Dianne Salerni's excellent Spotlight page features historical novels. Previous months' Spotlights are accessible in the Archive links at the bottom of the page.
Spotlight on Historical Books
Available for your reading pleasure are books based on the history of many countries from Ancient Greece to 19th Century Paris, from Vienna to Scotland, from China to the Caribbean. There's someplace and somewhen to pique everybody's interests.
The Cellophane Queen: 'Cause you can look right through me, Walk right by me and never know I'm there...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Politics
I'd love to air my political views on my blog, but I've tried to preserve it for information on writing and publishing.
I was clicking through my friends' blogs to find an interesting post by one of them. It stated that her blog wasn't a place for political debate, so she was going to monitor comments to make sure they all fit with her concept of what can or cannot appear.
Hey, she has every right to do that. Free speech and all that, right?
Problem is five or six of her blog posts immediately before the one announcing the change to monitored comments all proselytize fairly heavily for a certain candidate for high office. I'm sure she got a few blog responses that might have disagreed with her very politically slanted posts.
So, what did she do? She refused to allow debate on the subject (fine), but only after she pushed her own political point of view. And, I might add, her views on said candidate have zero to do with her normal blogging subjects. Like mine, she focused mainly on writing and publishing, plus fun things about her family. Cool shoes.
It made me decide to keep this blog on the writing and publishing topics. If I posted things in the past that were too 'political', I apologize for that lapse in subject matter. However, at no time have I ever tried to silence anybody who wished to respond to my views. Yanno, that's just un-American.
Snit over and back to the regularly unscheduled programming.
I was clicking through my friends' blogs to find an interesting post by one of them. It stated that her blog wasn't a place for political debate, so she was going to monitor comments to make sure they all fit with her concept of what can or cannot appear.
Hey, she has every right to do that. Free speech and all that, right?
Problem is five or six of her blog posts immediately before the one announcing the change to monitored comments all proselytize fairly heavily for a certain candidate for high office. I'm sure she got a few blog responses that might have disagreed with her very politically slanted posts.
So, what did she do? She refused to allow debate on the subject (fine), but only after she pushed her own political point of view. And, I might add, her views on said candidate have zero to do with her normal blogging subjects. Like mine, she focused mainly on writing and publishing, plus fun things about her family. Cool shoes.
It made me decide to keep this blog on the writing and publishing topics. If I posted things in the past that were too 'political', I apologize for that lapse in subject matter. However, at no time have I ever tried to silence anybody who wished to respond to my views. Yanno, that's just un-American.
Snit over and back to the regularly unscheduled programming.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Pat Wood - Hot Hot Hot!
This interview was originally posted in August 2007. Pat's book is now a yearling and is doing very well. Believe it or not, I finally had a chance to read "Lottery" and I recommend it without reservations. So, on with the first birthday celebration of Patricia Wood's book
Today, we talk with Patricia Wood, author of Lottery, a book released by Putnam in August (2007), but is now available.
I started seeing a book title mentioned here and there on the internet. I thought, "why is everybody getting excited by Shirley Jackson's famous story all over again?" Turns out that "Lottery" (not "The Lottery") is the debut novel of Patricia Wood. Predictions is that this Renaissance woman's novel will become a best seller.
The fabulous Miss Snark mentioned it on her blog in a very admiring post written with the usual Snarkly humor. Then, a link from Kimber An's blog, then other mentions and pretty soon, I've just got to go take a look myself.
ABOUT PATRICIA
Patricia was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has served in the U.S. Army, worked as a Medical Technologist, horseback-riding instructor, and most recently as a marine science teacher working with high-risk students in Honolulu. Patricia is an avid SCUBA diver, has assisted with shark research, won the Hawaii State Jumper Championship with her horse Airborne, crewed in a 39-foot sailboat across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to San Francisco, and is now pursuing her dream of writing. Currently a PhD student at the University of Hawaii, her work is focused on education and the study of disability and diversity. She has been fortunate to have the guidance of author Paul Theroux, who spends his winters in Hawaii and has been her mentor. Patricia lives with her husband, Gordon aboard ORION, a 48-foot sailboat moored in Ko`Olina, Hawaii. She has a son, Andrew who lives in Everett, where Lottery takes place.
