Working 9 to 5

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We've been having the same argument in our house for twenty years. (As long as Rick and I have been married, come this May.)

Rick: You're self-employed. You can work whenever you want. Why don't you do the errands during the week when things are busy? I'd never go out shopping on Saturday! You're crazy!

Me: But it just doesn't work that way! I'll never make up the work time on the weekend. We do stuff. My friends are off work and I want to spend time with them, too. And besides, everyone in New York works Monday to Friday, so I can't very well be out gallivanting around during the work week. (Okay, maybe I didn't actually say "gallivanting.")

Rick: (Shaking his head in disgust.) Okay, then. Just don't complain when it takes you two hours and body armor to get through Costco on a Saturday afternoon...


And so it goes. Impasse. And of course, he's right. But I am, too. And I do often get a lot of work done on the weekends. The phone doesn't ring, business emails don't have to be answered, and there's a certain freedom and quiet that I don't often find on a weekday. But that isn't the same as SCHEDULING Saturday or Sunday as a workday!

So, fellow REDS, am I just contrary? (Hank, you are the only one of us that works a full time job AND writes (AND promotes like nobody else!) so we will just assume you're Superwoman here...)   Do you set yourself a 9-5, Monday-Friday week? And if so, do you stick to it?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Yes, I've had two essentially full time jobs since 2007-ish--and I can tell you it is gradually becoming impossible. One hundred percent. If my employers weren't so enthusiastic and forgiving,  I'm not sure what I would do. But I can tell you this: I work all the time. ALL THE TIME. I can also tell you that although it has been rewarding, in every way imaginable, it is also not sustainable. After 7 years of no vacations and 7 day work weeks I m feeling a lit-tle tired. However--it is worth it.

One more thing--without scheduling and planning it would never happen. I agree, Debs, there's a rhythm to the work and it is helpful to be in it. I also remind myself to remember (!) that this is a GOOD dilemma. Too much to do? Lovely! Lucky! Hurray.

LUCY BURDETTE: Honestly Hank, I don't know how you keep this up. I vote that you take a vacation!

Here it is, Saturday morning, and I'm working. Not well (obviously, because I'm adding to this blog instead of my word count.) I suppose it all depends on where I am in the process. If it's crunch time with deadline barreling toward me, the weekends are no longer sacred. The one time I won't work--because my brain is fried--is in the evenings. And you're right about the publishing business too, Debs--they definitely don't answer emails on the weekend the way we writers do!

RHYS BOWEN: I write 2 books a year, this year 3 books, which means I don't have a lot of breathing time. I have to get that first draft finished in 3 months so I have time to polish and promote. Which means I write every day, weekends included... unless there is something really big like a family birthday. I try to get my work done in the morning so I have some time to work out, relax and shop in the afternoon.

All goes well until I have a month like this one and I'm on the road, trying to get snippets of work done on planes. Not easy. I don't know how Hank does it. I feel like I'm running on a wheel all the time and it must be much worse for her.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: I work 9 to 3, but after 3 comes my other job — being mom to a nine-year-old. I make up for this by working pretty much seven days a week, having a daily word count, and taking intensive "off-grid" weeks where I go somewhere quiet and just work pretty much round the clock. However, I just do one book a year, so Hank and Rhys — wowza! But I do use the freelancing thing as a reason to go places at "off-peak times," so Debs, I'm with Rick on that one!

HALLIE EPHRON: I write every day so if it weren't for my husband's work week I'd have no idea what day of the week it is. On weekends he's around to bother me and make me feel guilty if I'm chasing a deadline and don't feel like I can stop and play. But most days I'm fried by afternoon so that's when errands get done.

Two books a year? No way. One every two years is more my speed, and even then I'm crunching at the end.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hallie and I are on the same production schedule.....:-)  I'm a M-F worker,  for much the same reason as Susan - weekends are for family and kid time. Of course, since home and office are the same thing, it's not unusual for me to dip into some sort of work on Saturday and Sunday, even if it's just commenting on our blog. Oddly enough, in the summer, I often boost my schedule and work six or seven days a week. Why? Because Ross is home for the school vacation (all author-moms should have a teacher for a spouse!) and can take care of all the stuff that I'm usually responsible for when school is in session. Also,  because I know I'm going to want to take guilt-free days off when we go on our summer weekend trips or our week at the shore.

