NaNoWriMo

Ah... every November, NaNo fever strikes.

If you don't know, NaNo is short for NaNoWriMo, which is short for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place every November, and it's a contest with the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. It's basically a challenge to write a category-length novel under pressure of a looming deadline. The prize? Bragging rights to anyone who will listen that you wrote a novel in 30 days or less. It's fun, it's crazy, and I look forward to it every year.

I think editors probably dread this time of year, however, because I wouldn't be surprised if they are inundated with NaNo novels (er, kind of redundant, I guess, but you know what I mean) every December, of which only a very small percentage would be even close to publishable. Some people can write fast and churn out good material, but I think it's safe to say that that is the exception rather than the rule.

I've been fortunate. Tiger Eyes began life as a NaNo draft. So did Devil in Disguise. And Stolen Promise. And this year's NaNo? It's a follow up to Stolen Promise and I think it will be quite good when it's polished (I'm working through first revisions now. This one won't be ready for quite a while, though.)

This year, I did it in 13 days, my average was 3500 words/day. I don't know for certain, but I think that's my personal best. I just got into the zone and the story told itself, which was nice. Other years, I've struggled but this year? Smooth sailing. It is just a rough draft, but I think it's a solid draft.

I love doing NaNo. Even when it's a struggle to get those 1667 words (the average needed to finish in the 30 days), when it's all said and done, I'm glad I did it. It's helped me power through writing blocks, it's given me the chance to write something different (Stolen Promise started out as a straight historical romance, then veered off into paranormal elements as well.) It's given me the excuse to just write and not worry about being perfect (at least until December, anyway.)

And now that I'm done for this year, it's time to go and sit and veg a little. Oh, and work on those revisions. :D

So Tired...

of winter.

Really, am I the only one who thinks it's time for winter to just. go. away? It was almost 70 degrees a week ago, and now, it's barely out of the 30s. Tomorrow it's supposed to be just as cold. Blech. The groundhog didn't see his shadow, so bring on spring ASAP. I am beyond ready.

I'm a spring person. Well, spring and fall. Those are my favorite times of the year - warm during the day, cool at night. Perfect weather. I know the warm is here to stay when my daffodils make their appearance and I get the overwhelming urge to plant stuff. Last year I grew sunflowers (which were beautiful until the squirrels got them. Damn bastid squirrels), basil (what started out as one pot grew quickly into three and I had more than I could ever possibly use), tulips (fell victim to the deer), and snapdragons (victim to not enough watering. My bad.) This year, when the urge hits, I think I'll plant thyme and basil again (but this time, I'm going to try to keep it small) and my flowers. I dug up the tulip bulbs last year, so I'll try replanting them and see what happens.

So hopefully the warm weather really is right around the corner. I can't be the only one fed up with cold and snow and ice and all that. What about you? How do you know when spring has really and truly arrived?

Oh, and btw, I have a release date for Devil in Disguise. Look for it come June 17th! Yay!

Taking a Break

From my NaNoWriMo project. I have to be honest, I hate the story. I hate the characters. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I don't want to write. I have to force myself to sit down and hit my word count each day.

I think it's partly because I didn't have time to do much more than a few paragraphs of a synopsis. Now, I'm not really a plotter. Never have been, though I've been leaning more and more toward it. But, I usually have a bit more of a skeleton, and I know the time period I'm writing about. But this year, I was editing two books during September and October, which meant I had no time to do even the most preliminary of research. As a result, my NaNo story, which is supposed to be an historical set in the Old West, reads like it could take place in any time, which is Not Good when writing an historical. Not Good at all. Yeesh.

But mainly, I think I'm tired. By the end of January, I'll have four books out (The Pursuit - July, Playing with Fire - November, Tiger Eyes - December, and After the Storm, January) with a fifth one coming as soon as I get a release date. Playing with Fire and Devil in Disguise (release date TBA) were the books I was working on in the run-up to NaNo (I also did first round edits on Tiger Eyes in there somewhere.) I finished The King's Bride. I started two other books in addition to everything else. It's been a busy few months, and that's without adding in everything that's been going on with my mom as well. Which all adds up to one tired writer.

