Genre Cross-overs by Marvin Wilson

But people, including literary professionals, tend to pigeon-hole, so ... where to publish? – Marvin Wilson

I am pleased to be able to participate in Marvin Wilson's Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour 2010. Doesn’t the tour name alone make you want to give someone a hug? But what if a homeless, smelly, ugly, unkempt old man had a hug so powerful it could cure cancer? Cause a prostitute to stop hooking and seek true love? Shake the demons of addiction free from a junkie? Make a Christian want to hug and love a Muslim and vice versa? But rare is the beneficiary of his divine embrace – nobody wants to come near him out of fear. That's the premise of Marvin’s latest release, Beware of the Devil’s Hug. You can buy it now from Amazon in order to find the answer to those intriguing questions.

Marvin D. Wilson has a widely varied and rich life experience background - from Hippie Rock and Roll musician, to nightclub entertainer, to Zen Buddhist minister, to carpenter, to small business owner, to network marketer, to sales and sales training, to skilled trades instructor and adult education teacher, to public speaker and motivational coach, to now in his chosen “golden years” career, a writer and multi-published author with the self-proclaimed, “audacity to write novels”.

Today he’s talking about genre-choice dilemmas, so take it away Marvin.
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Jane, thank you so much for hosting a stop on the Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour 2010 today. You asked for a guest post from me, on any topic of my choice. I thought today I’d expound a bit on the nature of my novels as it relates to genres.

As anyone who has read my fictional works knows, I write primarily in the spiritual/inspirational genre, but my books ‘cross over’ a lot into more secular genres as well. Owen Fiddler, for instance, has romances in it, complete with a few sex scenes, and the Christian theological aspects of that book are delivered in a rather humorous, sometimes even shocking and ribald way. Beware the Devil’s Hug takes the cross-over thing even further, with elements of suspense, mystery, intrigue, romance and even some erotica, violence, betrayal and betrothal.

Why all the cross-over? I like to appeal to a wide audience, and while my books are intended to deliver messages of love, unity, oneness—the all-encompassing, nonjudgmental, unconditional Love of Christ is my quintessential impetus for writing—and all things spiritual, I do not choose to ‘preach to the choir’. In fact, I don’t ‘preach’ at all. I want people to be entertained with an excellent page-turner of a story and let the messages seep into their deeper psyche—for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see.

So this does give rise to some genre-choice dilemmas, as far as marketing and finding a publisher or agent goes. I used to submit my manuscripts to Christian book publishers, but always they rejected them, feeling the books were too graphic and worldly to publish. Conversely, the secular pubs would eschew them for being too ‘religious’—even though I am not a religious person, nor are my books ‘religious’, at all. I am a non-religious, dogma-free, Maverick spiritualist Christian, and that is the sort of tenor of the spiritual messages that come through in my novels. But people, including literary professionals, tend to pigeon-hole, so ... where to publish?

My first book, I Romanced the Stone (Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie), I had to go to a vanity press, through a very good and high quality small publisher, Global Authors Publications, who liked my story enough to publish it. And that book, by the way, still sells quite well, even though I’ve stopped actively promoting it for some time—other than at personal speaking engagements where I am talking about the perils of addiction and the route to not only recovery but absolute cure and freedom from addictions.

Then with my first novel, Owen Fiddler, I came across Cambridge Books, who considered the work highly enough to offer me my first contract. I got a tiny advance, which to me felt like a psychically valued million bucks! And with my last two releases, Between the Storm and the Rainbow, and now Beware the Devil’s Hug, I had the good fortune to have connected with All Things That Matter Press, with which I am on staff as an editor. ATTMP actively seeks out and publishes new and unique authors who deliver ‘message’ books, but in a non-preachy, well written, fictional format. It’s a great fit for me and my writing style. And while ATTMP is still a small pub house, they are growing fast and garnering an impressive lot of talented writers-on-the-rise, with an equally impressive inventory of high quality books offered and many more on the way. If anyone reading this is an aspiring author—who writes about any of the many ‘all things that matter’—seeking a pub house, and has gifted talent and is willing to go the extra mile for self-promotion and marketing, I’d advise him or her to submit their work to ATTMP.

