on life & other inconveniences

I think, to fully appreciate the pictures posted below, it helps to know that our house is built on a hill.

The driveway is a hill. The backyard is a hill. And so, when you look up at the house from the driveway, the snow doesn’t always look as high as it is, because of the deception of the hill.

The kids mastered the art of climbing the tree and jumping off into the piles of snow.

Not only do we have to shovel the driveway, we have to shovel the dog out.

Last night, and believe it or not, the kids were outside, making a trail for the dog. Gives you an idea of how much the snow was still coming down.

The trail was completely blown over this morning.

The driveway this morning.

From the driveway, our door snowed in.

Indy decides to dig a tunnel. Does this give you some concept of how high the drifts are? That fence is four feet.

I don’t usually mind winter, but I’m really tired of snow. And the forecast says we have more on the way…

And a Fed Ex truck got stuck in front of our neighbor’s house this morning. That’s how bad the roads are.

We’ve almost got the driveway cleared.

Indoor play now involves a wish to dye her hair red and have a trenchcoat. Just call her Scully-anna.

I took this from the garage Saturday morning. We couldn’t open the door to get out. That black part at the front is the wall of snow when we lifted the door… and it should be noted we shoveled twice on Friday night so that we wouldn’t have to deal with as much on Saturday when we got up!

“Gov. Martin O’Malley said it will take highway crews days to get travel lanes, ramps, shoulders and turn lanes clear along interstates, U.S. and Md. Routes. He said clearing this snow is more challenging than the Dec. 19 storm because the snow is wetter. Plus, temperatures plunging into the single digits at night is not helping matters any.” From Carroll County Times

In the wake of the Amazon-Macmillan war, I came to one inescapable conclusion: trust no one.

I heard so many varying reports on how royalties are paid, who did what to whom and the legal variables I ended up with a headache. As a result, I clearly stated some things (I think mainly in comments on Crimespace) that are probably incorrect.

I say probably, because everyone seems more invested in playing PR games than in the truth.

Scalzi has the post that wraps it up that’s probably the only must-read. Unless, of course, you’re on Amazon’s side. Then you won’t like it.

I do think this was a very dangerous game of chicken that Amazon and Macmillan played. I also think anyone who says this is about protecting consumers or about protecting authors is probably smoking something that’s probably illegal. This is about control, and I don’t think it panned out well for anyone in the end.

The one thing I’m completely willing to stand behind is my belief that if the iPad hadn’t launched last week, this probably wouldn’t have happened, and if it had Macmillan would have lost.

As an author, I have to take a dispassionate view of the selling side of the business. My books are carried at WalMart stores in Canada, at the very least, and major chains on both sides of the border. I will not fault consumers for where they decide to purchase their reading material, and I do understand the convenience of Amazon. When I lived in rural Alberta it was incredibly convenient, and less expensive, which enabled me to buy more books.

However, I fear for the mega-sellers and what they’re doing to Independents, and what they could do to domestic publishing. As an author, I’m glad my books are carried by multiple venues and wherever readers purchase them, I’m just glad they did.

As a reader, I’ll be keeping my primary purchasing in brick and mortar stores, and I won’t be getting an e-reader any time soon. Unless it’s an iPad. Which looks cool.

Amazon has pulled from sale books published by Macmillan. This includes books by - amongst many, many others - authors including Ken Bruen’s books published by Minotaur and Duane Swierczynski.

This is the first time I’ve seen such clear proof that adherence to publishing ethics (as per the guidelines of organizations such as MWA), quality of product, and consumer demand are completely irrelevant in book sales and distribution.

Actually, I find myself wondering if Amazon is doing this not so much because of Macmillan, but because of the new iPad, which has been called a Kindle killer by some.

One thing that’s clear to me is that this isn’t about consumer rights and protecting consumers. This is about control. I say let publishers decide how much their ebooks should list for, and let shoppers decide whether or not they want to pay the price tag.

But also let shoppers decide what device they want to read their books on - don’t force them to buy your product.

I’ve heard a lot of whispers over the past few years, about the fear that in the future we’ll see fewer books published, just the mega sellers. Amazon’s actions have convinced me that day may be closer than we think. As a major bookseller, pulling thousands of products from their inventory is clearly irrelevant to them. Kindle sales are reported as in the millions. This is what Amazon is making their money off of, and they’re using controlled pricing of publisher products in order to entice consumers to buy their big ticket item.

The questions are, what happens when we reach market saturation? With other electronic devices prices eventually decline. Once Kindle sales plateau, where will Amazon turn to replace that income?

