One of my most prized possessions is a 1st Edition of the Player’s Handbook for AD&D, the classic “thief prying the jewel from the idol” hardcover. It’s on the shelf next to all of my hubby’s 2nd Edition books, all the 3.0, 3.5 books and a heck of a lot of d20 books from Hackmaster to Exalted to Green Ronin to Palladium Books.

Yes, we’re *that* sort of people.

But what you won’t find on our shelves is any 4.0 books. When this newest incarnation of AD&D came out we looked at it, played a demo game at Origins (with the biggest pack of powergamers EVAH who harassed and rushed us for the entire hour) and decided it wasn’t for us.

It wasn’t AD&D. Wasn’t sure what it was but it wasn’t for us.

Leap ahead a few years and now we’re seeing WoTC brag about the new, improved 5th Edition on the way. Monte Cook will save us all.

Yeahsureyoubetcha.

But I’m not going to write about the details of the different gaming systems or if one’s better than the other. I’m going to write about why I think Wizards should be looking at the demise of Borders, a major bookstore chain, and rethinking their strategy when it comes to their backlist.

When our local Borders was closing we visited it often to say our goodbyes to the staff who had helped us for years, in my hubby’s case for decades, to find good books. One of the saleswomen moaned to us – “The problem is that Borders doesn’t believe in backlists.”

Now you might be asking yourself – what’s a backlist? Well, a backlist is basically what it sounds like – a list of books not currently in the new release section. It’s usually the first or second books in a series that you *can’t* find when you pick up the fourth or fifth and want to read the series from the start.

Which was the problem with this particular store. No matter what the staff tried to do Borders insisted on *only* stocking new releases. So if you wanted the older books in a series or just an author’s older works you were out of luck. Cue Amazon’s one-click ordering system.

We really miss our Borders but knew the frustration of not being able to get older books. New releases are nice but sometimes you want the choice of an author’s past books or collect the entire series from the start.

Back to WoTC.

When 4th Edition was released the tale goes that WoTC immediately began pulping ALL of their older stock. ALL of the 3.0, 3.5, all of it. After all, why would you want to keep printing and shipping an older version of the game while you were trying to convert your existing playerbase to 4th?

*loud buzzing noise*

And there’s the rub. Right now any printed copies of 3.5 are hot, hot, hot on the secondary market.

Money lost to WoTC because of their scorched earth policy. Now, I understand the concept of making your core players shift to the new system by simply denying them the sourcebooks to keep playing the old game… but considering 4th Ed. is, as far as I’m concerned, a whole different gaming system it would have been in WoTC’s best interests to keep 3.5 in print or at least in digital copies. The amount of money lost to the secondary market as 3.5 players either replace their own copies or NEW players move to 3.5 … well, it’s got to be a lot.

Now I realize it’s not really a fair comparison, gaming books and novels – but I think there’s lessons here to be learned. First, never discount the demand for your backlist. Whether it’s old gaming books or a series of novels, there’s always someone out there who will want it. Heck, there’s still a demand for D&D modules – the really old-school THACO types. 2nd Edition is still hot at gaming conventions and everyone still loves the d20 generic systems out there – and Pathfinder seems well on the way to rule them all.

Second – digital rules. Right now many authors are racing to get their backlist of works into digital form because ebooks are pretty well forever and if you want to find older works by a particular author you’ll be able to digitally download and enjoy hours and hours of reading. I’ve been enjoying all of J.D. Robb’s past In Death books in ebook form because it’s easier than trying to find the paperbacks, most of which are too old and would only be in used bookstores, if even there.

There’s nothing stopping WoTC from making official digital copies of 3.5 available through their website and making money. No cost to print, nothing other than the price of keeping the website going.

But I guess the question here is – will WoTC realize that one of the reasons Borders, a major bookstore chain, fell was because they didn’t look behind them and try to serve customers who wanted *more* than just the hottest new releases? Or will 5th Edition mean that all the 4E books race towards the shredder to be erased like their earlier versions?

As usual, jmo – ymmv.

(And I’ll be at Origins this year – shout out to ma peeps!)

From “Wild Cards and Iron Horses” :

*****

“I like women just fine, thank you very much. But I like them to know their place. Not right having them fixing things up, doing a man’s work.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Jon. “Too much of a chance of them getting hurt. Killed.”

*****

And a bit of trivia – the original title for this manuscript was “Spring Cleaning” but my most excellent editor, Sasha Knight at Samhain, asked for a new one.

