tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11327374480771088342009-12-27T09:12:20.051-08:00blah, blah blah about writingLynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-47087468321463729792009-12-27T09:10:00.000-08:002009-12-27T09:10:57.360-08:00

I don't know about you, but I say, "Thank you, Lord, Christmas comes but once a year. Don't get me wrong this is my favorite holiday season. Starting with October I'm in a great mood. However, cooking and entertaining have worn me out. Not to mention ending up in the church Christmas play- as (drum roll) the Virgin Mary. There, I gave you permission to laugh hysterically at my expense. So

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-59596153103236588722009-12-14T19:01:00.001-08:002009-12-14T19:15:57.779-08:00

Author Laura Resnick gives a pretty complete explanation of the differences between self-publishing and vanity publishing in this Novelists, Inc blog post. Of course Laura makes it clear that she doesn't like vanity publishers.So here is an early Christmas present for any writers out there that may be considering this route to getting their book in print. At least if you go forward you'll be

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-62384042914165433712009-12-09T17:12:00.001-08:002009-12-11T18:07:12.682-08:00

Okay. I've read several explanations of the differences between the two. Self-publishing is when the author chooses a printer, cover art and editing on their own. They don't buy a package of services from a vanity publisher with implied promises that said package will get the book more more love from bookstores and readers. Vanity publishing in fact has been referred to as a scam by quite a few

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-53726231930647009932009-11-29T15:14:00.000-08:002009-11-29T15:39:32.486-08:00

So in case you haven't heard Harlequin International caused a big storm when the company decided to start a vanity publishing arm. At first called Harlequin Horizons, the aim is to offer aspiring writers a chance to see their golden words in print. For a price of course. RWA, MWA and SFWA all quickly condemned the move. RWA even announced that Harlequin would no longer get free space and perks at

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-61876039694783427392009-11-24T18:07:00.001-08:002009-11-24T18:34:45.800-08:00

Author Virgina DeBerry posted An Open Letter To Oprah about the struggles of midlist black authors. While I feel her pain, literally since I'm one of the authors she's talking about, I have to say two things. One, Oprah most likely won't bite. Not because she's an uncaring person (proven by how often she cries on screen in front of millions). Even if the letter somehow makes it to "O" through her

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-75026288898946023472009-11-22T06:58:00.000-08:002009-11-22T07:09:44.765-08:00

Generally speaking attending writers conferences away from home, even in a city close by, is pricey. Much. Unless you can stay with relatives or friends and sponge off them, er, I mean economize with their help. Specifically speaking most writers are of the starving artist variety (can I get an "Amen"?). The days of living off our credit cards should be over- in case you didn't get the memo.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-29398472101712449262009-11-21T09:51:00.001-08:002009-11-21T10:03:22.762-08:00

I'm right now in a session at the Words & Music conference. Read my article at Blogging In Black about my loss of love for writers conferences in general and why I chose this one. I'm sitting in a session with a panel of authors who are also musicians. Very interesting talk about melding the two and how one inspires the other. Music has always been a true passion for me. I've gotten several great

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-89038706483713220782009-11-08T13:19:00.000-08:002009-11-08T13:51:03.834-08:00

On yeah, we enjoyed ourselves! Congratulations to Frances & Friends Book Club on their two year anniversary. They celebrated by having a benefit luncheon for Beautiful Black Girls, Inc. and supporting local authors (Baton Rouge that is). They are a group of special ladies for sure. We were at Vincent's City Club (caution: music so hit mute if you visit the site at work). Check it out if you visit

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-23460713364833246602009-10-30T19:46:00.001-07:002009-10-30T20:16:14.770-07:00

November 7th come join us for food, conversation and a chance to support a wonderful organization, Beautiful Black Girls, Inc. The mission of BBG, Inc. is to build the self-esteem of girls and teens. We live in a world where we females are bombarded with images that tell us we need to be different- taller, thinner, blonder, whatever. You know what I mean. BBG, Inc. is part of the solution-

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-16851069126533071552009-10-26T17:34:00.000-07:002009-10-26T17:51:23.048-07:00

The value of networking for writers can't be overstated. Readers even enjoy hearing authors talk about their creative process, too. I had a wonderful time listening to a group of dynamic authors. I'm going to introduce you to the other panel members. And by the way if you get a chance to attend such an event at your local library, bookstore or where ever it's held go! CJ Domino- Author of

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-88172452352757820812009-10-13T20:23:00.000-07:002009-10-13T20:31:36.528-07:00

What: A writers workshop with a panel that will talk about self-publishing, traditional publishing and writing.Where: Greenwell Springs Branch Library on Greenwell Springs Road in Baton Rouge, LAWhen: October 24th, 1-4 pmI'll be on the panel so come on out if you're in the area and want to network with other writers. If you want to hear some straight-up talk about the creative and business side

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-24611067462612210552009-10-07T17:03:00.000-07:002009-10-07T17:24:26.431-07:00

