From Bob Mayer's mouth to my ears

First Coast Romance Writers recently hosted Bob Mayer with his "Write it forward" workshop. A NYT bestselling author, Mayer has more than 50 published books and speaks on team-building, life-change, and leadership. 

One of the first things I noticed is that Mayer's perspective on organization and effectiveness stems from his experience as a West Point graduate and a Special Forces A-Team leader. He breaks down any problem or task into doable steps, something which has served him well throughout his distinguished writing career. With my background working for the Army, his linear, spreadsheet approach to planning really hit the right note with me!

Here are a few of the things that I picked up and my take on them:

Mayer: Distribution is no longer the choke-hold in the publishing world. Now it's discoverability.
      MT: He put into words what I've been grappling with this last year. It's not enough to put a book    out. You have to let people know you've published something, and you need a marketing hook to draw them in. the trick is knowing where to spend your precious time - and figuring out where the readers are.

Mayer: Are you striving to survive or striving to succeed?
     MT: This question also provoked a gotcha moment for me. Juggling a day job, a family, writing  and promotion doesn't leave much time to look at the big picture. Most days it feels like I'm trying to survive. Success is the goal, but it often feels like I'm too far in the trenches to glimpse success. I make long term plans and set goals at the start of a project, but I only plan from project to project. If I want more out of a writing career, I have to plan for more.

Mayer: Why do you write? What do you want to achieve by writing? What do you want to do with each book? Take your eyes off the prize and put them on the goal. Write your goal in 25 words.
     MT: These are a few of the questions he posed to get us thinking about our goals. He also said perseverance is more important than talent, and that writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Ability plus zeal plus hard work trumps talent.

Mayer: With books, you're selling emotion and logic. Can you communicate the shiver?
     MT: This explains to me why a book that is poorly written is still compelling. If the shiver comes   through, that emotional connection propels the story, a lot can be forgiven. A book that reads well and communicates well will sell well, but emotion trumps logic every time.

Mayer: Anger and guilt are flashpoints that can break a character. They spring from an underlying fear. Writers should figure out what they fear (writing-wise); they should do the same for their characters - and then push them to face their fears.
     MT: Gosh. What am I afraid of? My biggest fear is that my brain won't hold out. I feel compelled  to write fast and deeper with every book I write. Scenes that used to scare the beejesus out of me are easier to write now. Big take-home moment for me: I need to make a character "fear" list as I'm creating their bios. (does anyone else include fear as part of their character-creating process?)

Mayer: Three steps to change: 1. Moment of enlightenment. 2. Making a decision. 3. Sustained Action.
     MT: This was an Aha! moment for me. Realizing something isn't working IS NOT the moment of  change. Neither is making the decision to try a different plan. The moment of change comes when you move into that broken place and start doing it a different way. Ever notice how some folks complain about this or that but they never get out of their rut? They never finish the process.

Mayer: Emotional stages of change: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
     MT: Mayer went on to say that it's hard to change behavior as habits are trained into us. But he    also said we can learn from any source, and that if something makes you angry, focus on it.

Mayer: You can't separate your writing from you. Lean into fears gradually. The goal of communication is to provoke a response.
   MT: I agree with his "can't separate writing from you" - I think that's why so many of us get emotional about those 1-star reviews and negative comments about our work. It's definitely personal, no matter how nicely you section it off. Trust yourself to provide open and honest communication and you'll have less anxiety and fear. The better you know yourself and your characters, the better you can tell those stories. We definitely filter the world through our own point of view.

Mayer: Know the rules, have a good reason for breaking them, and accept the consequences of breaking the rules.
    MT: I broke the rules with my nudist colony murder mystery, for good reason. I wanted to be  different. But different is also scary to some houses, if it's too different. I shopped around until I found the right house for Murder in the Buff. It didn't attract a NY publisher, but it accomplished my goal of writing something different - and believing in my ability to pull it off. Some chances pay off big, some you learn from. It's all to the good. Lesson: cozies are a very traditional market.

This barely scratches the surface of our Bob Mayer day, but it gives you an idea of some of the topics he covered. I have some cool new Bob Mayer reference books, and I hope to skim through them all this week. I may not be the Queen of Promo, but that's my new goal!

Maggie Toussaint
www.maggietoussaint.com

Yoga feet and crashed computers

New definition: Hell week is when your computer crashes and you want to torch it with a flamethrower. I didn't think there'd be enough yoga in the world to get me through this past week, but here I am, back in cyberspace.

