And feeling hostile to pigs everywhere. After eight miserable days, I am well enough to sit up and type. I’m hanging with the pillows, tissues and decongestants. My head is still throbbing. My throat feels as if somebody’s camped under my tonsils and lit a fire to roast marshmallows.
I’m grateful for ice cream and ginger tea.
I’ll be back soon. Sit tight.
Raven
“Fast, fun, and feisty, Holzner’s DEADTOWN is chock-full of supernatural action, danger, and creatures who do more than go bump in the night.”
Devon Monk, author of MAGIC IN THE BLOOD
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I’ve always wished that I could take a tour of a published writer’s home. Not one of those, “oooh” and “ahhH” tours where you get to sit in on a fancy couch and drink wine out of a crystal glass. Nope. I want a tour where I can see what’s in the refrigerator, the kitchen drawers and in the bread box. I’d want to go to the bathroom, open the cabinet above the sink and check out the hair gels, tooth paste and lotions. Most of all, I want to sit in the “chair” where the writer thought up stories and spend time pawing through the desk drawers to see if there’s something there to give me insight into the writer.
I’d probably finger the knickknacks. And rub one on the top of my head for good luck. I might pick up the phone and pretend that’s my agent calling and sure, I’ll take that advance along with a vacation to France, thank-you-very-much!
What can I say? I’m big on visuals.
In the last installment of my interview with Nancy Holzner, I ask her about her space. And I ask her a question that has always tickled my brain when I’m reading interviews with published writers. Read on, my friends, if you’re curious what the Raven wonders about and has decided to ask the author of Deadtown.
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Hi Nancy, since this is the final segment of the interview, I thought I’d sneak in and get a look at your writing space. I curious about where you do what you do. Please tell me, do you have a writing space? If so, where?
I have a home office where I write. And most evenings I’m at a local coffee shop, writing.
What is your idea of the perfect writing environment?
Somewhere quiet, with a table and a comfortable chair. Those are my main requirements. I can usually tune out coffee-shop conversations, but quiet is the best.
What is your definition of a productive day of writing?
For nonfiction, that can be anywhere between three and ten pages, depending on how much I have to research the topic I’m writing about. For fiction, I try to do at least 1,000 words per writing session.
Do you have “Plan B” for days that aren’t productive? What is it?
It’s not a “Plan B” so much as it’s making myself stay in the chair, ignoring distractions, until I’ve met my goal.
Being a writer is a tough job. It takes a lot of mental energy. Sometimes, it’s so exhausting there’s not much left for other things. I’ve always wanted to know what other authors do when they’re not writing. What do you do?
Sleep. That’s a joke, but it’s also not far from the truth. I write for my day job, and I grab whatever time I can to write on evenings and weekends, as well. But I’m not always glued to a computer. I try to take a walk each day. And I’m a huge opera fan.
Wow. Now there’s an interest that will keep you wide awake. We spent a few days getting to know about your book and about you. I’d like to finish up by giving you an opportunity to reveal something about yourself. What would you like your readers to know about you?
I’ve been involved with stories and books my whole life. I was an early and avid reader, and my passion for books has never diminished. I’ve taught English at all levels, from high-school sophomore through PhD candidate. I’ve worked as a copyeditor and a developmental editor, as well as an instructional designer for textbook projects. I’ve read and written for fun. I’m just one of those people who has always immersed myself in books.
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I’d like to thank Nancy Holzner for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions. I’d also like to wish her the best of luck with her new novel Deadtown which debuts in bookstores and online stores on December 29, 2009. It’s the beginning of a new series, perfect for beginning a new year!
Best of luck, Nancy!
Raven
Nancy Holzner’s new novel, Deadtown, will be released December 29, 2009. Go to www.nancyholzner.com to read the Chapter 1 of Deadtown and to get more information on her contests, booksignings, and blog tour.
“DEADTOWN is a perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, humor and even modern-day social issues. It’s Boston as you’ve never seen it . . . where the shapes shift, the zombies gnaw, and the blood flows warm through the oh-so-delicious veins of the area known as Deadtown. Victory Vaughn gives evil a run for its money.”