At the time my husband and I were in the middle of a snowmageddon, having lost electrical power and having to abandon our house after three days to go to a hotel where I stalked the free internet waiting for news about this manuscript. Between trips back and forth to visit my poor cat and watch the house I came up with this new title – and I think it worked out pretty well!

Check out my decisions here!

(and don’t forget to check out his review of “Heroes Without, Monsters Within” just below!)

And tell me who you’d pick if you disagree!

Oddly enough, two of my NaNoWriMo novels have gone on to be accepted for publication. “Blaze of Glory” by Samhain and now “Blood of the Pride” by Carina. While I don’t do NaNoWriMo anymore I think it’s great to be able to point to two success stories (among many, many others) as an example of what can be done in thirty days with a heck of a lot of grit!

But enough babbling from this old broad – let’s get to the six sentences!

******

He let out something between a whimper and a sigh as his eyes roamed over me. I allowed myself a smug inner grin. Been a while since I’d had an admirer and I was going to make the most of it.

“And before you ask, I like to play in the dark.” My eyes went below his belt.

He didn’t flinch, instead allowing me to pick up the clean clothing and saunter past him into the bedroom.

******

“Blood of the Pride” is now available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble and at Amazon! And be sure to keep checking back for a major announcement regarding the “Blaze of Glory” series…

*winks*

Haiku, to keep it short and ’cause I an’t good at dis here type of tings, is a type of Japanese poetry that is short, sweet and packs a heck of a punch within very few words. Let me illustrate this with one of the most famous haiku from Basho:

old pond . . .

a frog leaps in

water’s sound

Read it again. Enjoy it, savor it. You see the image of the pond, the frog… and you see the splash without the word being written. So much and in so few words.

One of the misunderstandings about haiku is that it’s got to be written with five syllables on the first line, seven in the second and five in the third – the 5/7/5 taught in classrooms everywhere. This has proven not to be necessarily the case or the rule – the mistake came from people looking at the original Japanese poem which probably did have a 5/7/5 format and then translating it into English – and as anyone who knows a second language can tell you, a word doesn’t ever translate perfect both in meaning and in syllables. The idea is to get your concept across and not be trapped by the 5/7/5 format these days.

The Haiku Society of America has many more resources if you want to look into this type of poetry and I highly recommend it if you’re looking to experience a whole new world.

But what I *really* want to tell you about is NaHaiWriMo!

Imagine National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) but for haiku writers. Yep, for every day in February you’re invited to write a haiku and post it here on Facebook. If you’re interested in dabbling with haiku and looking for a fun, friendly community to visit I can’t say enough good things about this group. You’ll also see everyone’s poems and enjoy the efforts from fans around the world.

In closing I’d like to toss out one of my earlier works – it sticks to the 5/7/5 and was written before I discovered I didn’t have to be formal:

Land Ho!

first steps in red soil

atop the shallow crater

inukshuk looks back.

In closing I hope you’ll visit the various haiku sites and find out more about this short and sweet type of poetry. And maybe you’ll even NaHaiWriMo!

 Come on and take a look inside!

******

“How can I have you out there with us, knowing you could get hurt again? This time you got lucky, but the next time, oh God.” I pressed my hands over my face, every word tearing at my heart. “I can’t lose you. I can’t go through this again, losing someone close to me. I can’t.”

******

I hope you’ll keep on coming back for more superhero drama as the Protectors continue to remake their own world and deal with the consequences of their actions!

Available at Amazon, B&N and Samhain Publishing!

Note: This is what authors do. We eavesdrop at every opportunity. We will listen to your cell phone conversations if you stand behind us at Starbucks and brag about your hot boyfriend; we will listen to you prattle to your BFF about the price of suntanning. We may not be scribbling notes down in a journal but we are listening to every word, every phrase and every mangled theory. It’s what we do.

Anyway these two women began an indepth analysis of what people liked which genres. It went something like this:

W1: “You know, Pam reads those.”

*gestures to mile-high Harlequin display*

“I wish she’d read something real. Like this.”

*holds out mystery novel*

W2: “Well, she only graduated high school. What do you expect?”

Insert me standing nearby and about to burst into flames.

It never ceases to amaze me when people judge you by what you read. If you read *this* you must be *this* and so forth. If you’re a romance reader you’re obviously a spinster looking for twu luv and living with fifty cats. If you read mysteries you’re a failed Holmes working on those New York Time crossword puzzles in pen. If you read science fiction you’re one of those weird people who dress up in Star Trek garb and play WoW while waiting for mom to bring you more Hot Pockets.

