March Madness with Mariam #MMM

It's our own brand of March Madness here at Buddhapuss Ink as we celebrate Mariam Kobras and her award-winning Stone Series starting with ~ The Distant Shore.

We have a lot planned this month, here's the schedule:

Feb 28 - March 14
Goodreads Giveaway 
We will be giving away 5 copies of the paperback edition of the book that started it all. 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Distant Shore

by Mariam Kobras

Giveaway ends March 14, 2016.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Feb 29 - March 15
THUNDERCLAP

Help us spread the word - We need 100 people to join our virtual FLASH MOB before March 16th! 

   We won't spam you or your friends. If we make our goal, THUNDERCLAP will send ONE and only one tweet, Facebook or Tumblr post to your account. From there you can choose to share or retweet the message, and encourage your friends to Join our virtual FLASH MOB as well. 

March 1 -  March 17
Rafflecopter Event

Enter her Rafflecopter Event to win books, swag, chocolate, coffee, and Amazon gift cards!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

March 5 
Goodreads Q and A

Ask Mariam questions about her books, writing, and cats. She will be posting her answers throughout the day. Ask your questions here: Mariam on Goodreads

March 12th at Noon
Live Facebook Event

Chat, ask questions, have some virtual cheesecake, and win prizes as Mariam chats with her fans. Join us here

March 16 - 17 
SPECIAL EVENT

You won't want to miss this! The luck of the Irish must be with you - Grab your #FREE copy of the kindle edition of The Distant Shore, Wed, 3/16 & Thur 3/17 ONLY. 
 

March 18th
Joshua's Story

The first chapter of the sequel to the Stone Series, Joshua's Story, will be sent FREE to everyone who is subscribed to Mariam's Newsletter. Mariam will be giving away a chapter every Friday starting on the 18th so sign NOW:

Top of Form

 

March 18th at Noon
TWEET-A-THON

Join @Mariam_Kobras for a twitter party and TWEET-A-THON as she tweets Chapter one of Joshua's Story, the sequel to her Stone Series. Join us at the  #WritersCoffeeBar on twitter. Be sure to follow @Mariam_Kobras

See you soon!
       

Mystery Times 2015 to Release December 15th!

We're finally back in the office and we have great news!

The 4th edition of our Mystery Times short story collection will be out just in time for Holiday gift giving!

The print and kindle editions will be available Tuesday, December 15th.

In a hurry? You can preorder the kindle edition today at Amazon.

WE'RE OUT OF THE OFFICE

Buddhapuss Ink LLC and its subsidiary, The Book Team suffered a serious loss on November 7th, 2015. For that reason our offices will be closed from November 16th through November 27th and possibly longer. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please read the following carefully:

Buddhapuss Ink LLC authors: All future projects are on hold while we are out of the office. Rest assured, any projects still in process will be finished as soon as humanly possible. As always we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

The Book Team clients: Unfortunately current projects in process are experiencing delays of one week or more. We are bringing in additional help to begin work on any recently signed work.

• Works in process that are past the layout/design stage, should begin to pass into upload and printing next week (Nov 15th - 20th).
• Projects where editing has not begun, will be assigned to another editor and should only experience a delay of a few days.
• Projects where editing has already begun will remain with the current editor but will experience delays of one to two weeks but will be given every priority as humanly possible.
• Marketing & Sales campaigns will go on as scheduled but may be assigned to a new marketer in the short term.
• Projects which have completed the layout/design and upload process will not experience any delay.
• Projects which have completed layout/design, but have not moved on to upload will experience a one to three day delay. 

As always we encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Prelaunch Peek - In the Context of Love by Linda K. Sienkiewicz

The countdown is on - 7 days until this incredible book releases.

Can't wait? Here's a free sneak peek!

#WW How Your Temperament Plays a Part in the Traditional vs. Self-Publishing Decision

First, let me say, unlike some publishing professionals, I have a lot of respect for writers who decide to take the self-publishing route. If it's well-written, with professional editing, layout, and design help, a self-published book can be as good as the ones released from traditional publishers.