Anton Strout, author of DEAD TO ME
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Interview with Nancy Holzner: Marketing Deadtown
It’s one of the most dreaded words that authors come across while pursuing success in the publishing industry. Unfortunately, it’s also one of most important.
Marketing.
A decade ago that was something somebody down the hall did for authors once the book was written and turned over to the editor. Today, the tables have been turned on writers. It’s the first word that comes into the conversation the minute a writer submits a novel for consideration to a potential buyer. It arrives disguised in questions like “Do you have an author platform?” or “Are you on Facebook or Twitter?” and “How many followers did you say you have?”
Marketing.
The new word served to writers whether they ordered it or not. Welcome to installment #3 of my interview with author, Nancy Holzner. Today, Nancy discusses her marketing techniques for her novel, Deadtown.
What are some important things for a writer to focus on in her pursuit of publishing a book?
Read widely—books that are similar to yours but also stuff that’s way out of your genre. Join a critique groups to give and get feedback. Learn about publishing. There are a lot of unscrupulous people eager to make money from writers who don’t understand how publishing works. Talk to other writers on forums like Absolute Write, read blogs by industry professionals, check out watchdog sties like Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors.
What has been the biggest surprise in the process of writing, selling and promoting Deadtown?
How much time it takes. It’s fun, but it’s definitely time-consuming.
What are some of the traditional methods you’ve used to market your work?
My publisher sent out advance review copies to numerous reviewers. I’ve got a blog tour set up, and I’m doing lots of contests to get Deadtown into readers’ hands. Because it’s a brand-new series, I hope to connect with readers who will look forward to the sequels. I posted Chapter 1 on my website as a teaser.
What are some other methods you’ve used to promote you new novel?
I’m running a contest on my website. It’s called Countdown to Deadtown, and I’m giving away prizes throughout the monthu as the 12/29 release date approaches.
After employing different methods in marketing your book, which do you think is the most efficient?
For me, it has to be over the Internet. I’m combining social networking with blog appearances. I’ll be going to a few conferences this year too, but in general I don’t have the time or the money to do much traveling to promote the book in person.
What do you think is the most important feature of an author’s platform?
I don’t really think of myself as having a platform. I’m working to build one now, so I can’t say yet what its most important aspect is.
How can a reader get a hold of your blog tour schedule for Deadtown?
I’m in the process of putting my blog tour schedule on my website.
Thank you, Nancy, for peek into how authors market their work. To read Nancy Holzner’s first interview go to
http://www.wilczek.writeronline.com/100/
Nancy Holzner’s new novel, Deadtown, will be released December 29, 2009. Go to www.nancyholzner.com to read the Chapter 1 of Deadtown and to get more information on her contests, booksignings, and blog tour.
Next: Nancy Holzner talks about her personal writing space.
“Holzner’s take on the Urban Fantasy genre is unique, refreshing, and a damn good read. I’m looking forward to more adventures in DEADTOWN with Vicky Vaughn–this heroine totally kicks butt!”
Phaedra Wheldon, author of PHANTASM
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Since I ‘m featuring Nancy Holzner, author of Deadtown, during the last days of December, I thought I’d include some details about this successful writer’s writing process. Every writer has her/his individual way of approaching writing. I like to write in the morning, immediately after journaling with Julia Cameron’s “Walking in This World.” It clears my mind and allows me to focus on the details during revision.
In installment #2 of her interview, Nancy Holzner discusses some of the ways she approaches her writing.
Nancy, you write both nonfiction and fiction. I understand that each requires an individual approach. How do you decide on a topic or genre?
For nonfiction, I confer with editors to find out what topics they’re looking for, and then I write up a proposal. For fiction, I write what I like to read. When a character or situation grabs my attention and won’t let go, I know I’m on to something.
Do you find one genre easier to write than another?
Not really. All kinds of writing have their own challenges.
How do you stay on track and meet deadlines?
