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Author: Janet Gershen-Siegel

I'm not much bigger than a breadbox.

Getting More Twitter FollowersTwitter, Twitter Stream, offsite connections, visual elements, Twitter followers, Optimizing Twitter, Professionalism, Demystifying Twitter, metrics, verbal elements, Amazoncart debuts, Optimizing Twitter, Professionalism, metrics, verbal elements, Bruins denounce Twitter hate, Twitter bigots, lost dogs, using Twitter to track, Shift in Twitter Trends

Getting More Twitter Followers

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 25, 2022

Are You Interested in Getting More Twitter Followers?

Who doesn’t want to be getting more Twitter followers?

Oh, it’s the Holy Grail, isn’t it? Getting more people to follow you, and moving that magical Twitter followers number up, up and ever upwards, to stratospheric heights. And, even more importantly, increasing it to more than the number of people you’re following.

More on that later.

Social Media Today weighed in on this, and I supported their ideas but would love to expand up them in this post. Here’s what they had to say about Twitter followers and increasing their numbers.

Quality vs. Quantity

First off, they point out that it’s not quantity, it’s quality. Well, yeah. Kinda. However, various Twitter graders (such as used to be found on HubSpot – now they provide a website grader) did give more credit for having more followers. Were these graders meaningful? Kinda, sorta.

HubSpot admitted that they did give some weight to the actual numbers. I am not averse to actual numbers being used as a part of the grading system. They are, after all, somewhat objective. But does any of it have a meaning? Probably, mainly, to fellow social media marketing-type folk, if anyone,.

Follower counts can also matter to publishers. This is because many publishing companies will see a writer’s followers as a slew of hot prospects for sales. It may even influence whether a publisher agrees to take on a manuscript, or not.

But if you were to tout your grade to anyone not into it, they’d probably look at you as if you had three heads (my apologies, HubSpot).

And, truly, the numbers are not so very meaningful a lot of the time. I mean, do you really want to show everyone how many bots are following you?

I didn’t think so.

Who Do You Want to Follow You?

So onto the techniques.

(1) Think about who you want your Twitter followers to be. Like with any other idea, you need to have some sort of a plan. If you want to sell landscaping services, it would help to target homeowners and gardeners, yes? And in your area, right? You might get John from Cincinnati but unless you’re in the Cincinnati area, forget it. John may be wonderful, but his following you is of little help to you.

Social Media Today‘s suggestion was to go after directories like We Follow. Agreed, and possibly also go after local groups of people. As in, put your Twitter handle on your business cards. The physical kind of cards, I mean. You’re mainly going to be handing those to local folk, so there’s a match there.

(2) Complete your profile. This is a no-brainer and I have no idea why people don’t do this as it takes very little time. And, while you’re at it, add a photograph. Make it of your face, or of the company logo if the profile is shared.

Return the Favor

(3) Follow others. Sure, but don’t do so indiscriminately. At some point, you will hit maybe 2,000 following. However, if your own Twitter followers are nowhere near as high, you’ll mainly look like a spammer (e. g. an account indiscriminately following whoever).

The easiest way to assure that a more balanced ratio is maintained is to get into the habit of doing it now, before you have to care about it. Therefore, don’t just follow back everyone who follows you, unless you’ve got a good reason to do so.

A lot of accounts will follow and then unfollow in a day or so if you haven’t followed back. You most likely don’t want these followers anyway. So, unless they are appealing for some other reason, do not bother with them.

Might I also suggest pruning? If someone isn’t following you back and they aren’t that interesting, uh, why are you following them again?

Use Tweepsmap to find people who recently unfollowed you. It’s free!

You’re Not the Only One

(4) It’s not about you. Agreed. I may tweet (on occasion) about shoveling snow, but the bottom line is, I know that’s not fascinating to most people. You have a new blog post? Tweet about it. The company landed a new contract? Tweet about it. The laws are changing in your area? Well, you get the idea.

(5) Hashtag, retweet, and reply. That is, pay attention to other people. How would they best be able to find your stuff? Would you want them to retweet your stuff? Then retweet theirs. Comment, reply, engage. Be involved with the Twitter community.

(6) Add people to lists. Of course. But use those lists! I’ve been on Twitter longer than there have been lists, and I originally just followed everyone. When I started listing them, I began coming up with people who I didn’t know at all, at least not on the surface.

Hence I created a list just called Who Are These People? and began investigating them further. I kept a lot of them, but a lot were sent to the great Twitter post in the sky. And that’s okay. Because it goes back to an original principle: follow who you want to follow, and don’t just auto-follow.

Get Personal With Your Twitter Followers

(7) Welcome your new Twitter followers. Personally, I’m not a fan of this one, as I have seen all manner of automated “thanks for following me” messages. There’s nothing wrong with a “thanks for following me” tweet every now and then. Those can be nice. Just try not to be too mechanical about it.

Oh, and don’t make your first direct message all about sales. Seriously, just don’t. It’s a poor look no matter who you are.

(8) Integrate, integrate, integrate. That is, like with any other form of social media engagement, put it everywhere. How many times do people have to see something online before they take action? Seven? Nine? Then get your twitter handle out there. Use it in signature lines, on business cards and, heck, even write it on name tags.

Does it all work? Sure it does. And it’s a lot more in the spirit of Twitter than just getting some generic and spammy auto-following list to add your handle, briefly, to their list of who to follow. Don’t be that guy. Be someone who you would want to follow.

Twitter Followers: Takeaways

Getting followers is not the be-all and end-all, so don’t make it that way. Rather, interact and engage. Be encouraging and positive. Being funny helps as well.

It’s not all about the numbers.

Want More About Twitter AKA X?

