Hahahahaha.  Yeah Right.  I do chat, briefly, about it over at Murder She Writes.

Let’s see just how unplugged I can be!

Karin*

Grand Central Publishing Executive Editor, Amy Pierpont, has ranked the entries as follows!  If she is interested in reading more, Amy will contact the finalists!

  Congratulations ladies! 

#1—Nephilim by Ginny Glass

#2—The Eighth Sin by Theresa Monsey

#3—Redemption by Diane Garner

#4—Saving Callie by Cindy Nord

#5—The Shop  by J. Carson Black

Now, back to your regular programming.

Karin*

PS, my granddaughter is locked and loaded. She’ll be making her debut any day now!  Can. NOT. Wait!!!!

This morning I received an email from a friend of mine.  She was upset that my book, GOOD GIRL GONE BAD was being looked at, as a joke in an article she read in Newsweek.  Now, before you go off to read the article my book was mentioned in, I’m warning you, the subject matter is hard core terrible stuff.  It is not for the faint of heart and I almost when I realized what it was about didn’t read it, because frankly, I have no stomach for the inhumane things humans do to humans.  But, this is about women, about women who have been brutalized and stripped of power and who have been brave enough to take their lives back.  So, I read it.  Once, twice, three times.  Each time I teared up. 

Here’s the link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/218692

After I read the article the first time I understood exactly why Sila took my book to the hospital with her.  Hope.  A dream of being that sexy, strong heroine I wrote about. GOOD GIRL GONE BAD sums it all up! She wanted to be that woman.  Later in the article the reporter mentions that Sila is a voracious reader of romance. I am totally not surprised by this.

Romance empowers damn it!  It gives women everywhere hope.  I am so sick and tired of taking the jabs from assholes who don’t get it.  How very sad for them. Okay, sorry for that little outburst.

I think I get the ‘little joke’ part of this article, if it was romance novels in general that was the ‘little joke’ then I would have been insulted, but the ‘little joke’ is in the title of my book.  GOOD GIRL (Sila before) GONE BAD (Sila after the surgery).

I am busting with pride that this brave brave woman brought my book to the hospital for comfort and empowerment on the day her life would change forever.

I’d love to send her my entire backlist and sign them all: To Sila, a real life heroine, From Karin Tabke, your biggest fan!

In fact, I think I’m going to go track that reporter down and see if she would forward my signed books to Sila!

Have a great day everyone,

Karin*

Over at Murder She Writes. 

C’mon over and say howdy!

Karin*

“I lost my twin to a harsh November nine years ago. Ever since, I’ve felt the span of that month like no other, as if each of the calendar’s thirty perfect little squares split in two on the page…”

A LOST SHADOW
Moira Leahy struggled growing up in her prodigious twin’s shadow; Maeve was always more talented, more daring, more fun. In the autumn of the girls’ sixteenth year, a secret love tempted Moira, allowing her to have her own taste of adventure, but it also damaged the intimate, intuitive relationship she’d always shared with her sister. Though Moira’s adolescent struggles came to a tragic end nearly a decade ago, her brief flirtation with independence will haunt her sister for years to come.

A LONE WOMAN
When Maeve Leahy lost her twin, she left home and buried her fun-loving spirit to become a workaholic professor of languages at a small college in upstate New York. She lives a solitary life now, controlling what she can and ignoring the rest—the recurring nightmares, hallucinations about a child with red hair, the unquiet sounds in her mind, her reflection in the mirror. It doesn’t help that her mother avoids her, her best friend questions her sanity, and her not-quite boyfriend has left the country. But at least her life is ordered. Exactly how she wants it.

A SHARED PAST
Until one night at an auction when Maeve wins a keris, a Javanese dagger that reminds her of her lost youth, and happier days playing pirates with Moira in their father’s boat. Days later, a book on weaponry is nailed to her office door, followed by anonymous notes, including one that invites her to Rome to learn more about the blade and its legendary properties. Opening her heart and mind to possibility, Maeve accepts the invitation, and with it, a window into her past. Ultimately she will revisit the tragic November night that shaped her and Moira’s destinies, and learn that nothing can be taken at face value, as one sister emerges whole and the other’s score is finally settled.

Check out Therese’s website www.theresewalsh.com but better yet, go buy this book!

Happy Reading!

Karin*

We had such a great time!  Isn’t that cake GORGEOUS?!  It was delish too!

 Yummy!

First stop!

This was just the tip of the iceberg!

I’ll post more pics over the weekend!

