Interviews Part 2 - Bec Janson

Today, we're talking to Dy Andrews, Bec's best friend and one of her oldest friends. Dy, Bec ran out the other day before we finished. Can you explain why?

DA: Sure. Bec, well, she's always had a hard time with things that make her nervous. We call it her freak situations. Tests, new people, changes in her life, all of them make her run. So, since the accident, she's had a bad time. Everyone blamed her. (Blushes, looks away) Even us. We ... uh, we. Well, we kind of ignored her but it wasn't that we didn't believe her.

KC: Can you explain?

DA: She made a bad mistake but she thought it was good. So she went wild most of the last semester of our senior year. Not stealing or drugs, or anything like that. Mostly, the guy she dated convinced her to do some nasty stuff.

KC: Lots of teens find themselves in that position. Why did you think she went wild?

DA: 'Cause of where she did it. The guy, Lane Miller, convinced her to have sex in public places. (fingers twisting together). Jack, my guy, and I caught her. That's when we decided to do an intervention. You know, force her to make a choice between Lane and her life.

KC: What choice did she make?

DA: The wrong one. We thought. She decided to stick with Lane. Then she quit on everything important to her. But she kept freaking. We didn't know what was going on. Except Ev. He knew but he wouldn't share. He just kept telling us she needed us to stay her friends.

KC: Did you?

DA: Not like she needed. (Stands) You'll have to talk to Ev and Bec to find out the rest. I don't like how I acted. Bec needed me and I walked away from her. Some friend.

Dy said goodbye but refused to say anything else about her cryptic remarks. Just received a text. Ev Tinker wants to talk to me tomorrow. Stay tuned for the next installment with this interesting group of teens.

Interview: Bec Janson

As part of a writing exercise I learned at Springmingle, I'm 'interviewing' my characters to learn more about them. Today, we have a guest with us. Her name is Rebecca Anne Janson but prefers we call her Bec. She has a story to tell, one she hopes other teens will hear. Welcome, Bec. Tell us something about you.

BJ: Well, I'm just a teen. Turned eighteen a few months back, on Valentines Day. My dad gave me a cool gift, but I put it off until I graduated.

KC: Tell us about your dad. What's he like?

BJ: Well, he's the district attorney for Wallis County. Kind of cool. Everyone at school thinks they can ask me to get them off stupid stuff like traffic tickets and curfew violations but I can't.

KC: What about your mom?

BJ: She died years ago, when I was four. That's when we found out I can't eat peanuts. They make me really sick.

KC: Oh, an allergy. Is that why you wear a MedicAlert bracelet?

BJ: Yeah. (Laughs but it's nervous.) I kind of went nuts after Mom died. Dad took me to work. Which is, I mean, kind of silly but I loved it at the time. He's so awesome when he's going after a defendant. Dad hates anyone who breaks the law. He wants them in prison for as long as possible.

KC: Which brings us to the e-mail I received about your problem. How do you feel about having your dad trying to put you in prison?

BJ: I didn't do it. Yeah. I know all defendants say that but I really didn't do it. See, the person who contacted you, Ev Tinker, he's the person I supposedly killed. Kind of strange for a ghost to send an e-mail.

KC: Sure is. Just what are you talking about? Convince me this isn't a hoax.

BJ: Well, see, I made a bunch of bad decisions after my eighteenth birthday. At the time, I figured they were okay but now I know they weren't. Then a guy I dated decided to use my stupidity. And, well, you know. It all messed up at graduation.

KC: I can see it's hard for you to talk about. Why don't we go back to growing up watching your dad in court. Can you tell us some more about that?

BJ: Yeah! (Smiles.) It was the greatest. See, I thought I'd lose him like I did Mom so he took me to prove I wouldn't. I would color in a book while he worked. And, you know, I think all those guys wouldn't cuss because I was there. Like it would be a bad thing in front of a little kid. I never heard anyone swear, even after the judge sentenced them to a long time in prison. (Sighs.) Then some dumb reporter ruined it by taking a bunch of pictures of me. He put them in the local paper and called me Pigtail Princess.

