Megan Hart

Exercised, which was good. Made coffee in my new maker, to replace the one that broke. Also good.

Wrote! Very good! But didn’t write enough. Was stalled a little bit. Sort of playing around with where the story’s going, what it wants to be…this one has no contract or deadline and I have the tiniest bit of time to work on it before I really have to buckle down and write contracted stuff, so I’m trying to finish. Halfway through, sort of have an idea of where it’s going and not sure exactly how I’m going to get there. Still, all good!

Laundry. Never a good time, but necessary.

And there’s been about five hours between when I started this and just now, with a whole lot of stuff in between, so I shall say goodnight and pick this up another time.

M

I actually had an entirely different topic to write about today, but got derailed after receiving a rejection from my agent. Via my agent, I should say, as it wasn’t my agent rejecting me but an editor who’d sent an email to my agent. The editor said the project was “incredibly compelling and creepy and very well written” and also “gritty and horrific” — which hello, awesome, right?

Not so awesome when accompanied by “I’m going to pass” — because it was, apparently, TOO gritty and horrific.

Well, I was going for gritty, horrific, creepy and compelling. The well written I could only hope for. And to learn that someone actually thought it *was* all those things I tried for is very pleasing and satisfying and gratifying, because it means that at least I was judged, this work was judged, on what it IS and what it was MEANT TO BE…

Ultimately, it sucks hard and mightily that the editor passed on the book, because um, yes, I don’t write just for the praise. I do like to actually earn a living this way, which has to mean sales. So the rejection stung, as they nearly always do, just the way bad reviews do and which is why I try hard not to read them.

All in all, what are you gonna do? It’s not true that once you’re published you can just sell everything. People express surprise to me that I get rejected, and let me tell you, my lovelies, I not only get rejected, I get refused, declined and passed by also. It’s part of the job. The sucktastic part of the job (unlike the way cool parts like being able to stay home listening to Christian Bale singing the soundtrack from Newsies while I blog…I keep telling him to keep it down, but he’s saucy, that guy).

My work was called gritty and horrific, which is what I wanted it to be. It made someone shudder (presumably, or at least maybe gave her a small lip curl.) I’m really proud that something I did, words I wrote, caused a reaction. I always am. If you cry or laugh or get angry at reading one of my books, hey, that’s good. It means I’m doing something right.

Doesn’t mean I’m not upset by the rejection, but a Coke Zero and a Peanutty Bar (SO did not need that…gawd) and I’m back to work. Writing something that is ALSO going to be gritty, perhaps horrific, definitely disturbing if I can do it right. And it may also never get purchased, either. But I’m going to write it anyway.

Sometimes you just gotta do what needs doing.

M

Okay, so all of a sudden, print publishing is circling the drain, right? Ebooks are taking over, thus creating the demise of foine lit-ra-chur as we know it. Right?

Ummm….wrong.

Look. I’ve been digitally published since we called it e-publishing. Waaaaaay back when in oh…2001? 2002? Somewhere around there, and I wasn’t even in the front line. Epublishing has been around for quite a number of years, and during that time I’ve heard “Ebooks are the wave of the future! THEY ARE TEH FUTURRRRRRE!” and “Epublishing is going to replace print publishing!” And “ebooks are better!” and “print books are better!” and all manner of things that contradict one another.

But this is the reality, as I see it (and since this is my blog, that’s the version you get.) Ebooks are a delightful NEW FORMAT for readers to enjoy. Ebooks allow high-consumption for readers who plow through multiple books per week. Ebooks are mostly, not always, but often cheaper than their print counterparts (much the way mass market paperbacks are cheaper than hardcovers). Ebooks can be purchased and delivered literally, within seconds. Ebooks can be found in many online stores and locations, including but not limited to major online retailers like Amazon.com and BN.com. And, ebooks, for the most part, are still a teensy weensy eensy part of the overall sales of books.

