Wednesday, August 17, 2011

First Blog of My Own

Hokey-pokey, so I finally entered the blogosphere. Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know, unless it's because some perverse side of me needs to be ignored by another bunch of people. Not that I'm bitter or anything :-)

However, I do have something to say today. I managed to get my next-to-last book in my backlist uploaded to Kindle and Smashwords! Yuppers. SWEET CHARITY, first published as a Berkley Homespun book in 1997, and such a sweet historical romance, you'll probably need insulin after you read it, is now available as an e-book for the paltry fee of $2.99! Wow, whatta deal, huh?

That means I only have probably my least favorite book (of those I've written), MY WILD IRISH ROSE, to be formatted and uploaded. Well, there are three novellas and a couple of westerns, but those will just have to wait. More about them later, I guess.

Honestly, if you've ever thought an author has any control over his/her career, read this blog. Or don't, but it really will explain some things. I originally started writing historical romance novels set in the western United States. Mind you, as a city kid, I didn't have a single clue how a ranch or a farm operated; therefore, I set my books in places other than ranches or farms. SWEET CHARITY, for instance, takes place in a tiny territorial town called Diabolito Lindo and features Jake Molloy, a rather rough-and-tumble preacher, and Gracie Molloy, his sort-of foster sister. I figured I'd write Berkley Homespuns for years and years. Hmm. I just thought of another blog topic: family values, which were what Homespuns were supposed to exalt. More later on that.

Shows how much I knew. As soon as I'd finished my second book for the Homespun line, I was told by my editor that they were canceling the Homespun line, and wouldn't I like to write paranormals for their Jove Haunted Hearts line. Well . . . as a matter of fact, no, I wouldn't like to write paranormals. For anybody. However, needs must, so I began writing paranormals for Jove's Haunted Hearts line.

And then the Haunted Hearts line was canceled. Would I write a book set in Ireland for their Irish Eyes line? WHAT?????? Okay, my heritage is Scots. I don't have a clue about how life is carried on in Ireland. Or Scotland, for that matter, although I have a slightly better handle on Scotland than Ireland. The first things that pop into my head when I think Ireland are leprechauns, religious wars, famine and alcoholism. Unfortunately, Berkley didn't want any of those things to appear in their Irish Eyes books. So I went to the library, checked out every book I could find on Ireland, and wrote the blasted book with an American female as the heroine. Hey, you do what you have to do.

36 comments:

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Alice,

I've been through similar experiences. Writing is a difficult field. I think it's great that you are tech savvy and can put your wonderful backlist out as e-books yourself thus controlling the pricing. Anyone buying your books is getting a delightful reading experience for a bargain price.

Alice Duncan said...

I went through terrible traumas trying to set up this blog, Jacquie! I think I'm more scared than anything else. Sheesh.

Diane Levin said...

Good luck. I'm looking forward to the blog.

Alice Duncan said...

Thanks, Diane! For the record, Diane is the very kind person who sent me her Kindle when she got a new one. I LOVE it!

Jeff Markowitz said...

Blogging! Who woulda thunk it? When you feel like you ought to update your blog and you've got nothing to blog about, let me know and I'll send over a couple of dead Romanians.

Elizabeth Delisi said...

Alice, your blog is one of the few I'll actually look forward to reading, as it promises to be just as entertaining as your books! Have fun with it.

Alice Duncan said...

Thanks, Jeff! I love your dead Romanians (and their dances).

Thank you, Liz! You young thing, you :-)

Caroline Clemmons said...

Alice, actually, you do have a lot to say and it's usually fun and funny as well as informative. I'm looking forward to reading this blog.

Anonymous said...

Hey, look her over! Welcome to the blogosphere, Alice, and I love your blog!I'll get back to you later, but in the meantime -- great job! And no more work than building the pyramids, right? Hahahahahahaha ---

Pat Browning

Alice Duncan said...

Thanks, Caroline and Pat! No more work than building pyramids at all, Pat :-) Actually, it was kind of fun.

lil Gluckstern said...

Just charming. I love your story about the Irish Eyes. It just goes to show how-um-multi talented and flexible you are.

Martha Lawson said...

I loved both the lines you wrote for that cancelled!! Read your books also. I joined your blog, so I want miss anything! Good luck.

Alice Duncan said...

LOL, Lil! Multi-talented. That's moi. No longer flexible, though, 'cause of my rotten arthritis :-)

Thanks, Martha! Berkley's lines came and went like lightning sometimes. It was downright depressing sometimes. I'll try to keep the blog up. This is very new to me.

Debora said...

Alice, I love all your books under all your names and am thrilled you now have a blog!

Best Wishes and have fun!

Hugs, Debora Hosey

Anonymous said...