I'd like to try that off-grid week thing, Susan. I've gone to friends houses once or twice to get away from it all and have found that to be very productive.

DEBS: I never said I didn't work on weekends, only that I didn't like to take time off M-F and schedule a weekend day as a work day. As it turned out, I've worked on and off all weekend--as happens most weekends. There is, somehow, a little sense of play to it, as if you are sneaking in a treat. Or so I tell myself...

And I, too, love the off-grid thing. Even between my upcoming trips to Tucson and Monterey (Tucson Festival of Books and Left Coast Crime) I've given myself three days in Monterey just to write. Really. I am SO looking forward to it.  And London is a huge "off-grid" time for me. I've finished two books there--a fabulous experience. The only schedule I keep in London is Saturdays at Portobello Market!

My conclusions from this impromptu survey? Rhys, I have my knickers in a twist, to say the least, over all my upcoming trips, and trying to figure out how to meet all my commitments AND write. I don't know how you do what you do. And I'm going to drink a toast to you when I see you in Scottsdale... and Tucson... and Monterey... Maybe you can give me a Rhys-stamina booster??? 

And Hank, where were you in that last post I saw on Facebook? Palm Springs? Can I even ask?

And the final consensus? Writers are dull, dull, dull. If you want a good time girl--or guy--look somewhere else. We pretty much work all the time--although some of us are obviously more efficient than others...

So how about you, readers? If you are mistress or master of your own time, do you work a five-day week? Or if you only wish you had the option (assuming you realize it's not the cakewalk we would all like to imagine) would you set the weekly clock??

P.S.: And Hank really needs to take a vacation!!!!

Sausage and Potato Casserole, courtesy of Julia Child and Pat Kennedy

 LUCY BURDETTE: Didn't it make your mouth water the other day when our friend Pat Kennedy talked about sausage and potato casserole? I hit the jackpot this week when she not only agreed to make it for this blog, she invited us to share it! So here she is again...thanks Pat!

PAT KENNEDY: This recipe is from the The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child -- a compendium of the recipes she demonstrated on her first PBS television show.  I always say that I learned to cook watching her because I made at least one thing from the show every week.  This is not a low-calorie dinner, more of a comfort food dish. But as Julia said, “If you’re afraid of butter, use cream.”

3 cups sliced, previously boiled potatoes

(about 1 pound -- use a waxy potato such as a red-skinned potato NOT baking potatoes.  You can also buy the peeled and pre-sliced potatoes frozen.  But cook those potatoes until they are just fork tender. )

1 cup minced onions, slightly cooked in butter

1/2 pound of Polish Sausage (Kielbasa)  (more for the side dish)

(I always heat more sausage and serve it alongside the potato casserole.)

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups light cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

¼ cup Swiss cheese

(You can also use Emmenthaler or even Cheddar – you want a cheese with flavor)

1 tablespoon butter

METHOD

1.       Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.       Lightly grease (PAM spray) a 10” pie plate

3.       Arrange layers of potatoes, onion, and sausage in the pie plate

4.       Blend eggs, cream, salt and pepper in bowl; pour over potatoes/onions/sausage in the pie plate

5.       Sprinkle top with cheese

6.       Bake in upper third of preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until top has nicely browned

I like to serve this dish with a deeply-green vegetable such as broccoli or Swiss chard.  

Mmmmmm, it was delish!

Glenn Miller: Three Social Media Profiles for Writers

“I know who you are.” The voice was mechanical.

She paused at her keyboard.

That menacing voice again, menacing her: “I know what you wrote.”

She trembled, tremblingly.

“I know what videos you made and what you said about them. I know where you blog. I’ve read your email.”

She knew him only as “G,” but he (it?) knew everything about her.

“And I’m going to expose you to the world.”

Finally. “Thank you, Google!”

* * *

GLENN MILLER: And that bit of overwrought schlock is why I don’t write mysteries. But I help those who do write them find their audiences.

So does Google.

Your Google+ Profile Is for Getting Found

Which is why the big G matters. A lot. And why if you’ve not at least built your Google+ profile, you’re announcing to the world and to your readers that you don’t want to be found online.

Only Google Really Knows You



That Google+ profile? Without it, Google can’t credit you with having authored your latest blog post, or even with being the owner of your own website. (Which you do have, of course. If you are an author without a website, then please allow me a moment to weep quietly for your children.)