Ciao for now,

Karin*

I think I may have been a wee bit over the top in saying to sell a book in today’s market, it all boils down to writing an infuckingcredible book.  Many of you have made the comment that there are some pretty unfuckingincredible books out there.  And there are, in our opinion, but not in the acquiring editor’s opinion.  There are many factors that go into the purchase of a book.  Primarily it has to be a project that an editor loves.  And even if she loves it, there is the current market, the weight of the current list, money, timing and even if all of those factors are in this particular project’s favor, the wrench can come in the form of another project, that while they all might not love as much, the powers that be see it as a more viable commercial option. Boiled down the acquisition team asks: which one will make us more money?

Publishing, we must always remember, is a business first.  Publishers can’t stay in business if they aren’t making money. It’s not a perfect science. Here’s another scenario:  All parties agree it’s a great project but then marketing raises their hand and says, “You’re right, this is great, but we have an abundance of debut paranormal authors, what sets this one apart from the others?”  It’s hard to be seen and heard when the competition is as good as you, or maybe not quite as good, but they got there first.  What’s an author to do?  Write something else.

When publishers are dissolving imprints and cutting back on releases per month, you must have a fabulous project and the stars must be aligned.  That’s the timing part.  There is also the luck part, but the luck part only works if the project is stand up and the timing is right.

I sold my first book because of timing (Kensington was launching a new erotic romance line. As a side note, the story I sold had been rejected by Kensington as being ‘too raunchy’ for Brava several months prior, but my editor remembered it), and not to take away from my story, it was smartly written and sexy.  I landed my agent because of timing and luck, but more than that, she loved my voice.  There has to be a lovefest first, and that comes down to the product: our stories. 

But we must understand, what one editor would kill for, another will use as birdcage liner.  This business is all subjective. I know there are editors out there who will read my proposal and be shocked.  If I had to describe it in one word, it would be, raw.  This is not a series for the faint of heart.   Many editors have their pet peeves.  Some don’t like children in stories.  Some are sick of vamps and tramps.  Some don’t like uber sexy.  Does that mean your story sux eggs?  Nope, it just means that particular editor wasn’t that into it. So, we move on.  It’s all we can do. 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: To survive in these publishing waters, we all must be sharks. Always be on the move, going forward or sink and die.

So, yes, write the most infuckingcredible story you can.  That will get you in the door. Then?  Timing, luck, moon phases and fairy dust will do the rest.  J

Karin*

Think again, ladies and gents.  In today’s market you have to hit into the next county!  I’m talking about a kick-ass-grab-an-editor-by-the-throat-and-smothering-them-with-awesomeness story.  Daunting isn’t it?  It is.  Big time, and here’s how I know:  I have a multi-published, award winning friend who is an awesomely talented writer.  I hate her most days ’cause she is so good and I know, no matter how hard I try, I will never ever be able to combine words in a sentence like she does.  Yeah, yeah, nobody writes like Karin Tabke either (and maybe that’s a good thing?) but I’m here to say, my friend is not only an awesome wordsmith but she can tell a story.  Oh, boy can she. 

So she writes this incredible proposal. No, not just incredible. Infuckingcredible!  It goes out.  Editors are wetting their pants with anticipation.  Slowly, one by one the rejections trickle in.  WTF?!

But wait!  There are two big houses that are sending the project up the acquisitions chain.  And wait, another one rethinks and decides she loves it after all and retracts her rejection. Time passes.  This infuckingcredible proposal makes it as far as a project can make it and then?  No thanks.  And a no thanks because of stuff that could have been easily revised.  Or perhaps it was some other factor other than the story itself. Maybe their list is too full, maybe the agent scared them off or maybe they knew they couldn’t get it for a song.  I don’t know, I wasn’t a fly on the wall, but I’m still shaking my head over this one. 

It only makes me realize, that in this market, you have to be better than good: You have to be infuckingcredible, and even then there may be unknown factors involved, and alas, a great project still gets passed on.  I’m not worried about my friend, she has lots of books contracted and her schedule is full, but this particular project was her baby.  That story needs to be told, people! 

Having gone through this entire process with my friend, it has made me realize, we are all very much dispensable.  I’ve known that. I am, first and foremost a business woman.  I get it, numbers rule.  Period.  End of story.  But the game is different now.  You have to bring your A game even before you show up.  And when the crowd boos you, you have to look them in the eye, tip your hat and take the swings, because if you don’t? Now, you have truly failed. 

You can fail by striking out or you can fail by not showing up.  Failure can be both a verb and a noun.  I’ll take the verb form.  Because if I didn’t, I’d be the noun version.  And I am not a failure.

So, as you’re writing, keep thinking, infuckingcredible.  Take chances, be brave and even if you go down swinging know you were in the game.  Then?  Dust yourself off and try, try again.

Karin* who has a proposal of her own out there.  She’s keeping everything crossed she hit it into the next county.  Time will tell, in the meantime, she’s working hard on making her current wip the best book she has ever written.

What are you dong to ensure the book you’re writing is infuckingcredible?

Read all about it over at Murder She Writes!

Karin*