I remember a conference many years ago when a very popular author told us she had wall papered her bathroom in her office with rejections letters. At the time I took that to heart and realized that, yes, I could keep receiving rejections and still publish. I still don't have enough rejection letters to paper my entire bathroom, but I think I could come close. Shortly after that conference I did publish with Kensington. I had a short but very memorable experience with Kate Duffy. Kate Duffy was an icon in the business and I will never forget that phone call from her when she offered me a contract. I had several other conversation with her and she was always so upbeat and postive. Recalling one phone conversation when she told me how much she loved my books but by hero and heorines were all frequent flyers. Yes, the stories I sent to her the characters did move around. Oh well, not all my characters move from place to place.
How did I get my wings? I published with Kensington in 1998. Dakota's Bride was my first novel and My Angel the second. I now have my rights to Dakota's Bride and it will be published by Rogue Phoenix Press this March. I have sense published the Highland series with Awe-struck and the rest of the Dakota's Bride series with RPP. I have another series with Awe-struck. It is a regency series, a spin off of the fairy tale about the twelve dancing princess.
I hope to publish more of my books with RPP.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
WHO DOES AN ANGEL SLEEP WITH?
Posted by: Amber Angel
This is a trick question. However, it's fun to see the various expressions when I reply that I sleep with four males. Then everyone has a good chuckle when I add these males have paws and fur coats.
Yes, I'm owned by six dogs--four males and two females--which can make finding space in the bed a challenge, because they usually call it a night before I do.
Now, if you ask the question, "What do dogs have to do with writing?" I can truthfully say, "A lot!" Many of my stories feature pets as secondary characters with unique personalities, just as real pets do.
In addition, all of my current canine crew were adopted from a local shelter, Willamette Humane Society, where I worked for a year and a half. A fundraising auction for that shelter resulted in a "write-in" part--similar to a cameo appearance on TV--in each of the stories in Rogue's Angels' first anthology, to be released in February 2010. A VALENTINE'S ANTHOLOGY will feature retired librarian, Linda Hamer, in three fictional roles. Linda's daughters were the winning bidders for these roles, which they gave their mother as a gift.
On February 14, 2010, Rogue's Angels will be at the Willamette Humane Society for the launch party of A VALENTINE'S ANTHOLOGY. We invite anyone who might be in the Salem, Oregon area on that day to join us for this celebration. There will be free goodies, a good read, and lots of pets waiting to meet you. That's a promise that's easy to deliver!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
How much do I tell?
Hello all,
Sable Angel checking in today. At our last angel meeting, we decided to give up a secret we're holding. Okay. But what do I tell? Do I share my deep, dark only-best-friend secret or do I tell a not-really-going-to-hurt-me secret? Where is the line drawn?
I've decided to walk the line and give up a personal, but not too, secret. I began this writing journey in earnest nearly 10 years ago. I was scared but a tad bit cocky feeling I could write as well as some of the authors whose books I'd seen, and read, on the book shelves. One decade later and I realize I know less now than I did at that time.
I've learned the more I write, the less I seem to know. Once I get one writing concept understood [I think I understand what my "voice" is], I realize I'm still struggling with the idea of another [point of view, whew...].
But that is not my secret. My secret is the overwhelming fear of failure. I find myself putting off writing a story I love because I'm afraid I will have worked my fingers and imagination to the bone and... no one will care.
My first attempt at writing was, well, tolerable. My second novel was easier to write and read better than the first. My third novel flowed from my fingertips, was the book my heart wanted to write and read quite well. And yet, my sales are dismal causing me to wonder if I really have what it takes to make it as a published author.
Would the world really miss my voice were it not out there?
This is my secret and I fight the urge to fall into the pit of "poor-pitiful-me" every single day. It is very simple, really. If I'm fearful enough I will stop writing all together. On those occasions when I think it is the best path to take, I find myself getting the shakes when I can't get to a keyboard to write. My characters wake me up in the middle of the night demanding to be heard and friends who've been kind enough to buy and read my work ask when my next book is being published.
I guess there are those whose kindness and faith won't let me fail. It is for them and my often distant dream I continue to put stories on paper.
There you have it--Sable Angel's fear, out in the open and exposed to the world.
