ITW Debut Authors - First Kill's Posts - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T12:14:09ZITW Debut Authors - First Killhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ITWDebutAuthorshttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/60988016?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=ITWDebutAuthors&xn_auth=noCJ Lyons - Diggin' The Goldtag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-09-19:537324:BlogPost:735922007-09-19T03:11:38.000ZITW Debut Authors - First Killhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ITWDebutAuthors
<p><font size="2">I just returned from a trip filled with firsts. My first trip to Denver; my first time doing the "face" thing with booksellers, asking them to remember my book and perhaps schedule me for an event next March when LIFELINES debuts; my first Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold conference; and my first ever keynote speech.<br></br><br></br>Can I just say, Wow!!! <br></br><br></br>I was nervous about all of the above except visiting Denver. Turns out that was the only thing I should…</font></p>
<p><font size="2">I just returned from a trip filled with firsts. My first trip to Denver; my first time doing the "face" thing with booksellers, asking them to remember my book and perhaps schedule me for an event next March when LIFELINES debuts; my first Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers' Colorado Gold conference; and my first ever keynote speech.<br/><br/>Can I just say, Wow!!! <br/><br/>I was nervous about all of the above except visiting Denver. Turns out that was the only thing I should have been worried about—the first night I stayed with a friend at high elevation and got acute mountain sickness. Otherwise known as barf-o-rama in the guest bathroom.<br/><br/>But the next day I was fine. We traveled to bookstores in Denver and Boulder and holy smokes, this place felt like a writers Nirvana! <br/><br/>Not only were there bookstores everywhere (the nearest one to me here at home is 30 minutes away and is a chain store) but they were filled with people—gulp—reading!!! Not to mention the wonderful booksellers, like Lauri Ver Schure at</font> <a href="http://www.murderbythebook.com/"><font color="#0000FF" size="2">Murder by the Book</font></a> <font size="2">and Cynthia Nye at</font> <a href="http://www.highcrimesbooks.com/"><font color="#0000FF" size="2">High Crimes Mystery Bookstore.</font></a><font size="2"><br/><br/>Both of these wonderful ladies ignored their ringing phones and inventory stocking to stop and chat books with us—aw bliss! Not only were they warm and welcoming to this soon-to-be-released author, they seemed genuinely interested in LIFELINES and its cross-genre appeal to their customers. <br/><br/>Being in their stores, talking with people who love books as much as I do felt like coming home!<br/><br/>And that same welcome-home feeling continued once I made it to the conference. The folks at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers not only put on a stellar conference that was well-organized and filled with great workshops and panels, they also exhibit a level of writing talent that is truly amazing.<br/><br/>There I was sitting with people like Jeanne Stein, a newly minted NYT bestseller; Mario Acevedo whose vampire detective stories are as sly and witty as the man himself is in real life; YA author Bonnie Ramthun whose mastery of all things Mac kept me from committing hari-kari via laptop; and the always uplifting and energizing NYT bestseller Joan Johnston who offered her wisdom and expert advice on this wild and whacky publishing business.<br/><br/>Then they call me up to give the Kickoff Keynote Address. Yikes! Here I am, unknown, unpublished (until next March!), about the most unlikely Guest of Honor you could ever meet…..and my job is to inspire and motivate all these wonderfully talented people??? <br/><br/>Yet, somehow, I wasn't nervous or scared. That's how comfortable and accepted they made me feel. And with folks like Vicki Law, Marne Kirstatter, and my hostess, Margie Lawson, leading the way, how could I feel anything but?<br/><br/>So I spoke from the heart. Asking hard questions, sharing a little of my own life and the answers I've discovered, challenging the audience to search for their own answers. My speech was titled after the conference itself: Dreams to Reality and in it I explored why I write and what makes a "real" writer.<br/><br/>I was certain it was all just maudlin-Disneyesque crap, wondered right up to the moment I stepped on stage if I shouldn't just grab a football and punt it as my "kickoff" instead. But they laughed at all the right spots, cheered at all the right spots, even cried (well, not Mario of course—he has that tough guy vampire detective street cred to keep intact).<br/><br/>Afterwards, the most amazing thing happened. For the next two days of the conference, writers—published and unpublished—kept coming up to me and thanking me!!! Saying that my speech had touched them, inspired them, helped them as writers.