Susan Krinard

Val Cache Courier

Issue #15
Spring 2002

Dear Friends and Readers,

Well, it's spring at last! I see on the Weather Channel that warm temperatures have finally come to the east, and we've been enjoying pleasant temperatures in Albuquerque for several weeks. I've been gardening like mad, taking advantage of the three new raised beds Serge has built for me, and I have a whole container shade garden on my front patio, filled with violas, pansies, cardamine, coral bells, campanula, and forget-me-nots. This year I went into a seed-starting frenzy, invested in special lights, and grew literally hundreds of plants from seed indoors. I had a "plant sale" to dispose of the many extras, and still have quite a number of the seedlings to find room for in my garden. Next year I won't start quite so many, but it's been an experience!

Friends ask how I find time to garden and keep up with other important things, such as writing. Well ... I don't. I have to let a lot of things slide, and right now my office looks as if a tornado hit it. There are piles of unsorted papers (fan mail ... yes, I save all of it!), promotional material, research, etc., much taken from the internet. I'm struggling to make the July deadline of my current (as yet untitled) manuscript, another in my historical werewolf series. The fact that I adore spring and all the green doesn't help at all!

It also didn't help that I suffered a bout of food poisoning that landed me in urgent care and then the hospital to get rehydrated by IV. Quite an experience, which I'm glad is over!

My other little inconvenience was that I lost the entire contents of my AOL in-basket due to yet another crash (which AOL, as usual, attempted to blame on me.) If anyone reading this is owed an e-mail, please contact me again!

Writing Projects

As I mentioned above, I'm close to finishing my summer 2003 book, another in the historical werewolf series. This book, as yet untitled, features Morgan Holt, Cassidy's Holt's "lost" brother. I received the cover art for The Forest Lord, and it's quite lovely--a close-up of the hero, with trees and a house in the background. It's been done by one of my favorite cover artists (responsible for my past several book covers), Franco Accornero. I couldn't be more pleased, and will be putting the cover art up on the web page soon. The book will be hitting store shelves in early November. I also just turned in a short fantasy-mystery story for an anthology to be released in 2003, Murder and Magic. My story is "Murder Entailed" and is set in an alternative Victorian England. It's the first "straight" fantasy I've done professionally, as well as my first mystery and first very short story (only 6,000 words.) I'm very happy with the way it turned out, and the anthology's editor also seems pleased. I managed to sneak a little subtle romance into the fantasy and mystery, and became so fond of the hero and heroine that I'd like to do more with them some day. I'll keep you posted as to when the anthology is released. Senior Editor Leslie Wainger of Silhouette has asked me to contribute to a new three-author romance anthology, which will be released in 2003. I'm to write a contemporary novella featuring my werewolves, and with a dark or gothic tone. The story is due in December, to be released in October 2003, and I expect to enjoy writing this as I have all the previous novellas. Once my current manuscript is turned in, I'll be working on my spring 2004 book, the full-length sequel to "Kinsman" (my novella in the NYT bestselling anthology Out of This World.)

Awards and Nominations

Speaking of "Kinsman," I'm pleased to announce that it was the winner in the short story category of the "Sapphire" awards given by the Science Fiction Romance Newsletter.

I have been nominated for "Best Contemporary New Reality" author, Lifetime Achievement, by Romantic Times, and also "Best Historical New Reality" for Secret of the Wolf.

Once again my book failed to final in the Paranormal category of the RITA. I have entered five books myself in the past, and my editor entered Secret of the Wolf--and not one of these six has ever made finals. This is why I no longer bother to enter my own work. I have come to the conclusion that my books and the RITA simply do not mix.

Amazon ... the Lingering death of original fiction?

Once more I must climb up on my soapbox and warn readers about the used-book sales on Amazon.com.

Before I begin, however, let me say that this is NOT an attack on all used-books sales. I fully support the work of small used book stores, which are often struggling themselves and do readers a great service by offering out-of-print and hard-to-find books. These used book sales win many authors new readers, and when a person goes to a used book store, he or she is also exposed to many other books at the same. I continue to send materials to many independent used book stores, and I also patronize them when I can't find a book in print.

My objection is to the huge corporations, such as Amazon.com, who have made used book selling preferable to the buying of new books. This will ultimately have the effect of putting many authors out of business, and reducing the variety of books you, the reader, have to choose from.

So here goes:

As many of you know, Amazon.com, the online bookseller, is pushing its used book sales more aggressively than ever. Used books are advertised prominently on the page of every new book made available, and are so easy to buy that one wonders why anyone would bother buying new! Often, copies of used book are available before the new book has official hit the bookstore shelves. Now Amazon.com is actually urging readers to resell new books through Amazon.com.

Why is this a danger to your favorite authors? It's simple:

  1. The more used books sold, the less new are sold.
  2. Used books earn NO royalties for the author or profits for the publisher.
  3. The new book earns less money, because people are buying used instead of new..
  4. The publisher sees the author as less profitable, and cuts the author's advance. In the worst case scenario, if the author is only marginally profitable, the publisher "dumps" the author. (And this happens all the time, believe me!)
  5. The author, no longer able to make any sort of living writing books, is forced to find an "outside" job to support herself and her family.
  6. The author either slows down in her writing, perhaps taking twice as long to write a book, or must give up writing completely in order to focus on the job that pays a living wage. (Even authors need to eat and have reasonable shelter, no matter how much we love to write!)
  7. Readers no longer find new books by favorite authors. They may choose from several "brand names" so well-established that no amount of used book sales can really hurt them.

