Journals are a wonderful way to keep track of so many things. Whether it’s a diet journal where you keep track of the foods you eat, a workout journal to record progress, a personal journal for important thoughts or a travel journal to remind you of where you have been, journals rock!
So what’s the best way to keep a journal?
Like everything else, different things work best for different people. I’m a computer person, so for a lot of my things – like my travels for research – I jot down notes on my computer and upload the photos I take. But I also hang onto the tickets and pamphlets from the various places we go. My daughter and I will then often sit down and create a scrapbook for our trip to retain the memories for the future.
My daughter is very hands-on, so she keeps a paper journal with her where she writes down her thoughts and stories and adds pictures and other keepsakes.
Many writers keep journals of their personal thoughts or of ideas for new books. Some do it on paper, others on computers. Some even do it online via their blogs or websites. You can use blog sites to keep online journals, just make sure of two things:
- If you want to keep it personal, make sure there is a way to set the blog as being private and not public.
- Make sure there is a way to download or copy that journal to your hard drive or move it to another blog platform.
How often should you keep journal entries?
Again there is no right or wrong to it, except maybe one wrong – Not doing it.
Find the best time for you to collect your thoughts or the information you want to record. It may be private time or it may be out in public. At the gym I see a number of people with note pads to track their workout progress. They record the weight and repetitions that they do in order to have an effective exercise routine.
What do I get out of journaling?
As a writer, you build your writing chops with each writing exercise that you do.
Plus, it’s a way to keep track of important events or memories that might be lost if they are not recorded in any way. Many years ago I wrote down the history of how my family had come here for my nephew and it was amazing how much there was that he didn’t know and how much I had never really discussed with anyone. I thought it would only be a few pages when I got started and it ended up being more like 20. And that was just general information about the short two year stretch around when we left Cuba!
If you have a family elder that is still alive, it may be a good time to see about making a video journal of them with some of the stories of when they were younger. There are so many differences from then to now and in the future, all those stories and memories might be lost if don’t record them or if you don’t repeat those stories to the next generation.
I hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip!
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Mexico on several occasions for business and totally enjoyed the time I spent there. The people are warm and gracious, the margaritas are refreshing and the food . . . Well, the food is divine. I could probably eat Mexican food every day and not complain!
My experience with Mexican culture and the many Mexican-Americans in the Jersey Shore area is what led me to make the hero of SINS OF THE FLESH, Mick Carrera, a Mexican-American. As for the heroine, she is Mexican-Irish, a nod to my editor at Grand Central Publishing as well as to two cultures rich in the arts.
There are a number of scenes in SINS OF THE FLESH where the characters are enjoying Mexican food prepared by Mick’s mother at his family’s Mexican restaurant. I’ve shared some Mexican/Tex-Mex recipes with you in the past.
There was my ever popular party food – the layered Tex-Mex dip. You can get the recipe for that Tex-Mex dip, by clicking here.
Or you can try some wonderful nutty and buttery Mexican Christmas Cookies by clicking here.
My friends at Cuervo, who are celebrating their 250th anniversary, have a mess of great margarita recipes at their site. You can check out the Cuervo Margarita recipes by clicking on this link.
But now, another recipe for one of the foods that you’ll see in SINS OF THE FLESH and it’s a simple one. While I love enchiladas and tamales, they are a lot of work. This is an easy recipe and one which you can use for your next party or as a side dish to your tacos, burritos or even as a topping on your hamburger.
Guacamole
- Ingredients
2 ripe Florida Avocados (or 4 ripe Hass Avocados)
Juice of two limes (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2-4 shots Cholula or Tabasco hot sauce (to your taste or omit if you do not like spicy)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup medium onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
Optional:
2 ripe Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
- Directions
Slice the avocados in half and remove the seed. Scoop out the insides of 3/4 of the avocados. Leave 1/4 to the side for now.
Mash the avocados with a fork and add the lime juice and remaining ingredients. Mix together.
