Author: Robin C. Stuart

My brand of “cyber” was easy to identify and build on (once I listened). What about you – how did you define your brand? What tidbit of advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Finding your audience doesn’t have to wait for your first novel to come out. Publicists have told me the promotion lifecycle starts months ahead. I started earlier. Years earlier.

When I decided to get serious about writing, I did all the things – attended workshops online and in real life, joined a writing group, started following authors, editors, and agents on social media. The most crucial step took me the longest, embracing my brand.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw mention of the song “One Tin Soldier” on Twitter. I hadn’t thought about that song for years. Even though I was a little girl when it was a “Top 10” hit, I still remember the words. It reminded me of a few other popular songs around that same time, like “Billy, Don’t Be A Hero” and “Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.” What they all have in common is they tell vivid, character-driven stories, in 3 – 4 minutes. What songs made an impression on you due to their storytelling power? Michele: This one’s easy. The Last Kiss, originally released in 1961, with several later versions. Oh how I argued with my children that the Pearl Jam version was NOT better. I can still recite the lyrics without prompting. (Of course, I can’t remember anything about the Magna Carter, etc.) What was endearing about this musical melodrama was that it was perfect for a group of wailing teenagers to belt out while driving around and listening to it on the radio. “Hold me darling for a little while,” before they have that last kiss. I love a happy ending.  But the song Leaving on a Jet Plane, written by John Denver, but made famous by Peter, Paul, and Mary, still hits anyone who grew up during the Vietnam war right in the gut. I remember being in a wedding where it was played as the recessional. The whole congregation sang it as the bridal party exited. Alexia: So many songs paint pictures in my head. That’s part of why I love music:”Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling (1983)– I built an entire scifi movie around this song about an astronaut sacrificing himself to save the planet (in my fan-fic movie in my head) asking someone to give a farewell message to his loving wife.”Ode to Billie Joe,” by Bobbie Gentry”Closing Time” by Leonard Cohen and by Semisonic–both about closing time at a bar. I can imagine being in the bar in both songs.”Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” by Cage the Elephant”Wicked Ones,” by Dorothy.Darth Vader’s theme, (“The Imperial March”) by John Williams which, without a single word, tells me  exactly what Vader is like.”Mr. Jones,” by Counting CrowsNumerous Irish pub songs, such as “The Irish Rover,” “Black Velvet Band,” and “Molly Malone””Fairytale of New York,” by the Pogues I like the 1961 version [of The Last Kiss] better than Pearl Jam’s. Sorry, Eddie. Oh, and I’ve turned “Hotel California” into a horror movie in my head.  Paula: I love story songs. A few of my faves: Mary Chapin Carpenter’s I Feel Lucky, Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashbard Light, Picture, by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crowe, The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby, Dan Fogelberg’s Same Old Lang Syne, Jim Croce’s Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, John Mellencamp’s Jack and Diane, Dolly Parton’s The Coat of Many Colors, Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, and my fave, Janis Joplin’s Me and Bobby McGee. Alexia: Thanks, Paula, for adding a few songs to my playlist. Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car is one of my favorites, too. Bad, Bad Leroy Brown is stuck in my head now Paula: That’s okay. Coat of Many Colors is stuck in mine. Robin: Hotel California is looping in my head now. And I decided the long instrumental ending is when the hero hacks the robot overlords to escape. Susan: When I was young, and my children were little, and my mother was living with us, and my husband was on partner track at his law firm, and I was insane, I used to love listening to country music. There was a country music station in New York City at that time, and I was always driving the car somewhere and singing along. Every country song tells a story, and usually it’s the same story, but I loved Reba McEntire’s “Is There Life Out There” and Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine” and anything by Shania Twain and John Michael Montgomery’s “Life’s a dance.” Alexia: Which reminds me, Susan, of the (bad) joke, What happens when you play a country/western song backward? You get your job back, your house back, and your dog back. Paula: Ha! When I was young I wrote a whole album of (bad) country music and sang and played guitar (badly) for my dad who loves country music, much like that joke lol Michele: Oh Susan, you made me remember, “You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille. With four hungry children and a crop in the field.” Robin: I just heard “Love, Me” by Collin Raye a little while ago, another great country story song and one that makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. Alison: “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band. I’m completely sucked in to this song every time I hear it. The music, the story, all of it. What’s not to love about a golden fiddle and the devil? Pure genius. Alexia: Ooh, good one, Alison. Cate: So many good ones on this list. My daughter is actually playing Last Kids on the guitar now. She’ll be performing it in a month at school of rock, so I have heard the Pearl Jam version three to four times a day for about a month. Along the same vein, Pearl Jam’s “Yellow Ledbetter” and “Jeremy.” Eddie Vedder loves the story songs. Robin: Funny, “Jeremy” makes an appearance in my new book 🙂 How about you, dear readers? What are some of you favorite story songs? 

