My Favorite Holiday Tradition...

I love Christmas lights. I'm one of those people who enjoy seeing what the neighbors and others have done to their homes each year.

Many years ago, a couple moved into the house across the way, and I discovered they must have taken the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation intensive course on decorating the house.

Come Thanksgiving, the fun begins as they start to hang the lights. Every tree, every railing, every peak of the roof is lined in living, pulsing, flashing color. When inflatable yard decor became the rage, my "Griswald" neighbors bought six of those babies to put in their front and back yards.

I imagine the routine goes like this:

Racing lights? Got 'em.
Icicle lights? Yep.
Inflatable Santas and Snowmen? Right here.
Nine hundred feet of extension cords? I got a thousand.
Net Lights and animated figures? Check and check.
What are we missing? Hmmmmmm....

One year, the neighbor's lights were so bright I swore I didn't have to turn on my living room lamps for the whole month of December. I could read a book in the glow of his house. Another year, I teased him that airplanes were mistaking his roof for the runway at the airport.

So, although there are a lot of more serious holiday traditions, for me, waiting for the light show each year has become one of the funnier ones.

Now, I'm more like the house on the right in the above picture. Maybe I'll put a big mirror in the front yard and just decorate with the reflection of his lights this year.

Have a fun week! After all, life is too short to take seriously.
~ Stephanie

What Thanksgiving Means to Me

My family is huge, we're loud, we're funny, we're occasionally rude - after all, "Happy Kill the Indigenous Peoples" has become a holiday greeting among my siblings and cousins as a result of far too many graphic history courses - but most of all we're loving.

And that's what Thanksgiving means to me - love. Unconditional love.

My wonderful grandparents are both gone now, but we still gather every year at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, birthdays, baptisms, weddings - you name it - with all of my aunts, uncles and cousins. When we're all together, there are 65 of us - wait, make that 66 - my cousin Josh and his wife just had a baby last month.

I grew up with all of my cousins. We've spent weeks at each others' houses, we've worked my grandparents' giant garden together, we've babysat each others' kids, we've been in each others' weddings, and we've laughed until we cried. Our kids now hang out with each other the way we did when we were little.

However, it hasn't all been picking strawberries and hauling hay. We worked together to care for our grandparents as they were in the process of dying. We supported those in the family who developed substance abuse problems. We sat vigil with my cousin while her infant twins were dying. We've cried together, and we argue sometimes. We don't all agree with everyone's decisions - a lot of times we hate their choices, but we're family. And we love each other. I have no doubt that if I was in need, my family would come through. Not just my immediate family - but everyone. And I know that if they're in need - the rest of us will be there.

I have an amazing family, but they love doesn't stop there. I have these equally amazing friends - friends that love me and each other enough to help however they can. Friends who drop everything when they know they're needed. Friends who go out of their way to be kind. Friends who make the world a better place with their laughter, their smiles, their snarkiness, their silliness, their advice, their hugs, their mere presence.

I'm grateful for a ton of things - the ability to follow my dreams, a steady job, a roof over my head, good health - I could go on and on, but mostly, I'm grateful for love. I'm grateful for the love of all these amazing people that I'm blessed to find myself traveling through this life with.

Doing Turkey

Last week I mis-posted. I was SUPPOSED to write about "writing during holiday insanity". However, I propose that I wasn't mis-posted but that everyone else on the blog is mis-posted because, hello, we're in the middle of the holiday insanity Right. This. Minute. Or are you not all currently planning turkey day and wondering why the f*ck you agreed to make green bean casserole again when the last time you did it, you cut your finger on the soup can lid? Or dropped the turkey on the floor and it slid down the basement steps into the kitty litter box, where you passed it off as granulated salt? I'm right. We all know I'm right so give into the pleasure of being "right" with me.

There, doesn't that feel good and relaxing? See what I did? I made you all cozy for two seconds flat because maybe you cook better than I do and your kitty litter tastes like cinnamon crunchies.

Can I just ask: Who the hell writes during the holidays? No, Brynn, you don't count. We've established that you're super-human. I try to write. I look like I'm writing because I do take my computer to the family digs but when it comes down to it, I'm probably surfing the web or watching Charlie the Unicorn on youtube. Maybe I'm IMing. Yeah, that's prolly what I'm doing. So if you want to look like you're working, but you're actually working at avoiding, find me on instant messenger. I will even type things that sound serious in case they are looking over your shoulder.

Things like: Hey, in that chapter with the guy and that dude, did I get the point of view right? Your opinion is critical to my awesome-tacular sales. Or: What do you think about dropping the first chapter all together and then moving that paragraph to the next page?

See? Instant work. Add water and Mia. Well, not water. Computers frown on water.

