tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-620421604256581622024-02-20T00:00:23.914-08:00The Ellen Street ObserverMusings about writing, publishing, and whatever else might strike my fancy. Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-67169423691048485762019-02-08T09:01:00.001-08:002019-02-08T09:01:49.874-08:00Setting Your Style Objectives by Ellen Byerrum<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J9_bpLS2Y5c" width="480"></iframe>Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-35489363502831105732016-10-18T08:30:00.000-07:002016-10-18T08:30:26.152-07:00Can You Judge a Book by Its Cover?Obviously a book's cover can never convey what goes on in an entire book. Yet, if that image is done well, it gives the readers a hint of what awaits between the pages and entices them to peek inside and keep turning those pages.<br />
All writers have opinions about their cover art. Believe it or not, they are <em>not </em>always delighted with what the the publisher presents. I was lucky in many ways. My Crime of Fashion Mystery covers didn't look like everyone else's covers. My covers were effective, at the time, and people bought them and I am very grateful.<br />
I know how bad a book jacket can be from experience: I was once reading a friend's book on the Metro. Her cover looked a little like <em>Gidget Joins the Symbionese Liberation Army!</em> It was hideous, yet also quite effective in its way: as a deterrent. I caught a man on the Metro looking at me as I was reading it. Then he looked at the book cover--and then he backed away from me, slowly. Very slowly. Cover art: An unexpected weapon of self-defense.<br />
When I regained my book rights this past summer from my former publisher, Penguin Putnam, now Penguin Random House, I had to change the covers for the series relaunch. (While I have the rights to my words, I don't have the rights to the publisher's artwork.) This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity and I was able to take a second look at the covers and revisit the designs with my input. The new covers and overall book design are by the talented Bob Williams. They have plenty of <em>my </em>input.<br />
First of all, the key graphic image must have an impact. With so many books being bought online now, covers are first viewed in thumbnail sizes. A tiny image has to convey crucial information about the book. It has to be strong and easy to grasp. We kept that in mind. <br />
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<strong style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Different takes on Crime of Fashion Covers</span></strong><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4F8nLkZmS2m7vR1hNjQzH9L-weZ11T_2o6BqJyfZ3onxefI5QxXWhfOF7Hrc5CN7rrPcIJyp0d29QRczsIGHdcj-bnHs__DZazeVLSGU0CuI1OHfWehPtR23A45C3vZ5CdOgollRUw/s1600/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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As you can see in this post, the original Penguin covers were a little cartoonish, yet many readers liked them. The redesigned cover is on the right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgr65jr39A0sWXACDJBMxPvVKeZYJJBXEKsfuP_0rfDkiUzYYlsftJX54wQI8hbhkeKHQbwNtnbaY8L-LCu2Aw4Dxb4VVbzJVMv6VcGP8xA1j-urUj2KSjt_seeJ4LJuznAhIcGWSEQ/s1600/KILLER+HAIR+ORIGINAL+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgr65jr39A0sWXACDJBMxPvVKeZYJJBXEKsfuP_0rfDkiUzYYlsftJX54wQI8hbhkeKHQbwNtnbaY8L-LCu2Aw4Dxb4VVbzJVMv6VcGP8xA1j-urUj2KSjt_seeJ4LJuznAhIcGWSEQ/s320/KILLER+HAIR+ORIGINAL+Cover.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <b><i>Killer Hair</i></b> cover for Penguin<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxvQzARMn_zbRBV_xRYkWgiVZFspjos4auvFMi0H7eeQSbHacN6yT-2NLZzP4m_uRBI9ElXtHUsJtZIiBQ-BvhaX7gtMMxDcBgKAyR5ibv-i2pEN_O8yct-sOLdtvIAA_wRNV9ZXcGw/s320/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB">Redesigned <i><b>Killer Hair</b></i> Cover</a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">To be perfectly honest, when I saw the original </span><strong style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB">Killer Hair</a></i></strong><span style="text-align: center;"> cover, my first thought was: "Oh, dear! Judy Jetson gets a haircut!" I got over it. The covers were cute and whimsical, and they were geared toward a "chick-lit" audience, which was fine at the time--until chick-lit went out of favor. The title also incorporated a can of hairspray into the type. Cute.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"> My covers were better than some covers other writers I knew got. Most importantly, they sold.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"> </span> Still I had quibbles. Although the books are Crimes of <em><b>Fashion</b></em><b>,</b> the previous covers never really said <em><b>fashion</b></em> to me. For the relaunch of my series, I knew I wanted a distinctive visual style that would hint at more of the books' stories, subtext, and style. I also wanted bolder title type that would stand out in a crowd, as well as a more readable and elegant book design inside and out.<br />
Some readers are unsettled by the new look and have told me they originally picked up my series because of the cute cartoon covers. They don't think they would have picked up the new ones, because they look "more dangerous." Point taken. I understand. I really do. But shouldn't murder mysteries, even comic ones, be a little dangerous? I hope we can agree to disagree.<br />
On the other hand, other readers have told me they thought my books were much more sophisticated than indicated by the old covers. I thought so too. There's more to the books than cotton candy colors. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskV6hHBL2cGY_e4wO6wWrXdrByM0rA-yK2JlZOUU_xW2eefWhl58ARmwgZV9lkAgDAuqczWiOlGMH3ZXQOaO4DIsUOquJRjBd66nYbfjxexosModdG8e_sWyhMnOZ7Wd2C7t8eVzE5w/s1600/Designer+knockoff+penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskV6hHBL2cGY_e4wO6wWrXdrByM0rA-yK2JlZOUU_xW2eefWhl58ARmwgZV9lkAgDAuqczWiOlGMH3ZXQOaO4DIsUOquJRjBd66nYbfjxexosModdG8e_sWyhMnOZ7Wd2C7t8eVzE5w/s320/Designer+knockoff+penguin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designer Knockoff, Penguin cover</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeJPAUZCadCQrJckXRZvxMQ36ZP5QXKo3TPq5eSC4TPimtwCxrihzJ3iT_DFCShBlwpSVUP2Z7dJuPOt550w2xoy9j5ol8zTxuaYLE4EL_4XWKKA631_410170gX0yrJ6cee8k_2H0g/s320/Byerrum+DESIGNER+KNOCKOFF+Kindle+Cover+June+2+2016+-+Copy.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Redesigned cover Designer Knockoff</a></td></tr>
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For instance, I always thought the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Hair-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><i><b>Killer Hair</b></i></a> cover should concentrate on, well,<em> killer</em> hair! Fabulous, glorious hair! The new cover has that. It's also mysterious. Is she sleeping? Dreaming? Or something else? (Perhaps even <em>murdered</em>?) I am delighted with this new look. It's fashionable, provocative, and enigmatic.<br />
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In the case of <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GJ90QB8/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SWYQXPBNF7745TW7EAAK">Designer Knockoff,</a> </i></b>the original cover's pale lavender title was particularly hard to read. On the bookstore shelf mixed in with other mysteries, the title was barely visible. It looked like a book about shopping. Certainly not a mystery.<br />
