I’m writing you from my wonderful, relaxing vacation in the upper and very cool part of Washington. Not D.C. Port Townsend is a great little bohemian seaport filled with ambiance and art and fun and laid-backness, just what I needed!
Nonetheless, I embark on another sort of tour Monday, where I will begin my “trip” with author Sean Hayden! Sean has taken the time to ask me some new and interesting questions, and will share them on his blog at Sean Hayden’s blog. Do stop by!
Same day, I’m guesting at The Romance Studio, talking about whether books with lotsa sex and lust sell better than those considered “sweet” = plot that suggests intimate relations but doesn’t give the play-by-play. Help me out with your comments.
Don’t forget about the contest! All you have to do is read the CAPE SEDUCTION excerpt and leave me a relative comment—you’ll be in the drawing for FIVE Echelon Press eBooks of your choice, downloaded onto a really cool 2GB flash drive! (Or a $25 gift card to B&N, your choice.) Drawing will be on my last blog tour stop.
To make this more interesting, you’ll get an additional chance to win for every comment you leave at my tour stops! Whoa! Dude! So here’s the sched:
Monday, Aug 30: Sean Hayden’s Blog
Monday, Aug 30: The Romance Studio Blog
Tuesday, Aug 31: Legendary Lighthouse
Wednesday, Sept 1: Enjoying the Waves
Thursday, Sept 2: Beth Fish Reads
Friday, Sept 3: Alyssa’s Area
Monday, Sept 6: JFHilborne’s Blog
Tuesday, Sept 7: Mysteries and Margaritas
Wednesday, Sept 8: A Writer’s Jumble
Thursday, Sept 9: Lighthouse Musings
Friday, Sept 10: Life as a Publisher
So, come on down!!
Tags: Anne Carter, blog tour, Cape Seduction, contest, Pam Ripling, Port Townsend, romance novel
I’m an ebook veteran. Many years ago, when ebooks were first being created by small companies with big visions, the cross-genre book finally found a place in the literary world. The boundaries within which authors were expected to write began to stretch, as more small-press and e-publishers took up the call: “Why not?”
Why couldn’t you have a vampire in the Old West? Who said a sci-fi tale couldn’t also have paranormal elements? Crime thrillers with gay cops? Authors suddenly had the freedom to write what they wanted to write, not necessary what some big publisher’s marketing person thought was the next big craze in fiction.
Wonderful, right? Yes. Freedom is a good thing. However, there is one fact that should not be completely overlooked. Creating a multi-genre manuscript can whittle down the book’s broader appeal. The more genres crammed together, the narrower the slice of the populace that will like them all. This is akin to niche writing.
I’m bringing this up because I recently noticed something about my own work.
I write (what I call) romantic mystery, with paranormal (ghostly) elements. When I go to mystery festivals, I focus on the mystery surrounding CAPE SEDUCTION. When I’m among romance readers, of course I mention the romantic thread or subplot. But here’s the rub: I’ve noticed that conventional mysteries have specific elements that readers look for. Police procedurals, amateur sleuths/cozies, noir, to name a few. My book doesn’t have any of that. It’s a mystery, because there is a murder, an unfolding story about who/what/why/where/how the murder occurred, but no cop, no sleuth (other than the female protag, who is not any kind of regular sleuth.) So I have trouble classifying this book in the mystery genre.
Now. I was recently invited to participate in an all day on-line book launch party at a popular romance reader site. What fun! There were around 12 romance authors participating. But as I watched the rotating cover art at the side of the screen, waiting for my cover to pass by, most of what I saw was fairly explicit sexual scenarios between men/women, and men/men. I’m talking lots of flesh, here. Groping. Garters, fishnets. Bare chests, a thumb tugging down the waistband of a pair of briefs. The excerpts, too, were pretty explicitly sexual (dare I say, racy?)
Now my book has sex, but it’s just a scene or two that happens between characters and moves the development along. It’s not the main thrust of the story. The readers, the visitors to the “party” virtually fanned themselves over the covers and excerpts, citing this one or that one as “hot!” Clearly, my book didn’t feel like playing with the others.
Don’t get me wrong: I have no problem with these books! They are P O P U L A R for a reason. I don’t often read them, but 
that’s just my preference.
I might add that being termed “paranormal” doesn’t always help a lot, either. If you list your book as paranormal, it’s thrown in with all the vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, warlocks and various other-worldly creatures. So one must further classify “supernatural” and even then, weed it out from the tales about mediums, seers, and those with ESP! (I even hesitate to mention that now, so strong is the stigma attached to the word.)
