HOW AND WHY I WRITE
I’ve another guest blog, this one for Donna Fletcher Crow. You can read about how and why I write at: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/articles.php?id=152
Archive for the ‘WRITING’ Category
NEW GUEST BLOG
Ever wonder how Aviva spends her day? Now you can read all about it on Dru Ann L. Love’s blog site: https://notesfromme.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/rabbi-aviva-cohen/
TAG, YOU’RE IT: MY NEXT BIG THING
There’s a new internet game making the rounds – no, not souped up versions of Jewel Blitz or Words with Friends. It’s called “Blog Tag,” and I was tagged by Donna Fletcher Crow to be “it” this week, and to write about my Next Big Thing.
Donna is the author of thirty-eight books, including the Monastery Murders, among other series. Last February, she and I wrote on each other’s blogs about “Clerical Mysteries: What and Why.” (Scroll way down on this page to read her blog, and go to http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/articles.php?id=107 to see mine.)
Donna’s Next Big Thing is the latest soon-to-be-released book in her Lord Danvers Victorian True-Crime series: A Tincture of Murder. To quote Donna, “As with all the Lord Danvers books, A Tincture of Murder recounts a true crime from Victorian England with a fictional murder woven around it.” Read more at: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/articles.php?id=147
And my Next Big Thing? No, not the release this week of Unleavened Dead. Not even my Book Launch Party on Sunday, December 9, at 4:30 PM (yes, after the Eagles game, for those of you die-hard fans who haven’t given up on them yet), at the Barnes and Noble on Rte. 70 in Marlton, NJ. No, my Next Big Thing is the 3rd Rabbi Aviva Cohen Mystery, Yom Killer. (Kudos to my younger son, Ari, for coming up with the name a couple of years ago when we were brainstorming title ideas for future adventures of Rabbi Aviva Cohen.)
I actually began work on Yom Killer shortly after I finished the first draft of Unleavened Dead. I wrote three pages. Then I put it aside to revise and shop Unleavened Dead. Then I looked at those three pages, decided they didn’t work, and rewrote them. Then I auctioned and sold off naming rights for characters as a fund-raiser for Congregation Beth Tikvah (http://www.btikvah.org). I knew at that point that I was committed to getting beyond three pages – there’s no way I could introduce all the new characters in that small a space. And it would make for a very confusing and boring – and short – novel. So I reread what I had rewritten, didn’t like it, and rewrote it. And there it sits. Until now. Or soon. As soon as I finish all the guest blogs I’ve promised to write. As soon as I finish all the PR and marketing I need to do to give Unleavened Dead a good launch. As soon as real life stops interrupting what I really want to do.
I’m not a planner: I don’t outline my books. I’m a pantser: I write by the seat of my pants. Of course, I have some idea what will be happening in my books, but mostly I let my characters tell me what they want to do and what is happening. In Yom Killer, I know that Aviva’s elderly mother has suffered a stroke – maybe – and has been hospitalized, despite her express, written orders that she does not want to be. And ignoring advanced directives is not the only problem Aviva uncovers at the assisted living facility her mother has called home for several years. The new owners have converted it from a non-profit to a for-profit facility, and will no longer accept residents who rely on Medicare or Medicaid (I’ll figure out which is which eventually) payments to pay their fees. And the residents who have lived there under the old rules are supposed to be “grandfathered” in, but seem to be dying in alarming numbers, even for the elderly. Of course, Aviva can’t ignore what she suspects is going on, especially when she finds out her mother (with her granddaughter’s help) had hacked into the owners’ financial records and uncovered some suspicious bookkeeping practices. And especially when a medical resident at the hospital wonders out loud why Aviva’s mother, who fell forward and hit her head on the sink, has a bruise not just on her forehead (as expected), but on the back of her head. A bruise that looks as though it could have been caused by the proverbial blunt instrument. Now it’s personal.
All I have left to do is figure out how to get from Point A (the beginning) to Point Z (the end). And not have the obvious bad guy be the bad guy. But at least I know the bad guy’s name: he paid the highest amount at the character name auction.
Next week, check out Denise Weeks’ NEXT BIG THING at: http://deniseweeks.blogspot.com
UNLEAVENED DEAD IN PRINT NOW!
