Post-Cancer Celebratory Trip Planning: Prague and Paris, Here We Come!

My last cancer treatment took place at the end of July, so last week I was able to get my port out. I'm a little sore from the stitches, but I don't seem to mind, because it means I'm officially DONE with invasive cancer treatments!

What's a girl to do to celebrate?

1. Throw a killer book launch party.

2. Go on vacation to Prague and Paris.

I visited Prague briefly when I was 22 years old, while backpacking after college. It was such a mysterious, romantic city (two of my favorite things) that I always wanted to go back. Life got away from me, though, so I never did. And somehow it's already 15 years later!

But you know what? Even if cancer changes my plans along the way in the future, I'm not going to let it stop me from having the experiences I want to in life. I'm going to turn cancer on its head and use it as a reminder to focus on the important things in life, like seeing the world with my loved ones.

So we booked ourselves tickets flying into Prague and out of Paris for later in the fall, after Artifact comes out. I've already got an idea for a Paris mystery novel in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series, but now I need to think of some good ideas for a Prague mystery....

—Gigi

Book Launch Party for Artifact

I'd love for you to join me at the book launch party for Artifact!

The event is being held at the wonderful independent bookstore A Great Good Place for Books, located in the Montclair neighborhood of Oakland.

Saturday, September 8, 2012
7 p.m.
A Great Good Place for Books 
Oakland, CA

What can you expect? The party takes place the week after Artifact hits the shelves, so you'll be able to buy a copy of the book, and I'll be signing copies. I'll also read a little bit from the novel and share some fun facts about how the book came to be—but mostly it'll be a fun party at a fabulous bookstore. In keeping with the spirit of Artifact, there will be Scotch whisky from the region of the highlands of Scotland where the book takes place, and other treats.

This book launch party is a joint celebration, celebrating not only the release of my debut mystery, but also the successful completion of a year of cancer treatments! So yes, there's a lot to celebrate.


—Gigi

The Haircut, Week 4

Too long to spike but not quite long enough for bangs. Depending on whether or not my curls turn out to be as strong as they were before chemo, it might soon be time to pull out my stash of cute hats....

—Gigi

My Mom's New Book is Out!

My mom, Sue Parman, has a new poetry chapbook out: The Thin Monster House (Finishing Line Press).

Here are a few links, for those of you who are poetry fans:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Finishing Line Press. 

“Keenly observant, intelligent, and filled with moments of beauty, The Thin Monster House tastes of nature, life and loss.  I felt as if I was on a journey with a poet taking me to new, unexpected places. Sue Parman’s poetry is edgy, sharp and acute.”

—Sandra Giedeman, past president of the Orange County chapter of PEN, Pushcart Prize nominee, and winner of the Mudfish Poetry Prize

“From modern to ancient times, these poems call forth the cycles of the natural world and human life on planet Earth. With unexpected turns, Sue Parman applies the unimagined to the ordinary, taking the reader deep into primal elements and outward into the universe. A thoroughly luscious read!”

—Marie Buckley, President Emeritus of the Oregon Poetry Association

The thin house on the hill is invisible

to adults but children know when it will appear,

although it can be seen only by its dark perimeter

for less than a minute.  Such a brief time, seconds fizz

through fingertips, not enough time for fears

to bubble and trouble small spirits, and yet

so much can happen inside of a single minute….

—excerpt from the poem, “The Thin Monster House”

Sue Parman is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and an award-winning poet, playwright, essayist, and fiction writer.  In academia she is the author of six books and numerous articles on topics as diverse as Scottish crofters, Japan, and the neurophysiology and cultural patterning of dreams, and has published in diverse literary genres, from memoirs, science fiction, and travel writing to sonnets and haiku.  For thirty years she studied a Gaelic-speaking community in the Scottish Outer Hebrides, and many of her academic writings and literary fiction deal with Scotland.  Since moving to Oregon in 2009, she has received over ten writing awards, including four first-place awards from the Oregon State Poetry Association and Oregon Writers Colony, two Kay Snow Awards from Willamette Writers, and Honorable Mentions from Best Travel Writing Annual Solas Awards and Oregon Humanities.  Her poetry has appeared in Cloudbank, Verseweavers, Slant, The Hiram Poetry Review, and The Elephant-Ear, as well as other venues, and her short stories, plays, and essays have appeared in Voice Catcher, Lumina, Journeys, The Elephant-Ear, Spectacle, The Los Angeles Times, Songs of Innocence, and BewilderingStories.com.  Produced plays include “Queen Victoria’s Secret” (which was performed in Portland’s Fertile Ground New Play Festival in 2011, published in Voice Catcher, and nominated for the Pushcart Prize).  

Information about upcoming readings and publications can be found at: http://www.sueparman.com/ and http://anthro.fullerton.edu/sparman/.

—Gigi

The Haircut: Week 3 / Plus a Note About Comments

This week was a tipping point. My post-chemo hair growth became long enough that I can no longer spike it straight up. When I try to do so, it looks rather like a pathetic attempt at a mohawk. Not an awesome mohawk, mind you. Just a sad little silly one.

Instead, I'm going to see if taming my curls downward works. Here's my first shot. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes my curls to rebel.

I previously blogged about my inadvertent sociological experiment that took place during chemo, in which different wigs received vastly different responses from the people I interacted with. This continues to be the case with short hair! More than any other change of appearance I've ever had, hair changes the way strangers interact with me.

I'm not sure if it's these thrilling posts about my hair that are increasing the number of people reading the blog (kidding, I know it's the how-to posts), but I've started to receive SPAM comments that I've had to delete. Therefore I've changed the settings and comments will only appear once I've had a chance to approve them.

—Gigi

The Haircut: Week 2

Last week I began a weekly ritual: taking a photo of my hair once a week as it grows out after chemotherapy. This way I'll be able to remember what it looks like at different lengths, so I can decide how long I'd like to keep it.

I'm much better at sticking to things if I declare publicly that I'm going to do them. Much like participating in NaNoWriMo pretty much ensures I'll complete a 50,000-word draft of a novel within a month, and starting Gargoyle Girl got me to sort through years of gargoyle and other mysterious photographs, promising to take a weekly photo of my post-cancer hair means I have to do it—even if I've got a bit of Alfalfa hair going on like I do right here.