So I'm looking forward to December. I'll take the month off from most of my writing (I'll have final edits on Tiger Eyes and that should be it for deadlines.) I'll work here and there on The King's Bride because I plan to start subbing that in the new year. I'll work a little here and there on my current WIPs, and I'll blog, but that's about it until sometime next year. I need a rest. I don't want my writing to suffer and I'm thinking that it's starting to do just that. And when the time comes that I have to force myself to work on a story? Yep, that's a hint.

So, I'm looking forward to my little vacation. I think I've earned it.

I'm BACK! didja miss me?

I've been running like a freak for the last two weeks. Way back, when contracts first crossed my desk, having several books coming out over a few months seemed like a good idea. Sure, get out there with new stuff, since it's been two years since my last release. Why not?

Seemed like a good idea at the time.


or so I thought.

Deadlines have overlapped. Major rewrites have come in all at once (eek!). But on the plus side - I kan haz kool kovers?

Check these out -

Playing With Fire ~ will be released by Aspen Mountain Press/Aurora Regency Historicals on Novemvber 26. And here is the smokin' cover...

And following that is Tiger Eyes, which is coming from Samhain Publishing on December 21, 2010. W00t!

Yowza...


And coming in January, 2011, from The Wild Rose Press:

And with a release date to be determined (but edits mercifully thisclose to done) is Devil in Disguise from the Wild Rose Press...

So this seemed like a great idea, like great exposure - and it was. But there was a lot of work and a lot of craziness on top of all the RL craziness going on in my word.

But now everything is thisclose to being finished. WHew.

Now I can begin working on my NaNo project. And then I'll tackle The King's Bride. Mary, my most awesome beta reader, gave me a lot to think about and made some great suggestions. So when those changes are made, The King's Bride will leave home to go out on submission.

Then I'll take a vacation. Maybe. :)

NaNoWriMo and Other Stuffs

It's hard to believe we're pretty much halfway through October already. I love October. It's my favoritest month. The days are warm (for the most part), the nights are chilly (perfect!), and the colors - OMG.

One of the best things about living where I do is the autumn. The leaves become the most beautiful shades of red, orange, and gold. We have one tree in our backyard (a black tupelo, if Wikipedia can be trusted) that becomes the most gorgeous colors when the leaves turn. It's just starting to turn now, and I'll try to get pictures of it. I love it. It's my favoritest tree ('Mom,'  the Girl says, 'don't you mean favorite, since favoritest isn't really a word?' Gotta love her.)


And during this month, I begin thinking about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those who have never heard of the challenge of writing 50k words in 30 days or less.) This year, I'd planned on finishing Midnight Angel. But when I finished my edits for Tiger Eyes and turned them in, I got hit with the urge to write. In the last two days, I've added almost 3k words and the way I'm going, I'll finish the rough draft before November 1st.

So, I think I'll work on the western I've wanted to write. We'll see. I've got eighteen days to mull it over. Or, I can do as I've done in years past - finish one book and start another. That's how I ended up with Tiger Eyes and Devil in Disguise. One was begun, the other ended, during NaNo 2008. That's the beauty of NaNo. And, even better, I've sold every one of my NaNo projects, and they usually inspire more books as well. Writing's funny that way, work breeds inspiration. :D

Now, Playing with Fire is set to be released on November 26th, so I'll be knee-deep in edits for that as well. And there is still at least two more rounds of edits on Tiger Eyes - so I'm going to be busier than a one-armed paper hanger for the next few weeks. And, I should have cover art for Tiger Eyes and final cover art for Playing with Fire very soon.

I'm in for a couple of very busy weeks, but it should be fun. Surely I'm not the only loon signed up for NaNo - anyone else out there doing it?