KC: How did that make you feel?

BJ: Dumb. Like I couldn't have a life because of what my dad did. It's so stupid. Why do I have to be perfect so he can keep his job? What I do isn't about him.

KC: But a district attorney is a politician. What their families do reflect on how they handle their lives.

BJ: So not! It's my life. I'm eighteen. Why should what I do reflect on him? Why can't I mess up and not have to worry about ruining his career?

KC: Wow! That's intense. I guess you're right. So, how are you working things out to prove you didn't do whatever the police accused you of doing?

BJ: Well, stuff like this. And posting on MySpace. And using Twitter for updates on my status. Things like that. A lot of teens support me. I don't know about some of them, though. They keep asking me to help them get out of trouble after I can come into the open.

KC: Why don't you want to help them?

BJ: Because I don't know for sure if they really are innocent. It's not about getting away with breaking the law. It's about making the real criminal pay.

KC: Who is the real criminal in your case?

BJ: I can't say right now.

KC: Have you thought about talking to a lawyer.

BJ: They all know my dad. I don't know what I'll do next.

She ran off at that point. Not sure what she means. I do hope she finds someone she trusts enough to figure out her problem. Tomorrow, another player in this fiasco joins us. Stay tuned.

Springmingle 09 - Sunday AM

So the last day of the conference dawned. Well, dawned is relative. Interestingly, a winter storm warning was out. Snow expected. No worries. I have a SUV and plenty of winter driving experience. Besides, I'd have plenty of time while driving out of Atlanta before I ran into anything serious in the north Georgia mountains.
Wrong!
But later on that. Before I could even think about getting home to my husband and youngest child, I had to attend the final session and listen to the questions asked of the editors. Of course, before we opened the doors, there was the breakfast and many interesting discussions with other writers and some of the illustrators.
We talked about our current projects, and I even outlined a series of articles I've developed about the Two Guns region of Arizona. Everyone couldn't stop laughing when I described the numerous cat fights between two madames in the town of Canyon Diablo. One commented you could never sell something so outrageous as fiction - no one would believe it!
Uplifted by our morning talk and the reams of information I'd already gleaned, I found a chair and settled in for Caitlyn Dlouhy's final session: Making Characters Singular.
Tough one. It's very easy to keep the same characteristics as you go through your novel. But very important to do. She again emphasized how a strong voice is extremely important to a character.
Things like a happy family, secure and confident surroundings are good - until something shakes them up. Make the shake earth-shattering or make it quiet. Just make it something that will drive the character to take control and resolve it.
Caitlyn talked about how many things challenge a character: another character, nature, society, self, and heritage. One or all of these things can be woven into your story, each in its own way strengthening the character. They can even momentarily overwhelm - but they can never control in the end.
We should tier/layer our problems. Blend them together. Sounds good to me. Don't dump everything at once. It'll make the character a quitter. Heck, it'll make me a quitter. Too much is too much.