What matters to Google is delivering search results that represent authenticity and authority. Authority comes from having well-organized, relevant content, inbound links from reputable sites, and a long history of original work—all the elements of good Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Authenticity comes from you—and that starts with your Google+ profile.

Set It and Forget It

Associating your Google+ profile with the content you create is called is called Authorship—and you need it to establish that authenticity. It’s not hard to do, and needs be done only once. For most sites, sending one email and then clicking a verification link establishes the connection. When you’re ready, Link your Google+ profile to your site. Once that’s done, you can use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to see if your new articles have the authorship link established. 

Google Plays the Long Game

Google’s not going anywhere, and its strategy is clear: to use Google+ as the social glue that connects the internet, including Google’s showcase services of search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, and dozens more. Google plans ahead, and part of its plan includes giving you credit for your work. Which starts with your Google+ profile. Which you need.

But that’s not the only online profile you need.

Your Goodreads Profile Is for Nurturing Your Community

Here’s the bad news: The planet has 7 billion people who don’t care about your book.



Your Readers Are Here

The good news: among the 16 million users on Goodreads are the readers who will adore your book. Here is your targeted audience of book lovers, people who:

    •    Share what they like
    •    Come here for recommendations
    •    Set their “to read” book lists
    •    Announce to their friends when they find an author they are mad about

The few hundred or few thousand readers you need to champion your book and amplify its exposure are on Goodreads, and you need to be there too.
 
Start here to join the Goodreads Author Program.

Goodreads Publishes Your Blog Posts

You know those blog posts you spent hours crafting, the ones you want the world to see, but which never get the broad audience they deserve? Goodreads will publish those for your, as part of your author profile. Even better, every reader who is a fan of yours will get your blog posts as part of their Goodreads news feed.

Goodreads Is on a Fast-Track for Better Usability

There is more at Goodreads. In fact, there’s so much more that it’s a challenge for many authors to know how best to navigate the site: whether to start giveaways (yes, often) or join groups (sparingly) or lead online Q&A discussions (eventually) or even advertise (very cautiously).

Goodreads’ usability is sub-par. But it won’t be for long, since Goodreads was recently acquired by the world’s very best usability experts, who even now will be engineering a high-tech makeover.

Speaking of Amazon …

Your Amazon Author Profile Is at the World’s Largest Bookstore

Whether you are an independent author or James Patterson, if you have at least one book on Amazon then you have an Amazon author page, a place where seeing your sales numbers and author rank aren’t even the most valuable aspects of the property.

The world’s biggest online merchant has given you shelf space to describe yourself, list your books, and re-broadcast your blog and twitter feeds.

For free.

At Amazon.

Just go.
 
Create your Amazon author page.

LUCY BURDETTE: Is your head spinning now? Glenn will be here all day to answer your questions about social media. thanks Glenn!

Glenn Miller is a social media strategist who acknowledges that he cheats at life by cherry-picking only the fun tasks. He counts helping authors stake their claim on the internet among the fun tasks. Find him at glennjmiller.com or on twitter @glennjmiller.

Swimming with the Guppies

LUCY BURDETTE: When the Malice Domestic Agatha nominations came out this year, a lot of folks noticed how many of the nominees had risen out of the Guppies organization--the Great Unpublished arm of Sisters in Crime. And we were reminded about the original steering committee for the Guppies--if you read the history on the Guppy website, you'll notice some very familiar names.

This is a story of serious persistence and how newcomers learned from each other. I thought you'd like to hear some memories from Krista Davis, who served as the first president of the steering committee. (And by the way, she's now the New York Times bestselling author of two mystery series!)

KRISTA DAVIS: I cannot tell you how very proud I am of the Guppies. We faced some challenges in the beginning, but we worked together to overcome them. I still remember people saying the Guppies were "the blind leading the blind." If none of us had ever been published, how could we possibly help each other?
Back in those days, we had an occasional live Guppy Chat. One day, I was in the chat room we used, testing it with another woman when someone named Kinsey logged in. OMG! Kinsey! The two of us did some frantic messaging. Could it be Sue Grafton? Would she call herself Kinsey? Why would she be there? 

It could be anyone. It could be some old man having a laugh. Suddenly, the other woman excused herself, saying she would be right back. Ack! I was alone in the chat room with someone who might, or might not, be Sue Grafton! Kinsey was very nice and asked me what I was reading. I decided I might as well take a chance and ask her advice. Maybe it wasn't Sue, but what did I have to lose? It wasn't as though I would ever have another chance to talk with Sue Grafton.