My computer fixer has my deepest admiration. Note to self: pay attention to those little lower right hand side of the screen messages that say your hard drive is in trouble... Fortunately, I had online backup of all the good stuff. I didn't have my email program backed-up though, so another lesson learned. Back that sucker up, too.

Imagine, if you will, a wound-tight computer junkie with an unresponsive computer. White hot panic sears her mind. Her thoughts race and freeze simultaneously. She nearly runs out the door to the computer guy in her jammies, remembers street clothes after she puts the computer in the car. Back inside. Jump into clothes. Race to The Guy, mostly obeying speed limits

Babble. And babble some more. Tears well. Computer is sick. Needs help. Shoot it or fix it?

The Guy looks at her as if to say, "not another one." She tries to give her address, transposes the PO box number. Can't remember her phone number. Finally she hands him her work biz card. His cheek twitches as he tries not to laugh.

Finally, she gets the sad story out. It's broken. I need it. Now.
He says he'll look at it.

She leaves, forgetting her coat. Forgetting to take his number with her. Forgetting to ask a timeframe. Forgetting to ask how much it will cost. Feeling like a part of her is missing.

The call comes. Hard drive is bad. Asks if she wants a rush job. YES!

Time passes. She limps around on an old unit for days. Tries to do yogic breathing and balance poses. Wobbles and hyperventilates about the computer.

Another year of moments passes. Finally the computer is ready. All the files were saved. Yay. Email wasn't backed up. Boo.

But everything works. And its fast. All that slow and "not now" stuff of the old hard drive is GONE. Happy days.

Oh boy. That crazy person was not me!!! Was it?

Maggie Toussaint
www.maggietoussaint.com

ps Booklovers Bench is giving away a $50 gift certificate. Contest ends on March 17. Click on over to enter: http://www.bookloversbench.com

It's dark in the editing cave

Authors talk about "editing caves" as if they are real places. My editing cave is the same physical location as my "writing cave," and yet it feels different - darker, gloomier.

A quick glance around assures me that the lights are working and my monitor is at full brightness, so why the different feel? Especially when editing is one of my strengths?

Frame of mind.

Here's my simplistic explanation. To pound out a first draft is equivalent to construction. You started with an idea and built on it, letting the imagination and/or an outline guide you. Each step of creation involves adding something that wasn't there before.

Those results are tangible and immediately transparent. A writer can step back and look at word count and see progress.

However, editing is akin to rennovating a building. Anyone ever lived through an office or home fix-up? Dust is everywhere. The noise drives you crazy. Everything is out of place and disrupted.

Those same challenges occur during editing. Sometimes it's the foundation of the story that needs work. Sometimes there's only a cosmetic facelift needed. In any event, the changeup can be disorienting.

Especially once you consider that authors are taking apart their own work. No wonder we grumble about editing! In the midst of the fix, precious words are cut, sometimes entire scenes find their way into the recycle bin. We get pulled into the microscopic level of craft, all the while trying not to disrupt the artistic flow of words that give the story fluidity.

In the editing cave, it always gets worse before it gets better. The virtual dust and noise discourage us. Many writers harbor self doubts, and it's easy to assume the story is crap at this point. Conversely, the temptation looms to hurry up and finish, to get the story launched right away, but the simple truth is, a well-edited story is a more satisfying read.

Respect your process.

Though bookselling is competitive, I submit that we are competing against ourselves. Writing the best book possible each time hones writing craft and builds a reader base.

Sure it may be dark in the editing cave, but wouldn't you rather find the mistakes and shore up the flaws before bright lights shine on the book? I know I would.

And hopefully, I'll emerge from my editing cave in March. Rough Waters will be worth the wait!

Maggie Toussaint
HOT WATERS - coming soon

ps you may have noticed a few differences here at Mudpies. I selected a different background to reflect my love of the ocean, a minor "edit" to be sure, but its a happy color for me. And, thanks to Jeannie Reeves, I have an updated image and I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks for your hard work, Jeannie!

Cool covers, Gr-r-r-r-eat Contest

Omigosh! What a week I'm having. So much good news I'm about to split open like ripe watermelon. Honest to goodness, I need to catch my breath.

Okay. Slightly better. Let's start off with the Giveaway!