And if you read “Twilight”…. well, there’s no hope for you. None at all.

*sighs*

I never judge anyone by what they read as long as they’re reading. There is nothing more thrilling than seeing kids running amok in a bookstore with an armful of books, faces bright with anticipation of the marvellous journey they’re about to undertake as soon as they get home. A few weeks ago my hubby and I were in our local comic book/gaming store and a family came in. Father walks up to the counter and says “We’re looking for my son’s first comic book.” and asks for recommendations.

I felt like I was at a coronation. Welcome to the wonderful world of reading, child. Comic books, Harry Potter, Twilight, Nora Roberts, whatever – welcome. Pull up a chair and sit awhile.

You’re never going to want to leave.

Now if we could all just get along and not snark at anyone’s reading habits… wouldn’t that a be wonderful thing?

Just a thought.

*****

BTW, my giveaway for “Heroes Without, Monsters Within” ends tomorrow night at midnight! Drop down a post and comment for a chance to win copies of “Blaze of Glory” & “Heroes”!

Fight alone, die alone.

Blaze of Glory, Book 2

In the weeks since Jo “Surf” Tanis and her rough-and-tumble band of super-powered actors broke free of the government-sponsored superhero show, they’re all still dealing with the aftershock of adjusting to this thing called reality.

It doesn’t get much more real than a mission to dig survivors out of what’s left of Erie, PA, after a mysterious earthquake. A trembler that powerful is as out of place as Jo feels as the de-facto leader of the troupe. Not to mention the soul-shaking feelings she has for Hunter, a team member whose past as an Agency Guardian casts a heavy shadow over any possible relationship.

It seems one of the supers, an earth-warper named Ground Pounder, has gone rogue, using his freedom from the Agency’s brand of virtual slavery to put the “villain” back in supervillain. Failure to find him before any more innocent bystanders are hurt means the team could be back under the Agency’s thumb.

It’s a burden that doesn’t rest easy on Jo’s shoulders…especially when the man who’s invaded her heart is caught in the crossfire. 

And to make it a super-duper day, I’m going to give away TWO sets of ebooks with BOTH “Blaze of Glory” and “Heroes Without, Monsters Within”! If you haven’t read “Blaze of Glory” yet – (and why haven’t you?) why not get the first AND second ebooks at once?

All you have to do is comment here -  the contest ends on January 7th at midnight and I’ll randomly pick two lucky winners who will each receive copies of “Blaze” and “Monsters” in whatever e-format they want.

So come on and take a walk on the super side!

Mike rolled away from me, taking most of the sheets. “We’ve gone over this before.”

“Yeah, and every time you manage to piss me off right after getting me off.” I propped myself up against the headboard. “All I’m asking is that you just let me know if and when you’re going to set it off so I can prepare myself. You know, like pray or something.”

***

The sequel, “Heroes Without, Monsters Within” comes out on January 3rd so please come back here to find out about a double-super giveaway!

As time went on I became more familiar with swearing and used it in my vocabulary when I got ticked off to the max – usually when someone cut me off in a car.

But when it comes to writing I tend to hit a snag when it comes to cursing. Cursing is a natural way of speech with some people and it’s hard to present characters in a realistic way without using some swearing. It’s a part of life and everyone does it – whether you agree with it or not.

I’ve read some stories where every second word was swearing, to the point that it loses its effectiveness in portraying an emotional state. As in real life if you do nothing but swear non-stop I tend to tune you out when you get *really* upset because of the constant swearing. Consider it a version of “Cry Wolf” where the swear words become meaningless because there’s so many of them. Like those teenage kids who use the F-word as a noun and verb in the same sentence, it just gets boring.

To me, swearing in writing should be like exclamation marks – few and far between and timed to deliver the most impact. If one of my characters swears it’s when he/she is under stress and the cursing is to accentuate the seriousness of the situation. If they’re swearing, the *bleep* has hit the fan and now there’s trouble coming in fast and furious.

Which is not to say there’s never a good time or place to write plenty of cursing.

You could have a rough and tumble guy or gal who swears like a sailor every time he/she opens her mouth – but suddenly lapses into silence when faced with a situation. As a reader that would slap me in the face with the shift in emotion and as a writer that’s what I want to create.

I guess what I’m saying in my usual mumbled way is that I think that if you write cursing into your writing it should be there for a reason – not just to shock. Because the shock wears off quick enough and you’re left with your characters and story having to pick up the slack and if they’re not strong enough to carry it without swearing and cursing… then there’s a problem.

And, of course, I might be full of #$#@%&.

*laughs*