Thanksgiving

It's one of those days that requires overeating and football. But its also a time to shout out what we're grateful for.

This year I have a lot to be thankful for -

I'm grateful that I sold a book and that it was liked. I'm thankful that many of my friends came home. My family is still intact and I get to go to school. I'm thankful for my ability to write and tell a story. I'm thankful for my Bug.

This year, like many before, I will go to my mom's and have ham and turkey, and all of the fixings. I will make apple pie, and the kids will argue. But I get to hear them.


Thanksgiving means

A long drive to get to my parents house - but I can drive there
Listening to my mom say how disappointed in me she is - but she's there
Putting up with green bean casserole and Brussels sprouts - but there is no sand in my food
The kids will argue and the babies will cry - but I will mostly hear them
There will be a football game on TV - but I can ignore it and write
Cooking for several days - but I can cook what I like and I can try something new
Using up all of my cell phone minutes and calling long distance - but my friends came home this year

Thanksgiving is one of those days that reminds us to appreciate what we have, regardless of how crappy our year was. I have Bug and met Hotstuff, who is home. Many of my friends came home this year.

What are you thankful for this year?

Happy Reading,
Simone

Over the River and Through the Woods...

For most of my adult life, I've worked in retail. Thanksgiving to many of my colleagues means Black Friday and the start of the Christmas rush. But for me, Thanksgiving is something far more special.

The very word Thanksgiving evokes an image of my Mom in the kitchen with a frilly apron covering her dress, basting and stirring, preparing a feast. Unlike the song, we didn't go "over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house" for Thanksgiving. Instead, our house was the gathering place for most holidays. My parents' doors were always open to friends, neighbors, and my grandparents when the weather allowed them to make the long drive from Ohio.

The preparations were marvelous. The good china and crystal had to be carefully washed and dried then my sisters and I would set a festive table with linen tablecloths and fancy napkins. Every year, we'd make a special centerpiece of colorful leaves and flowers and would design homemade place cards for each of our guests. I shudder to think what some of those "masterpieces" must have looked like, but Dad and Mom always praised them as the cleverest and most beautiful they'd ever seen.

Delicious aromas wafted through the house -- sage dressing, roasting turkey, pumpkin pies and fresh rolls baking. Dad would open the record player and put on a favorite Christmas album. That was the first time we'd hear the carols since we'd packed the records away the previous January. While we worked, we sang along with more enthusiasm than harmony, but somehow it all seemed perfect.

In a short while, our guests would arrive. Favorite dishes were added to the already groaning table. Dad would pour glasses of sugary-sweet Mogan David Concorde Wine so everyone could join in a toast. Even the little ones got to have a small taste of wine, and we thought we were so very grown up. It wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered there were far tastier varieties of wine, but I still smile whenever I see that familiar bottle on the shelf in the store.

At Dad's signal, everyone would take their places around the table. It wasn't uncommon for us to host 20 or 30 guests. Mom and Dad weren't wealthy. They were just average, middle class Americans, but there was always room at their table for others. Before eating, Dad led us in Grace then asked everyone to share their reasons to be thankful as we passed dish after dish of holiday specialties.

No one wanted the day to end. Since there was no school the next day, the fun continued well into the evening. The littlest ones would be put to bed in one of the bedrooms while the older kids and adults played games or watched a Christmas program on TV. The party would finally break up around 9:30 or 10:00. Each departing family would get a parcel of leftovers home to take home with them, too.

Dad has been gone now for almost 35 years, and Mom recently had a stroke that put her in a nursing home. However, the hospitality and love they extended to others is a legacy they passed on to their children and grandchildren. So, this year, we'll gather with my family on Thanksgiving. Everyone will bringing dishes to contribute to the meal. We'll laugh and hug, eat and visit, and hopefully make happy memories for the next generation.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious,
And your pies take the prize
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

Happy Thanksgiving!
- Stephanie

Writing during the holidays...or as I like to say...yeah, right.

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a craft whore. I love to make things for people. Well...I don't enjoy it as much when I'm staying up until 2 0r 3 in the morning on the days leading up 'til Christmas, but it's also no secret that time management and I have never been close.

This year I'm going to make a concerted effort to befriend the concept of time management - mostly because I have deadlines this year that I didn't have last year. Unfortunately, I still have the same number of gifts to make.

On the plus side, and unlike most of the people on this blog, I don't have to cook. Why? Because no one trusts me. I'm allowed to bring exactly two dishes - Welsh cakes and green bean casserole. People don't even ask anymore. It's just assumed that I know what to bring and I'll bring it. And honestly, I'm okay with that. It leaves more time for frantic crafting, and in theory, writing.