The Booklover's Bench is an ultracool new site just for book giveaways. We're giving away a NOOK e-reader and five books. The books up for grabs have elements of mystery and romance, and they are page turners, for sure. Our contest runs from today, Feb 7 through Valentine's Day, Feb 14. (Gosh, I'm so excited I just misspelled Feb. Fixed it. Need another deep breath). Click on over to see what all the hoo-rah is all about! http://bookloversbench.com/

And as luck would have it, the covers to both of my summer release books arrived in the last two days. Amazing, right?

HOT WATER will release first, as an ebook, April-ish and in print in July most likely, though that's still being worked out. This is the second book in my Mossy Bog romantic suspense series, and it came about because fans kept asking me "Are you going to write Laurie Ann's story?" So I did, and this fab story has an awesome cover, don't you think?

Setting definitely plays a part in this book as police woman Laurie Ann and arson investigator Wyatt are on the trail of a serial arsonist and a murderer. You'll have the small town charm that I'm known for, the sigh of the mossy oaks, and the ever present pull of the tides - and a smokin' hot love story.

DIME IF I KNOW is my third in my ongoing Cleopatra Jones mystery series. Cleo's the single parent mom who uses her accounting skills to follow the money. In DIME, her golf pro boyfriend is implicated in the murder of a woman in a no-tell motel.

Cleo's already out-thought the cops on two other homicides, and she's most assuredly not going to let Rafe go to jail. But the strength of their relationship is tested as she realizes how little she really knows about him.

I don't have these covers up on my website or even here at Mudpies, so you're the first to see them. Except me of course, and I can't pick a favorite because they both scream "read me!"

What a fun spring and summer this is going to be.

Don't forget to click over and enter the contest at Booklovers - my funny Murder In The Buff is up for grabs over there. http://bookloversbench.com/

Have a wonderful day!

Maggie Toussaint
www.maggietoussaint.com

Shootin' Class

I'm not a member of the NRA and I don't have a carry concealed permit, but several events converged leading me to spend three hours this week learning how to shoot a handgun.

First, as a mystery and romantic suspense author, I like having hands on time with elements in my book - in a safe enivronment of course. I did FATS training at the Writers Police Academy a few years back and was fairly terrible. I knew I needed to up my game.

Second, there's a gun rush going on right now. It's like the gold rush because people are flocking to gun stores like nothing ever seen before. Everyone wants to buy a gun for protection.

Third, my handgun profiency (as mentioned above) is awful. I didn't even want to consider the possibility of owning a gun unless I knew how to handle one. Lo and behold, there was a class just for ladies not too far away.

Not knowing what I would find, I packed up two bottles of water, a granola bar, and a pouch of almonds inside the tote bag with my notebook and pen. The other women in the class ranged in age from new moms to seniors, and they were all keenly interested in this topic. No one had randomly entered this class. I learned the instructor is booked solid for the next three months.

We had some handouts, but it was hard to keep my eyes on the papers when there were so many guns on a stand at the front of the room. I'd never been around so many handguns. Black ones. Silver ones. Cammo-looking ones. Paper targets were posted at strategic points in the room.

Serious stuff indeed.

We began with nomenclature for revolvers: muzzle, barrel, cylinder, hammer, grip, safety, trigger guard, trigger, and bullets. For semiautomatic weapons, there's no cylinder. Bullets are inserted in the base in a cartridge thing called a magazine.

As the instructor drilled us in stance, grip, and loading, unloading techniques, he stressed safety and the value of practicing. Also, one thing I was worried about, gun recoil, was not a factor at all. Holding a handgun high on the grip kept it steady. I had no jarring of my hands, arms, shoulders, or body.

Did you know if you have guns at home, you should handle them in front of a bookcase? That's so if a gun fires while you're handling it, the bullet will be stopped by the books. Bullets will tear through walls, windows, mattresses, and more. According to the instructor, the shelved books act like a bulletproof vest in their stopping power. Always be safe!

Another part of the class that surprised me was learning which eye was my dominant eye. For years and years I thought it was my right eye. Come to find out it is my left! That set me back on my heels. But sure enough, when it was my turn at the range, lefty did me proud.

Two things were hard for me. One was holding a heavy gun. Some guns were just too big for my strength. Along those same lines, some triggers of double-action guns were too hard to squeeze. Apparently, my fingers are not as strong as the average bear's.