Thanks to my years as a cyber crime investigator, I get questions from authors all the time about social media. Which platforms are safe? Should people stop using <insert-platform-here>? Which do I use myself? Let’s go over each question. Are social networks safe? That depends on your definition. If “safe” means “secure,” as in “not hackable,” well, bear in mind that technology is designed, implemented, and maintained by humans. Humans make mistakes. There are steps you can take as a user, like applying 2-factor authentication (“2FA”) whenever possible. But, ultimately, it’s best to acknowledge that your data is out of your hands/control the minute you put it online.
 If “safe” means “private,” that cliche, “if the product is free, you’re the product,” applies. Every social network I can think of is, essentially, an advertising company. They didn’t build their apps or platforms out of the kindness of their hearts, they exist to make money. Online/mobile ads are lucrative. The more the provider knows about you, the more targeted they can make ads in the hope that you’ll click on them. It’s called “pay-per-view” and “pay-per-click.” Views generate a nominal return, clicks earn more because the advertisers know they’ve gotten your attention. That’s why the platforms collect as much information about us as they can. If you want to see exactly what Facebook, Twitter, or other platforms know about you, they all have ways for users to download your own account activity histories. You can usually find the method to access these histories under you account settings.  If you’re concerned about data privacy, and you live in a European Union country, you have rights under a law known as “General Data Protection Regulation” aka GDPR. On January 1, 2020, California’s privacy law that closely mirrors GDPR goes into full force and effect for citizens of that state. These laws require “data processors” – including social networks – to adhere to standards of care and provide a “right to be forgotten” mechanism, meaning a way to delete your account. What these laws provide are guidance for handling user data, and financial consequences for failures (breaches). And they will all fail at some point. Remember what I said about humans?
 Should you delete your account, now that we’re learning about how our data is used? It depends on your reason for caring. I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t care about privacy. However, it’s a tricky subject. Basically, if you use a computer or mobile device, you’re giving up a measure of anonymity from the get-go. Everything from the type of operating system you use to the way you type can be detected and stored by websites, online retailers, social networks, and others.
 I’m not planning to delete my Facebook account. There’s not really a point. My data is already out there. That said, I have slowed down my usage. But the reason isn’t political or privacy-related. I wandered off long before anyone heard of Cambridge Analytica. I have limited time and energy, and there are a lot of choices. I found myself gravitating more often to Twitter. I like the immediacy and the simplicity of its reach. It wasn’t really a conscious decision, it’s just where I’ve ended up spending most of my social networking time. My advice is to find what works for you, where and how you’re most comfortable engaging with readers, writers, agents, editors, or whomever. Get familiar with your chosen social network’s privacy and security settings and, again, whenever possible, enable 2FA to protect your account. The safest bet when interacting with others on any social network is a maxim popular in cyber security circles, trust but verify. Actually, forget the “trust” part. Verify before believing. And remember the Golden Rule still applies, online as well as in real life.  

I had a few ideas about what I would write for today’s blog. Then a cat got hit by a car in front of my house during the morning commute. My neighbors have quick reactions. One ran out into the street to rescue the cat while two others stopped traffic in both directions. My dog alerted me to the activity by barking her head off. None of us recognized the cat. It wasn’t bleeding but it was unconscious for a couple of minutes. When it came around, it took a wobbly path from the sidewalk into my yard. Another neighbor tried to help me coax the cat into a carrier he has for his own cat. The cat surprised everyone by jumping up onto a high fence and hurtling into my next door neighbor’s yard. It found a safe hiding place in between the wall of the house and a shed. I took a few days off to catch up on novel edits and holiday shopping so I volunteered to stick around and get the cat help. There were logistical hurdles with veterinarians and the animal control folks that surprised my neighbor and me but we worked it all out. The county animal control agents arrived with nets and a carrier. As soon as the cat saw them, it darted out into the backyard. The humans had to take a longer way around. We all reached the yard in time to see the cat vault over the back fence and into another yard. One of the animal control guys smiled and said, “Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with that cat.” So, what does any of this have to do with crime fiction? Maybe nothing. But being an inquisitive writer type, I asked a lot of questions. After all, cats and animal injuries are outside my area of expertise. Throughout the morning, I learned a lot about laws and policies involving animal care. It’s now filed away in my general “book research” folder on my laptop. Who knows if I’ll ever use any of it. I’m just happy the cat’s fine.
 

I signed with my agent 2 years ago. At the time, my boss congratulated me with a bottle of champagne but looked pained, asking if it meant I’d be quitting soon to write full time. My friends and family asked me the same question. To all of them, I said, “I appreciate the enthusiasm but that’s not quite how it works.”
  A big part of my day job is pattern analysis – studying what normal behaviors look like to identify anomalies, looking for commonalities of badness, that kind of thing. So, of course, when I decided to getserious about this writing thing, in addition to studying craft, I analyzed the journeys of best selling authors. I wondered how long it takes to be an “overnight success.” The short answer: an average of 8 years.
 How did I arrive at that conclusion? I looked at the bodies of work for each of the new authors populating the general and crime fiction NY Times and USA Today best sellers. By “new,” I mean those who were on the lists for the first time. Most (roughly 90%) had published at least 2 previous books. Looking up the publishing dates of each of their previous titles, I noted gaps of 2 years, give or take.
 Thus, when I signed with the lovely and talented Paula Munier, I operated under the impression that in 6 years and 3 books, I’d build a following. And then I learned more about the business of publishing. When a book goes out on submission, that’s a variable beyond anyone’s control. Right now, my first novel is still sitting on a few desks. And that’s fine. In fact, that’s great. I’ll take a slow “yes” over a fast “no” any day of the week. But, because it’s a completely subjective variable, let’s set that aside. I’ve learned there’s a period of time between when a deal is signed and when it’s publicly announced, typically around 6 months. I’ve also learned there’s an additional period of time for edits, cover art, ARCs, and such, typically around 18 months. So, the average time between a deal being signed and the book hitting the shelves of your favorite bookstore is, collectively, 2 years. Which means I needed to add that to my previous research to accommodate the timetable of Book 1. Thus, the grand total to “overnight success” is 8 years and 3 books. On average. It could be longer and/or more books. In other words, I don’t plan on quitting my day job any time soon. Signing with an agent, landing that first book deal, these are huge milestones. But it’s not the end. It’s just the beginning.  