So in closing, and back to the primary topic and the book being promoted here on the Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour 2010, Beware the Devil’s Hug is, true to The Old Silly’s style, definitely a cross-over novel. It is a book that can be read on the surface for pure entertainment, and/or read deeper into, and the reader will derive inspiration and spiritual messages from it. Either way, and preferably both ways, it’s a work meant for all to read. Probably best for high school age and up; it is definitely an ‘adult’ book, so don’t buy and give it to youngsters still with virgin ears, but anyone who appreciates real world, tell-it-like-it-is, no punches pulled, hard-hitting action novels with a couple darn good messages thrown in to boot, will enjoy “Hugs”.
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Thanks, Marvin. I think many new writers worry when their work doesn’t seem to fit into one particular genre. Hopefully this informative post will let them know that there is room in the publishing world for cross-over genres. Please feel free to leave questions or comments for Marvin.

The fun of the Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour 2010 continues tomorrow (10/26) on Mason Canyon’s Thoughts in Progress.

Also be sure to stop by The Old Silly’s Free Spirit Blog to find out more about Marvin, his books, the tour and to enter his contest for lots of prizes and giveaways.

Additional Links:
Beware the Devil’s Hug
Owen Fiddler
Between the Storm and the Rainbow
I Romanced the Stone (Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie)
All Things That Matter Press

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to see you again next Monday.

Tags: Marvin Wilson, cross-over genres, Hugs Therapy Virtual Tour, Beware of the Devil’s Hug, All Things That Matter Press, genres

Reclusive Authors

A hermit is simply a person to whom civilization has failed to adjust itself. – Will Cuppy

There’s a certain mystique attached to the idea of recluse writers. I can easily visualize the passionate author who lets nothing interfere with his work—living each moment only to find the perfect word, phrase or sentence. In many ways it sounds like an ideal life.

I like solitude. There are times when I think I could easily be a recluse—simply reading and writing as the world spins around me. Then I realize how much I enjoy my family and friends, going out to lunch and dinner, shopping and traveling and know I couldn’t be a hermit for long.

An article on Flavorwire.com, “In Defense of Privacy: The 20th Century’s Most Reclusive Authors,” went a step further to convince me that reclusiveness wasn’t the lifestyle for me, but it did contain a lot of juicy tidbits. For instance Marcel Proust soundproofed his studio with cork walls and installed layers of heavy curtains to keep the light out.

“He looked like a man who no longer lives outdoors or by day, a hermit who hasn’t emerged from his oak tree for a long time.

Before he died of pneumonia and a pulmonary abscess in 1922, there was a three year period where Proust rarely (if ever) left his apartment. Dramatic, for sure, but he’s got nothing on Ms. Emily Dickinson, who didn’t leave her family compound for 20 years.”

Most authors would be ecstatic to have their book catapult into instant commercial success like Catcher in the Rye. However J. D. Salinger requested, “…his photo be removed from the dust jacket of future editions and his agent burn any fan mail.”

According to Salinger, “There is a marvelous peace in not publishing. It’s peaceful. Still. Publishing is a terrible invasion of my privacy. I like to write. I love to write. But I write just for myself and my own pleasure… I pay for this kind of attitude. I’m known as a strange, aloof kind of man.”

Other authors in the article are Denis Johnson, Thomas Pynchon, Cormac McCarthy and Harper Lee. McCarthy was on Oprah and Pynchon appeared as himself (albeit he had a paper sack on his head) on the Simpsons so I’m not sure they really qualify as true recluses.

Onlineuniversity.com also compiled a list of reclusive authors/artists. The list had many of the same authors , but also included Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson.