UNLEAVENED DEAD NOW AVAILABLE AT http://www.amazon.com/Unleavened-Dead-Ilene-Schneider/dp/1610091981/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353091870&sr=1-1&keywords=Unleavened+dead
And don’t forget the Launch Party, Sunday, December 9, 4:30 PM, Barnes and Noble, Rte. 70, Marlton.
RSVPs appreciated – we don’t want to run out of cake!
FIRST REVIEWS OF UNLEAVENED DEAD
I asked five authors whose works I enjoy (and whom I have met) to read the unedited manuscript of Unleavened Dead, and, if they liked the book, to write a blurb to appear on the back cover. All five accepted, and all five wrote nice mini-reviews. In order to fit all five onto the back cover (along with the book description, my bio, and my picture), we had to cut down the already short comments to a few snippets.
All five have given me permission to post the full blurbs on my website/blog. Please help me thank them by clicking on the links for their websites. And, even better, read their books. You won’t be disappointed.
And here they are (in alphabetical order):
In Ilene Schneider’s Unleavened Dead, Rabbi Aviva Cohen is funny, smart, and believable. Somehow between worrying about her job, her weight, and her exes, she keeps getting involved in murders, but her slide into crime-solving is seamless. A smoothly written and entirely enjoyable read!
– Sheila Connolly, Agatha Award nominated author of the Orchard Mysteries and the Museum Mysteries; www.sheilaconnolly.com
Rabbi Aviva is back – and never in better form – if never more stressed. The pressure of Passover preparations with a wedding the night before, Aviva’s complicated relationship with her ex-husband and turmoil in her niece’s life should be enough, but then people close to Aviva start dying in suspicious circumstances. And then the mob shows up. As always, Schneider gives us a wonderful picture of life in a Jewish community – Chaim Potok with a wacky sense of humor.
– Donna Fletcher Crow, A Darkly Hidden Truth, The Monastery Murders 2; www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com
Ilene Schneider’s Unleavened Dead is like dishing with your girlfriend the rabbi, who leads a really interesting life. Three mysterious deaths, an evil therapist, a crowd of menacing murder suspects, a tangle of shul politics, a still-attractive ex-husband – What’s not to like?
– Kate Gallison, author of The Edge of Ruin (as Irene Fleming), winner of the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance fiction award; www.kategallison.com.
Oy vey, this book made me smile. With two good mysteries, a dysfunctional family, and an inside look at life as a female rabbi-cum-amateur sleuth, Unleavened Dead is a book you don’t want to miss.
– Barb Goffman, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity award-nominated author of short stories including “The Lord Is My Shamus;” www.barbgoffman.com
Once again, the inimitable Aviva Cohen uses her rabbinic seichel and intuition to solve crime- this time the apparent “accidental” deaths of two of her congregants. You don’t have to be Jewish to root for this twice divorced, 50 something, slightly overweight, feisty heroine. This is a delightful cozy mystery for everyone!
– Deborah Shlian, co-author of the award winning Sammy Greene series; www.shlian.com
UNLEAVENED DEAD NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER
The wait is almost over. You can now pre-order UNLEAVENED DEAD, the 2nd Rabbi Aviva Cohen Mystery, from the Oak Tree Press site. Scroll down – the books are listed in alphabetical order. Buy early and often!
http://oaktreebooks.com/Shop%20OTP.htm
THE BIG SIX VS. SMALL PRESSES
Both my novels have been (okay, in the case of Unleavened Dead, is about to be) published by small presses. The two I have been associated with, Swimming Kangaroo Press and Oak Tree Press, operate on the same principles as a large publisher: editing, book cover design, formatting for both the hard copies and e-books, press releases, review copies, distribution deals with all the major companies are provided by the publisher, at no cost to the writer. They pay royalties – at a slightly higher rate, I have found, than the standard offered by the large publishers – but there was no advance. They also print on demand, meaning instead of risking that 10,000 copies of an unsold book will wind up in a landfill, they print the number of books that have been ordered by the distributors, as needed. It’s a very green alternative to the traditional print run.
