Category Archives: Writing

Okay, so this week I really didn’t know what to write about and had been thinking of playfully bemoaning that in one hour of my fab new job I earn the equivalent of selling roughly thirty books. And then I took a look at what’s been happening in the world and didn’t feel like I had the right.

With four year olds fleeing gunmen at their local shops, mothers and soon to be mothers lying dead nearby. With landslides engulfing homes of people who didn’t have much else and fires destroying others… yeah, who has the right to whinge over something so fickle?

And so, instead, I’m going to try and reflect on the world in general and see the best of it I can. You see, I am one of those cynical people who – when seeing the woes of the world – tend to take it personally and wish I could make it all better immediately. And sometimes I find it so overwhelming, when I can’t, that I can’t even make my own little dust mote part of the world okay. I feel that’s one of the reason I am obsessed with ironing, as it’s one place I’m in control of taking all the mess and chaos and can let my mind wander through good thoughts while I smooth it all into crisp neatness.

Now that I’ve established that I am a neurotic loony, I’ll try and get to the point of why quotes are so useful when cheering myself up. And, no, I’m not one of those inspirational quotes junkies. In fact, I find them terribly annoying and tend to want to stick them up some part of the anatomy of the person who is sharing it with me. I mean just your basic everyday quotes. And now it’s time to share some of them with you so either sit back, read and relax or off you go. Space Chimp 2 is on the TV if you want to go join the hordes. 😉

So – speaking of the Hordes (my children) – the first quote I will explain why I use so much is: “Be Excellent to each other”. Yes, that’s right, it is from a movie about a couple of goofy air brained guys (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) who’s life quote to be excellent to each other changed the world and the future becomes an almost Gene Roddenberry type utopia because of it. No, I am not trying to create this fictional future by enforcing this life philosophy on my kids. But I do feel it is a nice thing to try and teach them. Just… Be Excellent To Each Other. Yes I’m usually trying to calmly enforce it upon them when they’re at each other’s throat but hey! I find it calms me to be saying it rather than joining in the screaming and yelling. See – it’s working!

But seriously, I’m raising my kids to never judge a person by their nationality, religion, political leanings, fashion sense, gender, sexual orientation or the colour of their hair, eyes, skin or teeth. Judge them by their actions to others as that is how they (said hordes) will be judged. And if their actions are to be excellent to each other… geez I hope you can see where I’m trying to go with this as I’m going to start going in circles shortly. But still, it works! I’ve had nearly twenty years in customer service and excel at it by treating people how I myself would like to be treated. And my kids are known for doing the same. Go team Littleton!

Another quote that may come across as a little cheesy, but is another I try and abide by is: “Always look on the bright side of life” (whistle if you feel the need). Not, I am not a glass half full happy go lucky, everyone is wonderful sort of fluffy bunny. In fact I don’t believe in the glass half anything. I’m an all or nothing type so if there is a glass containing a liquid and it’s not full or empty, it is obviously not my glass so stop asking me stupid questions. Yes, this is also known as being a cynical bitch. I don’t have a badge for that, I have the t-shirt instead. 😀

What I try and gain from this Monty Python quote is this – yes life is indeed a piece of shit when you look at it… but if you keep looking at it like that, all you’re left with is manure city. Every time something crappy happens to me, or someone does something crappy – of course I’m going to have a whinge about it! But I then try and see a positive, try and see the bright side of it. Basically accept it for what it is and move on. Actually, that’s a quote I learnt in one of my former jobs – “Accept and move on” as it too is a good motto to have. Things change, not always for the good and more often for the bad. Accept these changes and just move on. Sometimes it is hard, so very hard… and it hurts and you are damaged (maybe mentally or physically). It happens. But the only way to get better is to just accept this crap, look for positives in your life and move on. Occasionally suffering bouts of depression and having low self-esteem means I have an inner voice that is a bigger bitch than me. These two quotes are my biggest weapons against it. I use them to get the right mind set going and hope for the best. It’s working so far. 😉

Another of my favourite quotes, especially as I enjoy playing the dumb blonde years after I stopped being a true blonde, and that is: “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt”. Or something like that. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t it? Yeah, this one can go hand in hand with “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” as, quite frankly, anyone who feels it’s better to attack people with nasty words than try and talk things out… well, they’re most often an idiot. And, from experience, if you find yourself being a silent participant in friend and family outings as you’re following either of these quotes… well, it’s time to sit down and think over exactly why it is you feel you’re an idiot by opening your mouth, or why you need to be rude when you do break the silence. Your bitchy, self-hating inner self has no right to do all the talking you know.

On the flipside to this if you do have a friend who is always silent; sometimes it’s better to brace yourself for stupid, nasty words just to ask “Are you okay?” This is a good quote and shouldn’t be restricted to just something you say when it’s Are you Okay day once a year. Sometimes the silence and rudeness is hiding something that can be cured by someone taking an interest and just being a friend, nothing more or less. Think about it, do you know anyone like this? It’s possible they can’t find that bright side of life without help and by being excellent to them may just be the ray of sunshine they need to penetrate their darkness.

