We Survived Hurricane Sandy

Wonder how long before that's on a bumper sticker?

Anyway, Hurricane Sandy has come and gone – or as she was called by many, Frankenstorm. She was big enough on her own, but she also combined with other systems which turned her into a giant, with brutal winds, nasty heavy rain and storm surges we've never seen the likes of before, bearing down on the East Coast like a gigantic bat out of hell. And for some people, hell is what she brought.

New York City didn't fare so well. The flooding boggles my mind. I've never seen anything like this in this area in my lifetime. When I see the images of what happened in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens (OMG! Breezy Point!) it makes me realize just how lucky we were. I have no doubt that New Yorkers will come through this with their usual hardy yet blasé attitude, and will make everything better and stronger than ever.

I live in New Jersey, though, and as I mentioned, we were relatively lucky – we lost power, schools were (and still are for now) closed, and even my office closed for two days. Unfortunately, I have to go back tomorrow. My street survived without too many catastrophes – a few big branches down, some people's cars were damaged, but the power was the worst of it here. And we had a generator that we ran intermittently to keep the fridge going. Borrowed dad's spare – seriously, how many people do you know who have a SPARE generator? Only my dad! lol

However, once you left my nice section of the street (I live on a long, straight boulevard), it turned into a war zone. Trees down everywhere, roads impassable and closed, dangling wires, etc. It was pretty bad, and though we were lucky to get our power back relatively quickly, others are still out and will be for days to come. My parents, who live one town over, will be out for at least a week, if not more. One of their neighbors' trees came down and took everything with it – wires, telephone poles, other trees. Even ripped the meter off one of another neighbor's house!

But all in all, it wasn't as bad here as it could have been. Other places were literally demolished. The horrific nightmare that assaulted the Jersey Shore will haunt me for some time.  My beloved Stone Harbor was under several feet of water last night, though now that it's receded a bit it looks to have survived mostly intact. Our house on 98^th Street appears to be still standing.  Considering the storm came ashore right about there, the lovely seaside haven is very lucky. I've seen the devastation done to other places on the shore, and it just makes my heart ache. As a born and bred Jersey Girl, I spent a good portion of my summers on the shore, in one town or another, with friends or with family. It hurts to know the shoreline will never be the same. I don't know when I'll get back to see everything, most likely next spring or summer, but I am expecting changes, and I'm reasonably sure I won't be too happy about most of them. I've been able to view many pictures some of the hardier souls took as they braved the onslaught, and I know they likely don't come close to the reality of seeing it firsthand. If you've ever been to Seaside or Point Pleasant, you know how nice those boardwalks are, and how much fun. Well, now many of them are pretty much gone. But I have faith in our Jersey folks – we are a tough bunch and we don't back down. We'll rebuild with our usual "we ain't gonna take this crap" attitude. Sandy, you may have made us stumble, but we'll never fall.

I say this because if you ever have the chance and can take the time to really explore NJ, you'll realize just how critical this state is to the forming of our entire country. The place is covered with historic landmarks, and so many of them date back to pre-Revolutionary War years. Many of our successes were planned and strategized here, fought here, and yes, we lost some crucial battles. But without NJ, there might not even be a USA! I think that points to our resilience, and as difficult a time as many of us here in the Garden State are having, we will prevail and we will go on, bigger and better than before!

The NJRWA Conference - A Rousing Success

Last weekend, I attended the NJRWA Put your Heart in a Book conference. I've been to it before, many years back. For the last several years, it usually coincided with day job travel, so I haven't attended in quite some time. This year worked out perfectly, and since 2012 was fairly successful on the writing front, the opportunity to participate in everything I could was impossible to resist. I registered, reserved a room for the entire weekend, and signed up for the bookfair.

Case in point – Jennifer Probst. (Jen, get ready! lol)  I have known Jennifer Probst for close to twenty years now. Back in the day, she was a regular in our critique group. We were sorry when life, as it will do, kept her from coming anymore. But the best part about Jen is not only is she lots of fun, she is one of the biggest cheerleaders in our chapter! Seriously – I suspect she has a stash of pom-poms in her house somewhere. Her excitement for her fellow writers and friends is that genuine, enthusiastic and infectious. :D Anyway, as some of you might have heard, Jen's book, The Marriage Bargain, topped all the bestseller lists and got her an awesome deal with Simon & Schuster. Her name and Entangled Publishing are on the map. One of the roundtables I attended at the PAN retreat was moderated by Bob Mayer. He mentioned Jen's story in his presentation, about 10 minutes before she came in. Once he knew she was there, he asked her to tell her story. When she finished, he admitted he'd heard at least 14 different versions of the story from 14 different people, and none of them said anything like what she did.