5 Things You Really Need To Know Before Deciding Whether To Self-Publish: Workshops and a Cheat Sheet

Four months ago I wrote a blog post with 20 Steps in Self-Publishing, to share what I learned in the six months after a scary cancer diagnosis made me decide to throw myself into forming my own imprint to publish my mystery series myself.

Since that time, I've learned a lot more and have had many people ask me for details about the process. Most recently, two writers organizations asked me to speak about what I've learned over the course of this year. For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area or the Portland Oregon area who might be interested in attending, here are details about those two events. And for everyone, here's a preview with some key things that are part of what I'll be talking about in the workshops: 5 things you really need to know before deciding whether to self-publish.

Adventures in Self-Publishing
Saturday, August 4, 2012, noon – 2 p.m. 
Berkeley, CA
Details and directions on the SinC NorCal website. This is a free event.
Speaking to the Northern California Chapter of Sisters in Crime about the pros and cons of self-publishing and traditional publishing, and answering questions about the nuts and bolts of self-publishing.

Different Paths to Publishing: Which is Right For You, and How To Do It Right
Sunday, September 16, 2012, 1 – 5 p.m.
Lake Oswego Fairfield Inn and Suites, OR (near Portland)
Details on the OWC website. Registration is necessary. There is a fee, but scholarships are available.
I'm excited to be teaching this 4-hour workshop with my mom! Sue Parman is an anthropologist who's written numerous academic books in addition to fiction, plays, and poetry. We've each had experience with multiple types of publishing. The first half of our workshop will focus on what you need to know to make a personal decision about which type of publishing to pursue. The second half will delve into publicity and marketing.


5 Things You Really Need To Know Before Deciding Whether To Self-Publish

1. Self-Publishing is not necessarily a shortcut. It's a temptingly lovely path of roses you see off the main highway. When you pull off the interstate, you'll see the beautiful roses are covered in thorns. A few people will have the talent and luck to avoid most of the thorns, many others will be annoyed by the extent of their scratches but will ultimately be happy with the garden, and some people will become stuck in the brambles, never finding their way to a successful spot on the path that was once so tantalizing.

So far, I fall into the middle camp. It's a hell of a lot more work than I thought it was going to be to publish my first mystery myself, but it's also been rewarding in many ways.  It's important to note that even though technology has made it possible for publishing shortcuts to exist, there's not a shortcut to learning how to be a good writer. It's never a good idea to publish shoddy work. The general public is not your critique group. Make sure you've got a damn good book before sharing it with the world. Spend the time you need to write a book that's good enough to be traditionally published, and then decide what type of publishing is right for you.

2. Are you up for dealing with the nitty gritty details of publishing that don't involve writing? I went over many of the the steps involved here, including getting ISBN numbers, designing a book cover and other promotional materials, deciding on a printer and distribution, creating the layout for the printed book, formatting the book for different ebook formats, and creating accounts to sell the book. Whew! And that's not even everything. There are more forms such as copyright and PCIP data blocks, if you decide to get these things.

It's true that you'll keep a lot more of the profits from book sales if you publish your books yourself, but you'll also be doing all the hidden work yourself. Maybe you love having control of all of these things and have the time to do them, in which case self-publishing is probably a great path for you.

3. Do you want to focus on writing above all else? Unfortunately there's no way for a writer to focus exclusively on writing these days, whichever route to publishing you chose. But if you don't want to think of yourself as a business person as much as an author, you might want to stick with having someone else as your publisher.

Fortunately, there are lots of business people who love books, so I've been hearing about many wonderful new small presses popping up. With publishing in flux right now, these aren't the most stable of times—but they're also pretty exciting times with lots of options.

4. Have you thought about your goals? No, really. Will you be disappointed that the vast majority of bookstores won't stock your self-published book, regardless of how professional it looks? Or will you be thrilled to check out your eBook sales directly and see that people who don't know you are buying your book? Any goal is a valid one, as long as you're sure you're being honest with yourself. Otherwise you might end up disappointed later.

5. The books are still the most important thing. This point circles back to the first one. It's easy to get swept up in all of the back-end details of publishing a book and the front-end marketing, both of which could easily be a full-time job. It's all to easy to forget that what you really need to be doing is writing the next book. All of the successful self-published authors I've spoken with agree that having multiple books out is the best way to generate word-of-mouth.

I admit that for a couple of months I got side-tracked and spent too much time focusing on the publishing and marketing side of things. I even joined Facebook! (Gah! Yes, that should show you how crazy things had gotten.) But ultimately I realized I wasn't doing myself any favors. I know I can't do everything. As of two weeks ago, I'm back on track. I need to keep writing the next chapter in the series—and that's is exactly what I'm going to get back to doing after I publish this blog post.


I hope to see some of you at the workshops, and in the meantime feel free to leave a comment below with any questions. I've learned a lot from so many generous people that I'm more than happy to pass along what I've learned.

One Year Later: The Post-Cancer Recap

Last week was the one year anniversary of when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. What a year! I never expected so many of the things that happened this year:

• Getting cancer in my 30s.
• Going through chemo, which sucked but also had the wonderful side effect of bringing out the best in my husband and friends.
• Deciding to stop waiting for my agent to hear from publishers and instead form my own imprint and publish my first book myself.
• The support of so many people regarding my controversial decision.
• Feeling healthier than I ever have in my life. 
• Eating a diet that's pretty close to vegan. This is after previously being someone who prided myself on my ability to try any food, anywhere. I never expected it, but food tastes more amazing than ever.
• Finding myself completely comfortable with hospitals and needles. 
• Having short hair—and thinking that it doesn't actually look so bad!

Regarding that last point, after the first inch grew back thin and straight, my hair is now growing back as fierce and curly as ever. In the picture above, you can see my short cut is starting to curl at the edges. That picture was taken a little over a week ago, and it's already visibly longer. I'm stealing an idea from a friend and am going to take a photo of myself each week as my hair grows out, so I can decide what length I like best. As long as I don't look too ridiculous—and those curls will start to look silly—I'll share the photos here. Okay, okay, I'll post photos here regardless. But I don't promise that I won't sometimes be wearing a cute hat.