“Following his 1995 retirement, Watterson has spent most of his time painting and drawing in the company of his father and turning down any and all autographs, public appearances, and appeals to license his iconic characters.”

Because she wasn’t part of the 20th century, Emily Dickinson only received a slight mention in the first article. She wrote over 18000 pieces, but only published a small number of them.

“Her exile seemed to come more from a simple desire to stay at home and keep with her beloved hobbies and comfortable routine rather than the expected misanthropy, mental illness, desire for privacy, or disillusionment with fame and the media. On her rare excursions out, Dickinson would generally clad herself in the white dress that would eventually become her trademark.”

The biggest recluse I found, was Portuguese poet/author Fernando Pessoa. According to npr.org, “Pessoa, the man, was a bookkeeper. A loner. He had no friends, no loves, no family. He lived most of his life in a single room in Lisbon; his literary alter egos, and their writings, his only companions. He died in obscurity, a recluse, in 1935.

"The poets themselves may have been Pessoa's best creation, but his greatest literary achievement is The Book of Disquiet. It is a "factless" autobiography, filled with observations, aphorisms, ruminations, haphazard musings, dreams, moods and the keenest revelation of an artist's soul. What makes this book — this fictional diary — transcendent is that it deals with the eternal quests: the meaning of life, of death; the existence of God, good and evil; the questions of love, reality, consciousness; and the disquiet of the soul. It quenches the thirsty mind and floods the arid heart.”

I’m wondering, if in this age of multimedia marketing with numerous social sites like FaceBook and Twitter, is it even possible to become a recluse writer? Are you hermit material? Do you know of other writer recluses?


Tags: Will Cuppy, reclusive authors, hermits, Proust, Emily Dickinson, Bill Watterson, Pessoa, Pynchon, Cormac McCarthy, Salinger,

Do We Really Need Long Words?

Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words when short are best of all. - Winston Churchill

Many years ago (the exact number is not important) when I was in school, I used to be a good speller. With the advent of the computer, my spelling skills have become pathetic. There are times I mangle a word so severely that spell checker is even at a loss for suggestions as to what I might be trying to say.

The more letters a word has, the more opportunity I have to misspell or mispronounce it, so I tend to use shorter words. However, words with many letters still fascinate me, so when I saw the article, “The 11 Longest Words in the English Language” in the Huffington Post, it grabbed my attention.

The longest word is 189,819 letters. It’s the chemical name of titin, the largest known protein. I’m not going to print it. With all those letters, I’m sure I’d make a typo or two (not that anyone would notice) and it isn’t a word I can imagine anyone dropping during a casual conversation. I do wonder, however, if there are any sadistic teachers who put this word on an exam and mark off for spelling.

Here are a few of my favorites from the article that roll off the tongue

Honorificabilitudinitatibus n. (27 letters) - the state of being able to achieve honors. The longest word Shakespeare ever used and the longest word in the English language with alternating consonants and vowels.

Floccinaucinihilipilification n. (29 letters) - the estimation of something as valueless.

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian adj. (30 letters) of or pertaining to extremely long words.

Asseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary adj. (51 letters) - used to describe the structure of the entire human body. (Note: The definition has fewer letters than the word, so why use the word?)

Aequeosalinocalcalinosetaceoaluminosocupreovitriolic adj. (52 letters) - used to describe the spa waters at Bath, England. (Note: I don’t know if this is a good description or bad, but I think I’d keep out of the water.)

Speaking of words, Hart Johnson of Confessions of a Watery Tart, awarded me with the Literacy Builder Award. Though I feel undeserving of this award, I’m truly flattered. If you haven’t visited Hart, you don’t know the fun you’re missing. She has a love of words and it shows in her blogs.

I’m expected to pass this award along, but I notice it’s already displayed by the blogs I visit (because I visit such high quality bloggers). The other thing I’m supposed to do is list five favorite words. I jotted down the five that jumped into my mind first, although there are many more I could add.

