Writing Meme: Day 15

15. Mid­way ques­tion! Tell us about a writer you admire, whether pro­fes­sional or not!

There are a lot of them. There is no one writer I admire the most because they’re all out there, working hard, and putting their work into print while I sit here and pull my hair out and...yeah. So I'll name a few authors and say why I admire them and their work.

Karen Marie Moning - Her great stories and her dedication to her fan base. Even if she doesn't always personally answer some of her fanmail, you will get a response from someone that's not a form letter. I hope to have a fun following like that someday.

Janet Evanovich - Because she has to put up with people damanding books year after year since they don't realize it takes a while to actually craft the book to make it decent and then all the production stuff that goes after it, so she's probably been doing books in six months or so, which is why people have no reason to bitch when they don't like the story. You hear that, Stephanie Plum fans? You want a better story and better writing, quit bitching about how long it takes to get the next story. Janet also gets ponits because of the number of books with the same characters in them. I honestly don't know if I could come up with 18 books featuring the same people. It's no wonder she crafted a story revolving around Diesel...

J.R.R. Tolkien - Not just world building; universe building.

L.J. Smith - Description powerhouse. I'm pleased to say I sold another copy of The Forbidden Game a few days ago.

Pretty much any author who manages to land an agent and get their book into print. That itself is a feat.

Writing Meme: Day 14

14. How do you map out loca­tions, if needed? Do you have any to show us?

I’ve actually create several maps. If I need to visualize it better, I’ll do a quick sketch or something, but if I really need to see the whole thing (or I’m just feeling fun and artsy), I’ll make an entire map. I got into it for a while, so all of the ones I’ve done were made around the same time. I never used to have a scanner, but now that I do, I guess I can show you one. Mind you, these are not the best. I stopped taking art after high school.

Here are two of the five maps I've drawn. It was cool after scanning them because scanners always deliver stuff in HUGE format, so seeing my pen strokes magnified was kinda neat.

Writing Meme: Day 13

13. What’s your favorite cul­ture to write, fic­tional or not?

Galatacs. I love them. Even though I killed all of them. No joke. I wiped most of them out in the early part of a story. But that just makes the ones left that much more special. I even started to make a language for them and everything. I know, it’s ridiculous. But I still love them. Superior fighters in every way, they rock at what they do. They bleed gold. Their most powerful weapon is their skill to transform into dragons (the big kind), but it’s also a weakness (the thing that allows them to change can be broken and it hurts like a mother).

Writing Meme: Day 12

12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of world building? Any side-notes on it you’d like to share?

I suppose my best so far would have to be the novel getting shopped right now. Take note that I said “so far.” And it’s only that way because of all my critique partners and their endless badgering about more/better description. There is a difference between more description and better description – I just needed both of them. So I read some books and did some practicing and busted some ass to deliver better planets.

I don’t really have any side notes though. I still need to work on my description and world building powers so I’m not exactly one to give any advice. However, Word Painting is a great book that you should take a look at if you have issues like I do.

Writing Meme: Day 11

11. Who is your favorite char­ac­ter to write? Least favorite?

Tricky. Very tricky. It’s almost a toss up between Akira and Xerphin. Akira because she’s just fun as hell, a chick that doesn’t take crap from anyone and never backs down from a fight. If I could be a character, she’s it. I love Xerphin just because he’s so goddamn mean. He is, by far, my favorite bad guy. Sorry I had to kill you babe.

Least favorite, I’ll go with what my brain shouted. Chaverria. He’s fine now since his part is over, but at the time he was a pain in the ass. I didn’t know what to do with him and it was like he kept doing stuff that I wasn’t even really sure I wanted him to do. You know that one character that just starts doing shit without your permission? Like the quote at the top of this blog? Yeah, he was that guy. An older wizard that didn’t seem to have a right place anywhere. And if I remember right, I think I’m going to change him some more in the future because I realized he never uses any magic. It’s kind of stupid to have a wizard hanging out and not helping when there’s a huge effing fight going on.

Writing Meme: Day 10

10. What are some really weird sit­u­a­tions your char­ac­ters have been in? Every­thing from seri­ous canon scenes to meme ques­tions counts!

Uh, they get into some pretty messed up situations, so I think I’ll do this in list format and you can see for yourself.