So, what to do? I appreciate all comments and thoughts. For now, I will continue to look for my niche, which I thought was lighthouses. Oh, did I forget to mention the lighthouses?
Tags: Cape Seduction, cross-genre writing, mystery, romance books, story genres
Surely you know how exciting this is to us lighthouse people!
A quick surf through cyberspace will turn up numerous celebrations of National Lighthouse Day. I am celebrating by kicking off my month-long campaign to launch my latest romantic lighthouse mystery, CAPE SEDUCTION!
But back to NLD. What’s it all about, actually? Well, back in 1988, Senator John H. Chafee (Rhode Island) sponsored a joint resolution that was introduced to Congress on April 28th, designating the day of August 7, 1989 as “National Lighthouse Day.” The enactment of the resolution would coincide with the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Lighthouse Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse in the United States. Read more about it at my Legendary Lighthouses Blog.
Traditionally, those lighthouses open to the public plan special events and celebrations every August 7th. This year is 
especially fun because the 7th falls on Saturday, a day when lighthouse visitation is already high. One particular lighthouse, however, will remain shuttered today, as it does for most of the other 364 days a year: St. George Reef, the inspiration for CAPE SEDUCTION. Which brings me to my campaign!
CAPE SEDUCTION officially launches in September. So, between now and September 10th, I’ll be conducting a contest! I haven’t done one in awhile, so it’s time. Here are the answers to your questions:
WHAT DO I DO?
- Visit the excerpt page for CAPE SEDUCTION on my website.
- Post a Comment. Must be relevant to the excerpt, please!
- By posting, you agree to let me Tweet your wonderful comment or post it to Facebook.
WHEN DO I DO IT?
- Between August 7 and September 10, 2010, during which time I’ll be on my annual BOOK BLOG TOUR! (More on this next time.)
HOW DO I WIN?
- I will make a random drawing and announce the winner at my last BLOG TOUR STOP, which is LIFE AS A PUBLISHER with Karen Syed!
WHAT DO I WIN?
- Winner’s choice: $25 Gift Card from Barnes and Noble or
- Flash Drive loaded with 5 Echelon Press novels of your choice! (A $40 value!)
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU (ME)?
- The hope that the excerpt will inspire you to BUY CAPE SEDUCTION! You enlightened ebook readers can get it for $2.99, and those tactile-feely-paper-lovers are welcome to it for $13.99 from Amazon! Check Omnilit for various ebook formats of both lighthouse mysteries, CAPE SEDUCTION and POINT SURRENDER.)
As always, thanks for visiting my blog today. I know how valuable your reading time is.
Tags: Anne Carter, Cape Seduction, Echelon Press, National Lighthouse Day, Point Surrender, St. George Reef Lighthouse
Well, make that marketING. That necessary evil. That bane of every contemporary author’s existence. Gotta be done. Might as well make the best of it. For those of you unaware of the types of marketing practices we part-time authors, full-time hawkers get into, here’s just a tasty snip of what I’ve done in the past few weeks:
Solicited 17 on-line and print reviews
Blogged, Facebooked and Tweeted my heart out
Traveled to Chicago to sell books
Had t-shirt, bookmarks, pens, etc. made
Targeted (that sounds bad, it wasn’t!) on-line lighthouse enthusiasts
Toured lighthouses with promo materials
Set up a “blog tour” for September
Set up not one but two book launch parties here in town
Convinced the Lighthouse Inn to display my promo
On Line book launch party at the Romance Studio (TODAY – JOIN US!)
Connected with a lovely lady on Squidoo that will link my book to her lens about a lighthouse (THE lighthouse that figures prominently in CAPE SEDUCTION!)
(Getting more creative as I go)
Like I said, that’s just a bit of it. I have contests in the works (you’ll be hearing about them) and another important author’s endorsement coming. I’m in conversation with a lighthouse preservation society (not sure yet how it will tie, but it WILL.)
The main thing is, I do something every day to promote my books. Because if I don’t care enough to do that, who will care enough to buy them? And my efforts encourage my publisher to match them. ‘Nuff said!
I hope so. Because life would be pretty dull without some kind of imagination. As you watch this wonderful slideshow of St. George Reef Lighthouse, just imagine what Darla’s life may have been like while visiting “Dragon Rock Lighthouse!”
Tags: Anne Carter, Cape Seduction, Ech, Echelon Press, St. George Reef Lighthouse
Of all the times to be MIA, it had to be now, when my new book is just sprouting wings! Not to be a bore, (or a boar?) I have to insert excuse #3 here: still have a day job. Yep, it’s true; even glamorous, wildly successful authors such as myself do occasionally supplement their income with a wee bit of side work. That being said, I also took a vacation last month! You may have picked up on a few of my Charles Kuralt type Tweets while “on the road.”