Imagination

When I first sat down to write this post, I planned to blog about imagination. But no matter what I wrote, it sounded ridiculous. Probably because it was ridiculous. What do I know about imagination? I know that I've always had a good one and sometimes it runs wild with me. :)

I never had invisible friends (either human or rabbit, and a cookie to anyone who gets the reference), but my favorite toys were my Barbie dolls. My best friend and I would play almost every day and we never played like those stupid Barbie commercials ("Barbie's a veterinarian!") We had storylines. And drama. And conflict. There were love triangles, and betrayals, and reunited lovers (oh, yeah... our Barbies were gettin' a little somethin'-somethin' as well. Hardly a surprise I grew up to write steamy romance novels, eh? :D) Kris's grandmother would come to watch her and her brother for two weeks every summer, and she said she preferred watching us to her soaps. Is it any surprise I'm a writer now?

I miss those days now - those Barbie games and their stories, laid the groundwork for the writing I do now. I learned all the basics just from my imagination, without even knowing I was learning and without ever thinking that it might be something I'd actually get paid to do.

Imagination is limitless. It's infinite. It's a gift. And it's a shame most people lose that gift, or let it fade away. The ones who retain it are the lucky ones.

Checking In...

It's been very crazy in my neck of the woods - between the kidlets starting school, and my mother's latest go-round in the hospital, I haven't had the time or the energy to post anything. We're settling into a daily routine here, and my mom was moved from the hospital to a rehab facility, so things should calm down a little. Of course, every time I think that, something comes along and slaps me upside the head.

Anyway, I have some exciting news - Aspen Mountain Press offered me a contract for the follow up McKenzie book, Playing with Fire! It's scheduled for release on November 26, 2010, and I should have cover art very soon. When I do, I will post it. Yay!

I'm still waiting for cover art for Tiger Eyes, and when I have that, I will post it as well.

I'll also be receiving edits for Devil in Disguise, Playing with Fire, and Tiger Eyes, so things are going to get way busy in the coming days. Yay for busy. Right now, busy is good.

 Busy is very good.

Done!

First edits for Devil in Disguise, that is. Yay! It took me a while, as they arrived just as my mom was beginning radiation therapy, and then she ended up being hospitalized twice in the last two weeks. Fortunately, my Wild Rose Press editor, Christine, is an infinitely patient person and very understanding.

So that's done with, and now I'm back to work revising Dance with the Devil. This one is almost finished, so this should be the last go round before it goes out the door. Then, I think I'm going to plot out the next Montgomery book. This will be Daniel's story (he's mentioned, but not seen in both After the Storm and Devil in Disguise.) After that, I plan to re-write Elyse's story (she originally appeared as Kendra in Shelter From the Storm - which has since gone out of print) and that will most likely be the last book in the Montgomery series. It's been a great series to write, but all good things must end.

So that's my weekly update in a nutshell. I'm busy. Very. Busy. And that's a good thing. Work has been especially therapeutic during this time and I'm thankful for the distraction right now.

Checking In

I'm still here - just running like crazy. My mom finished up her radiation therapy, but now she's back in the hospital because she's sick as anything. They don't think it's because of the radiation, but they aren't really sure why she's so sick. It doesn't make any sense to anyone. Hopefully we'll have answers real soon.

I'm going through the first edits for Devil in Disguise and my editor is a wonderfully patient woman. She knows what's going on, so at least I don't have that stress.

I may even have a title for Aidrian. Yay! As of right now, it's now titled, Midnight Angel. :D

I'm revising the cover copy and excerpt for Playing with Fire. I hate writing cover copy. It's a skill. I don't haz it. :( Fortunately, my editor does haz it. So this copy will happen. Oh yes, it will.)

I'm in the midst of getting the cover for Tiger Eyes. When I can share it, I will. Promise. :D

Okay, I think that's it - time to finish my coffee, jump into the shower, and trek on up to the hospital.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! :D

Settling Dust

Whew... when things get hectic, they really get hectic. And lately, things have been hectic.

