Whoa... it's been a long time! But maybe it's time to brush the dust off and tidy up a little around here. A lot has changed since my last post. A. Lot.
To begin with, Musa Publishing is gone. Two years now. :(
Samhain Publishing is also gone. They held on for a year following my last post, but as of February 28, 2017 (Yikes, it's too hard to believe it;s 2017 already!!!) they closed their doors for good as well.
But, as they say, when one door closes, another one opens and in my case, I'm happy to announce that Entangled Publishing offered contracts on Tiger Eyes and When I'm With You. Eden's Pass, however is out of print and likely to remain so for now. I have hopes of one day having it out there again, but it needs some updating and I've got several projects going on right now as well, so we'll have to see what happens with it.
I don't have any of the details yet on the other two - but when I do, I'll share. And hopefully, I'll be able to get back into blogging. I hesitate to promise, because life really does get in the way sometimes and let's face it, sometimes there's just nothing really exciting to blog about.
I wrote my very first post on April 22, 2006. Eleven years ago. Damn... So much has happened between now and then. My kidlets were 5 and 6 months old at the time. Now, they are sixteen and eleven. My first Samhain book (Eden's Pass) wouldn't come out for another almost two years. Now? I've had almost a dozen books published and many more written, hopefully to be published at a later day. I've lost forty pounds and became a gym rat. It's been an incredible and interesting journey since that first blog post and I can see I have a bit of housekeeping to do here. Some of it's rather sad - like the publishers that are no more- but what's to come makes up for it. I'm looking so forward to all of it.
So, I can't promise I won't ever slack on this, but I'll try to get back to it on a regular basis. I've actually kind of missed blogging (does anyone even do this anymore? I don't know, I've gotten lazy on the blogs I follow as well. **shrug**) so maybe that will change.
We shall see.
Showing posts with label Musa Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musa Publishing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 06, 2017
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Bad News
Well, here I am, finally updating. I wonder if anyone even remembers me these days? I'm such a terrible blogger, it isn't even funny. But I've been busy with real life stuff - both writing and non-writing related, so unfortunately, something had to give. And since it seemed like I'd blogged about everything I could think of, guess what got sacrificed?
Anyway, I'm back for now and unfortunately, I'm the bearer of bad news. Last Friday, I woke to an email from Musa Publishing. It seems they are closing their doors as of February 28, 2015. And just like that, I've got orphaned books.
Six orphaned books, to be exactly.
The four books in my McKenzie Brothers series and the two in my Mordainia series are now homeless. Damn it.
Now, I'll admit, they didn't earn me a fortune, but the royalties were a nice little bonus every month. But more importantly, it just makes me sad that they will no longer be out there. I've received quite a few good reviews on them, and frankly, I'm very proud of them. They are--in my humble opinion, of course--good stories. And I've grown quite fond of both the McKenzie family and the Mordianian royal family.
So, I don't really know what my next step will be. I will have the rights returned to me free and clear as of the end of the month. I'm considering self-publishing them, since they've been edited and the only changes I want to make to them are very small. But I don't know yet. We'll see. One day at a time and all that and I have a ton of research to do before I make a decision.
But, considering I believe that every time a door shuts, another one opens, I"m trying to look at this as a positive thing. Trying. I was lucky when this happened with Aspen Mountain Press. Musa scooped up my three orphaned McKenzie Brothers books (The Pursuit, Playing With Fire, and A Perfect Lady) and gave them a home. This time around, I don't know what will happen. We'll see.
There is quite a long thread over on the Absolute Write Water Cooler forums regarding Musa--both the good and the bad--and I have to admit, I've had my ups and down with Musa, I was always paid on time, but there were issues with what seemed to be a long list of revolving editors. But over all, mine was a good experience and I don't regret it. What I do regret is that it's ending this way. And I wish they'd given more than a week's notice. But what's done is done. All I can do is look to the future now.
We'll see what happens.
Anyway, I'm back for now and unfortunately, I'm the bearer of bad news. Last Friday, I woke to an email from Musa Publishing. It seems they are closing their doors as of February 28, 2015. And just like that, I've got orphaned books.
Six orphaned books, to be exactly.
The four books in my McKenzie Brothers series and the two in my Mordainia series are now homeless. Damn it.
Now, I'll admit, they didn't earn me a fortune, but the royalties were a nice little bonus every month. But more importantly, it just makes me sad that they will no longer be out there. I've received quite a few good reviews on them, and frankly, I'm very proud of them. They are--in my humble opinion, of course--good stories. And I've grown quite fond of both the McKenzie family and the Mordianian royal family.
So, I don't really know what my next step will be. I will have the rights returned to me free and clear as of the end of the month. I'm considering self-publishing them, since they've been edited and the only changes I want to make to them are very small. But I don't know yet. We'll see. One day at a time and all that and I have a ton of research to do before I make a decision.
But, considering I believe that every time a door shuts, another one opens, I"m trying to look at this as a positive thing. Trying. I was lucky when this happened with Aspen Mountain Press. Musa scooped up my three orphaned McKenzie Brothers books (The Pursuit, Playing With Fire, and A Perfect Lady) and gave them a home. This time around, I don't know what will happen. We'll see.