Last quote I will share is one I don’t agree with and needs to be modified. That is: “Survival of the fittest” and this is because it should really be “Survival of the most stubborn” as seriously… cockroaches and rats – not the fittest and riddled with disease. They survive as they’re stubborn little buggers. If you want to be positive and use this quote to show this is why you must strive to survive, realise it’s sheer stubbornness getting you through. You want it, go get it and don’t let anyone stop you. I sort of instil this in my children too… but the Pagan in me makes me add “As long as intentionally harm none in the process”. Oh look, another quote.

Okay, so if you’ve managed to read through to the end of this blog, you’re either rather bored or used to my lite level of insanity. 😉 I could add many others like “Look before you leap, act before you think” and so on. But I feel I’ve bared my soul enough for one post.

It really does come down to – Be Excellent to Each Other. We share this world, not own it. What happens in one place can affect us all. And those of us with excess really do need to look at our international neighbours who have very little and see what we can do to help.

Heh, consider yourself given my best Mummy pep talk. Now go out there and be the best you that you can be!

Until next time,

Janis XXOO

I hope I am not alone with this dilemma, but I have at least a dozen story ideas started on my computer that I’ve never found the time to finish… not mentioning the boxes of note books of similarly incomplete stories from my childhood and teens. Please tell me this is a common affliction for those who have been writing all their lives but sadly have to keep up with the ‘real jobs’ and so keep writing as a hobby?

It’s not that I never finish a story – far from it. I’ve finished a few! And not just the ones that have been published, or are about to be published. No, there’s a few novellas and poems and what not that are done and dusted, but seriously not worth much more than being used as blog fodder. Plus there were those years I wasted my writing time and talent on an online role playing game for Star Trek. What, you didn’t realise I would be a Trekkie too? *gasp* What is wrong with you? Have you not been keeping up with my blogs? 😉

And so, what do we do with these unfinished stories? Well, if you’re anything like me they’re never forgotten and I often start thinking about how to continue with say the boy who lives in the world of the dream warriors, or whether Jason and Quair ever stop being lost out in the wilderness. Or even, will Torascx ever get home after being stranded on earth with the weird but wonderful Dana to help him?

Oh, don’t worry, it’s okay if you have no idea what I am referring too, very few people do, but I’m sending a bug hug out to all those who can nod their heads and say ‘Yes, when are you going to finish that?’ As, yes, my friends and family who have been forced to read, or listen to me read, this work over the years have never forgotten them and often put in requests as to which story I should finish next.

But do I? Sometimes I open them up and have a bit of a tippy tap at them, but sadly the biggest reason I never finish them all is there is always a new one starting to form in my head. And, more often than not, that is the one I then plunge into. Thankfully they are also the ones I tend to finish these days as I have become so obsessed with actually getting the damned things out of my head and onto the paper.

So maybe the reason I haven’t finished the older stories is not because I can’t, but because I don’t want to. These characters, images and stories have been such a part of my imagination for so long that maybe removing them onto said paper will mean I leave great big holes I just can’t fill?

Nah, it would be too romantic to think that, right? Quite frankly I feel it’s more because I’m a bit of a slack tart. But mostly because there really isn’t enough time in my day to be a full time writer. If there was, if I really did have the chance to spend twelve hours of most days writing… more would get finished and more would depart. But hey, it’s not as if they wouldn’t be quickly replaced.

To be a full time writer, would that really do it? Not be a mum and a Haus Frau and an IT contractor (my current three full time jobs) and just sit and write and not have to worry about hordes, home or where the money is coming from for the next bill. Heck, I’d have a damned good go at making it happen, but I suffer terribly from procrastination and a sunny day with a garden bed that needs weeding, or a pile of ironing that is just going to sit there… they will always distract me and tempt me back to the real world. Still, weeding and ironing are fun for me as it’s a time my imagination gets my full attention and many a good story idea has come from that time well spent.

And so, yes, there will always be too many stories to write and not enough time to do it in. Though it would be nice – from time to time – to get out one of the older ones, get it dusted off and see if it’s still worth the effort. Though I do get annoyed, when rereading some of them, that some bugger has since taken one of my fabulous ideas and turned it into a story of their own. I mean, how rude is that? 😉

My advice to anyone in a similar situation, someone else that has too many stories and not enough time to finish any of them is: Don’t stress, some of mine have been in a holding pattern inside my head for years. They can wait! Focus on one, just the one, and write it. Finish it. Get it out of your head and onto that paper. Once it’s done you can get the rest of them to draw straws and choose the next one!

As the old saying goes – you can’t eat the elephant in a single bite. Take small nibbles and eventually it will all be gone. This is the attitude I take to my Haus Frauing when there is so much to do, and it’s the advice I’ve started taking to my writing – and it works!

So, go out there, nibble your elephant! Um, yeah, so I may not be the best at motivational speaking but I hope you get the gist anyhow.

Happy writing, until next time.