And how did I fare with my New Year's Resolutions that I came up with right as I finished up chemo and began radiation? I stuck to the important ones (my first mystery novel is coming out at the end of August, I'm working on other fun writing projects, and I'm cooking delicious healthy food) but I failed in a few ways that surprised me:

It's true. Hell has frozen over. And look outside your window; you'll see some pigs flying. Yup, I'm now on Facebook. With my first book coming out in less than two months, I set up an author page (not a personal one). I haven't yet decided what I think of it, but I'm around, so you can find me there.

I wanted to practice my French, but I haven't spoken a word of French since 2012 began. Okay, maybe three words. Or thirty. But I didn't start a new French language course. It turns out it's so much work to be one's own publisher. (More on that next week.) Getting my book ready for publication didn't leave me with much free time. I also didn't keep a sketchbook, or keep up with this blog as much as I would have liked. I did keep a notebook of notes, and I see I've got lots to blog about, so that's one thing that'll be easy to do more of. But French? I apologize in advance to the French, whose language I will slaughter when I visit France this fall after my last cancer treatments are complete.

This year has taught me that it's true you can never know what will happen in your life—but you can be prepared. Having wonderful people in my life got me through this year, and I know now that I can get through anything.

—Gigi

The First of Many Post-Cancer Vacations: New York City

Almost exactly one year ago, I was supposed to go to New York City. The week before that trip, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I cancelled the trip, unsure of when I'd be able to travel again.

I was rushed into surgery to have the tiny cancerous lump removed. Then chemotherapy wiped out my immune system, making travel a very bad idea. Post-chemo radiation wasn't so bad, but it was every single day for five weeks. I've still got some minor treatments, but with the big stuff over, my body bounced back amazingly well—so well that my doctor gave me the green light to travel! A new trip to New York came together, and since my diagnosis made me see clearly how much it means to me to travel, I'm also in the process of planning a trip abroad this fall after my book launch. I haven't quite figured out where we're going yet, since I want to do everything. But for now, this New York trip was a great start to live being not just back to normal, but even better.

We went to the top of the Rockefeller Center at sunset:

One of my favorite things about New York City is the gorgeous architecture that's filled with ornamental details. If you stop and look up, you're bound to see a carving through the trees like the ones below.

And even after an building has been demolished, its stone carvings might end up at the Brooklyn Museum's sculpture garden, like the figure below that found his new home in the grass lawn of the garden. (I'll be posting photos of the gargoyles and grotesques of New York over on the Gargoyle Girl blog this month.)

The apartment we stayed in made great use of space and had a solid dining table perfect for writing over morning coffee.

The apartment had a great view, but after a great trip I'm happy to be sitting at home in my Bay Window with the view of my giant cactus.

—Gigi

Writing and Gardening

This month, I've taken a step back from my the frantic pace I was keeping in anticipation of my first novel coming out at the end of the summer.

At the start of the year, one of my biggest resolutions was to keep writing fun. I've done a good job at sticking to that, but stress began to creep up on me as my "to do" list grew longer and longer. There's a long list of logistical set-up and an endless amount of promotion you can do for a novel. I had to take a step back and remind myself what I want to get out of writing. It's not optimizing sales. It's having fun writing good stories.

It's been almost a year since my cancer diagnosis turned my life upside down, a long enough time that it's easy to slip into old habits, such as working through lunch or stressing about getting the right reviews. But you know what? I'm no good at being stressed out. It's the antithesis of my personality. I'm done worrying about getting everything "right" with book promo. I'm back on track enjoying life's moments.

I'm still working hard, but I'm choosing to focus on things that are also fun, such as a joint writing project with two fantastic authors, and doing a photo shoot for an author pal who's updating her website. And I'm spending more time enjoying the garden (to be fair, it's the husband who does the gardening; I just keep him company and take photos of his work!). Here are a few garden photos.

 

Below, my NaNoWriMo mug with a green smoothie made in part with veggies from the garden: kale and cucumber with avocado, green apple, and cacao flakes for sweetness and caffeinated kick. Yum. (Seriously, YUM.)

Birthday Weekend and a New Haircut

Writing in a hotel suite overlooking the bay in Oakland.

The long weekend I gave myself to celebrate my birthday is almost over, but I packed in a heck of a lot. This is looking to be a great year.

Mini writing retreat—check.

Dinner party after writing all day—check.

Dinner at delicious San Francisco Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre—check.

Happy hour with old friends at Gather in Berkeley—check.

With pals at Gather in Berkeley.

Taking the day off on Monday to have fun and be productive—half-check. I had a great day, but didn't write much (though I solved a plot problem). I tried updating my website, but found I was in over my head with things I wanted to do beyond simple HTML (I'm thinking of switching to WordPress).  

I've still got a really long list of things to do for my novel coming out in a little over three months, but I'm looking at my list in a new way. Rather than worrying about how daunting it is, I'm back to having fun with the journey.

Relaxing after a long day of writing.

And...I'm sporting a new haircut! I didn't believe this haircut would work on me until I listened to the sage advice to buy conditioning shampoo. Turns out curly hair needs love even when it's this short! The next time you see me, I'll look like this:

 —Gigi

My Fan Girl Week

Two events this past week have gone a long way towards balancing out my crappy, cancer-filled last year. First, I met one of the two mystery authors whose books I've loved since I was a teenager. Then, I received a fantastic book blurb from the other one!

Last week, I wrote about meeting Barbara Mertz (who writes mysteries as Elizabeth Peters) at the Malice Domestic mystery convention. When I returned home, I had to pinch myself when I found a book blurb from Aaron Elkins waiting for me.

Aaron Elkins had graciously agreed to read an Advance Reader Copy of Artifact, so I knew it was a possibility that I'd receive a blurb if he liked the book. But I couldn't quite believe it when it when I read the email.


"How wonderful to see a young, new writer who harks back to the Golden Age of mystery fiction. Artifact is...witty, clever, and twisty, with a unique, easy-to-root-for protagonist in Jaya Jones...Do you like Agatha Christie? Elizabeth Peters? Then you're going to love Gigi Pandian."
—AARON ELKINS, Edgar®-winning author of the Gideon Oliver "Skeleton Detective" mysteries


Now, for those of you who haven't read any mystery novels by Elizabeth Peters or Aaron Elkins, let me give a brief overview, since you're definitely missing out. There are lots of other fabulous mystery writers out there (such as one of my current favorites, Daniel Stashower, who writes a great series about Harry Houdini among other things), but there's nothing quite like the books we discovered while growing up, is there?

