A Trip to Remember

Where he ends up might be better than where he was going.

A Trip to Remember

Meg Harding

Holiday Novella, Sleigh Ride Anthology

17,514 words

Contemporary Romance

Published by DreamSpinner

Cover by Bree Archer

 Blurb:

Colin wants to spend the Christmas holiday with his family, but a blizzard settles in and his flight is cancelled. Unwilling to accept this, he strikes out on his own and crashes his car. Where he ends up might be better than where he was going, though.

Logan was content to wait out the blizzard and spend the holiday alone, but when a frozen-solid Colin ends up on his doorstep he’s not going to turn him away. He takes him in and shows him Christmas spent with a stranger really doesn’t have to be awkward after all.

Excerpt:

Left alone, and more aware of the situation than he had been since he’d woken up, Colin took the opportunity to look at the room more thoroughly. In the corner stood a large Christmas tree, the lights and ornaments all red and white, and a couple presents scattered beneath. From the mantle above the fireplace hung several stockings, and little glass reindeer were placed on the mantle itself. Christmas knickknacks were spread throughout the room, placed on shelves and tables. A spinning snowflake dangled from the ceiling fan.

“Your family was supposed to come here, weren’t they?” he asked when Logan came back into the room.

“Yeah.” He handed the wet cloth to Colin with a small smile. “They’re smart, though, they didn’t try to travel through a blizzard.” He winked, his smile turning into a pleased smirk.

Colin rolled his eyes and scrubbed the cloth along his neck, hoping he was getting everything. “Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Considering I’ve only been harping on it for about ten minutes, I think you’ve got a ways to go.” Logan sat down next to him, his hip pressing into Colin’s stomach. “Give me that. You look so pathetic.” It sounded like he was trying not to laugh. He tugged the cloth from Colin’s grip, leaning over him to start dragging it over his skin.

Colin froze for a second, his neck tilted back vulnerably. He swallowed heavily. Logan was very much in his space, his face hovering right over Colin’s. He could see the striations in his irises, the way his pupils had expanded. If he respired out his mouth, he’d be breathing right into his face. He felt like he was holding his breath.

Get a grip. He tried to subtly exhale out his nose. “I thought you weren’t going to play nurse,” he said.

“I had no idea you’d make it look so difficult,” said Logan, brushing his thumb over the skin he’d just scrubbed, soothing irritated flesh. “It seemed wrong to let you keep trying.”

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Author Bio:

Meg Harding is a graduate of UCF, and is completing a masters program for Publishing in the UK. For as long as she can remember, writing has always been her passion, but she had an inability to ever actually finish anything. She’s immensely happy that her inability has fled and looks forward to where her mind will take her next. She’s a sucker for happy endings, the beach, and superheroes.  In her dream life she owns a wildlife conservation and is surrounded by puppies. She’s a film buff, voracious reader, and a massive geek.

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Design Your Cover

Earlier this year I attended a lecture on cover design. Much like everything else, cover design goes through a ‘trend’ period. Most genres have a somewhat standard cover design that you’ll find lots of variations of. Sometimes you’ll get a book with a cover that breaks the norm.

We can all admit it, there are bad covers out there. There are bestselling books with covers that make your eyes hurt. There are books that don’t sell all that well, or have average sales, with absolutely gorgeous covers. So, how much influence does the cover actually have on sales? If it’s an author with a backlog you’re familiar with, will you purchase their next book even if the cover isn’t stellar? Do you believe the cover accurately reflects the content?

For those of us who read eBooks, a cover might not play that big of a factor in our decisions. Personally, I’m more apt to read a book if I find the summary appealing anyway. That’s not to say my eye hasn’t been drawn to an attractive cover when I’m in the store, but I’m not about to buy solely based on that. I’ve more than once found myself looking at a cover, reading the summary, and wondering what the cover actually has to do with the book in question. If you’re buying from your Kindle, the cover is a small icon, and it’s the name of the book and the summary that will garner your attention normally. But maybe that’s just me.