And it's not just me. What a wonderful moment, ya know? Suddenly someone says exactly what I've been thinking for years, since 1995 in fact when I became a published author.Yet part of me kept thinking, "Nah, maybe I've got it all wrong." I've even said, okay maybe I'm crazy. Well maybe not. For some reason the publishing industry doesn't get the vast variety of books that minorities love to read

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-31840076469701326602009-10-06T07:56:00.001-07:002009-10-06T08:02:27.211-07:00

Blogging In Black has so many great posts to recommend it that I can't pick just one. I say go there for insightful and thought provoking food for the mind. What is it? A group of authors who write about a range of topics related to books, publishing, what it means to be a writer, what it means to be a reader and so much more. Visit and enjoy.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-76680119654402743402009-09-30T12:49:00.000-07:002009-09-30T13:03:57.552-07:00

Enjoy a little love, laughter and spice in this new anthology that includes my short story A Love to Die For, starring bad girl LaShaun Rousselle. If you want a taste of LaShaun and the Louisiana Creole/Cajun country setting featured in Live, Love, Laugh read A Darker Shade of Midnight. Then go buy your copy of Live, Love, Laugh.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-66637995557675468742009-09-25T17:49:00.000-07:002009-09-25T18:20:04.767-07:00

Rejection- that word makes authors wince with pain. Oh yes, I've felt that sting once too often. Of course the much repeated advice is to keep writing and not give up. Let's be real for a minute- getting those "Not for us" or "I'm just not excited about this project" rejections (or worse) can really mess with your mind. Yeah, yeah, sometimes it sounds glib hearing, "Hang in there" from a writer

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-58877335377586615512009-09-23T19:04:00.001-07:002009-09-23T19:12:45.070-07:00

Blogging In Black is a group blog with thought-provoking posts. My entry on Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and research by writers is featured as well. Check it!

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-74199349813920840602009-09-13T08:04:00.000-07:002009-09-13T11:46:30.198-07:00

Romance novels and shopping- this woman's idea of utopia! Seriously, this is a challenging landscape for authors these days. Amazingly my friends and family don't seem to understand that the bad economy affects writing books. Still puzzles me why they don't get that. So anyway, us non-household word authors are facing a huge barrier trying to sell our work. Because of that the quest to find new

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-73251892304419849462009-08-04T15:41:00.001-07:002009-08-04T15:45:53.187-07:00

When you have an hour or so, and if you're interested in views from the top on the publishing business give this video a peep. Published and unpublished authors should always keep up with the biz. No substitute for being in the know.Jane Friedman and Larry Kirshbaum Talk Book Biz

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-65511844620382193982009-07-28T18:12:00.000-07:002009-07-28T18:29:00.418-07:00

Sad news - E. Lynn Harris died July 23. He earned a legion of female fans by telling them about something shocking- black men living secret lives loving other men. E. Lynn wrote vibrant, drama-filled and riveting stories that kept the ladies coming back for more. He'll be missed.Link to NPR article on E. Lynn Harris with audio of the story.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-80995631079609856732009-07-18T06:13:00.001-07:002009-07-18T06:13:40.450-07:00

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-14618474410639139492009-07-14T17:52:00.000-07:002009-07-14T18:29:56.199-07:00

In the interest of finding good stuff on the web and sharing it, I present to you Myst Noir- the blog about crime fiction written by African-American authors. Yes, I have selflessly given up my time to search for cool places to hang out. I continue to brainstorm plot ideas for my next novel and do extensive online research. Translation- I'm goofing off and lovin' it.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-3560246078823765272009-07-11T08:27:00.000-07:002009-07-11T08:28:08.826-07:00

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-3494774858904336212009-07-10T20:53:00.000-07:002009-07-10T23:14:21.166-07:00

Things are tough all over, and the publishing business is no exception. These days most of us authors who aren't famous are scrambling. Writers who are published worry if they can sell another book. Writers trying to break into print for the first time are wondering if they haven't taken on mission impossible. The big publishers have had serious lay-offs. That means fewer editors and tighter

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-86704190401465516892009-06-27T07:02:00.000-07:002009-06-27T07:05:10.543-07:00

Novelists, Inc. is a writers organization for multipublished authors. If you're an author with at least two books under your belt, consider joining. See the trailer about the conference. Or visit the website for more details- Novelists, Inc.

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1132737448077108834.post-66949860911126131002009-06-07T20:47:00.001-07:002009-06-10T19:20:01.355-07:00

Well folks, I finished my mystery novel. Now I'm on the great agent hunt. With so many publishers cutting back on staff, fewer and fewer are accepting un-agented submissions. Truthfully a good agent is worth her (or his) weight in gold, certainly worth their commissions. So wish me luck and keep your fingers crossed that I find the right fit. Here are two great blog posts on agents and the

Lynn Emerylynn@lynnemery.com0