There is quite a long thread over on the Absolute Write Water Cooler forums regarding Musa--both the good and the bad--and I have to admit, I've had my ups and down with Musa, I was always paid on time, but there were issues with what seemed to be a long list of revolving editors. But over all, mine was a good experience and I don't regret it. What I do regret is that it's ending this way. And I wish they'd given more than a week's notice. But what's done is done. All I can do is look to the future now.
We'll see what happens.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
A Quick Hello!
Just popping in to say hello, if anyone even pops in here themselves any longer these days. I know I've neglected this blog horribly, but I've been writing and knitting and doing some vacationing (we spent Spring Break in Florida, doing Disney and spending some time with family.)
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Our Easter was spent in airports in both Florida and NJ (and it was the first time I've ever been to the AC airport. Small and quiet, not the zoo Newark can be) and then we had a 3 hour car trip up from AC to home. But it was worth it. I love DisneyWorld. I could go there every year on vacation, and I would, if my bank account would let me. :) I'm trying to talk my other half into doing my birthday in Disney - maybe next year. We'll see.
Other than that, I've got a few subs out that I'm waiting on responses for, and I've got some new cover art that I'll be showing eventually. My release date for Don't Tempt Me has been changed, so it won't be out until mid-summer. Not really happy about it, but it's out of my hands.
The school year is winding down and I'm thinking I really don't want to be a class parent any more. There are too many stupid rules to follow when it comes to class parties (no junk food. Really???? I can't bring cupcakes for a Christmas - sorry, Holiday--party because they're "unhealthy" and yet, my 2nd grader can buy all the cookies and ice cream he wants in the cafeteria. Hypocrite much, school principal who makes the rules?)
Ahem.
So, I think this year is my one and only foray into classroom parenthood. Or it will be until common sense returns to the district (yeah, right. Same district that built one lousy snow day into their calendar. A snow day that was used up in December. Then came storm after storm, and closing after closing... real brilliance at work here, sometimes.)
Ahem.
So, there you are. I'm still here. I still don't know when (or even if) I'll return to regular blogging. But rest assured, I'm alive and well and writing and living. Yanno, enjoying life.
Hugs.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Our Easter was spent in airports in both Florida and NJ (and it was the first time I've ever been to the AC airport. Small and quiet, not the zoo Newark can be) and then we had a 3 hour car trip up from AC to home. But it was worth it. I love DisneyWorld. I could go there every year on vacation, and I would, if my bank account would let me. :) I'm trying to talk my other half into doing my birthday in Disney - maybe next year. We'll see.
Other than that, I've got a few subs out that I'm waiting on responses for, and I've got some new cover art that I'll be showing eventually. My release date for Don't Tempt Me has been changed, so it won't be out until mid-summer. Not really happy about it, but it's out of my hands.
The school year is winding down and I'm thinking I really don't want to be a class parent any more. There are too many stupid rules to follow when it comes to class parties (no junk food. Really???? I can't bring cupcakes for a Christmas - sorry, Holiday--party because they're "unhealthy" and yet, my 2nd grader can buy all the cookies and ice cream he wants in the cafeteria. Hypocrite much, school principal who makes the rules?)
Ahem.
So, I think this year is my one and only foray into classroom parenthood. Or it will be until common sense returns to the district (yeah, right. Same district that built one lousy snow day into their calendar. A snow day that was used up in December. Then came storm after storm, and closing after closing... real brilliance at work here, sometimes.)
Ahem.
So, there you are. I'm still here. I still don't know when (or even if) I'll return to regular blogging. But rest assured, I'm alive and well and writing and living. Yanno, enjoying life.
Hugs.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Just Popping In
Hey there, remember me?
It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost three months. I think that might be the longest I've been away from blogging since I started way back so many moons ago. Part of me has missed it, but I have to admit, part of me hasn't. To be honest, it's been nice, not having to worry about it, not having to think of topics to blog about (and especially trying to come up with ones I've never blogged about before. I've been here since 2006, so that's a long time.)
I've kept busy this summer. After my mother's funeral, we went down the shore for several long weekends. One of my husband's cousins was married at the beginning of August, so it was nice to get together for a happy reason. My brother and I have been dealing with Mom's estate and getting those matters settled, which is a lot of fun, let me tell you. And the rest of the time? I've just been hanging with the kidlets and trying to get lost in their world. The weather has been weird this summer. A lot of rain. A massive heat wave back in July. And then it actually got cold. I mean, open the windows and pull up the blankets at night kind of cold. Perfect for me. If every summer was cool like this one, it'd become my favorite season.
A few days after my mother's funeral, I got a tattoo on my right wrist. It's my third one (both ankles are done as well) and I'm planning on getting another one sometime in the next few weeks. It's simple but awesome, as far as I'm concerned.
I've also been working. I'd finished a first draft of my next Sebastiano book just days before my mother died. I let everything go for a few weeks, just because it was too much to deal with, but about a month after the funeral, I started thinking about it. So that's how I knew it was time to dive back in. Since then, I've revised that as well as another book that had just been gathering dust in my office. I've got a new project forming in my mind, so when these are done and out the door, I'll be working on new words.
I should have some cover art to share soon - just waiting for the final ok. Stolen Promise will be out sometime in October (I have to double check.) I'll post the cover as soon as I can, along with the release date.
And that's been that. It's been a long three months and I'm glad the summer is just about over. Hopefully, I'll be back on a regular basis soon,and for everyone who commented on my mom (both here, and on my FB page(s)) thank you. It meant a lot to read your kind words.
