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Posts tagged with: writer’s life
A Little Bird Told Me…Posted by Anna Campbell Nov 10 2011, 12:02 am in Anna Campbell, Bandita Booty, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter, writer's life
Do you Twitter? Well, I assume if you’re a wren or a finch, you probably do. But we don’t get a lot of comments from our avian visitors. Even the Rooster is too busy creating mayhem to spend much time hanging around the daily blog. By the way, if you’re a fowl and you’re just lurking, come and say hello. We promise to add some cracked wheat to the margaritas! On the other hand if you’re just foul, we’re happy for you to remain incognito. I long resisted joining Twitter. Partly because when I joined Facebook, for a while there, it took over my life. Eventually I had a word with myself and my deadline and realized I was allowed to dabble but not hang on all day to see all the jokes and the funny pictures of dogs and the “It’s fine in South Carolina” posts that kept me so riveted. So with great difficulty, I weaned myself to a peek now and then. Well, maybe a LEETLE more than that but at least real life (compared to cyberlife) now occasionally gets a look-in. Then Facebook did a bad, bad thing (without unfortunately dressing up as Chris Izaak to give me the news) and banned contests. I’d been having a wonderful time building up the membership of my fan page and meeting lots of new readers and suddenly that avenue wasn’t open to me anymore. So in high dudgeon (my dudgeon is usually of the miniature variety), I decided to investigate Twitter after all. It’s taken me a while to get the hang of it but I must say I really like it. The short message thing really works and it’s a wonderful spot just to do a blast of news about something like a prize on the Bandits or a new book by a friend of mine. I still find long conversations work better on Facebook, although I certainly see people who have extended chats on Twitter. It’s also great for finding out little snippets from all over the world. As a museum geek, I’ve signed up to all sorts of interesting places like the Metropolitan Museum. They have a lovely habit of featuring photos of their costume collection for my viewing pleasure. And I love being able to retweet an interesting post or good news or something that takes my fancy. One of the really fun things about Twitter is that every so often someone famous follows me and I have no bloomin’ idea why I hit their radar. This morning it was Kevin Costner for me. I kid you not! KEVIN COSTNER!
Just in case you Twitter, here are some useful links: Anna Campbell https://twitter.com/#!/AnnaCampbelloz Romance Bandits (and check out the individual bandits too – most of us Twitter with bells on, which can get VERY noisy) https://twitter.com/#!/RomanceBandits Metropolitan Museum of Art https://twitter.com/#!/metmuseum I Am Shakespeare: https://twitter.com/#!/IAM_SHAKESPEARE And if you’d like to join my Facebook Page, it’s: http://www.facebook.com/AnnaCampbellFans I sing the praises of Twitter! So do you Twitter? Do you Facebook? What do you think of social media in general? Wonderful opportunity for international understanding, the devil’s handmaiden or just a lot of useless noise?
Best-Laid Schemes WinnersPosted by crocodesigns Sep 13 2011, 3:00 am in Anna Campbell, Bandita Booty, writer's life
Just to let you know I’ve swung by and answered all the comments – what fun to hear about all your best-laid schemes going oft agley! The two winners of their choice of my backlist are: MARYBELLE SONALI Best Laid Schemes…Posted by crocodesigns Sep 10 2011, 4:02 am in Anna Campbell, Backlist, Bandita Booty, Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance, writer's life
Welcome to the launch of… What’s that you say? NO LAUNCH???? Guys, so very, very sorry but we were meant to have one of the infamous lair launches today (in fact people have started calling the Banditas the ladies who launch). We had the cabana boys on standby. Extra margaritas. Deck chairs lined up with Sven on duty for massages. We’ll just have to have a party anyway! I was all geared up to tell the world about “The Chinese Bed”, my story in the anthology, including a contest on my website (thank you to the people who have entered – you’re already automatically entered in the replacement contest where I’m giving five people their choice from my backlist). Do you know where the quote “the best-laid schemes” comes from? It’s a poem by Robbie Burns called To a Mouse, on Turning Her up in her Nest with a Plough:
Hmm, not sure if the cabana boys count as mice or men – Paolo looks scared most of the time. And after a few margaritas, I’ll feel neither grief nor pain! Hic! Actually I think the mouse in the poem has come along to offer her condolences. Either that or Ermingarde hasn’t been undertaking her rat-catching duties the way she’s supposed to. Sheesh, you can’t get good help these days!
