Closing your eyes
Flying away
Without a thought or care
Embracing the truth
Releasing all pain
No penalty
No price
To pay –

I guess I’ve been living under a rock or something, because I’ve only recently been introduced to book trailers, but apparently they’ve been around for a few years now. Suddenly my email is bombarded with authors sending links to their new trailer(s) on You Tube and other such sites. I admit that at first glance they’re pretty cool, but considering that I’ve been unable to locate a pricelist for this service via the net, I imagine it is well beyond my current budget. Then again, if so many authors are out there promoting their promotion tool, how costly can it be?!

And therein lies my confusion…promoting your promotional tool?!

Cool as they might be, I can’t help but wonder…has our society actually gotten so lackadaisical that people would rather watch a video promoting a book than reading the book blurb itself? And does this sort of thing appeal to devote book lovers who take as much delight in perusing the bookstores and savoring the feel and smell of the book in their hand as they admire the cover that grabbed their attention then open the dust jacket or flip to the back cover to find out what treasure lies within? Or am I the only reader that gets that little rush from such triviality?!

Book trailers…do you think they’re here to stay?

“Writing is not apart from living. Writing is a kind of double living.”
-Catherine Drinker Bowen

snagged from Bill’s Place

“There are two sides to every coin, the yin and the yang…good and evil, darkness and light. You cannot have one without the other, Jade. It’s the eternal balance of the universe and Macumba is made up of such. Umbanda for instance, embraces white magic aimed at healing both spiritually and physically – the art of praying by magical means.” He clipped the end of his cigar as he spoke and rolled it slowly, seductively, between his fingers, knowing without looking that she was totally absorbed in his every word.

“According to African beliefs the spirit evolves in the afterworld and reaches a summit of power and fulfillment because of the influence of the ones invoking it. It is a necessary practice that forms the bridge that allows communication with the spirits.”

Jade was interested in what Ben was saying, but she didn’t buy into the mumbo-jumbo. She’d been around long enough to know that stuff like that was nothing more than another way to make a fast buck. The juju bags and gris-gris charms, exotic potions and transformation powders, it was great for business, when you were selling to tourists who wanted to take a piece of Louisiana back home with them, but none of it was real.

“Why would anyone want to contact the spirits? Aren’t there enough ghosts and devils lurking around in the world without calling more out of the grave and inviting them back?”

Ben mused at her candidness. “There are many reasons, Jade, think about it. Souls of the newly dead that loved ones desperately want to reach out and touch again. The spirits of those who died long ago, who can teach us of things in the past that affect our lives today; a lost soul, interfering in the lives of the living, when actually they are seeking help to get to where they need to go.” Jade laughed out loud, as she could contain it no longer. “That’s such a bunch of bullshit, Ben. You can’t tell me that you honestly believe all that.”

Her words stung. He never thought she, of all people, would have such a closed mind when it came to the unknown. He stood and slowly walked over and kneeled beside her, took her hands in his and looked into her eyes when he spoke.

“Yes, Jade, it is true. There are devils and monsters lurking about. We are surrounded by them every second of every day. They come in the form of rapists and murderers, child molesters and wife beaters; unethical physicians who look at their patients in terms of insurance claims and paperwork, instead of flesh and blood humans seeking their care; lawyers who set these monsters free once they are captured, in the name of justice, while acquiring a nice fat bank account and a house in the Hamptons. Yes, Jade, they’re everywhere. But you’re too wrapped up in your own addictions and self-destructiveness to see anything that is beyond your immediate grasp. Life is passing you by, my love, and you’re too self-absorbed to even realize it. Seek the answers, Jade, and you too shall come to know the truth.”

Tears pooled in her eyes and slowly made their way down her face, as her bottom lip quivered ever-so-slightly. She didn’t strike back and she didn’t try to run, she knew what he said was the truth, and as hard as it hurt to hear it coming from him, she was ready to face the truth and find the answers…and that’s when he knew he had her.

