The Next Big Thing Blop Hop: Bliss House

Oh, good! I've been tagged.

Welcome to the latest stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. This particular blog tour invites writers to answer ten questions about their current Work in Progress, or forthcoming project. Each tagged writer answers the questions, then tags five or more writers to answer the questions on their blog, then they tag five more, and so on...It's a great way for readers and writers to find each other, don't you think?

First off, you'll want to get to know the amazing writer who tagged me. RT Book Reviews named J.T. Ellison's latest thriller, Edge of Black, a Top Pick, and called it her "best book yet." J.T. is a master (mistress!) of psychological suspense and her beautifully crafted stories are rich with emotional intensity. She's also incredibly prolific, having published nine books, several novellas and many, many short stories in the past five years. Thanks, J.T.!

Now, Bliss House. I've been working on it for quite a while, so I've posted about it, before. But here's an update:

1) What is the working title of your book(s)?

Bliss House

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was working on an idea for another book, a thriller based on the folk tale, Hansel and Gretl. As I was working on the plot, I found myself deeply fascinated by the house in which the children were being held. I realized that the house was the source of many, many dark stories, and the haunting of Rainey Adams and her daughter, Jillian, is just the first.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Supernatural suspense.

4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie version?

Ali Larter and Elle Fanning as Rainey and Jillian (mother and daughter); Eddie Cibrian, with Amy Adams as his wife. John Malkovich as The Judge.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Mother and daughter, burn victim, mourning, guilt, new home, old mansion, troubled past, mystery, sudden death, ghost dad, secret rooms, suspicion, murder, skeletons, secret passages, betrayal, redemption and forgiveness, the end.

(Okay, I know. That's technically a fragment.)

6) Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

My wonderful agent, Susan Raihofer, of the David Black Literary Agency will represent the book. I'm in the final pre-submission editing stage now.

7) How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

The draft of Bliss House has taken me over two years to write. While working on it, I also published Devil's Oven, re-issued Isabella Moon, and Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts as ebooks, published a few short stories, and edited Surreal South '11, and Feeding Kate, two fiction anthologies.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Anyone who has read my other supernatural books will find much to like in Bliss House. Susan Hill, F.G. Cottam, Alexandra Sokoloff (my favorite!) and Joe Hill also write about fictional hauntings. And just when I thought I had a perfectly brilliant, original idea to do a series of novels set in a single, demented house, I found that uber-horror writer Douglas Clegg did it, first! I haven't read his Harrow House series, but I admire his other work.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I've long wanted to write a haunted house story in the tradition of Shirley Jackson's classic novel, The Haunting of Hill House. There's more, but if I write about it now, I fear I'll give away the whole story.

10) What else about your book might pique a reader's interest?

Bliss House is not just the story of a house, but of a woman and her daughter trying to rediscover their love for one another against a background of life-changing tragedy. And, it's set in Virginia. Virginia has a place in my heart, and I hope to impart some of my love for it to every reader.

The next writers on the hop are...

Amanda Stevens
Maggie Caldwell
Terri Kirby Erickson

Next Wednesday, January 15th, these writers will post about their own Next Big Things.

Oops, I only have three writers to link to. I'm supposed to have five, but I asked many writers who had either already participated, or were on a blogging hiatus. When I have more to link to, I'll come back and post their names.

Thanks for dropping by!

Old People Sex, My Romantic Heart, and Other Surprising Notions

Since I didn't make it to church this week, I'm going to use today's blog as a confessional vehicle, okay? It's about...romance.

I know. I'm aghast, too.

Friday night I fell asleep watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel on my iPad. The falling asleep part had more to do with my tiredness than the film. Mostly. I had tried to get my daughter or husband to go with me to see it when it was in theaters, but had no takers. (Insert mimed vomiting actions, here.) For me, the appeal of the film had nothing to do with the story--which is perfectly telegraphed by the title--but with its cast. It had many of my favorite British actors-of-a-certain-age in it, from Judi Dench to Tom Wilkinson, with the exception of Helen Mirren and Joanna Lumley. The scenery was gorgeous, the colors magical.

The plot is as thin as tissue: A handful of nearly-broke pensioners take off for a retirement hotel in India, where they are promised cheap, easy, elegant living for the rest of their days. Of course, the actual hotel is in a state of constant deshabille, its owner is young, idealistic, broke, and in love. The food is too exotic, and India turns out to be a tad whiffy for their delicate noses. The pensioners are variously widowed, gay, single, unhappily married, or just plain horny. They mix and match and confess and learn about themselves and flirt. They pair up at the end. Really, most of the film is about love and sex. Even the parts of it that aren't end with happy, lovey-dovey resolutions.

Reader, at the end of the film, I cried. Eleven o'clock in the morning, and I was weeping on the stationary bike even as my legs pumped away. I cried more than I did at the end of the last dog movie I saw--Balto, in 1997. (I no longer watch dog movies. Ever.)