Both Elizabeth Peters and Aaron Elkins write adventure mysteries with American (and sometimes British) academics solving mysteries abroad, usually involving a historical mystery linked to a present day crime. These aren't thrillers, but rather are puzzle mysteries in the tradition of Agatha Christie, full of characters easy to fall in love with. I love this stuff, which is why I decided to write it.

Elizabeth Peters is best known for the humorous Amelia Peabody mystery series featuring a Victorian era Egyptologist. While I love Amelia, art historian Vicky Bliss is my favorite character written by Elizabeth Peters. Vicky gets swept up in mysteries across Europe and finds herself falling for a dashing jewel thief. (Oh, the romance! And yes, it says something about the stages of life that until I met my husband I never fully appreciated the romantic elements of the Amelia Peabody books, since I couldn't believe that settling down with a great guy could be as romantic as running around with an international jewel thief.)

Aaron Elkins writes the Gideon Oliver mysteries about a forensic anthropologist who solves mysteries all over the world. My parents are anthropologists, so I grew up getting to tag along on research trips like these, but for some reason our real life trips never ended up matching the level of adventure in these books. Hmm... I suppose that was probably a good thing. But I'm glad I've got the books.

Recommended reading:

Borrower of the Night - The first Vicky Bliss mystery by Elizabeth Peters that takes Vicky from the midwestern college where she teaches to a romp of a treasure hunt at a German castle.

The Crocodile on the Sandbank - The first Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters where Amelia first visits Egypt and must solve a mystery involving a walking mummy who's after Amelia's friend.

The Murders of Richard III - Paying homage to both Josephine Tey and the English countryside house-party murder mystery, in this book Elizabeth Peters takes librarian Jacqueline Kirby to a gathering of a Richard III society who want to prove the 500-year-old king innocent, but they instead find a murderous history repeating itself.

Old Bones - An atmospheric Gideon Oliver mystery by Aaron Elkins that takes place at Mont St. Michel in France. (This book won an Edgar award.)

Curses - Gideon Oliver solves the mystery of a supposed curse at a Mayan archaeological dig.

Malice Domestic 2012: Celebrating the Traditional Mystery with Elizabeth Peters This Year!

I'm home after attending the Malice Domestic mystery convention. If you're asking yourself what on earth "Malice Domestic" means, here's a quick explanation: Agatha Christie wrote traditional mysteries with puzzle plots that involve characters we get to know, quite different from conspiracy thrillers or gritty hard-boiled stories that also live in the mystery genre. Malice Domestic celebrates traditional mysteries. It's what I write and what I love to read.

Meeting Elizabeth Peters!!!

One of the authors who epitomizes this genre is Elizabeth Peters, whose books I have adored since I was a teenager. She stopped attending mystery conventions years ago, but she attended one afternoon of Malice Domestic this year to receive the Amelia award, an award named for her spectacular character Amelia Peabody.

It was a highlight of the convention when I got to meet her! What a lovely, gracious author. When I met up with my friends afterward, I believe I was giggling like I was thirteen years old. 

I moderated a Travel Mysteries panel featuring Hilary Davidson, Janice Hamrick, Maddy Hunter, Marie Moore, and Sara Wisseman. These authors have books set around the world in Egypt, Peru, and Europe, so it was fun to hear their travel stories that impacted their fiction. (UPDATE: Marie's husband took a photo of the panel, which I've added below.)

Our Travel Mysteries panel.

Kaye George and Jenny Milchman.

Although panels at conventions are great, one of the best parts is who you meet informally, such as running into Kaye George (a fellow member of the Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime who was up for an Agatha this year) and Jenny Milchman. If you haven't heard of Jenny's "Made It Moments" blog where authors share their stories about the moment they feel like they've "made it" as an author, you need to check it out. It's one of the most inspiring things you'll read all day.

A couple of my friends arrived late to a panel we had all planned to attend, so I ended up sitting and chatting with Sujata Massey, who writes the Rei Shimura mysteries. I learned she's working on a new book, The Sleeping Dictionary, set in colonial India, that sounds very cool.

With Sujata Massey.

In addition to chance encounters, I also planned in advance to meet up with two writers I knew through the Guppies, Kendel Flaum and Diane Vallere. The three of us first got to know each other when we traded works-in-progress. We really liked each others writing, so we decided to embark on a joint project together (more details to follow later this summer). The project has been going great, in spite of the fact that we hadn't ever hung out in person! I had met Diane very briefly once before, and Diane had met Kendel, but the three of were very much virtual friends—until this weekend.

Hanging out with partners in crime Kendel Flaum and Diane Vallere.

At the Agathas Banquet.

Guppy Leslie Budewitz won an Agatha award for her non-fiction guide for authors BOOKS, CROOKS, AND COUNSELORS.

Leslie Budewitz accepting her Agatha Award for BOOKS, CROOKS, AND COUNSELORS

At lunch with Leslie Budewitz, Avery Aames, Tracy Kiely, Kaye George, and Sandra Parshall.

Last but not least, I'm happy to report I finally met Nicole Peeler! I was starting to believe this urban fantasy author was a figment of my imagination. Turns out I was mistaken—she's real! And very fun.

Meeting Nicole Peeler in person for the first time.

p.s. I played hookie from the convention for a few hours one afternoon to see the gargoyles on the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. I'll post more photos of the gargoyles over at Gargoyle Girl next week.

A gargoyle on the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

Highlights from Left Coast Crime 2012

I'm back from Left Coast Crime, a fantastic convention for mystery fans. I caught the Amtrak Capitol Corridor train up to Sacramento, rather than driving, which was a great start to the long weekend. I spent the hour-and-a-half train trip writing down ideas for a novella.

In addition to attending panel discussions on entertaining topics, one of my favorite things about mystery conventions is the combination of being able to catch up with old friends and meet so many interesting new people. Left Coast Crime 2012 was no exception. Here are a few of my highlights. 

The Guppy lunch: A dozen of us from the Sisters in Crime Guppies Chapter got together for lunch on Friday. I'd previously met only a few of the Guppies who attended the luncheon, so it was wonderful to meet several writers I'd previously known online.

Sisters in Crime Guppies lunch at LCC 2012.

