Category: books

The things you learn from puppies…

My daughter has been asking for a dog since she was old enough to say the words. She’s eight now…so that’s a lot of, “Can I have a puppy?” requests over the years. 

Finally, we broke down and decided it was time to get a dog. Our kids are 8 and 11, old enough to help out and take care of a dog. So we went to the local shelter after having perused the list of dogs online and headed out to see our top picks. Turns out that the two we liked most were both in quarantine, one for biting people and one for being “aggressive toward people.”

On to plan B. 

We ended up settling on this 2 year old brown shepherd mix. Poor thing did not want to be a pet. At all. We tried everything to keep her in the yard, but she escaped everything. She was also terrified of just about everything. She hated coming in the house, had no clue how to play with kids other than trying to tear their clothes apart and bite at their arms, and she chewed up whatever she could get her teeth on. After a month, we finally have to give up and take her back to the shelter.

Round two. 

After our first experience, we decided what we needed was a puppy that we could train and have grow up as part of the family. So, here’s our new puppy, Finn. The shelter said he was a lab/retriever mix, but he looks more like a boxer to us.

We adore Finn, but for anyone thinking about getting a puppy, I have just a few words of wisdom to help prepare you.

1. Puppy teeth biting you feels like a dozen tiny needles stabbing into your flesh. They are seriously sharp! Good thing they’re only nibbling.

2. Puppy claws are equally sharp! Between the claws and the teeth, I look like I’ve been in a cat fight recently. Oh, and FYI, puppy claws aren’t all the same color. I thought that was neat 🙂

3. Puppies make lots of messes, but it’s totally worth it for us to have a dog that actually likes us and wants to be part of the family.

4. If you thought you were done baby-proofing your house, think again. Shoes have to up off the ground, cords and wires hidden, odds and ends can’t be left on the floor to be chewed on.

5. Puppies find a favorite spot, and it’s forever theirs alone. Bye-bye gaming chair.

6. Puppies haven’t quite gotten the hang of doing their business and not stepping in it immediately after. Consequently, they get a little smelly, which is a problem if the shelter just neutered him and you can’t bathe them for seven days.

7. Walking on a leash is not a skill puppies have without training. Poor Finn had no clue what was going on when we put a collar and leash on. Baby steps.

8. Puppies don’t like to be alone, especially at night. Poor baby cries when we have to kennel him at night, and whines if he’s not in a room with someone else. Luckily my daughter doesn’t mind keeping him company.

9. Puppies are super clumsy. It’s pretty cute to watch 🙂 Even little steps can sending them tumbling onto their noses.

10. Puppies sleep a lot, and sometimes in strange positions! Finn is also a pretty light sleeper, so the poor guy gets woken up a lot.

Clearly every dog is different, and finding the right one for your family isn’t easy. We’re loving our new puppy, though, and it looks like this is going to be a great fit! 

Tell me about your pets!

Ready or not, here comes #Thanksgiving!

It’s hard to believe it’s already that time again, but Thanksgiving it right around the corner. Next week, in fact. Am I ready for it? No. 

Thanksgiving at our house usually means double duty visiting my husband’s family for lunch, which I’m supposed to bring drinks and veggies too (I think. I should double check), then hopping across town to my dad’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Or my parents might come to my house. It’s still undecided…a week away. Yeah. We’re not ready. 
This year, it also means my kids are out of school all next week for the holiday break. So, will I get much done? Seriously doubt it. I’m glad they get the break, and we’ll be busy trying to house train our new puppy, but if there’s to be any cooking or cleaning done…I may need some help. 

So, the plan?

1. Figure out whether I’m hosting dinner or attending dinner at my parents. (I think it’s my turn, so let’s plan for that)
2. Clean my house. Let’s face it, that will happen the night before in a mad scramble. 
3. Go grocery shopping. I was at the store today, which is when I probably should have done it, but I was getting puppy supplies and I seem to enjoy going at the last minute, then going to two more stores because the first store is inevitably out of at least four things I need. 
4. Figure out where I put all the pans and dishes I only ever pull out at Thanksgiving. (I need more cupboard space)
5. Figure out where to put everyone. There’s a pool table in the middle of our dining room right now, and it’s way too heavy to move. 
6. Learn how to make sweet potatoes. That was always my grandma’s job, but now that she’s passed away, I feel responsible for providing them on her behalf even though my dad is the only one who actually eats them.
7. Watch some Supernatural. Seriously. I’ve been on hiatus from my favorite demon-slaying boys in an effort to finish Invincible. I’m gonna need some Sam and Dean to gear myself up for all the prep work. 
8. Get my kids excited to help with the cooking. They’re on and off about how much fun it is to help mom in the kitchen. I’m having mixed feelings myself after my eight year old put her oatmeal in the microwave without water and burned the heck out of it while stinking up the whole kitchen. She did it a few days ago too. 
9. Assign the things I’m bad at to my stepmom. Gravy, rolls…there are a few things. 
10. Don’t stress out. Is there chocolate somewhere? (10.1. get dark chocolate when grocery shopping.) 