If my experiences with X resonate with you, then check out my other articles about Twitter/X. While it’s now got a new name, and has changed considerably, a lot of these tips will still work—and often with other social media platforms as well.

Almost Everything But the Tweet

• Starting a Twitter Stream
† Demystifying Twitter
• Twitter, Social Media and Professionalism
† Conquering Twitter (verbal elements)
• Conquering Twitter (visual elements)
† Optimizing Twitter
• Conquering Twitter (metrics and timing)
† Conquering Twitter (offsite connections)
• Getting More Twitter Followers

And, if you’re a fellow writer, you may want to check out:
† PitMad on Twitter

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Working With a Cover Artist, Part 2Covers, Color Theory, Color Theory Part 2, Color Theory Part 3, Part 4, covers, cover artist, working with a cover artist,

Working With a Cover Artist, Part 2

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 11, 2022

It’s Time for Working With a Cover Artist, Part 2

There is more to the engaging of a cover artist part of working as an independent writer than just selecting an image or giving them an idea of what you want. Working with a cover artist involves some paperwork. Welcome to the business side of writing.

Because—surprise!—guess what you suddenly are now?

You’re a small business owner.

Working With a Cover Artist Should Mean a Contract

A lot of us get nervous talking about contracts and copyright and that is completely understandable.

They seem difficult, complex, fraught with meaning, and all-too final. It feels like a prenuptial agreement sometimes – don’t you want to have faith that everything will work out all right?

Eh, not so fast.

This is not your great love (even if the cover artist is a friend or a relative). Instead, this is about rights. Your rights and the rights which belong to the visual artist.

The question is: who owns what? Without getting into the minutiae of copyright law just yet, this site offers not only a decent basic breakdown of the law in the United States, but also a good basic contract for a free download.

Contracts are also extremely helpful because they are, in part, a set of instructions. The artist produces the work as of X date, you pay Y amount of dollars as a down payment, etc. So, you get the idea, yes?

So, Are We There Yet?

Are you all set now, and just have to fill in the blanks and you’re good to go?

Not exactly.

Read over the agreement. If any of it does not make sense to you, talk to a lawyer! Even those of us not specially trained in copyright or contracts law can generally dope out an agreement.

Further, in the US, you have got to have competence in Contracts Law in order to pass the Bar examination. It’s a basic part of the Multistate Exam.

Hence even your friend the real estate lawyer should be able to answer your basic contract questions. Oh, and please pay for their time.

One Quick Tip

For the part which is about City, County, and State, you want to write in your own city or town and state, and county or parish. Why?

Because if a lawsuit comes down, you will be a far happier person if you get to go to the courthouse in your county, instead of one potentially on the other side of the country.

It will be far less expensive, and you will be far more likely to exert your rights if you feel they have been violated.

But when it’s a dispute for $100 and it costs $200 each way to fly to where the lawsuit is happening, you’ll do a cost-benefit analysis and not assert your rights. At least, that’s what the vast, vast majority of people would and will do.

Second Quick Tip

Introduce the idea of a contract before the cover artist does anything. Make it clear you won’t engage them to do the work if the agreement is not signed, but also give them an opportunity to look it over and make changes to it (e. g. they might agree to a different-sized format, etc.).

Note: this agreement is rather artist-centric. They probably won’t have much of a problem with it. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility.

Be patient and pleasant like you would be with anyone. This is not you forcing the artist to do anything. But do insist on a signed agreement.

Anyone who is insulted by your insistence on signing an agreement is never, ever someone who you would want to work with. Ever.

Changes

You might want to make changes to a design. You can spell those out in the contract. Should the artist charge you for any changes? They might. So, make sure all of that is in writing. See why it’s a good idea to know pretty much what you want before you start?

It could come in handy for, say, an agreement that the first three changes are free.

Working With a Cover Artist Means Payments

Don’t pay it all up front, and don’t agree to do so. If you are absolutely, flat-out broke, you should still be able to pay something, even if the artist hand waves and doesn’t want anything for their work.

Be good to your conscience and at least ask if you can make a small donation to one of their three favorite charities.

Otherwise, payments should be as specified in the agreement. Are they in dollars, Euros, bitcoin, or something else? Do you pay with a check, a credit card, PayPal, or something else? When is the first payment due? What percentage of the total is due at the time? What’s the mechanism for getting a refund if things don’t work out?

If this sounds an awful lot like engaging, say, a roofer for your home, then ding ding ding! You’ve got it. You are, in essence, working with a service contractor.

Recommendations

Do you absolutely love your cover? Or do you dislike it but still think the artist is great (in other words, sometimes our visions can clash)? Then find out where and how to recommend them, whether it’s a recommendation on LinkedIn or a review on Yelp. And be sure to tell your writer friends, too!

Be good to your cover artist, and they will reward you many times over.Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More About Creating, Commissioning, and Deciding on Book Covers?

If my experiences with book covers resonate with you, then check out my other articles about getting the best cover for your book. Because, like it or not, we all use them to judge books..

Book Covers and You, the Writer

• Color Theory, Part 1
† Color Theory, Part 2
• Part 3 of Color Theory
† Part 4 of Color Theory
• Color Theory Videos
† Working with a Cover Artist, Part 1
• Working with a Cover Artist, Part 2
† Covers, Working with Them
• Video on Working with a Cover Artist
† The Weird World of Being Published

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Working With a Cover Artist, Part 1Covers, Color Theory, Color Theory Part 2, Color Theory Part 3, Part 4, covers, cover artist, working with a cover artist,

Working With a Cover Artist, Part 1

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 6, 2022

Let’s Look at Working With a Cover Artist

Have you ever worked with a cover artist?

They are a fellow creative soul. But they express their artistry in a far different way from how you and I do.

It is like any business relationship, or it should be. Respect your cover artist, and they will help you. Don’t, and beware!