Keep the dialogue spare. Don't force the discussions. Repetitve answers and actions will match how teens do things. Oh yes! How many times have my critique groups told me I'm repeating dialogue and action? Too many to count. But teens aren't into individuality too much when they're talking. They're group animals. They want acceptance. They want to be the cool group, the in crowd, the kids in control and on top of things. Okay, I'll do that. Why shouldn't I? I remember being 13, 14, 15, and 16. 17 and 18 are very sharp memories. What I wouldn't have to be the teen others looked up to.
Description - that elusive way of showing your character - should be blended with the action. Don't give huge dumps of information. And for cryin' out loud, don't rely on physical description. Use analogies that show your character. Things such as He's taller than me - but then so is everyone over the age of ten. Or Mom's idea of an emergency is her hairdresser closing early or her doctor running out Botox. Can you see those people? I can. And it's not a pretty sight on the last one, but I've met women like that.
Focus on what the character does, who he or she is as their description. Physical features are okay - but only if they fit the plot line! Don't overdescribe. No one cares when your character cuts their toenails or what they do with them afterward - unless it's totally gross!
The question and answer session by all three editors and Kathleen Duey gave me insight into what they're looking for in a book. They also addressed series. Not a good fit unless it's a fantastic first and second book. That's all you should pitch. If those sell well, they might consider the rest. Keep the first page of the story interesting - that way the editor will turn the page and keep reading. That doesn't mean you should get boring later. Never. Never. Never.
So, the session ended. The door prizes were offered. But first, we had a weather announcement. Anyone flying out was advised to check with their airline. They were already cancelling flights.
Whoa!
This is Atlanta. It rarely snows there. I checked outside. The constant rain now had sleet in it. Not good. I had a three hour drive north. But I stayed. Had to. Couldn't leave the intense energy I was absorbing from the conference until they officially ended it.
An hour later, I rushed outside and dove into my SUV. Started engine. Cussed when window fogged up. Cussed some more when I realized I needed gas. There was now bits of snow in the rain. Definitely not looking good.
Got gas. Defroster took care of windshield. Hit the freeway as fast as I dared to drive. Actually made it to I75 before the snow took over. Slush on the road. Kept the speed as high as I dared, since there were all these little cars rushing everywhere. And they say SUV drivers are nuts!
So, made it to Marietta. Could see the city fading away and knew I wouldn't have a problem. Even though I was driving against a headwind with snow flying at me and tons of gunk flying up off the road. If no one did something stupid, I could get home before it got really bad.
Then it happened. An eighteen wheeler in the right lane 3/4 of a mile in front of me did an ice skating maneuver. Fingers tightened around the steering wheel as I watched him fight to stay on the road. Success but now I knew, without any doubts, that the drive home would be rotten. See, Mother Nature had taken to goosing Father Nature. About every five miles, he blew a great crosswind in addition to the snow and headwind.
Delightful drive. Big surprise not far north of Kennesaw Mountain. The snow stopped. There was no sign of it. Rest of the drive very uneventful. Made it home only to discover the entire area hadn't seen a bit.
Phew!
That's when I started editing my manuscripts and deciding where I'd send them. Now my life is completely filled with work, house stuff, work, seventh grade issues for my son, and more work. Hubby has helped some, in deciding what should go or stay, and listening to my thoughts on how to write out hooks. Such a lovely hubby. No, he doesn't have a brother.