ABOUT THE BOOK

So, my mom is off to a 3-year-old birthday party today. They’re going to Betty Boop’s Spa, or some such place where the girls get powdered, painted and pampered and spend the day dressed like princesses and living the fairytale. Fun stuff, but I’m not sure it’s age appropriate. How young is too young to plant that seed?

Her quandary was what to get her for her birthday. She really wanted to get her a few books from Borders, but wasn’t sure if that was a good gift for a 3-year-old. HOLD ON…I told her that would be the perfect gift for a child of any age, whether they’re into books yet or not. It just might be one of those books that triggers something in her young mind and opens the door to the wonderful world of books and reading for her. So, having taken my advice, she called at 9:50 this morning as she waited outside the store for them to open. Good for her!

I can’t imagine a child not reading. I’ve been reading to my son since he was in the womb and have never stopped, although now he prefers to read to me, which is so cool! I got him the Hardy Boys starter set and for a while we were taking turns reading chapters, but he lost interest rather quickly. You see, the thing about my son is that he’s nonfiction all the way.

I love perusing the children’s book section at B&N and am amazed at how many books are on the shelves that I had as a child. I’m constantly trying to get him to pick them, but he told me flat out this trip, as he made a beeline for the history, science and animal section that he does not like storybooks! Ouch!

He has a large floor to ceiling bookcase with 6 shelves that are slammed packed with books and another smaller one on the opposite side of his room. As I was looking at all the books, I noticed that the shelves containing storybooks were perfectly arranged, with not a book out of place, while the bottom half was a mess. You see, this is where he keeps HIS books, the ones he reads regularly, while the books I pick look as though they’ve never been touched. As I glanced through the shelves I couldn’t help but be amazed that all of the titles he chooses are informative, fact-filled, no nonsense books.

His interests are broad and reach from outer space to deep inside the earth’s core and every animal and creature that dwells, once dwelled or might have dwelled therein. The cool thing is that not only does he enjoy reading these books, but he retains every bit of information his little brain takes in. I’m reminded of this on a daily basis when he corrects me or spouts off some interesting fact that he thinks I need to know. All this because he developed a love of books and reading right from the start!

I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be if my mom had not been such a devout reader and encouraged me like she did. And what if the books she bought for me were fact filled instead of fairytales and Nancy Drew mysteries. Would I be a nonfiction writer? Who knows! The point is, books and reading affect our entire lives, whether we acknowledge that fact or not. It’s proven that children who begin reading at a young age have a definite advantage over those who don’t. So, the next time you find yourself in a quandary over what kind of gift to get a child, why not give them a book and give them a leg-up in this life. They’ll thank you for it one day!

“It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.”
-William Faulkner

Just when I thought I was off the con-artists mailing list, this one came along and I had to share, if for no other reason than the comedic factor alone! I’ve seen a lot of literary scams come across my desk over the past 7 years, but I do believe that this one takes the cake!

There were two author testimonials included in the email; one from an author whose book is published through Author House (so much for all those major literary agent and publishing house requests he boasted about), the other who did not show up on any Internet search. In a word…Unbelievable!

Ms. Terry,

We are currently allowing writers who receive this email newsletter to use its service for only $250, that’s 50% OFF. They send your description of your novel or children’s book manuscript, custom addressed BY INDIVIDUAL NAME to well over a thousand appropriate publishers and literary agents.

Most recently, writers using our Online service have received requests to read their manuscript from the major publishers including:
Morrow/Avon | Random House | Berkley Publishing | Avalon Books | Grove/Atlantic | Daw Books | W.W. Norton | Ballantine | Warner Books | Viking | Simon & Schuster | Doubleday | Penguin Group | Scribner | Bantam Dell | Houghton Mifflin | HarperCollins | Kensington Publishing | Knopf | Random House Golden Books for Young Readers | St. Martin’s Press | Touchstone Fireside | Vintage Anchor Books | Farrar, Straus & Giroux | Harpertorch | Tor Books | Crown Publishing

…and from the major literary agencies including:

Sterling Lord Literistic | Andrea Brown Literary Agency | Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency | Trident Media Group | William Morris Agency | ICM (International Creative Management) | Marly Russoff & Associates | Joy Harris Literary Agency | Curtis Brown | PFD (Peters Fraser & Dunlop) | Writers House | ZSH (Zachary Shuster Harmsworth) | Writers’ and Artists’ Agency | A.M. Heath | Artists and Artisans | Gelfman Schneider | Artists Literary Group | Brick House Literary …and more.