ABOUT LOTTERY
Perry's IQ is only 76, but he’s not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And most important, she taught him who to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of 31. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery tickets wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with. Peopled with characters both wicked and heroic who leap off the pages, LOTTERY is a deeply satisfying, gorgeously rendered novel about trust, loyalty, and what distinguishes us as capable.
Read the review by Bernita Harris.
Read the review by John Coyne.
Check out Pat's Website. Read an excerpt from Lottery here.
Read Pat's Blog here.
Whew! Now, we'll get on with the interview.
Marva: Hi Patricia. Thanks for taking my questions. Your resume, listed above in your bio, only lacks working on a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Do you bring a little of all those experiences to your writing?
Patricia: I have never considered that my age or circumstance puts limits on me. My interests are mercurial and varied. If something piques my curiosity, I am motivated to learn about it or do it. One caveat. You will never hear that I have parasailed or jumped out of an airplane.
Marva: Where did "Lottery" come from? Somebody you know or some past experience? Dream? Epiphany?
Patricia: Combination over-active imagination, dream, and conjecture. The two words: What if?
And then the characters. They took over and started talking to me. They arose out of my subconscious.
Marva: I slapped the book blurb up top. Is there anything else you'd like to add about Lottery to pique the interest of potential book buyers?
Patricia: I wrote Lottery because it mirrored what I want to read. I love books that move me. That make me think in different ways. I adore endearing unconventional protagonists and seeing them grow and transform and while I do not require happy endings I want a book that satisfies me. That when I close the last page I sigh and say, "I LOVED that book." and then I think of three or four of my friends I can pass it on to.
So if I add anything it would be "You will want to pass this book on to all your friends."
Marva: Your website says you use "beta" readers. Can you explain that a little bit? How do you get beta readers? And do you keep them chained in your basement?
Patricia: They are my swabbies (sic) below deck ARGGHHH!
My beta readers originated because I live in a marina. If you know anything about sailing, you will know that sailors are great readers and will read anything. They are also cheap--too cheap to buy books! Whenever anyone would discover I was an aspiring novelist, they would ask to read my work and they actually WOULD read it and comment! My first beta reader was my good friend Bob from Wandering Star in the next slip. He is a blazingly fast reader and one of my fans. Although he prefers mysteries and thrillers, it was a tip off to me my work was getting better, when he would give me increasingly positive feedback. As each person communicated to another of their friends my beta group increased. I recommend finding voracious readers NOT writers. Many of my novels have been read by captive audiences crossing the Pacific! Another one of my readers shares my name -- Pat. She lives in California and has read all four of my novels and several of my short stories. She is the demographic I write for. I suggest to writers to invest in as much energy finding a group of beta readers as they do in their writing.
Marva: You mention writer Paul Theroux as your mentor. How did you get so lucky? Are you a stalker?
Patricia: It would seem so! It is one of those serendipitous occasions in life. I have been an avid horsewoman and have taught riding in the past. A friend of a friend recommended me, when Paul and his wife told her they wanted to take lessons. Although I was a bit reluctant (I shirked from getting back into giving lessons again and I only knew Paul from his books and interviews) -- they both have been a delight.
We have become great friends. It goes to show you that networking and maintaining wide interests help. I refused payment and Paul offered to read my work. He liked what he read and became my mentor and friend. Keep in mind he did NOT send me to his agent and he did NOT show my work to his publisher. It is a collegial relationship about reading and writing and as such is invaluable.
Marva: How many agents did you approach before being snapped up? I know at least one name, which we won't mention. Also, did you try publishers directly?
Patricia: Only one publisher - McAdams I believe -- and that was with my first novel. I was quite naïve. The rest were agents and they probably number in the neighborhood of between 50 to 70 (I queried some twice). Keep in mind that was for all my novels and over three years.
After attending the Maui Writers Retreat and Conference in 2005 and meeting the author Holly Kennedy and taking a class from Jacquelyn Mitchard I was able to refine my query, start understanding how the business worked, and ultimately was started on the path to creating Lottery and being published.