It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost three months. I think that might be the longest I've been away from blogging since I started way back so many moons ago. Part of me has missed it, but I have to admit, part of me hasn't. To be honest, it's been nice, not having to worry about it, not having to think of topics to blog about (and especially trying to come up with ones I've never blogged about before. I've been here since 2006, so that's a long time.)
I've kept busy this summer. After my mother's funeral, we went down the shore for several long weekends. One of my husband's cousins was married at the beginning of August, so it was nice to get together for a happy reason. My brother and I have been dealing with Mom's estate and getting those matters settled, which is a lot of fun, let me tell you. And the rest of the time? I've just been hanging with the kidlets and trying to get lost in their world. The weather has been weird this summer. A lot of rain. A massive heat wave back in July. And then it actually got cold. I mean, open the windows and pull up the blankets at night kind of cold. Perfect for me. If every summer was cool like this one, it'd become my favorite season.
A few days after my mother's funeral, I got a tattoo on my right wrist. It's my third one (both ankles are done as well) and I'm planning on getting another one sometime in the next few weeks. It's simple but awesome, as far as I'm concerned.
I've also been working. I'd finished a first draft of my next Sebastiano book just days before my mother died. I let everything go for a few weeks, just because it was too much to deal with, but about a month after the funeral, I started thinking about it. So that's how I knew it was time to dive back in. Since then, I've revised that as well as another book that had just been gathering dust in my office. I've got a new project forming in my mind, so when these are done and out the door, I'll be working on new words.
I should have some cover art to share soon - just waiting for the final ok. Stolen Promise will be out sometime in October (I have to double check.) I'll post the cover as soon as I can, along with the release date.
And that's been that. It's been a long three months and I'm glad the summer is just about over. Hopefully, I'll be back on a regular basis soon,and for everyone who commented on my mom (both here, and on my FB page(s)) thank you. It meant a lot to read your kind words.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Some News!
Hi there! Remember me?
I hope so. It's been a while.
I'm Kim. I'm a writer and a terrible blogger.
It's been too long since my last post, and so here I am. I've come out of lurkdom to share some good news!
I've sold the first book of my historical-fantasy romance, Stolen Promise, to Musa Publishing. I don't have all the details yet, as the contracts were only finalized a week or so ago, but when I do, you know I'll share. :D
It's so nice to remove the "On submission" and change it to "Sold!"
I'm very excited about this book, and the series as a whole. Right now, I'm finished with book two and starting on book three (as soon as I finish up the other two projects on my desk.) The series centers on the royal family of the country of Mordainia and the first two books were a lot of fun to write. These books are a change of pace for me, and give me a chance to explore areas and plots that I can't really do in straight-up historicals.
Stolen Promise began life as a NaNo project a few years ago. It was supposed to be a straight-up historical romance, but somewhere around the middle of November, it went off the tracks and crashed (or so I thought) so I decided to just let my imagination wander and see where it went. The end result was a story that I absolutely fell in love with (after a few revisions and beta reads - a million thanks to Marguerite Butler, who had the thankless task of being the first beta reader) and I just hope everyone else loves it as much as I do. :D
I hope so. It's been a while.
I'm Kim. I'm a writer and a terrible blogger.
It's been too long since my last post, and so here I am. I've come out of lurkdom to share some good news!
I've sold the first book of my historical-fantasy romance, Stolen Promise, to Musa Publishing. I don't have all the details yet, as the contracts were only finalized a week or so ago, but when I do, you know I'll share. :D
It's so nice to remove the "On submission" and change it to "Sold!"
I'm very excited about this book, and the series as a whole. Right now, I'm finished with book two and starting on book three (as soon as I finish up the other two projects on my desk.) The series centers on the royal family of the country of Mordainia and the first two books were a lot of fun to write. These books are a change of pace for me, and give me a chance to explore areas and plots that I can't really do in straight-up historicals.
Stolen Promise began life as a NaNo project a few years ago. It was supposed to be a straight-up historical romance, but somewhere around the middle of November, it went off the tracks and crashed (or so I thought) so I decided to just let my imagination wander and see where it went. The end result was a story that I absolutely fell in love with (after a few revisions and beta reads - a million thanks to Marguerite Butler, who had the thankless task of being the first beta reader) and I just hope everyone else loves it as much as I do. :D
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Looking Ahead
Three posts in a row - holy carp, maybe the planets are aligning and the world is coming to an end. What other explanation can there be?
Normally I don't make many New Year's Resolutions (aside from the one I make EVERY year, to get to the gym, blah blah blah. I really do love the gym, it's psyching myself up to get there that's usually the problem. Sigh) but yesterday's post got me to thinking about what I want from myself on a professional level this year. There aren't many, and I may add to the list as the year progresses, but for now, here they are:
1. Blog at least three times a week.
2. Start commenting on other blogs on a more regular basis.
3. Get better at promo. This one is going to be tough, as I'm more of a lurker than a joiner on all of the loops I'm on (does that sentence even make sense??) But this year, I'm going to try to be more active on said loops.
4. Try to write a minimum of five pages at least five days a week. Even if the idea really does suck. Sometimes, I manage to salvage the trainwreck of a storyline. Sometimes.
5. Not be as distracted by the internet. Lately, I've been keeping away from all things internet. It wasn't a conscious choice, it just sort of happened. But I found I didn't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would. So if I can just keep that up, I might be able to write those five pages at least five days of the week.