Chop the remaining 1/4 avocado into small pieces and add to your mixture. If you’ve chosen to add the tomatoes and queso fresco, add the tomatoes now and 1/4 cup of the queso fresco.
Mix all the ingredients lightly. Garnish with the remaining queso fresco.
I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip. Just to make it all clear and legal, Cuervo is one of my clients, but I’m recommending their products because they make a wonderful tequila! FYI – If you ever have a chance to visit the city of Tequila in Mexico, see if you can spend some time at Mundo Cuervo, a cultural center established by Jose Cuervo and dedicated to Mexico and the history of tequila. I’ve been there and it is absolutely amazing!
With the holidays here, this is one of my favorite dishes to put on the table! Yep, it’s the classic green bean casserole. My sister gave me an alternate recipe to use this Thanksgiving which was really tasty, but I also like this creamier traditional recipe, but with a little kick of course!
For the Campbell’s Traditional Green Bean Casserole recipe, you can click here. But why not try this variation on the classic!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
4 tablespoons butter
4 cups cooked green beans (frozen or fresh work best)
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk (or for an even creamier taste substitute half and half)
1 to 2 cups French’s Cheddar Cheese Fried Onions
1 cup parmesan cheese grated
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- If using fresh green beans, wash and cut into 2 inch pieces.
- Steam/Microwave green beans until just tender. Set aside to cool in a large mixing bowl.
- Saute onion and garlic in the butter over low heat until they are caramelized.
- Add 1/2 cup milk/half & half and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan (this is much easier to do if you are using a non-stick pan.)
- Add mushroom soup mix and stir until creamy.
- Add onion/mushroom soup mixture to the green beans and toss. Then add 3/4 cups of both the parmesan and cheddar cheeses and toss. Also add about 1/2 cup of the French’s Fried Onions and toss.
- Lightly grease 2 quart casserole dish. Place green bean mixture into casserole and top with the remaining French’s Fried Onions, parmesan and cheddar cheeses.
- Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.
For another variation, fry up some chopped red peppers and add to the mixture!
There has been a lot discussion during the last week about the new Harlequin Horizons venture. For more on this venture and the response to it, you can click below on these links for comments:
In many of the above discussions, there has oftentimes been a use of the terms e-publishing, self-publishing and vanity/subsidy publishing interchangeably, but there are vast differences between those three types of publishing. In light of this, it seems as good a time as any on this Tuesday Tip blog to distinguish between e-publishing, self-publishing and vanity/subsidy publishing.
E-publishing
With e-publishing there is no monetary outlay of funds by the author. The e-publisher will do editing, create the cover and arrange for distribution of the book through their various channels. The author does not typically get an advance as is done with traditional print publishing, but will receive a royalty based on sales, usually in the neighborhood 25%-35% of either the cover or net price. The e-publishing model shares the reward between the author and the publisher, but the risk is borne by the publisher.
Oftentimes e-publishing will allow for books that don’t fit a niche to find a home and it has proved financially sound and rewarding for some publishers and houses.
Self-publishing
With self-publishing, the author will pay for the printing of the book and any related design services (such as the artwork on the cover). The author will own the ISBN, copyright and be responsible for marketing, distribution and sales. The author usually keeps 100% of the sales made, so all risk and reward is with the author. Self-publishing is a riskier move. Many bookstores will not stock self-published books. While there have been some success stories (such as The Shack and The Celestine Prophecy), for every one of those success stories, I suspect there are thousands of tales about books sitting in garages or the trunks of cars. According Bowker, although more ISBNS were handed out for self-published books than for traditionally published books in 2008, the average self-published book sells less than 100 copies.