<br/><br/>Now it was my turn to blink back tears—I felt so privileged that they would invite me into their lives and share that with me. <br/><br/>I realized that this also reflects my highest aspirations for my writing—to reach out, connect with a reader and through them change the world, one reader at a time. How fitting is it that I plan to return to Denver and launch LIFELINES at Left Coast Crime next March?<br/><br/>Although, it seems desperately far away, because now I'm hooked!! I want to have this feeling again—and again and again!!<br/><br/>Thanks for reading!<br/>CJ Lyons</font></p>Five Secrets to Break Free of the Slushpiletag:crimespace.ning.com,2007-09-16:537324:BlogPost:707022007-09-16T10:35:05.000ZITW Debut Authors - First Killhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/ITWDebutAuthors
<font size="3">By</font> <a href="http://www.cjlyons.net/"><font size="3">CJ Lyons</font></a><br></br><br></br><font size="3"><b>Secret One: Write the damn book!</b><br></br><br></br>Of course, the all important first step is to finish a manuscript. Maybe not even one, it might take several. Most people don't realize it, but the average published author writes over half a million words before they sell.<br></br><br></br>Let me repeat that. Half a million words.<br></br><br></br>We may hear of those "overnight" successes, but…</font>
<font size="3">By</font> <a href="http://www.cjlyons.net/"><font size="3">CJ Lyons</font></a><br/><br/><font size="3"><b>Secret One: Write the damn book!</b><br/><br/>Of course, the all important first step is to finish a manuscript. Maybe not even one, it might take several. Most people don't realize it, but the average published author writes over half a million words before they sell.<br/><br/>Let me repeat that. Half a million words.<br/><br/>We may hear of those "overnight" successes, but they are rare.<br/><br/>Just be prepared that you might not hit a home run the first time out—but that's all right, because you'll be building contacts and learning valuable tips that will help your writing career. <br/><br/>Yet, despite knowing this, agents and editors report that 80% of the manuscripts they request never show up on their doorstep—or if they do, it's months to years later. Why? Because the writer pitched the manuscript before it was finished.<br/><br/>Think elephants have long memories? It's nothing compared to an agent's or editor's memory of the time you wasted!<br/><br/><b>Secret Two: Relax!</b><br/><br/>If you get sweaty palms and a feeling of dread as if your entire future as a novelist depends on what you can cram into this one page, relax. Why? Because the purpose of a query letter is NOT to sell your book. It is simply to make the agent or editor TURN THE PAGE. <br/><br/><b>Secret Three: Your top-secret weapon: the Blurb.</b><br/><br/>Your blurb is your most powerful tool. It's your chance to give a publishing pro a taste of your writing skills. The goal is, like fine wine or chocolate, to leave them wanting more!<br/><br/>It's also a great tool to use as a quick pitch at conferences and when people ask that dreaded question: what's your story about? <br/><br/></font><font size="3"><b>Secret Four: Rejection isn't always a bad thing.<br/></b><br/>Every rejection takes you one step closer to publication.<br/><br/>Yes, your dream agent regretfully declined your current manuscript. Okay, have a drink, take a moment to feel sorry for yourself if you must, but then turn around and take another look at that rejection letter.<br/><br/>If it asked or suggested revisions, then it's not a rejection letter. So grab your red pen and get to work.<br/><br/>If it invited you to re-submit future work, then you've made contact with a professional in the industry who is truly interested in your writing. Don't fumble the ball and cross them off your list—agents are over-whelmed with submissions and wouldn't be asking for more unless they meant it.<br/><br/>If it's a simple form letter that didn't even spell your name right, then paste it on the dart board and smile, because that agent wasn't the right one for you anyway! Turn around and get your next submission package out the door the very same day. <br/><br/><b>Secret Five: No Rules, Just Write!</b> <br/><br/>Attitude is everything in this business. You must not only stay positive and professional but also passionate about your work. <br/><br/>After all, if you aren't passionate about your writing, how can you expect an agent or editor to be?<br/><br/><b>Biography:</b><br/>Award winning medical suspense author CJ Lyons is a physician trained in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Winner of the Golden Gateway and a Golden Heart Finalist in Romantic Suspense, CJ is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. Her writing has appeared in Romantic Times BookReviews, CrimeSpree, and Spinetingler Magazine. Her debut medical suspense novel, LIFELINES, will be published by Berkley March, 2008. <br/><br/>Copyright 2007, all rights reserved, CJ Lyons<br/><br/></font>