Springmingle 09 - Saturday PM

Ah, Saturday afternoon. What a wonderful conference it was turning into. The first workshop after lunch for me was Creating a 'True Blue' Voice. The speaker, Caitlyn Dlouhy, is the executive editor at Atheneum Books. She gave a lot of examples of voice, reading from books she had either edited or liked.
To me, this meant voice is elusive, difficult to explain, and even more difficult to achieve. I felt it meant voice is where the character speaks to the reader as soon as they pick up the book. Is it hard to master?
Yes!
Can it be done?
Oh, I'm sure everyone can find their voice but it means switching up how you write and the methods you use. A couple of months ago, tired of struggling with a project I'd worked on for more than a year, I switched it to first person past tense. Then I asked a few writer friends to look it over. Their overwhelming response was to remain with first person. They heard the voice of the different characters right from the very first word. I'd found my voice but I needed to refine it. Which is why I sat in on this workshop. Surely, Ms. Dlouhy had the mysterious keys to tell me exactly how I could do that.
She didn't disappoint.
Her passionate delivery didn't falter as she explained four important elements of voice. My hand never slowed as I took note after note, to grab as much information as possible in the one hour alloted for this very important subject.
What are the elements of voice?
Give place, character, and sense immediately. Let the reader feel what you are showing them. The story should flow from word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
Use a different feel for each character. People are different. We aren't clones walking around in a world that evolves around us. We are very different from each other. Therefore, our characters should always be different. They have layers. No one is all serious or all humorous. They have moments when they experience a myriad of emotions. We must strive to show all of those while also remaining true to voice. A character must show growth throughout the experience or they aren't three dimensional.
A description of something can give a sense of foreboding, a sense of something about to happen. Very true. In layering the story, we are charged with setting up scenes but also with keeping the character's voice flowing. Simple things can and do set up tense situations with just a few keystrokes. Cliched, hackneyed phrases can and should be reworded. For crying out loud, don't let eyes twinkle. Everyone does that. Instead, have your character move to show them sensing something about to happen. Think about real life. It's far stranger than fiction. Use what you see, feel, and hear to set up the scene and then follow through.
Use the same narrator but work out different voices for each character. Oh, I agree with this. A serious character, one on a path to change their surroundings, will respond more to other characters who not only support them but who are determined to throw obstacles in their path. By knowing each character, far beyond hair and eye color, height, and age, you have discovered just what sets them on the path they've picked. The moment in time you're conveying comes much easier if you can insert certain things that make them individual.
The most important thing I picked up from this work shop is that voice is unique, only yours, and you can do it.
Thank you for that advice, Ms. Dlouhy. It gave me what I needed to clean up my work.
After a quick break, I came back to hear Kathleen Duey speak about Bricks, Mists, Voices, and Heart. What a great way to follow up a discussion on voice. And boy did I get comfortable to hear it. Most folks sit in chairs. Not me. By this time, my body was craving a far more comfortable position, one where I could stretch and move when I needed to. So, shoes came off and I used the carpeted floor to enjoy Kathleen's discussion.
Not to say that she remained at the podium and just talked. Oh no, again, she paced around the room. No apologies for this, she needs to walk, use her hands, and stay in motion while she talks. It certainly made for an interesting session.
About story structure, you start with an idea/a spark. Incubate the idea. Ah, that's easy. Incubating is something I've done for a week to years. I'll write down the initial idea and then put it aside. Then I'll pull it out and look again, maybe write down a few names for the characters. Then it's onto research and letting the bones of the story come out. Before I know it, or maybe long after I first thought I should have written it, the story starts to come together. The process then moves quickly. As soon as the story begins in my head, I must write it until it ends.