Alice, you're my hero, um heroine? Anyway, I really admire how you stuck in there and reinvented your subject matter! You've got a great sense of humor. I guess one has to to be a writer, huh? Kudos to you! Great job on your first blog. Keep 'em coming. I'll be back.

Bonnie Vanak said...

Congratulations on the new blog, Alice, and uploading your back list! woo hoo!

Jacquie Rogers said...

I learned a whole lot about writing from reading your books. The most important thing was to let your hair down and let 'er rip, then fix it later. I was trying to write very dramatic stories but reading one of your books (don't ask me which one--I never remember titles!) showed me that I was trying too hard to fit others' expectations, and that humor is a good thing. So thank you for that, thank you for writing great books, and thank you for this blog.

Jacquie

AnnNoE said...

Hooray for the blog! See you on the 29th.

Alice Duncan said...

Oh, Debra, you're so nice! Thank you.

It's probably a good thing to have a sense of humor if you try to write for a living, Coco. I sure don't make a living at it (but don't tell anybody). I guess it's either laugh or kill yourself, y'know?

Thanks, Bonnie!

Thanks for that, Jacquie. Oddly enough, when I first tried to sell stuff, I was rejected for being too dark. Go figure. I honestly don't think I could write dark stuff now if I tried.

Yay, Ann! Looking forward to it!

Debra said...

Congrats on starting your new blog! Have fun with it. Stopping by via Romance Cafe.

Alice Duncan said...

Thanks, Debra!

Sheila Deeth said...

Ah, those Irish eyes! I will follow your blog and see where they lead.

Yvonne said...

Congrats on your blog! I'm a follower!

Alice Duncan said...

Thank you very much, Sheila and Yvonne!

Sharon Ervin said...

Alice, so proud of you learning new skills at your age. My three-year-old grandson puts me to shame as he negotiates the computer. I, too, recently joined the 21st Century world of blogging. Your effort is delightful. I look forward to reading more of your insights.

Alice Duncan said...

I know. Both of my great-grandchildren are better at computers than I am, Sharon. So depressing. Thanks for reading my blog!

Anonymous said...

Alice, your blog cracks me up. You have such a humorous take on life's ups and downs. Thank you!
Pat Browning

Alice Duncan said...

Well, as a friend of mine used to say, Pat, it's either kill myself or go bowling, y'know?

Deb Stover said...

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Alice. :) I hope you're more consistent about posting than yours truly. I remember I have a blog about once a quarter. Or less... For the record, it's common knowledge that I murdered the Irish Eyes line, since my second Mulligan book was the very last of the line. So you can't take credit for that assassination. I get that one. :-) What other lines did we kill together?

Meljprincess said...

Hello! Hello! Alice,
Welcome to blogland. I love your books but you already knew that. How are the sweet pups?
You must visit Scotland! Och! I went in Sept. of 2010 and it was amazing. Keep those great books a comin'. :-)

xo Mel

Alice Duncan said...

Well, Deb, I think I killed the Love Letters line, but I'll give you Irish Eyes :-) I'm hoping to get the hang of this blog thing one of these days. Have to, because I'm supposed to participate in a blog tour (whatever that is) at the end of November!

Thanks, Mel! The pups are fine, although I'm afraid my Daisy is getting on toward the end, which is always sad. I've actually been to Scotland. Once. And it was only Glasgow and Edinburgh. I'd love to go back, but I'm poor :(

Maryannwrites said...

Once you get it set up, blogging is not all that hard. It's the tech stuff in advance that made me pull my hair out. I'm still trying to figure out how to make pages on my blog. LOL

It is disheartening when a line you are writing for folds. That happened to me once and I was devastated. But one thing about some of us, we are resilient. Get on up and start all over again.

Patricia Stoltey said...

Well, you make it sound humorous, Alice, but it can be so stressful for genre authors. I love that you were flexible enough to jump from homespun to paranormal. I'm not sure I could have done that.

Maggie Toussaint said...

I feel your pain, Alice. But at least your changes in direction were through no fault of your own. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. How cool it is that you live in Roswell, NM. It sounds like the perfect place for an open thinker like yourself.

Welcome to the blogosphere.

Maggie
http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com/

Alice Duncan said...

You said it, Maryann. I almost went nuts just trying to figure out how to create this blog -- and it's really easy! Sheesh.

It wasn't all that easy, Patricia. Fortunately for me, I managed to watch "I Married a Witch" about that time, so I kind of worked it from there.

Thanks, Maggie! According to my daughter Robin, my mind is so open, my brain's liable to fall out :-)

Meljprincess said...

*heavy sigh* I've been thniking of you and Daisy a lot Alice....

Please e-mail me your snail mail addy. Thanks.

Meljprincess AT aol DOT com

xo Mel