Author's Notes (blog)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
ARAB MUSIC TO WRITE BY
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I always write to music. So, when I began A Genie in the House of Saud, I sought out Middle Eastern rhythms to set the tone. Here are some of the sounds I found:
for suspense: 1,2,3 Soleils: Taha, Khaled, Faudel (Ark 21 Records 1999) Each of these guys has a huge following of their own and multiple collections. The collaboration is energizing.
for thrills: Arabic Groove (Putumayo) A good introduction to the beat of the Middle East.
for dancing in your chair: Desert Roses & Arabian Rhythms (Mondo Melodia 2001) Another great compilation of Middle Eastern and North African artists.
for atmosphere: Mishmaoul/ Natacha Atlas (Mantra Recordings Ltd. 2006)
for meeting a genie: Honeysuckle/ Souad Massi (AZ, A Universal Music Label 2005) Souad writes most of her own music and you can hear the sound of her heart in her voice.
for the journey: An Ancient Muse/ Loreena McKennitt (Quinlan Road Ltd. 2006) McKennitt's not Arabic, but she evokes the mystery and mysticism of the Middle East in this CD. As far as I'm concerned, McKennitt never misses.
I'd love to hear your suggestions for great Arabic music.
KFZ
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
FIND YOUR READERS
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Hello to Readers and Writers both,
I hope you'll find something here that helps you; either to hear a good story or figure out how others can hear yours. A Genie in the House of Saud is readable exclusively as an e-book. An electronic book seems to be an obvious comparison to the djinn -- unseen and mystifying, but captivating nonetheless. Since you're reading this, I'll take that as a sign that you're willing to read online. Meanwhile, to any writer who's got a book, I would say, "Publish it electronically!" And here's why:
E-books are cheaper. They're also easier to distribute and can be just as engrossing as paper and ink.
E-books can reach a wider audience. One book, usually not more than 500kb can be downloaded endlessly. You won't need a garage to store the unread remnants. Or, more depressingly, a piecemeal promise with a POD (Print on Demand) publisher.
Crafting your book was the hard part. You wrote a book! Publishing it certainly should be manageable. Nobody says you can't write a book. There are conferences, workshops, seminars, programs, and faculty to help you do it. What they do say is oh, don't expect to get published. But they encourage you to keep trying anyway ... and to keep signing up for conferences, workshops, seminars, and programs. The "they" are literary agents, editors, editorial services, publishers, and not surprisingly some other writers (however, mostly I find the community of writers to be very supportive).
Skip the agent. Unless you enjoy the administrivia of rummaging through agent names, categories, and submission requirements, you're being kept from writing the next book. If you really believe you need an agent to get published, then query, copy, and stamp away. Just be sure the agents you approach at least belong to a professional organization like the Association of Authors Representatives. Visit anotherealm.com for a comprehensive listing of literary agents, their contact information and genre preferences, as well as those that are recommended with a $. Be sure you don't send queries to any of the agents on the sfwa.org list of the 20 worst agents.
FIND YOUR READERS. That's really the point isn't it? It is for me. I have a background in publishing, editing and marketing, so I have some insight but, really, anyone can publish and be read. You just have to package, message, and market. How do you do that? Here's the first thing you do: Check back later. I don't want to lose you with a blog entry that's too long. And I want you to come back. It's called a cliffhanger. It's also a simple technique you might want to use at the end of every chapter.
CHEERS!