• Waking up after being dead.
• Going back in time.
• Having Hell pretty much open up in front of you and having to fight a pack of demons right then and there.
• Getting possessed by a dragon
• Discovering that you’re not actually human.
• Transforming from a mouse (normal form) into something like a human and then being face to face with a very large falcon.
• Realizing your world actually connects to a highly advanced one and the fairy you’ve been trying to save has been hooked up to be used as a power source.
• Partnering with a sentient plant to save a planet.
• Stepping into a masquerade ball and discovering that those aren’t masks (and pretty much everything else that happened to Gabrielle in that book).
• Realizing that your guide really is part wolf.

There are plenty more, I’m sure, and these barely scratch the surface of what’s really going on. But hopefully they’ve at least piqued your interest.

Writing Meme: Day 9

9. How do you get ideas for your charac­ters? Describe the process of cre­at­ing them.

Ideas crop up all over. There’s not much control as to when they decide to pop in and make themselves known. It can happen when I’m watching a movie. Listening to music. At work when there’s no one checking out at the cash register and I’m just zoning out. Inspiration is everywhere.

After someone makes an appearance though and I’ve decided they’re worth taking a look at, usually a good daydreaming session will flesh them out. This often means staring out into space at some point during the day. A piece notebook (as I call it) can also be handy where I’ll put the character into a random situation and play with them to see how they’ll react. I get most of my development done while daydreaming just after waking up in the morning or before falling asleep the night before. There are times when music may be involved. Since most characters usually appear with a scene in tow, I’ll play out that scene. Sometimes the scene is worth keeping, sometimes it’ll get dumped.

Daydreaming. That’s my process. So very scientific.

Writing Meme: Day 8

8. What’s your favorite genre to write? To read?

Though I do have fun with SF, my true love is fantasy. Always has been. Always will be. And though I don’t do strictly romance, I do enjoy a good love scene.

Reading, however, is a whole other story. I read just about everything. No joke. Scroll through my list of books on my Bookseller Recommends blog and you’ll see what I mean. I can’t really say that I have a favorite genre to read because they’re all so much fun.

However…having said that, if I look at my bookself, I think it’s obvious that I adore the fantastic. Harry Potter. The Fever Series by Karen Moning. A leather-bound compilation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Some urban fantasy fun from Jill Myles. So in the end, I guess fantasy wins here too. Or at least, it wins my hard earned dollars. Heh.

Writing Meme: Day 7

7. Do you lis­ten to music while you write? What kind? Are there any songs you like to relate/apply to your char­ac­ters?
Oh ho ho ho! Did this question really just get asked? *cue crazed grin* Perhaps you should read my post about killing songs.

While I don’t always listen to music as I write, there are many times when music is almost essential. Having a kick ass song rock my eardrums while I pen a blazing battle scene is simply the tops. For the most part, soundtracks offer the juiciest pieces of music ever. That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed a ton of regular songs by other artists as well. There are so many, I can’t even begin to list them. As for relating or applying songs to characters, oh you have no idea.

I have a Word document that is six pages long of nothing but soundtracks. I have soundtracks for books that aren’t even written yet. I have completed soundtracks for full manuscripts. And no, it’s not just a few songs. I mean soundtracks. I’ll have as many as 14 songs for a book. They can be character themes, songs for a fight scene, a love theme, end credits, and yes, I even have trailer music. No joke. I own a ton of trailer music and some of those little snippets work wonderfully for those fun little movie trailers many of us tend to craft in our minds. As we speak I have soundtrack music going.

Most of this stuff ends up reviewed on Epinions too. So if you’re ever wondering about a particular CD and whether or not it might work, feel free to see if it’s on my list (there are over 70 on there last I looked).

…Do you guys want a sample soundtrack? Do you? …All right. Here’s one of them.

Trailer – “Raging Mad Drums” by X-Ray Dog
Humans vs. Taregots (The First Encounter) – Transformers, “Skorpinok”
The First Raid – “Hell Yeah” by Rev Theory
The Fourth Raid Fails – “Don’t Hold Back” by The Potbelleez, “I Don’t Care” by Apocalyptica, Man on Fire, “Man on Fire (Remix)”
Anna Is Lost – Man on Fire, “The End Music”
Acceptance of Anna’s Death – Star Wars Episode III, “Immolation Scene”
The Final Battle/World Ends – The Chronicles of Narnia Soundtrack, “The Battle”
Anna Reunites with Dominic/Everyone Together – The Chronicles of Narnia Soundtrack, “Only the Beginning of the Adventure”
Anna & Dominic’s Theme – “Savin’ Me” by Nickelback
Credits – The Chronicles of Narnia Soundtrack, “Can’t Take It In”
Overall Book Theme Album – Transformers Soundtrack

I know. It seems weird to have stuff like Transformers and Narnia together, but trust me, it works. And yes, I’ve totally killed most of these songs. I seriously cannot do the Apocalyptica one anymore.