Janis. XXOO

In this week’s blog I am going for something slightly different and hopefully whimsical. Due to Bonnie taking over the running of the Bonnie’s Story – A blonde’s Guide to Mathematics Facebook page here, I thought I’d interview her so we all got to know her a little better.

Let’s see how it goes…

 ***

So, Bonnie tell us a little bit more about yourself?

Well, I am an award winning hairdresser who works now part time for Yvonne’s Hair Dreams Salon. Yeah I can assure you she pays me enough to actually want to admit that or say that cringe worthy name out loud in an interview. My boss is nice enough, when spoken to in the right tone of voice, and is actually called Pam so go figure!

Other than that, I like to travel, got a fair bit of it done over the past year and have a mighty fine snow dome collection growing out of it. We just won’t go into the gut wrenching Maths That Stays that gives me the freedom to travel so much. It has its positives and all, but man the negatives are a major kick in the pants.

Have you and Rogan settled down together yet? Or is he still living on the Moon?

Urgh! Just don’t get me started on Mr ‘I love you and want to be a part of your life but don’t actually want to stop living on the Moon in case I get a grey hair’! Yes we are still together and yes I know he loves me very much, as I do him… but he is one of the biggest commitment-phobes around.

And seriously, why would he want to live in that stale, smelly and grey hole known as the Moon when my gorgeous worker’s cottage has plenty of space. I’ve even offered to let him set some of his black boards up in the spare room; all I get is a blank stare as if I am missing the point. Damn him!

How well are you getting along with The Gang?

Oh, they have their moments but all in all are a sweet bunch of guys. If you go in for the sort of guy who is able to calculate Pi to its thousandth digit but are unable to tie their own shoelaces, boy do I have the group of eligible bachelors for you! Just don’t expect them to make eye contact when they talk to you. Seriously shoes suddenly appear fascinating to them.

As for getting along, it’s great. Yeah they’ve gone and had a ‘Bonnie must not deliberately coerce us’ jar installed that’s twice the size of the ‘swear’ jar they originally installed for me… and seriously I don’t know why. It’s not as if I’m trying to change how they do things or anything. Just suggest stuff like, oh I don’t know, coasters under their drinks, actually washing their dirty dishes and remembering that the toilet seat is always meant to be down. Why I am out of pocket almost fifty dollars a week from mere suggestions, I just don’t know. But I do feel Clara has something to do with it.

Speaking of Clara, have the two of you become friends yet? Or at least learnt to get along?

Oh dear God do not use that F word around me when discussing Clara! Who knew smart science girls can be such a pill? I did not steal her man, I am not out to get her and I wish people would stop blaming me for her hair now being shorter than it used to be. I was asked to give everyone a haircut, for free I might add, and she happened to sit in the chair I was using. How was I supposed to know she was just tying her shoelaces on her way out somewhere? I mean, seriously! It’s not as if I’m a mind reader!

When talking about the new world you have discovered through Rogan, what ONE thing would be your favourite?

I know I am meant to be all cutesy and lovey dovey and answer that it’s Rogan… but come on girls… Actual Belgian chocolates from Belgian any time he so much as remotely pisses me off. How awesome is that? No I don’t sometimes just get mad at him to get the chocolates, despite what someone has been trying to suggest to The Gang. But she is just upset I’ve stopped sharing them with her now Rogan has realised I don’t like the ginger pralines.

And what would be your least favourite thing?

Well, yeah… Sylvester wasn’t such an awesome moment in our lives. And I know I am probably expected to say it’s Clara but it’s not. The hygiene levels of The Gang rate pretty highly mind you.

However, I would have to say it’s the actual Maths Travel. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely awesome to be able to travel anywhere in the world I want, as long as we have a picture of it, and whenever I want… but that it turns me into a sick to the stomach zombie for several hours after each trip makes all the other bad things pale in comparison.

That and Nimirlan’s singing. Yeah, just. Don’t. If he ever asks you to go to karaoke with him. Just. Say. No.

So you still get sick from ‘Maths Travel’?

Oh hell yeah! I mean, not barf my guts up sort of sick, but still. The whole Gang has tried to come up with why it happens, even Clara, and we’re no closer to a solution. Something about me having too tight a hold on reality to allow the shifting of location in a matter of seconds to pass unnoticed? I swear Clara is only pretending to help and some of the horrid concoctions she’s come up with really have made me barf my guts up.

That reminds me, she owes me a new pair of shoes…

People want to know, how IS Mr Doodles doing?

Ha ha! Oh he’s doing fine. Seriously I think his outer fluffy coat mirrors an inner fluffy brain. Yes a door suddenly appearing on my back verandah did seem to unsettle him for a while but it’s all good. He’s living the life of a spoilt, if not sometimes forgotten, lap dog at the absent minded professors house AKA my parents. It’s all good.

What does your family think about all this?

My mum and dad? Well, not much really. But that’s mainly because I’ve decided it’s in the ‘just too hard’ basket and so left it as just introducing them to Rogan and stating that he is my latest boyfriend.