One of the things that stuck out to me in the lecture, though, was the snickering at a cover for a historical romance novel. None of the other covers drew such harsh criticism or disdain, and I’m not going to lie, I was offended on behalf of romance readers/writers/cover designers. The other covers presented were minimal, similar looking, typical of their assigned genres. So what was it about the romance novel (one that was standard for similar titles)? The image was of a woman in historical dress, with fancy script, and if I recall correctly she had some skin showing. Despite what people like to say, one of the biggest markets out there is the romance market, and a typical cover for that market includes scantily dressed people. Most historical ones have a man or woman in the period clothing on the cover. They sell well. More than well, in actuality. I’m going to go out on a limb and say the covers are continuously designed in such a way because it’s been proven a decent amount of readers like them. That’s a tangent for another day, however.

The point of all this is, quite simply, to find out what influences you when you purchase books? When your publisher asks what the ‘ideal picture if you could have it’ would be? Would you buy a book with a bad cover? Do you prefer a minimal style? Can the style of a cover confuse you into thinking the book is a different genre than it is? That’s a lot of questions, I know. But just think about them.

A Signature Move

What’s Your Book’s Brand?

A brand is a powerful thing. It’s like a signature. It can be an image, a style, a phrase—anything. It’s something that allows people to recognize your work. Publisher’s obviously have a brand image, but do authors?

For authors writing a series, a brand image or feel is easier to establish. The covers can be similar, or even the titles. They can all share a unifying trait that allows readers to easily establish they go together. Can this be achieved for stand alone books, though? Is there a certain font you insist your name is always written in? Is the type always placed in the same place?

For most big name authors, a brand image is easy to establish. Designers tend to make sure the type is consistent or use the same colors. There’s a lot of ways it can be established. But for those working with smaller publishers, who are maybe just getting started, it can be a different story.

Look at it this way: If your name wasn’t on the cover, how would readers know it was a book you wrote? Is it possible to have a style of writing that in and of itself is a brand? Or is that too limiting? These questions can even be tied into the genre and subgenres you write in. If you are primarily a contemporary romance writer, you have established a brand in that field. Will those readers buy a historical romance you wrote then?

Everything and anything you do can be a brand. Your name is a brand. How well that brand translates to new fields is a different matter. It’s probably easier to stick to the same thing, but that’s not always what you want to do. Sometimes as a writer you want to branch out. Do you adopt a different name for this, or do you try and expand your brand?

Tweet it, Share it, Like it

What Social Media Can Do For You

One of the strongest tools a writer has in their arsenal is their social media presence. Publishers like to know that a writer can self-promote, as well as have an already there audience. When publishers receive book proposals, one of the first things they’re going to look at is where you are online. How many twitter followers do you have? Do you have a blog? Are you active on Facebook? The loftier the press, the more important this is.

Let’s look at the smaller side of things. If you’re working for/hoping to get published by a smaller press, social media is still important, but is it as effective and how can you utilize it properly? I find that social media is an area I have a lot of trouble keeping up with. I also find that it makes me feel awkward, and I often can’t think of interesting things to say. Twitter is particularly difficult in this aspect. I hear authors for smaller presses ask, “Is this working? Is it making a difference in my sales?” often.

Social media allows the writer to keep their fanbase updated and to spread any/all news. Even the tiniest amount of attention or followers is going to make a difference. If people are interested, they’ll tell other people. It doesn’t always feel like it pays off right away, but it’s something you have to keep at. And, it’s a fact, other authors are your friends. Follow them on twitter, like their facebook page, interact. You can help each other. Authors are a community, and a community is stronger if you stick together.

With each passing year, social media changes and authors get more and more tools to play with. Thunderclap is a new aid that has been introduced recently and many authors are giving it a go. Blogs allow authors to blog hop and to release snippets of their books (or short stories that are exclusively for the blog). Publishers like to see this. It’s proven that if people like what you’re posting on your blog in regards to snippets/whole stories, they’re likely to purchase the real thing when you release it.

Sometimes it feels like social media isn’t doing anything, or that it’s more of a hassle than it’s worth, but the best thing to do is not give up. Social media is going to be essential to your future as an author in this day and age. Where are you present online? Have you found something that works exceptionally well or not at all? Share your insights and help others asking the same questions.