Today, just or the sake of this article, we're going to confine our discussion to a writer's temperament and expectations and how they should help dictate which publishing path they should pursue. We are also presupposing that you will be able to attract the attention of a traditional publisher with your writing. Now you have a decision to make, traditional or self-publish.

Time for some questions:

Do you need to have the last word about every comma, period or phrase?
Do you suffer under the illusion that a traditional publisher works for you, as if they were a paid employee?
Do you find it difficult to stop making changes to your work, or the work of others?
Do you need to be in charge of everything?
Are you unable to trust professionals to do their work, or do you second guess them at every turn?


Be brutally honest. No one can see your answers, but if you answered yes to any of these questions, then the path for you is clear. You will be much happier going the self-published route.

Traditional publishers don't work for you. They are not your employee(s). They take a huge financial risk when they offer you a contract for your book. More than 70% of traditionally published titles never earn back what the publish invested in bringing them into print. Publishers are concerned with one thing: polishing, packaging, printing, shipping, and marketing your book in the hopes that it will make a profit. If you cannot trust them to do their job, then make every one happy - self-publish. Don't expect a traditional publisher to bend to your every whim or to respond positively to your demands regarding edits, design, scheduling, or any other part of their area of expertise. In the end you might find yourself on the outside looking in. Remember, in traditional publishing, the publisher isn't getting paid by you, rather they are the ones pouring their money into giving your book every possible chance to succeed. They are not there just to take the burden of the "technical stuff" off your hands. Unlike "publishing" services like Bookbaby, Outskirt or Author House, they don't make a cent until your book sells enough copies to cover their cost investment.

If you feel no one other than yourself can ever do anything correctly, then by all means, please self-publish.

If on the other hand, you are eager to work with professionals in their field, knowing that they can help you realize your book's potential, then pursue the traditional path. If you want to be part of a lasting relationship focused on your writing and success, go traditional if you can.

Publishers bring much to the table if you are ready, willing, and able to let them do their job. They've spent decades honing their craft and staying on top of the latest changes and trends in the marketplace. They employ equally well-qualified editors, copyeditors. artists, designers, and marketing people. Treat them with the same level of respect you would like in return, and you will likely have a long and satisfying relationship.

If you are lucky enough to get signed, know that publishers are always happy to answer your questions. They want their
authors on their list to be happy. It's all right to ask about possible changes, just make sure it's put in the form of a question and not framed as a demand.

You see, there's more to consider than just who to query. First consider your working expectations and temperament. If you have even the slightest doubts about the merits of traditional publishing, do everyone, including the publisher, a huge favor and self-publish.

 ~ Buddhapuss Ink

Coming in October 2015

Shanghaied, the second book in Linda S. Browning's 

Leslie and Belinda cozy mystery series!

 Watch out, that pair of sassy, senior sleuths, Leslie and Belinda, are on the trail again. This time their search for a missing call girl and a disappearing deer named Jane Doe, lands them smack in the middle of quite a condiment of a mystery. Heads up, you won't want to miss the catsup fight! 

Watch for the Preorder link soon!

Goodreads Giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

In the Context of Love

by Linda K. Sienkiewicz

Giveaway ends August 23, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

While We're Sleeping . . .

We hope you don't mind our short break.

Why not have a cup of java, the pot's always full. There's usually some cookies too!

Reread some of our most popular posts . . .

The Dreams of Afterward

Why Do You Think I Got Chickens?

 
  A Table Made of Books

 Get Close to Your Readers

Meanwhile, we're working hard on something new we think you'll enjoy. See you soon!

#WW Writer Wednesday, The Squishy Middle

If the middle of my cake is soft, I know I should have left it in the oven longer. If the clothes come out of the dryer damp around the seams, I know I pulled them out too soon. In other words, if I don’t finish my task, I have more to do. It’s easier to understand than nuclear fission.

   Life is too short to waste on mediocre anything, and I apply this mantra to my own writing. How can I expect others to overlook a half-baked center in what I serve?