Writing Meme: Day 6

6. Where are you most com­fort­able writ­ing? At what time of day? Com­puter or good ol’ pen and paper?

Interestingly enough, I always claim that I’m not a morning person. Yet when I want to write, I find that waking up in the morning and immediately setting to work is the best time. And still in my bed. Yep. I grab a pencil (yes, a pencil. Not a pen, not a laptop, a p e n c i l) and notebook and go to town. Music may or may not be involved.

I used to be unable to think while typing away at a computer, but I’ve gotten better at it over the years. I do it from time to time, but primarily end up with a notebook and favorite pencil. Love the way it feels and if you’ve never tried it, you’re missing out. People who think authors that use typewriters are oldschool—I’m freakin’ super oldschool!

Writing Meme: Day 5

5. By age, who is your youngest char­ac­ter? Old­est? How about “youngest” and “old­est” in terms of when you cre­ated them?

Oden might actually tie with Okaru. I’m reorganizing one of those stories, so I’m not sure yet. They’re both around 12 or 13 (I never gave them a definite age). As for oldest, I’ll have to go with Thule. He is, after all, a god—but even gods have to start somewhere, right?

In terms of creation, are we talking about their age when they appeared on paper or the first and last characters ever made? Hmm. Let’s do both!

Thule would have to be the youngest since he was the first being ever made in the universe. If you don’t want to go that route, then Akira because she first came onstage as a newborn baby. Oldest, ironically, would be Oden. I know, that doesn’t make sense, but throughout the book he’s young. However, he’s actually the one telling the story (you just don’t find that out until the end) and dies on the last page so he’s definitely my oldest.

In terms of first and last to appear on the page, I would have to say that Tathalia was my first creation ever, and the last…I guess that would be the Steward Dunstan. Or did I change that guy’s name…?

Writing Meme: Day 4

4. Tell us about one of your first stories/characters!

Eh. Do I have to? The first short story I ever wrote involved a group of animals that had been illegally smuggled out of the rainforest to be sold in a pet shop. Redfeather was the main character, a sort of bird of paradise (none of these animals had any actual rainforest counterparts) and his best pal was Mouser (a mouse of some sort). I think they were friends with a snake and something else. At one point, a pretty white and blue bird came in—female of course. Her name was White Rain (I think). Redfeather attempted to impress her.

Anywho, at one point Mouser got sold to someone and the animals of the store decided that was the last straw. They figured out where Mouser was sold to, rescued him, and hitched a ride on a bus (or something) to get back down the rainforest. Yay.

I think now that it might still make for a cute kids book (completely redone, of course), but I’m not a writer of children’s books or anything like that, so it’ll never happen. But that was my first story, written in 4th grade. I didn’t decide I wanted to be a writer 100% of the time until 6th grade though.

Writing Meme: Day 3

3. How do you come up with names for char­ac­ters (and for places if you’re writ­ing about fic­tional places)?

Oh I did a whole presentation on this for my grad program. Names comes from everywhere. The book being shopped is sort of like an ode to soundtrack composers. At the time I needed some name and then *ding!* decided to look through my playlist and use composer names. I’ve also pulled made up names from thin air and often take a normal word and screw it up.

BehindtheName.com is also a super awesome site that I visit from time to time when I find myself stuck.

Writing Meme: Day 2

2. How many char­ac­ters do you have? Do you pre­fer males or females?

Uh, are we talking all books here? Red shirts and everything? Ok, hold on. I have to go count. No, really, I do. I even made an Access sheet just to keep my characters in order, and even then those were just for the 5,000 Realms books. I ended up doing another for a separate book with the included (SYCFR) in the title (which stands for “Since You Can’t Fucking Remember). Hey, I couldn’t.

Over 120. I’m not going to try and keep counting. I know there are more. In terms of numbers, I think I have more men than women, though when it comes to protagonists, women are definitely out in front. They’re usually kicking ass in the process. But don’t worry guys, I love you too, and you definitely have your ass-kicking moments.

A Writing Meme: Day 1

I find it interesting how "meme" is the new word for "chain letter," but we'll let that slide for now. I stumbled upon this while cruising a few blogs a while ago. At the time I was supposed to work on coming up with a better title and do paying freelance work, but hey, I like to procrastinate. It's what I do best.