Personally, I’m delighted that ebooks are finding their place finally. It’s long been my position that when ereaders became easily portable and financially feasible to buy, that ebooks were going to really take off. And what do you know? Kindle, Nook, iPad, some others I’m forgetting…I read them on my iPhone, myself, using Kindle for iphone and BN’s reader, and all manner of apps that allow me to purchase, download and read ebooks from just about any place I want. I’m delighted as a reader because this allows me to feed my reading habit in one more format and fashion. I’m less delighted as an author because frankly, my ebook royalties from my “traditional” publishers are not as beneficial as the ones from my primarily digital publishers. As an author, I think that sucks. I think it’s ridiculous. And I hope it changes as the publishing model, however slowly it changes, moves to accommodate this new format.

We all know that digital music has mostly replaced other formats. Again, speaking personally, I purchase and download music frequently. The only CDs I buy are from indie artists I see play live so that I can get them signed; for listening purposes, for ease and quality and simple convenience, I download  songs so that I can listen to them on my computer or iPod, because that’s how I consume that product. Digital music has replaced CDs for me and for many; it’s certainly replaced cassette tapes, 8 tracks and LP’s for the casual listener. Digital movies are replacing DVDs — I stream more video or download movies (legally, m’kay? Pay for that stuff, people, or else there won’t be more of it) than I buy DVD’s. I watch on my computer, via streaming on my Tivo or Wii, on my iphone, on an iPad. I consume more digital movies because it’s easier and more convenient now.

And this is exactly why ebooks are not now, nor perhaps ever going to disappear or be replaced totally by their digital counterparts.

Because music and movies ALWAYS require some sort of device in order to consume them. (Well, not live music, but that’s not what we’re talking about.) If you want to listen to a song or watch a movie, you MUST consume it via some piece of technology, whether it’s a VHS player or a Walkman, or a computer or an iPod or whatever.

Books require…your eyes.

Yep, that’s right. Print books of course need to be printed on paper, bound, distributed, etc. But in that format, all that you need to read them is YOUR EYES. You don’t need another piece of equipment to consume them, a piece of equipment that’s going to be obsolete in a few years. Or months. Printed books require YOU. The readers. And that’s it.

Which is why, in my opinion, ebooks are one more wonderful format in which to consume literature. Just like hardcovers, trade paperbacks, mass market paperbacks. Now we have digital. But ebooks and digital format are not going to totally replace ebooks any time soon, because let’s face it — there will be people for a long, long time who don’t have ereaders. I’m not saying digital books will NEVER outsell paper books. There may come a time when print is for specialists and the casual consumer really does do everything via a device. After all, it’s way more convenient to download a book, then delete it when you’re finished than have thousands of books taking up space in your house. But that time is not imminent. It’s not going to take over the print book world this year, or next year, or the year after that. It might happen someday, but it’s not going to happen all at once.

And you know what? Even if it does?

Ebooks are still books, people. Just because Stuart Skyisfalling hasn’t read one, or heard of one until the past year or so, that doesn’t mean they haven’t been around. Ebooks are books, made to be read and consumed by people who love to read. Digital is a format, not a genre, not a replacement, not something to fear. If you like reading on your Kindle, knock yourself out. If you like reading your hefty hardcover…well…you can do that, too.

In the end what matters is that you can find the books you want and love, that you can purchase them and enjoy them. If you love to read, you’re going to love to read. Authors can still write.

The sky is not falling.

The times are a changing, but that doesn’t have to be something to fear.

Me? Personally, I prefer paper books. I don’t have a dedicated ereader, though if I convince myself I need an iPad I’ll read on it because it’s a sweet, sweet reading experience. But I don’t want to take an iPad to the beach, or the pool. I like tossing a paperback into my bag and not worrying about it breaking. I like getting signed copies from authors I love and respect. I like having books on my shelf to pluck up at a whim and turn to a page randomly, I like them as decoration, I like the smell and feel of paper books. I read ebooks, but I love paper books. Yet I’m happy to have my work available in both formats. It doesn’t make one any less or more “real” than the other.

I don’t have the numbers, and I can’t link you to the plethora of articles about how the world of publishing is coming to an end. I think things need to change and while they do, we’re all going to be a little unsure of how it works and what might happen. But I know in my gut that books will continue to be published and people will read them.

I’m not worried how they read them. Just that they have them to read. No matter what format they come in.

M

Ahhh. Summer’s on the downhill slide and I’ve only just come into the “fuck this, it’s summer” mindset which means I spend my days doing things other than work instead of saying “fuck this, it’s summer” and trying hard to work every day and doing other things instead.