My plan is to write during the day and make stuff at night. I'll let you know how it all turns out - hopefully with my sanity intact. But let's be honest, probably not.

Stop the insanity!

OMG, do you guys remember Susan Powter? What the hell ever happened to her? http://www.susanpowteronline.com/ That's what happened to her.

Anyway, not my point. Today I am talking about writing during the holidays.

Now, when I worked retail then nothing got done between Halloween and Valentine's Day. Those months were awful (and I worked at a toy store so mulitply holiday hell by twelve and throw a hundred kids in for fun.) If I had been writing when I worked in retail there would be no way for me to keep my sanity. I was little more than a zombie outside of work.

But now I have a nice desk job during the day. And while this year I plan to have Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house, I am hoping my writing will not suffer for it. I have an incredibly helpful husband (I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying husband. :D) and a daughter who only plays with a computer. So there is no one to really clean up after so the house is usually pretty neat. Except the kitchen, but everyone knows that sexy women have messy kitchens so that's not an issue.

I have the added bonus of having deadlines that will creep up over holidays, so the family will be extra understanding about my lack of housekeeping. As long as the food is good no one will care about anything else.

So happy holiday season to you and yours. I hope you all have a wonderful couple months no matter what you celebrate. And hell, even if you don't celebrate anything you can still have fun.

XoXoXO
Dakota Rebel

Licking the wounds of gratitude...

Geez. It's an essay quiz. I suppose I'm meant to say something profound or poetic or poignant or some other kind of "p" word. Perhaps it should involve world peace, family, reflections on the past year and coined words of gratitude that, while are meant sincerely, sound trite because it's the season of thankfulness.

I dislike falling into stereotypical behavior. I dislike it immensely because I feel that if I give the seasonal company line, I've lost honesty.

So, I'll be honest. I'm told I'm irreverent. We'll go with that and celebrate the fact that there are days when I'm just a b*tch. I'm grateful about some things this year. I'm grateful to have a job I love and my health. I'm grateful that in the realm of possibility where sh*tty things happen on a regular basis all over the world. MY sh*t, isn't as bad as other people's sh*t--metaphorically. Biologically, all sh*t stinks. It's a fact of life.

This year, the gratitude thimble has overflowed for my friendships. I cannot believe the amazing people I have contact with. You all know who you are. I'm grateful for you, to you, and I love you dearly.

End of sap.

I'm not grateful for the general makeup of this year, however. Call me a a$$ if you want because I have just admitted that compared to most in the world, I'm doing all right. What I will say is, we make our beds and sometimes the sheets need changing but we lie in them anyway. And sometimes the bed has bugs and then we get nasty bed bug bites which itch and fester (I'm assuming. I've never actually had bed bugs, but would imagine that if bitten, it would itch and fester. Feel free to correct me if your vast bed bug experience proves my hypothesis wrong).

This year, I've metaphorically overlooked the cleanliness of my sheets.

So, Thanksgiving does appear to mean reflection of sorts. It also appears that I'm quite the ingrate. I'll feel guilty about that in a moment, no doubt. For now it means I must bookend the nasty-bad bits with happy bits, like book releases (ahem. yesterday), remembering thoughtful texts from friends, phone calls delivered with voice hugs, job security, and a fantastic vibrator.

Yes, I said it.

Finding Time For What You Love

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m certain that there are only two weeks between Halloween and New Year’s. I love fall. I love the holidays. But it’s insane in my house.

Bug, Hot Stuff, and I are all in school. Hot Stuff is a new addition to the family, so that’ll put an interesting twist on things I’m sure. Normally (this is a relative word, I have a friend who tries to write with tons more going on – I’m always amazed), there are two or three Halloween Parties that we are invited to. Which is also the tail end of mid-terms at my school. Those are always hairy. Starting at the first of November, ornaments and decorations must be found, this year we need to buy a new tree (Apartments in my city banned real trees L ), and breads, jams, and cookies must be made – or at least we start. Because there are vets and military in my family, Veterans Day and the day long events take time in planning and coordinating. Thanksgiving can take a week to plan. Then there are finals, this year is a graduation, and then Solstice, Christmas, and New Year’s. And the time flies.

As the holiday season ramps up, usually starting with Halloween and ending with one of the New Year’s Celebrations, it’s easy to put aside writing, because after all there are a thousand and one things to do in the interim. Presents need to be bought and wrapped, the house decorated – sometimes for all of the individual holidays, cookies to be made, dinners to be planned – the big holiday ones where coordinating dishes and who brings what can be a nightmare, and parties to attend. And I’m sure there are a ton of things I’m forgetting.