Get an Idea of What You Want Before You Start

So the last thing a cover artist wants to hear is, “Surprise me!” When they ask you how you envision your cover, you need to have an idea. One of the best ways to get such ideas is to browse Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and even your local bookstore.

Look at the typical covers in your genre. Are they natural-looking? Industrial? Hand-drawn?

What are the predominant colors? Black and white? Green? Pink? Red? Something else? So are they angular, or are the shapes softer and more muted?

Consider the fonts as well. Science fiction tends to have sans serif fonts. Romances tend to have serifs and script display fonts.

Also, are there people on the covers of the books in your genre? Is it two people holding each other, or just someone’s impressively chiseled abs?

Use Care!

Now we have all heard or read the expression, don’t judge a book by its cover.

Except that it’s absolutely untrue. We do judge books by their covers. All. The. Time.

Do Your Cover Artist a Favor and Do Some Research

If the covers in your genre’s section of the bookstore are all orange, should your cover be orange, too? It’s hard to say. You want it to look like it belongs in that section, right? But you also want it to stand out.

I would say, if you are a new author and you are predominantly selling online, you need to consider how your work is going to look when it’s shown with others in the genre.

Perform an Amazon or Barnes & Noble search for your genre, and for any keywords related to your plot. If your book is a children’s work about a super-ocelot named Clive (please don’t steal this work. I suddenly have a wicked plot bunny ping-ponging around my head), then you could search under children’s works and then under superheroes or animal stories, etc.

Do some in depth research because your cover is a valuable piece of your marketing.

It might even be helpful to take a screenshot, print it and then consider images which would fit in and images which would stand out.

Your Name

So, your name is probably not going to be recognizable to most people. While it is an important part of the cover, it might be better for the artist to make the title stand out more.

Unless you are very famous already, it is highly likely that the cover will have the title of your book at the top and your name at the bottom.

Cover Artist Contracts!

Oh, and another thing – be sure to have a written agreement with this person. Even something relatively informal, signed by both of you, is better than nothing. But why? Because you’re exchanging money for labor. And that means, sometimes, people sue.

This is the very essence of the business side of writing. So, it’s time to pull out all the stops and be a professional about such things. Click to buy Untrustworthy on Amazon

Want More About Creating, Commissioning, and Deciding on Book Covers?

If my experiences with book covers resonate with you, then check out my other articles about getting the best cover for your book. Because, like it or not, we all use them to judge books..

Book Covers and You, the Writer

• Color Theory, Part 1
† Color Theory, Part 2
• Part 3 of Color Theory
† Part 4 of Color Theory
• Color Theory Videos
† Working with a Cover Artist, Part 1
• Working with a Cover Artist, Part 2
† Covers, Working with Them
• Video on Working with a Cover Artist
† The Weird World of Being Published

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Character Review — Peri MartinCharacter Review, Josie James, Greg Shapiro, Jazminder Parikh, MD, Johnny Barnes, Dalton Farouk, Peri Martin, Carmen D’Angelo, MD, Dr. Devon Grace, Tommy 2000, Lex Feldman, Velexio, Character Reviews are Coming, Ixalla, Elise Jeffries, MD, Frances Miller Ashford, Marnie Shapiro, Ceilidh O’Malley, Dr. Mei-Lin Quan, Trixie LaRue, Tathrelle, Nell Murphy, Craig Firenze, Adger, Astrid Hennigsen, Benjamin Chase, Bobby/Jerry Brodie, Cyndi Mendez, Dez Hunter, Eileen Bragin, Eleanor Braverman, Judge John Lowell, Keisha Darnell, Minka Lopez, Nell Murphy, Noah Braverman, Olga Nicolaev, Peter Ray, Rachel Gifford, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sally Bowles/TSTO Tiles, Shannon Duffy, Student #17, Tad Lewis, Ginny Carey, TSTITO, Selkhet 3000, complex evil characters, Emma 1000, They Say This is the One, Elston Young, Trinity Hawthorne, Character Creation

Character Review — Peri Martin

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on October 4, 2022

Consider Peri Martin, One of My Original Characters

Who is Peri Martin?

The main character of the first Obolonk trilogy was born on a whim.

Where Did Peri Martin Come From?

I was really just posting on Able2know, and playing around, with no plans whatsoever. Yet before I knew it, I had 4 solid posts which were the genesis of the first 3 or 4 chapters of the first book.

And I put it aside for maybe 10 years. But then I remembered—I bet there’s a story there.

So, she came back into my life.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Peri Martin

Coming off unsuccessful PTSD treatment, Detective Sergeant Peri (Perdita Sita Martin if you want to get technical) needs a new partner as hers has been killed. Hence, her PTSD. At the same time, we live in a society of Obolonks (vegan, intersex aliens), robots (both sapient and semi-sapient), and us.

Someone is targeting crunchy, hippie Obolonks on the Appalachian Trail. Peri needs to stop the killings.

But then she starts getting phone calls from a mysterious caller. The Appalachian Trail killings are merely a prologue. Little known to her when the story starts, something a lot worse is coming next.

Description: Peri Martin

Peri is about fifty when the story first gets going. She’s average size albeit a little short. Her PTSD treatment included hospitalization, so she gained a few pounds. She’s blonde, sardonic, and has a taste for cheap clothes from an interplanetary outlet store just called The Marketplace. This store is a lot like Sears was back in the day. Cheap and it has basically everything, with outlets all over the place.

Wait, back up. Interplanetary?

Oh, did I forget to mention that this society has people living on nearly every vaguely spherical rock in the Solar System?

Mary Stuart Masterson (who I see as Peri Martin)
Mary Stuart Masterson. Image is for reference purposes only.

But back to Peri. I see Mary Stuart Masterson‘s face. The more I learn about Masterson, the more it confirms my choice.