High points (and pun slightly intended) were the lighthouses. Sigh. First, Point Cabrillo, just north of Mendocino, California. Darlingest little beacon. No tours (the tower was chained off) and the main floor is now a gift shop. DD and I romped around taking photos and complained because I’d left my wallet with DH, down the road.
Next was Battery Point in Crescent City. We stayed at (where else?) The Lighthouse Inn. Lovely people, and a lobbyful
The Glamorous, Success Author at Battery Point
of lighthouse pictures and artifacts. INCLUDING a huge wall mural of St. George Reef Lighthouse, which figures prominently in my new book, CAPE SEDUCTION! How hauntingly apropos. Staff was lovely. They agreed to display my rack cards!
Battery Point is a beautiful lighthouse, accessed only at low tide. DD and I took a tour. The docents were volunteers who get a month of lighthouse keeping at a time, and the waiting list is LONG. I passed out bookmarks and postcards to two very giddy lighthouse loving ladies.
Last was one of my favorites, Heceta Head Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon. One of the most photographed beacons in the U.S. Another tour, lots of good info.
The Astonishing Heceta Head
Great gift shop (had my wallet this time!!) Could have stayed here all day. This lighthouse is on the cover of POINT SURRENDER. Heceta Head, by the way, is on tap for a major facelift next year. Needs it, badly.
Couldn’t see them all. Passed several up on the way, hopefully to be visited another time. I’ll be traveling back to my brother’s house in late August, at which time we’ll visit Point No Point Lighthouse. Can’t wait!
St. George Reef inside The Lighthouse Inn!
Evidence of decay. Still beautiful
Tags: Battery Point, Battery Point Lighthouse, Cape Seduction, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, Point Surrender, St. George Reef Lighthouse
1948. Post war, recovery.
Hollywood was wooing back the public with blockbusters like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo and The Three Musketeers. The beautiful people were “seen” at the Brown Derby and held their not-so-secret trysts at Chateau Marmont. They drove fishtail-finned Caddies and flew in the luxurious Douglas DC-6.
Darla Foster wanted to be in pictures. Just 21, she worked the circles, attached herself to the arm of any available actor with connections. On this night, March 20, 1948, one of her dreams came true as she sat at Sid Grauman’s Chinese Theatre watching Hollywood’s brightest accept their coveted Oscar statuettes. Later, at the Derby with her date, she met one of Tinsel Town’s favorite sons: the suave, slick headliner, Jordan Kent.
Darla’s life was about to take a sudden left turn as she found herself cast in Jordan’s next big film, about star-crossed lovers, a lighthouse and murder. Exciting fantasy, or true life?
CAPE SEDUCTION… available now for your reading pleasure! BUY IT HERE:
Tags: 1948 Hollywood, Anne Carter, Cape Seduction, Echelon Press
What a trip. Literally. I flew the Friendly Skies into Chi-Town on Thursday afternoon. O’Hare is a pretty nice airport, with trippy neon lights and synchronized music. BIG airport. Friday did a little looking around, brainstorming all the while with my publisher, Karen Syed, who graciously (not sure that’s exactly the right word) chauffeured me around the Windy City with the help of her trusty GPS device. The less said about the Garmin the better.
Friday night we joined fellow Echelon authors Beth Solheim, Mary Welk and Luisa Buehler for dinner, then grabbed LJ Sellers from O’Hare. Weather, to this point, was hot-hot and muggy. But Saturday morning dawned cloudy and cool. We kept one eye on the sky while organizing our ½ booth, staying optimistic as we squeezed into space meant for half as many people. Our tent-mates, “Drawn and Quarterly”, were actually quite accommodating when Karen suggested we cut the booth in half rather than diagonally.
Nick Valentino, Norm Cowie, Karen Syed
I was thrilled with the pre-release copies of CAPE SEDUCTION that arrived in time to show off to book-buying Chicagoans. Best sale of the day: to an excited reader with LIGHTHOUSE EARRINGS! No brainer, that one! The interest, not the reader, LOL.