The Complexity of Copyright and Trademarks

It’s something that no author, and definitely no publisher, wants to deal with. Truth be told, I hadn’t given it much thought until recently. The general belief is that, if you’re writing original fiction, you’re good to go. But it’s not always that black and white. I’m not talking about the mess that is book piracy, that’s a completely different topic for another day. I’m talking about the mess that is incorporating something copyrighted or trademarked (specifically in the case of sports related fiction) into your story.

Recently I’ve made the decision to extend my writing sphere into the world of sports. Hockey, in particular. I ran up against the question: Do I have to create an entire league of fake teams? Can I even use the NHL title? Can I mention real hockey players? I knew going in that my main characters, and subsequently any teams with big parts, would have to be fictional. I also knew that I couldn’t have real life people doing things that shined them in a bad light in my story. In the end, I decided it was easiest just to create an entirely fake roster of teams and players. As I’m not the best when it comes to naming things like teams, or even people (it takes me unbelievably long), easiest is a relative term. But I figured, why should I risk stepping on someone’s toes?

Now onto copyright and the mighty question of: is this stolen? I’m going to bring up my last article here, on the notion of publishers wanting the tried and true story. If multiple books are coming out, all with the same basic concept, that’s not copyright. Even though many of them may have taken their influence, or even have a foundation built from these original novels, the characters and plot are different. There’s nothing wrong with using a general idea, as long as you don’t take the rest of someone else’s story with you. There’s a difference between ‘wow, that’s vaguely similar’ and ‘wow, that’s exactly the same’.

That’s looking at things from the bigger picture, but what about the tiny picture? What if you want to incorporate a recipe you found into your story? Or your favorite song lyrics? What if you’re quoting a speech you heard or a funny line from a TV show? As a writer, figuring out what does and does not constitute copyright can be a pain when you’re in the zone and you want to have an upbeat scene with your character singing and dancing.

If you’re already working with a publisher, or connected to an author group, ask them for advice before you get invested in a quote or other potentially copyrighted material. Most publishers will have a specific policy to control copyright and the guidelines will be very clear. I myself am dealing with the question of the recipe conundrum right now. Respecting copyright and trademarks is part of a writer’s job, and it’s not always a clear cut or easy one.

Tried and True

What Publishers Are Really Looking For

The truth is, it’s not about creating something brand new and stand alone anymore. It’s about taking something old and putting a new spin on it. Publishers like the ‘tried and true’ method. They’re taking a risk on your book, but they want to take the tiniest one possible. From a business stand point this is extremely logical. But is it from a creative one? I believe it is and it isn’t.

As a voracious reader, and a writer, I often find myself veering towards the same tropes. None of the stories are the same, but basic similar plot elements can be found in many of them. The simple fact is, people like what they like. In order to meet this need, it makes sense to provide the reader with various options (all different, but yet with that connecting factor). Personally, I’m a fan of romantic stories involving shifters or fantasy elements. The fact that there’s a giant market for this, and as such plenty of books coming out with such elements, means that I’m rarely wanting for reading material. That being said, in order for a niche in the market to open up, it stands to reason that someone must take the risk of publishing the brand new. The unexplored.

Having multiple versions of the same basic trope (vampires, werewolves, meet cutes, the end of the world) isn’t a sign of flagging creativity. If anything it’s a sign of just how creative writers have become. They’re fighting to stand out amongst a sea of similar work, to make themselves appear different and unique, while writing about an already populated topic. If you want an example of this, you need only to look at the film industry. In the past several years the film industry has been plucking apocalyptic novels and science fiction novels out right and left. They operate on the same basic premise, but they’re all unique. And they’re an overwhelming success.

Taking all of this into account, if you have a truly unique, never been done before, idea: go for it. It may take time, and you may have to go through a pile of rejections, but your novel might just be the start of a whole new trend. You just have to find someone willing to take the risk. Sometimes though, it’s fun to take a common concept and put a new spin on it. No matter what you decide to write, the important part, as a writer, is to believe that your book is worth the risk it presents to the publisher.