Longevity

I thought of something important last night after my hubby and I couldn't remember if we'd seen a certain movie or not. It wasn't a good movie at all, and that's why we couldn't remember if we saw it or not until about five minutes in, when we turned it off in disgust.

Which made me think of longevity for authors, and, as equally important--memorability. What makes an author's career last and what makes their work memorable--in a good way? This goes for all artists, not just authors. This goes for musicians, sculpters, painters, actors, etc. What makes them stand out and what makes people recognize them or their brand?

Of course my focus is on authors, since I'm a writer. What makes you remember a certain book and love it! What makes you remember it years down the road and still appreciate it? Please share in the comments.

Notice: I will continue to conduct interviews and giveaways as I see fit, but I will NO LONGER review books on any level. This blog started as a writing blog only, and now the requests for reviews has it leaning towards a review blog and that was never my intent. So, to keep it as my own personal writing blog, there will be no more book reviews. Thank you. I'm Tyhitia Green and I approve this message.

Beth Revis' Contest

Hi guys. You can win signed copies of five different books by five wonderful YA authors. The link is here.

Here's a quick blurb of each book copied from Beth's blog.

•THE ETERNAL ONES by Kiersten Miller is a fast-paced, adventurious love story that involves reincarnation, secret societies, and fire.

•THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff is a hauntingly beautiful book that scares the pants off me.

•NIGHTSHADE by Andrea Cremer is not about werewolves--it's about true wolves that can shapeshift into people written by a brilliant scholar who incorporate history into the tale.

•MATCHED by Allie Condie shows us that love can break through any barrier, and the most important thing is to not go gently...

•ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (description from Goodreads) by Beth is about Seventeen-year-old Amy who joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Go on over and enter if you'd like a chance to win some awesome books!

And the Winner Is...

There were 3 official entries. I used random.org to choose a winner, and the winner is Robin, who was commenter #1. Robin, You'll receive an e-copy of NIGHT AND CHAOS.

Night and Chaos: An Interview and A Giveaway

NIGHT AND CHAOS is the first novella in the Deva Chronicles series by my friend Naomi Clark. It was self-published in e-format in January 2011 by Naomi.

The description per Naomi and Goodreads.com:

Ryan McCarthy fled Applied Paranormal Theory and Tactics, her father, and her lover six years ago, desperate to build life away from the weird science and supernatural experiments of her childhood. But everything she hoped to escape comes back with a vengeance when she's kidnapped and tortured by a possessed APTT employee out for revenge on the man responsible for his possession: Ryan's father.

Now, reunited with the lover she abandoned, Ryan is forced back into a world of danger and darkness she no longer understands, pursued by enemies with powers she can't fathom. But Ryan's not entirely powerless herself. She'll have to use every trick she knows - as well as the mystic gift she hates - to stay ahead of those enemies. And that will be easier said than done.

Here's my interview with Naomi, followed by a contest:

1.) What made you decide to write gay/lesbian fantasy? And is that the only category you write in?

It was one of those happy coincidences. I'd never written any before, but a friend emailed me the call for submissions for the Queer Wolf anthology because they knew I love werewolves and shapeshifters. I wrote WOLF STRAP, reviews really liked it, and the publisher took a chance on me and invited me to write a novel for them. The Urban Wolf series was born that way! I've been amazed at the reaction to WOLF STRAP and SILVER KISS – it's so much more than I could have imagined.

I also write straight urban fantasy, for want of a better term, as well as general “dark” fiction and some romance when the mood takes me.


2.) Do you think there’s enough diversity in fantasy?

I think it's growing, thanks to ebooks, which allow more niche books to find audiences. M/M romance is huge, but I think F/F is still catching up. I'll be working on some GBLT anthologies in the near future, and I'm really hoping to get some great lesbian stories for those.


3.) What made you decide to self-publish rather than go the “traditional” route?

I've had two agents since 2006, and it didn't work out with either of them for various reasons. Having had some success with small presses, I felt confident that my writing was strong and that with dedication and care, I could have some success self-publishing. That said, I danced around it for a long time. I spent most of 2010 just reading up on it, learning the pros and cons, figuring out a strategy. This year I decided I was ready to take the plunge.

But I don't see this as an either/or situation – there's no reason I see that authors can't pursue self-publishing and traditional publishing. I love my small press editors and hope to work with them for a long time to come.


4.) Do you think publishing will change in the next few years? If so, how?

It's already changing! The rise of ebooks and ereaders means there are a lot more options for readers, which means there are a lot more options for writers. The best thing writers can do right now is educate themselves on all the changes taking place, both the positive and the negative. I think we're going to see a big rise in the indie movement, heralded by people like Amanda Hocking and JA Konrath, but I do hope that traditional publishing stays with us. A lot of people are speculating about the end of the industry, the end of bookshops, etc, and I find that quite depressing. I don't see why there isn't room for both sides of the publishing game.


5.) What advice do you have for aspiring/unpublished writers?

Read a lot and write a lot. It sounds obvious, but it's so true. And write something your passionate about – there's no point trying to jump on bandwagons or follow the latest trends, because those things will have changed by the time you're ready for publication. So write the kind of book you want to read, not what you think other people want to read. And do your research! Before you submit to an agent, a publisher, self-publish, or even join a critique group, research them. Being informed is so easy these days – there's information all over the internet, so there are no excuses for not being informed!

And now for the contest!

Giveaway: For a chance to win a PDF copy of NIGHT AND CHAOS by Naomi Clark, all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. Also, please list your e-mail address as follows: your e-mail (AT) wherever (DOT) com, so you won't get junk mail. The contest is open to everyone in the world. The contest will end on March 7, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Good luck. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on March 8, 2011.

To find out more about Naomi, go here, and there.