Okay, so those a few of my goals for the coming year. Let's see how many I can cross off my list - or how many more I can add and reach - before December 31st?
Normally I don't make many New Year's Resolutions (aside from the one I make EVERY year, to get to the gym, blah blah blah. I really do love the gym, it's psyching myself up to get there that's usually the problem. Sigh) but yesterday's post got me to thinking about what I want from myself on a professional level this year. There aren't many, and I may add to the list as the year progresses, but for now, here they are:
1. Blog at least three times a week.
2. Start commenting on other blogs on a more regular basis.
3. Get better at promo. This one is going to be tough, as I'm more of a lurker than a joiner on all of the loops I'm on (does that sentence even make sense??) But this year, I'm going to try to be more active on said loops.
4. Try to write a minimum of five pages at least five days a week. Even if the idea really does suck. Sometimes, I manage to salvage the trainwreck of a storyline. Sometimes.
5. Not be as distracted by the internet. Lately, I've been keeping away from all things internet. It wasn't a conscious choice, it just sort of happened. But I found I didn't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would. So if I can just keep that up, I might be able to write those five pages at least five days of the week.
Okay, so those a few of my goals for the coming year. Let's see how many I can cross off my list - or how many more I can add and reach - before December 31st?
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Day to Day
So I'm trying to get back into the swing of blogging (and catching up on the ones I read as well. I'm always looking for new ones to read as well, so throw out any suggestions!) But coming up with topics isn't always that easy for me. I've tried creating lists of topics I think might be interesting, but I'm more of a pantser than a plotter, so I've looked over my list and thought, "meh" to most of the stuff on it.
And since I'm trying to swing this blog away from being strictly writing focused (which can be boring and I'm no expert, so I'm not the least bit qualified to give out much advice), to a little more personal, hopefully that will open up a whole new world of topics. Keep your fingers crossed.
Now that the holidays are behind us, and the kids are back in school, it's time to get back into a routine. Vacations are great, since I get to sleep in and we aren't tied to any schedule in particular, but at the same time, having the kidlets home (the Girl is twelve and the Boy is now seven) means a lot less free time for me.
But now they're back in school and since the Boy is in first grade, (here, kindergarten is half-day sessions. This is the first year he's gone all day) I now have almost the entire day free. You'd think that I'd have thrown myself into writing like a fiend, wouldn't you?
Shame on me. I haven't. Well, not yet. I'm so undisciplined. I've always worked well under pressure (which is why I was able to write Windemere in a matter of weeks) but that can be exhausting. In some ways it's easier, because I'm not gluing myself into my chair for 8 hours a day/5 days a week, but at the same time, it's also easier to let things slide. One of my goals for 2013 is to become a little more disciplined. I have a project I'm revising to get ready to send to my Musa editor, and once that's done, I'm finally going to get back to the Western I've been dying to write. It started out as my NaNo book, but when I was looking it over in the beginning of December, a new direction for that story began to take shape. And then of course, the Newtown shootings happened, and as I said in my previous two posts, it really hit me hard. Add the holidays, and a little more personal stress, and BANG! Story got shelved.
But now, once I get Dance with the Devil out the door - which should only be a few days from now - I think I'm ready to get back to my Old West bounty hunter. And that will be the test for me and my one New Year's resolution (which I seldom make and seldom keep.) Oh, I think I just hit upon a topic for tomorrow. Goals for 2013.
Hmmm... this may be a little easier than I expected. Maybe I should be scared. :D
And since I'm trying to swing this blog away from being strictly writing focused (which can be boring and I'm no expert, so I'm not the least bit qualified to give out much advice), to a little more personal, hopefully that will open up a whole new world of topics. Keep your fingers crossed.
Now that the holidays are behind us, and the kids are back in school, it's time to get back into a routine. Vacations are great, since I get to sleep in and we aren't tied to any schedule in particular, but at the same time, having the kidlets home (the Girl is twelve and the Boy is now seven) means a lot less free time for me.
But now they're back in school and since the Boy is in first grade, (here, kindergarten is half-day sessions. This is the first year he's gone all day) I now have almost the entire day free. You'd think that I'd have thrown myself into writing like a fiend, wouldn't you?
Shame on me. I haven't. Well, not yet. I'm so undisciplined. I've always worked well under pressure (which is why I was able to write Windemere in a matter of weeks) but that can be exhausting. In some ways it's easier, because I'm not gluing myself into my chair for 8 hours a day/5 days a week, but at the same time, it's also easier to let things slide. One of my goals for 2013 is to become a little more disciplined. I have a project I'm revising to get ready to send to my Musa editor, and once that's done, I'm finally going to get back to the Western I've been dying to write. It started out as my NaNo book, but when I was looking it over in the beginning of December, a new direction for that story began to take shape. And then of course, the Newtown shootings happened, and as I said in my previous two posts, it really hit me hard. Add the holidays, and a little more personal stress, and BANG! Story got shelved.
But now, once I get Dance with the Devil out the door - which should only be a few days from now - I think I'm ready to get back to my Old West bounty hunter. And that will be the test for me and my one New Year's resolution (which I seldom make and seldom keep.) Oh, I think I just hit upon a topic for tomorrow. Goals for 2013.
Hmmm... this may be a little easier than I expected. Maybe I should be scared. :D
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Cover Love ~ Windemere
Yay! I can haz cover nao?