Just tell me about a best-laid scheme of yours that went astray and you’ll go in the draw. Speaking of best-laid schemes, I’m away at the Brisbane Writers Festival this weekend so I may only be around sporadically (no, not because I’m drowning my sorrows in a barrel of margaritas or a barrel of cabana boys – you guys have SUCH naughty imaginations!). But I WILL get back, promise! Now, where did that mouse get to? Life In Hidden PicturesPosted by Caren Crane Jun 12 2011, 5:01 am in Caren Crane, childhood memories, life events, memories, photographs, Significant Milestones, writer's life by Caren Crane
Lugging the Luggage on a Lugger…Posted by Anna Campbell Dec 10 2010, 5:10 am in Anna Campbell, Five Things, New Zealand, travel, writer's life
..to a Desert Island! When this post comes up into the light of the lair, I’ll be heading for the end of my wonderful two-week cruise on the ‘Pacific Dawn’ (that’s it on the left) to New Zealand. I’m so excited about this. In return for giving a couple of talks about romance writing, I get a free cruise. How cool is that?
I even went wild and bought a digital camera for the trip. It takes me forever to adopt new technology – which may turn out to be the subject of a future blog. Perhaps called Lugging the Luddite! I’ll be stoked if I take a shot as pretty as the one of New Zealand’s South Island on the right! Isn’t that beautiful? Wow!
So as I started putting out all this stuff that I’m taking with me, I wondered what were the five things I’d take to a desert island. And I came up with:
2. A year’s worth of Smith’s potato chips, especially barbecue flavor 3. Sunscreen 4. 50 cases of champagne (hmm, I’m starting to like the sound of this island!) 5. MOBY DICK. Because while Richard is off catching dinner, I might actually read it in the absence of other entertainment OK, what five things would you take to a desert island? Oh, and if you want the Banditas as company, we count as one item. Oh, man, perhaps I should take the Banditas and their cohorts instead of MOBY DICK. We’d have a WHALE of a time!
Thank you so much for all your wonderful support during the year. And thank you to all my wonderful Bandita sisters. You and the Bandita buddies are definitely something I give thanks for, not just today which happens to be Thanksgiving, but every minute of the year. See you all next year! Oh, and now for the bad news – I’m not sure what email access I’ll have on the ship so I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to respond to comments. But hey, guys, party on! In Search Of BalancePosted by crocodesigns Jul 18 2010, 4:27 am in Aunty Cindy explains it all for you, multi-tasking, writer's life posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy About a year ago, I stumbled across an online site that calculated a more complete horoscope than just your sun sign. In addition to being a Sagittarius with Aquarius rising, one of my other important ‘houses’ I have this tendency to go overboard (I know, I know, no surprise) in certain areas. And I’ve learned from vast prior experience that the “too much of a good thing” definitely applies to me. So when my natural enthusiasm (and any horoscope book or site will tell you, we Sagis are always enthusiastic) for something new gets a bit out of hand, I find myself working hard to counter balance. In my everyday pursuits, I can often go too far in one direction or the other. I used to ‘pull all-nighters’ in the reading and writing arenas. Or I invested waay too much time and effort on a particular project. Or I decided to add avocados to very dish I prepared because they were just sooo darn tasty, and they were on sale so I bought fifteen! Getting the picture? So what has this got to do with writing? A few things, actually. Back in the “good ole days” when I wrote in and around my Dreaded Day Job (where I invested too much time and effort), I started many a story. I LURVED the idea, the characters, the setting and I would rush home from work, nuke some dinner and write for an hour or two before I had to put myself and the child to bed. On the weekends, I’d spend every spare moment scribbling (yes, I had little or no social life). This writing frenzy usually lasted about four or five weeks before I burnt myself out. Then after a few weeks of actually catching up on housework, yard work, and family obligations, I’d get another story idea and the same scenario would repeat itself. It was only after I left the DDJ that I learned how to balance my writing and the other aspects of my life. And I actually FINISHED manuscripts! Alas, that was not the end of my balancing act. It was only after I joined the ranks of published authors that I finally overcame my tinkeritis. Deadlines will do that to you. So in this case, it was a matter of finding my balance or DIE! (That’s another thing about us Sagis, we tend to be slightly over-dramatic.) I gradually learned to embrace the mantra of ‘doing the best I can at that point in time.’ A much better alternative than adapt or die! Now that I’ve moved into the heady realm of multi-published author, I’m struggling to keep my I survived that craziness none the worse for wear. But now I’m at it again! For the past three weeks I’m been on a wild and crazy blog tour for The Wild Irish Sea. Yes, it’s been fun but also exhausting. Plus it has seriously cut into my writing time for my current work-in-progress. Oh, and did I mention I’ve also been on the great agent search? ACK!!! I really had NO CLUE how much more than simply writing a good story was involved in this publishing game. But, of course, now that I’m in up to my arm-pits, I’m not about to stop. Seeing my books on the shelf and hearing from readers who have enjoyed my stories is even better than those yummy avocados! But I desperately need to work on my balancing act. This multi-tasking is highly over-rated! So this is where I call on my Banditas and all the BBs for help. What do you do to maintain or regain your balance? Yoga? Color-coded agendas? Lamaze breathing? Any and ALL suggestions are greatly appreciated! Secret Formula?Posted by Susan Sey Jan 31 2010, 5:05 am in Money Honey, Susan Sey, writer's life by Susan Sey
I’ll tell you this–for all the flack romance gets for being formulaic, this was not as easy as it should have been. If there’s a secret formula out there for writing a best-selling romance, will somebody please send it my way? In fact, hey, why don’t you? If you had to write a recipe for your perfect romance novel, what would it look like? Do you like your heros dark & broody? Funny & smart? Dangerous & suave? What about your heroines? Shy & sheltered? Kick butt & unapologetic? When a dog takes center stage, do you cringe or melt? Give us the skinny! Dust Never Sleeps!Posted by Anna Campbell Jan 10 2010, 5:02 am in Anna Campbell, housework, Neil Young, Rust Never Sleeps, writer's life
When I was in my third year at Queensland University in Brisbane, I moved out of residential college and into a dilapidated old wooden house on stilts across the river from the uni. It was a really magical year for me, still one I look back at as one of my happiest ever. I used to get the ferry to uni – how cool is that? I did a lot of wild and wonderful things – much research for future romance writing! Snork! I shared the house with two other girls and one of them – let’s call her Katrina largely because that was her name – had a huge craze on Neil Young.