That whole point brought home how important spreading the word about Noble, face to face, with the facts, had become. So in that respect, the conference was a great success. People heard it – and I bet they'll share it as well. Writers like to talk as much as they like to write and read. Besides, truth trumps the BS every time!

Anyway, one of the things I like best about this conference is that the content – workshops, special events, social gatherings – are on a caliber of National's conference, but on a much more intimate level. There aren't 3,000 women running around a hotel/resort, there're 300. Or thereabouts, could be more, but anyway… There's time to talk to people, to truly meet them and spend some time relaxing over a drink, or a snack, or just catching our breath in the lobby. The workshops are top-notch and I learned a lot in every single one I attended.  Since I've gone back to more regularly writing historical, I was very interested in the workshop hosted by Eliza Knight and Kimberly Killion, "Corsets, Codpieces and Kilts… Oh My!" It was very informative - some of it I knew, a lot of it I didn't. It was probably also one of the most fun workshops I'd attended - quite hysterical at moments - and I will be using a bunch of the info I picked up.

Of course the booksigning was lots of fun too – I sat behind Jen! And Mary Jo Putney! (fangirl moment #3)  And then realized Eliza Knight was right across from Jen! (fangirl moment #4 – and not a pretty one, I'm afraid. lol).

On Saturday night, a bunch of us grabbed dinner in the hotel bar, and Heather Graham joined us (fangirl moment #5). That was the most fun I'd had in a long time – I surprised myself by being fairly calm and somewhat civilized! lol  Seriously, Heather has an awesome sense of humor and she and her husband were genuinely regular – like the crew I hang with in my neighborhood - and fun. And Heather seriously rocked it during the party Saturday night – she's got an amazing singing voice too!

Bottom line – one of the best cons I've attended, for many reasons. Some of them fun – like hanging with my friends and making new ones, and the opportunities available to me as a published author - and they will be remembered for years with lots of fondness. Some reasons not-so-fun, but important, and I got to be a part of that as well. There's still a ways to go, and NJRWA's conference was the perfect place to continue that progression, on several and very different levels.

Here's hoping the stars line up so I can go again next year!

It's Disney Time!

  We decided a few months ago that it was time to take the kids to Disney World again. They've been running some great package deals, and my mom's a travel agent, so she can always get us the best rates available. So we booked it.

I've been to Disney lots of times – a few times when I was a kid and it was only the Magic Kingdom at that point, and you had to use those paper tickets, the best rides were always the "E" tickets. We had friends who lived in the area and we'd always stay with them.

When I got married, I went there on my honeymoon. After that, often because of business travel, either mine or DH's, we'd tack on some vacation time and buzz around Disney for a few days. We stayed in lots of different places, with different options. From top of the line, to economy style.

When my daughter was in kindergarten, we took her for the first time. We decided, after having tried out various other hotels, we wanted one with the monorail. We booked the Polynesian, which was one of the first resorts when the park first opened. My daughter loved it – she got to ride with the conductor on her first monorail trip, back when they still allowed people in there. It was Halloween too, so she dressed up as Sleeping Beauty and we partied in the Magic Kingdom with characters in costume, trick or treating and the whole works. Disney does an amazing Halloween party. Breakfast in Cinderella's Castle – for which I had to get up early and call three days in a row, 30 days in advance to get those reservations.

We took the family two years ago, again for Halloween. This time we stayed at the Grand Floridian. We stayed there on our honeymoon, and have concluded there is no place better to stay – and it's where we're staying again this time. Last time was the little guy's first experience, and I have to say, much as I love everything about Disney, the best thing about it was seeing my kids' faces when they saw it all for the first time. It is impossible to accurately describe the expressions. They're just that amazing. He met his favorite characters – Woody! Buzz Lightyear! Lightning McQueen! Tigger! He loves rides, and wanted to go on everything he could.  He did have a few sort-of catastrophes - got so excited to see Mickey for the first time at breakfast, he fell and hit his cheek on the corner of the table. Then nearly choked on a piece of  the ice we'd gotten to reduce the swelling. But overall, he had a blast!

What kills me is the fact that both times, all they wanted to do was get back to the hotel and go in the pool. Seriously? What is with that? Not that I minded – DH and I would get a few drinks and hang out poolside while they splashed and swam. The pool is open 24/7, so we were often there at 11:00 or later. But come on – with all the cool things there are to do in Disney, they wanted to go swimming? Really? 

We hung out with other parents, all saying the same thing. Their kids loved everything in the parks, couldn't get enough, but throughout, all they heard, just like we did, "Is it time to go back to the hotel yet?"  I guess in Disney, that's the equivalent of "Are we there yet?"