I see two primary options. One is through the sales of the books for Kindle, which would mean they’d raise the prices, and consumers who’d already purchased expensive electronic devices to be able to read that way would have little choice but to pay the increase.

The other is by replacing the Kindle with an updated version with a few new bells and whistles, with a slight change in code that rendered new books inaccessible on the old Kindle, thus forcing Kindle readers to replace their Kindles.

Neither sounds like protecting the rights of consumers, does it?

This isn’t about my rights as a reader, or the rights of so many friends of mine whose books have been pulled because of this pissing contest. This is about Amazon cornering the market, pure and simple.

John Scalzi also has a post on the subject, which is well worth the read.

At Mysterious Matters there is an excellent post that cuts through all the blather and gets to the heart of the state of publishing fiction. It also addresses policies of organizations, review sites, discussion lists and I find that many of the sites they take issue with are ones I’ve had my own personal concerns about in the past. For every thousand people who recycle the sound bites, who believe the standard press of the party line, who are afraid to piss off the supposed ‘high and mighty’ of the industry, there’s one person out there, like the writer of this post, who’s willing to call it like they see it.

Highly recommended reading.

I missed this bit of editing genius, but it couldn’t come at a better time. Yesterday, I felt my head was going to explode. As the year, and decade, have drawn to a close, the main thing on my mind is that something someone said to me a few years ago, about not helping new authors, may have been more right than wrong.

I don’t want to rehash the original discussion, because the person who said it has since passed on. I just remember at the time being so frustrated, that the sins of authors before us (whatever they were) could make established authors want to erect some kind of barrier, to keep newcomers at arms length.

However, something finally happened that’s brought me to one inescapable conclusion: that I never, ever should have tried to help someone. A small bit of intended advice had resulted in a huge headache, and then some. Not just for me, either. Yes, I definitely shouldn’t have said anything to them. I’ll bend over for that without protest. But the byproduct has been criticisms of other things I do that have nothing to do with this, false accusations that the history of communication I’ve saved can disprove… but nobody cares. I’m holding the bag. Like most things, it isn’t about truth anymore, it’s about a popularity contest, and one thing I’ve never been is popular.

The result is that I’m seriously thinking about pulling the plug on the Spinetingler Awards. At the very least I will be handing control over to someone else completely and having no further involvement whatsoever. I am done with awards. For myself, I have no doubts about my ability to be impartial. Honestly, as a reviewer, I don’t need to be involved with an award process to know that some people do try to kiss up. I get it all year long, in varying capacities. And I’m always suspicious of people’s motives. But beyond that, I won’t put an endorsement down on something I’m not won by, on its own terms. If I’ve had a public fight with someone I’d put some time between that incident and reviewing them, because of the risk of perception, that if the review was anything less than glowing people might question if it was biased, but I’ve given thumbs up to assholes and had DNFs written by very nice people I really like.

An opinion about a book isn’t personal.

I can shrug off that aspect of reviewing and awards. Some days, more easily than others. But what I can’t shrug off is the growing realization that I’m not helping anyone. And if I’m not, then I have to wonder if I’m doing the right thing, and that starts with whether I’m doing the right thing for myself and my family.

One thing I know for certain is that I’m done with judging. The issue for me around ending the awards completely has to do with my relationship with Spinetingler… and as the decade comes to a close perhaps it’s time to reconsider whether I should have any future involvement.

I never wanted to be one of those people that was only looking out for themselves, who popped up superficially when they wanted something and then was nowhere to be found the rest of the time and was so consumed with their own ego that they didn’t contribute anything to the community, but as the decade draws to a close I’m left with inescapable conclusions… that time can be stolen and wasted, and when you start to find it in short supply all the time you gave away becomes a source of regret.

That if people are only talking about your books because they feel like they owe you a favor or you’re the approved flavor of the month, you aren’t really earning an audience.

And we all know if you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will.

I’m starting a new year with no book coming out, so it was supposed to be a good year for reviewing and doing more interviews. Now, I hope it’ll be a good year for reading.

Here’s to a New Year with no regrets. Happy New Year everyone.

(For an explanation of the video, go here.)

“Vancouver constables Nolan, Hart and Tain return for thirds in this chilling mystery, as racial tension drives their investigation in unexpected ways. Although the novel is slightly disjointed due to the non-linear flow of time, it enhances the plot, and readers can enjoy it fully, even if this is their first time with the investigative team.” - RT Book Reviews

And from Twitter:

Sandra Ruttan writes another winner! Lullaby for the Nameless is a spellbinding mystery …I couldn’t put down until the last page was read. The Librarian

With the holidays upon us, many will have some extra time on their hands, and are still looking for those perfect last-minute gifts, and I’m out not with my holiday tips. Which DVDs should you rent, and which ones should get a pass? Books? Here’s my 2 cents.