So the meme is apparently a whole month deal. That means you'll get a little nugget o' something each day. It's all different and this is day one, so enjoy!

1. Tell us about your favorite writ­ing project/universe that you’ve worked with and why.

As much as I enjoyed some of my most recent projects, my favorite universe is the 5,000 Realms universe. Granted, I’m not going to write 5,000 books, but the general mythology in them is that Thule (or God if you prefer) created 5,000 realms. Earth is included, but nothing ever takes place here because Earth is too damn boring and there are too many rules to follow.

(Okay, so Earth actually does have a moment due to the portals that connect all the realms, but the people there don’t know that and neither will anyone reading the book until this universe gets into print.)

I love this universe because, sure, it was my first, but also because of all the diversity. In the real world, diversity annoys the hell out of me (mostly because the word is usually tied to someone’s agenda). But in these worlds, it means dragons and shapeshifters, humans and made up peoples. It’s a blast because it’s a mix of everything. Fights that border on epic (yes, I said it), dark magic, revenge, true love…suddenly I sound like the Grandpa in The Princess Bride…

In the end, it’s my favorite because it’s been so much fun to write.

Exclamation Points

Does anyone love them anymore?

The "Reasons to Date a Writer" Thing

Someone over on the SHU board (yeah, I graduated and I still hang out there - what can I say? I get nuggets of gold from that place and the people) posted this link, which you may have found by now. If not, no biggie. Now you can enjoy. It's quite amusing, though I am baffled at the original and wonder just what the person was smoking. I also have a few comments on some of the items in the list:

#6 - Yes. It is true. And I really, truly am trying to stop doing this while watching movies with family and friends.

#7 - Excuse me, but I am smart. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but years of school, college, and truckloads of research for various projects novel and non-novel related have filled my head with plenty of information. When people don't know something, they often come to me for answers. I may not always have it, but even if I don't, I'll often look it up later out of sheer curiosity.

#16 - I'm still trying to figure this one out.

#18 - Yup.

#19 - My older sister once asked me if it would be lame if she got me a B&N gift card as a present for Christmas one year. Not only do I write, but I work there as well. Pure headdesk moment, right there.


Chocolate. We like chocolate too. Get us some of that.

Like Porn for English Majors...Or Writers

I went to visit my library account online to see how I was faring in the queue for several books I have on hold. To my dismay, the link was down. While investigating the main library page, I started wondering who wrote the articles on there, wondered if maybe I could get in on that somehow, and then spotted this article.

At first I had a small cow. The OED? Gone? Forever? Extinct? Then I realized they would just be online. Which is fine. Except it costs money to get, right?

That was what I thought until I saw the link that allowed library card holders to access the OED Online. I had a moment of denial. "No....really? No....I can?" I went through, put in my library card number, and lo and behold, there it was. The OED Online.

I probably looked like I'd just orgasmed in my chair.

See, I loooove the OED. Looooooove it. The OED is the best thing since sliced bread, maybe better since slicing bread isn't all that hard. I had access to it while in school at Illinois State University, but after that, no dice. I was very bummed. Sure, definitions are a dime a dozen, but what I love best about the OED is that it has documented uses - as in the first time a word was used and then in subsequent years after that. I used "lexicon" as my test drive word (hey, it's what popped in there), and sure enough, there was the entry, it's origins, and it's first use ever in 1603. Pure yayness.

If you've never experienced the OED, you should. It's a grand thing. Heck, see if your library supports it and allows you access the way mine does. I've been here a year and never knew they did that. I've been contemplating breaking into my dad's UMKC account to see if he had access to it.

I am just so thrilled. I just had to share my joy. Long live the OED indeed!

Bookseller Terminology

I was never quite sure whether or not people knew some of the terminology used in bookselling. I've seen writers throw out "backlist" and "frontlist" whereas I never had any idea of what they were until working for Barnes & Noble. I'd like to add that working for a bookstore has infinitely improved my knowledge of the selling aspect of the book. The far end, if you will, of the writing business. So if you ever get the chance to work at a bookstore for a while, do it. If anything, the clientele is much better than at that clothing store you've been stuck in (I would know).

So I've thrown out terms here and there sort of half-assuming that people would know what I was talking about, occasionally clarifying, yadda yadda yadda, until recently an author asked what one of them meant. I decided it's time you get a little extra knowledge in your brains, even if Borders or your local mom & pop bookstore down the street don't use the same terms. But B&N is a big freakin' bookseller, so hey, it doesn't hurt to know some of these, right? And if anything, you'll know what some of your fellow authors (or just me) are talking about from time to time.