Of course, having said that, today I wrote. I mean, I have to write, it’s my job and all that. Granted, it’s a pretty damn cool job with lots of bennies and vacation time (which…if you add up all the hours I spend working during the rest of the time, I bet it still evens out to a nice, round 60 or so hours a week, bwahaha!)…but it’s still a job. And I gots to do the work.

I don’t have a big deadline until January but I have one in March too, which means I have to work ahead if I don’t want to end up killing myself with the deadlines…but I have a small deadline in September, and look, son, it’s already August. So I started a holiday themed novella which will be out in December from Carina Press. It’s called Unwrapped, and features Leah and Brandon from Taking Care of Business and No Reservations.

Mmmm….Brandon.

I wrote 13 pages today, after many many days of writing nothing.

Yesterday, though, I did this:

Which involved banging on rocks with a hammer.

It was fun!

M

Last night I went to our local county fair. No cheap expenditure, let me assure you, the fair is BIG TIME DOINGS. I forgot my wallet and had to take money from the ATM, and I believe we spent every single cent. We had pit beef sandwiches and milkshakes. Not even any fries! But the pit beef was very, very good. And then the spawn rode rides. And played some games. Before I knew it, 10 pm had arrived and I was out of cash, the male spawn had gone on the Roundabout (yeah, I was trying to look up videos about it on Youtube and…now I found all sorts of vids about carny rides gone wrong. Considering the operator of the other rocket ride he went on started it up without making sure the pin that locks the door was latched completely, I don’t think we’ll be riding any carnival rides again for a long, long time.)

Aside from the rides, though, the shows were pretty entertaining. Which brings me to what made me think about blogging…the life of entertainers on the road. We saw both The Hansen Spectactular and Tom Crowl, Comedy Ventriloquist perform. I can’t really even tell you how much I have to give kudos to people who travel around to fairs and do their shows. It’s hot, people are rude, the locations aren’t ideal…and they’re out there making a living in entertainment. I applaud as loud as I can. I cheer. Because no matter how cheesetastic the show is, those folks deserve it.

I say cheesetastic with fondness — I mean, what else do you call an act that uses rollerskates on a 6 foot platform and features a woman spinning while held on a cord attached to her husband’s neck? It’s…well, frankly, I couldn’t get up there and skate around by myself without falling off, so it’s pretty freaking impressive, if you ask me.

I admire anyone who gets up in front of a crowd and tries to be funny, or acrobatic, or whatever. It takes courage. I’ve been on stage, I know it can be difficult. Scary. But it can be a rush, too, knowing you entertained someone for even a few minutes.

I had a great time at the fair (minus the few minutes I thought for real that my kid was going to plunge to a horrific and grisly doom.) Hey, there were camel rides!

M

The internet is a wonderful thing. I love the internet like it took me to the prom and felt me up in the back of its daddy’s Impala. Sure, we have a tempetuous relationship — the internet gets jealous when I stay away too long. It taunts and teases me when it’s slow. But overall, we have a good relationship, me and the ‘net.

The internet brings people together. Now, listen, I’m serious. I’m not even talking about dating services or porn. I mean just normal contact. Social networking makes us…well…social. Blogs (like this one, which I hear people read, if you can believe it!) and Twitter and Facebook and all of that stuff, provides a place for people to connect.

Like readers and authors.

Back in the olden days, readers might know what an author looked like from a photo on the back of a book. Some readers might even have written to their favorite author, or gone to a book signing. But generally speaking, readers did not have daily access to authors.

And now…a lot of times…you do!

Which frankly, most of the time, I think is fabulous. These days, an author without a blog or regularly updated website is missing out on some important promotion. While I don’t think Twitter and Facebook is NECESSARY, I sure do think it’s fun. I like talking to people. (I don’t like hugs, though. Please.) I like having the chance to connect with readers and other authors. I like reading what my favorite celebrities are up to on Twitter and FB and their blogs and all those places, because I’m a fan, too! I like that!