Real Time
Verdict: B/B+
Unexpected, off-beat and entertaining. Don’t let the trailer fool you, you haven’t seen it all, and it’s good, solid entertainment.

Public Enemies
Verdict: D

Dang, I really wanted to like this movie. I’d actually been interested in seeing it when it came out, and it just slipped by us in the theatre run. Now I think I understand why. Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Jason Clarke (Tommy Caffey, Brotherhood) gave this one so much promise, but the story isn’t fleshed out in a cohesive manner. Clarke’s character, Red, is defined in a few simple lines and by a few simple acts and stands out as the one character I really felt I understood, other than Dillinger, but the waywardness of the movie meant there was a lack of suspense built into the scenes. Sometimes I wasn’t sure how the cops had caught on to where the bad guys would be, or if they were in the right place until another shoot-out started. The redeeming qualities of the movie are those quiet moments, the brief exchanges between Red and Dillinger and Dillinger and Purvis… but there aren’t enough to put this movie in a must-see category.

Brotherhood
Verdict: A-
Probably the only thing that works against this series is the fact that it was cut short. It’s well worth watching each of the three short seasons. Authors can learn from the storytelling skills here. Somehow, they manage to up the ante, to surprise you just when you didn’t think it was possible to top the last shocker. Great acting and great writing converge for a great show.

Books

Russel D McLean’s smart debut, The Good Son, is now out in the US. His follow up, Lost Sister, is already out in the UK, and while I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, I can honestly say The Good Son shows so much promise that I’m looking forward to the next book. McLean has taken on the difficult task of creating a Scottish PI of sorts, no easy feat, but he makes it work and fleshes out McNee with his own share of ghosts and demons. I look forward to seeing where McLean takes McNee next.

Stuart Neville: The Ghosts of Belfast

This one is high on my TBR pile, but I trust the recommendations of my partner implicitly, and this is one of his top reads of the year.

Sang Pak: Wait Until Twilight

Dang, I really meant to review this one and interview the author… but I’ve been sidetracked with judging duties this fall, and haven’t got to it yet. This was a haunting, subtle and intriguing story.

Of course, if you haven’t read James Sallis, you must. You simply must. Anything. Now.

And on a more personal note…

From Crimespree Magazine’s Buzz Box in the November/December issue:

Sandra Ruttan’s LULLABY FOR THE NAMELESS is the third book in her Hart and Tain series. She manages to play with the audience’s imagination by returning to the first case that brought these two detectives together and Detective Nolan together for the first time. Far too talented to present anything like an “in the beginning” story instead we move forward in the timeline…. New evidence suggests that perhaps our detectives didn’t get it entirely right the first time. As they sift through evidence, conspiracy and both law enforcements & tribal politics, danger calls. Can they fight for the victims of The Missing Killer and save themselves? LULLABY FOR THE NAMELESS will keep you up all night.

LULLABY drew inspiration from real cases that have plagued crime enforcement in British Columbia for years; primarily the Highway of Tears. The Vancouver Sun recently did a series of articles called Vanishing Point, addressing the shocking number of women who’ve disappeared, their murders unsolved or never found, the families still seeking closure.

I end this post with the regret that I can’t plug a number of books I’ve been reading for judging purposes. I wish I could shine a light on some of the other books that I’ve read that I really, really liked… especially the ones that I feel failed to catch on with some word of mouth and public attention. Honestly, making Crimespree’s Buzz Box was nice, because it’s getting harder and harder to get attention for your books, and while some authors are reviewed over and over and over again, many are slipping through the cracks. These days, I get more publicists asking me to interview well-known authors… without even offering review copies of their latest work. I find myself wondering if we’ve entered the true celebrity author stage, where the name is more important than the writing and I’m supposed to be more interested in who I’m talking to than the work they’ve most recently produced.

As I look ahead to 2010, my own life holds a lot of uncertainty. I’ve had a growing appreciation for my privacy over recent months, and looking ahead can’t see that changing much, which means I don’t expect to be doing much blogging. I plan to get back to reviewing as soon as ITW judging is done and plan to spend the rest of my time focusing on my own writing. You’ll find me there, between the pages.

Last night, we reached the abrupt end of season two of Brotherhood, and I was bummed. After all, season three was shortened to just 8 episodes and then the show earned its marker in the graveyard of worthy canceled shows that just never caught on with an audience.