There are some new things this time around but sadly, we're getting there too early to see all the new Beauty and the Beast attractions. That'll be for next time – maybe two years, when DD is a senior and can afford to miss a couple days of school again. We're both disappointed – from the age of 2 until nearly 6, Beauty & the Beast was her favorite. We watched it at least daily the first couple of years, and several times a month for a few years after. We still find ourselves watching it together when they show it on one of the Disney channels. Sometimes I think I love the story more than she does! Actually, there's no surprise there. The Beast, like many of my heroes, is rather a jerk in the beginning, though he has good reason to be. Then again, being a jerk got him in that whole mess anyway, but Belle saw through all the crap to the real hero within. Personally, I preferred he would have stayed as the Beast, but that's not how the fairy tale goes. But he is definitely one of my favorite heroes, simply by the virtue of his un-heroic traits. :D

As for our trip, we will get to see the Christmas party this go-round. We're a little later than normal, so that'll be something new and fun we haven't done before. We've seen the start of the decorative prep our last couple of trips, it'll be cool to see it all done. One thing about Disney, no one does it better. The attention to the tiniest detail, both in the attractions, events and shows, as well as the guest services, blows me away. I've yet to find a place that does it better. Some come close, true, but IMO, Disney still holds the top spot by a very wide margin.

In any case, we're about a month or so out and I've got to start my lists. I already have a folder with all my reservation info – hotel and dining so far - I love that everything is online now, planning all the details is so much easier. This time, we're kind of going to just go where the mood takes us – this trip is way less structured and scheduled than the last. But there's still so much more to do to be ready. I need to figure out what to bring – car trips are easy, we bring it all. Can't do that on a plane. But I am a good packer and can get a ton into a suitcase without going over weight restrictions.

Should be an interesting month as I try to wrap up this ms, get the last of the revisions on the other done, and prep for the trip. Oh yeah, and Halloween's coming, too.

The Office Dictionary

That would be me. I'm a good speller. Always have been – it's a natural instinct for me. It's very rare that I'll spell a word wrong, though it does happen on occasion. It's something that my colleagues all picked up on very early in my career at the day job. I can guarantee that at least 4 or 5 times a day, someone will ask me to spell a word. I can rattle it off without even looking up. I admit it's something I am proud of.  I can usually give you the definition in some form, and a few other words that might work in their place, as well. There are advantages to being a word person, as opposed to being a numbers person. Ask me how to spell and/or use a word, no problem! Just don't ask me to add more than 2 and 2 without a calculator!

I love it when they ask me to spell a word, and I tell them, and then they ask "Are you sure?" My reply was usually, "Do a spell check, you'll see!"  It's happened more than once, and my response is now condensed to a withering stare. It's enough.

Anyway, because I am picky about words being spelled correctly (perhaps because I've always had a name difficult to spell and/or pronounce), I notice it when other people don't spell the words right. Guaranteed to make me cringe – especially when people mix up there, their and they're, or to, two and too, and others. What I've noticed lately is that it seems to have gotten worse. It's most noticeable in handwritten notes.  And thanks to a conversation with a co-worker, I know why.

Spell check. My very response to someone questioning my spelling skills. I pointed out a misspelled word and the response was "I didn't have spell check on my pen."

It's true – people can be lazy and let their word processors do the work. Now I understand there are people that need spell check, or they'd never even spell "the" correctly. But people run a spell check and automatically accept the change, without bothering to see which way is the right way to spell a word, or even if the corrected version being suggested is the right word. So when writing a note by hand, though it's rare these days, it's often riddled with spelling errors. Because the author never bothered to learn the correct spelling. That's what annoys me – spell check is there for a reason (though I still haven't been able to get the stupid French dictionary to turn off on a few of my documents, so it appears those files are full of errors). Spell-check is supposed to be a back-up. Not the answer. And sometimes, a typo is actually a real word, but it's the wrong word, and can throw the context of your entire message off.

Of course, our culture of "text speak" doesn't help either. I received an email from a salesperson at one of my distributors that literally read "Can u pls chek stock 4 me?" Seriously. In a business letter (never mind that isn't even my job function anyway). I was horrified.

Text speak and abbreviations have their place – text messages, Twitter, and the like. I use those abbreviations in those places, just because of size limitations. Those tasks require the use of creatively spelled and used words. Not business communication. Ever. It doesn't happen often, but enough that truly alarms me. When did it become acceptable for all communication to devolve into this? I think one of the basics taught in school now need to focus on this very issue – and emphasize the proper place and time to use this new version of our language.

