Awards Season

 

find my BWL books HERE

It's spring and that means awards season! I'm pleased to report that Ursula's Inheritance has achieved a first place status in the Laramie Awards for Americana fiction.

My whole American Civil War Brides series was a finalist, and my YA mystery Missing at Harmony Festival was a finalist in the YA Dante Rossetti Award.

And....bonus news, The #3 Linda Tassel Mystery, will be available soon!  Here's our Art Director Michelle Lee's great cover design...

When Word Collide Grand Finale

 

 

Please click this link for author and book information

I've attended Calgary's When Words Collide Festival for Readers and Writers every year since it began in 2011. That was the year I published my first novel, A Deadly Fall, but I didn't attend to promote the book. I went as a fan of one of their special guest authors Robert J. Sawyer and because a friend coaxed me into going and WWC was an inexpensive, local event. When I arrived at the host hotel, I was amazed at the festival's energy. The founders largely came from the science fiction and fantasy community and they know how to party. While WWC included all genres, it helped to understand the numerous Star Trek references. I attended several dynamic panels and presentations and did a shift at the book sale table, where I met some interesting people and sold copies of my new novel. 

The following year, I volunteered to lead a dialogue workshop, which had a huge turnout. Buoyed by this success, the next year I volunteered to sit on a few panels. WWC is entirely volunteer-run and presented, although the special guest authors receive expense money. The relative equality between authors and fans creates a democratic atmosphere. A highlight for me every year is the opening night's two-hour keynote addresses, where the five or six guest authors each introduce themselves and speak on whatever topic they want. Often the speeches are funny and/or thought provoking.  

My involvement increased when I joined the WWC board and helped develop ideas for panels. We aimed for topics that would appeal to readers of all genres and writers at every stage of the process, from learning the craft to finding a publisher to promoting their books. I met BWL publisher Jude Pittman at WWC 2017 when we chatted in the Merchants' Room. After the festival, I sent her a query and soon became part of the BWL family. 

 

                                 BWL's Nancy Bell and Jude Pittman at When Words Collide 

Connections also occur at WWC social gatherings. The Saturday evening banquet has sold out quickly since the festival started encouraging costumes. Here I am (left hand side) with two other ladies in red at the Roaring Twenties theme banquet.  

      

Then COVID-19 hit. WWC went online in August 2020 and continued with virtual conferences the following two years. I still participated in panels and attended some virtual social events, but not as many as I had previously. Staring at a computer screen wasn't the same as meeting in person. I left the board, feeling I didn't have the tech skills to contribute much of value. Other board members dropped off and the festival's main organizers ran out of steam. They decided to return to the in-person festival in 2023, but this will be the final year for When Words Collide. 

Registration for WWC 2023 has reached its cap of 780 attendees, but this is due to 2020 and later registrations being carried forward to 2023. Spots are expected to open up, so it's worth  putting your name on the waitlist if you're interested in attending.

I'm looking forward to the WWC finale on August 4-6 with bittersweet feelings, but this might not be a complete ending. Rumour has it another group is thinking of reviving the festival or creating something similar next year. This hope in the wings is all the more reason to celebrate When Words Collide's wildly successful thirteen year run this summer. Hats off to you, WWC! It's been grand. 

                                               Me with Special Guest Author Will Ferguson

 

                                    

The Truth and My Opinion About Best Sellers Lists by Karla Stover

 

Visit Karla's BWL Author page for book and purchase information

By the same author:

A Line to Murder                            a Puget Sound Murder

Murder: When One Isn't Enough   a Puget Sound / Hood Canal Murder

Wynter's Way                                  a gothic mystery   

Parlor Girls                                    the story of the Everleigh sisters, world-famous madams

BWL Publishing Inc.

Every week I am mailed the New York Times best sellers lists for fiction and non-fiction. According to vox.com, to get on the list you have to sell between 5,000 and 10,000 books in a week.  But who you sell to is important. I don't take much credence in the lists so lets review.

My most recent nonfiction list had the following: books by Prince Harry and  Michelle Obama, one by a movie star and another by a radio personality, one by a poet, and one by a democratic congresswoman. Stephen Hawking's final theory is apparently popular enough with the book-buying public to be on the list as is something co-written by Oprah. Also included is a biography of LeBron James, books on the KKK, the Texas Rangers and frontier justice, poverty, longevity and the offensively-named, I'm Glad My Mother Died. Except for the last one, most of these are givens. Is there one title/topic/author here who would be ignored by libraries? I'd like to think the last one would, but apparently not. And Prince Harry, Michelle and LeBron were probably also picked up by bookstores, in fact most likely all of  them were, but in what amounts?

The fiction list has books by authors who are regularly listed: Barbara Kingsolver, Kate Morton, Harlan Coben and 2 co-written by James Patterson, plus (obviously ) others. So how does  the Times come up with its lists? According to the observer.com it's a closely-guarded secret. What is known is that the paper has its own list of  certain book sellers across the country from which it gathers statistics. And which ones make the cut is a tightly guarded secret. Statistics at the ready, a Times brain trust decides whom they think should be on the list. Quoting the observer.com, "this is done to keep people from gaming the system, which is partially true. But it’s also done so that The New York Times can have a say about which books get the extra credibility of being named a bestseller.

"NPD BookScan™ is the gold standard in POS tracking for the publishing market. It covers approximately 85 percent of trade print books sold in the U.S., through direct reporting from all major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, independent bookstores, and many others." The Times doesn't use it.