However, even the nicest books look a little dowdy when subjected to rainfall. By midday, the temp had dropped and so had the wet stuff from the sky, as our authors scrambled to cover everything with tarps and plastic drop cloths. Most of us had dressed for heat and humidity but not chilly rain. Sales dropped off when the umbrellas came out. We packed up a half hour early while it poured, then walked the block and a half to a wonderful Italian restaurant (Trattoria Caterina) for dinner where talk ranged from new manuscripts and industry news to the wine Norm brought to share…
Sam Morton and Yours Truly
Sunday was better, traffic was higher and sales were up. But by 4 pm, the rain returned, and because it was later in the day, most people just left and vendors began to break down early. The band was still playing across the way, so most of us danced—we were a happy sight to see! Around this time I joined Nick Valentino at the Old Towne Books & Tea table to sign books and chat with readers. Friendly booksellers from Oswego, IL!
Despite the weather and the cramped conditions, we did all right. Could’ve done much better, I think, with more space and less wet. Karen Syed has described the situation with the space in her blog at Echelon Press, and you can read my take on it there as well.
For me, one of the highlights is meeting and interacting with the other authors. Old friends Sam Morton, Luisa Buehler, Bob Goldsborough, Marc & son Jim Vun Kannon; new pals Nick & Stacey Valentino, Joel & Cydney Fox (Cydney could sell potatoes to Irishmen!), Beth Solheim, LJ Sellers, Kieryn Nicholas and her fab family, and funny guy Norm Cowie were all a delight to meet. And spending time with Karen is always, ALWAYS a lark.
Will I go back? Right now, I say probably not, but you never know!
Chicago 2007
It’s been three years since I last attended Printers Row in Chicago. It was hot but pleasant. Hoards of people. There I met fellow Echelon Press authors J.R. (Jenny) Turner, Luisa Buehler, Robert Goldsborough, Marc Vun Kannon, Margot Justes, Mary Welk and of course our fearless leader, Karen Syed. This year, we’ll be joined by Norm Cowie, Nick Valentino, Sam Morton, Joel Fox, L.J. Sellers, Beth Solheim, Kieryn Nicholas and Marlis Day.
Here’s the press release for my appearance this year.
I’m not packed. I’m leaving the house at around 6:30 AM tomorrow. Mentally, I have my list: bookmarks, postcards, banner; stickers, pens, Altoids. My standard signing kit, which includes sunscreen, scissors, granola bars, change, lip balm, more pens. Bookstands—new ones this year.
Technology-wise, I’ll have my laptop. My Blackberry. My nook. My iPod. Numerous AC adapters. I’ll be wired for sound.
Also toting some new things. A very pretty necklace with a USB drive hanging from it. Some mini-coloring books with pictures of lighthouses. A hat. Yes, I am wearing a hat.
And I will be seeing my new release for the first time. CAPE SEDUCTION will “pre-release” in limited quantities at this event. I’m so excited about that! I love this book and can’t wait to see/hear the response. Official release will be in August. Ebook is a few days delayed, but should be online for purchase any day now.
Technology slows things down. Yes, that’s what I said – new formats take longer to prepare. We’ve waited this long, a few more days won’t matter!
Come by booth #FF if you’re in town. If not, hang out and read the excerpts while I’m gone.
Will report in when I return. This is going to be a great weekend, thunderstorms and all!
Tags: Anne Carter, Cape Seduction, Echelon Press, Pam Ripling, Printers Row
We use the phrase, “like clockwork” when describing actions that occur in a timely, routine manner, not unlike time being kept by a clock. Clocks, of course, are designed with mechanisms that move with well defined precision, moving the gears and ultimately, the hands of the clock so that our seconds, minutes and hours are accurately displayed.
But what drives those gears? In classic clocks and watches, a coiled spring produces tension and must be re-wound in order to keep the timepiece running. In tall, free-standing “grandfather” clocks, it is a weight mechanism that provides the clock’s movement. Basic gravity swings the grandfather clock pendulum, making the weights drop at fixed paces. The falling weights drive the grandfather clock’s functions.
Before the introduction of electricity in lighthouses, this same clockwork mechanism was used to operate the gears that turned the lens. While a clock’s chain might be thirty-six inches or less, the rope attached to the weight in a lighthouse was several feet long and hung down the center of the lighthouse tower. When the weight reached as far as it could go (presumably to the bottom floor of the lighthouse), the keeper had to wind the clockwork mechanism again to raise the heavy weight and start the whole process over. The taller the lighthouse, the longer the rope might be. Many lighthouses had to have the mechanism wound every few hours.
An early lighthouse keeper in Minnesota is said to have slept beneath the hanging weight in order not to sleep through the onerous task of rewinding the mechanism! Can you imagine being awakened several times a night, with a hanging, 170 pound weight brushing your belly?
And we think our jobs are hard.
