She Needs to Stop Abby

My fantasy author, Sandy Lender, has taken the day off of work to get some personal items taken care of. So I have been given free access to the computer.

I feel almost giddy.

I wonder if this means she trusts me...

Hopefully this post won't result in her rescinding that trust. There's something I could use some help with (besides how to get the iTunes on this computer to stop looping a constant stream of Duran Duran songs). I'm sure you're all aware by now that the misguided Abigail Farrier has her own blog where she posts entries from her diary. This diary is a sampling of her ramblings from nearly a decade prior to the happenings of the story in Choices Meant for Gods. They are...well...embarrassing for the poor lady at best. I've asked Sandy to make Abby stop posting these things. Sandy seems to think they're merely good marketing ploys; will help build sympathy for the woman. I disagree.

Could those of you who are familiar with Abby or her blog at (and please don't hold this name against me) http://AbigailLovesNigel.blogspot.com please reply and let me (thus Sandy, who reads this) know that Abby's blog should be radically changed. I could use your support in this campaign.

Thank you for your help.

All my best,
Nigel
(And if you aren't familiar with the character Abigail Farrier, you can read all about her by ordering your own copy of Choices Meant for Gods at http://www.amazon.com/Choices-Meant-Gods-Sandy-Lender/dp/1595071652/ref=cm_cd_t_h_dp_i/104-9089752-5140754.)

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Sandy Lender, fantasy author, Duran Duran, AbigailLovesNigel

She Accosted This Woman in the Grocery Store

My fantasy author avoids the grocery store as much as humanly possible. She hates going there. Always has. Sandy Lender believes her mother used to "trick" her into going to the grocery store with her when she was a teen by cajoling her into going to some other store...and then stopping by the grocery store on the way home. "Oh, let's stop by the grocery," or, "Oh, I need to pick something up at the grocery store," were words Sandy grew to distrust. She tells me that she actually started questioning her mother before they would leave the house with "we're not stopping by the grocery store, are we?"

Anyway, Sandy was literally down to spaghetti noodles, canned green beans, and wilting lettuce that she wouldn't even feed to the tortoises today so she had no choice but to stop at this dreaded store on her way home from work. She rewarded herself for getting through the ordeal without killing anyone by picking up a little carton of this ice cream stuff made by a company called Turtle Mountain. (She's got a post about them at her site at www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com where she discusses their policy on helping the Sea Turtle Restoration Project.) So when she got to the frozen foods case (and do you realize that your society is able to freeze food to the point that it is solid? and it stays that way?), there was this lovely older lady standing there staring at the ice cream. Obviously indecisive. So...never one to be shy where sea turtle preservation is concerned, Sandy said, "I always buy the Turtle Mountain products because they're great and their proceeds help protect sea turtles." I watched with interest as the conversation just rocketed out of control from there. Insane, I tell you. What are the chances that someone would respond to that? So she stood there talking about mint chocolate chip ice cream and sea turtles with a total stranger.

Writers can be bizarre.

The most bizarre part? The lady bought a carton of the Turtle Mountain ice cream. Sandy should be in marketing for this company...

She's Decided Men are Obsolete

This does not bode well for me, but she said I can be an exception because Chariss likes me so well. Nice. This "announcement" of hers came about because she used one of those round, flat, rubber things to open a jar. Seemed uneventful to me. But she was preoccupied with the jar and not listening to the things I was telling her to include in Book III of the Choices Meant for Gods trilogy, so I was paying attention to what she was doing. Anyway, she popped the lid open, tossed the rubber pad thing onto the counter, and looked at me as if she had some earth-shattering idea. I assumed we were on our way into the writing den. (That's usually what those looks mean.) No. She announces, in this matter-of-fact tone, "Men are obsolete."

"What?" I replied.

So she's decided that women no longer need men for anything, including, it appears, the opening of jars. I understand that your society has ways of making children without men's assistance as well, which boggles my mind; something about needles and clones, if you can believe that. She says that as soon as she buys stock in Duracell, she can just start running men down in traffic. (I don't get it.) I anticipate she'll be in jail by the end of the day.