As for my brother? I shudder to think of what would happen if I told him. He’d either become a member of The Gang and take over and just ruin everything with his bossy nature and annoying complaints or he’d be rejected by The Gang and become as bad as Sylvester. Just not as good looking or charismatic.

What plans do you, Rogan and The Gang have for the future?

Short term we’re about to go backpacking around the Bahamas. Yeah, I hadn’t taken them for the outdoorsy type either but apparently they’re fine as long as they treat it like some sort of expedition. Me, it’s all coconut palms and white beaches.

Long term, I really don’t know. Rogan owes me another session of us sitting down so he can teach me some more of the twists and tricks Maths That Stays can do. Something about Pockets in Time? Yeah, not too sure if I am going to enjoy that and he has been warned to woo me good and proper before telling me something too earth shattering. Well, I mean something else that is earth shattering.

Have you learnt how to use Maths That Stays yet?

Urgh! Don’t get me started on all that nonsense either. Yeah so what if I can’t do it? Do I really really need to know? It’s not as if I’m ever going to use Maths That Stays solo as I need someone to look after me during my zombie cotton wool time. Besides, the last time Rogan tried to teach me I ended up owing the new jar over one hundred dollars. I mean, if The Gang want to turn Rogan trying to teach me things into a spectator sport they deserve everything that happens to them. I still don’t know why it was my fault. Yeah maybe I should have used a better phrase than suggesting Jelly just stick my phone somewhere… I was angry and he started it!

And, finally, it being Election Day – which party will you be voting for? Can you do an absentee vote from the Moon?

Sadly ‘no’ to the absentee vote. So I stuck around my home and avoided the Moon for the last week just to ensure I didn’t get all caught up in things and actually miss the day.

As for who I voted for? If I tell you that you know I’d then just have to kill you. And where would my sequel be then lady?

But vote I did, those Suffragettes didn’t go through hell for me to just gripe about it, so I’ve gone and numbered all the boxes as I saw fit.

Actually, I’ve often thought of having a go at politics myself… but seriously don’t think it’s worth the effort. Yes I could ensure I always got things done my way, but Bonnie for PM? I don’t think so. I saw how they treated our last lady in power. It’s much easier to stick to being a blonde, being a hairdresser and splitting my time between here and on the Moon.

I wouldn’t get to backpack around the Bahamas at the drop of a hat either.

***

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

As some of you may remember, I decided to embark on writing a cosy crime series a few months back. And I did indeed have fun making up humorous titles for this series of twenty-six stories set in my much loved Adelaide Hills. I quickly established my heroine, her history and the town she now calls home. I even mentally sketched out the basic plot, who was to be murdered and who was to be the murderer. I also outlined some funny snippets here and there throughout this series from middle aged cheer leaders to tormented members of the CWA (Country Women’s Association) who are at their wits end when it comes to trying to teach the basics of baking to said heroine.

And yet… And yet when it came time to do the deed of killing the titled character in a locked room in Stirling, my procrastinating nature came into full play. I simply couldn’t kill my Autumnal Artist. I knew who was doing it, how and then how they managed to escape the locked room. But could I write it? No!

My joke is I can travel around the world by Maths, I have released earthed demons and bound myself to ghosts… so why can’t I kill an artist in a locked room?

Some of my friends, who I have lamented about this to, say it is easier to write/ think about killing someone I know, rather than someone you’ve made up. Not true! I’ve killed many characters before and honestly didn’t know a single one of them. Perhaps it’s more I don’t want to kill them in case someone sees themselves in the character and takes offence. I mean, I am trying to weave as much of my home into this work. Am I really that worried about offending a local as they feel I’ve taken a grudge and bumped them off? I don’t think I am, but maybe…?

I mean, yes I threatened to put a writer friend into one of my works as she was teasing me one day. But would I knock her off? Are there any legal ramifications to killing someone in writing only? How do the real murder mystery writers do it? And I do say real ones as I am not one yet… and if I keep this procrastinating up maybe I never will be?

All the same, I can’t despair as this procrastinating and avoiding the death of an artist has encouraged me to work on more paranormal work. It’s the sequel to Isis, Vampires and Ghosts – Oh My! (which has just had its publishing contract finalised with Hague Publishing by the way) and is tentatively titled There’s no place like Hell. So far so good.

Some may say that because I read so much paranormal fiction, I write it also. Yeeees, but I’ve been absorbed in reading the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton of late and I really don’t feel you can get more cosy crime than that! She kills people, I wonder how easy she finds it all?

Oh well, I will find a way, and the right sort of blunt object to bump off my artist. I am sure I will. 🙂 And I will freely admit this weekly post is a bit of a rushed waffle as we had a fabulously warm and sunny day here today and I spent most of it out in the garden with the new chickens. So perhaps that is also why I can’t kill her? Or was that just my procrastinating nature again? 😉

Still, this may be a sign that cosy crime is not for me… despite how much fun coming up with plots and titles can truly be. And I will never give up reading this genre as it’s just too much fun to avoid.