But there’s a downside to this access. And that’s that readers have come to rely on author’s websites and blogs and Twitters and Facebook to tell them when authors have new books out. And most of the time, I bet those authors who HAVE those things are pretty good about keeping them updated. I mean, I know I try. I talk a lot about my life and what’s going on, I talk a bit about my books, and most of the time, I’m sure to mention if I have a new book out. I know when I’m working on a book I talk about it. When I get cover art, I share it. When I sell a book, I share that, too. And when I have a new release, I do my best to make sure the information is right there on my site (sometimes I’m behind in updating, or I don’t have full links, but I do try. I don’t have an assistant, sadly. Some day!)

But that’s all I can do, my doves. Sadly, I can’t email each and every one of you personally and tell you when I have a new book out. I don’t even have a newsletter because I found I didn’t update it often enough. It wasn’t a useful tool for me. Twitter, Facebook, this blog…these are tools I use and enjoy and try to keep up with as best I can. And I promise you, if you care, that I will always try to keep things up to date or delete them entirely, because there’s not much sadder than a website that hasn’t been updated in a year, or a twitter account that lies fallow. I’ll do my best to post information about my books and what’s going on with me.

So if you ever have any questions about what’s going on with me, please check the site (or the blog or the Twitter or the FB)– because chances are, anything you want to know is all right there! Obviously if you don’t care…well, then you’re probably not reading this blog at all.

Thanks to everyone who DOES care. I appreciate it! And I promise to try and keep everything up to date and accurate as best I can.

M

Most of you didn’t even know I was gone, but I was! And for a long time, too! First to the Supernatural convention in Parsippany, then off to the beach for a nice long vacation. Not long enough, but hey, leave while you’re having fun, right? I’m glad to be back home and back at my desk, which, despite my having been gone, looks like a tornado tore through it. Where did all this mail come from?! All these bills?!

Anyway, the Supernatural convention was super fun. I have to say, I wasn’t that jazzed about it, because once again…neither J was there. It’s pretty much the height of lame to have a fan convention without the two lead stars, isn’t it? The Js carry that show. That’s why I watch it. That’s who I’d like to see. But really, we all know I’d explode in the presence of Jensen Ackles, which wouldn’t be pretty and would possibly scar him for life, rendering him incapable of attending a fan convention ever again. So I guess it’s a good thing neither of them were there.

I wasn’t jazzed about going until the day before, when they announced Matt Cohen (aka Baby John Winchester) would be attending, presumably to help take the place of a couple guests who dropped out. We also got the bonus of Fred Lehne, aka the Yellow Eyed Demon. He was fantastic! Funny, personable, just an all around interesting guest. And Baby John? What can I say about him? If you’ve done any following of the con at all (and I’ll admit it, I never pay attention to con updates for cons I haven’t been to) he gave FREE HUGS. Umm….

Okay. I don’t like hugs. I mean, I’m not morally opposed to them or anything, I just don’t like to give or receive them, especially from strangers. Even really hot strangers. But what could I do? When Matt Cohen opens his arms and says “free hugs” what sane person turns that down? I think I got five hugs, total. That’s a lot of up close and personal full frontal body contact with a stranger for me. But I survived it! (And yes, he is really super cute, but also super funny, VERY sweet and quite entertaining.)

By the way, we all loved Matt so much we opted to go back and get a SECOND photo op with him and the four of us. Because he was just that fabulous.

Misha Collins. What can you say about him? I was there last year in NJ when he had his first con experience, and let’s just say he seems to have quite taken to it. He’s hilarious, not at all like Castiel (which um, makes sense, doesn’t it?) and he’s deliciously irreverent. I say delicious because that’s kind of a perfect word to describe him. DELICIOUS.  Mishalicious? I wasn’t going to get a photo opp with him because I got one last year, and had said, (stupidly) –why do I need another one? Umm…DUH. Because. I wanted one. So, I got one. It was the standard three seconds long. No big deal. I’d already spoken to him, albeit briefly, at the dessert party the night before. He sat right next to me, and I could’ve moved my leg away, but I did not. (Would you?)I’d already fondled the pie he left behind. I’d already asked him a question during the Q and A. And really, I don’t have a *crush* on him — love him on the show, think he’s a fantastic guest, but I don’t really have a crush.

Strike that.

Didn’t have a crush.