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, men are obsolete

She Wants to Celebrate my Hundredth Post with a Thank You to Her Hosts

Welcome to Post #100.

My fantasy author is brimming with joy about this for some reason. She's got over 400 at her site, so I'm not sure why this is so momentous...

But the focus of this post is not to highlight my inadequacy but to (what? I only have 100 posts and I've been at this since, what, February?)... Sandy is very kind. She can be supportive when she wants to. She's brought me cake. Oooh, and wine. We're drinking early, she says. You see, we're celebrating the culmination of the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour. Today, a plethora of writers and promoters have given of their time and web space to help Sandy in her online promotion, and she'd like to give them some notice here (oh, she's going to do the same over at Today the Dragon Wins, as well, so you can see a more dignified post at www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com in a few minutes...unless she drinks too much of that wine before she gets to posting... ).

The whole point of the tour is to promote Choices Meant for Gods, an epic fantasy novel that tells the story of my bride, the amazing and incredible Amanda Chariss. You can pick up your copy of the book at Barnes & Noble, Border, Hastings, and anywhere fine books are sold. But, because you're already online, you could just hop over to Amazon and order it with free shipping at http://www.amazon.com/Choices-Meant-Gods-Sandy-Lender/dp/1595071652/ref=cm_cd_t_h_dp_i/104-9089752-5140754. They got their new shipment and now they're down to only four copies (with another shipment on the way again), so I advise hurrying so you don't have to wait.

Now! We encourage you to visit the following sites to support the wonderful folks who have supported my fantasy author.

http://myspace.com/catmuldoon (nice interview today!)

www.letusplaylovestory.blogspot.com (Karen has a nice set-up here for marketing her own novel, Let Us Play)

http://tweenyouandme.blogspot.com (ooh, this is that author Henry's so nervous with, isn't it? Henry Bakerson is interviewing Astra from Sam Cheever's Tween Heaven and Hell novel over at http://friendsofdragons.wordpress.com and, ahh, he's just a little worked up about it; serves him right)

www.jamiesonwolf.blogspot.com (well, what more can we say about Jamieson Wolf? he's not Drake, thank the gods, but a real friend in this marketing and promotional effort)

www.thebookpedler.wordpress.com

www.authoralley.blogspot.com (I was interviewed here during the tour; you can see my interview in the archives on May 29)

http://aspiringauthor.blogspot.com (nice setup on this site)

http://writeurthoughts.blogspot.com (this was the thought-provoking interview, wasn't it? you can still see it from June 8 or 9)

http://janverhoeff.blogspot.com

http://lamarwritersgroup.blogspot.com

http://womenofpower.blogspot.com (I'm not touching this subject)

http://cyber-chocolated.blogspot.com (it's uncanny how excited Sandy got over this one)

http://www.freewebs.com/mary-andrews/macrocosm.htm (the Frank Herbert post here is good, too)

http://blog.myspace.com/raven_bower

http://ravens-hollow.blogspot.com (the bunny connection is just a little odd)

http://greetingsfromthepolebarn.blogspot.com (great intro; Laura really deserves flowers for this)

http://www.authorisland.com/index/php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=6&Itemid=511 (a contest announcement)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFg0kw_T-3g (the new trailer for CMFG from Jamieson Wolf, but you should check out the contest directions at www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com)

I think that's everybody. I'd post the publisher's blog but he forgot to post the article, so...you know...no point.

Thank you to everyone! I need to collect a wine bottle from someone...
All my best and good night,
Nigel Taiman

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Sandy Lender, fantasy author, online book tour, Nigel Taiman

Sandy Lender Doesn't Recommend Quitting Your Day Job

My Fantasy Author, Sandy Lender, stops in today to share her thoughts about writing and promoting as she celebrates the culmination of an incredibly successful virtual tour. The Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour has been a non-stop whirlwind of events since May 21, and now that we're at the final day, Sandy is appearing on 17 blogs (not counting the six she manages with my assistance) with an interview at http://myspace.com/catmuldoon and the following guest article everywhere else.