This new<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="> <b><i>Designer Knockoff</i></b> </a>cover pops off the page and it really resonates with me. The story involves two intertwined mysteries,separated by decades, and in the cover art it feels as if one victim, via the skeletal hand, is reaching out to touch the other. The color known as "Morning Glory Blue" also figures in the book, so I am delighted to see it on the cover. I also like the vaguely vintage style of makeup on the woman because vintage is a very big part of the Lacey Smithsonian books.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD4tm4Gxbpq_l9BtXiGrUkXUl8qrUcqJ1uBnzGT1xjqP2Kai0Vo9XnRPknlxHF_v6jZaqoP_MumkbYS3QJRVLxqLGsQfFTxBZUgZmGtsiCbx1wq7fs_C2uA66pgS-DCwrPL5qfXozzQ/s320/HM+Kindle+Cover+5+JPEG.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Redesigned<b><i> Hostile Makeove</i></b>r</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHNMSTLOZhY-o4XKU68h6BUIkI0GPm3PEd9P6dQivHySHhjLVkmiLPjTKDDIgzcSy4BHsjB0Uxa8lsCHNBZ5Bq2Fl2LnqXu51eOJDfZf2V-6ew4NVv6LVasmyNL-xTW-aolU4pX_Grg/s1600/hostile+makeover+penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHNMSTLOZhY-o4XKU68h6BUIkI0GPm3PEd9P6dQivHySHhjLVkmiLPjTKDDIgzcSy4BHsjB0Uxa8lsCHNBZ5Bq2Fl2LnqXu51eOJDfZf2V-6ew4NVv6LVasmyNL-xTW-aolU4pX_Grg/s320/hostile+makeover+penguin.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hostile Makeover</b>, Penguin cover</td></tr>
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Recently relaunched,<b style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Hostile Makeove</a></b><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">r</a></i></b> is the third book in the series. Again,the original cover didn't really hint at the story or its subtext. While the Crimes of Fashion books are satirical, this mystery explores the dark side of plastic surgery. The continuing action throughout the series follows the calendar year and this one takes place just before Halloween.<br />
The new cover has a touch of the macabre and the humorous. Her bandages are coming off, but what will she find beneath them? Hopefully, it poses questions and instills a desire to turn the page.<br />
Each cover requires an in-depth examination and Bob and I discuss the concept and how to accomplish it through the design.<br />
Currently we are at work on the cover for our next relaunch, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Grave Apparel. </i>Stay tuned for further details. The Kindle version should be out well before Christmas.<br />
Finally, though I am relaunching the older books, I am also working on a new Crime of Fashion mystery. Unfortunately, the new book keeps being interrupted by our work on the relaunch. But never fear, there will be more books, more challenges and more new covers ahead.<br />
These books are available on Amazon, and the trade paperbacks for <b><i>Killer Hair</i></b> and <b><i>Hostile Makeover </i></b>can also be ordered by your favorite bookseller.<br />
<br />Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-62433039148888853262016-10-17T08:30:00.000-07:002016-10-17T10:16:31.330-07:00Can You Judge a Book by Its Cover?Obviously a book's cover can never convey what goes on in an entire book. Yet, if that image is done well, it gives the readers a hint of what awaits between the pages and entices them to peek inside and keep turning those pages.<br />
All writers have opinions about their cover art. Believe it or not, they are <em>not </em>always delighted with what the the publisher presents. I was lucky in many ways. My Crime of Fashion Mystery covers didn't look like everyone else's covers. My covers were effective, at the time, and people bought them and I am very grateful.<br />
I know how bad a book jacket can be from experience: I was once reading a friend's book on the Metro. Her cover looked a little like <em>Gidget Joins the Symbionese Liberation Army!</em> It was hideous, yet also quite effective in its way: as a deterrent. I caught a man on the Metro looking at me as I was reading it. Then he looked at the book cover--and then he backed away from me, slowly. Very slowly. Cover art: An unexpected weapon of self-defense.<br />
When I regained my book rights this past summer from my former publisher, Penguin Putnam, now Penguin Random House, I had to change the covers for the series relaunch. (While I have the rights to my words, I don't have the rights to the publisher's artwork.) This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity and I was able to take a second look at the covers and revisit the designs with my input. The new covers and overall book design are by the talented Bob Williams. They have plenty of <em>my </em>input.<br />
First of all, the key graphic image must have an impact. With so many books being bought online now, covers are first viewed in thumbnail sizes. A tiny image has to convey crucial information about the book. It has to be strong and easy to grasp. We kept that in mind. <br />
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<strong style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Different takes on Crime of Fashion Covers</span></strong><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4F8nLkZmS2m7vR1hNjQzH9L-weZ11T_2o6BqJyfZ3onxefI5QxXWhfOF7Hrc5CN7rrPcIJyp0d29QRczsIGHdcj-bnHs__DZazeVLSGU0CuI1OHfWehPtR23A45C3vZ5CdOgollRUw/s1600/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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As you can see in this post, the original Penguin covers were a little cartoonish, yet many readers liked them. The redesigned cover is on the right.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgr65jr39A0sWXACDJBMxPvVKeZYJJBXEKsfuP_0rfDkiUzYYlsftJX54wQI8hbhkeKHQbwNtnbaY8L-LCu2Aw4Dxb4VVbzJVMv6VcGP8xA1j-urUj2KSjt_seeJ4LJuznAhIcGWSEQ/s1600/KILLER+HAIR+ORIGINAL+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgr65jr39A0sWXACDJBMxPvVKeZYJJBXEKsfuP_0rfDkiUzYYlsftJX54wQI8hbhkeKHQbwNtnbaY8L-LCu2Aw4Dxb4VVbzJVMv6VcGP8xA1j-urUj2KSjt_seeJ4LJuznAhIcGWSEQ/s320/KILLER+HAIR+ORIGINAL+Cover.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <b><i>Killer Hair</i></b> cover for Penguin<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuxvQzARMn_zbRBV_xRYkWgiVZFspjos4auvFMi0H7eeQSbHacN6yT-2NLZzP4m_uRBI9ElXtHUsJtZIiBQ-BvhaX7gtMMxDcBgKAyR5ibv-i2pEN_O8yct-sOLdtvIAA_wRNV9ZXcGw/s320/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB">Redesigned <i><b>Killer Hair</b></i> Cover</a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">To be perfectly honest, when I saw the original </span><strong style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=38ZXF66DJM1V3APRRPMB">Killer Hair</a></i></strong><span style="text-align: center;"> cover, my first thought was: "Oh, dear! Judy Jetson gets a haircut!" I got over it. The covers were cute and whimsical, and they were geared toward a "chick-lit" audience, which was fine at the time--until chick-lit went out of favor. The title also incorporated a can of hairspray into the type. Cute.</span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"> My covers were better than some covers other writers I knew got. Most importantly, they sold.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"> </span> Still I had quibbles. Although the books are Crimes of <em><b>Fashion</b></em><b>,</b> the previous covers never really said <em><b>fashion</b></em> to me. For the relaunch of my series, I knew I wanted a distinctive visual style that would hint at more of the books' stories, subtext, and style. I also wanted bolder title type that would stand out in a crowd, as well as a more readable and elegant book design inside and out.<br />
Some readers are unsettled by the new look and have told me they originally picked up my series because of the cute cartoon covers. They don't think they would have picked up the new ones, because they look "more dangerous." Point taken. I understand. I really do. But shouldn't murder mysteries, even comic ones, be a little dangerous? I hope we can agree to disagree.<br />