With everything that absolutely has to be done, it’s easy to say “I’ll write tomorrow” or the next day. It’s even easier to allow it to happen if you’re not published or have sold that first book, because “it’s a hobby” or a “dream”. Well, regardless of whether you are writing towards publication or just because you have a story that you need to get out, your writing time is precious, and just like the rest of the year, needs to be jealously guarded.

If you’re one of those weird morning people and your siblings or cookie baking parent call to make sure that everyone is still getting together on this day or that one at eight am to start the holiday cookie baking, but that is your normal writing time, tell them you have an appointment that can’t be rescheduled and you’ll be there at ten. You do have an appointment – with your book and it can’t be rescheduled, because characters can get down right haggy when you tell them they have to wait and can’t play again today. It works the opposite if you’re a night person, like me. I don’t do mornings unless I have to and then caffeine and chocolate need to be involved. Cookie baking doesn’t start earlier than necessary and I simply let them know I have a date or appointment that night that I have to get to. And in between, while the cookies are baking or there are snatches of time, I keep my notebook and pen with me and write whenever I have free moments.

Your writing time is precious. Take five to ten minutes before you start on your work-in-progress (WIP) to relax, get the kinks and access emotions out before you get started. This when I turn on the sound track for my WIP and let it start bringing any circulating ideas forward so I can concentrate. Its easy to say and hard to do. But look at it this way, writing is a part of you, and I don’t know about other writers, but I’m much happier and easier to deal with if I’ve had my writing time. Especially with the chaos of the holidays.

Stephanie has some great advice. Don't beat yourself up over what you can or can't do. There are only 24 hours in day and only so much can be done. Writing shouldn't really stress you out, but be more of a stress reliever or at least neutral on the stress scale.

Happy Reading,
Simone

Here Comes Santa Claus and the Thanksgiving Turkey et all

Boy, once Halloween pops up on the old calendar, it seems like the rest of the holidays all line up to try to ambush our writing plans.

I don’t know about you, but that’s one more stress I don’t need added to my already busy week(s). It seems like there’s never enough hours in the day to get everything done as it is, so how do you manage to shoehorn writing time into an already bursting-at-the-seams schedule?

What? You’re looking at me, the Queen of Procrastinators to come up with an answer? Well, I’m still looking for the answer myself, folks, and so far, my Magic 8-Ball only tells me to “Try Again Later.” It must be a procrastinator, too.

Seriously, I know our more experienced writers will share a lot of good tips and tricks throughout the week, but I want to remind you of a couple of things.

One – Remember, we write because we love it. Don’t let the stress of the season cause you to look at your writing as the enemy. Instead of making it an adversary, view it as your treat at the end of the day.

Two – Don’t have unrealistic expectations. If you’re used to writing 1000 words a day, maybe you’ll need to lower the bar a little until the new year rolls around. If you say, “well, I only need to write 500 words today,” it may make you feel more relaxed. When you feel relaxed, the words seem to flow more easily and you could find yourself exceeding the lower goal and coming closer to the original one.

Three – Take time for yourself. When everything piles up, we have a tendency to neglect ourselves. Don’t do that. You need to make yourself a priority. That’s not selfish. It’s critical, because NOTHING – not writing or giftwrapping or holiday baking – will likely get accomplished unless you do it. As the military say, you are “critical to the mission. “

So be good (to yourself).

After all, Santa is watching.

~ Stephanie

High on Words

For me, there are several kinds of highs involved with writing.

The Concept High: That’s the one where I get an idea I know I can’t walk away from – an idea that makes me gleeful, and giddy and sometimes even giggly. It’s the idea that won’t leave me alone and makes me smile whenever I think of it. I had one of those a few nights ago. It came to me while I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Once it hit, I knew sleep was impossible until I jotted down all of the ideas that were spinning like shiny pinwheels in my head. While I was scribbling notes as fast as I could, I realized I was giggling. Alone in my bed. Out loud. Like a loon. It’s three days later, and I still smile whenever I think about my new sparkly idea.

The Flow High: This is the one that doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but when it does, I’m all kinds of excited. This is the feeling of elation that accompanies those bouts of almost effortless writing where I’m in the zone and the tapping of the keys sounds like a soft, steady rain falling while the words flow like a fast moving stream onto the page. There’s almost a feeling of invincibility as I watch the words spread to cover the page.

The Finish High: There’s nothing quite like the feeling of the big finish. For me, this doesn’t happen when I type “The End”. It happens after my critique partners read “The End” and I tweak and tweak some more. The rush of excitement gets even stronger when I send the whole thing off to my editor. As a side note – the Finish High is usually quickly replaced by the Finish Fear which is the worry that my editor will hate it.

