Jen Crane
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When Author And Reader Expectations Don't Match Up

6/29/2015

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Is it just me, or are there some seriously great book-to-primetime TV series out there right now? And if you've been watching, wow. Nail-biting season finales, right? The Starz series Outlander follows very closely the popular Diana Gabaldon series of books. HBO's Game of Thrones is one of my personal favorites. And then of course many of us remember the True Blood/Southern Vampire Series series and books. I haven't seen or read The Leftovers. Should I?

The problem with book-to-tv or book-to-movie is that faithful readers sometimes become disenchanted when a book character doesn't match up to preconceived notions. Or when a show's writers veer from the book's storyline. Like probably every author since mankind stopped using papryus and parchment, I was a reader before I began writing. I had my favorites, of course--those beloved books from which I began modeling my own writing, those authors whose skill I long to someday achieve but likely never will. I recall being so grateful when the second (or third or fourth or eighth) book in series fell in line with my view of the plot and character fates. Perhaps even more clearly, I recall being heartbroken and furious at unexpected deaths and betrayals. Readers invest in books. It's why we write them. We want our characters to be as beloved and/or as feared by our audience as we love and hate them ourselves.

The latest installment of a popular urban fantasy series I read faithfully feature an awful lot of one and two star reviews. Why? Readers felt the main character fell short of their expectations. That she lost her gall somewhere along the way. As I round the final stretch of the second book in my own series, my thoughts are more sympathetic toward the author. That's a hard pill to swallow. How many times have I thrown a book down disgustedly and thought, "Ugh. What was that author thinking?"

Now I'm the author. If anyone besides my mother reads my books, and if any of those one or two people form any affection for my characters, I want to nurture that budding love. I shudder to think that I would ever disappoint a reader the way I've been disappointed. I shudder. Then I wrap the fleece blanket back around my legs and keep writing. An author must sometimes make hard choices. At the end of the day, we're the ones who close our laptops and lie our heads on battered pillows before contemplating dialogue for sleepless hours on end. We must write what our minds produce. Lord knows you can't please everyone all the time anyway.

Now that I have typed a mile on those other authors' keypads, I'm a fairer reader as an author. I hope I'll be more thoughtful in the future and try not to throw someone's book baby across the room after reading the last chapter. I'll try. Nobody's perfect. Certainly not authors. Certainly not me.



Jen Crane's life is too real for nonfiction. She writes romantic fantasy to take readers from the stress of their everyday lives for a little while.

You can find Jen here:
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Rare Form Cover Reveal set for 7/16

6/19/2015

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Calling all book bloggers and book lovers everywhere! I have a cover reveal set for July 16th for Rare Form (Descended of Dragons, Book 1).

The cover, by Deranged Doctor Design, is gorgeous and edgy and really tells a reader what they're in for, which is perilous magic in a world of shape-shifters, cantankerous dwarves and enigmatic fairies.  There's a fiery Southern heroine, endearing girl bonding (no, not bondage!), sexy bad boys, and even sexier good ones. I think you'll love the book. And its cover.

Readers: to add it to your goodreads "to read" list, go here.

Bloggers, to sign up for the cover reveal, go here.

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What'll Hard Work Get ya? Success.

6/11/2015

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Four of the hardest-working women I know in the romance author biz are celebrating today. And for good reason: their anthology, Hearts in Danger, just made the USA Today Bestseller list! Huge news. Huge.

These four are successful authors in their own right, but joined with 10 other authors for the anthology, which benefits the American Heart Association. They pooled their money, did a lot of promo work, and it paid off. Congrats, ladies!

After a personal encounter with heart disease, Mandy Harbin compiled the Bestselling anthology to raise awareness of heart disease warning signs, and some scary statistics.

Read more about Hearts in Danger here:
https://lovelustandlaptops.wordpress.com/2015/06/11/hearts-in-danger-now-a-usa-today-bestseller/

Congrats to the four authors I know featured in the anthology, Mandy Harbin, Parker Kincade, Elle James, and Megan Mitcham!
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"Crazy" Quote from Rare Form.

6/4/2015

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Haters Gonna Hate. Authors Don't Have To.

6/3/2015

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Over the last few days the vicious and snarky comments I've read on social media have me scrubbing my eyes. So many people are all aTwitter about E.L. James's new  Fifty Shades of Gray book as told by Christian. One thread ranted that James stole the "as told by" idea from Stephenie Meyers, as if storytelling from a love interest's POV was a historical first. One star reviews are popping up everywhere and the book isn't even set to release until mid-June.


I know that many people didn't love the books. I have heard my fair share of people put it down, just like they did Twilight. But the facts are that those series were phenomenally successful, and nearly every reader I know read them (and bought them ($$)). Apparently readers the world over did because it's sold a whopping 90 million copies.


I mean, my books come out in October, and I'll be lucky to sell 90. Nine-Zero.


I wish our first instinct wasn't to put other people's work down. I wish the author community, as a whole, was more supportive of each other, regardless of our opinions of the others' work. I wish I never heard the phrases, "But, ugh, the writing is awful," or "I just couldn't do it--those adverbs," or "No plot. Take away the sex, whaddyahave?"


Sure, every person--even authors--are entitled to our own opinions, but wouldn't it be great if we weighed the blood, sweat, and tears that go into every author's work against any jealousy we might feel that their imperfect book was a literary phenom while our brilliant baby sits unloved in a corner? Can't we all just get along???


I have to say that I belong to wonderfully supportive, positive, and generous chapter of RWA, the Diamond State Romance Authors. We encourage and support each other, and they provide top-notch advice. They've been there. They know how a new author struggles--how all authors struggle. It's a lot easier when we stick together.
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