Here is the final cover for Windemere and I LOVE it. I think it totally captures the darker tones of Julian and Emma's story...
Seriously, this is probably my favorite of my Musa covers, and I'm giving Kelly Shorten all the props in the world because she did an excellent job (as always.)
It's hard to believe this book will be out in just a few weeks. What a stressful project it turned out to be, considering how tight the deadline was for writing it. And to celebrate its release, along with Musa's birthday, I'll be taking part in the Musa Blog Hop, with some copies of Windemere, and a few other of my Musa titles, up for grabs as prizes.
Here is the final cover for Windemere and I LOVE it. I think it totally captures the darker tones of Julian and Emma's story...
Seriously, this is probably my favorite of my Musa covers, and I'm giving Kelly Shorten all the props in the world because she did an excellent job (as always.)
It's hard to believe this book will be out in just a few weeks. What a stressful project it turned out to be, considering how tight the deadline was for writing it. And to celebrate its release, along with Musa's birthday, I'll be taking part in the Musa Blog Hop, with some copies of Windemere, and a few other of my Musa titles, up for grabs as prizes.
Monday, September 17, 2012
A Bit of This and That
The autumn is absolutely my favorite time of the year. The kids are back in school - and now that the Boy is in first grade, that means full day. For the first time in twelve years, my days belong only to me. Yay! More time to write.
Except that I've just finished the edits on Windemere and considering the pressure that came with that book, I need a little bit of a break before beginning anything new. I've never written anything on as tight a deadline as that book and although I tend to write my best under pressure (my editor joked that I should write every book that way. I think I'd have a stroke if I did. :D) it's not something I care to repeat any time soon.
I should have some cover love to share fairly soon and of course, Musa's birthday coming up, there will be a blog hop and some prizes and all that. And with any luck, I'll have more good news to share. Keep your fingers crossed.
But back to autumn being my favorite time of the year. This past summer was so hot and so muggy and so god-awful, that this autumn is like a gift. I love being able to open the windows and let in the fresh air. Especially after a summer of AC. Don't get me wrong, I think the inventor of central air should be canonized, but there's something wonderful about fresh, cool crisp, fall air. I swap out my summer candles (Yankee Candle is my home away from home, I have a candle for every season) for the autumn ones (Spiced Pumpkin left from last autumn.)
In my house, the master bedroom is on the top floor, which means it's always the hottest room in the house. During the summer, the ceiling fan runs nonstop (shut off only when we go away) and even then, it's still only barely comfortable. But now, I actually need a blanket and there's nothing quite like waking up on a chilly Saturday morning and being able to snuggle under the cozy covers. :D
October is my favorite month - my son was born in October and, of course, Halloween is here, which marks the beginning of the Holiday season as far as I'm concerned. But October is also the same month we moved into our house (which I love) and when the leaves start to change, my backyard is just the most beautiful mosaic of reds, yellows, golds, and oranges.
Right now, I've got chili simmering in the crockpot (the kidlets are off from school for Rosh Hashanah) and that's another plus about the autumn. I love to cook and bake and this is the perfect time of the year for that. I baked an apple pie yesterday. So you can imagine how delish my house smells right about now. :D
Except that I've just finished the edits on Windemere and considering the pressure that came with that book, I need a little bit of a break before beginning anything new. I've never written anything on as tight a deadline as that book and although I tend to write my best under pressure (my editor joked that I should write every book that way. I think I'd have a stroke if I did. :D) it's not something I care to repeat any time soon.
I should have some cover love to share fairly soon and of course, Musa's birthday coming up, there will be a blog hop and some prizes and all that. And with any luck, I'll have more good news to share. Keep your fingers crossed.
But back to autumn being my favorite time of the year. This past summer was so hot and so muggy and so god-awful, that this autumn is like a gift. I love being able to open the windows and let in the fresh air. Especially after a summer of AC. Don't get me wrong, I think the inventor of central air should be canonized, but there's something wonderful about fresh, cool crisp, fall air. I swap out my summer candles (Yankee Candle is my home away from home, I have a candle for every season) for the autumn ones (Spiced Pumpkin left from last autumn.)
In my house, the master bedroom is on the top floor, which means it's always the hottest room in the house. During the summer, the ceiling fan runs nonstop (shut off only when we go away) and even then, it's still only barely comfortable. But now, I actually need a blanket and there's nothing quite like waking up on a chilly Saturday morning and being able to snuggle under the cozy covers. :D
October is my favorite month - my son was born in October and, of course, Halloween is here, which marks the beginning of the Holiday season as far as I'm concerned. But October is also the same month we moved into our house (which I love) and when the leaves start to change, my backyard is just the most beautiful mosaic of reds, yellows, golds, and oranges.
Right now, I've got chili simmering in the crockpot (the kidlets are off from school for Rosh Hashanah) and that's another plus about the autumn. I love to cook and bake and this is the perfect time of the year for that. I baked an apple pie yesterday. So you can imagine how delish my house smells right about now. :D
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
It the Summer REALLY Almost Over?
O hai.
I know I've been MIA the last few weeks, but between revisions for Windemere and my family vacation, I've spent precious little time on anything else. I'm happy to say that after those edits (which included rewriting the entire last third of the book that required a fourteen hour writing session at one point) the rest of them should be smooth sailing. My editor was thrilled with the new ending and I'm thrilled that she's thrilled because I really don't know if I could pull off another 14 hour write-fest. Thank God for my husband, who took the kids down the shore that weekend, which gave me a writing block of three uninterrupted days. He was a godsend during this book's revisions. An absolute godsend.
