Crimes of passion...

Although in the usual sense of the phrase, there are no ‘crimes of passion’ in the two novels in my YA BackTracker Series, THE TRAZ and FATAL ERROR have plenty of crime on their pages. The passion, perhaps, rests mostly with me.

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Since I first began writing the series, I’ve been obsessed with the characters and their stories and, once the novels hit the bookshelves of the world, I became obsessed with enticing people to read those stories.

Teen crime is no secret to front-line workers like teachers, social workers, and law enforcement officials. However that street children exist, juvenile gangs terrify neighbourhoods, and nefarious adults take quick advantage of at-risk kids are facts not well known by the general public.

It comes as a surprise to some that juvenile gangs exist within their own communities, that youngsters as young as nine or ten are living well outside the realm of adult influence, and that at-risk kids are not confined to those in poverty or those who are members of a minority group.

THE TRAZ, with 13-year old Katrina as its young protagonist, caters to the reading and interest level of adolescents, but its message is meant for the adults in their lives as well. It is easier to prevent your child from slipping into an inescapable life of crime and addiction if you’re aware that the risk is there, if you can talk knowledgably to your child about those risks, and if you can spot the warning signs.

Just by virtues of their age, all adolescents are “at-risk”. Driving their behaviour are blasts of new hormones, increasing independence, a propensity to depression, their strong need to belong, a lack of insight, an inability to foresee the results of their actions, a blind trust in adults, and their overall lack of experience (but intense fascination) with the adult world they’re entering.

Because THE TRAZ speaks to teens about real life issues and dangers, it has found its way onto the library shelves of Canada’s northern young offenders facilities, youth shelters, and alternate education classes. Its Teaching Guide encourages critical thought about decisions faced by youngsters and provides valuable information on issues such as suicide, depression, guilt, gangs, and drugs. It is also a great tool to kick-start conversations between adults and teens.

Reg.Edition Paperback

To help both adults and children, THE TRAZ also includes a list of addresses, phone numbers, and online links to international resources for those seeking help or information on the social issues touched on in THE TRAZ.

I invite you to join me in my passion; it may save a life from destruction.

From May 3-10 THE TRAZ School edition eBook and THE TRAZ paperback are on special from Amazon.

Eileen Schuh, Author
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

Eureka! The Perfect Way to Promote a Book

Here are five easy steps to selling more books than anyone, ever:

1. Surf and study the Internet until you understand every single aspect of it.
2. Gain practical knowledge of the buying habits of every reader and prospective future readers.
3. Establish a personal relationship with #2 using #1.
4. Maintain #3 long-term with daily contact, offering enticements, encouragement, and unique gifts/prizes
5. Provide a steady stream of fascinating books whenever you aren't working on Steps 1-4

Wasn't that easy? Now sit back and enjoy!

Author Maintenance, the Millstone 'Round My Neck

I speak to lots of wanna-be authors who have a book ready to go. "Ready" is a relative term, but let's say that's true. It's easier now than ever to become a "published author". There are dozens of sites ready to help.
What people often don't recognize is the maintenance needed after that publishing takes place. There simply aren't many people out there holding their breath until you publish a book. When it's up there, on Amazon or Nook or Smashwords or whatever; when it's available in hardcover, paperback or e-format, you have to let people know.
And that's really, really hard.
Publishers do what they can. Both my publishers get me reviews and praise my books on their websites and FB and wherever else they're allowed to. The problem is they have lots of writers on their list, and there are oceans of other publishers trying just as hard to get their authors noticed. Each mention of my name is a drop in that ocean, hardly noticeable to most readers.
So the author is left to establish and maintain a presence in the reading world. That can be done on-line or in person, but neither way is easy.
Recently I got an email from a site called Authorsden, which lists books in categories so readers can easily find what they'd like to buy/read. They asked that I check to make sure my entries were current.
How about not??? I'd  listed the first two books and then forgotten about the site, since there are always new and different ones popping up on my radar.
I added two books, but it took about an hour to plug in the information they asked for: reviews, links, etc.
Now I have four listings there, but I'll be up to a dozen books once the two in the pipeline are up this spring.
Anyone can publish a book, but are you willing to maintain your presence as an author? It isn't like setting out a sugar cube and watching the flies gather. It's more like trying to fill a well with stones: it can be done, but it will take more time and work than you planned on.

Reading in the Cracks

I once was told to savor the time spent writing and publishing of my first book. I didn't get it, because I was so anxious to be in print, and the two years between contract and release almost killed me. Now I look back and see what the author who gave me that advice meant, because when Book One is out, everyone wants to know when there'll be another one. That first book was a leisurely experience, with all the time in the world to write it, plenty of time to promote it, and no reader expectations to rush it.

Fast forward to now, when at least one book of my three series is due at any given moment. I won't lie and say I hate hearing people ask when they'll see the next Dead Detective or Loser or Simon & Elizabeth book, but it does fill up my time. One of the things that has suffered is my reading.

Writers need to be readers. We need to feel the flow of writers better than we, and it doesn't hurt our egos to see that we're better than some, even some the world calls Best Sellers. We also need to know the market and try to fit our work somewhere between carbon copy and too far from what's selling in the real world. And we need to be reminded of what we enjoyed about reading, what made us want to write.

There were days in my youth when I read all day long. There were hours when my kids were napping where I immersed myself in a book. That doesn't happen any more, at least not very often. I did read a whole book two weeks ago, pretty much in one sitting, but we were coming home from Las Vegas, so it was on-the-plane, during-the-layover and on-the-plane again. (I got re-acquainted with John Lescroart, which was good.)

It took me weeks to get through THE THIRTEENTH TALE, even though I couldn't wait to get back to it. If a book drags at all, I give up on it these days. It simply isn't worth finding the time to read it if I'm not enjoying the world it conjures.

I have books stashed around my house like a squirrel hides nuts, each one in place in case I get a few minutes to read. I have two Kindles and an iPad that stand ready to pop a story in front of my eyes. I still WANT to read, LOVE to read, NEED to read, but there's writing, too, and there, I control what happens. I guess writing will take the biggest chunks of the rest of my life, and reading, though important, will have to fit into the cracks.

Killer Thriller Book Launch - March 5-7

From March 5-7, check out the Killer Thriller Book Launch, a multi-author book launch featuring 7 thriller authors with new releases.

Want to know who these authors are?

• Cheryl Kaye Tardif
• Luke Romyn
• Consuelo Roland
• Giacomo Giammatteo
• Melissa Foster
• Claude Bouchard
• Russell Blake

You can follow us on Twitter by going to: #killerthriller.

We will be giving away prizes at the Killer Thriller Book Launch--separate from my own March Giveaway, so you'll have lots of chances to win some great goodies!

I invite you to check it out! :-)