On the other hand, other readers have told me they thought my books were much more sophisticated than indicated by the old covers. I thought so too. There's more to the books than cotton candy colors. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskV6hHBL2cGY_e4wO6wWrXdrByM0rA-yK2JlZOUU_xW2eefWhl58ARmwgZV9lkAgDAuqczWiOlGMH3ZXQOaO4DIsUOquJRjBd66nYbfjxexosModdG8e_sWyhMnOZ7Wd2C7t8eVzE5w/s1600/Designer+knockoff+penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskV6hHBL2cGY_e4wO6wWrXdrByM0rA-yK2JlZOUU_xW2eefWhl58ARmwgZV9lkAgDAuqczWiOlGMH3ZXQOaO4DIsUOquJRjBd66nYbfjxexosModdG8e_sWyhMnOZ7Wd2C7t8eVzE5w/s320/Designer+knockoff+penguin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designer Knockoff, Penguin cover</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjeJPAUZCadCQrJckXRZvxMQ36ZP5QXKo3TPq5eSC4TPimtwCxrihzJ3iT_DFCShBlwpSVUP2Z7dJuPOt550w2xoy9j5ol8zTxuaYLE4EL_4XWKKA631_410170gX0yrJ6cee8k_2H0g/s320/Byerrum+DESIGNER+KNOCKOFF+Kindle+Cover+June+2+2016+-+Copy.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Redesigned cover Designer Knockoff</a></td></tr>
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For instance, I always thought the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Hair-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DK3ZA3U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><i><b>Killer Hair</b></i></a> cover should concentrate on, well,<em> killer</em> hair! Fabulous, glorious hair! The new cover has that. It's also mysterious. Is she sleeping? Dreaming? Or something else? (Perhaps even <em>murdered</em>?) I am delighted with this new look. It's fashionable, provocative, and enigmatic.<br />
<br />
In the case of <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GJ90QB8/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SWYQXPBNF7745TW7EAAK">Designer Knockoff,</a> </i></b>the original cover's pale lavender title was particularly hard to read. On the bookstore shelf mixed in with other mysteries, the title was barely visible. It looked like a book about shopping. Certainly not a mystery.<br />
This new<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="> <b><i>Designer Knockoff</i></b> </a>cover pops off the page and it really resonates with me. The story involves two intertwined mysteries,separated by decades, and in the cover art it feels as if one victim, via the skeletal hand, is reaching out to touch the other. The color known as "Morning Glory Blue" also figures in the book, so I am delighted to see it on the cover. I also like the vaguely vintage style of makeup on the woman because vintage is a very big part of the Lacey Smithsonian books.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr="><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD4tm4Gxbpq_l9BtXiGrUkXUl8qrUcqJ1uBnzGT1xjqP2Kai0Vo9XnRPknlxHF_v6jZaqoP_MumkbYS3QJRVLxqLGsQfFTxBZUgZmGtsiCbx1wq7fs_C2uA66pgS-DCwrPL5qfXozzQ/s320/HM+Kindle+Cover+5+JPEG.jpg" width="199" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Redesigned<b><i> Hostile Makeove</i></b>r</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHNMSTLOZhY-o4XKU68h6BUIkI0GPm3PEd9P6dQivHySHhjLVkmiLPjTKDDIgzcSy4BHsjB0Uxa8lsCHNBZ5Bq2Fl2LnqXu51eOJDfZf2V-6ew4NVv6LVasmyNL-xTW-aolU4pX_Grg/s1600/hostile+makeover+penguin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHNMSTLOZhY-o4XKU68h6BUIkI0GPm3PEd9P6dQivHySHhjLVkmiLPjTKDDIgzcSy4BHsjB0Uxa8lsCHNBZ5Bq2Fl2LnqXu51eOJDfZf2V-6ew4NVv6LVasmyNL-xTW-aolU4pX_Grg/s320/hostile+makeover+penguin.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hostile Makeover</b>, Penguin cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently relaunched,<b style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Hostile Makeove</a></b><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hostile-Makeover-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01M0JJS7J/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">r</a></i></b> is the third book in the series. Again,the original cover didn't really hint at the story or its subtext. While the Crimes of Fashion books are satirical, this mystery explores the dark side of plastic surgery. The continuing action throughout the series follows the calendar year and this one takes place just before Halloween.<br />
The new cover has a touch of the macabre and the humorous. Her bandages are coming off, but what will she find beneath them? Hopefully, it poses questions and instills a desire to turn the page.<br />
Each cover requires an in-depth examination and Bob and I discuss the concept and how to accomplish it through the design.<br />
Currently we are at work on the cover for our next relaunch, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Grave Apparel. </i>Stay tuned for further details. The Kindle version should be out well before Christmas.<br />
Finally, though I am relaunching the older books, I am also working on a new Crime of Fashion mystery. Unfortunately, the new book keeps being interrupted by our work on the relaunch. But never fear, there will be more books, more challenges and more new covers ahead.<br />
These books are available on Amazon, and the trade paperbacks for <b><i>Killer Hair</i></b> and <b><i>Hostile Makeover </i></b>can also be ordered by your favorite bookseller.<br />
<br />Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-10994727287343060842016-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:002016-07-26T10:33:37.998-07:00Going Independent With My Crime of Fashion Series Relaunch<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">This summer is in many
ways a season of new beginnings for me as I continue to go independent and relaunch my Crime of Fashion
Mysteries under my own imprint, <i>Lethal
Black Dress Press</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAkhNxCwp7-hD8Uw7JUMzMOth6mC2HfaoQvtAdm-jEoqBVVd9Qh67hetw-OqI3hDJMLgdmQPy1akIJ_hiMreLqHRmFx69vabWt-xgUdfd8XASC3rt_IhoybeC6qY6cWjCgBXLydULlg/s1600/LBDP+bizcard+redblack+3+PNG.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAkhNxCwp7-hD8Uw7JUMzMOth6mC2HfaoQvtAdm-jEoqBVVd9Qh67hetw-OqI3hDJMLgdmQPy1akIJ_hiMreLqHRmFx69vabWt-xgUdfd8XASC3rt_IhoybeC6qY6cWjCgBXLydULlg/s320/LBDP+bizcard+redblack+3+PNG.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">This heady challenge
is possible because I recently reacquired my rights for the first<i> nine</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>COF books. I had already independently published the 10th book. The series (and my relaunch) begins with</span><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Hair-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DK3ZA3U?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc#nav-s"><b><i>Killer Hair</i></b></a><i>,</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> which
was originally published in 2003 by Penguin Putnam, now Penguin Random House.The latest, greatest version of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Hair-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DK3ZA3U?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc#nav-s"><b><i>Killer Ha</i></b><i><b>ir</b></i></a> is available as an ebook and in trade paper. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51NiCcoWoJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_UX300_PJku-sticker-v7%2CTopRight%2C0%2C-50_OU01_AC_UL320_SR200%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=S418HH0BWQVPHEYES5K1#nav-subnav"><b><i>Designer Knockoff</i></b>, </a>the second
in the series, is available in Kindle and very soon in trade paperback.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">While it was exciting to be
ushered into print by one of the Big Five traditional publishers, it
eventually became clear that I was heading in a different direction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3 style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b>Everybody Wants to Know—Why Go Indie?</b></span></h3>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Publishing has changed
dramatically since my first book came out in 2003. Back then, writers who independently
published were scorned, ignored, and certainly not considered "good enough" for the all-hallowed
New York publishing world. To be honest, in the early days of the
self-publishing movement, I wasn’t convinced that self-publishing was the
answer. Even though there were drawbacks to NY pub, I rationalized that the one
thing trad pub did well was <i>distribution</i>.