And, yes - we did a family vacation - a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate my inlaws upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years and they haven't killed each other (or anyone else, for that matter.) It's amazing to think of being married to one person for that long. My husband and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in June and it isn't easy, that's for sure. I'd have killed me long ago, I'm such a pain in the ass to live with. :D
But this cruise was absolutely wonderful. It was my inlaws, my husband's brother, his sister, our nephew and the Boy and the Girl (4 people in one stateroom for 9 days is a bit too much togetherness, but we survived without too much incident.) We left from Port Liberty, Bayonne (I didn't even know cruise ships went out of Bayonne until this trip) and visited Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Haiti and it was probably the best vacation I've ever had. The Boy and I played on pink sand at Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda while my husband and the Girl swam with dolphins. We all went snorkeling in St. Maarten. We walked all over Old San Juan, and the hubs and I zip-lined in Haiti. A-MAY-ZING.
A few pictures that I took:
But now I'm back in NJ and I returned to find Windemere's second edits in my in-box, Phyllis Diller and Neil Armstrong died, and the Republican party is still chock full o'crazy. It was nice, being cut off from all the crap that is a 24-hour news cycle (I avoid politics like the plague on this blog for the most part because you'd never get me off my soapbox otherwise. And really, who cares what I think, politically-speaking?) I left my laptop at home, my cell phone remained shut off and locked in our stateroom safe, and it was wonderful. But, as all good things must end, here I am, back in the real world. Next week, the kidlets go back to school and the summer of 2012 go down in the books as one of the best, and fastest, summers I've ever spent.
I know I've been MIA the last few weeks, but between revisions for Windemere and my family vacation, I've spent precious little time on anything else. I'm happy to say that after those edits (which included rewriting the entire last third of the book that required a fourteen hour writing session at one point) the rest of them should be smooth sailing. My editor was thrilled with the new ending and I'm thrilled that she's thrilled because I really don't know if I could pull off another 14 hour write-fest. Thank God for my husband, who took the kids down the shore that weekend, which gave me a writing block of three uninterrupted days. He was a godsend during this book's revisions. An absolute godsend.
And, yes - we did a family vacation - a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate my inlaws upcoming 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years and they haven't killed each other (or anyone else, for that matter.) It's amazing to think of being married to one person for that long. My husband and I just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in June and it isn't easy, that's for sure. I'd have killed me long ago, I'm such a pain in the ass to live with. :D
But this cruise was absolutely wonderful. It was my inlaws, my husband's brother, his sister, our nephew and the Boy and the Girl (4 people in one stateroom for 9 days is a bit too much togetherness, but we survived without too much incident.) We left from Port Liberty, Bayonne (I didn't even know cruise ships went out of Bayonne until this trip) and visited Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Haiti and it was probably the best vacation I've ever had. The Boy and I played on pink sand at Horseshoe Bay on Bermuda while my husband and the Girl swam with dolphins. We all went snorkeling in St. Maarten. We walked all over Old San Juan, and the hubs and I zip-lined in Haiti. A-MAY-ZING.
A few pictures that I took:
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| Cast-off Party on deck as we approached the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge sailing out of Bayonne, NJ |
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| A scenic spot along the road in Bermuda |
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| An elephant made of towels, left by our stateroom attendant one night. :D |
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| St. Maarten, on the way back from snorkeling. No picture I took could possibly capture just how beautiful this island is |
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| El Morro Fort - San Juan, Puerto Rico. Well, part of it, anyway. |
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| Labadee, Haiti |
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| Sunrise over New York City as we returned home... |
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| Sunrise over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge as we returned to Bayonne |
But now I'm back in NJ and I returned to find Windemere's second edits in my in-box, Phyllis Diller and Neil Armstrong died, and the Republican party is still chock full o'crazy. It was nice, being cut off from all the crap that is a 24-hour news cycle (I avoid politics like the plague on this blog for the most part because you'd never get me off my soapbox otherwise. And really, who cares what I think, politically-speaking?) I left my laptop at home, my cell phone remained shut off and locked in our stateroom safe, and it was wonderful. But, as all good things must end, here I am, back in the real world. Next week, the kidlets go back to school and the summer of 2012 go down in the books as one of the best, and fastest, summers I've ever spent.
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Checking In
I'm up to my eyes in revisions for Windemere - and with the amount of red all over this manuscript, I have to wonder how it ever sold in the first place. Yikes. But, the good news is, most of the red is easily fixed, although the plot is going to change a little. I've been mulling it over for the better part of the last week, and I think what I need to do is going to be pretty smooth and seamless. Guess I'll know in a day or so, when I get to that part of the editing.
I've been tempering revisions with watching the Olympics. I love the Games (the gymnastics, swimming, and diving mostly) so they're on while I'm working and I'm sorry, but when the gymnastics came on, everything else pretty much got ignored.
But now we're moving into the Track and Field portion of the Games and they don't really hold my interest quite like the other sports. And since I don't think professionals should be allowed to compete, I don't watch the basketball or tennis (although I do love tennis.) For me, having pros in takes away from what the Games are supposed to stand for - which was always showcasing amateur talents.