Next, go back through the story. If it still sparks, keep it. If not, clear th decks. Yup, completely agree. I've collected tons of ideas over the years. More than half are still sitting in an idea folder while others took that last trip to the recycle bin.
Finally, she said we should write out our thoughts on idea cookers that pop up. Still following her, and to my horror, finding myself coming up with thoughts on how to fix a current manuscript. Let me tell you, it's darned hard to keep up with a frenetic speaker and make notes on revisions at the same time. My notes took on an appearance of a child's scribbling as I used margins to set things down.
Kathleen emphasized keeping an Idea/Inspiration folder for these rough notes. I agree. It's a way to organize things so the mind isn't cluttered. She pushed remulling, relooking, and regoing over the idea files so they stay fresh. Any note added on those reviews will move it along.
Her most important bit of advice was to take yourself seriously or no one else will. Don't self-depreciate.
She had a lot more to say but the most important thing I learned from her is when I stop for the day on a project, stop in the middle of a scene. That way, when I come back to it, I can review what I've written so far, add or delete what's necessary to flesh it out, and them move forward with the story fresh in my mind.
Yes! Very good thought.
The final session I attended on Saturday was What an Editor Wants hosted by Abigail Samoun of Tricycle Press. She made several great points but the first part of her talk is still with me. It was her do's and dont's on how to claw my way out of the slush pile (or in her case, the slush closet).
Dont's: send something unprofessional looking, use amateur photos or art, use a condescending voice, use overdone stories, make the stories too long or detailed for a picture book, or use forced rhymes or unnecessarily rigid rhyme schemes.
Do's: Take pride in the manuscript's appearance (make it clean and unwrinkled), use a fresh take on familiar stories, have a real understanding of a child's reality, have a manuscript that understands the strengths and limitations of a given format, use lots of poetry tricks, such as alliteration, half rhymes, metaphor, and meter.
The second important thing she stressed was six crucial points to sell a book.
1. one line book description - a sentence that captures the heart of the book.
2. Why should the publisher acquire it?
3. Who is the target audience? Who will buy it?
4. What are competitive titles?
5. What are the book's key selling points?
6. What is your platform as the author? What resources do you have to promote the book?
Well, my brain near about burst after these sessions. I had so much information and had to digest it to figure out just what I could do with it. So, I went to the banquet that night, fully prepared to enjoy myself and then spend a few hours figuring out just how to apply all this advice to my work. Of course, Saturday night is always the time the editors sit on the podium and read first pages of those brave enough to submit them for public airing.
Most were pretty good. One stood out. I didn't write it down, so bear with me. However, to the best of my knowledge it went like this.
The main character was a teen girl. She was sitting beside her boyfriend while they drove along a road. Must have been summer since he had on yellow shorts. She's checking him out, as teen girls do when they can't think of something to say. The last sentence of the first page?
"I'd had intimate knowledge of his thighs without his permission."
The reaction was laughter, shocked expressions, and for some the feeling they could never beat that particular sentence in their own work. I know I was one of them. Talk about an attention getter. Also, I have to admit, while I used to check out my boyfriend's legs way back when, I certainly never thought of it as intimate knowledge of his thighs. Wow! That delves far into thoughts than I'd ever gone. But it also showed a teen's mindset without going into a lot of words. We certainly knew her thoughts at that second. No other explanation was necessary.
So, Saturday night ended. On a very upbeat note. Sunday loomed and the weather was on everyone's minds. Mother Nature was about to throw us a curve ball but we had to get through one more workshop, have one more day where we swirled around in a current of writing information, to absorb as much as possible before we returned to our sometimes mundane lives. Stay tuned for just how things ended.

