The HEA Cafe

It was my birthday this week, and I celebrated by doing something different. I signed up for a zipline safari at a Florida site that specializes in eco-tourism. I’d never done anything like this before, but my thought was, what’s the point of surviving another year if you don’t live it to its fullest? In addition, now that I’m middle aged, I’m in a better position than ever to try something new. My kids are grown (the oldest asked if he was still listed on my life insurance, the younger said, “You rock, Mom!”), and while my husband was nervous about me flying through the air on a cable he didn’t try to talk me out of it. After 34 years of marriage, he knows better.

It was a little scary, though not as frightening as when I went spelunking in Florida caves while researching The Bride and the Buccaneer. Never knew I was prone to claustrophobia until that day. But I did it anyway, because I wasn’t about to wimp out after having come that far.

It’s like that with writing a novel as well. When I first started writing Pirate’s Price, I didn’t tell anyone I was writing a novel. I wasn’t sure at that time if I could finish it, or sell it, or if anybody would want to read it. But I managed to accomplish all three of those things and win an Eppie Award for it as well.

Even now, in the midst of writing my next novel, I reach a point where I wonder, “Can I finish this? Can I sell it? Will anyone want to read it?” But I grit my teeth and tell myself, “You’ve been small craft sailing and spelunking for research, you’ve gone ziplining through the backwoods of Florida, you’ve hiked around old Cracker homesteads full of insects, snakes and possums–you did all of that and got four books published and won awards…you can finish another damn novel!”

And I do. It’s as exhilarating as ziplining, and as scary, but just like ziplining there’s a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction at the end. Now I’m ready to do the nighttime zipline safari!

The main reason I’m taking this opportunity to write about my life and daily work as an author is to make it clear why owning the copyright to my fiction is important to me and other authors.

I’ve been watching and reading news about how digital books, such as the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader etc are (read are already) going to change the way readers purchase and read books. This change from the printed page has brought an interesting shift in how people view the end product, my stories, my life’s work.

There are some readers who think that books should be free or cost very little. The ease of obtaining books in the form of a digital electronic file makes easy to get, makes it seem like air, free, I guess.

This mindset is hard for me to understand since I spend 6-12 hours a day writing and dealing with the business of writing. I think that most readers don’t understand this, the writing life. And don’t realize that just eliminating the paper, ink and postage from the product, my book, doesn’t mean that the product is worth nothing. Or be given away free.

Few except those of us in the “bizness” understand the commitment and the mental strength and emotional determination it takes to write not just one story, but many. And in addition, to stay viable or salable in the public and very competitive market of books. I’m hoping that this frank discussion of what it takes to be a writer and stay a writer may help others understand what I do everyday. And why it’s important that authors are allowed to benefit from their labor.

First of all, I’d like to give you some idea of what I receive in $$ for my work. It takes me 6-12 months to write a book from the first ideas about it till the final manuscript is written and in the hands of my editor and finally accepted by the editor. That’s a long time and there are many stages in that process which I will be writing about on the Tuesdays through March and April on my blog.

So talking about $$, have you ever wondered what a writer earns from a book? Drop by my personal blog http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com next Tuesday and I’ll give you the real deal. GRIN

I’m SO, SO, SO excited to announce that … drum roll, please… OPERATION SHEBA, Super Agent Series Book 1, is available FREE for the KINDLE from Amazon, March 1^st-14^th .  You can find it here. (Update 3/1/10, 10:45 a.m. – Amazon has yet to flip the switch so the book goes to $0.00. I’ll add another note as soon as I’m sure it’s been switched over to free. I’m REALLY sorry for the inconvenience, but how is an author to control the beast known as Amazon?!!? They told me March 1st!) (Update #2: 5 pm … FINALLY, it is really and truly FREE on Amazon for Kindle. And it’s ranked in the top 100 already. Woo hoo!)

It’s also available free for the Nook, Barnes & Noble’s ebook reader! If you want the Nook version, go here .

More news about Sheba: It’s a finalist in the 2009 New England Bean Pot Published Authors Contest for Romantic Suspense! I couldn’t be more thriled!

PLEASE pass this on and share the news with anyone who owns a Kindle or a Nook and might enjoy my book. Maybe we can get Conrad and Julie in the Top 100 Kindle books. If we do, I’m going to celebrate big with goodie giveaways galore to my readers!

Here are a few review snippets to tease you:

“Evans takes readers on an edge-of-your-seat thriller into the secretive world of CIA operatives. A love triangle and a mole in the agency make this one story you won’t want to put down.”  ~Cindy Himler, RT Reviews

“…deeply woven and masterfully written plot with many twists and turns.” ~Abi, The Romance Studio

“Misty Evans does a masterful job of developing vibrant, believable characters that inhabit a world full of international and personal intrigue…” ~Camilia, Long and Short Reviews

“…the best book I have ever read. OPERATION SHEBA is not at the head of the class, it is in a class by itself. The adventure never stops, it is really sexy, and the reader will go from laughter to terror as the plot is uncovered and the traitor is exposed.” ~ Reviewed by Susiq2 for CataRomance

“This is a top notch romantic suspense…The characters in this story fulfill their roles perfectly, strong, heroic, and of course, dangerously sexy. Ms. Evans takes you on a wild ride, one that you will hate to see end.  I will await her next installment of Super Agents with great anticipation.” ~ Reviewed by Loloty for Coffee Time Romance

“…a heart-pounding, super-hot read…continuous nonstop action and blazing sexual interactions. Overall, OPERATION SHEBA was a thrilling, erotic spy game that I enjoyed playing.” ~ Reviewed by Contessa for Romance Junkies 

“Bad guys, bombs, and bullets pop up everywhere…The CIA’s internal politics are fleshed out beautifully… With non-stop action and a fantastic heroine, Operation Sheba is a great kickoff for a debut writer.” ~Reviewed by Bramble Nymph for Literary Nymphs

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Hi! If you drop by my blog today http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com you can read a reader’s family true love story Australian style. I’m offering to draw winners from women who send me family love stories.

The prize? The first copy of my June book, Her Abundant Joy.

I was tempted to subtitle this “How dare you say my baby is ugly!” but held back. Reviews are the joy and bane of a published writer’s existence. Each morning I check my Google Alerts to see if someone’s said something new about The Bride and the Buccaneer, but I always click on the link with a certain amount of trepidation and a lump in my throat. Did the reviewer like my story? Did she find the characters entertaining? Am I going to want to bang my head on the keyboard?

I can say, with no false modesty, that my fears are generally unwarranted. I don’t always get an A+, but so far the reviewers seem to agree that they find my stories entertaining, my characters engaging, my dialogue snappy. Some even say they enjoy getting a little does of Florida history fed to them, which thrills my history wonk soul. You can read for yourself what the reviewers are saying at my website.

Are all reviewers created equal? No. I find a comment from a reader saying “I couldn’t go to sleep last night because I had to stay up to finish your wonderful book!” every bit as grand as the most detailed analysis of my craft. I will say though that for me as a writer some reviewers are worth paying particular attention to because they understand writing. Their comments will be on point, and can be helpful.

On the other hand, there are some popular reviewing sites where you wonder if the author of the review was having a bad day, or ever read historicals, or was actually reading the book you wrote. When I get one of those reviews, I let it bother me for about five minutes. Then I remember the reader who said, “I read your books when I was undergoing chemo, and it took me away from everything for a few hours. Thank you.”

And then it’s all right again, and I’m reassured my baby is every bit as pretty as I think it is.