Promo: Not a real big deal to know, but in case you hear one of us muttering about promos while looking for your book, it means it's in some sort of promotion area. A table. An endcap (see all those books sitting on little clear shelves at the end of a row of shelves? That's an endcap). Faced out somewhere. Promos do not necessarily the book is on sale. It's simply being promoted in some way. Think of it as a form of marketing. If your book is on promo, then it gets more notice, more publicity, and can mean more sales.

Face Out: A faced out book is pretty self explanatory. It's faced out. You can see the front of the cover instead of the spine. Whether you want to believe it or not, people do tend to judge books on their covers, so pray you have a good one if your book is faced out. Typically faced out books include: new titles, promo titles, titles that we have 3 or more of, we're using it as a bookend, we're trying to fill gaps on the shelf, we know you, or we like your work. No, those last four aren't actually regulation, but we all do it.

Backlist: These are books that we pretty much have in the store all the time. They're not new, they've been around for a while, and they're not necessarily a major priority unless they're on a promo. If we have oodles of backlist, then the extras are put in the backstock area until we have room. These are modeled titles.

Frontlist: These books are put out as soon as possible because they're fresh off the press and not modeled. We usually get in 3 or more of these types of titles. Usually they go out right away either in section or on promo. If you see us at the Info desk putting away a cart full of books, there's a good chance they're frontlist. Frontlist are typically faced out.

Modeled: This is what you want to be if you're an author. Selling a ton of books is fantastic, yes, but it really helps in the long run to be modeled. I know authors with good books under their belts and still aren't modeled for any. Modeled books are books that we are required to have in the store. A title can be modeled for anywhere from 1 to more books (large numbers do not happen often, but I've seen it. Tucker Max is a good example with his staggering 10). Once we sell a book, the system automatically orders another to replace it. Being modeled ensures you have a place in the store at almost all times. You are now backlist. If you're a new author, I consider you damn lucky to get your book modeled.

Non-modeled: Obviously the opposite of modeled. If you have 3 books sent to the store and they all eventually sell, the system does not automatically order more. If it's in our warehouse, we can order it for people, but customers browsing are not going to see your book. It sucks to be non-modeled. It can also mean that even if we got your book in hardcover, we may not get it when it comes out in paperback or mass market. I don't know who the man behind the curtain is when it comes to getting books modeled, but my advice? Make sure your book f$#!%ing sells.

Mass Market: I decided to throw this in here at the last moment, although if you're a writer and you don't know what a mass market is, you need to do your damn homework. Hardcover and paperback are pretty self-explanatory. Mass market books are paperback, true, but they're the smallest version. That $5.99-$9.99 book you bought because it was the cheapest. Hardcover sales are nice, but most of your sales are going to be made in mass market. Important to note is that if a MM doesn't sell and ends up on the returns list, 99.99% of the time it will be stripped (the cover ripped off) and recycled. Covers are sent to publishers for credit. Yeah. We just threw your book away so it can be made into someone else's book.

**Note: Stripping books is traumatizing the first time you do it. It feels sacrilegious, and I actually winced the first time. Eventually there are so many you get desensitized. I can now strip books like a machine and only give the occasional, "Aw, bummer" thought to a few books before doing them in.

So there you have it. A quick compendium of bookselling terms. Enjoy the knowledge because it's time for me to go to bed.

And high-five for Banjo-Kazooie music on YouTube.

The Joy of Seeing AW Authors

AW is a beautiful thing. No, not the root beer (though that's pretty nice too), but Absolute Write. More specifically, the forums. I joined those forums back in 2009 and have had a grand time in them, learning things, helping other authors, and screwing around when I should be working.

But one of the coolest things is seeing those books "In the Wild" (as Medievalist put it). All these people, these authors, put in time at AW, but they really do know what they're talking about because they've been published. They're out there. On the shelves. And while some other AW members may never get the chance to spot them (which is kind of hard considering the number of books we get in for some of these guys for promotions and frontlist), they do exist.

But it's one thing to be strolling in the store and seeing a title at random. It's another to work in the store and see these titles on a daily basis. I've seen books slid across the cash counter at me for purchase. I've been unpacking titles to see a fresh stack of frontlist ready to go out and be faced out. It's just plain fun, and here are some of the titles I've sold, unpacked, put away, or even bought myself while at work.




