The Hybrid Life for Me!

 

ROGUE'S POSSESSION is now out!! 

     

This release dovetails nicely with this week's topic. We're asking, Traditional publishing, self-publishing or a fusion of the two. What works best for you?

This particular book is the second book in the Covenant of Thorns trilogy, which were originally traditionally published ten years ago! Those were my first fantasy romances and I was elated that Carina Press took a chance on my cross-genre novels. I went on to publish ten books in total with them. I've also done three traditionally published series with Kensington and one with St. Martin's Press.

I like trad publishing. Having a team working on my books is a great feeling, as is not having to front the money.

However...

As soon as I could get the rights back on these books, I did, and now I'm self-publishing them. The major reason? I'll make a lot more money selling them myself.

A secondary reason: by controlling the series, I have more options to discount book one, a potent marketing technique trad-pubbing doesn't allow.

A third, but super validating reason? At last I can give these books the covers they deserve!! I love these covers, designed by the incredibly talented Ravven, so much!

So, as you may have concluded, I'm falling in the "fusion of the two" category. Being a hybrid author gives me the best of both worlds. I aim to continue doing it that way. 

Jeffe's Top Three Resources for Names

    

ROGUE'S POSSESSION, Book #2 in my Covenant of Thorns Dark Fantasy Romance trilogy, is out in a week! It's been so fun to see readers rediscover this first series of mine.

This week at the SFF Seven, we're talking Naming Resources: Your top 3 sources for choosing names of characters, places, etc. Here are mine:

1. Jeffe's Big List of Names

I keep a list. A spreadsheet (of course! for those who know me) that I add to any time I encounter a name I really like. I save them for important characters. One #protip: there are few disappointments greater than discovering you squandered a really good name on a throwaway secondary character. Save those names for someday!

 

2. Behind the Name

 

BehindtheName.com is a great resource that lets you search for names in all sorts of ways. There's also a surname version, for those tricksy family names. 

3. Relevant Dictionaries

I also use archaic language dictionaries for whatever language family I'm using for a given world or realm within a world. These are easy to search for online, then look up word meanings and cobble together names from there.

 

Names are always important in my books - it's one of my themes - so I'm almost always choosing them for their underlying meaning. Something to look for!

 

No Thank-You

I've been thinking about our customs around saying "thank-you" to people. Since our topic at the SFF Seven this week is whatever is on our minds, I'm going for this!

Way back in January 2013 I did a post on why I hate thank-you notes, and I tell you - I *still* get people finding my blog by Googling that topic, and sending me messages. So, this is something I've been mulling for a long time.

I've gotten a new perspective on the topic lately as I've been reading Seanan McGuire's October Daye urban fantasy series. The stories are set in a contemporary world where Faerie exists and interfaces with the human one. It's interesting to me that one of her world rules is that the fae are exceedingly careful about saying "thank you" as it implies a contract and obligation.

It makes me feel pretty fancy because in my first fantasy romance series, A Covenant of Thorns, which is about a modern day scientist who ends up in Faerie, uses this same element. I wasn't nearly as deliberate about it as McGuire is, but I had that in the back of my mind. I hadn't thought of it the way she uses it, that a thank-you seals a magical pact, but it explains a lot of my intuitive dislike of the expression.

AND, it explains why I really dislike the use of "thank-you in advance." How much more of an obligation does THAT create?

All very interesting. Plus a fun excuse to revisit this trilogy that doesn't get that much attention from me anymore. :-)