The Reader/Reviewer High: This is a special kind of high. It’s the kind I can pull out and look at whenever I need to. Reader letters and reviews are great when I first get them, but there are other times when they’re even more important. Like when I’m out of ideas, or when I have no flow, or when I can’t see the end no matter how much I squint. Sometimes it helps to peek at a great review or an especially lovely reader letter to remind myself of what that writing high feels like so I can find my way back to the flow.

In a way, I think most writers are probably adrenaline junkies. We’re addicted to the writing high.

Writer's high

This topic was my idea (the only topic idea I've ever had for this blog so I'm pretty proud of it.) I am in the midst of a massive writer's high right now.

I've done 10k in 4 days and am still cranking out the pages. If you follow the blog then you know that I have not been writing much at all the last couple of months. With the wedding craziness and the honeymoon vacation extravaganza writing took a serious back burner to life.

But now that I am back to life as usual the pent up writing power has been unleashed. I am just typing and typing away. The characters are speaking to me and I can't seem to get their thoughts and actions down fast enough.

Though I have started watching Queer as Folk again, I am hoping this does not become a distraction of epic proportions. Just nice sound and pretty, pretty boys in the background while I write.

When I am on (meaning when I am writing regularly) I feel like nothing can touch me. I wake up easier in the morning...even after staying up later than usual at night. I smile more. I make jokes and have more fun when I'm with my family and friends. It's as if not writing makes me tense and when I am in the zone I am relaxed and more easily amused.

Writing can be like a drug, especially if the writer's block has been hefty for a while. Once the words start flowing again they don't want to stop. It's the most amazing feeling.

Even the day job seems less annoying when I'm writing. This is what I was born to do, this is my talent, this is my gift. When I use it I feel better than I can even describe.

XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel

Getting High

Lately I haven't had too much experience with having a writer's high. When everything else conspires to constipate your day with bureaucratic blockage of life, it's easy to forget why we enjoy writing so much. As a new writer, I thought publication meant I had leisure time to work on manuscripts. I envisioned a lot of humming and smiling while I typed to my heart's content. I imagined the old fashioned mail carrier type, hand delivering my mail to the apartment (despite the fact that there are slim metal boxes marching along the wall in the lobby to avoid the face to face confrontation of mail delivery) with check after check of royalty beauty.

Not such a reality, in fact. I had no concept of the business aspects to writing. I had understanding that jumping into publication meant I had better get a thorough understanding of contract language, assertive contract debate, promotion, record keeping, sales to the reader and sales to the publisher for upcoming work, nor did I realize how much commitment there was for chats, interviews, short articles (blogs). It's all become enjoyable but for a first timer it can be overwhelming. This is all much, much different than I expected and it is easy to lose your "high" about writing when these things step on your creativity and then bounce on it until bureaucratic flecks of dirt cover the last dregs of creative surface area.

I've been wallowing in the dirt.

There is a high, however. It happens when those other things fall away and you are left with the river. Thought, ideas, images, characters flow like a river from you and appear on the page almost without effort. It's the perfect storm of creativity, excitement, purpose, and pleasure when your work takes wing of its own accord and flies into the skies almost without any effort from you. It takes on its own breath, its own strength and from a fledgling half-featured creature it leaves the nest and soars above the landscape you thought you created but was in fact created by the stretching of a plot which birthed its own landscape.

When that happens, all the stars are in alignment and the gods smile down on you with favor. That's when the magic happens and that, my friends, is when the writer's high is its highest form of perfection...

To this humble *ahem* writer.

On Cloud Nine

The Writer's High - that feeling of being on cloud nine. It's the feeling of success and creativity that encompasses a writer while engrossed into a project.

It's more than the sale of a book. It's the feeling that I get as an author when my characters finally talk to me, or when I can type "the end" at the end of a project. But it also comes when the details of a new world finally fall into place and I get to see this - hopefully - three dimensional world that has a history that has helped to shape the lives of the inhabitants of the world. It's also the beginning of the story and getting ready to embark at on a new adventure.

The writer's high can follow you throughout the length of a story, while you are getting to know the characters, the world they inhabit, and learning their story and what draws them to this point, before giving them their happily ever after.

I'm sure there is more to it than that, but my brain is completely fried with the new project that I'm working on and a Veteran's Day Relay Run. In the mean time,

Happy Reading,

Simone

e-Piracy...You CAN Do Something!

This past week, the Writers' Evolution has drawn attention to the devastation being wrought on a daily basis by Internet piracy. Perhaps, before now, you were pissed off at finding your books on these pirate sites, but felt there was little you, as one person, could do to stop it. Hopefully, this week's posts and the many thoughtful responses have shown you that you are not alone. This crime is hurting us, our friends, our favorite writers, and our industry.