Did I become a sharpshooter because of the class? No. I don't see that in my future at all. But I do have a new respect for what guns can do and learned that they should be handled safely. The instructor told us about biometric gun safes you can get that read your thumbprint, so that your kids can't get into the guns.

I came home smelling like gunpowder, but oddly happy that I hadn't failed. I've often joked that if I'd been born in pioneer times, I'd be dead by now. But maybe, just maybe, I would've been able to shoot a rattlesnake before he bit me.

Maggie Toussaint

ps congratulations to Dawn Staniszeski who just won a copy of SEEING RED, my sweet romance about the bed and breakfast money pit.

Bad boys, bad boys

Once upon a time we all knew bad guys wore black hats. The baddie rode into town and was rude and offensive and bullied everyone. He had slitty eyes and an eat-my-dirt demeanor.

Fast forward to present times, and it isn't easy to identify a bad guy. Bad guys in the news span the range of a teacher's child, hoodlums, politicians, tax authorities, insurance companies, special interest groups, corporate raiders, televangelists, and more.

With such a diverse face to baddies, how are we to stay safe? How will we recognize danger and take steps to have it corrected or avoid it?

I struggle with these questions as I write books set in contemporary times. Human nature is universal, as is human behavior. Debra Dixon's book on Goal, Motivation, and Conflict comes in handy to help writers steer through characterization.

GOAL - a villain's goal can spring from past issues/desires, present issues/desires, or a desire to control the future. The scope of the goal may vary from the villain's immediate vicinity to a global person, place or thing.

MOTIVATION - bad guys want what they want for reasons clear to them, and they will cross lines of respectable behavior to get what they want.

CONFLICT - baddies try to attain something that isn't theirs by any means possible. They will use words, weapons, intimidation, legal maneuvering, bioterrorism, and more.

Using this framework, authors can create a plausible scenario for readers to believe in the antagonist. Next, the villain's physical attributes come into question.

On television, bad guys are often bikers, scowling lawyers, gangsters, Vikings, rival gangs, Olympic athletes, vampires, aliens, or hulking muscle men, to name a few sterotypes. But writers must reflect the times in which we write.

The truth: bad guys come in every race and gender. While it's easy to write a villain who looks and acts different from your main characters, oftentimes the villain comes from their world. He or she is an associate with a sharp axe to grind.

My question for you: what do you look for in a bad guy? Do you enjoy reading about someone who appears "normal" but does heinous things? Or does your taste run more to and outsider vs an insider conflict?

Maggie Toussaint
www.maggietoussaint.com

Embarassing moments keep readers engaged

How many of you have had embarassing moments? I've had my share and more.

In my estimation, they fall into a couple of categories:

Verbal gaffes - for example, calling someone the wrong name, letting a secret slip to the wrong person, or saying something uncomplimentary about someone who overhears the remark.

Ditzy mistakes - putting the cereal box in the refrigerator, forgetting to seal the envelopes of your bills, dialing the wrong phone number twice in a row, tucking your skirt in your underpants in a public place after using the restroom, gapping button or zipper, or searching for an item that's in plain sight on your body.

Messes involving body fluids or body noises - getting dog pooh on the shoe and tracking it all over someone's house/rug/floor, not making it to the bathroom on time for an urgent matter, or talking fast and spit flying out of your mouth onto someone else.

Everyone has a reaction to embarassing moments. The culprit is embarassed, naturally, but onlookers might be horrified, amused, sympathetic, annoyed, or somewhere in between.

Characters that display oddities are memorable and add zest. In my Cleopatra Jones series, Mama is known for her culinary disasters, such as spicklefish lasagne (lasagne made with spinach, pickles and sardines). Mama's a secondary character in that series, but don't tell her.

In Death, Island Style, my main character has several crafting disasters. MaryBeth's craft class turns into a free-for-all and she ends up with glue globs in her hair. Later, she collects seashells that have hermit crabs in them and thinks, because of the bad odor, that there's a body in her shop.

In Murder in the Buff, ultra-conservative reporter Molly must go to a nudist colony to pick something up for her boss. She darn near has heart palpitations, giving readers chuckles about her dilemma and mortification.

Want to share your embarassing moment? I'd love to hear from you!

Maggie Toussaint
Coming this year: Hot Water and Dime If I Know
www.maggietoussaint.com