But maybe it's just me.

Publisher Woes Part 2

Here we go again. I spoke a couple of months back about the implosion at Noble Romance. Jill Noble pulled a major flounce (not my term, but it certainly fits! Don't remember who used it first, but thank you and if you tell me, I'll update here! :D) and then proceeded to publicly dump on all the authors, calling them trash, recruiting her daughter to get engaged in the public name-calling and smear tactics, etc. It pissed me off – after all, despite what Jill & Co. might say publicly, I did nothing wrong. Well, other than bug her for my owed royalties. BTW, in case you haven't heard, Jill is now an agent – representing authors! Ain't that a hoot? I wonder how many will want to work with her after seeing how she treated her authors previously.

In any case, after that initial brouhaha, the powers that be at Noble hired a new CEO. I have to say, he made getting royalties paid a priority and he did it fairly quickly considering the disaster he stepped into. I sent off an email explaining my issues with Noble. I didn't rant, or threaten, didn't act out of line, but strongly pointed out my serious concerns about the company. I didn't hear anything back, but information started to filter through and I decided before I went the certified letter route, I'd watch and see if anything looked to be improving. It wasn't.

So I typed up a very professional letter, stating my issues in a very business-like manner (I've written a ton of business letters – 23 years in sales & marketing for a global corp. gave me a lot of experience). I took it to the post office, paid for it to go certified, with return receipt and tracking. And off it went.

It sat in the PO box for some time before it was finally signed for. I do have my receipt in hand now, in my file with all the other documents. However, after several weeks, there has not been a response. Granted, I gave them the contract-required 90 days to resolve the issues, but I expected at least some sort of reply. Something to indicate they received my letter and are reviewing my issues. Nothing. As I thought on it, I realized the people running this company have no idea how to be professional in any way.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Some of what I heard he had to say about dealing with the Noble authors truly disturbed me. Who did this guy think he was to tell us how we should react and behave? There is no doubt after being royally screwed over by Jill and Noble in general that several authors, including myself, are angry. We have a right to be. But that doesn't mean we behaved less than professionally. And for the CEO to insinuate that, and further alienate the very authors that provide Noble with their product, was not a smart move. While I can't speak for them, I strongly doubt many of the current Noble authors are planning to ever send any more manuscripts to them. I know I'm not. Poor marketing - hell, poor organization and business management, period - lack of communication, truly horrible POD's and a general contempt for the authors have made them a serious NEVER AGAIN on my list of publishers.

But what has really sent me over the edge is the latest information from various sources. It has come to my attention that our new CEO, Jean Marc Philippe Gombart, has no intention of responding to certified letters (or even reading them), or to anyone who expresses any anger. Um, excuse me? Does he not realize there are serious breaches of contract going on here? I am owed royalties on each of my books – one of them for over a year now! That's MAJOR! I don't have the proper forms for the IRS (I don't care what the hell stupid phrase you put in your contract, the IRS regulations trump that and if I get fucked over because Noble refuses to provide me with form 1099's, it won't be pretty).  Piss-poor POD formatting and lack of author copies in all available formats (outlined in my contract as due to me) I can see being a minor point of contention to someone who HAS NO PRIOR PUBLISHING EXPERIENCE AND STILL NO CLUE HOW PUBLISHING WORKS. 

I can deal with the "minor" issues - I admit to being willing to work with a learning curve (23 years of business experience has taught me that as well). But this guy is a seasoned businessman according to the press release. Knows how to run a business. Is that so? By allowing the lack of payment to continue, and flouting IRS regulations? Not smart business-like behavior to my perspective. In fact, it's foolish. Because if I complain to the IRS that Noble hasn't provided me with all the forms I need to have for accurate files, the IRS is going to be going after Noble. Not me. Not paying me the money I am due on the books that I sweated over is going to get them a letter from a lawyer. Not me. (Okay, the IRS might look closer at me, but I have a really good CPA - my sister. And I keep copies of everything. I'm clean!)

Yes, I am contractually obligated to give them 90 days to resolve the breaches (you wouldn't believe the list I now have of contract no-no's. I learned, sadly, the hard way). But if they're not even going to read my letter, then the 90 days becomes irrelevant. How can you fix the breaches if you don't know what they are? And how in the fucking hell can you expect to keep my rights with such grievous breaches?