My early books were in all the bookstores, big chains and independents, all over the country, and always in
multiple copies. M</span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 22.5333px;">ystery bookstores were particularly great for me and other mystery writers. </span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">That was cool, I have to admit. I could walk into any bookstore across the USA and find my books on the shelf. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The late lamented Borders
Books, in particular, was very good to me. They kept my back list in stock and in multiple
copies. And then Borders fell, like the first domino. After
the tragic demise of Borders, Barnes & Noble suddenly didn’t seem to be ordering nearly as many copies (of <i>anything</i> but the latest best sellers) as they had in the past, and they weren't stocking my back list anymore, except occasionally the first book in the series. By
the time my last traditionally published book came out in 2013, I found only two or three copies of the brand-new book in each B & N bookstore. The c</span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 22.5333px;">ompetition in the big bookstore chain world was disappearing, and the </span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">distribution
advantage of the traditional publishers seemed to be disappearing with it.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Other things changed as well. My first editor at the publisher was fabulous. She acquired the series, she championed my books, and she was thoughtful, helpful, and attentive to detail. However, she left the NY publishing world after our
first year of working together. After that, I was issued four more editors of
varying quality and enthusiasm. Although two of my books, <b><i>Killer Hair</i></b> and <b><i>Hostile Makeover,</i></b> were filmed for the Lifetime Movie Network, the publisher was pretty ho-hum about it. However, they did consent to put movie tie-in stickers on the covers..</span><br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I left traditional publishing for a number of reasons. While I won’t go into detail, I will say in the
end, I felt disrespected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">As a former Washington,
D.C. reporter, I've had my share of encounters with people who hated journalists.
I was occasionally kicked out and barred from meetings, and I regularly had to dance a jig
for certain press secretaries and gatekeepers in order to reach the newsmakers and report the news. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">I look back fondly on those
encounters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Let me emphasize I was not alone
in how I was treated by traditional publishing; I was not a special case. Not by a
long shot. Nor was I particularly sensitive to the slings and arrows of
outrageous copy editors. O</span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px; line-height: 22.5333px;">ther writers I know and admire have been treated with disrespect and disdain: </span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">Contrary to what the contract says, I know writers who have been ordered to rewrite books in a week, or even a weekend, and told that the authors' own corrections on galleys (caused by publishers' mistakes) would not be made. In addition, their scheduling requests are often ignored, their needs disregarded. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">Am I exaggerating? You be the judge. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">And yes, there are writers who will go down claiming everything is lollipops and cotton candy, and life with traditional publishing couldn't be better, 8 percent royalties are swell, and they just adore their covers.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">At the moment, I am hearing
many sad stories of authors who are unable to recover their rights after their publishers let their books go out of print. I
feel especially fortunate to have accomplished this feat. <br />
</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">The Rights Reversal Process</span></h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">Late last year, when I discovered reported sales of my books had fallen below the threshold specified in my contract, I requested that the publisher return my rights in accordance with the contract, and I duly cc’d that request to my attorney. (The process is not quite as simple as it sounds.) Although I received no immediate reply. I had an inkling the rights
reversion would finally happen when I started hearing complaints from
readers that they could no longer purchase e-books of the first nine mysteries.
It seems the publisher had taken the electronic books off booksellers' websites even before
they officially informed me that my rights would revert to me. I took it as a promising sign.</span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.9pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">At present, limited
quantities of the original mass market paperbacks can still be found, for
example at your favorite independent mystery bookstore, on Amazon, and Barnes
& Noble, but the traditional publisher will not be printing any new editions.
That is now MY job!</span></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Great New Covers and Design</span></h3>
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">In the coming months I will continue to
publish my updated and corrected mysteries as e-books and in trade paperback format,
where they will have a much more readable book design and beautifully
stylish and evocative covers by Bob Williams.</span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;"> </span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.3333px;">The original mass market covers were cartoon-like and I admit some people actually really liked them. But n</span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">o longer will you need a magnifying glass to read one of my books! </span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The revised editions more
closely reflect my original intent and the feel of the stories. To view the first two of the new covers, scroll down.</span><br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3GYDg43G2gG5NtFEmfmrSva2mGgNr7x8NgRLwKYAf85quT84kfZ2WGNPe3A1BQO5rYIy_Jr5fSxoutYbqqjsTMxwJkn9ppY6BC8OjN7HiH_93FuqXW2zLKqdieqpzRxiZ0qkZGJiCw/s1600/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3GYDg43G2gG5NtFEmfmrSva2mGgNr7x8NgRLwKYAf85quT84kfZ2WGNPe3A1BQO5rYIy_Jr5fSxoutYbqqjsTMxwJkn9ppY6BC8OjN7HiH_93FuqXW2zLKqdieqpzRxiZ0qkZGJiCw/s640/KILLERHAIR+FINAL+COVER.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Hair-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01DK3ZA3U?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc#nav-s">Killer Hair</a></span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">is
the first volume in the Crime of Fashion series featuring Lacey Smithsonian, the intrepid fashion reporter who solves
crimes with “fashion clues” in Washington, D.C., “The City Fashion Forgot.”