For now, I will go back to consorting with demons, chatting to ghosts and possibly even approaching the side effects of Maths That Stays – pockets of time. That is going to be fun!

Until next time,

Janis XXOO

Okay, so last week I started this whole pros and cons thing by addressing the appeal and dislike (if there really is such a thing) of owning and using paper books. As promised, this week it’s all about the eBook!

I will start by pointing out this is not a review of eReaders or eBook aps. No. I have my preferred ones; you may have yours, wonderful. We can now enjoy our eBooks using the method that suits us best. This is more as to why the actual story, in the form of an eBook, has their good and bad points.

And so here we go…

The Pros of eBooks…

My first and foremost has to be that I can keep on getting eBooks long after my physical bookshelves have become overfull and I simply can’t fit another book, let alone another bookshelf, into my home. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain series I have been collecting in paper form for years and so will complete their set in paper. However, there are simply dozens of authors and series of books I’ve baulk at owning as I just don’t have the space. Yes I enjoyed the books and the author’s work, but not enough for me to have given up precious bookshelf space for. Now, with the wonderful world of eBooks, I have clouds of shelves instead and so the collecting can once more commence. Yes!!!

To go with this, eBooks are far more portable. No, hear me out! Yes I know that there are loads of paper books just as portable in the plain sense of the word. However, I am talking about the portability of multiple books. When I have to go to those dreaded job interviews of spend hours in waiting rooms for other appointments, I’d often forget the book I was reading and my brain would slowly turn to sludge reading whatever hideous fashion magazines had been left out… just to pacify you into submission out of sheer boredom I swear! However, since the mid 1990’s I’ve always had a mobile phone with me. And these days, it’s also a link to my lovely cloud of books. Never a dull magazine again!

Then there is going on holiday with limited space to put all the books you may or may not want to read while away. These days, not a problem – I have my phone and I have my eReader. So what if I can’t have them switched on during take-off and landing? If you want to be reading a paper book during those times, go for it. But as I am usually too busy fussing over hordes (my children) claiming we’re about to die, or just enjoying the concept of science at work (yah, I’m a nerd remember?) I don’t generally have the time to read. However, when stuck with no wi-fi, no TV and kids asleep early after a hard days holidaying… Why hello cloud library, long time no see! 🙂

Although this next one will also appear in the cons section – affordability! Oh I agree that there is an overabundance of ‘cheap and nasty’ (poorly written and/or edited) eBooks out there as every man, woman, dog and cat can self-publish these days. But some of my favourite authors, who have written hundreds of good books (some are now even TV series and radio shows) are available as eBooks. And these were people I felt I could never own simply as I didn’t have the space or budget for their books. Now I can buy them for under $10 (sometimes under $5) and I am happy. Finally I can own and read them whenever I want, rather than have to hunt through the inter-library loan system and just pray the copy I finally end up with isn’t too dog-eared and mucky.

Ebooks are also so very flexible to read. No, I know you can’t bend them and creased them and what not like some evil people do to books. But that’s called damaging them and we just won’t go there. What I love about my eBook world is that at night, when the usual insomnia kicks in, I can curl up under the blankets and, without needing to turn any lights on, can ‘open’ up my eBook and read away in the darkness until the evil thoughts that awoke me are thumped into submission by my imagination and a well written story. Others I share my bed with are also thankful of this as it means I don’t have the bloody light on all night keeping them from sleep. Insomnia, shouldn’t be shared so just kill it with an eBook. 😉

Now, I am admittedly new to eBooks and so may be proven wrong on this one. But I also like how you can’t really lend them to a friend. And there goes that argument of it being returned vs the same copy of the book now being in your friend’s possession. Me, bitter? Nah!

So onto the other side…

The Cons of eBooks…

Now I don’t know if this one should really be included, as it’s more about the eReader than the eBooks but here it is anyway: They’re not as durable as a paper book. Basically, you spill your coffee on it, it’s gone. Your library should still be up there in that magical cloud… but it’s not as if you can prop it by the fire or use the hairdryer on it until it’s back to normal and keep reading a slightly stained version. Nor can you lay in a hot bath and enjoy an eBook. Well, I’ve not even dared to try that one so am just guessing it sounds like a good afternoon ruined.

The impact of owning hundreds of eBooks just isn’t the same as having a house lined with shelves of paper books either. I mean, people inwardly groan and suffer in silence when you show them pictures of your kids or your last weekend on your phone… do you really think they want to sit there and ooh and ahh over you thumbing your way through pictures of books out there somewhere in that cloud? It’s just not the same. The wow factor is gone. Plus, it is rather suspicious when your eBook device smells of cinnamon and cloves. Just saying.

Another is the tactile nature of the eBook. Don’t get me wrong, I have a cover for my eReader that is soft and so nice and really is pleasing to touch and hold and enjoy a good book on. But it really isn’t the same as the paper version. You know it, I know it… there is a tactile beauty in even the oldest, rattiest book that is lost when it becomes just words behind a glass screen… no matter how pretty that case and cover is.