Vanity/Subsidy Publishing
With vanity/subsidy, the author pays for “publication” of the book as contrasted to the printing and design of the book. For the fee, the vanity/subsidy publisher will provide X number of copies of the book as well as suggest marketing, editing and other services in order to achieve “publication” and make sales. In addition, the publisher may also retain a portion of the sales for offering the book through their distribution channels. For example, you may pay $600 for the basic vanity publishing package, but you may also need to pony up 50% of the either the cover or net price of each sale to the publisher. Therefore, you will only receive 50% of the cover/net price as a royalty. Please remember that the net price could be substantially less than the cover price, drastically reducing your “royalty.” For example, Amazon takes approximately 35% of the cover price as its share for listing the book, so as an author, you would only receive 50% of the 65% left from the cover price. In the vanity/subsidy publishing model, 100% of the risk is borne by the author but not 100% of the reward.
So what is an aspiring author to do? There is a difference between being published and being in print that is being blurred by today’s print on demand technology and the advent of the Internet. For starters, remember the first rule: Money should flow from the publisher to the author. Then, remember the second rule: If anyone asks you to outlay money to publish your book, seriously reconsider that “publication.” There is a reason why AAR and other organizations have a code of ethics that prohibits literary agencies from charging fees to aspiring writers. As a writer, you should consider applying that rule to any publishers that you are about to consider.
Woke up to a brrr in the air. There’s no doubt that fall is here, but that doesn’t mean the end of color in your garden.
Best bet – Hardy mums! Treat them right and they’ll survive the winter and come back for more fall foilage next year. Plus, there is such a wide range of colors to brighten a possibly dreary autumn day.
If you’re going to cut the mums as a gift, just be careful to whom you present them. In some cultures, Latins and Italians, the mum is known as the “Flower of the dead” and is typically not presented to someone as a bouquet.
Next best bet – flowering kale. Fill your borders and other low-lying areas with colorful kale in deep purples with bright white centers or totally white ornamental kale.
Another good bet is one of my favorite flowers – pansies/violas. They’ll survive a mild frost and violas are perennials, so look for them to return next year. Also, pansies are excellect reseeders, so don’t be surprised to see them coming up in the early spring as soon as it starts to get warmer.
Last but not least, colorful asters will provide awesome fall blooms and better yet, they’re perennials so they’ll be back next year for more color.
Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip! What are your favorite fall flowers?
When I was researching SINS OF THE FLESH, I wanted to make sure that I gave readers a taste of the characters in a variety of ways, including in the foods that they would eat. Since my research revealed a large Mexican population down the shore as well as in towns like Freehold, it seemed that my mercenary and ex-Army Ranger hero, Mick Carrera, would be Mexican.
And since I love books with foods/chefs (THE PERFECT MIX, SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS and MORE THAN A MISSION), it only seemed right that after Mick’s family had legally immigrated to the United States, they would succeed in their American Dream by opening a Mexican restaurant in one of the shore towns.
But Mexican food is more than tacos and burritos or the Tex-Mex dip recipe I gave you so long ago. I’ve been lucky to visit Mexico City, Tequila and Guadalajara on various occasions and sample the amazing dishes available in those cities (as well as the margaritas!).
But today’s Tuesday Tip comes courtesy of a visit that my daughter paid to a local Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia. She made the dish for us and it was delicious. Plus, it’s simple and incredibly tasty. What could be better? So here is today’s Tuesday Tip Recipe:
Ingredients:
- ripe plantains (2) or 2 packages of Goya Frozen Ripe Plantains
- sour cream
- queso fresco
- chopped chives
Directions:
- 1. Most stores carry plantains, but they must be ripe for this recipe. That means they should have a deep yellow/spotted black outer skin so they will be sweet. Getting them perfectly ripe can be hard, which is why I cheat and rely on the Goya Frozen Ripe Plantains. Always ripe, no peeling and lots of sweet.
- 2. If you’re using fresh plantains, peel them. Cut diagonally into ovalish slices. Alternative – open the Goya box.
- 3. Fry up the plantains, either in vegetable oil or butter. This is one time not to use virgin olive oil because it will overpower the sweetness factor. Cook until golden and caramelized.
- 4. Place the fried plantains on a slightly greased serving dish (They are so sugary, they will stick!).
- 5. Garnish with sour cream, some crumbled queso fresco (available in the dairy section) and the chopped chives.