Good luck to everyone getting ready for the holidays! Good luck to me, anyway. You all might be a little more put together than I am 😉

A tribute to being determined

 Usually my Monday posts are writing related, but today I wanted to take a minute to share with you some of the events of last week. 

On Monday afternoon I was called away from work by my dad by news that my Grandma Esther, who had fallen the week before and fractured her pelvis, had coded when her heart stopped, but had been resuscitated. She had a do not resuscitate order in place, but because the paperwork hadn’t been converted to the newer digital charts, she was revived, but had not regained consciousness. It was touch and go over the next twenty-four hours while she regained consciousness briefly but her body continued to decline. On Tuesday afternoon, she passed away and joined my Grandpa Ivan in the eternities.

I loved my grandma dearly, and being with her the last few hours of her life is something I will never forget. Even though it was incredibly difficult to watch her suffer and be in pain when I couldn’t do anything to help her, I felt comforted knowing she was surrounded by family and that those who couldn’t be there were praying for her.

In the last three years, we’ve had four funerals between my family and my husband’s. It’s difficult to say goodbye to family members that have given so much love in their lives, but my grandma’s passing was especially difficult for me.

My grandparents moved in next door to us when I was seven years old. From that point on, they were a constant fixture in my life. They were the loves of each other’s lives. Everyone who saw them together knew that. The couldn’t have made it through seventy years of marriage if they weren’t. They were such an example of what a marriage should be.

My grandpa told us stories of his days in the military, operating a VFW outpost in Colorado, becoming the mayor of the little town of Oat Creek, and helping to get the bridge repaired after a huge flood nearly destroyed the town. My grandma would sit quietly and let him tell the stories, but she lived through every single one of those events with him, and it wasn’t always easily.

While my grandpa was overseas, she worked and raised her children largely on her own. She showed

her amazing strength through years of trials, never complaining and always lending a hand to those in need even when they had very little themselves. Accepting help was difficult for both my grandparents, but giving it was second nature. They affected everyone they met for the better.

As I was growing up, she was my role model. Even at thirty years old, she’s still the person I want to be when I grow up. I’ve never known a stronger, more resilient, more giving, loving or more determined person. There was nothing she couldn’t do, no difficulty she couldn’t overcome…all without complaint. At ninety years old and after years of battling leukemia, she was still living in her own home, taking care of the neighborhood dogs that would wait on her porch for treats and love every day. She refused to move in with my dad and let him care for her the last few years because she didn’t want to be a burden to him. She wasn’t stubborn–she didn’t like that word much–but she was determined. She wanted to live her life on her own terms, and she did.

Esther Mae Shrum was an amazing woman. I wish everyone could have known her. Her influence in my life helped guide me as a child, and will continue to guide for the rest of my life. She was one of those people that you didn’t forget after meeting them, and I hope I can one day be like her.

You Owe Me

I’m going to get on my soap box for just a minute today.

I generally leave my soap box sitting in a corner to be used only rarely, but I felt that I needed to pull it out today and touch on a subject that has been on my mind lately. The writing community is an awesome thing to be a part of. Authors who are working on building their platforms can find a lot of fabulous friends who will be happy to help support them,.

The key word here is “friends.”

Not random stangers. Not someone who “liked” or commented once on a status update of yours. Not someone you saw belonged to one of the many Facebook groups you belong to. The writing community is a tight knit group, and even though new friends are always happily welcomed, those who are stopping by only to push their own agenda are going to have a more difficult time.

Something I’ve found happening quite often lately, personally and with other authors, is getting a message from an author or aspiring writer they don’t know asking for favors. It might be something as simple as “I liked your page. Will you like mine in return?” or it might be something that requires a bit more like “I enjoy your books, can you read one of mine and tell me what you think?”