The joy and insanity of being a writer

By Sandy Lender, fantasy author

Northeast Missouri State University, now Truman University, prides itself on offering a liberal arts education to graduates. I got out in four years with a degree in English and a liberal arts education that has garnered me a 15-year career in magazine publishing and public relations/marketing, but my true passion, the "career" I've nurtured since I was about six years old, is writing. And I don't mean journalism. Yes, journalism and editing are what have paid the bills the past 15 years (and will continue to do so), but fiction writing...oh...fiction writing is what has kept me alive.

It's probably going to be the death of me.

Let me explain. If you're visiting this site, you've probably been drawn here by an interest in books or authors or a writer's lifestyle or something along those lines. Let me give it to you straight. All writers have a touch of insanity about us (this is normal). We usually carry a muse around with us, but this is not always by choice. We complain about characters fighting for their rights, refusing to conform to our wishes in a scene. We go on writing binges that keep us up until 3 a.m. before collapsing next to our computers just to get up and start typing again when the sun blazes in to wake us around 7, skipping meals, showers, potty breaks and phone calls until some aspect of reality forces us out of the writing cocoon. We will tear a room to shreds looking for a pen if an idea has just struck us. And woe to the fool who gets between us and a piece of paper when we get hold of that pen...

Because I've experienced the insanity described above, I've been lifted up by hearing stories of people who have enjoyed my first published novel, Choices Meant for Gods. Now I get to read comments on my Amazon.com page of people claiming Nigel Taiman is "by far" their favorite character, or "I want to be just like Chariss when I grow up," and I feel this lump of pride in my darlings rise in my throat.

That's the joy and insanity of being a writer. You pour your heart and soul into the work; and pray that someone out there likes it, too. Now here's the hard part. People have to read it to like it. They have to know it exists to read it. So you have to get it to them.

Enter the marketing and promoting aspect of the new author's job. I attended the ArcheBooks Publishing's Professional Novelist Workshop about two weeks before receiving my contract for Choices Meant for Gods, and had attended the Naples Press Club Writers Workshop the week before that, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of the marketing nightmare new authors faced. I was ready. Lay it on me, I thought.

Now I'm on the last day of a two-month online book tour I organized myself, contemplating repeating a moderately successful instore book signing at the local Barnes & Noble that I organized myself, and managing six blogs (including www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com) for the promotion of my fantasy novel that I've organized myself, preparing a spate of press releases I've written myself that I'll spew forth like water from an erupting sprinkler next week, etc. Do you see a trend there? New authors are on their own. Unless you have the few thousand dollars it takes to hire a publicity firm/PR agency to send out press releases for you, you're on your own. I don't have a few thousand stray dollars and I don't trust people who charge less than professional rates to do a professional job.

I take hope in the fact that even J.K. Rowling was once in the same boat I'm in now. She was down to her last food stamp as the story goes when that fateful call came: Her little story about a boy named Harry Potter had been picked up. I've already had my call. Choices Meant for Gods is published and out there. Now I need my lottery winning event to propel me into J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter status, but, for right now, I'm going to just keep writing deep into the night and reading those fabulous e-mails that praise Nigel and Chariss. Because making a living at this would be nice, but, truly, the writing binges that result in someone singing Chariss's praises are the real joy and insanity of being a writer.


I'd like to thank Nigel for posting this guest blog article. And I'd like to thank everyone who made the CMFG Online Book Tour the raging success it's been. You know that paragraph above where I said new authors are on their own? I'd like to correct that. We actually have each other. Without each of you, the name Sandy Lender wouldn't be all over the internet right now, and readers wouldn't be one click away from http://www.amazon.com/Choices-Meant-Gods-Sandy-Lender/dp/1595071652/ref=dp_return_1/104-9089752-5140754?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1175821346&sr=8-1 to pick up my epic fantasy novel. And new author Sandy Lender is grateful to every one of you.

"Some days, I just want the dragon to win."

Tags: sandy lender, fantasy author, northeast missouri state university, truman university, liberal arts, journalism, fiction writing, writer's life, muse, choices meant for gods, nigel taiman, marketing and promotion, archebooks publishing, professional novelist workshop, naples press club, online book tour, today the dragon wins, fantasy novel, j.k. rowling, harry potter

She Came Home Singing "Who is Johnny?"