Of course, anyone who shares a house with me is completely privileged to listen to classical music (at the time, I was into very noisy opera – yes, women with horns superglued to their helmets!) or David Bowie or Human League or world music or whatever else I played. But that’s another story.
In my life since, RUST NEVER SLEEPS has turned into DUST NEVER SLEEPS. Housework is on my mind at the moment because for the past couple of months, I’ve had a string of visitors. I love having visitors, especially at this time of year when you can sit out drinking under the pergola and look at the lake and then go for a swim to cool off. But as sure as eggs, visitors means I have to clean the house. OUCHY OUCHY OUCHY OUCH!!!! At least death by vacuuming is quick. Poor devils tortured with the sponge mop can linger for days before they finally achieve a merciful release. One thing I really hate about housework (and believe me, the list is long!) is that you do it, everything looks fabulous, Vogue Interiors could take photos of the shine in your tiles. And that lasts for all of about five minutes! It’s entirely frustrating! Then the place is back to looking like an angry bear has been through it on a rampage. Which means you just have to turn around and do it all again. Completely inefficient!
Um, what else? There must be something else… Tidying the bookcases. Love anything to do with the bookcases. Laundry. I actually don’t mind doing laundry. I love the clean, fresh smell of washing straight off the line on a sunny day. Any more? Um… Thinking, thinking…
As far as chores I hate, I despise cleaning the bathroom. And sadly, that’s one you can’t get out of. Unless you expect your visitors to run screaming in horror from the ghoulish vision. That’s even a job I have to do when I’m NOT getting visitors. I think the only thing that will ever get me enthusiastic about housework is something like the picture on the right. Snork! So are you a great housekeeper? What’s your favorite job in the house? What’s your least favorite job in the house? Are you a ‘house is tidy all the time person’? Or are you a ‘scramble to tidy the chaos once the visitors arrive’ kinda gal? And are you a Neil Young fan? Perhaps we could arrange for Hunky Hal (above) to tickle Mr. Young with the feather duster! Happy Songs!Posted by Anna Campbell Oct 10 2009, 4:30 am in 1980s, Anna Campbell, Cyndi Lauper, Depeche Mode, Katrina and the Waves, Martha and the Muffins, music, Soft Cell, T-shirts, writer's life
This morning, I was wandering around the house trying to get enthused about doing some work. I had the TV on to one of those video channels on cable TV. I heard this short electronic fanfare and suddenly Just Can’t Get Enough by Depeche Mode was playing. My morning suddenly started to sparkle. It’s such a happy song and it never fails to make me smile. So I started to think of other songs that always make me smile. I thought, for the sake of brevity, I’d stick to the 80s. Partly because that’s when I was as up with current popular music as I’m ever likely to be. Partly because I was of an age (early 20s) when the music around at the time really sticks with you!
One of the songs that always makes me smile from that decade is Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. Maybe because I was a girl and I wanted to have fun! I loved Cyndi Lauper – never really took to Madonna who was the other really big female star of the time. That song is such a buzz! Actually girl singers back then had some great feel-good songs out then. Who can forget Katrina and the Waves’ Walking on Sunshine? Or what about the Go-Gos and Our Lips Are Sealed? Walk Like an Egyptian will probably make a lot of lists but I got SOOOO sick of that one so I groan instead of smile these days when I hear it.
