The Only Thing Constant is Change

Maggie's post on storytelling really resonated with me. For several months, I've been thinking about the amazing changes happening in the publishing industry.

If you had asked me - even as little as a year ago - about electronic publishing, I would have been skeptical. Make that very skeptical. Sure, a few people were breaking out in e-pubs, but to my mind they were the exception, not the rule.

However, over the last few months, I have been looking closer at electronic publishing, and the wide variety of new publishing paradigms available to writers. I began to consider, very cautiously, the opportunities opening up for me.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I came to a startling conclusion:

All those manuscripts that didn't fit the structure of New York publishing?
They fit just find in e-pubs!

The book that was too short for a print publisher? 
An e-publisher would take it.

The subject matter that wasn't commercial enough for a large audience? 
E-publishers can serve those niche markets.

The genre that is currently out of favor with the big guys?
The little guys don't have the same restrictions.

Let me say, right here and now, that this is not meant as a condemnation of New York publishing. Quite the contrary. In New York (and other major publishing centers) there are financial and corporate constraints that shape their publishing programs. It's simply a fact of business life.

Although large publishers operate under restrictions that small presses and e-publishers don't have, they also have resources which aren't available to the smaller publishers. Established relationships with major booksellers, an experienced national sales force, savvy marketers, and an army of professional
editors, art directors, copyeditors, accountants - all the people that keep a business running.

All this is to say that there are good reason to publish, or not publish, with each company across the broad spectrum of publishing options. And I was starting to look at my options.

Then I read Maggie's post and started thinking about what she said. We are storytellers. We want people to read our books, to hear our stories, to share the thoughts and images in our heads.

What we want most of all is an audience.

So, when I realized there were places I could take those stories that didn't "fit" the big markets, I got excited. I could get my stories out into the world, give them an audience, share them with readers.

And I made the leap.

DORY COVE (written as Christina F. York), a sweet romance set on the Oregon coast, just published from Tsunami Ridge Publishing (http://www.tsunamiridge.com/). It's available at http://www.smashwords.com/, and should be available soon at http://www.amazon.com/ in Kindle format. Other books and short stories will follow soon, according to the fine folks at Tsunami Ridge.

Does this mean I've abandoned traditional publishing? Heavens, no! I'm actively working with my editor at Berkley on new projects, and I'm excited to see what we'll do next. I'm also working with my agent on some cool secret projects.

Will I stop writing mystery in favor of romance? Once again, no! I have written across several genres from the beginning, and romance is only one of them. I love writing mystery, and I don't think I could stop.

All it means is that I have a whole bunch more options and outlets than I did a year ago. And I am excited at the possibility of trying all of them!

STORYTELLERS

Maggie Sefton is a fabulous writer, and a thorough professional.  Here she explores what makes us tick.  Thank you so much, Maggie!!


Christy and I actually met this last spring at Malice Domestic mystery conference. We first met online when we joined a cozy mystery writers group. Since we both needed a roommate to make the conference more affordable, we joined forces and shared a hotel room.


What fun! As mystery authors, we were both already storytellers. But as we started talking—immediately, I might add—we found all sorts of other connections. One of them was a lifelong love of STAR TREK. Yep. We’re both Trekkies. The original was the one that hooked us, but most of us Trekkies went on to be faithful fans of all Star Trek productions---The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and the others as well as the myriad movies.

We also discovered that we’ve each written many other types of novels and stories under other names. Some published, some not. When you’re a born storyteller, you simply HAVE to tell the stories that come to you, capture those fascinating characters that show up in your mind and translate them onto the page. Sometimes the novels sell, sometimes they don’t. Whatever happens. . .you keep telling your stories. And, telling other people about them.

I’m in the midst of touring this month with the newest release in my New York Times bestselling Knitting Mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime. The 8th in the series, SKEIN OF THE CRIME, came out June 1st. Personally, I love to travel around and meet readers and other book people. But then, I’m a “people” person and am certainly not shy. You can ask Christy. I love talking about my sleuth, corporate refugee Kelly Flynn, and her friends who gather at that great yarn shop in Colorado. That’s where they kick back and knit and juggle their fast-paced 30-something lives. Of course, a murder always intrudes, and CPA Kelly cannot resist poking her nose into the investigations.

If you’d like to learn more about Kelly and the gang and the other mysteries, you can check out my website at http://www.maggiesefton.com/. I also blog with six other cozy mystery authors on http://www.cozychicksblog.com/. And---Christy and I are letting our characters blog on KILLER CHARACTERS with a bunch of other mystery authors. Please check it out. http://www.killercharacters.com/.