And I just learned she’s a lefty, which is wacky, as is her trilogy successor actress, Anna Kendrick (‘playing’ Josie James in Time Addicts)!

Smart, sassy, and troubled, this character is a flawed heroine.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Beyond solving the case, Peri also has to finally heal properly. She isn’t just sad at her partner’s death—she’s angry. At his killers, yes. But also at him.

She needs to stop dwelling on the past.

Quotes (from the first book, The Obolonk Murders)

The interior of the Rhombus was dimly lit, and the music was loud but incoherent. “Cops,” some large fellow bellowed, spitting on the already-dirty floor in front of them.

Peri looked at him. “We came for the music, and to see if we could meet some of the natives.”

People stopped and stared. Even the music stopped playing. “You’re lookin’ at the natives,” growled the guy who’d spat at them.

“I mean the other natives,” Peri said. “You know, the orange folks.”

A woman came over and looked her over, none too approvingly. “Ain’t no Creamsicles here, Cougar.”

“Do Obolonks ever come here?” Tommy asked.

“Like we would ever tell you,” snarled the guy who’d spat earlier.

Peri scanned the room quickly. The bar’s patrons seemed none too cooperative, and there were no Obolonks to speak of. It was the very epitome of a dead end. “Sorry to trouble you,” she said. Taking Tommy’s arm, she steered him out of there.

“Our appearance was immediately discovered,” he stated the obvious.

“Right, yeah.” She sighed. “This sorta thing used to work like a charm.”

“What did?”

“I’d get dolled up, and me and Charlie would have no problem getting intel outta people. And for God’s sake, they never used to call me a cougar.”

Relationships

Peri has a slew of relationships. These are more or less in chronological order.

Anil Deshpande

When we first see Peri, she’s already divorced from Anil and back to her maiden name. Later, she reveals their marriage ended when she discovered he was cheating on her.

Her mother, Karen, comments that she never seemed to have too much enthusiasm for the marriage.

In the prequel, her former mother-in-law, Sudarshana, works to get Peri’s engagement ring back, ostensibly to give it to Anil to give to a new love. Peri negotiates, and gets the high rise apartment in downtown Boston in trade for the ring.

Greg Shapiro

There’s nothing romantic with Greg. He’s what you would call her ‘work husband’.

Greg is funny, silly, and can match her snark for snark. But he also cares about what happens to her. As the technical/analytical side of solving the case, his help is invaluable.

I could technically also put their squad leader in here, Dennis Dolan. Dennis is another one she snarks with—but Peri knows who figuratively signs her paychecks, so she’s a bit more respectful to Dennis. A bit.

Charlie Hollis

Peri’s partner was also her lover. And so, when she sees him killed, it affects her deeply. But she’s too stubborn to get full treatment for PTSD. In a way, she prefers to suffer, feeling it’s more like proper mourning.

In addition, Charlie was married, and not officially separated from his wife, Elaine. Also, in the prequel, we see Charlie alive, and this couple is on again and off again for years. Charlie is on again and off again with everyone, it would seem. Elaine even comments that Charlie cannot seem to let go of anything.

And so Charlie is, to use a nice word for it, a jerk.

Doug Anderson

Doug does not show up in person until the prequel story. He’s kind and patient—and she doesn’t think she deserves him. At the same time, he also bores the heck out of her. They are together during a spell when she is not with Charlie.

David Shepherd (AKA Mark Ross)

The dashing head of the Orb Intelligence Agency (essentially, the future CIA) takes an interest because he finds her fun and fascinating. She’s not the kind of person who kowtows to him. And Peri is (for the most part) unimpressed by his wealth and status.

Their relationship progresses until he’s forced to go ‘full covert submersion’. The OIA erases his identity for his own safety. But he’s a part of solving the case, too. And, she needed someone after Charlie. Dave, to his credit, also helps her more fully recover. Without Dave, she most likely would not have recovered as well as she does.

Tommy McFarland (AKA Tommy 2000)

Peri’s new partner isn’t human. And a lot of things baffled him by a lot of things. But he’s a quick study, and he’s able to step up when necessary. They save each other more than once, and realize they are meant to be together.

Conflict and Turning Point

The Appalachian Trail cases turn into full-blown terrorism quickly. The group (it calls itself HEART—Humans, Earth, And Robotic Technology) is planning even more attacks. Orange blood will spill by the liter unless Peri, Dave, Tommy, and Greg can stop it.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Apart from Greg being another Shapiro character, Peri shows up in the sequel trilogy, Time Addicts. Or, rather, her grave does. It is, after all, about 500 years in the future.

Future Plans for Peri Martin

Apart from the above-mentioned prequel story, there will be a third and final (at least, that’s the plan, kind of) trilogy in this universe. Since Tommy is close to being indestructible, he can be in it. And wherever Tommy goes, his infallible memory of Peri is sure to follow.

Peri Martin: Takeaways

I love this character. I think she’s probably one of the first truly sophisticated characters I ever created. She even precedes Untrustworthy.

Peri Martin — the wisecracking cop you want on your side.