Seems impossible? Believe me, it isn't. Many authors are hanging on by the skin of their teeth, barely earning a living. Very few authors can afford cuts in advances, and losing a publisher is one of any writer's greatest fears. Some authors need every sale they can get just to keep afloat.

The ultimate result of all this is a loss of many talented writers, a loss of variety, "brand names" only with no "fresh blood" entering the market. Publishers are very conservative, and for most profit is the bottom line. A day may come when you have a choice of only a few major authors and their works.

The Authors guild is actively recommending that all authors "de-link" from Amazon.com. To read the organizations original letter to Amazon.com President Jeff Bezos, go to: Guild Recommends De-Linking from Amazon. The Author's Guild recommends that "authors should consider linking to other online booksellers, including:

I no longer purchase anything from Amazon.com and will continue my boycott until the company reconsiders the highly destructive consequences of its hunger for immediate profit at any cost.

What Else?

I seem to have very little time now to watch television. One of our favorites, 100 Centre Street, has been cancelled--and I can't say I'm surprised, given the extremely dark and depressing tone the show had taken.

Now that we know that David Duchovny is returning for the finale of X-Files, I'll be watching throughout the rest of April and May to see how the series wraps up. It wasn't X-Files to me without Mulder and Scully together.

Still enjoying all three Law and Order series, though I think the original has run out of steam to some extent. Crossing Jordan continues to delight, in spite of its improbability.

In terms of movies, I saw and enjoyed The Rookie with Dennis Quaid--an actor I've loved every since The Big Easy, still one of my top romantic movies.

I'm looking forward to Spider-Man and hope it turns out to be as well-done as X-Men. I am anxious to see what new film Hugh Jackman will be working on after he finishes the X-Men 2.

Reader Feature

As a result of my having lost my entire "in-basket" because of another AOL crash, I also lost the name and e-mail of the person who was supposed to be this month's Reader Feature. (If you read this, please contact me!)

This newsletter, I would like to introduce Spring Abram!

Sue: Please tell us a little about yourself, your family, work and home:

Spring: I am 25 years old, currently separated from my husband of 6 years. I have 3 cats and 1 very large German shepherd (Nook). I am a loan officer and second in charge at small Credit Union in the Federal Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have lived in the northern Utah all my life.

Sue: Why do you like reading romance? Why paranormal romance?

Spring: At first I wanted nothing to do with any novels dealing with romance, but I read all the stories in "Out of this World" and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. So I started reading the books by various authors and fell in love with the romance. Paranormal romance is the only romance I have read currently.

Sue: What other, if any, types of books do you like to read?

Spring: Anything with vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies. Nothing to sci-fi.

Sue: Who are your favorite authors (in any genre?)

Spring: You of course and Laurell K Hamilton, whom I had the pleasure of meeting recently, Maggie Shayne, J. D. Robb and Anne Rice.

Sue: Have you ever had the ambition to write a book of your own? If so, on what subject? Even if you don't want to write a book, what would you write about if you did?

Spring: I have never had the "AMBITION" to write on my own, but I encourage my friend and co-worker to work on her stories. I like to help her with the details and descriptions of settings. She likes to write about paranormal adventures and if I were to ever get the bug to write, which I have been thinking a lot about lately, it would be along the same theme.

Sue: What, besides reading, are your hobbies or special interests or skills?

Spring: I love going to see movies about everything from horror to Disney. Riding horses is one of my favorite pass times, but I have not had the opportunity to do so in a long time since my parents sold all their horses. I have been learning a lot about magic and witchcraft lately and I have enjoyed it.

Sue: What ability do you wish you had?

Spring: Shape shifting would be nice.

Sue: If you could visit anywhere in the world, no matter how far away or exotic, where would that be?

Spring: I would love to go to Ireland and Egypt.

Sue: If you could have lived in any historical period other than the present, what would that be, and why?

Spring: I would like to live during the time of Knights, Kings and castles, because I like the attire of the maidens.

Sue: Which would you rather meet, and why: a friendly ghost, vampire, werewolf, sorcerer, fairy or alien? What would you ask him or her?

Spring: Now this is a tough one, because I would like to meet all of them, but if I can only chose one I would like to meet a vampire. I would ask them what is it really like, being a vampire and do they get a kick out of the different portrayals of them.

Sue: What, to you, is the most important thing in life? Spring: The most important thing in my life right now is my friends. They have been so supportive of me recently in my decisions I have made for my life.

*~*~*

If you're interested in being one of the future interviewees, with the subject header "Reader Feature" and tell me why you'd like to be in a future "Feature."

Links of the Month:


Have a lovely spring!

Best Wishes,

Sue Krinard

http://www.susankrinard.com/
P.O.Box 51924
Albuquerque, NM 87181