Let’s take the “Like” exchange to start off with. Me liking your page doesn’t do a lot of good for you, other than give you one more “Like.” If I don’t know who you are, even if I “like” your page, it’s unlikely that I’ll see, like, and comment on your posts, especially if it’s not a genre I read, like male/male romance.

Also, I’m not really your tartget audience. You want actual interested readers to like your page, not other authors who have no real connection to you or your books. And to be perfectly honest, it’s not polite and will start you of in a less than agreeable spot with your new “friend.” There are plenty of Facebook groups out there to exchange “Likes.” I don’t participate in them because I won’t “Like” and page I don’t actually like or know anything about. Please don’t solicit “Likes” from other authors out of the blue. If I know you and enjoy your work, I will “Like” you page. I don’t ask every author I meet to “Like” my page because I assume they probably feel the same way I do.

Now, on to asking for larger favors.

Reading an entire book, or even a short story, takes a lot of time. That’s not something I have a ton of, and I assume the majority of people I meet are in the same situation. The only people I ask to read something for me are close friends I know who, A) have the time and B) actually want to read it. Don’t ask strangers to read your writing. Just don’t.

On that same note, don’t randomly ask people to share you announcements or sales or new releases. If you have a relationship with that person and know they have a blog or page where they share that sort of thing, ASK AWAY! Most authors will be happy to help. I get requests to share things about erotica or gruesome horror or something similar. Most of my fans and readers are teens. I don’t share those types of posts. People who know me and what I write know that.

Being online takes away people’s inhibitions in many ways. You wouldn’t ask a stranger on the street to do a favor for you, especially one that is time consuming or might cause problems for them. Don’t do it online either.

I don’t want this to sound like I don’t want to help other authors. Those who know me know that I spend a lot of time helping other authors with promotions, graphics, book covers, formatting, review/critiques, advice, whatever they need. I want other authors to succeed. I want books and reading to succeed. I love helping other authors, but being asked to do something for someone I don’t even know sends a message of “You Owe Me,” just because we’re both authors. That’s not how it works. Like every other business, you have to build relationships, not just take the “buy my book,” “like my page” approach. It doesn’t work.

Feel free to let me know what you think about this topic!

Halloween Gladden Style

We love Halloween here at the Gladden house. Next to Christmas, it’s our favorite holiday. Over the years we’ve built up some fun traditions I thought I’d share today. 

First off…the planning. 

We always plan to get things done early, but we never do. The plan to buy or start making costumes

on Oct. 1st is well meaning, but never happens. Usually, I either buy or start making the kids’ Halloween costumes the week of…which is exactly what happened this year. My daughter decided to be Jessie from Toy Story, but the ones to buy weren’t great and were expensive, so I ended up making one for her this week. It turned out pretty good, if I say so myself 🙂

My son really took our last minute tradition down to the wire this year. He’d been saying all month that he wasn’t going to dress up because at 11 years old he was too old for it. But, the lure of candy overpowered him two hours before the church Trunk or Treat party and he whipped out his old baseball uniform and went as a baseball player. Thank goodness it still fit! 

Pumpkins

We’re going to carve our pumpkins this afternoon after we run some errands, so I don’t have pictures yet, but we love to carve pumpkins. Or I should say my kids love to watch ME carve their pumpkins. I don’t know how I always get talked into this, since my kids are both excellent artists, but I’m usually the one carving Mario or a zombie head out of the pumpkins. 
At least this year I was smart enough to get those little electric tea lights so I don’t burn myself trying to light the candles inside the pumpkins. I already did that last night while frying tortillas for dinner. 

Downtown Trick or Treating

Thankfully, we’re not doing this one this year. We’ve gone every year with the cousins since moving back, but the kids always whine because there are super long lines and hardly any of the businesses participate anymore. 
This year we’re going to a friends massive Halloween party instead…which I still need to make a snack for. That’s on the agenda for this afternoon as well. 

Regular Old Trick or Treating

Even though by this point my kids have way more candy than they need, we’ll usually wander our neighbood asking for more candy. This year we’re taking the dog, though she’s not dressing up. She’d only eat the costume if we tried. When the kids are too cold to keep knocking, we’ll head home and watch a Halloween movie in between handing out candy to the trick or treaters that stop by. Until about 9 o’clock when we just turn out the lights and pretend we’re not home so we can watch the movie for more than five minutes at a time. 

