by Laura K. Curtis | Feb 21, 2014 | Stuff!, Writing |
Today I am over at Women of Mystery with a long post on numbers, self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, and some of the inherent difficulties with using sales data to make career decisions.
It was also pointed out to me after I Photoshopped myself a pair of crankypants for my last post that I should, perhaps, take advantage of the Cafe Press store to create some actual crankypants. So I did. And I’ve added a bunch of other things, too, just for your amusement (and mine). So head on over to Laura K. Curtis’s Crazy Author Shop to see what I’ve been doing with my insomnia!
by Laura K. Curtis | Jan 29, 2014 | Books, Romance, Writing |
Just got the cover for my upcoming book, LOST, which comes out May 20!
What do you think?
by Laura K. Curtis | Jan 21, 2014 | Books, Romance, Writing |
I’ve just made my reservation for this year’s RWA conference. (Thieves, don’t worry, my husband will still be at my house and my dogs will be with him!) I love RWA. Not the organization, which has all the flaws and weaknesses inherent in any large group, but the conference. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you have limited funds for promotion/marketing, you should go to a conference. It will be more expensive than any other form of marketing, but it will put you in touch with all the people you need to know.
RWA is my vacation as well as my professional networking conference. It’s when I get to see the people I can only chat with online the rest of the year. It’s the one place everyone understands my obsessions and fears.
If you’re thinking about going and you’re not sure whether you’d fit in at a conference, here’s my post on how to deal with conferences: The Art of the Con. The fact is, most conference attendees are very friendly. It won’t take you long to find a group to hang with. If you’re really nervous, find someone to go with you. Make it a vacation as well as a career item.
Are you going to any conferences this year? I’ll be doing RT, Bouchercon, and, of course, RWA. Will I see you?
by Laura K. Curtis | Jan 3, 2014 | Writing |
Last night I couldn’t sleep and as I stared around at the darkness of my room, I had a thought. So I picked up my iPad and typed up something. Will it ever go anywhere? I have no idea. It’s utterly and completely different from anything else I’ve ever written. But in case you’re interested, here’s what 2am looks like in my head:
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Fear of the dark is universal, they say. Fire was not discovered because man needed to cook, but because he wished to drive away what hid in the night. The creature under the bed, the monster in the closet, these are familiar terrors. But the things that live in shadow, the hobgoblins and fanged ones and things that go bump in the night, they are but shadows themselves, shadows of the true darkness, the unrelenting and unremitting blackness of the soul.
I do not recall my first exposure to the corruption commonly called evil, but when I was eight it looked out at me from the eyes of an old man while we waited at the bus stop on Lexington and seventieth. He might have been anyone. Just another kindly grandfather going downtown to visit family. But he wasn’t. And in the moment I pulled my mother away and suggested walking rather than riding, I realized that his darkness had seen me, had recognized that within me which even I did not yet know.
It is so many years ago now, that meeting with the old man who became the first entry in my first journal. I am an old woman and death is coming for me. I will not go easy, and my enemies will not be kind, but I have lived well and brought light whenever possible.
And I have children. Four daughters. I loved their fathers, in my way, but none could stick once they realized what I was. They took my children, but we have kept in touch. And while I would not wish my sight, my curse, my blessing, my avocation on any of them, should they find themselves in my position, I hope these journals will prove useful.
No one wants to be forgotten.
by Laura K. Curtis | Dec 31, 2013 | Books, Crafts, Writing |
A long time ago I gave up making New Year’s resolutions and switched over to giving myself goals. That may sound like mere semantics, but the two things seem fundamentally different to me. A resolution is a destination; a goal is a journey. If I make progress on my goal, I can count that as a win whereas all I can do with a resolution is fail. I mean, I suppose I could succeed, but I haven’t yet. It’s like the year my roommate and I tried to give up complaining for Lent and lasted three whole days. I mean, what are you supposed to do when you can’t even complain about not being allowed to complain?
So no more resolutions. This year I have three goals:
- To get more organized and declutter my house and life
- To learn to knit and to do Tunisian crochet
- To get a more regular writing schedule down
I tried learning to knit from books and with a pattern and the pretty yarn the lady at the yarn store assured me I would be able to do, but she totally overestimated my capabilities. I can crochet like a fiend, but knitting seems to be beyond me. So I decided to take an online class at Craftsy. We’ll see how it goes!
What are your plans for 2014?
by Laura K. Curtis | Dec 11, 2013 | Books, Freebies & Giveaways, Writing |
Is your family driving you crazy? Do you need to get away? Take a trip to Dobbs Hollow, Texas, where bodies and villains are piling up…
Lucy Sadler Caldwell is a successful true-crime writer. But the one story she’s never been able to come to terms with is the murder of her own mother–until now. She’s returned to Dobbs Hollow, Texas, the hometown she fled seventeen years ago, to finally expose the real killer.
After a bullet took out his knee in Houston, Detective Ethan Donovan found himself without a lot of options, which is how he ended up as Chief of Police in Dobbs Hollow. Lucy sure isn’t asking for his help–she’s not big on trust–but he can’t help feeling a strong desire to come to her aid.
And though Lucy is armed to the teeth, she will need all the help she can get. When she starts digging into the past, she unearths a psychotic killer who will stop at nothing to silence her forever…
I am giving away two copies of the ebook of Twisted. Just comment below with the ebook format you prefer and be sure to include an email or twitter address so I can contact you if you win! I will pick winners on Wednesday, December 18!