Grandma (when voiced by my grandson)
Superfluous
Pique
Serendipity
Scrumptious

What are your favorite words? What do you think of long words?

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope to see you again next Monday.

Tags: Winston Churchill, long words, longest words, Hart Johnson,

How a Book Marketing Coach Can Help Writers by Cherish D’Angelo

With confidence, you can do anything. – Cherish D’Angelo (a.k.a. Cheryl Kaye Tardif)

Like many authors, marketing isn’t my strongest asset and it doesn’t appear on my things-I-like-to-do list. Therefore, when I heard the term, "marketing coach," I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what such a person could do for me. Fortunately my guest today, Cherish D’Angelo (a.k.a. Cheryl Kaye Tardif), has stepped in to answer that burning question. Without further ado, I’ll turn you over to Cherish.

Thank you so much, Jane, for having me as a guest on your blog during my Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour, which launches my debut romantic suspense Lancelot's Lady. As Cherish D'Angelo, I write steamy romances. As Cheryl Kaye Tardif, I write sizzling suspense and YA, and I'm a book marketing coach. Today, I'd like to share how a marketing coach can help writers.

Whether you're a published author or unpublished, it's important to establish your brand as soon as possible. Many writers wait far too long to get a decent website and blog built. The sooner you start, the more your name will be everywhere online when you really need it to be, which is at book launch time. The more your name is out there in cyberspace, the more people will come across it. The more they come across it, the more they remember you. Makes sense, right? Then why doesn't every writer have a proper website with a custom domain and a professional look?

As a book marketing coach, it's my job to first of all assess my clients' websites and blogs. I need to learn about you and see how others will perceive you. Outside of the works you create, your website and blog are your two best assets in this business. After all, this is where readers will find out about you. Unfortunately, you could be sabotaging your efforts with a few missteps in your site and blog design. That's where I come in.

I analyze the structure of your website and make recommendations on design elements and navigation, two very important elements to having a well-developed website. I often help authors select and register their domain names and find affordable, easy hosting and web creation. Next, I do an internet identity analysis. This tells me how easy it is to find you online, which should be one click away on any search bar. If you aren't at least 5 pages deep on a search engine, we've got work to do.

Along with the basics as described above, I teach my clients how to make the best use of their time on social networks like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and more. I show you how to effectively market your books to their "friends", without being a pushy salesperson. Other services I provide may include instruction on agent query writing and submission techniques and tips, self-publishing or traditional publishing, getting reviews and review blurbs, how to hold a successful event like a book signing or reading, how to organize a virtual book/blog tour, how to get your books on bookstore shelves, how to get major sponsors and more.

Working with other writers is very rewarding for me. I made a point early on in my career to give back when I could. For a few years, I coached other authors for free, but now that my time is more limited, and since I've spent time and money learning these techniques, I charge a fee. After all, my time is valuable. Time is money, especially to a writer who could be working on a future bestseller. As a coach, my ultimate goal is to give my clients more confidence, so they can work efficiently and see greater success. With confidence, you can do anything.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, aka Cherish D'Angelo, aka "Shameless Promoter"

Lancelot's Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot's Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon's Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and "Cherish the romance..."

You can learn more about Lancelot's Lady and Cherish D'Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

Authors: What is your number one weakness in marketing your books? Readers: What kind of marketing grabs your attention? How do you discover new authors?

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You're guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you'll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

Thank you, Cherish. A book marketing coach sounds like the perfect solution for someone like me. I am certainly going to consider taking this step before my next book is released. Good luck with your tour.

And thank all of you for dropping by today. Be sure to leave your comment or question for Cherish (Cheryl) along with your email address in order to be entered in the contest. I hope to see you again next Monday.

Tags: Cherish D’Angelo, Cheryl Tardif, book marketing coach, virtual book tour,