think I had more than a dozen edits.)

And then, checking up on computer-y things, I discovered that SORCERY is available for pre-orders on Amazon.  The page isn't perfect - there's no cover art, and it looks like they ported in another Red Dress page, because there are reviews that don't belong to me - but this baby is really going to ship on (or just before) October 1 of this year!

http://tinyurl.com/292yqk

Mindy, appreciating the immediate "feedback"

I've stayed out of the Grand Kerfuffle that has grown over on the SFWA LJ site.  I think that each writer has to make his or her own decisions about how much, if any, work should be posted on the Internet.  I think that the decisions that are right for one author have no bearing on any other author. 

For example, if I ran a website with hundreds of thousands of daily visitors, and advertisers paid me to place ads before all of those daily eyes, and my placing a novel up on my website lured more daily visitors, and I lived off the advertising on my site - well, I'd be putting everything up there for free.

And for another example, if I had a huge backlog of stories that I thought would never sell to a print market, but I wanted them to be read and loved, well, I'd be putting those up for free as well.

And for yet a third example, if I thought that reading the first chapters of each of my novels would convince readers that they wanted to read the whole thing, well, I'd be posting free first chapters.  And what do you know?  I *do* think that's the case.  And you can get to each of those first chapters from my website:

http://www.mindyklasky.com/books.html

(Click on the cover of each book to find out a bit more about it, then click on the link for the chapter.)

My making this post is partially intended to join in the fun.  But it's also intended to remind folks that what works for one author doesn't work for all. 

Mindy, entering the fray, in her teeny, tiny way...

Our own norilanaconducts Virtual Author Tours each Monday on her LJ.  Guess who visited yesterday?

http://norilana.livejournal.com/68901.html

Mindy, who enjoyed the Virtual Tour, even as she started to plan a real one in October

The March Contest has drawn to a close, and Margaret Smith was the winner!

And the April Contest is posted - http://www.mindyklasky.com/contest.html

And - here's the Very Special part - the first chapter of SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL is posted for your reading pleasure, along with copy from the back of the book - http://www.mindyklasky.com/books.html


Mindy, post-happy on this grey afternoon/evening

SORCERY AND THE SINGLE GIRL...  Coming to a bookstore near you on September 25, 2007. 



(I am thrilled by the cover - the first I saw of it was the cover flat in my mailbox this evening!)