Marva: Lottery is your debut novel, but do you have a trunk full of old manuscripts in the closet? What else have you published? What future plans can you reveal?
Patricia: I still love the premise of my first novel and I have a total of four completed (including Lottery). I am the finest example of being picked out of the slush pile. I have no real publishing credits outside of a couple small articles in horse magazines that I never ever mentioned in my query.
As far as my next novel I will be cryptic. It is still being edited and will focus on endearing characters in tragic-comic conditions.
Marva: I like to end every interview with a spot where the interviewee can spout off about anything they want. Go.
Patricia: I guess I'll end with what every author is prepared to be asked: What is your advice to aspiring novelists?
My advice? Keep on writing. I think many writers get stuck on one book. You need to write several and FINISH each one, go back and edit, and then start the next. Rinse and repeat!
I am not one for ongoing writers' groups as I think over-all other writers' opinions often times can be detrimental but I am a great one for choosing a writers' retreat or conference that you can attend every year. Get to know other authors through other venues. Teaching riding opened up doors that I might not have had. Keep your eyes and ears open for those great premises...oh yes...and write.
Keep writing.
And never stop.
Marva: Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed. We all, of course, wish you monster sales when the novel comes out in August. A reminder to my readers: You can order Lottery from Amazon right this second.
Today, we talk with Patricia Wood, author of Lottery, a book released by Putnam in August (2007), but is now available.I started seeing a book title mentioned here and there on the internet. I thought, "why is everybody getting excited by Shirley Jackson's famous story all over again?" Turns out that "Lottery" (not "The Lottery") is the debut novel of Patricia Wood. Predictions is that this Renaissance woman's novel will become a best seller.
The fabulous Miss Snark mentioned it on her blog in a very admiring post written with the usual Snarkly humor. Then, a link from Kimber An's blog, then other mentions and pretty soon, I've just got to go take a look myself.
ABOUT PATRICIA
Patricia was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has served in the U.S. Army, worked as a Medical Technologist, horseback-riding instructor, and most recently as a marine science teacher working with high-risk students in Honolulu. Patricia is an avid SCUBA diver, has assisted with shark research, won the Hawaii State Jumper Championship with her horse Airborne, crewed in a 39-foot sailboat across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to San Francisco, and is now pursuing her dream of writing. Currently a PhD student at the University of Hawaii, her work is focused on education and the study of disability and diversity. She has been fortunate to have the guidance of author Paul Theroux, who spends his winters in Hawaii and has been her mentor. Patricia lives with her husband, Gordon aboard ORION, a 48-foot sailboat moored in Ko`Olina, Hawaii. She has a son, Andrew who lives in Everett, where Lottery takes place.
ABOUT LOTTERY
Perry's IQ is only 76, but he’s not stupid. His grandmother taught him everything he needs to know to survive: She taught him to write things down so he won't forget them. She taught him to play the lottery every week. And most important, she taught him who to trust. When Gram dies, Perry is left orphaned and bereft at the age of 31. Then his weekly Washington State Lottery tickets wins him 12 million dollars, and he finds he has more family than he knows what to do with. Peopled with characters both wicked and heroic who leap off the pages, LOTTERY is a deeply satisfying, gorgeously rendered novel about trust, loyalty, and what distinguishes us as capable.
Read the review by Bernita Harris.
Read the review by John Coyne.
Check out Pat's Website. Read an excerpt from Lottery here.
Read Pat's Blog here.
Whew! Now, we'll get on with the interview.
Marva: Hi Patricia. Thanks for taking my questions. Your resume, listed above in your bio, only lacks working on a shrimp boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Do you bring a little of all those experiences to your writing?
Patricia: I have never considered that my age or circumstance puts limits on me. My interests are mercurial and varied. If something piques my curiosity, I am motivated to learn about it or do it. One caveat. You will never hear that I have parasailed or jumped out of an airplane.
Marva: Where did "Lottery" come from? Somebody you know or some past experience? Dream? Epiphany?