A Love Letter to Malice

Malice Domestic is a cozy mystery conference held in the Baltimore/DC area at the end of April each year.  From my perch overlooking the Pacific Ocean, it's on the other edge of the continent.  It's a long trip for a three-day event, but I tried it this year and it was worth every mile.

 I really tried to talk myself out of it.  It was too far.  The registration/hotel/airfare was expensive.  I couldn't get time off work.  All the usual arguments.  I bargained with myself.  I couldn't afford to go, but if SINK TRAP was nominated for Best First Novel (hey, a girl's gotta have her dreams!) I'd go anyway.  When that didn't happen, I told myself I'd won (or lost) the argument about going.  I was staying home.

The Internet, however, had other ideas.  First, Travelocity taunted me with a ridiculously fare for the cross-country flight.  Then my boss said he thought we could manage if I was gone a couple days.  And I got on a list with other cozy writers and asked about a roommate - within minutes the fabulous Maggie Sefton (who'll be guest blogging here in a couple days) popped up and said she was looking for someone to share.

What could I do?  I was outnumbered; Travelocity, my boss, AND Maggie were all aligned against me and my fading will power.  Add to that the incredible Malice organizers who managed to get me in the program book and give me a signing, even though I decided at the last minute.  I had to go!

Which is how I found myself on a flight leaving Portland at 11 pm on Wednesday, heading to Atlanta and connecting to Washington National.  I landed in Atlanta with just enough time to race from one gate to the other, lugging my laptop and my Kindle - my two travel must-haves.

Even after working all day and flying all night, I was excited to arrive in DC.  The Marriott had a shuttle, and my room was ready, even though I arrived about 10 in the morning!  By the time I met up with Maggie a bit after noon, I'd settled in and was ready to explore Georgetown.

After our walking tour, we met a bunch of other writers for dinner and to assemble the goodie bags we gave out over the weekend.  I can't believe how many wonderful people I met!  When I finally fell into bed well past midnight, I could hardly wait for the next day.

Friday was a blur of activity, leading up to the dinner hosted by my publisher, Berkley.  An incredible meal with my amazing editor, Michelle, and the other editors and writers.  It was especially wonderful to share a dinner table with my editor-sisters, Diana Orgain and Lila Dare.

Saturday was more of the same, interrupted by a lovely lunch with my editor, a book signing, and winding up with the awards banquet on Saturday night.  Parnell Hall was hysterical, Rhys Bowen was delightful, and Mary Higgins Clark was charming and gracious.

My biggest regret was that I had to leave before the finish of the Tea that closed the convention on Sunday afternoon.  Next time I'll know I need to take a later flight.

And I can guarantee you, there WILL be a next time!!

Kindle!!!

Last week Penguin and Amazon reached an agreement about eBook pricing for the Kindle.  Now why, you ask, is that important to me?  Well, I'll tell you.

During the negotiations, all of Penguin's new release were not available for Kindle.  Anything that was already available remained available, but nothing new was added.  This meant that LEAD PIPE CINCH, which released the first week of April, didn't have a Kindle edition.

So, when I heard about the settlement I breathed a sigh of relief.  But it took a few days for the books to get through the posting process and show up on Amazon.

Last night LEAD PIPE finally appeared in Kindle form, making this writer very happy!!  For those of you who were wanted a Kindle edition, you can now read Georgie's continuing adventures.

And follow Georgie on Twitter, where she will be reporting on her Road Trip to Reno.  Take a peek at the tweets in the sidebar, then follow #Rd2Reno and @sinktrap for the latest news from Georgie!

ROAD TRIP!!!

Georgie’s exams are past (or they will be when you get to read DRIP DEAD in February), and she’s ready to celebrate, so we’re taking her on a road trip to Reno!


There’s a trade show in June, which is her justification for the trip. But the Beetle isn’t a good choice for a road trip, and she can't drive the 'Vette. Her solution? Invite Sue along with her dog-friendly SUV.

But any trip with Georgie won’t be free of complications, and this is no exception. So get ready to follow her tweets from the road as she and Sue discover lost property, hidden agendas, shady characters, and maybe save the day for one of her new-found friends.

Just follow #Rd2Reno on Twitter, or Georgie’s new handle @sinktrap, for Georgie’s messages from the road to Reno. Feel free to join in the conversation, as Georgie and Sue try to track down the bad guys before their vacation time runs out!