It sets the scene for Lacey’s further adventures in crime and
couture (and romance).</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97_VfavVJXuqb7SPrD50HqWEk1uTuyv88OQZUx1Bb7MNW0xBL5WUjWAuhKa7fTNH3e8d4zPCBa4olt0hCfn79o-sUQ3DGuH2ooDqc2QXtcQ1TvXbPJDdwycYdJIb4dIiJ73Wnh9Lbsg/s640/Byerrum+DESIGNER+KNOCKOFF+Kindle+Cover+June+2+2016+-+Copy.jpg" width="396" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;"><b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Designer-Knockoff-Fashion-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B01GJ90QB8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#navbar">Designer Knockoff,</a></i></b> the second book in the series, explores the disappearance of a young designer in the 1940s and a D.C. intern in the present. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 16.9pt;">As with anything, this
project is taking more time than I anticipated, but we don't want to rush
the process—we want to make the books the best they can be.</span><br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">
<br />
There is a lot of work ahead, but rest assured I am still writing and working
on the next book in the Crime of Fashion series:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b><i>The
Masque of the Red Dress</i>.</b> </span><br />
<span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
For more information about any of my books, you can always check my
soon-to-be-updated website at<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i> </i></b></span></span><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://ellenbyerrum.com/"><b><i>ellenbyerrum.com</i></b></a></span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://./">.</a>
You can also follow me on</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b><i> </i></b></span></span><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/EllenByerrum"><b><i>Facebook</i></b></a></span><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">,
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on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/EllenByerrum" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6dc6dd; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><b><i>Twitter</i></b></span></a><span style="color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">. . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-35808903083733841592016-01-14T22:35:00.000-08:002016-01-14T22:35:17.963-08:00Dreams of Moliere and Champagne<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
January 15 is the birthday of the
great French comedic playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name
Moliere, and I will celebrate his anniversary with a champagne toast. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMO_IRJhvyp_WoJZRZN5nkWM9ReMfGPMHpfFG9Or9FjDy7U2_74R0v4NWg-S387OCw2Ul6qazog4icw1UBi8qCr48PDqRlHqXigYbVgxiqcLvWaWHNaSgwZmm7Fnq6KRSqIoGTDCXRA/s1600/Moliere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdMO_IRJhvyp_WoJZRZN5nkWM9ReMfGPMHpfFG9Or9FjDy7U2_74R0v4NWg-S387OCw2Ul6qazog4icw1UBi8qCr48PDqRlHqXigYbVgxiqcLvWaWHNaSgwZmm7Fnq6KRSqIoGTDCXRA/s320/Moliere.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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Why? Many years ago, I had a dream about my Moliere,
which changed my attitude about life. Not everyone believes that dreams have
meaning, but I do. Not in the way that dream interpretation books would have
it. I always loved the Biblical story of Joseph, who had to interpret Pharaoh’s
dreams. But your typical dream book doesn’t really talk about fat cows and
skinny cows, does it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe most
people have their own internal dream vocabulary and dream messages, but they don’t care
to try to interpret them. I do. I’ve even had friends ask me to interpret their
dreams for them. As a writer, I’m always looking for great story ideas and
plots. Some dreams are perfect for that. Just ask Mary Shelley.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
have had dreams with warnings, dreams that came true, dreams coded in rebus, and
dreams that came with lessons. In this dream, Moliere came to me bearing a whole
<i>lesson plan. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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In
my dream, the great playwright was old and sick, dying from a lung disease, and
for some reason it was my job to take him to a place to die, a place of the
dead. It seemed to be somewhere deep down under the streets, perhaps in Paris. (Why
beneath the streets? Was I dreaming of the Catacombs of Paris? I have no idea. It was a dream, you know?And b<span style="line-height: 150%;">etter the Catacombs than the sewers.) I was
horrified by this mission, and I kept protesting that he was the great Moliere,
he couldn’t just <i>die</i> (even though he's been dead since 1673), how could this be? We descended far down into a dark tunnel.
Out of the darkness a small gray bat flew straight at me, frightening me, and I
ducked. But the playwright, as old and sick as he was, bent down in one smooth
motion, grabbed the bat, and threw it against the wall. It shrieked loudly and
fell to the ground. (I don’t know if bats shriek in real life, but this one did.)</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>First Lesson:</b> <i>Don’t let the old bats get you down!</i> I know, this sounds a little
snarky for a somber dream about a dying playwright, but that’s the lesson that came
to me as soon as I awoke, and it made me laugh. There have been a lot of
screeching old bats assaulting me since then, and I always think of Moliere casually
tossing them aside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We
continued down, farther and farther in this dark, dank, horrible tunnel, until
I thought I’d go mad. I’d almost given up on ever seeing the light again, when
we came to a large ballroom full of bright light, with crystal chandeliers and
a sumptuous feast waiting for us on the banquet table. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Second Lesson:</b> <i>No matter how long or dark, there is light at the end of the tunnel. </i>I
never said these were deep lessons. But lessons they are, nonetheless. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The
banquet table was set for twelve guests, all renowned writers. And me. Moliere and
I were ushered to our seats at the table. Me, dining with Moliere! I was in heaven, or maybe just
dreamland. After we were seated, some kind of strange “machine of fortune” on
wheels (it looked like an old-fashioned slot machine) traveled around the table
to every dinner guest. When the machine came to me, it spilled a wealth of “tokens
of fortune” into my hands: gleaming jewel-like coins in gold and silver and colors
of emerald, sapphire, ruby red, and amethyst. So many coins I couldn’t hold
them all in both hands. I turned to Moliere and offered them to him—and I
realized as he took the coins from me that he wasn’t dying now, he had grown
young and strong again. He smiled at me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Lesson Three: </b><i>You can have anything you want, if you’re willing to share it</i>. And
sharing the wealth makes that wealth greater, not less. It’s not always true, but
it’s a lovely thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
suppose you only get one dream like that in a lifetime. But it would be nice if
Moliere dropped by again sometime. (Not in a deep dark tunnel, though, please. And no bats.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy
birthday Moliere! Bubbly, anyone?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-54589380975067269002015-10-13T08:16:00.004-07:002015-10-13T08:16:48.036-07:00The Writers of October. Or the Truth About the Writers’ Colony<div class="MsoNormal">
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For many years I sought a brief respite every fall. A
retreat from slogging away at the day job as a reporter in Washington, D.C.,
and writing books and plays at night and on weekends. So every October I
attended a picturesque little writers’ colony in Vermont with my husband Bob, who
is also a writer and editor. We traveled
there to take advantage not only of the creative promise but also the intoxicating mad
splash of peak autumnal color and the peaceful Vermont landscape. (No, I’m not
identifying the place any further than this. It doesn’t exist anymore, and I’ll
just call it the Colony.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite the place being somewhat down at the heels—and more
and more as time went by—the Colony House was a grand old mansion located in a
magnificent setting just off the village green. We writers occupied private
rooms (or shared them with a significant other), shared the bathrooms, fixed
meals in the communal kitchen, hung out in front of the fireplace in the library,
and held forth our writerly opinions in the dining room. Occasionally Bob would
carve a pumpkin or two, and we’d all tell tales, swap ghost stories, grumble
about or celebrate our writing careers, and visit the local cemeteries and collect
epitaphs from the headstones, sometimes bizarre and sometimes hilarious. The Colony
was a charming place where a core group of writers gathered every year, year
after year, and every year a few new writers joined the mix. It was usually a blend
of old friends and new faces. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<h3>
A Fantasy World </h3>
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Basically, a writers’ retreat is a tiny fantasy world. Writers
all want to find that magical place where our characters instantly come alive,
our dialogue clicks, our plot hits hyperspace, and well, magic happens. (In
addition to all of our usual magical thinking.)</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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But one thing always struck me as strange: Some of these
writers <i>never</i> wrote outside of the Colony. They saved up all their energy and
creativity for the one or two or three weeks they would spend there. Their lives were too busy to eek out precious minutes for writing. This was their <i>only</i> time to write. Their jobs were too stressful, their lives too full. Outsiders could never understand.</div>
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One writer
whose path I crossed for years was working on a musical based on <i>Alice in Wonderland</i>. You’re probably
thinking: <i>That’s never been done</i>.