Patricia: Combination over-active imagination, dream, and conjecture. The two words: What if?
And then the characters. They took over and started talking to me. They arose out of my subconscious.
Note: Patricia's brother-in-law, Jeri, was born mentally challenged. Working as a public school teacher, she dealt with many students whose needs were not met by the system. Her father won the Washington State lottery--hence the Lottery theme--giving Pat inside info on how lotteries work. Finally, Pat is a doctoral student at the University of Hawaii enrolled in a Certificate program in disability and diversity. Whew again.
Marva: I slapped the book blurb up top. Is there anything else you'd like to add about Lottery to pique the interest of potential book buyers?
Patricia: I wrote Lottery because it mirrored what I want to read. I love books that move me. That make me think in different ways. I adore endearing unconventional protagonists and seeing them grow and transform and while I do not require happy endings I want a book that satisfies me. That when I close the last page I sigh and say, "I LOVED that book." and then I think of three or four of my friends I can pass it on to.
So if I add anything it would be "You will want to pass this book on to all your friends."
Marva: Your website says you use "beta" readers. Can you explain that a little bit? How do you get beta readers? And do you keep them chained in your basement?
Patricia: They are my swabbies (sic) below deck ARGGHHH!
My beta readers originated because I live in a marina. If you know anything about sailing, you will know that sailors are great readers and will read anything. They are also cheap--too cheap to buy books! Whenever anyone would discover I was an aspiring novelist, they would ask to read my work and they actually WOULD read it and comment! My first beta reader was my good friend Bob from Wandering Star in the next slip. He is a blazingly fast reader and one of my fans. Although he prefers mysteries and thrillers, it was a tip off to me my work was getting better, when he would give me increasingly positive feedback. As each person communicated to another of their friends my beta group increased. I recommend finding voracious readers NOT writers. Many of my novels have been read by captive audiences crossing the Pacific! Another one of my readers shares my name -- Pat. She lives in California and has read all four of my novels and several of my short stories. She is the demographic I write for. I suggest to writers to invest in as much energy finding a group of beta readers as they do in their writing.
Marva: You mention writer Paul Theroux as your mentor. How did you get so lucky? Are you a stalker?
Patricia: It would seem so! It is one of those serendipitous occasions in life. I have been an avid horsewoman and have taught riding in the past. A friend of a friend recommended me, when Paul and his wife told her they wanted to take lessons. Although I was a bit reluctant (I shirked from getting back into giving lessons again and I only knew Paul from his books and interviews) -- they both have been a delight.
We have become great friends. It goes to show you that networking and maintaining wide interests help. I refused payment and Paul offered to read my work. He liked what he read and became my mentor and friend. Keep in mind he did NOT send me to his agent and he did NOT show my work to his publisher. It is a collegial relationship about reading and writing and as such is invaluable.
Marva: How many agents did you approach before being snapped up? I know at least one name, which we won't mention. Also, did you try publishers directly?
Patricia: Only one publisher - McAdams I believe -- and that was with my first novel. I was quite naïve. The rest were agents and they probably number in the neighborhood of between 50 to 70 (I queried some twice). Keep in mind that was for all my novels and over three years.
After attending the Maui Writers Retreat and Conference in 2005 and meeting the author Holly Kennedy and taking a class from Jacquelyn Mitchard I was able to refine my query, start understanding how the business worked, and ultimately was started on the path to creating Lottery and being published.
Marva: Lottery is your debut novel, but do you have a trunk full of old manuscripts in the closet? What else have you published? What future plans can you reveal?
Patricia: I still love the premise of my first novel and I have a total of four completed (including Lottery). I am the finest example of being picked out of the slush pile. I have no real publishing credits outside of a couple small articles in horse magazines that I never ever mentioned in my query.
As far as my next novel I will be cryptic. It is still being edited and will focus on endearing characters in tragic-comic conditions.
Marva: I like to end every interview with a spot where the interviewee can spout off about anything they want. Go.
Patricia: I guess I'll end with what every author is prepared to be asked: What is your advice to aspiring novelists?