Moderating a panel: I moderated a panel on short stories with authors Tim Wohlforth, Richard Lupoff,  Deborah Ledford, and Jack Erickson. My only complaint was that the session was too short! We only had 45 minutes, and we were having such a great discussion that I didn't have a chance to ask everything I wanted to. The room was packed, and I was happy to see so many people interested in short stories, a form I love.

Moderating a short story panel.

Attending panels: I learned a lot at the e-publishing presentation by Elle Lothlorien, who's had great success self-publishing her romantic comedy novel The Frog Prince. On the publicity and social media panel, I was happy to see the panelists shared my philosophy that since you can't do all social media (at least not if you ever want to sleep), you should chose the aspects that are fun for you, and those are the things you'll do well at because you're genuine and you'll stick with them. It was also inspiring to attend the panel with the debut novelists nominated for Best First Novel; their enthusiasm was catching.

Hanging out at the bar: Since one of the best things about mystery conventions is getting to know other mystery writers and readers, a lot of socializing happens over coffee in the hospitality suite or drinks at the bar. I was slightly apprehensive about socializing post-cancer, since I'm doing my whole healthy eating and drinking thing. However, I needn't have worried. I was so busy talking with fascinating people that I didn't miss my old habits. I was also so caught up in the moment that I didn't take many photos (but Sophie Littlefield posted many more photos here).

Hanging out with old and new friends.

Celebratory Saturday night: Along with my roommates Sophie Littlefield and Juliet Blackwell, I dressed up for the awards banquet on Saturday night. Two members of my local NorCal Sisters in Crime chapter won awards: Kelli Stanley was awarded the Golden Nugget and Ann Parker won the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery award.

Dressed up for the banquet with Juliet Blackwell and Sophie Littlefield.

When it was time to leave on Sunday morning, I had a tough time packing since I'd bought so many books! 

I can't resist ending with a view of the dramatic clouds outside our hotel room window.

—Gigi

ARCs Are Here!

My Advance Reader Copies of Artifact are here—what fun! (That's all for now, but I'll do a more thorough update from Left Coast Crime this weekend.)

20 Steps in Self-Publishing

September 2014 UPDATE: It's been the Wild West in self-publishing for the last few years, so I thought it worth noting that if you've stumbled across this blog post in 2014 (or later), some of the information below is out of date (e.g. vendors handle pre-sales differently these days). Since my self-published book led me to two book deals, I'm not currently self-publishing, but there are a lot of great resources to help you if you're exploring this path.

It's been six months since I decided to publish my Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series myself, and it's also six months until the first book in the series, Artifact, comes out. Last week I got Advance Reader Copies off to the printer, so I think it's a fitting time to look back on everything that has gone into this process so far.

I already shared my reasons for self-publishing in detail here. The brief version is that my first mystery had already received multiple distinctions and I had signed with an agent who believed in my work, so I knew I was on the right track and was content to keep writing while I waited until the timing was right for a publishing deal—until a breast cancer diagnosis changed my mind. I no longer knew if I'd have time on my side to wait. Of course I plan on beating this thing, but it was a wake-up call that life's uncertainties necessitate taking action to get what you want out of life.

What I've learned in these past six months is that it's a hell of a lot of work to publish your own books. Publishers have a lot to offer authors. I already knew this, but now I've experienced it first hand.

I don't regret my decision at all, but it was right for me based on my particular situation. If you're thinking about self-publishing, you should be aware up front that it's not the easy path. It might be right for you, like it is for me, but you should know what you're getting into up front. I'm having fun, but also wishing there were more hours in the day.

(I should note that I'm not talking about authors who want to publish their back-lists as ebooks, but rather new authors starting out who want to produce both ebooks and print books.)

Here are the 20 steps I've taken, and what I've learned about each of them:


1. Research, research, research! 

This is the step I started with. No matter how many lists like this one you read, none of them will answer all the questions you'll have. Trust me; I read a lot of lists. I also read a lot of blogs and books. Many of them provided great information, and I hung onto the bits that made sense to me.

Besides practical information, I also read personal anecdotes about peoples' experiences with self-publishing, to get a sense of whether I had the right personality for such an undertaking. I decided that I did. It was a gut-level decision, but one that was backed up by knowledge about the hard work and up-front costs that would go into following through on the decision. 

2. Forming a DBA to have a publishing imprint.

I formed Gargoyle Girl Productions as a creative boutique to encompass my three creative passions: mystery writing, design, and mysterious photography.

GGP is serving as my freelance business for creative services, and also my imprint for my mystery novels. Forming a DBA ("Doing Business As") required some minimal legal set-up fees, but now allows me to officially do business as Gargoyle Girl Productions. This isn't necessary for everyone, but for my situation it makes my life a lot easier. 

3. Creating a business plan.

While I didn't create a detailed business plan, I did write down my goals and create a budget. Up front, it was important for me to put down in writing how I was going to define success for myself, and also decide how much money I was going to put into this endeavor.

I love my day job as a designer, and I don't want to write full time. I already have a situation that gives me two weekday mornings off work. I'm also fortunate that I'm part of a wonderful community of writers. But I came up with three things I don't have right now that want out of publishing: to hold a book I'm proud of in my hands, to finance extended foreign travels for both enjoyment and research, and most importantly: to share my stories with other people.

Based on those goals, I knew I wanted to produce both ebooks and print books, and I set about making a list of expenses I'd need to meet those goals. I put $5,000 of start-up funds into a Gargoyle Girl Productions small business bank account. If that money runs out, this particular experiment is over. Don't get me wrong; I don't expect that money to run out before it gets replenished, but I've learned that one never knows how life will turn out. All I know is that I'll definitely still write, because I love it.  

4. Drawing up a timeline.

When I drew up a draft timeline of all the steps I'd need to publish a book, I realized that publishers have a reason for publishing a book more than a year after they acquire it! All the steps below were in my timeline, and I've been working my way through them. 

5. Working with an editor.

I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Even though I have amazing critique partners and a fantastic agent, all of whom have helped me revise Artifact, none of them are editors. Regardless of how good a writer you are, I'm betting you need an editor. As long as you make sure you find an editor who's a good fit for you and your work, the expense is definitely worth it. (I wrote more about finding a good editor here.)  