I felt ashamed. I felt manipulated. Worst of all, I felt...happy and hopeful for the the characters. Oh. My. God. It was like someone else had taken over my body and had forced me to watch this film that seemed to have no other purpose but to make Judi Dench a bunch of money, and make people... *whispers* feel good. I fell for it. And even maybe liked it a little.

The film was about Romance, which does not necessarily involve sex. I didn't understand that concept for a long time. Well, I understood it, then forgot, but now remember it, again. I wonder if it's because I'm a woman-of-nearly-a-certain-age, myself. What a disturbing thought. (BTW--there was nothing graphic about the film, thank goodness.) Sex after a-certain-age is fine and healthy, but we should all remove the mirrors from our bedroom ceilings after age 45 or so, IMO. Yes?)

I've mentioned here before that I was a Phyllis Whitney fan when I was quite young. And I enjoy Luanne Rice's books because they're really family dramas and happen to be engagingly well-written. But with those exceptions, I tend to run screaming from romantic books and films that don't contain 1) murder 2) ghosts 3) ghost murders 5) murderers in love 6) psychos in love (two or more) 7) infidelity 8) unfaithful murderers.

Please don't ever pick up anything I've written looking for an unabashedly or even kinda sweet, happy ending. I try. I really do. But it just comes out, hmmm, weird. There's plenty of genuine love in my books if you look for it. Chances are, though, the love is going to be a little twisted. Strange or obsessive or unexpected. Oh, I've dallied with true love. Bill and Margaret in Isabella Moon. Jolene and her young daughter in Devil's Oven. As I said, I'm trying.

It's a funny thing that true, romantic fictional love eludes me in both reading and my writing. In life, I'm completely goofy about the people I love. I send birthday cards and Valentines. I fret about who's getting a cold and who didn't have whole grains at breakfast. I love many, many people--and not in creepy, obsessive ways, either. I'm like the anti-poster child for the school of write what you know. I'm beginning to see what readers mean when they say, "You seem like such a nice person. How can you write what you write?"

What If... What if I write what I know? You know--let more of that love into my work. Would it still be suspenseful and disturbing? Already, I'm pretty shut out of the horror genre because I'm a girl and I'm not ambitious enough to fight my way in. Would I lose any of the scary cred I've been building for the past decade if there were more lovable characters in my stories? What if I wrote a *gasp* happy ending? The idea fascinates me. My work would change. Would I lose readers? Gain them? That feels scary to me.

I should end this blog right here, but the confession's not over. A few tears over a big-budget, light drama and a peek into my writerly insecurities really isn't much to confess, is it?

Reader, I was ruined for the entire day! Sometime after noon, I chanced on the Hallmark Channel and a Faith Ford film called A Kiss at Midnight. Ford played a pretty, single matchmaker who falls for the handsome CEO of a Match.com-like website when she decides to do an exposé on his company. The film ended with them, yes, kissing at midnight! At their wedding! Then there was The Seven Year Hitch, about a guy and gal who become roommates (in a house she's bought with money she's saved from summer jobs since she was twelve! Aw.), and run into trouble after 7 years, when she gets engaged to another guy. But in the end, after much wacky agida, the roommates realize they're really in love! They had a wedding, too! It was all so simple. So easy. So deliciously full of resolution. And big, white teeth, and perfect houses, and everyone has a job, a house, a car, great sex, and a true love. Except the cheating fiancé *grrrr*, who loses most of those things except his car, white teeth, and great sex (which he was also getting elsewhere).

I'm just going to gloss over the fact that I spent five hours on Saturday watching silly films when I could've been reading or watching something useful, like old Cracker episodes. Or Dr. Who. Let's get to the point. There is something that all three romantic films and my own work have in common: FANTASY. None of it is real. None of it could be real. One is an escape into a candy-coated cheerfulness. The other is an escape into the dark. Is one better than the other?

Die-hard genre devotees might say, "yes." I disagree. We're all trying to escape, to try on other worlds for size, to see how we--our emotions, our temperaments, our dreams--fit.

Maybe that's what I was doing yesterday. All I know is that--after The Seven Year Hitch was over--I watched three back-to-back episodes of 48 Hours Live (or somesuch) on the crime channel. Three hours, two real-life wife murderers, and a trampy husband-killer later, and I felt like all was right with the world, again.

I've left the television off for most of Sunday. My heart can't take anymore emotional whiplash--until Downton Abbey comes on at 8:00. *swoon*


***Gorgeous scherenschnitte photo borrowed from this guy's terrific blog about architectural preservation in Cincinnati, my home town.

Costume A Literary Giant and Enter My Nook Giveaway at Book Riot!

Me, as a zebra, 2009.

I've never been a big one for costumes. As a writer, I tend to keep my fantasy in my head and on the page. Okay. That's a lie. I costume myself every day.