The sheer arrogance of this man boggles my mind. When authors send him an email he lowers himself to actually read, his response is "Call me."  Shouldn't that be the other way around? My 23 years of experience in business (yes, I am repeating it again – I'm not a green newbie in every way) have taught me that the new boss reaches out to the employees, (in this case, the authors, though I wouldn't exactly say we're employees), not the other way around. Besides, someone like me, who works that FT job, can't make calls related to writing on work hours. My boss and coworkers support my writing career – as long as it doesn't interfere with the job that actually pays my mortgage and covers my kids' health insurance. When I get home from that paying job, it's too late to call, business has ended for the day. Besides, there is no way in eternal hell I am racking up long distance charges for someone who can't even be bothered to read a certified letter concerning major breaches of contract.

The unethical and downright rude behavior of the management at Noble (TIIC) is appalling. Sneering at authors and acting like they're gum stuck on your shoe is not the way to win loyalty.  This lesson has been a costly one for me, but I am now wiser. While the loss of unpaid royalties will not get my electricity shut off, it will do that to others. Now I have to say – how dare they trifle with people's lives as if they mean nothing? I seriously feel like I'm dealing with a Leona Helmsley-type here – self-centered, vain and arrogant, everyone should show them respect. No way. Not when you don't give me that same respect. It's clear from what I've learned in the last few months the people who provide Noble's products are somehow viewed by management as inferior and not worth dealing with. You know, eventually, all those contracts will expire (have no doubt, the letter intending not to renew my contracts is drafted and ready to go, even if it has to wait. For now, anyway). And all those rights will legally revert to the authors. Does Noble's management not worry about that? Do they truly think the continued lack of communication is going to make the authors want to keep their work there, and submit more? And do they really think anyone in the publishing universe will forget what has happened? Actually, on that last point, they do seem to think that. I find that rather amusing – no one ever forgets (or forgives) in the internet age.

If they do truly think all those things, then I have to believe we are dealing with very ignorant and clueless people here. If this type of behavior continues, my guess is that Noble won't survive for much longer anyway.

At least, that's what I'm hoping. Yeah, I know, I'm coming off like a bitch. Hell, I am one, usually! lol But I don't care anymore. I will never send them another word of my work again, and I will, one way or another, come hell or high water, get my rights back and leave them in a trail of dust so big, they'll be choking for weeks!

Changing of the Seasons

Not really a complete change though – technically the cooler fall weather and the leaves turning won't really start for a few more weeks around here. But summer vacation is ending, school is starting in a few days, so to me that signals the change. And I'm hoping it will bring a little more order to our little corner of the world.

It's been a busy and eventful summer. On the home front, I can now honestly say I can't wait for my daughter to get her driver's license. The chauffeuring gets old fast, and somehow she had somewhere to go nearly every night. Much easier when her friends come over here, but that brings its own set of dilemmas. At least now, I can say no to Tuesday night guests and not be made to feel like I'm the evil stepmother in Snow White!

I turned a lot of my focus toward revising my next vampire story, The Night Club. It's just about finished - I'm still doing some final revisions and adding a couple new scenes and just trying to get everything clean and logical. Which got me thinking ahead to my next vampire book. I actually began sketching it out. Just jotting down some ideas of what I think should happen, no real writing. Yet. You may remember Josh and Sophie from The Taste of Magic – well, they have their own tale to tell. So I started my spreadsheet for their story.

In the midst of that, I also began the sequel to Warrior's Vengeance. Rowan Langley is the hero in Warrior's Wrath, and if you read WV, you know him as Marissa's brother. He learns a few things about himself that turn him very angry and bitter. This doesn't bode well for the heroine, Aeron, a Welsh woman who steals from him. I'm having lots of fun getting this first draft down, and hopefully will complete it quickly. At the rate I'm going, there's actually a good chance of that.

I'm also doing some minor work on the sequel to Prince of the Universe. I had lost my fire for that story a couple months ago, but it's back. Christina and Reygar's story is a bit more difficult to pinpoint. I'm focusing on world building at this point, and making my usual lists - these are of various cultural customs and societal norms. With each one that becomes clear, the trouble between the Aldarran and "Earth Woman" gets stronger. This book will be set entirely on the planet of Aldarra – and civilization on that planet is very different from Earth's.

Lots of irons in the fire, which is kind of crazy, considering the insanity and chaos of the rest of my life. But my mind just works that way – I suppose because I'm a Gemini and there are way more than two of me in here! :D Each part of me wants to be focused on something, so to appease them all, I spend a little time on each planned book, at least so when I finish the two I'm neck deep in, I'll have at least two more to get to work on. The madness keeps me focused – I get 2 to 2 ½ hours a night to write, so I've been trying to use it wisely. With school starting, I may even gain another hour – no more kids staying up late because they don't have to get up in the morning! It's really hard to concentrate on medieval England when Mario's in the background trying to save the Princess!