Happy Easter, all!
I hope you are having a good hare day.




No I did not hide an egg there!















Or there





What am I doing this lovely Easter weekend? Well, I played Mama Thursday night so my daughter is now able to work over the weekend. Hey, working is a good thing.


I am working to self-publish a book of my heart, actually 2 books of my heart. Why would I do that? The truth is that I have tons of rejections and want folks to be able to read my stories. I am still working on stories I hope to sell, of course.

I found a gem of a cover artist who asked me questions and prepared a mock up for me. Bet you'd like to see it. Well, not yet! As soon as it's ready, you'll see it here! Just a hint. It rocks, so far.

Now back to reading the directions to upload it or download it or whatever. I am so technically challenged!

Enjoy your

Yesterday after work, I went for a walk with Henry. This is Henry, right after his first grooming.

Isn't he adorable?

The days when authors didn’t have to do promo are long gone. I’m not complaining; learning to promote my book has been good for me. It’s sometimes overwhelming, though, and the last thing I felt like doing last night was writing another blog about my new release, Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil. So I took Henry and my tired brain for a walk in the hope of finding something to say.

There’s no doubt about it, Georgia’s beautiful in the springtime. Ornamental trees are flowering their hearts out. My camellia bush is bowed down with crimson blossoms, and petals are piling up on the grass around it. Violets and daffodils are everywhere. I skirted a neighbor’s lawn which was dotted with dandelions -- some still in bloom, some puffballs. I admit to a childish urge to cavort when I see a lawn covered with those cheerful yellow flowers.

I love trees and flowers, but I’m no gardener. It was a kind of wishful thinking when I made my vampire heroine a landscaper. (She’s a hereditary, living, breathing vampire, so sun isn’t a problem.) I suppose her profession and the southern setting (Bayou Gavotte, a funky little imaginary town just north of New Orleans) are what inspired the artist to put that gorgeous magnolia on the cover.

But setting the story aside for a minute, if you saw that cover in a bookstore, what would you think was in the story? What does it conjure up for you?

Covers these days are supposed to conjure something up, but it wasn’t always like that. Last fall, I visited the Merril Collection of the Toronto Public Library. It’s a non-circulating collection of sci-fi, speculative fiction, fantasy, and related non-fiction. They have some pretty cool books there. My friend Mary showed me (if memory serves me accurately) a first edition, second printing of Dracula. The cover (again, hopefully my memory serves) is a sort of dull mustardy color. There's no artwork at all. Maybe it was a little brighter when it first came out, but regardless, the cover gives no hint at all of what’s inside. OMG. What a great surprise for the person who opened it up and began to read!

Do you like surprises, or do you prefer covers that give you a very good idea what’s inside?

(Incidentally... One person who comments will win a signed copy of Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil. Also, every single commenter will be entered in the month-long contest I'm holding on my website, with signed books and other stuff  as prizes. Check out the Contact page at www.BarbaraMonajem.com for details.)

by Joelle Charbonneau

I love walking through bookstores. To me it's like a room full of chocolate coated pretzels without the calories. Or maybe kettle corn. I’m a sucker for kettle corn. And by the number of titles stuffed in my shelves, it’s clear I can’t resist buying books. I love browsing the front tables to see what's new. More often than not, I go into a bookstore intending to purchase one or two specific books and end up walking out with a bag full.

Lately, I’m been considering why that is…aside from my obvious book addiction. Yes, I read the inside flap or the back of the book blurb to see if the book is up my alley. I flip to the first page and see if the book captures my interest immediately. If the book passes those two tests I head for the checkout counter.

But why did I pick up those books in the first pace? The cover, of course. We always hear that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Still, unless it's an author you already know and love, how else is a book supposed to get a potential reader’s attention? Russell McLean led a great discussion on the DoSomeDamage blog not too long ago about how covers affect the way he thinks about a book. Which makes sense. The cover is the first impression for most readers. It’s a lot like dating. While the outside package isn’t as important as the inside, it is the first thing you see. If the person has a multi-colored mullet and smells of garlic, you might not be inclined to get to know them further no matter how smart or funny they are.

And everyone’s first impression is different. One reader’s perfect cover is another reader’s automatic ‘no way’. Sue Grimshaw, Borders romance buyer and all around fabulous person, tells us that romance covers showing bare-chested men fly off the shelves. And I believe her, but those covers don’t speak to me. I don’t know why. I’m not opposed to fantastically sculpted male chests. In fact, I highly approve of them. I just don’t pick up books because of them. Now I’m just guessing, but I’m pretty sure lots of male readers think a sexy woman in a low cut top is interesting, but those guys won’t pick up novels featuring that same thing on the cover.

I guess what I'm saying is each person’s first impression of a book is different. As authors, we hope the cover that wraps around our words speaks to as many readers as possible. I know I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that my cover does. After much nail biting, I finally have one. The question is: what impression do you think Skating Around the Law’s cover coveys to a browsing reader? And please, tell me: what kind of covers you are drawn to in the book store? I’ll be taking notes.




Yes...even Phineas and Ferb tackle this issue. It's about 35 seconds into the video. Sorry, I'm not technically savvy enough to edit. And let's face it, Phineas, Ferb and the gang are fun. So please enjoy.