So it’s nearly 1:30 AM on Monday and I’m coming off a 48-hour writing binge. I didn’t quite reach my goal, but I’m still happy with what I got done. I have a few more pages left to polish, but I edited most of the day today (Sunday) and I’m really happy with it. It’s solid work. I have to pack it in now, because this blog post is due and I’m tired enough to start making silly typo mistakes (if you find some in here, I hope you forgive them), but if I had more time and energy, I’d still be writing. There’s plenty more story waiting to get from my brain onto the page. Instead you’ll get an off the cuff blog post from me that I hope doesn’t make you cross-eyed.

I disconnected in order to get so much done. I shut off my Outlook and all my instant message programs. I ignored the phone. The family did all the cooking. In the vacuum created by the lack of distractions, I connected with my characters and my story in a way I needed to and I hit “the zone.” I love that. I’ve missed that.

When I first started writing in Fall ‘03, I wasn’t a member of RWA. I used the internet for sending e-mail and Christmas shopping, but that’s it. When I sat down to write, there was nothing to get in the way. What else would I do at the computer? E-mail was sparse and social networking wasn’t around yet. Or if it was, no one I knew was aware of it. How times have changed.

But that’s okay and I’m not complaining about the things that take us away from writing. As the burden of book promotion continues to fall more and more heavily on the author, it’s to be expected that the promotional avenues that are inexpensive or free of monetary cost require an investment of time instead. And let’s face it, social networking can be fun and rewarding.

Being more accessible online is just one of the many changes that have been happening in the industry since I first began writing. Looking back to those days when I first started, so much is different now.

Some of the bigger book news from last week:

B. Dalton bookstores are closing forever — Wow. I’m so bummed about that. The bookstores in malls are always a stop for me during holiday shopping. Now some malls don’t have any bookstores at all. Waldenbooks has been steadily closing for years. Soon they’ll be gone, too.

Walmart jumps into online bookselling with both feet — not only that, but they’re starting a new program called “America’s Reading List” through which they’ll be offering give 50% off or more on 200 current bestsellers. (I remember when they cut the size of their book departments just a couple years ago. This big push for books is quite a turnaround from that.) Most bookstores, including the chains (who usually sell books at full sticker price), can’t compete with that. And why is $9.99 for an ebook “unrealistically low”?

Barnes& Noble is getting ready to unveil a hot new e-reader — I’m hoping more of these devices are all-inclusive when it comes to file format. And I’m dying to see what Apple’s iTablet will be like.

What do you think will be next? How different will book selling and publishing be in a year? Two years? What do you wish would happen?

And I can’t forget this: Lorena’s comment number was selected by Random.org to win my Brava backlist. Thank you, everyone, for your comments.

©2010 Murder She Writes. All Rights Reserved.

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It’s been almost one year (short by just ONE day) since I posted my first blog here on MSW. Where has the year gone? An ENTIRE year?

Despite my shock at the passing of time, it certainly feels like October today. It’s fifty degrees outside right now, which is pretty darn cold for Southern California. If I weren’t contaminated by the conference bug I picked up at Lora Leigh’s RAW last week, I’d welcome the change in temperature. As it is, though, being chilly while sick is no fun.

Looking back on the past year, I have to say that things haven’t turned out at all the way I anticipated. What I thought would come to fruition by this time, hasn’t. And things I NEVER thought would happen in a million years, did. I’m not lamenting the way everything turned out or even that I couldn’t have predicted any of it. A lot of it was fabulous, and I love being surprised by the twists and turns that life takes. Unpredictability keeps me on my toes and keeps things interesting. Which is the fodder for fiction, of course.

However, the passing of Kate Duffy has been a huge blow. She was very dear to me. In addition to buying twelve books from me in three years (to the very day), she held my hand through the trials and tribulations I experienced through multiple agents and editors. She was a tireless champion for my work and a wonderful mentor. She taught me so much about writing and the publishing industry. She was blunt and truthful to a fault, which I adored. She was rare in her ability and willingness to nurture authors. No matter what premise I came up with, she’d let me run with it. “You lead,” she’d say, “I’ll follow.” She never hesitated to make an author feel special and valued. Whenever the negotiations for new contracts was finished, she’d call me and say, “Thank you for allowing Kensington to publish your wonderful books. It’s an honor.”

It was an honor to write for her. I feel so blessed to have had the chance to do so for as long as I did. I became a better writer because I strove to earn the esteem she had for me. Through her, I learned how wonderful the author/editor relationship can be. I hope one day soon I’ll be able to think of her without crying, as I’m doing now.

Sylvia Day, Kate Duffy, Jill Shalvis

To celebrate my one year anniversary here at MSW, I’m giving away my entire Brava backlist (the books I wrote for Kate) to one commenter. Thanks for chatting with me over the last year!

©2010 Murder She Writes. All Rights Reserved.

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