They LIMIT THE NUMBER OF USERS to only 7 fiction writers per week and commit to those 7 writers on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE BASIS. Logging on to the website right now lets you reserve a spot for the period starting this coming MONDAY JANUARY 8.

So your description should do the following:

1. Explain the central conflict, internal AND external if possible.
2. Give some idea of the plot.
3. Convey some sense of the mood or style of the manuscript, often by choosing specific words. Or at least enhance interest by choosing dynamic words over bland, static ones.

Don’t expect your manuscript copy to be returned. Some requesters will instruct you to include a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) if you do desire the copy returned to you. We recommend against it. It’s one more burden you’re placing on the recipient, and it can make you look unsuccessful and stingy.

What to expect in return

Most recipients of your query won’t respond. Based on the volume of queries a publisher, agent, or manager receives, it’s just not practical to send a return email to say “no thanks” to everyone. If you do receive them, it’s rare so consider it an extra courtesy.
Most replies are to give permission to send the manuscript or to request additional information such as an author’s bio or a few sample chapters. Well written and informative story descriptions will cut down on the number of bios or sample chapters you will need to send before getting permission to submit your entire manuscript. But some recipients will seek that additional information anyway no matter how good the description.

“Though our publishers will tell you that they are ever seeking ‘original’ writers, nothing could be farther from the truth. What they want is more of the same, only thinly disguised. They most certainly do no want another Faulkner…Melville…What the public wants, no one knows, not even the publishers.”
- Henry Miller

“These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.”
-Gilbert Highet

The Journey
By Jill Terry

As nightfall descends, she leaves the bank of propriety, on a quest to forbidden shores, ignoring the flames as they dance in the breeze and extinguish one by one. A free spirit and old soul, listening to the voice of her heart, she is guided by the light of desperation and desire that will lead her to the place where her twin soul awaits. Or does he…

Separated by distance and time, she wonders if he still holds memories of the magic created, when their hearts and minds were synchronized to a rhythm all their own. Not a flight-of-fancy, found in fairy tales and superstition, but a result of their combined energy that existed at all times and could be harnessed and used at will.

Endless hours spent. Discussing ideals, dreams and plans for a future that centered on the virtue of worth, advantage and beneficial qualities of creativity, in relation to being true to oneself. Or does that person no longer exist…

Like the warrior in battle, forced to distance himself from the realities of his actions in order to forge ahead and complete the tasks that must be done. He gathers memories and remains, locking them away in a place so far from the surface of his true self that the threat of them being lost forever is despairing, yet necessary for his survival. Or does her light still guide him…

In moments of silence when he’s alone inside his mind, does he feel her spirit lingering and the enduring longing to hold it within his grasp? Still lucky, does he feel, to have been taken into her private world; to be guided by her light, to have felt the warmth of the fire that burns within her soul and the emotional comfort that her soft caress and touch did bring?

Or has the truth of her that he knew so well, been tainted by time, regret and lies? Was the deceit and betrayal, more than his soul could bear? Has he cast aside all they shared, vowing to never again let the thought of her enter his mind? Submitting to the pretense of what time has created, though self-confessed, is not enough to sustain him.

And if during her quest, an untimely demise is met, would he cast aside all doubt and feel pain for the loss? Would he remember her with a smile, as he sits alone, along the rocky shore of life, close his eyes and picture her there? Remembering her words and the truth they held; and in his moments of quiet revelation, accept the profoundness of their experience and reemerge with a changed preconceived notion of reality and of himself.

Only time will tell the answers she seeks, in the journey that lies ahead.

© Copyright 2006 by Jill Terry. All Rights Reserved.

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