And now, it's time to get back to work. I'm about halfway through these edits, and only now coming up on the really big changes that need to be made. **sigh** Wish me luck!
I've been tempering revisions with watching the Olympics. I love the Games (the gymnastics, swimming, and diving mostly) so they're on while I'm working and I'm sorry, but when the gymnastics came on, everything else pretty much got ignored.
But now we're moving into the Track and Field portion of the Games and they don't really hold my interest quite like the other sports. And since I don't think professionals should be allowed to compete, I don't watch the basketball or tennis (although I do love tennis.) For me, having pros in takes away from what the Games are supposed to stand for - which was always showcasing amateur talents.
And now, it's time to get back to work. I'm about halfway through these edits, and only now coming up on the really big changes that need to be made. **sigh** Wish me luck!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Freedom!
**happy dances**
Why am I happy dancing? Because Windemere is done. And by done, I mean, off to my editor to await the red pen of death (so to speak.) I am a free woman once more! Yay!
Okay, so I still have to turn in the cover art sheet, but the book itself is done. The rewrites (my rewrites, of course) are done. The pressure is off and I can sit back and veg tonight and not feel guilty because I should be working. It'll all start over again, of course, once the first edits come in (and those are the ones I dread the most, the ones that leave me thinking, "Wow, how on earth did I sell this crap?" The ones that make me think, "My editor must think I'm the worst writer evah!" and "She's probably wondering how on earth I sold this crap as well.")
Ah, the life of the writer. Or more appropriate, the life of the writer who signs the contract before writing the book. It's not nearly as nervewracking when I know the manuscript is written and rewritten and polished to the finest shine and goes out on submission. I far prefer the polished to a fine shine prior to subbing submission. But I'm also a glutton for punishment, soooo...
And now, I will take a little mini-vacation. Not long - just a few days - but it's a vacation that I have totally earned.
Windemere is finished! Yay! :D
Why am I happy dancing? Because Windemere is done. And by done, I mean, off to my editor to await the red pen of death (so to speak.) I am a free woman once more! Yay!
Okay, so I still have to turn in the cover art sheet, but the book itself is done. The rewrites (my rewrites, of course) are done. The pressure is off and I can sit back and veg tonight and not feel guilty because I should be working. It'll all start over again, of course, once the first edits come in (and those are the ones I dread the most, the ones that leave me thinking, "Wow, how on earth did I sell this crap?" The ones that make me think, "My editor must think I'm the worst writer evah!" and "She's probably wondering how on earth I sold this crap as well.")
Ah, the life of the writer. Or more appropriate, the life of the writer who signs the contract before writing the book. It's not nearly as nervewracking when I know the manuscript is written and rewritten and polished to the finest shine and goes out on submission. I far prefer the polished to a fine shine prior to subbing submission. But I'm also a glutton for punishment, soooo...
And now, I will take a little mini-vacation. Not long - just a few days - but it's a vacation that I have totally earned.
Windemere is finished! Yay! :D
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Satan Called...
He wants his weather back.
I stole that from a photo someone posted on Facebook, and it fits perfectly with the beastly weather we've been having around here. I know it's summer, but it isn't supposed to be this hot and sticky until the end of the month, the beginning of August. The end of June/beginning of July? Too. Early. The thermometer in my car registered 103 degrees the other day. 103 degrees! Egads, what's that all about?
Our town did Fourth of July fireworks this past Friday and we sweated our way through them. By 9PM, the temperature had dropped, but you know it's freakin' hot when you think, "Hmm... it's only 95. That's not so bad." Because that's exactly what we were all saying as we sat there, waiting for the show. Despite the heat, it was so worth it. The kidlets love fireworks. I love fireworks. It was a nice (if albeit hot) way to spend a night as a family.
A few weeks ago, we took the kidlets to see the Somerset Patriots play. They're our local Independent League pro team and they are awesome. I love going to the games because it's close to home and about 1/16th the costs of going to see a Major League game. I'd rather sit at TD Ballpark and watch the Patriots than slog all the way out to Yankee Stadium, sit in traffic, get all pissed off at the morons on the road (because we are littered with idiot drivers. You can tell who they are by the out of state license plates. Really, if you're in the left lane and driving 55MPH or less, by law I should be allowed to run your ass over. MOVE OVER!)
Now... where was I?
Right, the Somerset Patriots. So, we took the kidlets and it was the Boy's first pro baseball game. We were a little nervous about taking him, since he used to be very sensitive to sounds and overstimulated by crowds (gotta love ADHD) but we figured that since the tickets only cost $8, parking only costs $3, we'd wouldn't be out a ton of money if we had to leave early. (Eight dollars to see an awesome team, in a beautiful ballpark that doesn't have a bad seat? Perfect. You can't say that about any Major League ballpark/ball game. See why I like going??)
As it turned out, we worried for nothing. The Boy was a little antsy at first, but then he got into the game and all the family-oriented things they do between innings (I will confess to being disappointed that they didn't do the Dizzy Bat Race. That's always a riot to watch) and he had a great time. Every Friday night, after the game, they shoot off fireworks and the Boy adores fireworks. They go off to music, so he was up boogie-ing like a madman. It really was a great time.
And now, I'm diving into the last revisions for Windmere. I have to turn this book in to my editor by the 15th, so I probably won't be surfacing much before then (I know, huge shocker, right???) And that's only if I don't melt by then, due to this Hell-like heat wave. Yikes. How many days until autumn???
