Apr 15, 2010

Lana Griffin - Guest Blog and Contest

Today PVN welcomes Lana Griffin author of the terrific vampire novel Dusk. She's here to tell us what the writing life has been like for her. [Look for contest info at the end of the post.]

Lana's Journey from Print to E-Books

First, I want to thank Patricia for inviting me here today. 

I'm fairly new to blogging and Goodreads, and in fact, created my own blog only a few months ago.  During the past few weeks, I've done numerous interviews and guest posts, so perhaps I've had my first blog tour without knowing it.  I still don't know how to twitter, and I may never find out.  You see, I come to the e-book world from print, where things are very different.

DUSK is my first vampire romance novel, and it's an e-book from Ravenous Romance, a new e-publisher.  DUSK was released on 12-30-09, a few months ago.  This marks my first baby step into the e-landscape of writing. 

While DUSK is my first step into romance, it certainly isn't my first step into paranormals.  All of my published works (several dozen stories and six novels to date) are paranormals; most are wild, wacky, sexy stories about vampires, witches, spirits, shapeshifters, and other creatures. 

I became a creative writer because I had no choice.  I'm not particularly good at anything else, and I can honestly say that writing fiction is the one thing I truly enjoy doing.  If I can touch a few readers with ideas and emotions that matter to me, I'm thrilled.  If I can make someone laugh, I'm thrilled.  (I've received some fan letters over the years that are priceless, but that's a topic for another time.)

When I started selling fiction in 1993, I used a free CPM desktop computer with a free Spinwriter printer.  The equipment was so large that it occupied half of my dining room.  It was my first word processor, and I was amazed at how it boosted my fiction output compared to what I'd been producing on my parents' ancient 1940's typewriter. 

The ribbon on the Spinwriter had about as much ink as a Word document on your computer screen.  Hence, when I printed my stories, the type was almost illegible.  Not having a clue about what I was doing, I printed each illegible manuscript on the back of one long sheet of 20-inch-wide, perforated, green-and-white striped warehouse inventory paper.  This inventory paper had accounting statistics all over it (if you haven't guessed, I got the used inventory paper for free).  I then ripped the pages apart at the perforations and cut everything to size with fingernail scissors.  I pounded a staple into the top left corner of each story.

I sold my first dozen stories this way.  Amazing.  Because this is not the way to submit stories to print publishers!

Time rolled forward.  After selling a few dozen stories to print magazines and anthologies, I took a big step and sold one story to an e-publisher that offered pro-pay rates (4 cents/word).  I was paid, the story appeared online, and other than the backup copy I kept, the story is now long gone.  The e-publisher shut down, its website disappeared. 

I decided circa late-90s that e-publishing wasn't a great route for writers.

Time rolled forward.  (It has a habit of doing that.)  I wrote a lot of print books under very tight deadlines.  Some books sold well (350-400,000 copies) and some didn't do particularly well (10,000 copies). 

My agent, Lori Perkins, saw the rise of e-publishing and decided to hop onboard early.  She formed a partnership and created Ravenous Romance, and I returned to e-publishing using the pen name of Lana Griffin.

Here's what I think about my first vampire romance novel aka my first e-book: 

It was intensely fun to write DUSK.  I'd always wanted the freedom to write a wild, wacky, sexy vampire series.  The first book in that series is ∫. 

I'm extremely grateful to Ravenous Romance for publishing DUSK and giving me the freedom to write what I enjoy:  paranormal romance, as wild and wacky as I want, as sexy as I want, as romantic as I want. 

I'm onboard the e-ride now with full gusto.  I may not have print runs of 10,000 to 400,000 copies in the e-world, but I'm having lots of fun.  And for creative writers, fun is the reason we started in this crazy publishing business.

I'm still writing wild, wacky, sexy stories about vampires, witches, spirits, shapeshifters, and other creatures for print publishers:  I have three contracts (under my real name -- Lana Griffin is my pen name) for paranormal print books that will be released in 2010 and 2011. 

But I'm also writing wild stuff for Ravenous Romance, with two more paranormal romance novels coming this year.  Look for BITTEN BY LOVE in August and SEX IN THE GALAXY in late October. 

BITTEN BY LOVE is another vampire romance novel -- unrelated to DUSK. 
SEX IN THE GALAXY is an outerspace sexscapade. 

After writing the five novels currently on my plate, we'll see what comes next.  One thing is guaranteed:  whatever it is, it's going to be paranormal!

Buy DUSK from Ravenous Romance  ( HYPERLINK "http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/dusk.php" http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastica/dusk.php)

Buy DUSK from Amazon

It's also available wherever fine e-books are sold.  In addition, a print version of DUSK will be available at Amazon within a week or so.

xoxoxoxo,
Lana Griffin


CONTEST

[this contest it closed]


One lucky commenter will win a copy of  Dusk. Contest is international!

*To enter:  Lana would like an answer to this question: "Do you believe in voodoo - why or why not?"

You may also:

*Link to this contest on any of the social network sites, including Twitter, or your own web page. Let me know the url:  One chance for each link.
 