I'm not sure if it's the lack of sleep manifesting itself in lunacy or if she's just loopy because she's excited about the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour activities today (which I'll get to in the posts to come), but she returned from her errands this morning singing this bizarre little tune.

Of course I asked why.

Turns out she stopped by Wal-mart (a large store...oh...you are all familiar with this place?) after her sea turtle patrol this morning. At this store, she pilfered through the bargain bin of movies they sell and found something called Short Circuit, which, I guess has this robot (which is a moving machine) called Johnny 5 and a song called "Who is Johnny?" which Sandy is now regaling me with. She's trying to find it on her iPod so I can listen to it. I get the impression it might not really be necessary...

I asked why she felt the need to spend $5 on a movie she'll never actually take the time to sit down and watch. She has several unopened movies on the shelf that she intends to watch, but I don't like to see her waste her time that way. She has books to complete, you know.

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Sandy Lender, fantasy author, Short Circuit

She's Stopping by Jane's Place

But that's not all.

As part of the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour, Fantasy Author Sandy Lender appears at http://janekennedysutton.blogspot.com/ today for a thought-provoking interview. I encourage you to check it out, not just because Jane did a great job with the interview questions, but because this is a relatively new blog for Jane and you should check out the way she has it set up. I would like to request that you give her some feedback. It would be very kind of you all.

Also today, Sandy has received a wonderful surprise from her friend and fellow author Jamieson Wolf. He is on his own tour for his YA novel The Ghost Mirror, and has mentioned Choices Meant for Gods in his interview at http://meandmybigmouth.typepad.com/scottpack/2007/07/the-ghost-mirro.html. Sandy's pretty excited about that.

So enjoy the day and get ready to be bombarded tomorrow. If J.K. Rowling is taking over the book stores, Sandy Lender is taking over the internet. Get ready for it.

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Sandy Lender, Jane Sutton, Jamieson Wolf, J.K. Rowling

She Has Less Patience Than I

It's almost humorous to watch, actually. My fantasy author, Sandy Lender, has been without internet access at her home since mid-June due to an issue with her modem and the "morons" at Juno suddenly believing quite firmly that she'd connected a digital phone to her line.

She hadn't.

So she ordered a new online service through the phone company Embarq (and please note that I just barely grasp all of this--I've not participated in the technical support end of accessing the internet since visiting this society), connected the new modem, and used a naughty word when nothing worked as it was supposed to the other night. Rather than call the customer service people then (she feared being rude--she didn't want to "be fussy" with anyone while she was in a bad mood over the situation), she waited until a better time. That turned out to be last night when she got home from work. The point of this post is to tell the world that she loves and adores the customer service rep named Sheryl and she's writing a letter to Embarq to tell them how "cool" this woman is. Sheryl deserves a raise. And a company car. (What's a company car?)

Ah. Anyway, Sandy is pleased to announce that she's back online and much happier. Just in time for the whirlwind that will be the final day of the Choices Meant for Gods Online Book Tour tomorrow. You will gasp when you see this list of sites she's going to be hosted on tomorrow. It's nigh unto insane. (What? They'll understand that...)

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods

She's Just Going to Have to Keep a Flashlight in all Interior Rooms

The woman can write in the dark.

My fantasy author, Sandy Lender, can write in the dark. (She says having white paper and dark ink is the secret. Very funny.) She's rather determined these days, and, as she puts it, something as ridiculous as a power outage (have I mentioned she lives in a swamp?) isn't going to keep her from working on her manuscripts and blog entries.

See Exhibit A at http://www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com/.

And if you'd like to support the continuation of the manuscripts, you can pick up the first book of the Choices Meant for Gods epic fantasy trilogy at http://www.amazon.com/Choices-Meant-Gods-Sandy-Lender/dp/1595071652/ref=dp_return_2/002-3163519-8684042?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books. Enjoy the story! And see if you can tell which parts were written by hand...in the dark.

Tags: Choices Meant for Gods, Sandy Lender, Today the Dragon Wins, fantasy author, fantasy novel