Jill Myles. I first discovered her at AW, got very intrigued by the cover of Gentlemen Prefer Succubi (and honestly, it's not often a hot guy on a cover gets me interested, mostly because there are so many of them), went to her website, and read the first chapter. Aaand hooked. I promptly went out and bought it. Then I later went back and bought Succubi Like It Hot. I fully intend to buy her next one. But it's good to know that since I took both of those out of the store, a few more would be ordered to come in to replace them in the hopes of more sales. Win-win for everyone involved.

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch. I see this one all the time. Or at least, it seems like it. All our SF, mystery, and romance titles that are frontlist are faced out. People get to go ahead and judge books by their covers this way. But hey, it's more exposure (at least until we run out of room. Sorry). But this one has been on our frontlist shelf for a while, and I smirk a little smirk every time I see it, hoping that Gini's going to get some royalty checks off this one. I'll be keeping an eye out for her next book in December. The fact that there's an alligator on the cover makes it automatically awesome.

Red Hot Fury by Kasey Mackenzie had her very own display for a while. And I do mean display. She's not sitting among all the other frontlist books. Instead, her Fury rested in a cardboard dump (ok, the official name is "corrugated display" but don't worry, "dump" isn't derogatory) with a big sign above it and those green eyes staring out at every customer that walked past. I've walked past one day and seen several books in the notches, another day and a few are missing. I've been checking people out and had this one come at me from the other side of the counter to ring up. She's out in front, and it looks like it's working. Hey, read the back of the book and tell me it doesn't sound intriging.

Unholy Magic and Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane. But for some reason, I keep thinking it's Stacey or Stacy Kane. No idea why. But forget about my lapse in brain power. She's been sitting pretty with both books on the frontlist shelves, faced out so everyone can see her. In fact. I kept seeing Unholy Ghosts so many times I finally had to pick it up and see just what it was about. Then I did the same with Unholy Magic. The last time I looked, she made it to what we call the "Triangle." Basically, a triangle-shaped tower o'mass market books. High five for promotions.

Lottery by Patricia Wood. I cannot for the life of me remember if she made it to the backlist area or not, but I'm leaning toward yes. Backlist, for those that don't know, means that we're pretty much supposed to have your book in the store. We may be required to have 1, or we may be required to have 10 (rare, but ohyeah, it happens). I know she's out there in my store though. That's because I unpacked her just the other day. Filling in for our receiving manager, I get to unload boxes and then set books in the proper places in the back so they can go out the next day (or that same day, depending). And I remember seeing this in the box, pulling it out, and laughing to myself as I thought, "Way to go Patricia, you made it."

Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod. Multiple authors here since it's an anthology, so I'm honestly not sure which one is the AW writer. What I do know is that we have a whole truckload of these sitting on a cart in the back, waiting to go out for a promotion. I'm guessing the "New Arrivals" table. I haven't been in the last two days, but I'm sure it's out there now and people are plucking it off the table left and right. Urban fantasy is hot right now, in case you haven't heard.

Sleepless by Cyn Balog. I honestly don't remember what I was doing to discover Ms. Balog. All I know is that I ended up on her site, read the blurb for this book, and decided I had to read it. That was at least 4 months (maybe more?) before it was finally available. Now that it is, I mean to read it since it's there...sitting in our store...right there in the teens section where I can see it. And now that I think about it, why on earth isn't this book in our frontlist section? I'll have to remedy that the next time I'm in the store... (Edit: I scanned this today - 11th - and discovered it was supposed to be on an endcap. The endcap doesn't exist, but a table did. These are now on the table. :D)

Four World Film Reviews by Benj Clews and Michael Onesi. Not sure if one or both are involved in AW, but hey, I've seen their book in the store and that's what counts. I finally spotted this one in section while putting away some other film review books, and then spotted it again on an endcap (display at the end of an isle) on my way back to Info. Lucky, lucky. Seems like everyone's on promotion these days.

Kelly Meding. I think these recently popped into the triangle. In fact, I just walked past them the other day and thought, "There it is!" since I knew these books were out in the store somewhere. They were right underneath Stacia Kane's books. It's great when you get one book in a triangle or tower; it's better when they both make it there.

It doesn't matter that I don't know any of these authors personally. The only interaction I've ever had was with Jill and on a teeny-tiny scale. Still, I've seen them commenting on AW, even in threads I've commented in, so they're not just far off authors the way others like Stephen King and James Patterson seem. They're regular Joes and Janes, still working hard at perfecting their craft, and some of the few that can happily help others and revel in their published status.

Here's hoping I can join them someday.