Optimism in the Face of Pessimism

The news is glum these days. Layoffs and bailouts and plunging stock numbers... Viewing the nightly news requires a stiff drink and a mild sedative. Even though it's usually seen as recession-proof, the publishing business has had its own challenges lately. Yesterday is being called "Black Wednesday," a day in which Random House completely reorganized. Maud Newton does a good job of explaining what the Random House reorganization means to the industry and to authors.

Yes, the news is discouraging. Yes, it will be harder to get published and stay published in this environment. Yes, everyone is worried. But what can we as writers do about it? Not a damned thing. Who will bail out the publishing business? WE WILL! Yes, we will! Without us, without our books, the industry can't survive. So when times get tough, get busy! Keep writing, keep thinking up amazing stories, keep on doing what you do best! I've been on a tear with the work in progress lately. I can't wait to get back to it every night. I wrote a scene today that made me laugh so hard I cried! Is there anything more fun than that? Since it can take a year or two for a book to wind its way to publication, by the time this one makes it to the shelves—if it makes it—our country will no doubt be back on its feet and thriving once again. The books we are working on right now will be key to the industry's recovery. Write them! Let others worry about how we're going to turn this whole thing around. That isn't our job. If we do our jobs and they do theirs, we'll get through this.

In other news, I had my first request for a blurb this week. A chapter friend is having her first novella published and it's a contemporary, so she came to me for an endorsement. It was another first in this year of firsts, each exciting in its own way.

Finally, my Sourcebooks sister Cheryl Brooks has started a new erotic blog for readers who enjoy her spicy books (Slave and Warrior with Rogue and Fugitive coming next year). Her blog is not for the faint of heart, which is why it comes with a warning. Enter at your own risk! Cheryl cracks me up every day with her funny emails so I have high hopes for a funny, entertaining daily dose of her wild thoughts!