Yeah, Alice has been done before and she will be again. Taking up a corner of
the library on a round wooden table near a baby grand piano someone had donated,
he’d set up his command center. He would take turns tinkling on the piano keys
and click-clacking on his laptop keyboard. He was <i>creating</i>. He explained he could only work on the play during those precious
few weeks each year. He’d been working on this play for years. It never seemed
to be approaching the finish line. One year he stopped coming. I don’t know
what happened to him or his play. (Alice still pops out of her rabbit hole from
time to time.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another writer one October had traveled to the Colony across
the country by bus, toting a big, bulky desktop computer in a cardboard box. Once
there, she found she was blocked the entire time and blamed the other writers:
We were noisy, inconsiderate, inspiration-sucking fiends. Or perhaps we were vampires.
Still another—allegedly a poet—frightened me. The poet, who seemed to be
desperately broke, would startle people by suddenly appearing silently out of
nowhere. At your elbow in the kitchen,
asking if you were going to finish your meal. At your side in the library, throwing
raw potatoes into the fireplace to bake.
She said she lived in a burned-out house in another state without heat
or electricity. We were a little afraid she’d burn down the Colony House over
our heads. But she was theoretically working on her poems at the Colony.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3>
<b>Writing Despite Everything Else</b></h3>
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My opinion is that a writer is writing all the time, not
just in the rarefied air of the writers’ retreat. You have to be able to write
when you don’t feel like it. When it’s hard. When life interferes. Even
when you’re not putting words on paper, your mind is still building stories. That is also writing.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let’s face it, some writers are like machines, computers
that never come unplugged and are always churning out pages. They produce two
and three and four books a year. Whether those are good books, who knows?
Others keep at it for years before producing any work. I don’t fall into either
camp. I lack the energy of the former group and the superiority of the latter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still, I found that I couldn’t work like some of the other Colony
House writers. In a lather in a corner of the library. Willing the muse to sit on my head and pour in inspiration. By the time we made it from Virginia to Vermont, dragged our
luggage up the stairs, collected our sheets and made the bed, I was already fried.
After reporting on government regulations during my days and creating fictional
worlds at night the entire rest of the year, I could barely walk and talk. Forget
chewing gum. <i>I slept.</i> A lot. Copiously.
Deliciously. Fabulously. In fact, I observed that many of the writers at the
Colony routinely spent the first two or three days of their stay zonked out in
their rooms, only rousing for food.</div>
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<h3>
The Magic of Recuperation</h3>
I needed that retreat as much, if not more, than those
writers who hoarded their creative juices all year in anticipation of their
annual two-week flood of inspiration. Many an October at the Colony I simply
could not write more than a page or two. Depleted resources created a black hole inside of me. So instead of staying in my room pretending to
write, I walked and talked with Bob and let the healing power of rest (and the
fall colors) take over. In my
experience, creative rest periods are highly underrated. Many a plot twist and
character nuance were worked out as we ambled under the flaming maples, past
the green fields and the harvest-ready corn, and paused to consider those lazy
but contented Vermont cows.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Many of my characters emerged out of that fallow time every
fall. It was at the Colony House where I came up with the opening lines of my
first Crime of Fashion mystery novel, <i>Killer
Hair</i>. (Now there are ten books in the series. More to come.) It was there
that I first sketched out the beginnings of my new thriller, <i>The Dollhouse in the Crawlspace</i>. I
remember returning to the Colony one fall with my very first published novel
under my belt (and in my hands), more exhausted than ever, to find the seasonal
creative geniuses of October suffering over their never-finished prose and
casting dark looks my way whenever I would leave the house to wander the woods and
ponder future stories and projects. The October-only writers didn’t understand
my writing process. I <i>was</i> writing! I
was just not physically putting that many words down on paper that October.
That would come later, after I returned to Washington and felt revived and
ready to tackle new words, and worlds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though they hadn’t finished a book or a play, the Writers of
October took the moral high ground<i>. I
suffer therefore I am—a writer.</i> By heaven, you were supposed to stay in
your room, ignore the autumnal glory, and bleed sweat onto the paper. Or the
computer keyboard. Weeping in the throes of creativity was not looked down
upon, but enjoying yourself out in the world certainly was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I couldn't let this attitude stop me from enjoying my time at
the Colony. It was the deep rest, the sigh, the <i>exhale</i> I needed in order to continue writing. I required that fallow
time, and I still do. </div>
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I will always be grateful for that shabby white mansion near
the village green. The hot cider I drank, the sweaters I wore, the blazing
autumn leaves I crunched through, the crisp intoxicating air I breathed.
Without it all, I could never have been as productive in the rest of my writing
year. And that is the truth (my truth, anyway) about the writers’ colony, and
the writers of October.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-17653505327402481322015-09-01T11:20:00.000-07:002015-09-01T11:20:25.237-07:00The Last Goodbye of Harris Turner, A Spooky Giveaway<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is the first of September, which I like to think of as the beginning of the <i>spooky season.</i> Nights are crisper, the moon is clearer, the trees more ominous. Soon we'll be wearing sweaters and sipping cider and swapping terrifying tales around the fire. Oh, we're not? Well, we can imagine that we are. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order to celebrate the idea, if not the reality, of the September spooky season, which culminates in Halloween, I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> am offering my ghost story, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Goodbye-Harris-Turner-ebook/dp/B00P21FE7G"><i>The Last Goodbye of Harris Turner</i>,</a></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for free for five (5) days on Kindle .</span><br />
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uDmxqIlEztw79LifbLnMZK4E5milYlHxNiyNXN5AkO_c_VVbA4agyryzgO3OW-hDpCxHgzXNtjkDWKjSTLQD1-nOq8_LP8mimme_2X2n5D0WsYdOL_lTc__458tp44dV_FDrKzeTtQ/s1600/TLGOHT+cover1+PNG300+1875x1275.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uDmxqIlEztw79LifbLnMZK4E5milYlHxNiyNXN5AkO_c_VVbA4agyryzgO3OW-hDpCxHgzXNtjkDWKjSTLQD1-nOq8_LP8mimme_2X2n5D0WsYdOL_lTc__458tp44dV_FDrKzeTtQ/s320/TLGOHT+cover1+PNG300+1875x1275.png" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover art by Robert Williams</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">A word about the cover design by Robert Williams. The photo was taken of a recent blue moon, and a blue moon figures in this ghost story, which introduces the character of Cassidy James. </span></span><br />
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span>
<span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><b><i>Harris Turner</i></b> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">is a little funny, a little sad, a little frightening, and inspired by a slight incident from my
days as a young reporter on a small town newspaper. I was assigned to write a Halloween article on local ghosts in that small town and I met with several people who </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">owned allegedly haunted homes.