Bargaining

My kids will dump out all their candy later tonight and that’s when the trading begins. Tootsie Rolls aren’t worth, just so you know. Chocolate usually demands the highest prices. My daughter will give away gum for free. She has a thing about gum. 

Coma

When the candy coma eventually sets in, the kids mosey upstairs to bed and my hubby and I will steal a few of the good pieces of candy out of their buckets when they aren’t looking 😉 
Then Halloween is over and we start thinking about turkeys and Christmas shopping and all that hoopla. I love this time of year, and love that Halloween is the jumping off point for the rest of the holiday season. I’m looking forward to all our fun holiday traditions!

Happy Halloween to everyone!
 

Competing and Collaborating Between Authors

Avoiding competition as an author is impossible. As soon as you release a book, you’re up against your friends for sales and notoriety. 

Competition among authors is just a part of publishing, but that doesn’t mean we’re all out to get each other. At least, it shouldn’t. 
The writing community is a tight knit group. As we work on projects we ask each other for advice, critiques, and ideas. We help each other with everything from plots to back cover blurbs and pitches. We collaborate on just about everything, and most are eager to offer advice and help. We’re excited for each other when we land an agent or publisher, or when we take the leap into self-publishing. 
How does that change once our books go live? 
In a perfect world, it wouldn’t change anything. We’d still be thrilled to see one of our friends succeed, even if it means they’re doing better than we are. Lots of writers are still extremely supportive of their fellow writers and will lend a hand whenever it’s needed. Some aren’t, and that’s their loss. 
But even for the writers who maintain their excitement for their friends’ success, sometimes it’s tough not to worry that their success will lessen ours, or even be a bit jealous when their rankings jump ahead of ours. We’re human after all. 
The fact is… we’re all on the same team. Yes, it might be difficult to swallow when you’re still working to get your name out there when a friend seems to skyrocket to stardom out of nowhere. You’re looking at it from the point of view of competition, not collaboration. 
Just like when your writer friends encouraged you to keep writing or query that dream agent, every book they sell encourages people to read. If they’re writing in the same genre as you, even better! Readers who love their books will want more. Don’t hesitate to support the authors you’re competing against. Most authors return the favor, but even if they don’t, you’re still promoting reading and literacy and that is ultimately to your benefit, and everyone else’s. Every book sold, whether yours or not, builds a love for reading. That’s the point, right? 

I’d love your thoughts. Do you think competition derails efforts at collaborating? 

#TensList: Ten things you probably didn’t know about New Mexico

There are certain things that make a place unique. Many of my readers have never visited to New Mexico, and some probably have never even heard of it before! So here are a few things that are uniquely New Mexican. 

#1: There is a difference between Chile, chile, and chili, and yes, Chili’s restaurant picked the wrong one. 

Chile is a country in South America, while chile (lowercase “c”) is a pepper than is an ingredient in pretty much 90% of New Mexican dishes. Chili is made with beans. Meat is optional. New Mexicans know the difference between these three, and we just laugh when someone tries to tell us we spelled chile wrong. The best chile is grown in Hatch and Deming, NM, and fall in New Mexico smells like roasted chile peppers. 

#2: Cholo is a real word despite what Microsoft thinks.

What does it mean? Basically, it’s a gangster. Urban dictionary even breaks it down by the dress code.  “A cholo is term implying a Hispanic male that typically dresses in chinos (khahki pants), a wifebeater sleeveless teeshirt or a flannel shirt with only the top buttoned, a hairnet, or with a bandana around the forehead, usually halfway down over the eyes. Cholos often have black ink tattoos, commonly involving Catholic imagery, or calligraphy messages or family names.” 

#3: Roadrunners are real. 

I had to laugh the first time someone told me they thought roadrunners were just something from cartoons. Yes, they are real. Yes, they are in New Mexico. They’re our state bird, actually 😉 And yes, I have actually seen one. 

#4: Cheese is a staple. 

There is a difference between Mexican food and New Mexican food. One of the chief differences is the amount of cheese involved. Seriously, pretty much every NM recipe involves about a pound of cheese. That’s how we like it. It is totally bizarre to me when I order fajitas at a restaurant and they don’t give me any cheese. 