Keep your feather dry and aim for the moon.
Sable Angel
Sable Angel checking in today. At our last angel meeting, we decided to give up a secret we're holding. Okay. But what do I tell? Do I share my deep, dark only-best-friend secret or do I tell a not-really-going-to-hurt-me secret? Where is the line drawn?
I've decided to walk the line and give up a personal, but not too, secret. I began this writing journey in earnest nearly 10 years ago. I was scared but a tad bit cocky feeling I could write as well as some of the authors whose books I'd seen, and read, on the book shelves. One decade later and I realize I know less now than I did at that time.
I've learned the more I write, the less I seem to know. Once I get one writing concept understood [I think I understand what my "voice" is], I realize I'm still struggling with the idea of another [point of view, whew...].
But that is not my secret. My secret is the overwhelming fear of failure. I find myself putting off writing a story I love because I'm afraid I will have worked my fingers and imagination to the bone and... no one will care.
My first attempt at writing was, well, tolerable. My second novel was easier to write and read better than the first. My third novel flowed from my fingertips, was the book my heart wanted to write and read quite well. And yet, my sales are dismal causing me to wonder if I really have what it takes to make it as a published author.
Would the world really miss my voice were it not out there?
This is my secret and I fight the urge to fall into the pit of "poor-pitiful-me" every single day. It is very simple, really. If I'm fearful enough I will stop writing all together. On those occasions when I think it is the best path to take, I find myself getting the shakes when I can't get to a keyboard to write. My characters wake me up in the middle of the night demanding to be heard and friends who've been kind enough to buy and read my work ask when my next book is being published.
I guess there are those whose kindness and faith won't let me fail. It is for them and my often distant dream I continue to put stories on paper.
There you have it--Sable Angel's fear, out in the open and exposed to the world.
Keep your feather dry and aim for the moon.
Sable Angel
Sunday, December 27, 2009
We Have a Contest!!!!!
Is this time really the last time?
Rogue's Angels decided to each reveal a secret to our fellow writers, bloggers, and viewers. At one time I thought I had no secrets, that I was basically an open book. So thinking of something to reveal was a daunting task for me. From November to February for the last fourteen years I have been busy, busy, busy with a local high school swim team. I swam year round from when I was six until I started high school. Finding myself a tad burned out and wanting to do something different with my time than swim from one end of the pool to the other, I quit the year round program. After that I participated in high school swimming for four years. Go Black Tornados. I won a 6th place medal at the state high school championship meet my Junior year. When my oldest daughter wanted to participate in swimming at the high school level, I became the coach. And have been ever since. My son swam for me as well as my other daughter. When my youngest graduated, I had always planned to quit. But along came another swimmer and wow what a swimmer she is. Four years later and several individual state championship wins by this very talented swimmer will also mark my 14th year as the coach of this team. Should I go for 15?
So the question of the day is… is this really my last year as coach? I will reveal the answer at the end of the season, February 20th. To my friends I have said, for several years, this is my last year. So of course they don't believe anything I say, at least not on this issue.
Rogue's Angels are looking forward to the release of their first anthology on February 14th. We have a contest! Each week, to those who leave a comment, we will have a drawing for a free ebook. (not available until February 14th). Every comment will be placed in a drawing for a basket of goodies and a free POD of our Valentine Anthology. Enter as often as you like. :)
Rogue's Angels decided to each reveal a secret to our fellow writers, bloggers, and viewers. At one time I thought I had no secrets, that I was basically an open book. So thinking of something to reveal was a daunting task for me. From November to February for the last fourteen years I have been busy, busy, busy with a local high school swim team. I swam year round from when I was six until I started high school. Finding myself a tad burned out and wanting to do something different with my time than swim from one end of the pool to the other, I quit the year round program. After that I participated in high school swimming for four years. Go Black Tornados. I won a 6th place medal at the state high school championship meet my Junior year. When my oldest daughter wanted to participate in swimming at the high school level, I became the coach. And have been ever since. My son swam for me as well as my other daughter. When my youngest graduated, I had always planned to quit. But along came another swimmer and wow what a swimmer she is. Four years later and several individual state championship wins by this very talented swimmer will also mark my 14th year as the coach of this team. Should I go for 15?