- 6. Serve. This recipe will comfortably provide a side dish or appetizer for 4 to 5 people.
Hope you enjoyed today’s Behind the Scenes look and Tuesday Tip recipe!
We’ve talked before about what authors should think about doing to promote their books. In case you missed those blogs, here are some links to the prior discussions:
Right now, with the release of SINS OF THE FLESH just over two months away, I’m in the trenches promo-wise, gearing up for that last big push to get the word out about the book. By now, I’ve coordinated with the publisher the things that both of us will be doing so as to not duplicate efforts. I’ve already reached out to people about doing guest blogs and am finalizing dates for some of the visits as well as arranging some key booksignings. I’ve also planned to attend conferences close to the release date, like DragonCon and Moonlight & Magnolias.
Both of these conferences happen to be in Atlanta, but target different audiences. DragonCon is totally for the paranormal crowd while Moonlight & Magnolias is more for romance writers and readers.
Which I guess leads to another tip – don’t limit your market! There are lots of different spins that you can put on the same novel in order to reach all kinds of readers. Think out-of-box and target several different markets through things like blog tours, conferences, book signings and even advertising.
What else is being put into place in these final months? Videos, podcasts, book signings, e-mails. Getting out there to share the word about your book is key, both in person and on the Internet. Make sure your website is updated about the release as well as any social media sites you may have.
When it comes to the e-mails, podcasts and video trailers – time them to be effective. Release them too soon and they lose their impact. Wait until the book is almost on the shelves for the most effective use of these two promotional tools.
Check out the schedule below for where I’ll be doing some promotions. I love meeting fans face-to-face and also online. I will be updating the calendar with new events regularly so you can check here or also visit the Meet Me section at www.caridad.com for a listing of events.
People often ask me what helps me create new stories. Is it an article I see in a newspaper? Sometimes, but more often than not, stories come to me thanks to the things that I am lucky enough to be able to experience.
A few months ago I was blessed to get away for a writers’ weekend with some writing buddies. Our writing destination – Las Vegas.
Las Vegas! You may wonder how conducive that could be to writing, but after a few days I came away with the proposal for a brand new romantic suspense novel that is currently sitting with my editor for consideration.
How did that happen?
Well for starters, my friends and I spent some time talking out plots and helping each other with problems we were having. It’s always good to bounce ideas off people to see if the idea is working. Then we spent time writing every day.
So now you’re thinking – You could have done that anywhere.
Well, you’re right, but the one thing about Las Vegas – or any new location – was going around and exploring since many of those places and activities generated the idea for that new romantic suspense proposal.
For example, we took a class on stripping and lap dancing! Yep, you’re reading it right. Why? Well, as I bumped my knees on the pole, my brain was busy figuring out how the heroine in the book could tempt her hero.
A spa trip yielded yet more insights on temptation while seeing all the construction going on prompted ideas of what would happen if the hero happened to be building a casino in Las Vegas.
Add all those themed casinos, it occurred to me what kind of theme was missing and what kind of casino my hero could be building.
What about the suspense you’re wondering? Research into the problems casino owners face, like prostitution, money laundering, card cheats, etc. got my mind going about what would be the action behind the romance (and no, not spilling the beans just yet on what I chose!)
Last but not least, a hike into the Red Rock Canyon provided the perfect setting for a suspenseful chase scene!
I bet you’re saying to yourself, “But what if I can’t get away to some place new?”
Well, look around at the place where you are. What kinds of things are there that you see every day but someone else might find interesting? Are there any places or events you could use in your novel? For example, an interesting local festival or landmark? Could they be the backdrop for your novel (think Fort Hancock as I did for SINS OF THE FLESH). Being intimately familiar with a locale often adds a level of authenticity that resonates with readers moreso than an exotic locale.
Let your imagination run wild! It’s your greatest gift as a writer. Maybe you’ll find like I did that you can go from a stripper 101 class to a suspense novel just by flexing your imagination.