Here is a recommendation from observer.com (and I suggest you read the entire article. It's not overly long but is an eye opener.): hire a laundering firm. The firm will hire people nation-wide "to buy books through various retailers one at a time, using different credit cards, shipping addresses and billing addresses. This allows the sales to go through and show up as individual sales, instead of bulk purchases. These sales then get reported to Nielson BookScan. Pay the firm A LOT OF MONEY. Sit back and prepare to celebrate.

A Milestone Birthday – by Barbara Baker

 

I turned sixty-five this year. How is that possible? When I was a kid, I thought anyone over sixty was ready to kick the bucket. And yet here I am, five years past bucket kicking age. I’m embarrassed to say, my teenage thoughts support the adage - youth is wasted on the young.

Of course, with this aging process, there were a battery of tests my family doc prescribed to ensure all body parts were functioning well and to detect any irregularities from previous (more youthful) years.

Last year my doc promised, when I got this old, I’d be eligible for a colonoscopy. Imagine my excitement. And then imagine my disappointment when the colonoscopy lab told me I was too healthy, and the poop-on-a-stick test (PIC) was all I needed. It was easy to move on from my initial disappointment.

And then there was:

- the infamous squish-your-boobs-into-pancakes experience. Another pass with flying colours. A couple years ago when I endured the procedure, The Globe and Mail published my interview with a mammogram technologist. I’ve included the link at the bottom in case you’re curious.

            Bone scan – check

            Blood work – check. What a relief to know even my bad cholesterol is being good.

Exercise – averaging 10,000+ steps a day. Yes, those final ‘walking on the spot’ steps while brushing teeth do count.

My doc’s parting statement when I left the appointment was, “Medically speaking, you’re boring.” It’s the only time in my life I’m content to be boring.

(how my grandson sees me at 65)

With the medical stuff out of the way I researched financial advantages of reaching this milestone. Canada Pension. Old Age Security. Blue Cross Benefits. And senior discounts. I’ve developed empathy for clerks who must verify my age prior to giving me said discounts. One of the better openings I received was, “I know you’re not old enough, but I have to ask if you qualify for the senior discount.” Diplomatic. Hesitantly apologetic. And delivered with a smile. Her relief was visible when I said, “I sure do.”

This year I will nap in the afternoon guilt free. I will advertise my weakness for red wine, barbecued Brussel sprouts, Hawkins Cheezies (no substitutes) and chocolate. And bedtime will come earlier if I miss my nap.

So onward with all the excitement, new adventures, sunrises and sunsets sixty-five rotations around the sun brings me. I know the future will be full of grandkids’ escapades, slower-paced outings with Dad (he’s turning 91), finishing Book 3 of Jillian’s story and whatever else shakes up my day.

 Thanks to grandsons Lane and Wyatt for their drawings for this blog.

Here's the link to my mammogram tale: No one likes getting a mammogram, but this one provided me with an unexpected lesson - The Globe and Mail

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

 

  

Writing for Me or for Thee? Fun Versus Funds by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

    So lately a few writing opportunities have sprung up, and though I'm not complaining, it made me think of the differences between writing creatively for one's own enjoyment and writing to make bank. 

Starting out, when I would write, I would do so for my own entertainment. Voices in my head would come alive on paper, and I could get them to do all sorts of things. I could build worlds and construct cheesy dialogue, or kill off whoever I wanted when I wanted and all for the sheer joy of doing so... something that would likely earn you a prison sentence if you tried to act it out in real life.

Like Nancy Brophy who wrote an essay on how to kill your husband then was convicted of killing her husband... 

Don't take her advice. 

Anyway, the point is that things changed when I started wanting to publish my book. Now your talking audience and appealing to readers. This really switched up the game for me because when I started publishing and writing with the hope TO publish, I didn't just have to think about myself. I had to think about what publishers wanted---if I were to go the traditional route---and what other people who enjoy the genre would want to read.

Which shifted the focus a bit, but was still fun. But then came the submission calls, and inquiries to write in a specific genre or about a specific story and things changed. 

Now it was a matter of, do I do this even though it's a bit out of my comfort zone? There is a ton of benefit if I do. Not only will it be lucrative, but it would showcase my work to a broader audience. 

Also money might happen... money... 

Money. It matters...

AND its a challenge! Which I enjoy, because I see it as a chance to develop my writing and explore other themes. And there are so many submission calls to suit your fancy. But that denotes its own set of problems because there's nothing more discouraging than writing up a piece for a submission, submitting it, waiting forever and then being rejected after months of expectation. 

So what do you do? At the moment I have a few projects on the go, and though I'm finding myself so busy that I don't have as much time for my own written entertainment---so to speak---the sense of excitement overpowers the challenge. I suppose it really comes down to whether or not I want to make writing my job. If so, I gotta expect to write outside of my comfort zone and cater to readers. I'd love to be a King or a Rowling someday, but unless I hit the proverbial "author lottery" most likely I'll only make a living---a small one---

---by writing and submitting and repeat. But maybe that's a bit too bleak, now that I think about it. Because I don't really think about it in that way. I like that certain people believe in me enough to ask if I'd be interested in writing a piece for them. That means they read my "mind babies" and enjoyed them enough to ask if I'd be able to create a "mind baby" with them too. So... what's the point of this blog? 

I don't know. Write for yourself, until you feel comfortable writing for others too? And if you never feel that way, then just write for yourself. BUT! Don't write for others and then never release the last two installments of your series! 

GEORGE! 

#stillwaitingforwindsofwinter

Also money...