First, I want to apologize for my random posts. My mom was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, so I've been running like a madwoman, taking her to radiation therapy, for this test and that test. Then, this past Thursday, she went in to have a lung biopsy done. There was a complication that resulted in her needing a chest tube, which led to being admitted into the hospital for three days. But, she's home now and resting, so that's all good. She'll be going for a PET scan sometime this week, to see if the cancer's spread. So, if everyone could just think good thoughts for her, that would be great. Thank you.

I've also been working to get Playing with Fire finished and out to my editor and I'm happy to say that it's done. Yay! Just in time for me to begin the first edits on Devil in Disguise. Nothing like busy on top of busy, right? Keeps me out of trouble.

But tonight, I'm taking for me. I'm working on Aidrian's story and, of course, a new story idea hit late last week, so maybe I'll get that outlined or at least roughed out.

I'll try to get back to regular blogging, but right now, everything's so up in the air, that it'll be hit or miss at best. Once we get things settled with my mom, things should calm down a little (or so I hope) and with any luck, I'll even have ideas for blog topics. We'll see.

And now, since the Boy and the Girl are peacefully watching a movie (it's raining and gray outside today, unfortunately), I'm going to try to get some new words written.

I've missed writing new words. :D

My To-Do List

Okay, I don't actually keep a to-do list. I probably should, because there's always something that, at the end of the day, has me slapping myself in the forehead because I forgot to do it. It's usually something important - like feed the kids - or something that I know will hold me up (the doctor's appointment that, had I called to schedule today, would have gotten me in tomorrow. But since I forgot to call, said doctor won't have an opening for 18 months now.)

So, I should make a New Year's Resolution to create real, concrete, Post-It to my laptop monitor To-Do lists.

With that in mind, here it is:

1. Finish manuscript info form to send back on Devil in Disguise. I've been working on this for almost 2 weeks. Why so long? The damn cover copy. Here is a HUGE shout-out to Grace and Marguerite for helping me. Three paragraphs and it's taken me forever to write (and about 30 seconds for these two wonderful chicks to point out what was awful about it and help me fix it.)

2. Intro blog post for the Aurora Regency blog.

3. Interview questions that have been a-waitin' me for two days. I swear I'm getting to them before today is over.

4. Final edits on The Pursuit. Please, please, please don't let me find anything huge and glaring, error-wise

5. I'm the coordinator for the Paranormal category in NJRW's Put Your Heart in a Book contest. Apparently Paranormal is still hot, because I was swamped with entries. I have to organize and get the entries out to the first round judges. Without forgetting anything. God help me. :D

That's just today, and it doesn't include the non-writerly stuff I have to do. I think my head just might explode.

Then again, I'd rather have all this writerly stuff to do, than not have any of it. See how everything evens out in the end? ;p

A New Look!

Change is good for the soul, right? So, every so often I like to go in and play around with the blog's layout and template and all that other fun stuff. Well, this time, I'm not so sure I like what I've done to it and, of course, I can't undo it. So now I have to play around with the changes until I find something I like.

So, tell me, what do you think? Fonts okay? Typeface okay? Let me know!

I finished up the first edits on The Pursuit, and the final edits on After the Storm. I sent in the cover art forms for Tiger Eyes and am still working on the forms for Devil in Disguise. Can we say, busy? So, I'm taking the next few days off to just kind of veg. The King's Bride is almost finished (and I hate the title, so while I'm asking for opinions on the blog, I'm also open to title suggestions. :D) and that's probably my next sub. Things should start to calm down now, just in time for summer vacation, so I will hopefully get back to some sort of regular blogging. Or so I hope. :D

Olympics, Writing, and Some Other Stuff

The first Winter Olympics I really remember are the Games at Lake Placid, NY. I remember watching Robin Cousins win gold. I remember Eric Heiden winning pretty much every speed skating race (and I remember what a big deal it was when he came to the Memorial Day Bike Race in Somerville that spring.) I definitely remember Al Michaels saying, "Do you believe in miracles?!"