Quantity over quality rears its ugly head here too. As mentioned, every man, woman, cat and dog can self-publish these days. And, well, quite frankly – not all of them should. Yes there are some great self-published eBooks but by god there is some crud too. If it’s really cheap or free… that should be telling you something. Yes it may be a promotion to a really fantastic new author or series. Or, more commonly, it’ll be something that has either been badly written, badly edited and well, is just bad. Wading through all of this to discover a new author can be daunting and far less enjoyable than wandering through a paper book store. I mean, who doesn’t love to waste a rainy afternoon in a really good, old second hand book shop?

Remember I mentioned cost? Yes, this one is a killer for me. I tend to read one to two books a week and have recently been doing it by buying the eBook version as I’ve been unable to make it to my local library due to injury. It’s quick, it’s easy and quite often you won’t realise exactly how much you’ve just spent on these books hidden in the clouds until you monthly bill turns up. Can I get an Eeep?

If I was to buy the same amount of books in their physical form (even if done via a simple point and click online bookshop) I will know there and then that the budget has been blown. Plus the wait for them to arrive tends to deter me from being so frivolous. But with an eBook… find it, click to buy it, read it…. Receive the bill, clutch your chest, consider what groceries you can forego for the month ahead and do your damnedest not to do it again. Buying eBooks can become very addictive.

Again, I’ve surely missed some of the pros and cons on being an eBook owner… but here are my basics. If asked to choose between paper and eBooks… I don’t know if I could give a straight black or white answer. But I’ve always been a bit of a grey person myself as it is. I love them both; own them both and one day hope to be published in both. Thankfully I don’t have to choose… I just have to watch my budget as the latest in one of my favourite paper book series is out soon and I must find the money and space for it!

How about you? Paper or plastic? 😉

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

Seriously though, is it really a shameless plug if it’s done on my own blog site that was set up just so I could plug my work and waffle on about writing stuff?

Anyway, what I am going on about is my current favourite review for Bonnie’s Story – A Blonde’s Guide to Mathematics. It was a sponsored review given by the San Francisco/ Sacramento Book Review and is pretty darn cool. I know a lot of people are thinking ‘Well, being a sponsored review means you paid them to say something nice.” So I would like to put the record straight by saying they guarantee to review your book for the fee paid… but they never promise it will be a flattering review. So, to get a 4 out of 5 stars review, yes I’m happy. 🙂

Oh, and I didn’t pay for it. My Publisher did. 😉

Want to see the reason I am bragging? You can read the full review for free here!

Or, support this cool Book Review magazine by buying a copy here.

And, without giving any spoilers, I will just add that yes it’s almost as good as a free brownie and hot chocolate to have my writing likened to that of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. 🙂

Haven’t bought a copy of Bonnie’s Story yet? Check out my Where to buy page for more info.

Okay, shameless plug over. As you all were.

Janis. XXOO

Being an avid reader and lover of books, as well as a published author of an eBook, I’ve been asked a lot which do I actually prefer. It used to be plain and simple – paper books. Hard cover, soft cover, magazines, etc. All the better to hold and feel.

However, the more I dabble in being the owner of eBooks and eReaders, the more I am starting to waver. I share a house with my husband and three kids and there is limited bookshelf space or, more importantly, limited space to put in more bookshelves. And, yes, we have a lot of them already – all being avid readers and book lovers. All I can say now is eBooks have given me more bookshelves!

Now, I won’t do the pros and cons of paper books vs eBooks as the one blog post. No, I want to give them each equal space and so I will focus on paper books for this one and save eBooks for next.

And so…

The Pros of Paper Books…

I think the biggest pro for me is having the honour to own some really old books. I have a bit of a cookery book habit… as in I love to collect cookery books. And by calling them ‘cookery books’, rather than ‘cook books’, I hope you realise this means they are usually old. The majority of the ones I treasure are now fifty to sixty years old. Yes people, the 1960’s were fifty years ago now… I’m sorry to break it to you. However, some of my most favourite cookery books are eighty to one hundred years old. They are brilliant in what they demonstrate you can make from apparently nothing, plus are a wonderful window into the world that was. One of my favourite lines from my 1909 cookery book is the serving suggestion for a dish of four lamb chops. Something like: ‘Would suit four ladies at a luncheon or two gentlemen for supper’. Oh I could go on about cookery books, but I was really just trying to use them as an example to why an old book is so cool to own in paper form.

I mean, yes, you can own the same book as a dull old eBook copy… but it honestly isn’t the same.

Another pro is the smell of books. I’m sorry, but I do happen to like the smell of books. That musty, dusty, papery smell of books en masse in one place for a decent amount of time. Yes, depending on where they’ve been stored they may take on the odour of cockroach or rodent… but in my family they smell of cloves and cinnamon. Why? As these are natural pest repellents to silverfish and other paper eating bugs. So whole cloves and cinnamon sticks are scattered behind the books on the shelves, or poured into the boxes storing them elsewhere. And, to me, it’s so wonderful to crack open a much loved, much read book of mine and be enveloped in that papery, musty and clove scent.