I was searching for a friend’s website the other day when I ran across some nice comments about him at a blog site. I sent him the link and suggested that he set up some news alerts so that he would know about such comments.
Whether you’re a pre-pubbed or published author, interested in a particular topic or have a client you wish to follow, news alerts are a great way to stay abreast of what’s happening.
I use both Yahoo alerts and Google alerts to keep me advised about possible reviews of my novels, but it also helps me to judge the efficacy of online press release sites as well as keep an eye out for people who are pirating my books.
I recently had an incident where a Google alert brought my attention to a site offering downloads of the MISSION: IMPASSIONED series in which I participated for Silhouette Romantic Suspense. I immediately sent the link to my publisher’s piracy contact.
I also watch for reviews and make a point to visit any reviewer who has been nice enough to read and comment on the book. Word to the wise, however – Don’t engage if there’s negative comments. It accomplishes nothing and everyone is entitled to their opinion. Just agree to disagree.
How do you set up a news alert? Click on one of these links to some of the news alert services that are available:
Yahoo: http://alerts.yahoo.com/
Google: http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en
You may need to open an account with them and check to make sure the account is free.
You can also sign up for news alerts at your favorite television stations, newspapers and magazines, but these may not include searches for activity on the Internet, such as reviews on blog sites, etc.
Keeping abreast of what’s happening puts you one step ahead and will help you to meet lots of new interesting people! Try it out and see!
I blogged a little last week about the RWA National Conference and the workshop on digital publishing (click here for that post). Since then I’ve been thinking about some of the issues that were discussed in that wonderful workshop and I thought I would elaborate a little more on them for today’s Tuesday Tip.
Of course, let me preface this with that this is not intended to be legal advice and you should always consult with legal counsel before entering into any legally binding agreement. With that said, here goes!
Digital publishing is expanding at an incredible rate and with that expansion, there are more things that writers need to think about when entering into a contract. Here are some of the major things to consider:
- Grant of Digital Rights: If you are a traditionally published author, namely an author of books that are in print, do you intend to grant to your publisher the rights to publish your books electronically? Some major authors have opted to retain those rights until certain issues related to digital publishing are resolved, such as the 9.99 pricing for Kindle editions. There has been a lot of discussion on how this pricing may cannibalize print book costs. One publisher, Sourcebooks, is holding back digital editions to counteract this possible affect. For more on this, you can go to this link: http://www.blackplasticglasses.com/2009/07/20/demand-pricing-for-ebooks/
- Option Clause: What can I say about this except LIMIT, LIMIT, LIMIT. If you’re selling a 60,000 erotic paranormal to a publisher/e-publisher, try to limit the option for your next book to a 60,000 erotic paranormal.
- Royalties: Royalties on digitally published books can range anywhere from 4% or 6% if you are with a traditional publisher to 35% to 40% for an e-publisher. Talk is that traditional publishers should pay higher percentages to authors on digital editions of print books and I’m sure that will happen as digital publishing becomes more established for traditional publishers. But regardless of the manner in which you are first published – print or digitally – make sure that you know how the percentage is calculated. For example, is the royalty calculated based on the cover price, catalogue price or the net price. What’s the net price? The amount the publisher gets after deducting costs of distribution, etc.
- Territory: Make sure of the territory for which you are granting either digital or print rights. Although you may grant print rights to only North America, the Net is global and it may not be possible to limit digital rights to a particular territory. This may limit your ability to sell digital rights in a particular territory to another publisher.
- Reversion of Rights/Out-of-Print: This is probably the most important of all the things to consider in any contract, namely, when do you get your rights back. With the advent of digital publishing, it’s possible that a book will never go out of print. Therefore, it’s important that you set a standard for when a print book that goes digital will go out of print. For example, if less than $100 a year is earned in royalties, the book is considered out of print or if less than 100 copies, whether print or digital, are sold a year.
I hope you found this morning’s Tuesday Tip helpful!
Copyright 2009 Caridad Pineiro Scordato