I do get off track sometimes, but it’s important to meet deadlines. The publisher has a schedule to meet, and if I miss a deadline, it messes up the work schedules of everyone who’s downstream from me: editor, copywriter, proofreader, and so on. I try not to be unfair to people who need me to do my job so they can do theirs.
How do you cope with writer’s block?
Often, when I get stuck it’s because I’ve stopped letting the story unfold naturally and am trying to force something. In other words, I’m seeing the story from an authorial point of view, not the viewpoint of the characters or the reader. It’s like my mind puts on the breaks until I manage to get my perspective right again. Rereading helps. Taking a walk or a long shower can help, too. But sometimes the only thing that works is to let the scene settle a bit and then come back to it with fresh eyes.
I’ve read conflicting advice about whether or not online writing groups are worthwhile. What do you think about them?
I think they’re great. I belonged to one for more than five years. The members supported each other, critiqued each others’ work, set goals to keep everyone writing. I’m also in a face-to-race writers’ group, which is extremely helpful, but online is more flexible. My face-to-race group meets once a month; in my online group, members could post weekly to get feedback. And you could give feedback at any time of the day or night instead of having to agree on a time when everyone can meet. Plus, it’s cool to be able to interact with writers from all over the world and not just in your own town. I’m a big advocate of writers’ groups, because I believe that learning to give good feedback is one of the most valuable skills a writer can develop.
Thanks for giving my readers a look at your process Nancy.
To read Nancy’s first interview go to :
www.wilczek.writeronline.com/100/
Nancy Holzner’s new novel, Deadtown, will be released December 29, 2009. Go to www.nancyholzner.com to read the Chapter 1 of Deadtown and to get more information on her contests, booksignings, and blog tour.
Next: Nancy Holzner discusses marketing her books.
WISHING ALL OF YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SURROUNDED BY THOSE YOU LOVE. MAY THE JOY OF THE SEASON LINGER IN YOUR HEARTS THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR.
THANKS FOR READING THE RAVEN’S EYE.
[from left to right: Abend, Schatze, Tally-ho!,Matrix, and Kipper]
LAUREL WILCZEK (A.K.A. RAVEN)
I’m pleased to announce the first installment of a four part interview that I am featuring on my website. Nancy Holzner is a member of Writers’ Village University. Her new novel Deadtown will be released next week. For a close look at this talented author and her new urban fantasy novel, please visit my website Ravenne’s Pi at:
www.wilczek.writeronline.com/100/
You can’t leave a message there yet, but it you’d like to comment, please return and post one here. I’m sure Nancy Holzner will appreciate it.
Raven
It isn’t every day a writer gets to meet a woman like Maria Schneider. Former Chief Editor at Writer’s Digest and the present Lifestyles Digital Content Manager at the Cincinnati Enquirer, Maria Schneider started her website, Editor Unleashed, with the goal of bridging the gap between writers and professionals of the publishing industry. After a successful year of building her website into an impressive resource for writers, Maria can rest assured she has created something to be proud of.
When I first started writing, ten years ago, the idea of having access to woman with Maria’s exceptional credentials and experience would have been ridiculous. Editors are busy. They rarely have time to drop you a note let alone answer questions about the craft. What sets Maria and her site, Editor Unleashed, above the norm is her willingness to share the wealth of her experience. In a world where so many individuals are selling their tips and/or publishing secrets, Maria’s generosity in making knowledge available to those who seek it is something that deserves recognition. If the topic is important to writers, you can count on Maria to blog, twitter or have a guest interview about it.
And if she thinks there’s a worthwhile lesson to be taught?
Last summer, Maria Schneider gave writers the opportunity to slip into an editor’s shoes when she hosted the Editor Unleashed/Smashwords Flash Fiction 40 Contest at Editor Unleashed. Not only were writers invited to submit stories without an entry fee, they were permitted to be active participants of the voting process. In short, the writers got to play editor and vote for the stories they thought should win the 500.00 prize. A diligent participant, I read over 280 stories in one week, judged them based on a 1 to 5 star rating system and voted.