#5: It gets really cold here!

This applies to Northern New Mexico mainly, as the south does stay fairly warm all year. The high desert gets snow (not a lot) and it gets down into the teens and single digits during the winter. Just because it’s desert doesn’t mean it’s year round shorts weather. And there’s the wind. March through May, be prepared to feel like Piglet on a blustery day. It will literally try to blow you away. 

#6: Flooding is a real problem.

That probably sounds like craziness. It is the desert after all. Yes, we only get and average of somewhere around 14 inches of rain per year, which isn’t much, but we like to get it all at once. We can get some of the craziest rainstorms you’ll see that will warrant flash flood warnings to pop up on your TV. A few years back, my kids sat at the back door and watched their outside toys float away on the impromptu river that was flowing through our backyard. If it starts raining in New Mexico, get away from the arroyos. 

#7: Goatheads suck. 

You think stepping on Legos hurt? Try stepping on a goathead sticker. They actually look like little goat heads, with a round sticker with wicked looking barbs sticking out of it. If you’ve ever seen thorns on a Russian olive tree… that’s what it feels like you’re stepping on. Yeah. And to make it even worse, goatheads have poison in the barbs, so even after you yank that sucker out of your foot, it will keep hurting for the rest of the day. Oh, and goatheads, they’re pretty much everywhere and the plants that spawn these little devils are impossible to kill. 

#8: Ditto for tumbleweeds. 

Not only are tumbleweeds real, you can really see them rolling down the street, or through my backyard, on occasion. They’re the worst. They will roll themselves into your yard from who knows where, over your fence somehow, their pokey little stickers falling off to get stepped on or stuck in your clothes, as the go. And if you try to get rid of them while they’re still green and growing… where some thick gloves. They will poke through just about anything, and they’ve also got poison of some kind in the stickery ends. Scratches from live tumbleweeds will itch and hurt  for quite a while!

#9: Frybread is reason enough to visit

If you’ve never had frybread, you’e missing out. It’s exactly what it sounds like. A pretty basic dough stretched out flat and fried in vat of oil or lard. Cover it with salt or honey, or even better, all the fixings for a Navajo taco, and you’re set. I”m not the best at making frybread, but it’s delicious. It’s a staple at county fairs, fundraisers, or some random guy’s house who happens to be selling it on a Tuesday. For real, I see signs for frybread for sale around town all the time. 

#10: Christmas is a food preference. 

If you’re in a New Mexican restaurant and you hear someone order “Christmas,” you might be wondering what they heck they’re talking out. It’s summer! Those of us who live here don’t bat an eye. New Mexico is famous not only for their green chile, but for red chile as well. Pretty much whatever dish you order, you get a choice of red on green chile to go with it. Some people don’t like to choose, so they order both red and green. Christmas. See? We’re not crazy. Personally, I don’t care for red chile sauce all that much, so I never order Christmas, but it’s always fun to hear someone else order it, because where else would you ever hear that? 

So, here are a few fun facts about my home state. What’s something unique about where you live?

Blogging is Dead

I’ve heard the same question being asked by quite a few authors lately… Is there any point in having an author blog anymore? 

I was surprised by the answers many of these authors were getting from other authors. 
NO 

What reasons do these advice give use to back up their reasoning? 

1) The blogsphere is oversaturated. 
2) Readers will go to a website over a blog. 
3) Blogs don’t help sell books. 
4) It takes time away from writing books. 

These were their main arguments, and there seemed to be a good deal of backing from other authors, but I don’t agree. 

The Blogosphere is Oversaturated

1) There are a bazillion blogs out there, yes, but is there a blog out there dedicated to talking about you and your books? If there is… yeah for you! Most likely, though, there isn’t. Introducing your characters to the world, telling about your writing process, sharing crazy adventures in publishing… those fall to you and you alone. 

Readers Will Go to a Website Over a Blog

2) Readers go to websites to look up an author’s book ordering. Trust me, when I was redoing my website, a got a whole slew of requests that I make sure my books are listed IN ORDER. Aside from that, what else does your website tell readers? They can get the synopsis for your books, your bio, maybe some general info about you, but they really don’t get to know YOU just by visiting your website. 

