ANNOUNCEMENTS

VIRTUALLY HERS came out Oct. 2009. Get it at SAMHAIN Publishing. VIRTUALLY ONE coming soon.
VIRTUALLY HERS OUT IN PRINT AUG 2010.

I've also made available at Amazon BIG BAD WOLF a COS Commando book, an earlier manuscript about Killian Nicholas Langley. You can sample the first five chapters right here. EBOOK now available for KINDLE, NOOK, and at SMASHWORDS for $4.99.

I appreciate all your emails. If you'd like to buy Virtually His NEW, please contact me. Thank you.



CLICK:

Big Bad Wolf Author's Note/CH. 1

Big Bad Wolf CH. 2

Big Bad Wolf Ch. 3

(more chapters on left side bar below)



To read excerpts of VIRTUALLY HERS, scroll down & click on the links on the right.



EMAIL ME AT JENN AT GENNITA-LOW DOT COM


VIRTUALLY HERS UPDATE

VIRTUALLY HERS OUT IN PRINT AUG 2010! Discounted at Amazon!

To read & comment on the poll (left column), click HERE. Thank you for all the wonderful posts there!

UPDATE: I SOLD THE SERIES TO SAMHAIN!

Here's your UBER VIRTUALLY HERS YAK THREAD!


GLow Twitter

Follow The Glow

Some readers having browser problems with the Google Followers Widget still. For now, you can still follow me through your Blogger Dashboard.

Friday, January 12, 2007

It's Only Words, Part Deux

Mood today:



I read this from Romancing The Blog:

"And here’s something wonderful you can do to support your favorite writers: Let them know what you love about their books. Not just that you couldn’t put it down (however, that’s wonderful information, too!) but what, specifically, you find so great about their books. It can be more than one thing, which is also wonderful information. It’ll not only be a mitzvah, it’ll help them get even better at what they already do well."

I must admit, most of my reader emails only tell me they love the book and don't provide much more. Surprisingly, I get a lot of love notes about Jed and Alex Diamond ;-). Questions are mostly aimed at when these two will have their own books and when the next book is coming out.

Very rarely do I get a long email about specific elements of my writing, unless it's from readers (hey, at least TWO people did!) who hated the book, then in that case, the persons did take the time to explain to me why and which part. I do wonder at the passion behind these emails because it takes effort to analyze and pinpoint elements in another's work. Sometimes, however, the critiques are just personal hot buttons.

For example, I received an email about Nikki and her hair a long time ago. I think the same person wrote a negative review on Amazon too because it was all about the hair and its length there too, LOL. The point of that particularly long critique was that hair like that was just not functional for a spy and so why, WHY DID I CHOOSE TO WRITE THAT ABOUT MY HEROINE?

Gosh, I dunno. Nikki just showed up with long hair, what can I say? In those days, being a new author, I always try to answer each email with some explanations but I quickly realized that this was a very bad idea. Because the reader is ALWAYS RIGHT. This particular reader hated long hair and thinks I was stupid to give Nikki hair with that length. She painstakingly told me that her hair used to be very long and it got caught while she entered an elevator. She couldn't imagine Nikki, being a spy and all, would choose to have hair that put her in danger.

So, as I learned from this experience, no matter how the author explained herself and her choices for the characters and their actions, the reader could rarely be convinced of the author's wisdom. The back and forth emails quickly became noticeably frustrating for both of us because this reader kept insisting that I made a mistake and I became more defensive about Nikki.

It hit me, on email #5, that it was TOTALLY ridiculous to be doing what I was doing. I'd spent three days, at that point, trying to justify a fictional character's long hair to an angry reader. No matter how I phrased it, the long hair was going to stay long because the story was already written. And if I had to rewrite it, I wouldn't have changed the length of Nikki's hair, anyway! So, the discussion (or my urge to please this reader) was really pointless. End of email exchange.

Then there was the one reader who wrote a two page email about how the tone, the voice, and the plot did NOT work. It made me feel as if she was rejecting my book for publication ;-). Needless to say, other than thanking the person for her trying my book and taking the time to analyze it, I didn't defend myself.

But, back to the original point, I very rarely get an email from a happy reader that gives details about what worked for her. Not that I'm complaining--a happy reader is a happy reader and I'm always happy to read emails that go "OMG! Hawk!" or "Loved it! Thank you!"

I suppose many authors also get the same type of emails--the wonderful feedback is enthusiastically short and the "critique" feedback comes in pages. I think happy readers have no reason to complain whereas unsatisfied ones would take the time to go to Amazon, for instance, to post a review. Why? No idea. For myself, I know I get really enthusiastic about an author I love and can discuss the book on and on. If I didn't like a particular book, I certainly would never write to the author to tell her why. Do you?

I don't know why you enjoy my stories but I'm happy that you do, and your presence here on my blog is my present every day because that alone tells me you're insane, like me. ;-). Anyone who sticks with me through my nekkid veges will sooner or later get some kilt and under-the-kilt pictures...we all know that! LOL.

End of Friday diatribe. Coming this weekend: Sexy photos to balance out, ha!

Sing-along, put your head back and howl with me:
"You think
that I don't even mean
a single word I sayyyyyyyyyyy!
It's only words...
and words are all I have
to take your heart away...."

::sniff::

Bear with me while I learn. The first button likes the POST. The second button likes the BLOG site. Please help me by "liking" me. Thanks!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Jenna, TFIF!