So the question of the day is… is this really my last year as coach? I will reveal the answer at the end of the season, February 20th. To my friends I have said, for several years, this is my last year. So of course they don't believe anything I say, at least not on this issue.
Rogue's Angels are looking forward to the release of their first anthology on February 14th. We have a contest! Each week, to those who leave a comment, we will have a drawing for a free ebook. (not available until February 14th). Every comment will be placed in a drawing for a basket of goodies and a free POD of our Valentine Anthology. Enter as often as you like. :)
Sunday, December 20, 2009
WHAT MAKES A GOOD COVER?
POSTED BY: AMBER ANGEL
There are as many answers to what makes a good cover as there are answers to the question, "What makes a good book?" Every reader has a different idea about this. And, many times, authors have little or no say in the design of their covers.
With that said, I'll offer my opinions of what makes a good cover.
As a graphic artist, I design and look for certain things in a cover:
--Can you tell by looking at the cover what the story is about?
--Are the title of the book and author's name clear and readable?
--Does the cover look professionally done?
With the growth of electronic books and selling books on the Internet, covers also have to look good and be readable at a small size: about an inch wide and an inch and a half tall. Covers with a lot of detail that might look wonderful on a printed book that's five or six inches wide can look like a murky mush when reduced to an inch wide. Also, if there's not good contrast between the letters and the background, the title and author's name might be totally unreadable at those small sizes. Oh yeah, and don't forget your itty-bitty cover still has to show what the story is about. For me, simple is better when designing book covers to sell on the Internet.
As a reader, I have a different perspective when selecting books by their covers. Some covers may be beautiful or unusual and catch my eye. But when I read the back cover blurb, I realize the cover doesn't show the story at all. I'll paraphrase what a fellow reader and writer said: If your cover shows a bare chest or a seductively posed couple, readers expect a hot love story. If there's nary a kiss inside, they are going to remember this broken promise and perhaps be wary of buying any more of that author's books. (Again, please give that author some leeway as they might not have had much input on their cover design.)
As a reader, I also bring my own prejudices to buying books. I may not care for a certain type of book or not care for the writing style of a particular author. No matter how attractive and professionally done the cover is, I'm not going to buy that book. There are also certain styles of drawing that seem to be very popular, but register high on my "ick" meter. I'm probably not going to pick up that book. On the other hand, if I love an author's writing and they get a stinker cover, I'll buy the book anyway--and perhaps design them a different cover in my "spare" time.
I've also been known to buy a book because of a mischievous look on a cover model's face--seemingly at odds with his muscular biceps. (The book carried through on the promise of the cover.) And any cover with cute animals will make me take a second look--those are my "sucker" covers.
Obviously, what makes a good cover is subjective. Do you have any types of covers that make you go "ick" or ones that will sucker you in every time?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Judging a book by its cover
Hello all,
Sable Angel here. This week's column is about book covers -- what makes an eye-catching, got-to-have-it-in-my-collection cover. Hhmmm. That's a real thinker.
I'm of two minds on this... First, I want to be sure people are stopped in their tracks when they see my book covers. I want something about the cover to grab them and not let go. But what exactly is that ethereal quality? Is it a tan, taut, muscled set of abs? Or a black cover with bold red or white letters screaming the title of the book?
What stops readers, and hopefully buyers, in their tracks?
Second, I don't want to give away my story but tickle the reader's interest. Entice them to take the book off the shelf and read the back cover, maybe open the pages and peruse the first or last page. Whatever it takes to get the book in their hands.
I can only speak from my own experience as to what I prefer -- depends on the genre. When I'm looking at sci-fi and fantasy books, I love covers where I can get a glimpse of the world the writer has created.
I like my mystery book covers simple; a few clues arranged on the cover so I'm thinking about who the murderer is and how they accomplished their nefarious task.
When the Angels last met, we discussed this very topic and did agree on one point: if a writer puts a promise on the cover,e.g., a hunky man clutching a curvaceous female with that look in his eyes [does anyone remember Fabio?]; the writer better come through in spades with the promise of a hot, steamy read.