There's the Laura, Field Trip Mom Turtleneck. The I Feel Icky Because I Ate too Much Cake Fatpants Ensemble. The Freakin' Good Hair Day/I Feel Gorgeous Jeans/Sweater/Boots Outfit. The Hey, Buy My Books! Dress I Paid Too Much For But Love Anyway. The I'm Trying to Look Like My Husband's Mistress, Not His Wife Little Black Dress (including Spanx). The I Don't Give a Damn If I Look Like My Grandma/It's Freezing in Here Flannel Nightgown and Robe Set. Oh, and the Of Course I'm Not a Tourist in NYC Black Trench Coat and Knee-High, Heeled Boots.

When nice folks at Book Riot offered me a chance to do a giveaway on their (amazing) website, I wanted to come up with a Halloween theme that would give contest entrants something fun to do. (I like fun. I live for fun. I hate to be bored, which means I almost never am. Boredom is a lifestyle choice!)

All you have to do to be entered to win one of these--

A Nook Simple Touch GlowLight-- is to think up a clever costume for your favorite literary character or writer. Be wild with Oscar Wilde! Get inventive with Ivy! (If you've read Devil's Oven, you know who she is. ; ) Make Junot Diaz jaunty! Nora Roberts naughty! You get the idea.

Be brief.

Be speedy. Enter before the contest ends at 11:59pm Eastern Friday, October 12.

Be dead clever.

Be at Book Riot, because that's the only place you can enter to win!

(Commenting here will not enter you in the drawing. Sorry. Those are the rules.)

Now off you go to Book Riot. I want you to win that Nook!

Life in the Indie Lane: The Adventure Continues

It's been a crazy-busy month (or four). I started the process of e-publishing DEVIL'S OVEN (it's here and here, btw!) way back in November, and, even as late as my most recent blog post, I was sure I would have it--as well as my backlist--up and available the first week in March. Three weeks ago.

Right.

Who knew there was so much detail work involved? I had imagined I would simply pop new covers on my first two novels and they would magically transport themselves to Amazon and BN, where my winsome, wonderful readers would eagerly e-queue to buy them. Just kidding--mostly. The covers were the fun part. My biggest challenge was dealing with the novel manuscripts themselves. Don't ask me why, but I never thought I would need the final manuscript docs for ISABELLA MOON and CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS once I sent them off to Ballantine five and four years ago, respectively. I'm sure they're on an old hard drive in some landfill. I eventually had to have hardcover versions of both novels professionally scanned.

I don't know if you've ever worked with a scanned document, but even if you pay for a good scan, it comes out badly messed up. ISABELLA MOON took me weeks to fix. CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS is still here on my desktop, staring at me (stop that!), waiting for me to tame it. Basically, I have to be my own proofreader and copyeditor for the scans, prep them as Word .docs for Brett Battles (who, in addition to being a terrific writer, does a helluva formatting job for Kindle and epub docs), and get them uploaded.

Amazon has lots of questions to answer before one can upload books, BN even more. Things are rather more complicated than they might be because Pinckney (my genius writer-guy husband) and I are publishing and selling our work through Gallowstree Press (the site is not quite ready, but the logo, by The Terrible Two Studio, is very spiffy). Many friends and readers are asking for paper versions of the books, too, so I'm trying to get that set up with Lightning Source. Lots and lots of paperwork. And did I mention that each version of each book must have a unique ISBN number? Last, but certainly not least, is my personal website, which hasn't quite caught up with the big changes, yet. Okay. That's not really the last bit. There's tons more, but I don't want to discourage anyone who might be considering publishing their own work.

This has been a blast. A complicated blast, yes, but still a lot of fun.

Next up: I'm uploading ISABELLA MOON today! It should be available--again, finally, as an ebook--within hours.

After that: Gallowstree Press will soon go live. PDFs (will load in pretty much any ereader) of all three of my novels will be available there for purchase. I'm converting individual short stories as well.

Simultaneously: Molding CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS into a recognizable, readable shape.

In the background: Buying advertising. Begging for reviews of DEVIL'S OVEN (which is priced at a very reasonable $3.99, I might add). Writing. (BLISS HOUSE is on the way.)

Several of my writer friends are attempting to mobilize their fan bases to fund their upcoming writing projects. Kickstarter.com is one way. Some have set sales goals for their existing books, asking readers to vote with their wallets for the series they want to see continue. These methods are way too complicated for me. Mobilize my fan base? Here I go:

Hi, fans! I love you! I'm crazy about you! Love my work, love me!


That sounds silly, doesn't it? I promise that it's sincere. I love all readers and love to write for you. I'm just pitiful at getting newsletters out there--but I'm working on that.

In the mean time, here's the cover for CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS, by the exceptional J.T. Lindroos. It's so beautifully creepy, don't you think?

***Hey, I should mention that I'm guest blogging about decapitation, killing animals in fiction, and other sensitive subjects at The Kill Zone today. The blog has great discussions about what's in and on the minds of mystery/thriller writers.