*If you are a Google follower (see sidebar on right): One chance
 

*If you are a member of the PVN Facebook page: One chance
 

*If you are an email subscriber: One chance

*If your email is not associated with your ID, please put the address in your response.

This contest closes April 23, 2010.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

+1 Hm.. I'm not sure if I believe in in voodoo, but I certainly fear it! It seems so dark and frightening to me, I'd rather not have anything to do with it in real life. lol

+1 tweeted here: http://twitter.com/Stella_ExLibris/status/12211090307

+1 spread the word on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?v=wall&story_fbid=105698756137878&id=100000899165880

+1 I'm a Google follower

+1 I'm a member of the PVN Facebook page (Stella (Ex Libris))

+1 I'm an email subscriber

stella.exlibris (at) gmail DOT com

Unknown said...

I believe that voodoo exists. There are some people that practice the black arts. I believe voodoo is evil and is used by some people in evil ways. Please enter me in contest. Thank you. Tore923@aol.com

Julie S said...

So Lana Griffin mentioned she has published paranormal works in the past. But she didn't say under what name. I'd be curious to look into those as well, can you share that information?

I'm not sure how I feel about voodoo. I mean, magic and stuff like that doesn't seem real, however, sooky things do happen.

I'm an email subscriber, Google follower, and facebook fan.
juliecookies(at)gmail.com

katsrus said...

I'm not sure about vodoo either but; I do know it scares me. Great interview.
+1 I am a Google follower
+1 Member of the PVN Facebook(Sue Brandes)
+0 If you are an email subscriber
Sue B
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

Kate the Book Buff said...

I'm not sure howmuch of voodoo I believe in. I think the mind is a powerful thing, and I'm not sure just how much it can do. Maybe some of the things people accomplish with their minds are perceived as paranormal, but they are just advanced. Anyway, I'd love to read this book, my e-mail is k8thebookbuff@yahoo.com
http://www.thebookbuff.blogspot.com

jellybelly82158 said...

I believe in voodoo, I know people practice the black arts.

Julie S

jellybelly82158 said...

I follow on Google Friends

jellybelly82158 said...

Member of PVN Facebook

jellybelly82158 said...

Email subscriber

Keta Diablo said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Keta Diablo said...

Hey, hey, Pat and Lana,

Great interview, Lana, and folks, DUSK is a great book by a fab writer (and person).

Much good luck to you, Lana, with those new releases coming out.

Keep 'em coming, Hugs, Keta
I already have DUSK, so no need to enter me in the contest.

catslady said...

It's not so much the voodoo that I believe in but that it can work for those that do believe - the power of suggestion and the mind.

catslady5(at)aol.com

I'm a follower.

mrsshukra said...

Yes, I believe... grew up believing in the possibility of anything + better to be safe than sorry!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

mrsshukra said...

Google follower!

delilah0180(at)yahoo(dot)com

Nicole, The Book Lover said...

I have an award for you over at my blog!
http://bookywooks.blogspot.com/2010/04/happy-101-award.html

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Patricia, for hosting me here at PVN!

I hope you all enjoy DUSK - and please do get in touch with me and let me know what you think.

My take on the paranormal? I also believe that anything is possible. There's an enormous amount that human don't know yet - about our own bodies and brains, about other dimensions, dark matter, and on and on. To me, it's conceivable that there are alternate realities, spirits, and other paranormal phenomena that science just hasn't discovered yet.

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

No need to enter me, ladies. I'm dropping in to say thanks for the e-mail, Patricia. I've got this posted at Win a Book for you.

KMichelleC87 said...

Honestly I'm not sure what I believe but I do like books envolving voodoo (although I have only read a couple).

+1 follower

Thank you!

kmichellec87(at)yahoo(dot)com

Ina said...

+1 I don't believe in voodoo, but I do believe that others believe in it and that gives voodoo power and influence...
greetings, Ina

+1 Google follower
+1 email subscriber
inale87 at gmx dot at

Persephone said...

I don't know much about voodoo and the culture, but it strikes me more as a mystical thing than anything actually very real. I'd have to say I don't really believe.

+1 Tweeted
http://twitter.com/suan_tian/status/12359884608

+1 GFC follower

+1 email subscriber


patronus89013 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Thank you all for entering Patricia's contest for Dusk. Apparently, she has a lot of entries & the contest remains open for a few more days, so good luck!

I also want to thank Patricia again for hosting me. She's really the best.

xoxoxoxoxo,
Lana
http://lanagriffin.blogspot.com

booklover0226 said...

I believe there are some aspects of voodoo which are real and powerful.

I'm an email subscriber.

I'm a Google follower.

I'm a FB follower.

Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com

angie said...

I'm not sure whether or not I believe in voodoo. I do know I would never mess around with it or try it. It seems very scary to me!
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

angie said...

I tweeted http://twitter.com/bangersis/status/12737177711
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

angie said...

I am a google friend follower
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

angie said...

I am a member of PVN on facebook
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com

angie said...

I am an email subscriber
email bangersis(at)msn(dot)com