The feel is, of course, the next one. Curling up on the couch by the fire with hot beverage in one hand and good book in another is heaven. Though you do need to ensure it’s a correctly proportioned book for how you are curled, as it can become more of a juggle if you’re say reading an eight hundred page plus hard cover epic, compared to a nice little paperback of around eighty thousand words.

The achievement/ ability to show off that you love books would round all these up. I don’t know about you, but being able to walk into a home and see the walls lined with bookshelves full of books is pretty impressive to me. It’s the wow factor. Look at me, I love books this much! And, as long as all those books are indeed loved and read regularly… then that’s okay. You look a bit of a dork if they’re untouched and all the same thing. Think the pretend books they display in bookshelves at places like Ikea. ‘Display only’ books in a home are a big turn off…. Which makes a great opening to the:

The Cons of Paper Books…

Yes, ‘display only’ style bookshelves in a home do make you look the pretentious numpty. It would be far better if you gave the books away to a good home and just kept all the DVDs you really watch in the shelves instead. Then there is the fact that owning so many books means you have a lot of dusting to do. As a mildly dusty smell may be good, but having to wipe off an inch thickness of dust and cobwebs to see the title on the spine is bad. Very bad. And cloves and cinnamon only go so far to deter things eating them.

Speaking of things eating them, kids and pets don’t go well with paper books. Yes you could say they don’t go well with eBooks either… but seeing your electronic device flushed down the toilet and eaten as a chew toy isn’t as heart aching as opening your one hundred year old book to see a yellow crayon smiley face over the recipe you were reading. Or, and this really has happened, forgetting to lock your bored parrot in the laundry and so coming home to see the hundreds of books in your bookshelves now spineless as they were such fun for the bird to pull apart. No, we didn’t suddenly have a new feather duster.

Size and volume, as impressive as it can seem, can be a pain when trying to actually read them. I have a large, hard cover medical text book on anatomy and physiology I enjoy reading. (I like knowing how it all works, okay?) Thing is, not a book to curl up on the couch with. Too big, too cumbersome and its hard cover corners are just so gosh darn pointy! Anything you read on your eReader is all the same size. Just saying.

A con that was also a pro is the smell. Yes, if you’ve had the misfortune to have to store your books somewhere there are rodents, cockroaches or say, the ability to flood, the smell of your books isn’t always that nice. Mould and mildew, rodent stink and roach stains. It’s heartbreaking. Worse than act of parrot.

Which brings you to the up keep of paper books. Yes there is the dusty, pest repelling, rodent de-odourising and pet and child proofing side. Yes there is the finding a decent place to store them all (shelves, boxes or otherwise). But just finding a place to store them and look after them can be a full time job. Let alone when you are gullible enough to lend a book to someone you felt was a friend. Yes, they may have been a very good friend when the book was loaned out… but what about when it is returned all dog-eared and stained? Or – horror of horrors – never returned though they swear blind that they did. And no that is not your copy of the book now in their shelves; it was a copy they bought after reading it. Sure.

I am positive there are more pros and cons to all this, but I don’t want to go writing a novel on it all. All in all, paper books can be a great thing to own and something I hope to always have in my possession. But you do need to look at both sides of things before stating they are the only type of book to own and read.

My next weekly post – the pros and cons of eBooks.

Until next time,

Janis. XXOO

This blog post is a little different. Think of it as a brain dump as to how I feel about being an Author.

Now, trust me when I say I would love to be comfortably well off thanks to royalty payments from my books. And, maybe one day I will even get to the level of paying a phone bill with them. Woo! But I have approached this ‘being a published author’ thing with both feet on the ground and what I’d like to think is a firm grasp on reality. Well, I may not have when I started… but I’ve finally found my place in it all.

Here’s the thing, when I told my friends I had signed my first publishing contract I got the usual “Remember us when you’re rich and famous” or “Wow, you’ll be raking it in” and took it in the jest the majority of it was intended. When asked what I hoped to achieve with one of my works finally being out there in the public eye, my response was simple – I hope they enjoy it after buying it and I hope to earn enough per quarter to go to my favourite chocolatier café for a hot chocolate and a brownie. And you know what? First royalty payment – I achieved my dream. Yay!

No I am not a defeatist or only think small. Yes I am a cynical and sarcastic cow… but that’s not the point either. I write because I have to. It’s almost like the need to breathe and eat. Stories take over my train of thought and I find myself running scenarios over and over in there until I just have to write it down to free my brain up for more important things. Like where I left the kids, what was I making for dinner and how that stain got into the carpet?

I have honestly been writing stories since I was taught to write and string sentences together. I never set out to become a millionaire (either over night or through time) from my writing. I simply had a story I wanted to share and it just got to the point where some people felt it was good enough to share by them publishing it while others thought it was good enough by reading it. Ta da – My secret is out!