For the first time in my life I got to experience what it was like to shift through hundreds of stories at a breakneck pace. And baby, I was ready to bark at the moon by the time I was done. My conclusion? Editors do NOT have a master plan to grind the bones of writers’ dreams into dust for use as a facial scrub. They are hardworking individuals who are faced with the daunting prospect of reading hundred, thousands of manuscripts in order to find the few that meet the standard.
It’s a lesson Maria thought writers ought to learn. It’s a lesson that I’ve remembered each time I’ve sent a story out and had it come back to me. I have Maria to thank for demonstrating what it’s like to be in the editor shoes. I have her to thank for holding a contest that taught me about honesty, hard work, gratitude and above all, graciousness. But then, who better to learn from than a woman who has demonstrated all these things herself?
Maria Schneider is embarking on yet another adventure and I wish her safe journey and best of luck. I want to let her know this is one writer who is grateful for her efforts. I will remember and I will do my best to pay it forward.
Thank you, Maria, for giving me the incentive to step out and begin my own journey.
Laurel
visit Maria Schneider’s website at www.editorunleashed.com
It happened while we were busily tapping away for the Nation Novel Writing Month. Talented writer and highly successful author, Michael Solender, decided to hold a contest called “Feast of Flash” during November. The theme? Thanksgiving of course! Michael, author of the “Not From Here Are You?” blog, added a neat twist. (He is a master at twists, by the way) and listed the prize as 100.00 to the winner’s favorite charity.
And that little perk caused me to pause in my nano write and snap at the hook. Who could resist an opportunity to help out those in need? So, I submitted a short story written in the spirit of a long ago memory of myself, my bad dog, and a Thanksgiving Day disaster that occurred many years ago. To fully appreciate the Grand Prize Winner: Thanksgiving Day Pies, you need to understand how very bad my childhood dog was.
Freia was a German Shepherd without a conscience. She was supremely intelligent and sneaky as hell. Our 2nd most famous German Shepherd, the first earned her place in a memorable event which resulted in the collapse of our front porch and a mad chase after a screaming paper boy, Freia tested the limits of my parents tolerance that year by chewing the heads off seven chocolate Easter bunnies, eating food off the table at a every summer picnic, gnawing the leg off our roaster while we were praying over our Sunday meal, pooping on the my mother’s Oriental rug (every other week) and shredding cushions, pillows and the trousers of a electric utility man who swore he could tame any dog. ( I’m afraid, he was the one who learned to jump before Freia.)
Nothing was off-limits to this dog. Smart without ever being trained, she once climbed a ladder to return a paint brush that my sister dropped while painting the ceiling. Freia’s nickname was “Bushwacker” because she would allow anyone onto the property, stalk them like a wolf and charge them when she was confident of her victory. Many times we found articles scattered on the sidewalk–articles that belonged to would-be visitors who had been forced to flee the premises. We’d identify them by the wallets or purses left behind and make the obligatory phone calls, apologizing and promising that it would never happen again.
By the time the terrible pie incident occurred, Freia was on probation. I’d already covered up a plethora of canine indiscretions–a poop outside my parent’s door, a pee outside the bathroom door, a chewed slipper at the bottom of the staircase AND a brutally savaged Oriental runner in the upstairs hallway. (A crime which I concealed by a skillful application of oil paints to the naked mesh.) But even with all my efforts, Freia was definitely working on her third and final strike that Thanksgiving Day– a day that went down in history as the day Freia escaped the pound.
I hope you visit Michael Solender’s blog and read “Thanksgiving Day Pies” on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, please read all the wonderful stories he sparked with his challenge. Each story is worth the visit. Michael is offering one week of delicious Thanksgiving stories. It’s a collection of great writes by fabulous authors raising money for charity. Stop in and read. Leave a comment if you like. These writers are fine.
http://notfromhereareyou.blogspot.com/
Here’s the schedule:
11/24: First Runners up:
Mike Whitney -Simple Gifts
J.F Juzwik – Undying Gratitude.
11/25: Second Runners Up:
Jodi MacArthur- Burning Yesterday
Mary Beth Ray – On The Autostrada
11/ 26: Grand Prize Winner : Laurel Wilczek – Thanksgiving Day Pies.