   Recently I started reading a second novel in a series that attracted me with the dynamics between the main characters. Whoops! Something happened before the main conflict that changed the focus of the lady detective. She gave her dinner time with teenage kids more value than her murder investigation. I quit reading because the characters were boring. The first chapter promised intrigue that was too long in coming. I was bogged down in mundane details that felt like quicksand.

   I am willing to spend time with the thick intricate tales told by Elizabeth George when the complexity of a character is revealed slowly one layer at a time, like real neighbors. But I don’t want a minute description of activities or relationships like those I have endured in my daily routine. There is no tension. There is a reason for the popular saying, “Skip to the chase.”

   In other words, a writer risks losing readers when a cooking segment is too long and with no purpose. Or when an inclusion of a parent-teacher meeting has no vital information for the plot, or a long rant on clothing or music reads like a Wikipedia entry. The characters seem to be searching for a plot. That’s when a reader’s eyes glaze over. She does not turn the page. As a writer, I don’t want that fate for my stories.

   Some pros advise putting a conflict on every page, like a collection of scenes showing cause and effect, a string of dominoes falling one by one. I think that each scene should move a reader toward a goal, an obstacle, or the stakes.

   Literary agent Donald Maass suggests in The Fire in Fiction that the middle of a good story has an outer turning point and an inner turning point. The main character’s acceptance of the challenge and the stakes of pursuing a goal is an outer turning point. An inner goal of a major or minor character can change and become a turning point that sets up a larger conflict. An inner goal keeps the story moving on a secondary level.

   For example, in my short story “Dead Man Hanging,” a gentlemen farmer is discussing with the sheriff the possibility of a scam on his houseguest when a body is found at a hotel. In the first scene, the farmer has no intention of getting involved in law enforcement, but the circumstances yield to the great flood of 1916. The sheriff needs deputies. As the investigation proceeds, their philosophies tangle, and the farmer’s perspective changes. (This story was published in January in the anthology History and Mystery, Oh, My!)

   Screenwriter Blake Snyder gave excellent advice in Save the Cat. He insisted the turning point in the middle is preceded by fun and games. He considered this a back door to the premise of the story, a related tangent. Snyder pointed out that often the subplot carries the theme, which is a debate on the pros and cons of a particular issue. In the movie, Miss Congeniality, the premise asks and answers the question: Can a tomboy win a beauty pageant? (See the Buddhapuss Ink March 4 blog post about format by writer Selaine Henriksen.)

   I nurture the growth of my characters on the theory that their changes will influence the direction of the story. I imagine a writer making choices like Goldilocks. Too much change and the reader is lost in a flurry of hot events (like bar hopping). Too little and a reader is lost to cold boredom. We can’t please all of the readers all of the time, but we can make an effort for a happy compromise. A comfort zone is an elusive target, isn’t it!

    I try not to be engrossed in details that are superfluous, embroidering my sentences with fancy words and phrases like a literary art project. A verbal Renoir. When the heat is turned down, the center of the story becomes mushy.

   Beware! When we promise chocolate, we can’t serve mud. Yuk! How rude!

© 2015 Georgia Ruth

Georgia Ruth lives in the foothills of North Carolina. Now retired, she managed a family restaurant for ten years and worked in sales for fifteen years. Both experiences produced rich soil for her fertile imagination. Georgia is a member of Sisters in Crime and Short Mystery Fiction Society. She has stories published online for Stupefying Stories and Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, and in print, Mystery Times Ten 2013 by Buddhapuss Ink. Her story “The Mountain Top” will be published in a Sisters in Crime anthology in 2014. Her website is http://georgiaruthwrites.us

Thanks, Georgia, for a great piece! Avoid the “squishy middle,” no one wants to read something that's half-baked. We're looking forward to seeing more from you soon!

READERS: We hope you enjoyed this week's edition of our #WW Writer Wednesday Series. We will be taking a short hiatus for a few weeks. Until we return, Butt in chair, WRITE!

~ The Black Cat

Buddhapuss Ink LLC is proud to be a small, but solid house, known for great fiction and nonfiction books, that are written for readers with brains, by authors who have more than just one book in them.