Oh, and unlike the Big Six (although the number of large publishing houses may be even less by the time you read this), small presses do not require submissions by agents only, and are willing to take a chance on new authors.
Best of all, with a small house, you’re not just one of the herd. You’re an individual. Your emails are answered. You receive attention and care.
There’s another difference between large vs. small publishers. A large publisher will pay for a book tour.
Ha! That was a joke.
Unless you’re an author whose name on the cover guarantees a spot at the top of best seller lists pre-publication, you will be doing your own marketing even if you’re with one of the Big Six. In a small press, you will be doing it on your own even if you are their top seller. I’m not saying there’s no support from a small press – they will send out review copies and press releases – but a lot of the networking is author-driven, as are any book tours.
On the other hand, there are stories that non-bestselling authors love to tell (I’m among them) about authors who receive seven-figure advances on multi-book deals. Book one is a big hit. Book two falls prey to the dreaded second book curse that guarantees critics will compare it unfavorably with the first. The third book barely sells. By the fourth book, the author is flying coach to do signings in small towns – and having to schedule the appearances and pay his or her own expenses. The author has spent all the money received in the advance, and royalty checks are few and far between.
A cautionary tale for us all.
My point being, don’t think finding an agent with access to a large publishing house will guarantee sales or publicity. Good writing is only a small part of becoming successful in this business. And it may be art or a calling or an obsession to you, the writer, but to the publishers, big or small, and to the agents, writing is a business.
BOOK LAUNCH PARTY – SAVE THE DATE!
WHAT: Book Launch Party for Unleavened Dead
DATE: Sunday, December 9, 2012
TIME: 4:30 PM (Yes, it’s after the Eagles game. You’re welcome.)
PLACE: Barnes and Noble
Rte. 70 , Marlton, NJ
RSVP appreciated. But so are drop-ins!
MY DEBUT BLOG ON THE OAK TREE PRESS BLOG
Here’s a better link to my first blog entry for Oak Tree Press at their blog site: http://otpblog.blogspot.com/
Sorry for the confusion with the previous link.
UPCOMING PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Thanks to the NJ Authors Network, I will be on several panels at libraries in NJ over the next few months. If you’re in the area, stop by. (And, yes, books will be for sale.)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 7pm, EAST BRUNSWICK LIBRARY (2 Jean Walling Civic Center, East Brunswick):
Getting Published in the 21st Century: Writing Nonfiction
Meet five authors, John Grant (moderator), Randy M. Dannenfelser, Jasha Levi, and Ilene Schneider. Each has taken a different approach to publishing nonfiction. Discover how they did it and learn their tricks of the trade—from the importance of networking to what to put into a proposal. Enjoy this informative free program, then perhaps you’ll be inspired to go out and write that first book!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER. 27, 7:00 PM, MOORESTOWN LIBRARY (111 West 2nd Street, Moorestown):
I’ve Finished My First Draft. Now What? Local authors share tips and information on getting published in today’s market
So you’ve finished the writing your book/story, or have you? What (if any) revision work needs doing? Where can you go for feedback? How will you know when it’s ready to send out, and where should you try first? Join New Jersey Authors, Jon Gibbs (moderator); Danielle Ackley-McPhail; Kristin Battestella; Jim ‘JJ’ Lair; Melinda Leigh and Ilene Schneider, for a fun, informative discussion on getting published in today’s market, and find out why typing ‘THE END’ is really just the beginning.
I will be on panels presenting the same topic, I’ve Finished My First Draft. Now What?, but with different participants on the following dates and places:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER. 14, 6:00 PM, PRINCETON LIBRARY (65 Witherspoon St., Princeton)
TUESDAY, DEC. 4, 7:00 PM, OCEAN COUNTY LIBRARY (101 Washington St., Toms River)
In addition, I’ll be at the MEET THE AUTHORS NIGHT at the VOORHEES BRANCH OF THE CAMDEN COUNTY LIBRARY (203 Laurel Rd., Voorhees) on WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10, 7:00 PM.
I’m hoping to be even busier after the release of Unleavened Dead. If you would like to book me for your library, synagogue, church, mosque, temple, book club, JCC, social or charitable organization, whatever, please email me at rabbi.author@yahoo.com.
rabbi.author 