The most interesting tales involved a pair of brother and sister specters, Kingston and Grace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">Shortly after the piece appeared, an elderly gentleman came
to my office wanting to know who had written the story. He had something to
add. We had a nice chat and he told me he knew one of the ghosts. Rather, he'd known one of
the people who had become a ghost.</span><span style="background: white; color: #606060; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background: white; color: #606060; line-height: 115%;">In fact, he and “King” had been old
friends.</span><span style="background: white;"> He told me of the young man’s fatal illness and the days they would sneak away for a ride in the hills. He wondered if I
thought he could get in touch with the deceased. “It sure would be nice to
see King again,” he said. He seemed to think I was the one who could get them back together.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;">I don’t know if he ever made contact with King. In
this lifetime anyway. But that conversation
always stayed with me. It was the starting point of <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Goodbye-Harris-Turner-ebook/dp/B00P21FE7G">The Last Goodbye of Harris Turner</a></i></b>.
I hope you enjoy it. </span><span style="background: white; color: #606060; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-14888271588650759242015-08-19T09:20:00.000-07:002015-08-19T09:20:08.347-07:00The Grace Metalious Bobblehead <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Is it wrong to give yourself an award? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I hope not. Because I have just awarded myself with what I like to
call the <i>Grace Metalious <b>You Can Do It!</b>
Award. </i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I'm pretty sure that people give themselves awards all the time. For example, the <i><b>I Can't Believe I Made it Through This Awful Day</b> <b>Without Slapping Anyone</b> Award</i>. Or the <i><b>My Manuscript Is Finished and It Didn't Kill Me</b> Award. O</i>r the<i> <b>My Book Is Finally Published and I Deserve a Prize </b>Award.</i> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I awarded the attractive bobblehead pictured here to its worthy recipient (ME) for finally finishing the thriller I've been working on for years in between other books: <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dollhouse-Crawlspace-Ellen-Byerrum-ebook/dp/B00WTT4ALU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">The Dollhouse in the Crawlspace.</a> </i>It is now available as an <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dollhouse-Crawlspace-Ellen-Byerrum-ebook/dp/B00WTT4ALU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">ebook</a> and will soon be available as a trade paperback. </span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aR2ZFW12mYYsDdM0G3akRMzbCdkG59M5yzb8aHL68fYttdWu7_NWRxMxWF_YvS_33-IGdGd0BYzqG-gq6FFL58MTBY3uqVnCsVfskXcNa1wwU2UAS2Sj8KQw3e5s4V0t4GGIf3dX3Q/s1600/IMG_Grace+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aR2ZFW12mYYsDdM0G3akRMzbCdkG59M5yzb8aHL68fYttdWu7_NWRxMxWF_YvS_33-IGdGd0BYzqG-gq6FFL58MTBY3uqVnCsVfskXcNa1wwU2UAS2Sj8KQw3e5s4V0t4GGIf3dX3Q/s320/IMG_Grace+cropped.jpg" width="219" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grace Metalious Bobblehead.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My major award, the Grace Metalious "Pandora in Blue Jeans”
Bobblehead, is available through the New Hampshire Historical Society. This is deliciously ironic: Grace still embarrasses some people in her home state because of the scandalous notoriety of her bestseller, <i>Peyton Place</i>. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to the Historical Society, the pose is taken from a photo of the writer at her typewriter.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Why the Grace M. Bobblehead? Because it’s funny. Just look at the picture. It makes me laugh. Grace's head bobbles thoughtfully every time she has an inspiration, staring intently at her empty typewriter. And by the time I finish a
book, my head has bobbled a thousand times. Sometimes it bobbles right down onto my keyboard. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSbxj6qYfzYqSOzt8MDdtEJO3-ra6M9blFHxj735HFDMVcET4cRKTtGvMSJlx6pAsji8pfnZW7tyqk_OswOkxkmWJUT34vkF1Ss-sqpUHz1klRXJOsenUNvP4YHy7C0BncFUggBB1hA/s1600/Pandora+in+blue+jeans+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSbxj6qYfzYqSOzt8MDdtEJO3-ra6M9blFHxj735HFDMVcET4cRKTtGvMSJlx6pAsji8pfnZW7tyqk_OswOkxkmWJUT34vkF1Ss-sqpUHz1klRXJOsenUNvP4YHy7C0BncFUggBB1hA/s320/Pandora+in+blue+jeans+cropped.jpg" width="235" /></a> Why Grace Metalious, the author of <i>Peyton Place</i>? Because she
was pretty much the writer who would be voted Least Likely to Succeed. And yet she did. The odds were stacked against
her. She was a housewife and a mother who came from poverty and obscurity, but she was driven to write. She succeeded
beyond her wildest dreams. Granted, those dreams turned into nightmares and she
essentially drank herself to death at a young age. But
before all that, she made the improbable happen. She emerged from nowhere and wrote a
bestseller that rocked the established literary order.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I first glimpsed parts of <i>Peyton Place</i> in an old and tattered paperback copy during my high school babysitting jobs. (My gigs weren't stocked with libraries full of impressive leather-bound volumes.) But when I later saw the movie version of <i>Peyton Place</i>, what struck me most was its depiction of women. Women who worked hard, who were
passionate and ambitious, and who did what they had to do to survive in their superficially buttoned-down (but secretly sordid) small town. Just like Grace M., who was said to lock herself in the bathroom to find the time and space (and peace and quiet) to write. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i>You can do it</i>.