I couldn’t let Halloween week go by without acknowledgment. This week, we share the books that scared us 🙂 Robin: I stayed up all night to read The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty because I was too afraid of nightmares or things going bump if I stopped reading to go to sleep. Paula: I avoid scary stories, since the few I’ve read continue to terrify me decades later. Stories like Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart, which I read as a kid and still haven’t gotten over yet. The last scary book I read—because Michele Dorsey made me— was Tana French’s Broken Harbor. I had nightmares for a week afterward. Tracee: Thank you Paula for having a fright level on par with mine. A bookseller recommended Jo Nesbo’s The Thirst to me when it was new, and since the bookseller was hosting my event and was so enthusiastic I bought it. I was literally up all night reading because I was too afraid to put it down. I finally- at 4 am- skipped ahead 40 pages to the final 50 and when finished went to sleep. Awoke (alarm ringing) two hours later… and went back and read the pages I’d skipped. Susan: I cannot watch scary movies, but scary books don’t really bother me. Except for It by Stephen King. I read it once, decades ago. Will not read it again. Will not see movie. Don’t like to walk by drains. Michele: Without question, the scariest book I ever read was Helter Skelter. I was terrified by it, but could not stop reading until I was done. I was horrified mostly because it was TRUE! I’m more frightened by real human behavior than I am by sci-fi or fictional horrors. I think that’s may be why Paula reacted to Tana French’s Broken Harbor. What was scary there was how the human mind can break down and result in the unthinkable. I do stay away from horror or scary books and movies. I had to leave the room toward the end while watching “Jagged Edge” with my husband years ago. I stood in the hall and called in to him, “What’s happening now?” I just couldn’t watch. Stephen King’s books (On Writing excepted) scare the sh*t out of me. Alison: Count me with the scaredy cats! Even though I completely love dressing up as something creepy for Halloween, I can’t bring myself to read scary books or watch scary movies. Alexia: The scariest book I’ve read was actually a short story–“The Boogeyman” by Stephen King. King didn’t fill the story with blood or gore or explicit violence. You never even saw the monster clearly. You just knew “something” was there and that whatever it was, it was bad. The sense of anxiety and dread is what made the story stick with me over the years. It’s one of the few that’s ever gotten to me enough that I don’t want to re-read it.I’m always more frightened by what I imagine is around the corner than what’s actually around the corner. It’s the same with horror as with tests. I was the one who worked herself into a pre-test anxiety frenzy, complete with stomach cramps, appetite loss, palpitations, and frequent trips to the bathroom. Then, the moment I sat down to actually take the test, I was fine. Even if I was guessing at answers, I wasn’t anxious or afraid–until I had to wait for the test scores and the anxiety level skyrocketed until scores were posted. Blood and guts and evil people don’t phase me (thanks, med school). “Jump scares” are more like jump startles (not really scary) and are disappointing about 3 seconds after the adrenaline rush wears off. I’m like, “Is that all you’ve got?” What’s in my head is far worse than what’s in front of me. Knowing brings relief (and the release of tension/suspense). That’s why I prefer horror that doesn’t show me what the monster looks like but, instead, tells me the monster is there and drops some serious hints about how dreadful the monster is, then lets my twisted imagination do its worst. I used to read H.P. Lovecraft and found his stories were as terrifying as Stephen King’s but then I learned what a POS Lovecraft was and I can’t bring myself to read him anymore. There’s a horror series that’s Lovecraftian, I can’t recall the name of the series now but I read it in high school, featuring a woman who was sweet and charming and loving on the surface but literally a monster underneath. That series is the second most frightening thing I’ve read, for the same reason. I imagined what the woman was capable of and wondered why the characters in the novel couldn’t see what I saw. The uncertainty about whether the characters would get a clue before the woman got them meant high anxiety for me. How about clowns, Susan? How do you feel about clowns? 😉 Susan: I don’t mind clowns, Alexia, as long as they are not hiding in trains and trying to grab my foot! Paula: I’m still trying to get over Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Which my BFF from my reporter days John Waters made me watch. Robin: And now I’m picturing Paula hanging with John Waters and wishing I’d been there. Happy Halloween!