6. Seeking blurbs.

As soon as I made the decision to move forward publishing Artifact myself, I approached a few mystery authors with books I love in a similar sub-genre to mine, to ask them if they'd be willing to read my book and consider blurbing it if they liked it. I was sure to make them feel comfortable declining in case they were too busy, so I was pleasantly surprised by the generosity of the authors I contacted. I received blurbs from all four of them.

These were all authors who I knew to some degree through Sisters in Crime, so I wasn't cold calling authors to ask them to take time to read a book by a random person. However, there was also one mystery author I've loved since I was a kid who I don't know personally, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't take the risk and ask him. He replied to my inquiry by saying that even though he turns down most requests these days, he was intrigued and he wanted me to send him a copy of the book to check out! It'll be with a fluttery stomach that I'll be mailing him Artifact next week.

Even if this whole publishing endeavor falls flat, the fact that one of my author heroes is going to read my book is one of the little things that makes it all worth it. The moral of this story: take risks. 

7. Designing a book cover. 

This was SO MUCH FUN. Since I'm a designer and I love good design, I always fantasized about having a beautiful book cover. I've created covers for other people. Now I had the opportunity to create one for myself. (I wrote about details about the cover creation here.)

If you're not a designer or artistically inclined, I recommend working with a designer to create your cover. It's also a good idea to study the sub-genre you're writing in to make sure you're creating a cover in the style that will signal to your potential readers that this is a book they'll like. Can you tell from the cover below that the book is a a lighthearted mystery adventure? The map, the illustration of the heroine, and the purple colors tell you that much even before you read the description of the book. 

Cover flat for the ARCs of Artifact.

8. Writing book jacket copy.

I found it difficult to write a compelling short description of Artifact when I was querying agents. It was even more difficult to shorten that description for the book jacket, and also to cut down the advance blurbs I received from authors who enjoyed the book. But authors, booksellers, and even reader friends convinced me this was a place where less is more. I left the full description on my website, but the back cover now reads:

Advance Praise for Artifact:
“Fans of Elizabeth Peters will adore following along with Jaya Jones and a cast of quirky characters as they pursue a fabled treasure.”
—New York Times bestselling author JULIET BLACKWELL, author of the Art Lover’s Mystery Series as Hailey Lind

“ARTIFACT has it all...You’ll love Jaya, her old and new friends, and her witty, intelligent approach to life and love.”
—CAMILLE MINICHINO, author of the Periodic Table Mysteries

“ARTIFACT is a treasure...a page-turning, suspenseful story... I can’t wait to read more of Jaya’s adventures!”
—PENNY WARNER, author of How to Host a Killer Party 

When historian Jaya Jones receives a mysterious package containing a jewel-encrusted artifact from India, sent by her ex-lover the same day he died in a supposed accident in the Highlands of Scotland, she discovers the secrets of a lost Indian treasure may be hidden in a Scottish legend from the days of the British Raj.
But she’s not the only one on the trail....

Gigi Pandian is the child of two cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India. After being dragged around the world during her childhood, she tried to escape her fate when she left a PhD program in favor of art school. But adventurous academic characters wouldn’t stay out of her head. Thus was born the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mystery series.  

[Block for ARC information; the same space will be for the bar code in the released version.]

9. Creating the design and layout of the book's interior.

I was able to do the book's layout myself, since my day job encompasses design and layout for various printed materials. It's definitely possible to do it yourself in Word, though. You can't do as much with Word as with InDesign, but it's something most people can do themselves as long as it's a book of text and not images. You'll want to do some research into fonts and good formatting practices. I like this book by Pete Masterson.

10. Copy editing and proofreading. 

Different than working with an editor on craft, copy editing and proofreading is necessary since there are always inconsistencies and typos that remain. Up until the very last proofread, I had two chapter eights!

Though I'd worked with a professional editor earlier in the process, I didn't work with a professional proofreader at this stage. It would have been ideal to do so, but based on my budget and having seen that the book was in good shape during my last round of editing, I instead relied upon two wonderful critique partners who each looked at it with an eye for consistency and typos. I also read it carefully myself. Again.

*UPDATE July 4, 2012: I did work with a professional proofreader for the final edits before the book will go on sale. My "uncorrected proof" Advance Reader Copies were in good shape, but not perfect. To make sure I'm presenting a professional finished product, I worked with a professional proofreader, and I'm very happy I did.

11. Designing a logo for my Gargoyle Girl Productions imprint.

This wasn't strictly necessary, but it was so much fun to design this! I've got the logo on the book spine. I love it to much that I need to think of other uses for it.

12. Buying ISBNs through Bowker.

An ISBN is the unique identifier for your book. It's possible to buy one ISBN number, and even possible to obtain a free ISBN number. But unless you've only got one book in you, or you want to only publish through Amazon, it makes much more sense to buy your own ISBNs and to buy them in blocks.

A single ISBN through Bowker (the official ISBN agency in the US) costs $125, but it's only $250 for ten. For ebooks, you do need a separate ISBN number (unless you only want to sell through Amazon), but the jury is still out on whether you need multiple ISBN numbers for different ebook formats (ePub and Kindle).

Once you buy your ISBN, you assign your book title to the number, as well as providing lots more information about your book. I haven't yet figured out where all this information gets pulled into, but I filled out all the information required.

13. Printing Advance Reader Copies (ARCs).

ARCs are the copies of a book made available for reviewers and booksellers to read prior to the book's release. There's a lot of specific information necessary for ARCS: publication date, ISBN, price, format, size, type of book, distribution, publisher, contact details, and a designation that specifies it's an uncorrected proof not for resale. And it can be called an "Advance Reader Copy" or "Advance Reading Copy"—but not AdvanceD.

My block of ARC information reads:

Publication date: August 28, 2012
$14.95  |  5.25x8 Trade Paperback  |  296 pages   |  Ingram distribution  
ISBN: 978-1-938213-00-7
FICTION — MYSTERY
Gargoyle Girl Productions
For more information, please contact: 
info@gargoylegirlproductions.com or gigi@gigipandian.com
UNCORRECTED PROOF — NOT FOR SALE


14. Creating accounts with vendors for fulfillment of print copies.

There are a lot of decisions to make about how you want to do printing and fulfillment, and a lot of paperwork that goes along with it. I've been doing a lot of research into the options, and haven't yet made a final decision.