Saturday 11/28: Lee Hughes
Sunday 11/29: Kim Perzy Urig & Aleathia Drehmer
Monday 11/30: Eric Beetner & Hazar Worth
Tuesday 12/1: Christopher Grant
Wednesday 12/2 Paul Phillips & Erin Cole
Thursday 12/3 Angel Zapata & Daniel Stine
How did I do that?
I’ve been neglecting you, but with good reason. I’ve been chasing after my word count for National Novel Writing Month. And baby, I am done. I sailed over the finish line yesterday afternoon at 50,000 + words. Which means, I averaged 2500 words per day or 17,500 words per week. Which also means my mother is right AGAIN!
When you break a large (seemingly impossible) goal into smaller parts, you are more likely to succeed. I did this fast. I did it without eating myself into a sugar coma. I did it without missing my favorite programs and, much to my family’s relief, without missing one shower.
How did I do it?
This is the first time I’ve broken my writing sessions into two parts. Looking at the results, I’m going to say it’s a good plan. I wrote twice a day, morning and night, and logged 1,250 for each session. Each time I sat down I found that goal doable. In fact, I found it downright exciting. Why? There’s something about that number that just seems friendly. Maybe it’s because when I first started writing short stories that was the word count I set. Maybe because 1,700 just reads as 2,000 to my brain and sooo much further away.
The end result was that I hit ground running and never actually felt the crushing weight of the 50,000 word goal. I felt confident. I felt capable.
Heck, I felt downright powerful.
As for my teen writers NaNo group? I’m proud to say they are all doing themselves proud. Every week they show up. ON TIME! And they leave. LATE! They have excellent work to read and they’ve gotten better and better at providing feedback for each other. I look at this as the true success of NaNoWriMo for me. To share the fun of creation with young people, to watch them strive for their goals and fight the good fight, is to discover that imagination is not dead, nor is courage.
Trust me.
I’ve got a class of talented writers who prove it every week.
Go NaNo Rhinos!
National Novel Writing Month has arrived!
And I’ve started the race with a dozen teen writers itching to prove themselves. We’ve got a lot of enthusiasm, an excess of talent and tons of CANDY! Personally, I think Chris Baty’s strategy for holding the NaNoWriMo in November is dastardly clever. Thousands of writers all over the world are participating in Nano. Here in the United States we’ve got all that Halloween fuel available. Kinda gives us an advantage, don’t you think?
So how’s it really going? The kids are true competitors. By Monday, most of them had logged in over two thousand words and counting. Great group. I love young writers because so much of the world is still fresh in their minds. They’re using their time with me to discuss whatever is on their minds. The librarian who has been kind enough to set everything up for us has also provided a 24 hour hot line for the kids. They can check in and post questions at anytime up to the last day of November.
I’ve been hearing a lot of back and forth over whether NaNoWriMo is a worthy endeavor. Obviously, I think so. Besides pushing writers to step out of their comfort zones and do something crazy, NaNoWriMo also brings writers together. Let’s face it, much of the time we are all in competition for the prize, be it a contest win or publication. Sometimes, I think there is too much stress on combat strategy and not enough stress on working together.
It’s a well-known fact that luck plays a part in success, but all the luck in the world won’t carry a writer if he/she stinks. The trick is to be prepared for the moment of success. Or as my dad likes to say, “Get all your dogs in a row.” Yeah, I know, but he thinks it’s funny. I think lining up those “dogs” includes learning and practicing the principle of give and take. How many times have I heard, “Those who can’t, teach.”
That’s a rotten point of view. Most of us wouldn’t be here without our teachers. And, after taking classes with teachers like Jordan Rosenfeld and Shelley Lieber, I’m going to add that most of us STILL need teachers along the way.
I think we ought to be more grateful for our mentors. I think that those who teach know that everything given comes back two-fold.
And I think whoever came up with that selfish statement is probably sitting on a rock in the middle of a forgotten desert, wondering why nobody gives a darn that they’re missing from the rest of the human race.
Raven