But, you ask, "what can one person do to help stop these pirates?"

Well, folks, Stephanie Michels is about to step back up on her soapbox.

As some of you may know, I'm a cop groupie. I have great respect and admiration for the "Boys in Blue" and the "Men in Black"(their female counterparts, too), and the work they do serve and protect. So, I did a little research on what we can do to fight this crime.

I found that the government formed a group specifically to target Internet crime. It's called the Internet Crime Complaint Center, known in government acronyms as the IC3.

The IC3 is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. Its purpose is to provide a means for victims of Internet crimes to register complaints. The crime can't get investigated if it isn't reported. The IC3 provides this information to federal, as well as state, local, and international agencies, which are combating Internet crime and, in many cases, they participate in Cyber Crime Task Forces.

The IC3 will handle complaints crossing the broad spectrum of cyber crime matters -- including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) theft (that's your eBooks, authors).

So I'm challenging you! Let's become activists rather than silent victims.

Instead of just posting your requests to desist to the owners of those notorious pirate sites, please take it one step further. Go to the following web address http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx and use the simple form you'll find there to Make a Complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

It's easy. You just provide:
* Your name
* Your mailing address
* Your telephone number
* The name, address, telephone number, and Web address, if available, of the individual or
organization you believe defrauded you.
* Specific details on how, why, and when you believe you were defrauded.
* Any other relevant information you believe is necessary to support your complaint.

File a complaint about every site where you find your books.

File one again if you find books posted again later.

So, what can one person do? Maybe not a lot, but when you band together with others of a like mind, you can take action and focus attention as the no-longer-silent victims of these Internet pirates.

Believe me, if enough authors and ePublishers file complaints -- especially as eloquently as many of you stated your cases on here -- the government has to look into our complaints. As Brynn said, we're taxpayers and the government wants the revenue the ePirates cheated them out of, too.

Let's do it, folks. Let's speak with united voices and say "We're no longer going to tolerate this." Enlist your writer friends. Enlist your editors.

Let's join together and fight this crime.

I double-dog dare you!
~ Stephanie

So I Guess This Means I Have a Following, Huh?

Once upon a time, there was an idealistic author who dreamed that she’d write a book and someday a publisher would snap it up then hundreds of people would flock to get it.

It was such a beautiful dream. She would sit at the keyboard for hours, fending off friends and family with the mantra, “Someday, I will be published. Someday, this will all be worth it.” Hours and days she’d type her little heart away, plotting and fixing and weaving on paper.

Then, finally, she did have a story. A great story! And she sent it off to a publisher. And after a short wait, they took it. After eight years and many drafts of many stories, finally the idealistic author's dreams seemed to be coming true! She waited and waited for her release day! And again, finally, it came.

And people did flock to get it!

To a pirate site. Where they stole her book…

“Stole?” you might question. “Isn’t that harsh?”

No, actually, it’s not. I don’t care if you own the site, if you uploaded the book, or if you were the one who downloaded it. It’s stealing. Theft. Unlawful borrowing. Robbery. “Sharing” eBooks is illegal. Downloading and uploading books on ‘free share’ websites is illegal.

I’m telling you this on behalf of hundreds of authors. I don’t expect that this problem will stop. It will take the intervention of law enforcement to slow the insidious pervasiveness of this crime. And trust me…they’re on it. Authors pay taxes and when we don’t get paid, the government doesn’t get paid—and you know the government wants their money.

Still, this is not just going to disappear, but it is my hope to educate people just a little on this matter. And maybe, just maybe, we can slow piracy…at least a bit.

Many eBook writers are parents who provide for their families with their writing. You may say, “It’s just one book. Sharing this one book is no big deal. Downloading this book is no big deal.”

Isn’t it? The author might only make thirty cents on that one book, but what if 20,000 people download that book? That author, that person who is doing their job to entertain you, just lost $6000. Let me tell you something. Most eBook authors make hundreds (or less) on a book, not thousands.

This scenario, this downloading of 20,000 books, isn’t mine though I have books that have come very close to that many free downloads. But that single mom who’s trying to pay her bills and feed her kids, that’s someone I really know. That one book that one person posted on a free site, stole $6000 from her family. It is a scenario repeated over and over with author after author.

People need to consider the ramifications, the way that they are hurting people, hurting families, before they ever download or upload a book for free from one of these sites.

Hurting people… Hurting careers… Losing the books you want to read.

Stephanie Meyers had part of her new book posted on the internet before it was ever finished. She refused to write the rest of the book and it’s a book people are clamoring for. I know I’d like to read it. But I can understand where she’s coming from. My next book comes out on December 8th. On October 13th, before I was even finished writing the book, there were requests on pirate sites for people to upload a copy of the book. So I guess I have a following, huh? Truthfully, I wanted to vomit. I certainly didn’t want to finish the book. For a week, I didn’t write one word on it. I almost canceled the book.