Springmingle 09 - Saturday AM

Ah, the weather didn't improve Saturday morning. Well, the driving rain had settled to a drizzle but it was still looking lousy. Making it a beautiful morning to enjoy the speakers and sit inside. First, though, I had to locate some coffee.
For anyone who knows me, I mean really knows me, they realize I have to have a steady source of caffeine to keep up the pace. That means coffee in prodigious amounts, especially first thing in the morning. And the hotel had a cafe that serves the most wonderful cafe latte - my number one weakness! Add a bit of sweetner and some ground nutmeg, and you have me dedicated to you forever. Of course, I stuck with the venti size. Wound me up to enjoy the first session of the morning - Art, Craft, and Filthy Commmerce.
The speaker, Kathleen Duey, totally amazed me. She has close to 30 years experience publishing books - 70 to be exact. I'm on the hunt for her latest, Skin Hunger, since it approaches something I'm working out for a series I've kicked around for ages. Kathleen is energetic. She doesn't stand still while talking. Even sending feedback through the speakers doesn't slow her down.
She brought up a very important point in her opening comments. Concentrate on the Art part of your writing. Art is what's important. It will determine voice. Don't worry about the mechanics when you start a project. Concentrate on stringing together the lovely words. Stay with the Art - the rest will take care of itself. Come up with a new twist, a new way to present old ideas.
Sure, as soon as we thing about a novel or story we'll say but someone's already done that. Well, have they done it in the way you're thinking? Maybe not. Research similar books. See what's sold. Then twist it around. Kick it around. The first thing that came to mind was one of my supporting characters in my 2006 NaNo project. He's important because he's a friend. But he's also the football team's quarterback. Okay, been done many times. How many of those quarterbacks lived in a small, Christian Southern town. A few. How many were gay?
None!
There's my twist to make my supporting character more memorable. Then there's my main character, pretending to date him so other girls don't flock around and push at him until he reveals his secret. She thinks she's doing it because he's a friend but it shows what kind of character she has, loving, caring, and ready to do anything for her friends. Well, almost anything.
Now that I'm really getting into the session, and finding out how I can stretch my characters, to make them even more memorable, She talks about Craft. It's the toolbox that's used to carry art. Craft is not the basis of the story. It's what makes the art even more poetic. Use structure to spark zest. Experiment with craft. Make the story more intense with it. Try new aspects of craft. Switch your story around. If it's third person, make it first. If it's past tense, make it present. Work with your viewpoint. Maybe you haven't picked the right character to tell your story.
Now we come to the Filthy Commerce. Ah, that which accepts our work and gives us back for it. It is hard to sell a book, according to Shelden Fogelman, a premier children's agent.
Here's a thought: The best way to sell a book is it's gotta be the best book.
Please the gatekeepers. That would be librarians, teachers, and parents. Oh, since we're children's writers, don't forget the kids. They're ultimately your worst critic. If a kid hates what you've done, your book will languish on the shelves.
Match literary quality with commercially viable work. Hit the market at the right time with the right product. All of this will help sell your work. Mostly, never stop tending to your art first. Never stop learning everything you can about craft second. Marketing will then come naturally.
So, jazzed from this session, ready to go out and slay the editors/agents of the writing world, I took a break. This one wasn't devoted to networking with others about what I'd just learned. Instead, I did what comes hardest to me. I worked the bookstore for fifteen minutes, talking to complete strangers, smiling, and having the time of my life. It left me more than ready to tackle the next session: Young Adult Fiction: What Works?
Mary Kate Castellani is an editor for Walker Books for Young Readers. Like the other editors, she's very down to earth and willing to talk about what works and doesn't work for her. Good thing, because I'm prepping a submission for her, as soon as I get the one out to Atheneum.
Very important issues came out in the first ten minutes of this hour long session. First, teens do read - and I don't think she meant those once classified as nerds. Every teen reads. Even if it's assigned at school. Check out the American Library website. It has books teens are interested in. Teens are changing along with media. I loved those points. It's not all about what the latest video game is or cell phone or computer. They're evolving with everything else.
YA literature is the most subject to trends. Paranormal is the in thing now. The Twilight series is a good example - but don't go out plotting a bunch of vampire in love with a normal person books. By the time you get it through the acquisition process, it'll be passe. Hot now may7 not be in a year.
Another thing Mary Kate brought up was how the lines between YA and Adult fiction are blurring - but in a great way for those of us who write YA. More adults, especially those in their twenties, are reading YA fiction.
Yeah!
The biggest thing I took away from this session was teens have a now immediacy. Hang onto it. Don't get into all the whys and wherefores. Just right the story in the here and now, unless something very important shaped your teen and it has relevalance to the now. Then you should sparingly show that.
There was so much more to the session but this is what it was all about. So, we took another break. This one was to get ready for lunch at the lounge. I took a quick jump to the nicotine center, all the while thinking I had to find a way to break the habit.
Well, thankful I hadn't yet when I got to the crowded ashtray outside. There were a group of women attending another conference already gathered there. We got to talking. They work in homebased businesses but one had that look.
Writers everywhere know it. That shine on her face. That passion in her eyes. I found a convert. Another budding writer took the first step into this wild and crazy world we live in. She has a story eating at her and wanted to know how to go about putting it on paper. We only had minutes to talk but in the end, she visited the bookstore to pick up some crafts books and grab a copy of The Institute of Children's Literature's newsletter.
Tomorrow, Saturday afternoon. Stay with this journey about the fun I had with other members of Southern Breeze.

Springmingle 09 - Friday night

Y'all know that little old expression the post office uses? Neither rain, snow, sleet, nor dark of night? Well, that sure applied to Springmingle this last weekend. My first thought Friday morning while taking 13 yo to school was how could Mother Nature do this to me? How dare she? Didn't she know my hair went flat when it rained? But she did it. Rain pouring down in a steady stream all day.

Okay, I can handle that. I do have two umbrellas but where they? Not anywhere I looked. So it was a hooded jacket and praying I didn't look like something my cat attacked when I arrived at the hotel.