So I told her about the Guppies and asked what advice she might have for us. Her response was very simple. "Hone your craft." She said that she saw too many people trying to write mysteries without understanding them. That we needed to work at improving our manuscripts and learn about the craft of mystery writing.

The next day we received confirmation from Sue's assistant that Kinsey was indeed Sue Grafton, and she thought it was a hoot that we didn't think it could be her. (She had logged on because she needed to contact the other woman and was told to go there.)

Over the years, I think the Guppies have done exactly what Sue suggested. We swapped manuscripts and started critique groups (and let me tell you, I learned a ton from that!). We took classes and shared helpful information. We learned about agents and queries and the crazy publishing business. When we started, one of the most commonly asked questions was what font to use!

Two years ago, Sue Grafton was an honoree at Malice. She happened to see me in the hallway of the hotel and struck up a conversation. I told her about asking her advice in the chat room. She was aghast. "Oh no! What did I say?" I was happy to assure her that she gave us great advice.

I cannot believe that 14 years have passed. It's been quite a ride, full of ups and downs. But when I look at the list of nominees for the Agatha, I realize just how far we have come. Apparently, the blind can lead the blind pretty well! If you're not published yet, don't despair. The difference between a writer and an author really is perseverance. The Guppies are living proof of that.

The Food Coop

LUCY BURDETTE: You've all met our Jungle Red friend Pat Kennedy before. She garnered a lot of press for her post on Bad Boyfriends. A couple of weeks ago we were chatting online and the subject of food coops came up. I remembered carving up giant blocks of cheese in a member's garage after the delivery. Pat remembered--well I'll let her tell it!

PAT KENNEDY: Food Co-ops.  Remember them?  Back in the 1970s, a food co-op suggested more than just a whiff of “hippie-dippy” oddity.  Except perhaps the Milton Food Co-op, founded and run by a group of solidly middle-aged suburbanites.  I don’t think that any of the women wore a head-bandana, or love beads, or fringed vests.  And not one of the guys had a scraggly beard grown down to tickle his navel.

Our co-op members worked together to bring in wonderful produce from the Chelsea Markets in Boston, “whole foods” in bulk like rice, beans, dried fruits and more (all before there was a Whole Foods food chain).  We had cheese and spices and fish too! I like to think that the food co-op movement kick-started the foodie culture in this country.Food co-ops were gentle rebellions against what was available at that time in local grocery stores. “We should be eating fresher, ‘healthier’ foods – and have more options.”  At least that’s what our leaders told me.

As a young mom – and one from the Midwest at that – I had had a very vanilla relationship with the world of food up to that point.  Until I moved to New England, I had never eaten squash, nor any kind of cheese other than Velveeta, the Parmesan-shake-powder put out by Kraft, and possibly Cheeze Whiz (can’t remember when it was first marketed).  Don’t even ask about seafood.  But I did have a sense of culinary adventure, trying out a Julia Child recipe every week from her early TV shows, buying exotic spices  for those recipes (tarragon!) and was eager to taste and experience new foods. 

Imagine my surprise at Swiss chard – big fat, black-green bunches of it.  “What do you do with this?”  And hunks of Emmenthaler cheese!  I was even amazed at the different types of potatoes, and more surprised at all those squash varieties.

Now “food co-op” engenders a time and place that has vanished.  I suppose that people who are interested in food co-op-ing now belong to a CSA and get their produce directly from the growers.  Today, I could only find two food co-ops in the Boston area where I live (Jamaica Plain and Cambridge, naturally).   Here’s a link to a directory of food co-ops across the country.

But still I wonder if there are still young folks who never enjoyed an acorn squash baked with butter and brown sugar, or had shreds of kale floating in a soup, or had a luscious crust of melted Gruyere over Julia Child’s Potato and Sausage Casserole.

So dear Reds and other friends, did you ever belong to a food co-op?  And when did you give up the  toasted Velveeta cheese sandwich (on Wonder Bread, of course) for a grilled cheddar and Granny Smith apple on whole grain bread?   

Patricia Kennedy is a marketing consultant for healthcare organizations. She lives in Boston with her husband Joe, both wonderful and adventurous cooks.  For more information on Pat, www.PKCBoston.com.