And speaking of falsetto so high only dogs can hear it, what about Take on Me by A-Ha? Yet again, you hear that keyboard intro and your life starts playing in a major key! Because I was living in London and didn’t have a TV when this was a hit, I didn’t see the video until a couple of years ago. I still think it’s really clever with the mixture of animation and real action. Oh, and another song that inevitably makes me smile is Feargal Sharkey’s A Good Heart. Not sure why, perhaps because I was traveling at the time and it brings back great memories, but it definitely falls into the making Anna feel good category. Hurry Up and WaitPosted by crocodesigns Aug 18 2009, 6:29 am in Aunty Cindy explains it all for you, The Treasures of Venice, writer's life posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy While certain other Banditas were busy cavorting around Europe (AHEM!), Aunty came home from RWA National and had to sequester herself deep in the writing caves of the Lair in order to meet a deadline. Well, I no sooner extricated myself from the deep dark recesses than I was called to Jury Duty! HRUMPH! I scarcely had time for a brief neck massage from Sven before I had to do my civic duty and show up at the county courthouse at the horrifyingly unholy hour of 8 a.m. Now After arriving promptly at the county courthouse, it quickly became clear to me why very few courtroom dramas, be they books or movies, mention the jury selection process. For the most part, the whole thing is BOOORRRRING! A classic case study in “Hurry Up and Wait.” First there’s the long wait in the shuffling check-in line along with the other 299 people who were told to report at the exact same time. UGH! Then it’s time to wait for names to be called for the first panel. The clock drags ever so slowly while a movie is started on the overhead TV (a comedy with Robin Williams which I’ve already seen and did not find amusing). Eventually, three panels are called and I’m not on any of them. Just when I started to think I’d get a lunch break without being called, a third round of names is announced and I’m in it. I walked to the elevators along with the 59 others, then waited to be let into the designated courtroom. After about fifteen endless minutes, we were allowed inside where once again, there are not enough seats, so 20 names were called to sit in what the judge refered to as “the bleachers” (the jury box and a row of seats in front of it). I wasn’t one of the chosen 20. The judge started to lecture all of us on “presumed innocence” and “burden of proof” before he decided it was time for lunch and turned us all out for an hour and a half. Blessed relief! All 60 of us arrived back promptly. The judge and his assistants and the two attorneys did not. After another interminable 20 minutes, we a Those of us not in “the bleachers” began to nod off. The judge noticed and gave us a ten minute break. When we returned, roughly half the people in “the bleachers” were let go and eleven more names called to replace them. Lucky me, I wound up in the second group. Now I had to actually appear semi-conscious. But I lucked out again, and the judge decided to send us home early and told everyone remaining (in both the audience and the bleachers) to be back at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I did appreciate the extra hour of sleep, but was still not happy when I returned the next morning. Most of my fellow potential jurors seemed to share my opinion, especially after twenty, then thirty, then forty minutes passed while we all sat in the hallway. Finally at 9:45, the judge’s assistant opened the door of the courtroom and told us we were all dismissed. Turns out the defendant ‘cut a deal’ with the district attorney while we all cooled our heels! ARGH!!! All right, now that I’ve finished my whiny tale of woe, I’ll admit that I couldn’t escape the parallels of jury selection and writing. First, you work and slave weeks and months over your baby/masterpiece until you have it in a resonably readable shape. Time to start the submission process! First you craft (with the help of your CPs and other writer-buddies) a flawlessly clever query letter, which you dutifully send off to meticulously researched agents and/or editors. With any luck at all, you will hear back from your query somewhere between six hours and six weeks. Again, with some small modicum of luck, you will receive at least one positive response, and you will then send off your partial manuscript and synopsis. This time, your wait will most likely range from six weeks to six months, maybe longer. Now you will need a very large measure of luck and the correct star-allignment in order to receive the much coveted “request for a full.” After screaming and telling all your online and in-person friends and unsuspecting family members, you hurry up and send your entire manuscript. Waiting and hoping for that magical SOMEDAY when “The Call” happens! And eventually, oh yes, that wonderful, mystical day really does arrive! But are your “hurry up and wait” days over? Aunty is sad to inform you that they most certainly are NOT. You will still need to hurry up and wait for your revisions to be done and approved, for your copyedits to arrive, for your cover to be created. And most of all, you have to wait and Wait and WAIT for your finished book to actually be released. This takes months, sometimes YEARS! And when you write and sell another book, you get to do it ALL OVER AGAIN! But unlike Jury Duty, it is absolutely WORTH THE WAIT!!! Aunty guarantees it! When was the last time you had to hurry up and wait? Are there some things (like a massage from Sven) that you don’t mind waiting for? And have you ever been called to Jury Duty? Did you hate it as much as Aunty?
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by Anna Campbell
You also find out interesting things so it’s educational. Current affairs. Publishing news. I’m following a site that gives the complete works of Shakespeare line by line. We’re on THE WINTER’S TALE at the moment. And these days, most of my breaking news comes from Twitter.
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