Want More of Peri Martin and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans
† Peri Martin
• Greg Shapiro
† Rachel Gifford

Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000

Obolonks
† TSTITO

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers

The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary

The Obolonk Universe

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs

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Writing Progress Report – Third Quarter 2022Writing Progress Reports, First Quarter 2018, Second Quarter 2018, Third Quarter 2018, Fourth Quarter 2018, First Quarter 2019, Second Quarter 2019, Third Quarter 2019, Fourth Quarter 2019, First Quarter 2020, Second Quarter 2020, Third Quarter 2020, Fourth Quarter 2020, First Quarter 2021, Second Quarter 2021, Third Quarter 2021, Fourth Quarter 2021, First Quarter 2022, Second Quarter 2022, Third Quarter 2022, Fourth Quarter 2022, First Quarter 2023, Second Quarter 2023, Third Quarter 2023, Fourth Quarter 2023, First Quarter 2024, Second Quarter 2024, Third Quarter 2024, Fourth Quarter 2024, Writing Progress Reports Hub, First Quarter 2024, Second Quarter 2024, Third Quarter 2024, Fourth Quarter 2024, First Quarter 2025, Second Quarter 2025, Third Quarter 2025, Fourth Quarter 2025

Writing Progress Report – Third Quarter 2022

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 29, 2022

Progress Report – Third Quarter 2022

How was third quarter 2022 for writing? So I spent third quarter 2022 mainly editing. This is a necessary part of writing! I also did some planning for NaNoWriMo.

Third Quarter 2022 Posted Works

First of all, I worked on a number of new short stories. A lot of these had been drafted on paper and so I spent some time fixing and polishing them.

Then on Wattpad I posted on the WattNaNo profile and the Star Trek Fans profile, and nowhere else.

Milestones

Also, I have written over 3.3 million words (fan fiction and wholly original fiction combined). So right now my stats on Wattpad for wholly original works are as follows:

• Dinosaurs – 40 reads, 9 comments
† How to NaNoWriMo – 25,401 reads, 340 comments
• My Favorite Things (like kibble) – 983 reads, 133 comments
† Revved Up – 59,423 reads, 531 comments
• Side By Side – 17 reads, 2 comments
† Social Media Guide for Wattpad – 15,632 reads, 592 comments
• The Canadian Caper – 506 reads, 37 comments
† The Dish – 250 reads, 24 comments
• There is a Road – 189 reads, 28 comments
† WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2018 – 1,955 reads, 45 comments
• WattNaNo’s Top Picks 2019 – 1,824 reads, 10 comments
† What Now? – 2,700 reads, 104 comments

More Published Works

Also, I am amassing quite the collection of published works!

Untrustworthy, which is my first published novel. So yay!

A True Believer in Skepticism, published in Mythic Magazine.

Almost Shipwrecked, a story in the January 2019 edition of Empyreome, a site which unfortunately is no more.

Canaries, a short story in the March 29, 2019, edition of Theme of Absence.

Complications, a story in the Queer Sci Fi Discovery anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds went to supporting the QSF website.

Cynthia and Wilder Bloom, stories in the Longest Night Watch II anthology.

Props, a story in the Longest Night Watch I anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to Alzheimer’s research.

Surprises, a story in Book One of the 42 and Beyond Anthology set.

The Boy in the Band, a story in the Pride Park anthology. So this is an anthology where the proceeds go to the Trevor Project.

The Interview, the featured story in the December 14, 2018 edition of Theme of Absence. So they even interviewed me!

The Last Patient, a story in the Stardust, Always anthology. This was an anthology where the proceeds go to cancer research.

The Resurrection of Ditte, a story in the Unrealpolitik anthology.

This is My Child, a short story published in the April 8, 2019 edition of Asymmetry Fiction, another site which is no more.

Three Minutes Back in Time, a short story published in Mythic Magazine.

Killing Us Softly, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

Darkness into Light, a short story published in Corner Bar Magazine.

WIP Corner

So my current WIPs are as follows:

The Obolonk Murders Trilogy – so this one is all about a tripartite society. But who’s killing the aliens?

The Enigman Cave – can we find life on another planet and not screw it up? You know, like we do everything else?

The Real Hub of the Universe Trilogy – so the aliens who live among us in the 1870s and 1880s are at war. But why is that?

Mettle – so it’s all about how society goes to hell in a hand basket when the metals of the periodic table start to disappear. But then what?

Time Addicts – No One is Safe – so this one is all about what happens in the future when time travel becomes possible via narcotic.

Time Addicts – Nothing is Permanent – this is the second in this trilogy. What happens when time is tampered with and manipulated in all sorts of ways? It’s the ultimate in gaslighting, for one thing.

Time Addicts – Everything is Up For Grabs – coming in November 2021!

Prep Work

So currently, my intention, for next year’s NaNoWriMo, is to write the third trilogy in the Time Addicts/Obolonks universe. But I need to iron out the plot! So a lot of this year has been spent on that. I have no name for this one yet.

For 2022 NaNoWriMo, I have decided to create a prequel for each of the 5 main universes: Real Hub of the Universe, Obolonks, Time Addicts (while the Obolonks and Time Addicts are in the same universe, I just plain want to write two separate prequels!), Untrustworthy, The Enigman Cave, and Mettle.

So, I anticipate a lot of fun and perhaps a little confusion. But it’s all good!

Third Quarter 2022 Queries and Submissions

So here’s how that’s been going during third quarter 2022.

Reprint

Coming right out of the blue, Mythic Magazine wants to do a second Best of Mythic and chose A True Believer in Skepticism!!! Yay!!!!

In Progress

As of third quarter 2022, the following are (allegedly) still in the running for publishing:

This list is the name of the story and then the name of the potential publisher.

† I Used to Be Happy – Gemini Magazine
• Justice – Adbusters
† Mettle – RAB
• Soul Rentals ‘R’ Us – A Thousand One Stories
† Who Do We Blame for This? – Sonder Review

All Other Statuses

So be sure to see the Stats section for some details on any query statuses for third quarter 2022 which were not in progress.