So I get up there, it’s time for my photo, it’s not a big deal. Really. You don’t have time to blink, much less have a conversation, or even be nervous. You’re cattle-shooted through the line, take your picture, you’re out of there. So I get up there, I get the instructions from the line monitor: “Go to Misha’s left side, then exit around the back.” No problem. To do this, you have to cross in front of him. So, I do. I say to him, “go to the left and then behind. I can manage that.” Yes, it sounded dirty, a little, but I didn’t mean it to. Pose at his left side. The flash goes. (This is literally 3-5 seconds, I’m not kidding) — I turn to him to say “thank you” — he looks at me. I look at him.

I am not even kidding you when I say I was utterly starstruck. Struck dumb. I think I mumbled thank you, I’m sure my mouth opened. I looked at him and was like…duhhhhhhhrrrrrmmmmmm…

I’m sure he gets that a lot. I’m sure to him I was just one more random, dumbstruck idjit. It was the longest 2 seconds of my life, staring into Misha Collins’ face.

(Misha, you’re awesome.)

The other guests, Aldis Hodge, Alona Tal, Rob Benedict, Katherine Boecher, Samantha Smith…also incredibly entertaining and interesting. There was so much that happened, I’m not sure I can even do any of it justice.

This was my second fan convention. The second without either of the Js. I had an even better time this year than I did last year, which was pretty stellar. But would I go again? I dunno. It’s a lot of money to spend without the Js there. (Though I guess I’d spend more if they were.) It’s fun and I go with friends and I have a great time, but…will I go again next year? I didn’t buy my seats in advance, so I’m risking not having as good of seats if I do decide to go. I can’t really decide until they at least put up the guest list. Misha makes it worth it, and so do the other guests, totally. But a Supernatural con without either Jensen or Jared just doesn’t seem quite right. So I might not. I had a really great time, I don’t regret it. But…not sure I’ll go again.

Now, though, I have to finish clearing off my desk, paying some bills, and get to writing!

M

Hey, everyone. Come on out And see me at Atlantic Books, Garfield Parkway, Bethany Beach, Delaware! I’ll be signing copies of my books including Deeper ( which takes place in BB) and others. I’ll be there from 5-? According to the sign out front, but I’m guessing that means until About 9 pm so long as they don’t kick me out.

I am bronzed an blonde (or at least freckled and faded) so c’mon over and meet me.

M

Ps that would be July 17th, Saturday. Helps to put the date!

So this morning I was dreaming about Stephen Moyer, aka Bill Compton of True Blood fame. I like TB Bill better than I like books Bill. Anyway, I was dreaming I was in my house (not my real house) and the roof had been torn off the attic bedroom by Lorena (Bill’s creator) in a fit of jealous rage — btw, I have NOT seen the famous “water cooler shocking sex scene” episode yet, so DO NOT SPOIL ME…but it involved lots of blood and heart-eating and threeway sex in a messy bed…

Where was I?

Oh, right, so the vampire bitch ripped the roof off. But before that, Bill and I were getting cozy, and he was high on vampire blood (do they get high on their own blood?! FFS, see how complicated this was?) and he was all giddy and giggly and not intense like Bill is on the show, mostly.

And then I had to find Anna Paquin on Twitter to tell her how much I love her boyfriend, because even though in the dream I’m sure I was Sookeh, I was *NOT* Anna Paquin.

And then, perhaps because of all the teeth and blood, I started dreaming about sharks.

And then the phone rang. Early. And woke me. And then I couldn’t get back to sleep.

But it made me think about sharks, and here’s the thing, the trufax: I am not alone in this, either — I have a deep-seated and primal fear of sharks.

99.9% of my time I’m not anywhere a shark could possibly even be close enough to me to bite me, and I’m still freaked out by sharks. Alligators, too. Must be the teeth. I’m not afraid of spiders (though they creep me out) or snakes (except poisonous ones, duh). But sharks, man. Sharks are horrifying. They’re awful. They’re scary!

So I put JAWS on my streaming list. Why? Why not!

I am so tired my eyes are blurry, but hey, I’m up now. It’s already 9 am, the house is still quiet, I’m going to get some writing done.

Stay sharp, ya’ll.

M

This is what I spent yesterday doing…

This is what it was…

This is what it is…