I won't go into all the details here, since there's enough to say on the subject to fill several blog posts. The short answer is that Lightning Source and Amazon's CreateSpace are the big players in POD (Print on Demand) printing and fulfillment, each with benefits and drawbacks. One of the blogs that goes into great detail about all the possibilities is The Book Designer. 

15. Setting up pre-sales.

I'm in the process of setting up multiple avenues for pre-sales. As I write this, Artifact is available for pre-sale on Amazon. However, it's not yet available on B&N or elsewhere, and the book cover and product description haven't yet been activated. All of these things take time to set up and additional time before they go live.

16. Designing and printing bookmarks.

Bookmarks are a great promotional tool. I've just created mine, and I'll be bringing them to Left Coast Crime, the mystery convention in Sacramento taking place later this week. I'll give them out at the convention, and also have a lot of leftovers to keep in my purse and give out. I packed a lot of information into a small space: book cover, title and subtitle, line about an award the book received, short description, author blurbs, author photo, ISBN, publication date, imprint logo, website.

17. Formatting ebooks for different ereaders.

I'm seriously considering paying someone to do my ebook formatting. It's not too expensive, so I think this is one of the places where I'd be well served to have an expert's help. I know my strengths. I'm a print designer. While I share an office with a web designer and update my website myself, detail-oriented coding is not my strong suit. However, part of me thinks I should learn how to do it myself, since it's not too difficult. I think the decision will come down to how much time I have. 

18. Getting reviews.

I'm entering the stage where I'll need to seek out reviews. It's good practice to send your book out four months before release date in order to get book reviews. I've got my ARCs done six months in advance. I was done with editing, so I thought it would be nice to have them done in time for Left Coast Crime.

I'm in the process of making a list of reviewers that would make sense for me to contact, but it's still very much a work in progress. It'll definitely be more difficult to get reviews for a book I've produced myself, but I know that going in and am planning accordingly. I'm not taking it personally that many of the big reviewers won't consider reviewing the book. I'm focusing on the venues that are open to me and that seem like a good fit. 

19. Creating press kits.

These are the materials I'm pulling together: a one-sheet, a press release, blurbs/reviews, copy of the book cover, a book excerpt, and an author photo. I expect the one-sheet will be my main go-to item, since it's the most all-encompassing with a single piece of paper, and I don't want to overwhelm people with too much information; it's a single page that has a description of the book, a small image of the book cover, selected blurbs and reviews, author photo, author bio, purchase details, and contact information. The Indie Author Guide by April Hamilton has a helpful section on how to create a press kit.

20. Promoting my book.

Since my overarching goal is to keep writing fun, my promotional activities are limited to things that are fun. I'm going to work to get the word out about the book (see Steps 18 and 19), but I'm primarily going to focus on the most important thing: writing good books. I don't have time to do everything, so I'm prioritizing keeping my time for writing. I'm aiming to publish two books each year in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series (some will be novellas). Once I have a few stories out there, I hope my readership will grow through word of mouth.

In the meantime, when I'm not writing I'll be hanging out with other mystery fans. I've been involved in the mystery reading and writing community for years, and it continues to inspire me. I'm active in my local Sisters in Crime chapter, where I served on the board from 2008-2011; I participate in online mystery communities such as the SinC Guppies; I'm on Twitter but not Facebook; I'm on Goodreads, though I'm not as active there as I'd like to be; I'm part of a wonderful group blog of writers, PensFatales, that has turned into much more of a community than just a blog; I started attending mystery conventions a few years ago and this year I'll be attending Left Coast Crime, Malice Domestic, and Bouchercon.


The past six months have been an amazing learning experience in so many ways. I learned I'm stronger than I ever thought I was, both for finishing chemotherapy and radiation healthier than I've ever been, and for navigating the complex process of becoming my own publisher while working and undergoing cancer treatments. I had no idea how much work it would be, but it's been empowering to be in control of this part of my life when other aspects are beyond my control. I don't know where it will lead, but I'm having a great time getting there.

—Gigi

A Book Cover and a Launch Party

It's an exciting week. I have both a book cover and a book launch party date! Here's the cover for Artifact, the first book in the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery series, which comes out August 28, 2012.

When historian Jaya Jones receives a mysterious package containing a jewel-encrusted artifact from India, sent by her ex-lover the same day he died in a supposed accident in the Highlands of Scotland, she discovers the secrets of a lost Indian treasure may be hidden in a Scottish legend from the days of the British Raj. But she’s not the only one on the trail....

The launch party will be Saturday, September 8, at A Great Good Place for Books, a wonderful independent bookstore in the Montclair neighborhood of Oakland. More details to follow as the date approaches.

Five Tips from Boot Camp for Self-Publishers

On this week's President's Day holiday, I attended Self-Publishing Boot Camp in San Francisco. I've already done a significant amount of research into the best ways to publish my books myself, but aside from attending an ebook panel put on my my local Sisters in Crime chapter, my research has primarily been online. Since I'm publishing Artifact: A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery in both ebook and print formats, I wanted to hear and speak with people in person to fill in the gaps in my research.

The workshop was led by Carla King, who has been self-publishing since 1994. I heard about it through one of the speakers, Joel Friedlander, aka The Book Designer, who has a terrific blog about making the right choices if you're going to publish your books yourself. Even though I already knew a lot of what was covered that day, successfully publishing your books yourself is such a big undertaking that I still learned a lot.

My top 5 take-aways from the day:

1. It's the Wild West out there in publishing right now. 

Whatever is true today might be totally different three months from now. While I already knew that, what I realized at the workshop was that the great thing about this uncertainty is that it's also an exciting time to experiment. When you're publishing independently, you can learn new things and change course at any time. Try what you think is best right now. If it turns out it's not working out as you expected, try something else.

I'm letting go of the idea that I need to get everything right. I'm learning as much as I can, having some fun, and I'll see where that leads. 

2. Once you've decided to go the indie route, what do you do first? Set goals. Specific ones.

Ask yourself what you want out of publishing your book(s). Once you figure that out, that's when you'll be ready to think about strategy.

My own goal is to have fun writing a whole mystery series. I'm in this for the long haul, so I need it to stay fun and not use up all of my energy. Otherwise it won't be worth it to me to stick with it. Therefore I'm not going to spend time doing things I don't enjoy. For example, I decided I'm going to pay someone to do my ebook formatting, because that expense is more than worth it to further my personal publishing goal. But if my goal had been to maximize profits as much as possible so I could quit my day job, paying someone to do something I could learn to do myself wouldn't necessarily be a good strategy.