Stats

So in 2018, my querying stats were:

• 68 submissions of 19 stories
† Acceptances: 4, 5.88%
• In Progress-Under Consideration: 3, 4.41% (so these don’t seem to have panned out)
† In Progress: 10, 14.71%
• Rejected-Personal: 14, 20.59%
† Rejected-Form: 24, 35.29%
• Ghosted: 13 (so these were submissions where I never found out what happened), 19.12%
So in 2019 my querying stats were:

† 23 submissions of 11 stories (so 6 submissions carry over from 2018)
• Acceptances: 4, 17.39%
† In Progress: 11 (so this includes 2 holdovers from 2018), 47.83%
• Rejected-Personal: 4, 17.39%
† Rejected-Form: 3, 13.04%
• Ghosted: 1 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 4.35%

2020 Stats

So in 2020 my querying stats were:

† 37 submissions of 12 stories (so 9 submissions carried over from 2019)
• Acceptances: 3, 8.11%
† In Progress: 7, 18.92%
• Rejected-Personal: 12, 32.43%
† Rejected-Form: 4, 10.81%
• Ghosted: 11 (so these are submissions where I never found out what happened), 29.73%

2021 Stats

So in 2021 my querying stats were 5 submissions of 5 stories, all carried over from 2020, all ghosted, 100%

2022 Stats

So in 2022 my querying stats are:

† 6 submissions of 65 stories (so 5 submissions carry over from 2020 and 2021), plus 1 reprint!
• Acceptances: 14.29%
† Rejected-Form: 1, 14.29%
• Ghosted: 5, 71.42%

It can be pretty discouraging and hard to go on when nothing new comes up which is positive.

Third Quarter 2022 Productivity Killers

So it’s work, what else? It’s always going to be work, and third quarter 2022 will not be the end of that…

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Plot Creation

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 27, 2022

Background – Plot Creation

Plot creation can be a somewhat personal experience. And I will be the first to admit that my methods can often be haphazard.

So sometimes, for me, plots come from prompts (my own or others’) or even from dreams. Or I will connect seemingly disparate things, people, scenes, characteristics, etc.

In addition, I like to engage in what I like to call thought experiments. So why is something the way it is? And what happens if one key element changes? Does the thing fall apart? Or can it become something new and different? Or even better?

A big part of writing well is making your plot—even if you’re mostly flying by the seat of your pants.

Getting to the Point

Because I tend to plan out what I write, I often write with a point in mind. Now, this isn’t necessarily that I want to lecture anyone. Instead, it’s more that I want to say something perhaps a smidgen grander than just the plot and the characters.

For example, the point of Untrustworthy is about not letting your personal freedoms slip away. The point of the Obolonks is to look beyond the surface at people. So for The Enigman Cave, the point is that evolution works, no matter where you go.

In addition, in Real Hub, the point is to set aside class and wealth and judge intelligence and talent instead. And finally, in Mettle, the point is to work together for the greater good.

The Germ of an Idea

But before we can get to the point, we have to start from somewhere. For Untrustworthy, The Enigman Cave, and The Real Hub of the Universe, a killer opening line drove the plot bus.

Untrustworthy: There was nothing easy about it.

The Enigman Cave: Life is common.

The Real Hub of the Universe: The greatest treasure in the galaxy is the truth.

Other plots came about in other ways (of course). The Obolonks originally came from two things. One was a means of using The Wizard of Oz in a perverse fashion. The other was to show a tripartite society.

Mettle absolutely came out of a thought experiment: what would happen if some of the elements on the periodic table started to disappear?

And Time Addicts came about because I wanted to see what could happen if you could travel in time by taking drugs. Drugs led to the idea of addicts, and I was off to the races.

Plot Creation: Some Takeaways

Let your mind wander as you consider plots. Have you ever wondered about something or other? Or have you thought: I can do or make something better than what’s out there? Those can form the framework for plots!

How do YOU create a plot? Here’s how I do it. #amwriting

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Self-Review – A True Believer in Skepticism

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 22, 2022

Review – Self-Review – A True Believer in Skepticism

So the concept for A True Believer in Skepticism came from a few stray thoughts which ended up coming together rather nicely. It was at this time that I was actively trying to write every single day. Hence, I needed to find inspiration anywhere I could.

And in this case, it was the Home Depot. No lie.

Background

When I wrote True Believer… my husband and I had just come back from ordering flooring from the Home Depot. We had met a very pleasant and knowledgeable salesman named Reynaldo.

And I loved that name, because, to me, it evoked mystery. Hence the story started to come together.

Plot

Denise lives an ordinary life in a dull, ordinary town. But when a fair comes to town, she eventually goes to it. But she scarcely knows why.

While there, she meets the Great Reynaldo, who tells her fortune. Denise is skeptical, feeling that fortune tellers are only so much hokum. And she isn’t fully convinced that the Great Reynaldo can do what he claims he can.

It’s not until she leaves the fair that the first part of his predictions start to come true….

Characters in A True Believer in Skepticism

The characters are Denise and the Great Reynaldo. While there are other people at the fair. While the story refers to them, they don’t have names. And those other people don’t speak, either.

Denise, of course, is the True Believer.

Memorable Quotes

There was a booth which she had not noticed amidst the crowds. A fellow was seated on a stool, wearing a turban. There was a banner at the front top of the booth which said, ‘The Great Reynaldo Will Tell Your Fortune.’

Denise laughed a little. Fortune tellers were just so much hokum, the product of willing believers who were so chatty they would give their secrets away willingly. A scam artist merely needed to be good at reading body language, asking leading questions, following up on the answers, and convincingly recover from unexpected or out and out wrong answers.

Rating

The story has a K rating.

A True Believer in Skepticism: the Upshot

I really love the title of this one, and am particularly happy that it found an audience. It is to be published by Mythic Magazine, which also published Three Minutes Back in Time.

Are YOU a true believer in skepticism?

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Character Review — Dalton FaroukShazad Latif, who I see as Dalton Farouk

Character Review — Dalton Farouk

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 20, 2022

Dalton Farouk is a character I created as the love interest for the main character in Time Addicts, Josie James.