My advice? Keep on writing. I think many writers get stuck on one book. You need to write several and FINISH each one, go back and edit, and then start the next. Rinse and repeat!
I am not one for ongoing writers' groups as I think over-all other writers' opinions often times can be detrimental but I am a great one for choosing a writers' retreat or conference that you can attend every year. Get to know other authors through other venues. Teaching riding opened up doors that I might not have had. Keep your eyes and ears open for those great premises...oh yes...and write.
Keep writing.
And never stop.
Marva: Thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed. We all, of course, wish you monster sales when the novel comes out in August. A reminder to my readers: You can order Lottery from Amazon right this second.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Kindlization?
I mentioned before that I kindlized (kindled?) my book "Tales of a Texas Boy." It duly appeared on Amazon, complete with the cover art. Cool.
I tagged it on TitleZ, along with my print copies, books in which I am featured, and books by friends. I like to keep an eye on sales. By the way, if you do have a book up on Amazon, TitleZ is a handy way of viewing the ranking without going clear into Amazon to do so.Surprise! Somebody or other I know must have a Kindle and thought, "What the heck. It's only $3.16 discounted. Why not?"
Thank you anonymous buyer. Or if you're the culprit and I know you, tell me and I'll be nice to you for at least a month or so. Or, you could go back in and buy one of the three print versions also available. Yeah, I'm going to add the links now, so you may now leave this post if you want.
Tales of a Texas Boy - Kindle Edition $3.16
Tales of a Texas Boy - Trade Paperback $8.95
Tales Large Print Edition (8x10.5" trim size) $12.56
Tales Large Print Edition (7.4x9.7" trim size) $9.95
I tagged it on TitleZ, along with my print copies, books in which I am featured, and books by friends. I like to keep an eye on sales. By the way, if you do have a book up on Amazon, TitleZ is a handy way of viewing the ranking without going clear into Amazon to do so.Surprise! Somebody or other I know must have a Kindle and thought, "What the heck. It's only $3.16 discounted. Why not?"
Thank you anonymous buyer. Or if you're the culprit and I know you, tell me and I'll be nice to you for at least a month or so. Or, you could go back in and buy one of the three print versions also available. Yeah, I'm going to add the links now, so you may now leave this post if you want.
Tales of a Texas Boy - Kindle Edition $3.16
Tales of a Texas Boy - Trade Paperback $8.95
Tales Large Print Edition (8x10.5" trim size) $12.56
Tales Large Print Edition (7.4x9.7" trim size) $9.95
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Kindle Edition of Tales Now Available
Yes, one more way to read Tales of a Texas Boy. I'll not be satisfied until you, dear blog reader, choose one for your very own.
Here are the links to all of the editions:
Amazon Large Print Paperback $9.95 (smaller trim size than the next)
Try it. You'll like it. Little Eddie promises.
*Also carried by Barnes & Noble. Prices are different.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Get Tales of a Texas Boy Free!
Amazon has put the large print edition on it's 4 for the price of 3 list. This is not the 8x10.5 size, but the more compact 7.4x9.4 size. I can never remember the exact dimensions.
Still, the book lists at $9.95 (less than the $12.56 for the larger trim size with fewer pages), so plunk it in your shopping cart along with three other books also in the 4 for 3 list and you get the lowest price book for free. The $25 free shipping still applies.
How can you beat a deal like that?
Sunday, August 03, 2008
First Duty - On Sale at The Genre Mall
FIRST DUTY by Marva Dasef (that's me)
Order your copy from The Genre Mall. $7.70 plus $4.00 S/H
Order directly from my website for an autographed copy.
THE GREAT NORTHWEST [SDP] -- Years ago, Robert A. Heinlein thrilled millions of younger readers with his YA novels filled with adventures among the stars. Remember The Star Beast? Citizen of the Galaxy? Podkayne of Mars? Starman Jones? Now comes a YA novel from Marva Dasef that is surely the adventurous equal of those long-ago tales.
First Duty is the story of Nyra Hutchings, a young woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, who is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her first duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.
Cover illustrated by Dan Skinner of Cerberus.
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