I didn’t, but you can bet it strengthened my resolve to fight piracy.

If you ever come across a pirate site or books being offered for free, please report it to the publisher of the books or to the authors.

Grrr Argh

Piracy sucks. It really, really sucks. And not in that hot vampire way that I love so much. No, in the 'OH MY GOD WHY ARE PEOPLE STEALING FROM ME AND ACTING LIKE IT'S OKAY?' way.

A few weeks ago I was reduced to tears when I found a site with over 100,000 illegal downloads of my work. Yes, you read that right. It is not a typo. 100,000 downloads. If half of those people had bothered to actually purchase my books I would be able to write full time and wouldn't have to have a day job. (Well, only because I don't make that much at my day job, so those royalties could replace the regular pay check.)

I have never been a fan of illegally downloading. I never had one of those music torrents, I don't like to watch movies before they hit the theater, and I certainly would never steal a book on the internet. But now that I am an author of EBooks I am even less of a fan.

Let me put it this way for you:
When the guy who squirts the ketchup on your burger at the fast food restaurant works, he expects to get paid for it. He is not squirting out of the goodness of his heart. He is not wearing that paper hat as some sort of hobby to alleviate his boredom. It is his job. He does his work and he gets paid for it.

When Vera Wang designs a new dress and sells it on Madison Avenue she expects payment for it. It is a creative work that she labored and worried over. She deserves compensation.

When we write books, it is a job. Let me repeat that for those in the back, IT IS A JOB. We worked hard on these books and we deserve to be paid for them. Just because some asshole has an internet connection does not make him suddenly eligible for all electronic substances. If that were true then I should have full access to everyone's paychecks if they have direct deposit. That money is being transfered via electronic file and therefore should be public property right? Why should I care that someone worked for that money? Pirates don't care that I did.

This is an incredibly sore spot for most of us. It angers and frustrates us because it just seems to be getting worse. More of these sites spring up every day. And we fear going too public about it because it could alert more dishonest people to the fact that they can go steal our work. It's like running into a brick wall over and over again.

Let me clarify that this is not the kind of pirate that is stealing from me. From us. (At least he had better not be. He is a freakin' bazillionaire and has no business stealing. Do you hear me Wynona Ryder? NO BUSINESS!!!) No it's perfectly normal people. I am through thinking that they don't realize it's wrong. Stealing is stealing. The same mothers who are sending their children back to the drug store to return that shoplifted pack of gum are the ones sitting on their laptops reading one of my books that they got for free from a torrent site. They know that stealing is wrong. They know they don't deserve something for nothing. And yet, they steal it anyway. Bastards.

Don't steal books people. The law will eventually catch up with this and I hope the FBI puts all of these people in prison and then makes them pay back all of the money they have stolen from us.

Bastards.

Don't you just love when I stay on topic?

XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel

Piratical Practices

I'm not sure what I should add here as Stephanie has said it most eloquently.

Pirates, grrrr. Good.
Pirates, $$books$$. Bad.

I fear this sum up won't please the owner of this site and I must therefore wax on about the boo-hiss of pirated material. I don't have statistics. I don't have numbers of any sort. What I do know is that sales for all ebook writers are down, dangerously. Books stolen out of the pleasure of reading favorite authors are in fact crippling their favorite authors from writing. If there's no pay involved, there's no reason to think your favorite author can continue to afford writing as a line of work/enjoyment. Both are stripped from her. Neither will she be paid for her efforts, nor does she enjoy the disrespect of being stolen from by those who claim to adore her.

Ergo, her writing ceases and she takes a job at Dairy Queen where minimum wage is more than she currently makes even without piracy, she gets free ice cream, and no one steals her paycheck.

Pirates of the book persuasion are evil. Grrr. Bad.

X Marks the Spot

In every treasure map Hollywood and the cartoon industry has ever created, X marks the spot of the pirates treasure. Hordes of gold and jewels that are guarded by a skeleton or three.

Pirates have been romanticized in books and movies - they have become the quintessential bad boy that every woman loves and wants. An alpha male with a code of honor that will rescue kids and damsels in distress even though he makes his living by breaking the law - all laws, not just the unjust ones.

Piracy is not limited to seizing other ships and people with guns and violence, but refers also to file sharing -the illegal downloading of music and books. Just to clarify - going to sites that have books and/or songs for free that you normally have to pay for is illegal.

This is a topic people feel strongly about. The question is, who does it hurt? Musicians, music company's, authors, and publishers have money - they have lots of money, what do they care - its only one.