When I realised someone wanted to publish my work I thought them a kind soul giving me a break. I never expected instant fame and fortune. Heck, I will admit to being pompous enough to feel what I wrote was worth publishing, but that was about it. Which is why I set my goal for being a published author as what it was – hot chocolate and a brownie. I refuse to say I set my goal low, I merely set it at what I felt was an acceptable level of reality.

Yes I can write, oooh I even got published! Yeah so? Where in the line of millions of others with the exact same CV do I now stand?

Why aren’t we all getting a ticker tape parade as we’re now authors don’t you know? Meh, we’re all now authors. Small, unknown, emerging authors who are either self-published or have been lucky enough to have a small Indie Publisher take their time, effort and money to take a risk on our work. I am happy… Now.

For those of you who still need lots of gold star reviews, attention and that even elusive royalty cheque for thousands of dollars – you need to be out there. Shaking you assets, schmoozing the crowds, waving your book about and acting the spoilt only child by shouting ‘Look at me!’  I even do this from time to time. Yes because I want to go to the café again after my next quarter payments are sent.  I also do it as I want to thank the people who are taking the risk on me and hoping they make what they can from our success… limited or otherwise.

The most interesting thing about my secret is this happiness of being an author is new to me. Days old in fact. Yes I never expected stardom or fame and fortune… but initially I felt nothing. I just smiled and nodded at all my friends and family getting excited about me getting the publishing contract, I just grinned and beared it when I had to do photo shoots for newspaper articles or attended my book launches. The funny thing is I think my writing is good enough to be on show, but I personally hate being in the public eye. Initially I even felt despondent and disappointed more than elated and excited. I felt my book was good enough to have the major publishers at least skim it rather than bin it as soon as they got it. I felt the literary agents who strung me along with questions and bios wouldn’t then drop me or simply ignore me. I. Was. Good!

Remember my comment about the millions of others just like me? We’re all good… but there are millions of us! I didn’t even want to sign to my publisher as they were a small, Indie place and my first book, green and arrogant as I was, deserved better. Then my publisher sent me their business plan and I realised – wow! They have limited time, limited funds and they want to risk them on me? Their existence in the literary world is fragile and they want to help me become published as they felt my book was worth the gamble? And I signed. My first book is good. I rather enjoy it and others seem to as well… but now I’ve taken the rose coloured glasses off, it wasn’t going to get me the attention I so felt it deserved. But it has got the attention it needed, and given me the experience I really needed too. And, remember it is merely my first book.

Once I was out there shaking my assets and schmoozing, I hit a new barrier. The literary circles in the part of the world I live in are rather snobby. They go to universities to learn to write, rather than just teach themselves like I did. They write literary fiction, not the common as muck commercial fiction I love to both write and read. They want real paper books you can hold in your hand, not a business card giving them the link to where they can download my eBook. Despite being 6’2 and taller than all these folks, they do a very good job of looking down their noses at me and dismissing me as one of those millions I keep mentioning. And I let it get to me.

And then, the other day, in the afterglow of my first royalty payment, I had to update my writing history and I suddenly realised exactly how awesome I was. Yes I am still one of those millions, but guess what? I have my money for that first hot chocolate and brownie! For writing my commercial fiction eBook! Better yet, I’ve just signed my second publishing contract within twelve months of signing my first. And, I got to choose which publisher to go with as I had more than one offer. Yes they were both Indie publishers, but hey – two offers! It will mean that, hopefully, this time next year I can shout a friend when I go for my drink and cake. Yes!

I’m also embarking on a new series of books that my very small fan base is looking forward to reading. Even if I don’t find a publisher for it to be shared worldwide, I still have people willing to read it and asking to read it. This is what I really wanted all along. And hey, they can always pay me with a visit to a café for a hot chocolate and a brownie.

So, there you go. You have my secret and can hopefully see that being one of millions is still pretty awesome.

My only advice from all of this, to other emerging authors (or even those wanting to take the first steps to being an emerging author) is this: write because you enjoy writing, not because you want to make money. Set realistic goals, no matter how good your writing is. There are millions of very good writers out there, but there are only a few lucky ones who got noticed and get the big bucks. And, for heaven’s sake – write! Don’t just say you’re going to. Don’t just tippy tap at it a few times a month. Write. Write it all down, don’t re-read every single page every time you do it, don’t try and edit it while it’s still being written. Just write it down until it is finished. Then analyse it, pick it to bits, edit the crap out of it. But finish it first. Research your audience, research your options of how to become published and research the millions of us also out there.

Maybe one day we can shout each other to a hot chocolate and brownie as we are Authors!

Janis. XXOO

PS: THE brownie the royalties went on. It was the size of my smartphone and twice as thick. The dark hot chocolate drink was good too. Strong, dark, bitter and a bit like being smacked in the face with a chocolate pillow… er…. in a good way that is.

Thank you Chocolate @No 5 in Hahndorf for helping me living the dream. 🙂

See, life as an author is what you make it to be.