Brotherhood is probably the best, cutting-edge show to come along in recent years. I mean, I’d thought I’d seen just about everything possible on a tv show, but just when I think I can’t be surprised anymore, we watch another episode of Brotherhood and there’s another jaw-drop moment. Another, “I didn’t expect that.” The writing is strong and the premise of two brothers - one a politician, one a criminal - whose lives run parallel and often intersect with dramatic consequences - is a fresh twist. Both brothers are smart, cunning, capable of reading people and situations and manipulating those situations to produce the outcome they desire. They really aren’t so different.

At the end of the first season the writers, in a dramatic twist, pull the rug out from under both of them, and both begin the next season reeling from the blows. In Michael’s case, literally, as he struggles to recover from a beating that nearly killed him. He has to deal with the fact that he black-outs, that the criminals he works with would be only too happy to permanently dispose of him, and the allies in his family he’s relied on have started to see him for what he is. And yet Michael is a likable villain, and his vulnerability in season two makes him even more compelling. Brilliantly written, and the actor is exceptional in the role.

Politician Tommy has also been dealt a painful blow, and he’s off his game. He’s lost focus. Political opponents use this to their advantage and it seems every time Tommy turns around he’s got a new problem to contend with. The acting is fantastic, as is the writing.

What I can’t figure out is, why didn’t this show catch on with an audience? Why hadn’t I heard of it before? Tragic. I hope the creator comes back to us with more, because this is exactly the kind of show I want to see when I watch tv.

Oh, and that nice little moment, when Tommy is talking to a known criminal who works with his brother, and the criminal is talking about how well his kid is doing and then they talk about Tommy’s daughter stabbing another kid with a pencil… genius. Subtle, but effective.

I can’t help but think of the book industry when I think of what’s happened to Brotherhood, and a lot of the shows I’ve really liked over recent years. THE WIRE struggled to stay alive through its fifth and final season, which was also cut short with fewer episodes than preceding seasons. ENTERPRISE made its final journey about half way through a normal Star Trek series run. ROBBERY HOMICIDE lasted just 10 episodes. DEADLINE squeaked out 13.

Over the years, I’ve gradually lost faith in network television. The top quality programs have been relegated to HBO and Showcase, while network tv churns out more of the same. It seems the odd show that starts that seems to have potential to be something more doesn’t last long.

I know others have expressed to me faith that quality writing will triumph in the book business, and eventually those talented writers will find their audience, but the window of time to catch on with readers has narrowed in recent years, and Brotherhood’s cancelation is further proof to me that the same is increasingly true with television shows.

If you’re looking for something new to watch, and you like your shows intelligent, dark and gritty, check out Brotherhood. DVDs available on Netflix.

Sucks to be you, doesn’t it? Here you are, on the threshold of a dream, what should be one of the most exciting times in your writing career… And its been marred by politics and business decisions that are out of your control.

Here’s the reality. We get offered our deals and take them and then there’s usually a few months lag time before we sign the actual contract. There are authors who’ve accepted contracts who are now signing on the dotted line, and some things have dramatically changed since those authors first agreed to the deal. Their publisher’s been delisted by RWA and MWA.

My opinion? Don’t let anyone rob you of the joy of your achievement. I know from first-hand experience, signing my first contract, that things changed after I did. The publisher moved in a few directions that prompted a lot of negative attention and criticism. Of course, they were no MIRA from the beginning, but that doesn’t change the fact that we writers don’t know what business decisions are going to reshape things weeks and months after we sign.

I already had that deal, and the fact that things changed after I signed didn’t matter to some. The fact that I never paid for editorial or publishing services didn’t mean anything. There were some people who were more than happy to publicly attack me and hold me guilty of the sins of my publisher. They pat themselves on the back and claim they’re serving the public good when they never give a second thought to misrepresenting people and hurting their reputation. Personally, it seems to me some people get off on it.

The one bit of good news I have for you is a ray of hope. A few years ago I couldn’t get it out of my head. Now, I’m hard pressed to remember half of the details. Maybe that’s because of divorce and other life stresses…. or maybe, in time, it just fades. Whatever the case there’s hope for you, that in a few years what’s happening now won’t even cross your mind.

The other good news for those of you at MIRA today is that there are enough of you that no one individual will probably be attacked in the way I was. I know you might still be feeling frustrated and alienated, but you aren’t alone. Welcome to the family, and all the best in your future writing career, and don’t let anyone make you feel like anything less than the legitimately published author you are. You are the person these organizations should be helping. Unstead, they cut you loose, and all I can say to that is that I’m sorry, and you know where to find me if you need anything.