WRONG.

First - one becomes hundreds.

Second - Authors don't make a lot of money off from their books. It can take months to write a book, and the there is no guarantee that it will be accepted by any publisher. And if it does get chosen, authors only make a fraction of the price the reader pays. And only from copies that are bought.

Why does that matter? Because if the publisher doesn't think the author is selling then they stop buying that authors books.

But authors will write anyways - yes, but they may choose to stop telling their stories to other people.

No one likes to work to for free. Nor do people like to be under valued or taken advantage of. Authors are no different. When a book is illegally downloaded, an author is being told that their work and themselves have no value and don't deserve to be paid. If your boss told you that after working hard and putting in over time that you weren't going to get paid because even though the big boss thought you did spectacular, your immediate boss thought you were worthless, you would be beyond pissed off.

All In All...

Happy Reading,

Simone

Yo Ho Ho, 5 Years in Prison, and a Hefty Fine

I like pirates.

Movie characters like Jack Sparrow and Rhett Butler are sexy as hell. There are some pretty memorable pirate/heroes in romance novels, too. I can also get on board with pirates as literary villains. Who can forget the infamous Long John Silver from "Treasure Island"?

However, I have nothing but loathing for the latest incarnation of pirates, the Internet Pirates. These pirates upload eBooks or music to their sites then offer free downloads to anyone with Internet access.

Beware, mateys! Those tempting downloads are illegal!

In the last couple of years, the FBI has begun to crack down on these sites, covering them under the blanket of Internet theft. A person found guilty of downloading a pirated eBook or song can be given "up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000." That's per occurrence -- which should make those "free" downloads look a little less appealing.

Unfortunately, the threat of fines and prison doesn't stop the flow. The owners of these sites claim they aren't responsible, they didn't upload the eBooks or tunes themselves. Users did. Some of the sites may even post vague warnings about copyright infringements. But none of the sites monitor what's uploaded or remove it unless directly confronted by the owner of the copyright.

So the piracy continues, because a large majority of the downloads are done by teens and others, who don't read the fine print. Or they think, if it's offered on the Internet, it must be okay since there was no warning posting on the website about downloading being illegal. It just said that uploading copyrighted items without permission is a crime. Besides, what's the harm in one little download?

Well, it could earn you a five year vacation in a Federal penitentiary and a quarter million dollar fine. Harsh you say?

Consider this, in a single day those free sites (I won't give them credence by naming them) give away hundreds of copies of a single eBook title that some author has spent long hours sweating over to bring to life. These downloads can easily surpass in a single day what the authors will be paid for a month's worth of downloads from their publishers' legitimate sites. Would you like it if you worked a whole month but only got paid for a day's worth?

Those illegal downloads rob the authors (or artists in the case of music downloads) of the legitimate commissions they are due for their hard work and talent. If that amount exceeds $500, it's called a felony! Those commissions are their paychecks, folks, and anyone who downloads a pirated eBook or tune is stealing. Why else would they be called "pirate sites"?

So, while others may be shocked over the courts recently fining a Minnesota woman $222,000 for pirated music she made available to others for downloads, I stand up and cheer. I say keep up the good work, FBI. Go after more of these pirates and the users, too, because the sites wouldn't exist if there were no users.

This might sound harsh, but the subject is one on which I take a firm stand. It's personal to me since I have so many friends who are authors of eBooks and are being robbed each and every day by pirate sites. These are everyday folks not millionaires living in big mansions and driving luxury cards. And even if they were, it would still be a crime!

There's another more invidious side of Internet piracy that worries me, too. It's hurting our kids! In our techno world, kids are online all the time. Piracy is blurring the line between right and wrong for them. It's delivering a message that it's okay for people to help themselves to whatever they want, and that they aren't culpable, because they didn't actually steal the song or book from a store, all they did was download it!

Is that the message we want to give the next generation?

Parents need to discuss piracy with their kids. Drive it home to them that these downloads are a crime. Monitor the stuff their kids download on their computers. If they find pirated music or videos, make the kids delete it. Block the pirate sites. Another way to make kids realize the seriousness of the crime is put in terms they understand. Talk to them about adult wages then have your child figure out how many years it would take at the various wages to repay a quarter of a million dollar fine. If they get an allowance, tell them you will fine them the full retail price of any download they make.

Do whatever it takes. If your child gets mad at you, too bad. Parenting isn't a popularity contest.

Schools can help, too, by stressing in computer classes that piracy is a crime, and those songs the kids may be sharing with their friends could result in jail terms and fines.

It's not a message that can be delivered once then forgotten. Not when the temptation is always lurking out there.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Talk to you soon,
~ Stephanie