Who is Dalton Farouk?

He was always to be a Muslim character and always to be smart, attractive, and have a very strong reason for being chosen for the team.

Shazad Latif Dalton Farouk Time Addicts
When I think of Dalton Farouk, I see actor Shazad Latif.

So, why was he put on the team?

It’s because he’s got a very real memory gift. It’s rare and quite amazing.

Hello, Hyperthymesia

So, to make Dalton truly fascinating, I decided he would have hyperthymesia.

It also goes by the name, ‘highly superior autobiographical memory’. Essentially, a person is able to recall everything that ever happened to them, and in exceptional detail.

Where Did Dalton Farouk Come From?

The name just sort of came to me. I loved the idea of a very WASP-y kind of first name and then the surname just kind of bangs a left.

And here we are.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Dalton Farouk

Born in the Philadelphia-Main Line section of the Washington Megalopolis, Dalton is the elder of two. His sister, Maryam Tracy Farouk, shows champion schnauzers. Maryam is learning from their mother, Susan Dalton Farouk. Their father, Ali, is also involved in the breeding and training of the dogs. But he doesn’t show them.

Dalton himself reports that he and Maryam didn’t always get along as kids. But they’ve gotten better as they’ve gotten older.

Description

So, just like Latif, Dalton is a handsome Middle Eastern guy with a beard. He smiles easily and is exceptionally attentive to Josie. He is, in many ways, the perfect boyfriend.

Why?

Because, since he can remember everything forever, he does everything in his power to avoid regrets.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Dalton really has two separate motivations. His first is like the other employees of the OIA-DTN: to preserve and restore the original timeline. But his second motivation is to date Josie. And I suppose there’s a third—to cope with the burdens of his gift.

It’s got to be tough when you remember every humiliation you ever had in nursery school.

Quotes

(from the first time we see Dalton in the storyline)

“Hi, I’m Dalton.”

“Er, hi. I’m Josie James.” His hand was smooth, as if the only physical labor he did was in a gym.

“You sound like a dance hall girl or an outlaw. Definitely something from a western movie.”

“You sound upper crust.”

“I was born in the Philly section of the Washington Meg so, yeah, kinda. You?”

“You want to know where I was born?”

“Well, yeah, seeing as we’re not supposed to be hinting at roles and responsibilities yet.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot that. Man, oh man, the OIA sure has some strange protocols. Still, I figure there’s a kind of a method to their madness.”

“Oh?” asked Dalton.

“Yeah, they get to continually test us on secrecy and on following instructions. We screw up, and they can boot us. You know, like it says in our contracts. I am assuming you got the same contract that I did, er, Dalton.” Why the hell is this dreamy guy just going by his last name? How weird.

“I’m sure I did. And yeah.” He seemed to be staring at something for a second, as if he was mentally flipping the pages of the contract, in electronic or paper form. “You’re right; it does say that. But you didn’t answer my question, outlaw Josie James.”

“I didn’t? Er, what was it again?”

“Where were you born?” he asked, as the door opened and a Wingbot arrived with a strong-looking guy who looked like he played football professionally.

“Tad Lewis,” the new guy said, shaking Josie’s hand and then turning to Dalton.

“I’m Josie James and this here is, er, Mr. Dalton.”

Dalton started to laugh. “Hell, no. My first name is Dalton. Hiya, Tad. Where you from?”

Josie mouthed the word ‘sorry’.

Relationships

Dalton of course has been around the block enough that Josie isn’t his first love interest.

Lisa Shore

So, when I started, Lisa was a blank slate. And then I got to thinking about her being borderline abusive. Since Dalton would not want to rock the boat in most relationships, I felt it best to make her so awful that he would just have to end things.

His parents even comment that they weren’t fond of her.

Conflict and Turning Point

For Dalton, the conflict and turning point align with the rest of the story and characters. He, along with Josie, Tad, Jerry, Cindy, Keisha, and Carmen, have to finally stop a group called the Yestermasters. Changing time is making Obolonk lives worse and worse. Unsatisfied with Obolonk slavery, the Yestermasters want to commit genocide.

Dalton’s role is perhaps a little foolhardy, as he sustains a rather bad injury.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

Apart from having love interests in many of my works, I kind of don’t have a continuity or Easter Egg for him. I love his memory, and may write a similar character in the future. Imagine Dalton’s POV!

Future Plans

Right now, there are no plans for a sequel featuring him, and the prequels don’t have him, either. In a way, I like the idea of him ending with a question mark, for tomorrow never knows.

Dalton Farouk: Takeaways

Dalton is a little bit of a “careful what you wish for” character. Smart, handsome, and kind, he feels perfect. And then, when you get to know him, you learn just how troubled he really is.

Time Addicts is all about memory, and Dalton Farouk is its poster child.

Want More of Dalton and the Rest of the Obolonk Universe?

If the story of the Obolonks resonates with you, then check out my other articles about how our society turns tripartite, with humans, robots, and Obolonks.

Character Reviews: The Obolonk Murders

Humans
† Peri Martin
• Greg Shapiro
† Rachel Gifford

Robots
† Tommy 2000
• Selkhet 3000

Obolonks
† TSTITO

Character Reviews: Time Addicts

The Good Guys
• Josie James
† Carmen D’Angelo, MD
• Dalton Farouk
† Tad Lewis
• Cyndi Mendez
† Bobby Brodie
• Keisha Darnell
† Vera Travers

The Bad Guys
• Peter Ray
† Dae Ou Xiang
• Elston Young
† Corwin Zachary

The Obolonk Universe

Prequels

• The Dust Between Our Stars
† Eros vs Thanatos

Self-Reviews: Obolonk Trilogy

• The Obolonk Murders
† Self-Review: The Polymer Beat
• The Badge of Humanity

Self-Reviews: Time Addicts Trilogy

† No One is Safe
• Nothing is Permanent
† Everything is up for Grabs

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When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 6, 2022

When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms

When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms? Timing, as you might expect, is everything when it comes to posting on social media platforms.