Blogs Don’t Help Sell Books

3) Blogs aren’t meant to sell your books. SHOCKER, right? I think many authors confuse the idea of having an author blog with having a book selling platform. If readers are coming to your blog, either you are very witty and entertaining, or your visitors heard of you from someone or read one of your books. They most likely are not stopping by your blog to buy your book. They have Amazon and B&N for that. They have taken the time to stop by your blog and read your posts to find out WHO YOU ARE. 
Are you the kind of author that harasses reviewers who leave you a bad review or cry every time someone posts a spoiler? Are you as interesting as your books? Probably not, but your thoughts on writing and the world in general are interesting. Are you funny despite the fact that your books are all tragedies? The POINT of having an author blog is to connect with your readers, not sell them more books. If you’re not interested in connecting with readers, there’s a good chance you’re in the wrong business. 

It Takes Time Away From Writing Books

4) I try to post something non promotional on my blog at least once a week, usually on Mondays before things get too hectic. It takes me maybe half an hour to write up a blog post. I keep a list of ideas that occur to me at random times, either from an article I read, conversation I had, review I got, or what have you. I don’t write my blog posts on Mondays. I write them when I need a break from writing because my brain is fried from my characters misbehaving or I got stuck on some plot point. Blogging gives me a chance to write without worrying about whether I’m about to screw up my plot with yet another twist. It’s a relief for me and I have fun doing it. Plus, readers get a peak at what’s going on inside my head during the week, which makes me a real person to them instead of just some name on a shelf or Kindle app. 

Blogging isn’t dead. It’s alive and well to allow readers to get to know their favorite authors and to keep authors’ heads from exploding. 

So, if you’re looking for all my books listed IN ORDER you can find them on my website here, but if you want to figure out who this crazy girl is who writes about Hunger and Curses and Talents and Flirty French Men Named Guy, stop by my blog every Monday for a peek inside my head. 

Adventures in Vlogging

Blogging has been the “go to” place for up to date info on your favorite authors for a while, but what about Vlogging?

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, it’s okay. You’re not alone! Although video blogging has been going on for a while, it’s becoming a great new places for authors to share what they’re up to. 
I’m not giving up on blogging, because it’s a great outlet for me when I need a break from one of my books, but I too am trying out the world of vlogging. 

So here is my first attempt at vlogging. I’m answering some of the questions many readers have asked me over the years this week. 

In future posts, I’ll be talking about how I build my characters, what research I’ve done for my books, and even showing some character artwork. If you have something you want me to vlog about, just let me know!

Just wait for the movie?

When your favorite book gets turned into a movie, you’re first in line to buy tickets, right? What about just skipping the book and going straight to the movie? 

For book lovers, that might sound like craziness, but it’s an approach plenty of people take. 
I was talking with one of my lovely readers, Nicole Marie, and she mentioned how she overheard a couple of ladies having a discussion while she was at work. It went something like this: 
Woman 1: I don’t read much anymore. 
Woman 2: Why not? 
Woman 1: If it’s a really good book, it’ll just get made into a movie, so why bother? 
Woman 2: True. 
Really? Now, I know not everyone loves books as much as I do, but is the thought that a book might be made into a movie actually a good reason to give up on reading? 
Personally, I think there are a couple of problems with this reasoning.
First off, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. There is so much that has to be left out in a movie adaptation. You lose character thoughts, vivid descriptions that do more than just tell you it’s a forest, emotions and feelings you can’t see the way you can feel them when you read, and so much more. In my opinion, the only movie that came close to being better than the book is “Catching Fire,” and that was really only because I thought the book was a bit of a let down after Hunger Games, and the movie cut out a lot of the repetitive parts. 
Secondly, books last longer. In a movie, you get an hour and a half, two hours top, of entertainment. Books, you can lose yourself in for days. You become immersed in the character’s lives and their world. You get inside their heads and experience the story with them. You just don’t have the same experience with a movie. 
Thirdly, every good book is NOT going to be made into a movie. Some great books are simply too difficult to adapt to the movie screen. Others would be too expensive. Some, too controversial or explicit (though that seems to be less of an issue as time goes by). Some really good books will be made into movies, and us book lovers will be first in line for tickets, but plenty of so-so or outright lousy books will be made into movies right along with them because they would be a low cost venture, are easy to market, would be great competition for big time movies already on screen, or have the potential to be merchandised like crazy. 
Books are made into movies for all kinds of reasons. You’re missing out on a lot of great literature if you expect Hollywood to tell you what the best stories are in today’s market.