Ever since the winter of 1980, I've wished I kept up with ice skating (we used to skate on a neighbor's pond. I taught myself how to do some things and my best friend and I decided that she would be my coach and we'd make it to Sarajevo - where the 1984 Winter Olympics were. Never stopped to think that we were nine and neither one of us had a clue how to learn anything really complicated. We were nine. It didn't matter.) I have the mad urge to go skiing. All that fun stuff. For two weeks, even now, I can imagine myself as a figure skater or a skier. Or a luger (though I think those people are insane. Gutsy, maybe, but nuts.) Or a bobsledder. Or anything. Ahhh... the power of dreams...

But now it's over and suddenly, I'm back to reality - which has been polishing up the next Montgomery book to send to my editor. It's almost finished. I just need to fix a few things and then off it goes to my editor. One project down, several more to go. Then, I can get to work finishing Angel of Darkness (which has gone from paranormal to time-traveling paranormal, I think), The King's Bride (paranormal historical), and I'll be able to begin writing the western historical I've had rattling around in my mind for the last few months.

A change of pace. Should be nice.

Waiting

I have two subs out, which means the waiting game has begun. It's not a fun game to play, but it's a biggie in this field. Waiting. Patience. Resisting the urge to check the email every fifteen seconds or so.

In the case of Submission #1 - the wait will last another few weeks. In the case of sub #2, it shouldn't be quite as long. Either way, if I still bit my nails (a habit long since broken), I'd have chewed them into nubs by now. I'm not a patient person by nature, and this only makes it worse.

While I'm waiting, I'm working on the outline for the book I mentioned a couple of posts back - the Western. I've got a basic skeleton of an outline from beginning to end. It isn't anything terribly detailed, just notes like: Hero and heroine meet. Or, heroine has a secret that will be revealed in later chapter (followed later by, heroine reveals secret) and I'm not really sure what that secret is yet, but it will impact the story, for better or for worse.

I tend to think of it as a basic pencil sketch - and as I revise it, I'll add the details in as I learn them. Right now, I don't know much about the hero and heroine, so as I get to know them, those details will come to light. It's been a while since I've written something where I didn't know the h/h already (After the Storm, Devil in Disguise, Dance with the Devil, and Tiger Eyes are follow ups to other novels, so even though they focus on what had been secondary characters, I still knew something about them when I began each book.) And it's a change I've really needed, as I've grown a bit weary of dealing with the same families (Montgomery, Montgomery, Radcliffe, Sebastiano - in that order) over and over.

So I'll be putting my waiting time to good use. I hope.

And now, it's time to see if I have any mail. You never know...

I Promise...

Regular blogging will resume tomorrow. The (hopefully) last revisions are finished on Tiger Eyes, which is the one I really want off my desk (one more read through - keep your fingers crossed.) The kids are back to school, and I've got free time again! Well, sort of, seeing as how I'm still working on Devil in Disguise and everything else here on my WIP list. Sigh. It never ends.

My holidays were nice and I'm hoping everyone else's were as well - I saw Paranormal Activity on Sunday. Didn't sleep Sunday night because of it. I don't count the single hour I actually closed my eyes as sleep. It has to be more than three hours to count as sleep, right? Anyway, very good but definitely creepy with a capital C. If you haven't seen it and you like scary movies, rent it. But, make sure to watch the original theatrical ending first. The "too scary for theaters" ending? Not so scary, IMHO. Kind of sucky, actually.

And since it's that time for resolutions, I will be back with a list of (mostly) writing goals I've set for myself for 2010.

Oh, and I think I've figured out what to do with Angel of Darkness, which has been on hold forever because Gabe and Regan were irritating me so much! Yay!

So that's that.

Yay!