And, as an added bonus, if you send me your address, Georgie will send you a postcard from Reno! Just email Christy@ChristyEvans.com with “Road to Reno” in your subject line, and include your name and complete mailing address. Around the middle of June, Georgie will send postcards from Reno to all her fans.

And who knows what other treats, tricks, and goodies will appear along the way!

Life Is Full of Mystery

Guest blogger Paty Jager finds a little bit of mystery in everyday life.  As an honest-to-god ranch wife in the modern West, she writes fascinating tales of the Old West, including a forthcoming paranormal series.

Wife, mother, grandmother, and the one who cleans pens and delivers the hay; award winning author Paty Jager has not only brought her husband of thirty years to maturity, but four children and over a hundred head of cattle and swine. She not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Every day of our lives has a bit of mystery or intrigue in it. The gas light is blinking in your car. Will you make it to the gas station or have to call someone to either pick you up or bring you gas? You're on your way home from work. What's for dinner? Did you put meat out that morning or will it be something leftover from the night before? Or You've been called to the boss' office. Are you getting a raise or are you getting the boot?

For a writer each unique person we see becomes a puzzle or mystery. We wonder about their occupation, their background, their family life. We invent lives for them and eventually use them in a story.

It is these mysteries and our inquiring minds that bring forth books.
My first published book was inspired by thoughts of—what if an accident prone woman pretending to be a young man was made Marshal of a small town? While the story is a historical western romance there is mystery woven throughout the book. Is the Mayor really what he seems; is the hero a hero or an outlaw? What happened in the hero's past? Will the heroine keep her identity a secret when it matters most?
The first contemporary western I wrote started after I heard on the radio about a youngster who ordered items over the internet with their parent's credit cards and the parents didn’t know until the items arrived at their home. A mystery. My book started with a nanny showing up to start a job and the ranch owner not having a clue why she was there because his preteen daughter and a neighbor ordered the nanny over the internet. Mystery- Does he let her stay or send her packing? Why did she pick a remote ranch to be a nanny? Why does he not want anything to do with a woman? Why does he need a nanny? All these mysteries are solved in the book.
I enjoy reading mysteries and I enjoy incorporating mystery into the stories I write. What was a book you read that wasn't categorized as a mystery but it had elements of mystery within the pages?


Paty has four historical western romance novels available through The Wild Rose Press and one contemporary western, which won the 2008 Best Contemporary Romance EPPIE. In June her fifth historical western, Doctor in Petticoats, will be released and her first book of a historical paranormal trilogy, Spirit of the Mountain, will be released in August. To learn more about Paty, her books, and to enter her website contest go to http://www.patyjager.net/ or visit her blog at http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/



Christy, thank you for having me here today. I enjoy Georgiana Neverall and the interesting characters that keep her company.

Back From The Dead

… or at least that’s how it feels! The last month has been a whirlwind in both good and bad ways, and I am just beginning to feel like I can draw breath again.

     First, I found out that SINK TRAP is being released in Large Print format, and it has a new cover.

Is that just a fine cover? I love it - expecially the wrench, which looks exactly like the cool gift-wrench, courtesy of the incredible Cindie Geddes, that now hangs on my office wall!

Then there was the release of LEAD PIPE CINCH, which was wonderful. I got to sign at North by Northwest again – always fun – and then two weeks later at Murder by the Book in Portland.

MBTB is a great store, and I want to talk about them at length, but this post is just a catch-up with a tease or three of things to come.

Unfortunately, just before the signing at MBTB, I contracted an infection that slammed me into bed for three days with a fever of 103 and some exceedingly strange and vivid dreams. Massive doses of antibiotics got things under control, and I was at least able to make the signing. But the whole business left me very tired and weak. It has taken a month just for me to get back on my feet. Especially when I threw in a cross-country trip in the middle!

At the end of April I flew to Arlington, VA, for Malice Domestic, an awesome collection of readers and writers focused on cozy mysteries. I met other authors, readers, fans of Georgie (!), editors, and the amazing organizers of the conference. Which is another story I’d like to tell.

And throughout all the turmoil I’ve been working on three secret projects that I hope to be able to talk about soon. (See, I told you there was a tease!) All three are still in the “maybe” category, and I don’t want to jinx anything, so all I can say is that there is the potential for good news in the coming weeks.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed! And if you haven’t read LEAD PIPE CINCH yet, go find a copy – readers are telling me they liked it even better than SINK TRAP!