After making it through nightmare heavy traffic in downtown Atlanta, I checked in and started to look for the other attendees. If you've never been to a writer's conference, especially at a hotel with a bunch of other conferences going on, let me tell you. We know each other from the start. We're the ones greeting each other loudly. We're the ones walking up to others with our hands held out, saying I'm so and so, who are you? We're the ones talking and laughing about what we do, our latest project, and what our future dreams are. Mostly, we're the ones dressed casually while everyone is in business clothes even on the weekend. What a wonderful job we have. I've heard some folks even write in their pj's. More power to them. No one else is around to make a face or comment if our hair stands on end. Those ripped jeans and an old t-shirt you painted the kitchen in last summer is the latest fashion as far as we're concerned. We can even kick off our shoes or sit on the floor without feeling self-consciousness. Yup, I really did find the best job in the world.

Conference time approached as we swirled and eddied through the introductions. At one point, as I'm talking to someone, a woman pushed past. I bided me time to find out what she wrote, when she told the person at the registration table she was Caitlyn Dlouhy (Atheneum Books NY). One of the editors had arrived. Thank goodness my face didn't turn red because of a major faux pas. She looked like every other writer in the place, and her talks were down to earth and fact filled. She possessed the same passion about what she publishes as the writers do about their work. Mary Kate Castallani (Walker Books for Young Readers NY) and Abigail Samoun (Tricycle Press CA) also were as exciting to listen to. Kathleen Duey possessed an almost manic intensity as she talked about publishing more than 70 books in her career and she's still going strong. Her witty comments gave us more information about how to push our product and find a place in this recession-driven world.

This year's theme 'From Muse to Market' started with a session on marketing ourselves and our work by Shelli Johannes-Wells. She dove right into the necessary elements to let editors know about us after we submit our work for publication.

The first and most important thing is to get your name out there. The web is a necessary tool for this. A website or blog or both is a necessary tool. You have to have those. Blogs should be informative and interesting. Ones talking about your characters are great. Don't put bits of your book in them but use them to define who or what your characters are. It'll help sell the elements of your product. As for your website, she says to do it in five basic pages. The home page, books, bio, blog, and resources. You'll also need an author press kit including a photo and bio. (Okay, I guess I'll have to break a camera lens and have someone take my picture. Scary thought!) You'll want to keep things short and simple. You'll also want to show off your voice in this endeavor.

This is part of your personal brand. It's how you break down defining yourself. Then there's your shadow brand. That's how you come off to others. Are you serious/shy/what? I guess my crit groups will soon answer those questions.

The next step is author branding. This is where you focus on your audience - the editors/agents. Who are you as an author/writer. What are the long-standing connections? As an example, in just a few words, use things like women's fiction with a kick, or frisky, fun, and a bit on the wild side, or humorous off-beat stories set in small town America. Figure out three adjetives that describe you and these will be your personal brand.

Finally, there is book branding. What is your book about? Who is the target audience (not just young adults but what kind of young adults?)? What materials are needed to publish it?

Most importantly, always go for quality never quantity. It's part of defining your workmanship.

About those pesky business cards we hand out to everyone. Yes, they are part of defining our author brand. And don't do the plain black and white thing with them. Use colors. Figure out your color. Use it on your website and on your cards. Use pictures. Clip art. Other stuff like that. It's all part of defining your work. I guess I'm green with a forest around me. Yes, that defines one of the core things about me. Born and raised in the Los Angeles basin, I always yearned for the peaceful green forest. Living in Northwest Georgia, I have found it. Heck, some of it lines my driveway and fills my yard. Most of my Southern Pine trees are more than a hundred years old. Deer, turkey, rabbits, groundhogs, and squirrels call my yard a haven. Nature at its best helps me concentrate on getting past difficult moments. My computer is set up near a window. Instead of trollling the web, I spend my blocked moments staring at the beauty I never take for granted.
Shelli went into so much more but you can read about it and other marketing tips on her blog: http://www.faeriality.blogspot.com/ Yes, she gave permission to link to her. She puts up a special spot every Monday where she interviews an editor or agent or writer about marketing. Definitely a not miss.
The rest of the night was meeting more writers, going through the bookstore to find some great books (I picked up several I couldn't resist), and drinking in the energy.
Tune in here tomorrow for Springmingle 09 - Saturday. It was as fact filled and as much fun as the opener Friday night.