3. The stigma of self-publishing is fading, but you still need to package your book in a way that looks professional and appropriate to your genre. 

People do judge a book by its cover. But it's not enough to simply have something you think is beautiful. Study book covers in Amazon's Top 100 lists in your genre.

As graphic designer, I've been having fun playing with cover design options. Some of my ideas have been really fun, but I realized how important it is to stick with genre conventions. I'm going to have a cover I love, but it's also going to be one that immediately tells my audience this book is for them.

4. Decide which parts of the process you need help with. No, you can't do it alone.

Through ebooks and print-on-demand technology, publishing independently has become less expensive, but it's still not free—not if you want to do it well.

Does your book need an editor? Unless you have the world's greatest critique group, the answer is yes. Do you need a book cover designer? Unless you're a designer or have an eye for design, the answer is yes. Do you need someone to format the interior of your book? Maybe, maybe not; it depends how much time you want to spend learning how to do it. Do you want to buy your own ISBN numbers? Do you want to print copies of your book to give away? The list goes on—and I'll talk more about my own specific decisions in a future post (which I'll write just as soon as I'm done with my own book design!).

5. Build your author brand. Not a book, not a cute handle, but YOU.

People who've promoted themselves as clever names that aren't their own often regret it later. Carla King gave the example of herself. On Twitter and in some other places, she's MissAdventuring. Cute, but many people won't remember MissAdventuring is Carla King.

And unless you're planning on writing just one book, you don't want your identity to be completely tied up with your first book. Some people use their book covers as their social media image, but a head shot of yourself that you use everywhere will allow a better connection to your readers.

I had been debating how much to use my "Gargoyle Girl" brand. I'm still going to use it for my business name and my mysterious photography blog, but I'm not going to use it in place of my name. I had previously wondered if I should Tweet as Gargoyle Girl, but I'm glad I stuck with @GigiPandian.

Before the workshop, I'd been suffering from a bit of information overload. But now that I've thought more seriously about my goals—to have fun writing the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series along with some locked room mystery short stories, connect with readers and other writers, and to structure my life in a way that allows me to keep writing—I'm back to having fun with this crazy undertaking.

A Website for Gargoyle Girl Productions

I love it when I have weekends this fun and productive. After an inspiring lunch with several writer friends who kicked my butt into gear to be productive, I finished designing a website for Gargoyle Girl Productions.

I've still got some kinks to work out, but I'm happy that I finally got it up! It makes this whole venture seem much more real.

—Gigi

10 Things I Wish I'd Known About Wigs Before Starting Chemotherapy

I'm one of those people who's good at staying positive. But when I learned that in addition to having cancer I had to go through chemotherapy and lose my hair, I wasn't happy. It turned out I was needn't have worried. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was even some fun to be had.

Since I've been going through this experience, a lot of people have asked me all sorts of questions about wigs. Six months ago, I knew nothing about wigs. Now I've learned so much that I thought I'd share everything I wish I'd known when I began the process.

Here are the ten things I wish I'd known about wigs before starting chemo:

1. You don't need to spend a fortune to buy a wig everyone thinks is real.

Wigs made of real hair, which are more expensive, seem to last longer than synthetic ones. But inexpensive wigs can look just as good. I was worried I'd have to invest in a super-expensive wig to feel comfortable leaving the house, but that didn't turn out to be the case at all. What do you think? Can you tell which is real?

2. The cost of buying wigs. 

Some insurance covers the cost of a good wig if you have to have chemotherapy. The American Cancer Society also offers a free wig to cancer patients, that you can select in person at your local office. Beauty stores offer a range of wigs. My wigs cost between $35 and $250. My favorite cost $60.

3. What to expect at the wig store. 

I bought my wigs at beauty stores, which stock lots of wigs and have knowledgeable saleswomen. You'll need to wear a nylon stocking cap when you try on wigs, and all the stores I visited charged around $2 for the wig cap. Many beauticians can also trim your wig so it better fits your face.

4. Take your friends with you when you go wig shopping.

Taking your friends with you is great to turn the experience of temporarily losing your hair into something fun. It also has the added bonus of letting your friends pick things out that you'd never select for yourself. My friends were so right!

5. How to get a good fit. 

I initially imagined it would be necessary to get a custom-made wig, or at least to measure my head to get the right size. I learned that neither was necessary. Wigs have sizing straps so that you can adjust the size on your head. There are also cut-outs that fall above your ears to make it easy to put the wig on straight. Not all wigs will fit you, though, so you'll still need to try them on.

6. How to get a comfortable fit. 

That stocking cap you used at the store to try on wigs can help if your scalp is sensitive and the wig feels itchy. I didn't find that to be the case most of the time, but it was nice to have some nylon stocking caps when I wanted one. I was also given a silicone wig strap that was meant to keep a wig in place, but it didn't work well with my glasses. That didn't turn out to be a problem either. If you've correctly used those sizing straps on the inside of the wig, the wig doesn't move at all throughout the day. (I live in California, though, so I haven't tested this in bad weather conditions.)

7. If your doctor says you'll lose your hair, go ahead and cut it short before that happens.

Having short hair will make it less traumatic as your hair thins. It also lets you try out short hair styles so you can see what you might like to do while your hair grows back out. I tried out two lengths of short hair. Surprisingly, super-short looked pretty damn good.

8. Buy more than one wig.

You're going to need to wash your wig, so even as a practical matter it's a good idea to have more than one. Some wigs will also become worn around the edges (I found it to be the less expensive ones), and it's much easier to purchase an extra wig before you start feeling poorly. And the biggest reason to buy more than one wig? To have fun with the experience.

9. Yes, you want to have some fun with your wigs. 

I had the same long curly hair for twenty years, from age 16 to 36. It worked for me, so I had no reason to change it. I only changed because I was forced to do so. But now I know I don't have to keep that style to feel like myself.

10. Go with your gut. 

Regardless of what anyone else says, you'll know when you've found the wigs you feel happy with. I tried on some wigs that might have technically looked good on me, but they didn't feel right. I got the ones I loved, and that's one of the reasons this challenging year has gone by as quickly as it has.