These words have been my mantra for years. I had to say them to myself, because I wasn't hearing it from the peanut gallery. Walking to the Metro Station
on my way to work, exhausted, one foot in front of another: <i>You can do
it</i>. While holding a full-time job and writing at night: <i>You can do it.</i> Stopping after work at the library or bookstore or coffee shop to write because if I went home, I'd go to sleep: <i>You can do it.</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> So I'm either a fool or I deserve this award. Maybe both.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Now, as the proud winner of the first </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Grace Metalious <i>You Can Do It</i> Award, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have another Grace M. bobblehead waiting in reserve, to award to some other deserving writer who might need a word or two (or a nod of the head) of encouragement. How about you? Any awards you've given yourself? Or wish someone else would? I'd love to hear about it. </span></span></span></div>
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62042160425658162.post-33407349950974185052015-08-07T09:23:00.000-07:002015-08-07T09:23:46.278-07:00The Dollhouse. The Crawlspace. The Cover.<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">This is a time for new beginnings for me, so I'd like to welcome you to my new, reinvigorated blog.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> I don't know how often I'll post, but I plan to write from time to time and I have a new book to talk about.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> As a mystery writer, I have transitioned from my usual series to publishing my first suspense thriller, </span><i style="color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dollhouse-Crawlspace-Ellen-Byerrum-ebook/dp/B00WTT4ALU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">The Dollhouse in the Crawlspace.</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> At times, it's been a difficult-yet-fascinating journey, from the first draft to creating and finishing the cover. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLWJWWqou8dLgan0df_Coft_KMfTLtx4-6oU0C_r8RoUktDcwn7HwPY7bcOrK-BVKjGXX0c_DI0uXK6YcNo-UnL2FxE2LRVxZ7owFoAsGbnGa6fmbfIvvOit4ttHca_9otzyV0th34w/s1600/TDITC+cover+9i+CMYK+JPEG+postcard+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLWJWWqou8dLgan0df_Coft_KMfTLtx4-6oU0C_r8RoUktDcwn7HwPY7bcOrK-BVKjGXX0c_DI0uXK6YcNo-UnL2FxE2LRVxZ7owFoAsGbnGa6fmbfIvvOit4ttHca_9otzyV0th34w/s320/TDITC+cover+9i+CMYK+JPEG+postcard+front.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished cover.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> To be quite honest,</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> Dollhouse</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> has been my White Whale, the book in my head, the book I have wanted to write for a very long time. It remained elusive because there always seemed to be another book due in my Crime of Fashion series, and much of that time I had a full-time job (besides my book writing, <i>another </i>full-time job as a journalist).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> I would no more start on </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Dollhouse</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> than I would have to interrupt the flow and return to Lacey Smithsonian and finish another book in my series. (Never fear, I love Lacey and will be continuing that series.) Despite the delays, I could not get </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Dollhouse</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> out of my mind. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #606060; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22.5px;"><b>The Title Always Comes First</b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> When I start writing a book, I always know certain things. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">For instance, I can’t start writing without knowing the title or the key characters' names. And I knew </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">The Dollhouse in the Crawlspace</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> was the title for this new book years before I finished writing it.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6hFyCA6jbk5W_oOQQtuLBlKsSiCOxgUoveaCLfrl2uCaUH8vMQo3Z9c27WeVTRP1Kd-0hNSETwtbINbFTyeEzuJwHTiZyUQsBVv83pb1suaE2lqeJoooeXuRGdk7b4QbQrlPfMOEkQ/s1600/IMG_4597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6hFyCA6jbk5W_oOQQtuLBlKsSiCOxgUoveaCLfrl2uCaUH8vMQo3Z9c27WeVTRP1Kd-0hNSETwtbINbFTyeEzuJwHTiZyUQsBVv83pb1suaE2lqeJoooeXuRGdk7b4QbQrlPfMOEkQ/s320/IMG_4597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dollhouse under construction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The original dollhouse came from the home of my aunt and uncle and cousins. When they moved in, they discovered a dollhouse, full of exquisite miniature furniture, left behind in their crawlspace by the previous owners. It seemed like a very strange thing to leave behind. I was a teenager at the time, and the image stayed with me. It suggested so much to me: hidden spaces, secrets, discoveries, a lost childhood. It became a key image in this story.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> Over the years I've tried other titles, softer, harder, edgier or more “thrillery,” but it's the title that stuck. When it came time for The Cover, I didn’t want anything frilly or soft, or the Addams Family dollhouse. Perhaps I could get away </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">without </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">a dollhouse, or with the mere suggestion of one? But no matter what I tried, this cover needed a dollhouse. In a crawlspace! Not only that, the dollhouse had to suggest a "real" house in the story.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> My cover designer for Dollhouse is the talented Robert Williams, who edits my manuscripts and masters my website. He's also my husband and partner in Lethal Black Dress Press, our publishing endeavor, and he designed the covers for </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">The Children Didn’t See Anything </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">The Last Goodbye of Harris Turner</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">. We already had a dark, creepy crawlspace in our own house, so all we needed was just the right dollhouse. No problem! Right? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_MrfiGEHDkgZ3MonpJ9UJ8Ub3QzBT5AzT1SO2Jq7VAg0iKkstFpYTKnSJ-k_H-dOmi0cGnU8lWuecfwrIB-JYF1VP7ks04wQepl6NXkZCEdBW_a9Cy-KJeJkrQiT9l_FSTuUBOvwdA/s1600/IMG_4652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_MrfiGEHDkgZ3MonpJ9UJ8Ub3QzBT5AzT1SO2Jq7VAg0iKkstFpYTKnSJ-k_H-dOmi0cGnU8lWuecfwrIB-JYF1VP7ks04wQepl6NXkZCEdBW_a9Cy-KJeJkrQiT9l_FSTuUBOvwdA/s320/IMG_4652.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting up the photo shoot in our crawlspace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Sigh</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> Stock photos of generic dollhouses didn't work for us; neither did a real dollhouse via eBay. Our best find on Craigslist was too big to fit in our car, which the dollhouse owner proceeded to insult. (“Is that your ONLY car?!”) Only one option left: Build the #$%!&! dollhouse ourselves! It tested our patience, our dining room table, and the very fiber of our beings for three solid weeks, leaving in its wake sawdust, hot glue glop, paint smears, and frayed nerves. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtJd3pMm73irc7Ph5jcTluW0ceh0r058ejODp_XWI7KB7afcdzTgBrHOTci9TEThane6ZGmYYilW8aceW6-zvMuoE1wPYMC-gpcvDqv5ZJVqH5Oac-Y92vMUnpIvW5p19lVAacyBhUw/s1600/IMG_4655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtJd3pMm73irc7Ph5jcTluW0ceh0r058ejODp_XWI7KB7afcdzTgBrHOTci9TEThane6ZGmYYilW8aceW6-zvMuoE1wPYMC-gpcvDqv5ZJVqH5Oac-Y92vMUnpIvW5p19lVAacyBhUw/s320/IMG_4655.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donning hard hat and suffering for my art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> But that was just the beginning. Donning hard hats and our new dollhouse, and grabbing lights, cameras, dolls, and tripods, we crawled into our gloomy crawlspace to set the scene, dress and light the dollhouse, cover ourselves in cobwebs, and take hundreds of pictures in the dirt and dust. Then all Bob had to do was choose the right frame out of 998 (or so), perform some digital image magic, and match it to the right composition, fonts, and color palette to create just the right look: Cool but hot, shadowy but eye-popping, gloomy yet glowing, as if lit from within.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> All things considered, it was easy! No, not really, but we think it was worth it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dollhouse-Crawlspace-Ellen-Byerrum-ebook/dp/B00WTT4ALU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8">The Dollhouse in the Crawlspace</a> is available as an ebook now, and will be in trade paperback by the end of August.</span><br />
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Ellen Byerrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02065632480016502746noreply@blogger.com2