That's a great point, as a reader I can say that if I do not like a book, I can go on and on about why, in detail no less, heh!
When I love a book, sometimes it's a lot harder to describe why. If the book is a military, Special Forces, or spy type book, I can't say I loved it because "all the gadgets, procedures and techniques were accurate" because I have no idea LOL
If it's a historical I'll know a little better...
For me the difference between loving and not-loving a book is that most often indescribable "something". The chemistry between the characters, how "real" their obstacles are, (I personally cannot STAND "The Big Misunderstanding") if I can feel their emotions, and secondary characters are a huge part too. Oh, and the biggest hugest part for me, I have to feel like they really fell in love. There seems to be a trend that throws characters together and then I end up feeling like they just made the best of it...

No, I do not write authors to tell them I didn't like their book, for me it is a matter of respect for the time and heart they have invested.
My excuse for the short winded "Loved the book" emails I have sent is that I'm not always sure the actual authors get them, out of all of them I have sent, just 3 authors ever replied, those that did got a huge email explaining why I loved the book LOL
Ok, hogged enough space for today...

I hope your weekend is fabulous 

Btw, who sings "words"?

Anonymous said...

If I wrote to every author that I read about their books that I enjoyed, I would have no time to read. I just love to read, and sure there have been stories that I have not enjoyed as much as others. But that just means that I am weary about picking up their next book, but if I have been a longtime reader I usually give them another chance. Even Nora Roberts, whose books I adore, has written a few things I had trouble finishing. But once I start something, I never quit( agood and bad trait depending)
Here is what I like about your books, they are fun and an enjoyable read. The characters have great chemistry and of course I love the romance. I also like the character's interaction that is witty and smart. Of course, I also love Jed, Alex, and T.
Oh and the picture you posted today reminded me of one of the funniest things I heard on the radio one day. There was a comedian who said that he used to be a sado-masochist,necrophiliac bestialist(sp?), but that just felt like he was beating a dead horse.
Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

Hey Jenn!

I love Rick Harden. Facing Fear was the 1st of your books that I read. I loved the darkness in him. I loved that he was dark, but could admit his feelings for Nikki (well, kinda). I just loved the whole thing and how it pulled me in.

Okay, the hair in the elevator thing? It's fiction, okay. Geez. LOL

Anonymous said...

I am appalled by people's willingness to rip apart authors. Amazon reviews are outrageous. I can't imagine people saying these things in real life yet they feel it's ok to say it on a public forum?

As for emails, again another shocker. People are all allowed to have their opinions but I read emails that tell the author what to write or not write, excuse me? Drives me crazy!

I understand wanting to hear specifics about what worked and what didn't but if I enjoy a book it all works so I really can't think of details but if I don't like a book, the reasons I don't will jump out at me.

I hope that you told that one reader you have long hair and it's never gotten caught in an elevator! I've had waist length hair for half my life, when it's long you know how to deal with it, it just is. For me I find it's easier to keep my hair long then short. Some people just want to be a pain in the butt! And like you said, she's your heroine, she's fictional, the reader needs to get over it!

Gennita said...

Hi Aimee,

Yes, we authors are very sensitive people :sniff: ;-) Actually, I do enjoy reading discussions about books, even mine. Criticisms, unless absolutely way-out, don't make me cry or declare war or stamp my foot. Okay, maybe stamp my foot. And growl out my favorite curse: "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest you and your lover's armpits." LOL.

Words is sung by The Bee Gees. Or at least, my version is.

Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for your compliments about my books. I think that's the ultimate goal for an author: make the reader love the characters.

I'm cracking up at the "sado-masochist,necrophiliac bestialist." Whoa! That IS beating a dead horse! LOL.

Gennita said...

Hi Casee,

Aside from His Jedness, Rick gets the most love letters from readers ;-). I love Rick too. He was special, wasn't he? The hair in elevator email rivals the email I got about Jazz's "slutty mother who didn't use condoms." LOL.

Hi Leiha,

Well, I bet you're going to read a lot more such examples at your end since you're in charge of a certain someone's email now ;-).

Anonymous said...

Jenn, I've been pondering your question about what makes a book work for me and it's very difficult to come up with the right words--one of a thousand reasons why I'm not a writer.

Here goes...In each of your books you create an intensity. There. Hows that? Okay, you want more. Facing Fear was my favorite GLow book and it's due to the intensity of Rick's personality. It's in how he does his job, it's in his loyalties, it's in his love for Nikki. It's what makes Rick Rick. Rick could be detached but he was still intense. You knew if Rick was focused on you that you were caught.

The intensity in INTO DANGER was in the relationship itself between Stash and Marlena.

In THE HUNTER it was living through the trafficking of those young women.

In SWTA it the intensity was in Lily dealing with the devesataion of betrayal yet pushing forward to save those girls.

In PROTECTOR it was Jed's alternate persona.

So keep up the intensity, you're good at that.

Dee

Gennita said...

Hi Dee,

You've slipped uncontrollably on a GLow Goal(TM) ;-): Always write with intensity. And hence, intense reactions!

Thank you for taking the time to tell me what aspects you enjoyed in each of my books. It makes me feel good to know that the passion is there in the words, that my story resonated with you.

Balances out the "long hair" rant! I've achieved *chung!* LOL! Mwah!

DAILY DOSE OF CUTE PUPPINESS

Send My Publisher A Nudge