As writers for an epublisher, the Angels are fortunate to have control over what appears on our covers. We work with an artist and create the look to best convey the contents of our book.
In the large publishing houses, the book covers are decided by the art director who can't possibly read every book for which he/she designs the cover. Consequently, some covers create a promise the author can't fulfill and readers pay the price.
As is the case with writers, there are many different covers for many different tastes. Variety is the spice of life and book covers, too.
Don't forget to wear your mittens and keep your feathers dry.
Sable Angel
Sable Angel here. This week's column is about book covers -- what makes an eye-catching, got-to-have-it-in-my-collection cover. Hhmmm. That's a real thinker.
I'm of two minds on this... First, I want to be sure people are stopped in their tracks when they see my book covers. I want something about the cover to grab them and not let go. But what exactly is that ethereal quality? Is it a tan, taut, muscled set of abs? Or a black cover with bold red or white letters screaming the title of the book?
What stops readers, and hopefully buyers, in their tracks?
Second, I don't want to give away my story but tickle the reader's interest. Entice them to take the book off the shelf and read the back cover, maybe open the pages and peruse the first or last page. Whatever it takes to get the book in their hands.
I can only speak from my own experience as to what I prefer -- depends on the genre. When I'm looking at sci-fi and fantasy books, I love covers where I can get a glimpse of the world the writer has created.
I like my mystery book covers simple; a few clues arranged on the cover so I'm thinking about who the murderer is and how they accomplished their nefarious task.
When the Angels last met, we discussed this very topic and did agree on one point: if a writer puts a promise on the cover,e.g., a hunky man clutching a curvaceous female with that look in his eyes [does anyone remember Fabio?]; the writer better come through in spades with the promise of a hot, steamy read.
As writers for an epublisher, the Angels are fortunate to have control over what appears on our covers. We work with an artist and create the look to best convey the contents of our book.
In the large publishing houses, the book covers are decided by the art director who can't possibly read every book for which he/she designs the cover. Consequently, some covers create a promise the author can't fulfill and readers pay the price.
As is the case with writers, there are many different covers for many different tastes. Variety is the spice of life and book covers, too.
Don't forget to wear your mittens and keep your feathers dry.
Sable Angel
Sunday, December 6, 2009
THREE HANDED BOOK COVER
What is in a book cover? Everything! For those of you who have been readers/writers for a long time you will probably remember the three handed book cover. I doubt if this faux pas hurt sales. Yet the quality of lack of quality will. The cover of my first book, which was set in the late 1800's, the heroine wore a pink calico dress with a pink nylon zipper. Hmmm…..
When I researched the zipper, I discovered the zipper had just been invented. I seriously doubt this hurt sales at all. Very few people noticed the zipper and in any event it was a nice cover.
I put my book covers, the ones I design as well as my own covers on http://www.ratemybookcover.com/ and have found the ratings here by other people interesting. I have always thought the cover should represent the book as well as the genre and if it did this well the cover served its purpose and should be a great cover. One of my best covers, in my opinion, is rated very low at this site. But then it's a scary or should I say gruesome cover. I believe this cover would draw the crowd that loves to read scary vampire stories. So why is it rated so low? I don’t know. (If anyone has a thought on this, please share.)
Does anyone remember who the author of the three handed book cover was and the title of the book?
I encourage everyone to log on to the site above and take a stab at rating book covers. Please share what you think makes a great cover.
Allana Angel
When I researched the zipper, I discovered the zipper had just been invented. I seriously doubt this hurt sales at all. Very few people noticed the zipper and in any event it was a nice cover.
I put my book covers, the ones I design as well as my own covers on http://www.ratemybookcover.com/ and have found the ratings here by other people interesting. I have always thought the cover should represent the book as well as the genre and if it did this well the cover served its purpose and should be a great cover. One of my best covers, in my opinion, is rated very low at this site. But then it's a scary or should I say gruesome cover. I believe this cover would draw the crowd that loves to read scary vampire stories. So why is it rated so low? I don’t know. (If anyone has a thought on this, please share.)
Does anyone remember who the author of the three handed book cover was and the title of the book?
I encourage everyone to log on to the site above and take a stab at rating book covers. Please share what you think makes a great cover.
Allana Angel
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