After all, if you, say, tweet when your audience is sleeping, they won’t see your tweet. It’ll be lost in the mountain of missed social media communications.

We all have such a mountain of missed communications and connections. Social media just moves way too quickly for us to see, comment on, share, and experience everything. We’re only human, and of course that’s fine.

Your mission, though, is to post when your audience will be around, not when they’ll be offline, or busy with work, or settled into bed for the night.

Note: this information is from a few years ago. Yet a lot of it is still valid.

And even if the information (the actual times) is imperfect, it should give you an idea of what will work. Or what will not work. Because that’s important, too.

Zzzz AKA La La La I Can’t Hear You!

According to Kate Rinsema of AllTop (Guy Kawasaki‘s great site), the following are the most godawful worst times to post.

• Facebook – midnight to 8 AM
† Instagram – midnight to 8 AM
• LinkedIn – 9 AM to 5 PM
† Pinterest – 1 to 7 AM and 5 – 7 PM
• Tumblr – 12 AM to 12 PM
† X – 8 PM – 8 AM

But pay attention to your audience. Because maybe they’re night owls. Or maybe they live on the other side of the planet.

I’m Here and I’m Listening

These are reportedly the best times to post on social media platforms:

† Facebook – 1 to 4 PM
• Instagram – 5 PM to 6 PM
† LinkedIn – 5 PM to 6 PM
• Pinterest – 8 PM to 11 PM
† Tumblr – 7 PM to 10 PM
• X – 1 PM to 3 PM

What About Social Media Platforms and Different Time Zones?

Articles like this often vex me, because there usually isn’t any consideration taken when it comes to customers, readers, and audience crossing time zones.

My suggestion is to take these times as your own, for your own time zone, unless your audience is on the other side of the Earth.

Try for some wiggle room, e. g. if you’re on the East Coast of the United States, like I am, you might want to time things for later during the window if you’re aiming for an audience pretty much only in America.

But for a European audience, you should aim for earlier in the window but recognize that, with a minimal five-hour difference, you might not hit the window perfectly.

Or, you could set at least your tweets to run more than once. If you do this, though, I suggest spreading them apart by a day, say, posting post #1 on Monday at the start of the window, and post #2 at the end, and then switching them on Wednesday or the like.

But repeating other postings could turn out to be overkill for your audience. Try using the #ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) tag when repeating your posts.

Or, it could be fine. Because we all know that we miss scads and scads of stuff online. Maybe your followers will be fine with a little repetition. Hell, many of them probably won’t even notice it.

Caveat marketer.

Want More About Social Media?

If my experiences with non-platform-specific social media resonate with you, then check out my other articles about navigating our social media obsessed world.

Social Media in Our Society

† Social Media Continues its Relentless Pace
• Seduction AKA Oops, Did I Do That?
† Social Media Background Check Being Used For Jury Selection

• Hope, Hype or What?
† Social Media Balance
• How Social Media Can Ruin Your Life
† Happy Holidays, Social Media Style

Reviews of Books on Social Media

• Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans, A Book Review
† Book Review – Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
• The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani, a Book Review

Also, Working with Social Media

† A Day in the Life of a Social Media Marketer
• Five Ways for Charities to use Social Media
† Four Important Social Media Stats

• Social Networking/Social Media Tips
† The Best Lengths for Social Media Posts and More
• Jell-O on the Wall: Social Media Perfection is Fleeting
† When NOT to Post on Social Media Platforms

Social Media for Writers

• The Power of Social Media (Neurotic Writers’ Edition)
† Social Media and Writing
• … and Writing Part 2
† Social Media and Writing Part 3
• Are You Promoting Your Writing With Social Media?

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Self-Review – CynthiaJake to represent Cynthia

Self-Review – Cynthia

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 25, 2022

Review – Cynthia

So the thing about Cynthia is, it’s a fun although ultimately sad story.

You see, Cynthia is a Great Dane.

And to her sorrow, her master is succumbing to Alzheimer’s. This short story was written for the second volume of The Longest Night Watch. All of the proceeds go to the Alzheimer’s Association.

I love the canine point of view. There is just something about writing about a species that is so incredibly close to us yet their ‘language’, such as it is, is vastly different.

Furthermore, even science says that dogs experience so much more than we do when it comes to scent. And so, I firmly believe that their perceptions have to be rendered in that manner.

Background

I have always been a dog lover, and I even have some fan fiction where the POV comes from a canine perspective. As a result, I had the itch to write something similar yet wholly original. I also wanted it to reflect the overall subject matter, Alzheimer’s. What better way, than to show that the creature keeping their faculties is one who didn’t have quite so many to begin with?

Plot

The plot is small and compact, and it reflects how Daniel’s life is shrinking in on itself. The dog even says that there is more food when Keisha arrives, and the walks are longer. You don’t need to be human to know that Daniel is faltering. Because this status quo will change, and the center will not hold.

Characters

The characters are the narrator, Cynthia the dog, Daniel Robinson, her owner, and Daniel’s daughter, Keisha. However, we only see Keisha at the end, although there is a mentioning of her before.

Memorable Quotes from Cynthia

I love him.

He smells good.

Rating

The story is Rated K.

Cynthia: Upshot

Canine POV, as I noted above, is great fun to write. But the story is truly a sad one. For Keisha in particular, her father is slipping away. And even though she’s a nurse, she can do nothing to slow down or stop his decline.

Cynthia’s devotion and love are as real and true as any human’s. #amwriting

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