I stole that from a photo someone posted on Facebook, and it fits perfectly with the beastly weather we've been having around here. I know it's summer, but it isn't supposed to be this hot and sticky until the end of the month, the beginning of August. The end of June/beginning of July? Too. Early. The thermometer in my car registered 103 degrees the other day. 103 degrees! Egads, what's that all about?
Our town did Fourth of July fireworks this past Friday and we sweated our way through them. By 9PM, the temperature had dropped, but you know it's freakin' hot when you think, "Hmm... it's only 95. That's not so bad." Because that's exactly what we were all saying as we sat there, waiting for the show. Despite the heat, it was so worth it. The kidlets love fireworks. I love fireworks. It was a nice (if albeit hot) way to spend a night as a family.
A few weeks ago, we took the kidlets to see the Somerset Patriots play. They're our local Independent League pro team and they are awesome. I love going to the games because it's close to home and about 1/16th the costs of going to see a Major League game. I'd rather sit at TD Ballpark and watch the Patriots than slog all the way out to Yankee Stadium, sit in traffic, get all pissed off at the morons on the road (because we are littered with idiot drivers. You can tell who they are by the out of state license plates. Really, if you're in the left lane and driving 55MPH or less, by law I should be allowed to run your ass over. MOVE OVER!)
Now... where was I?
Right, the Somerset Patriots. So, we took the kidlets and it was the Boy's first pro baseball game. We were a little nervous about taking him, since he used to be very sensitive to sounds and overstimulated by crowds (gotta love ADHD) but we figured that since the tickets only cost $8, parking only costs $3, we'd wouldn't be out a ton of money if we had to leave early. (Eight dollars to see an awesome team, in a beautiful ballpark that doesn't have a bad seat? Perfect. You can't say that about any Major League ballpark/ball game. See why I like going??)
As it turned out, we worried for nothing. The Boy was a little antsy at first, but then he got into the game and all the family-oriented things they do between innings (I will confess to being disappointed that they didn't do the Dizzy Bat Race. That's always a riot to watch) and he had a great time. Every Friday night, after the game, they shoot off fireworks and the Boy adores fireworks. They go off to music, so he was up boogie-ing like a madman. It really was a great time.
And now, I'm diving into the last revisions for Windmere. I have to turn this book in to my editor by the 15th, so I probably won't be surfacing much before then (I know, huge shocker, right???) And that's only if I don't melt by then, due to this Hell-like heat wave. Yikes. How many days until autumn???
Friday, June 08, 2012
The End
It's done! It's done! The first draft of Windemere is finally done. I missed my self-imposed deadline by a week, but who cares? It's finished.
So now I can take a few days and relax (and replace my almost-empty toner cartridge) before I begin doing revisions. Whew... I need those few days, I've been writing like crazy for the last week, trying to get this finished.
I'll probably print it out and look it over this weekend, just give a real quick read-through, and mark a few notes, but the most intensive revising won't come for a few days. I need the time to let my eyes and brain recharge, so I can really see what needs revising. And I'm going to enjoy my little mini-vacation. Yay.
The school year is winding down now, the kidlets have nine days left. Then, I'll be the mother of a sixth grader (how the %#$^ did that happen???) and my baby will be a first grader (and will go full-day in September. What am I going to do with all that free time????)
It's funny how the pace just seems to slow - I can feel it even before the school year ends. Things just sort of wind down a little. And I don't have much planned this summer. We are doing a Caribbean cruise, but that's the only planned trip we have. Mostly, we're just going to laze around the pool, and maybe go down the shore a few times. That's it. That's what summer is about and why I love it. The pool was opened on Tuesday and because we had such a mild winter, it's almost crystal already. There's some sediment that needs to be vacuumed, but that won't be a big deal. Last summer, it took nearly two weeks to get the pool ready, because of all the snow, etc. Not this year. It'll be ready in another day or two.
At the end of the month, the hubs and I'll celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Fifteen years. We began dating right after the NY Rangers won the Stanley Cup (so close this year, but go Kings!) and now here we are. Fifteen years. Two kids. A home. A dog. Life is good.
I have a few projects ready to go over the summer. And I'm in the planning stages for a new book as well. This one's a little different. One I've wanted to write for a looooong time. I'm going to get out of the Regency era for a little while, since I've always wanted to write a book set in the Old West. But otherwise, I'm keeping a very light writing schedule this summer. I'll be into edits for Windemere before long, and Musa's birthday is coming up in October, so keep an eye out because I'm sure there will be some sort of contest going on.
So now I can take a few days and relax (and replace my almost-empty toner cartridge) before I begin doing revisions. Whew... I need those few days, I've been writing like crazy for the last week, trying to get this finished.
I'll probably print it out and look it over this weekend, just give a real quick read-through, and mark a few notes, but the most intensive revising won't come for a few days. I need the time to let my eyes and brain recharge, so I can really see what needs revising. And I'm going to enjoy my little mini-vacation. Yay.
The school year is winding down now, the kidlets have nine days left. Then, I'll be the mother of a sixth grader (how the %#$^ did that happen???) and my baby will be a first grader (and will go full-day in September. What am I going to do with all that free time????)
It's funny how the pace just seems to slow - I can feel it even before the school year ends. Things just sort of wind down a little. And I don't have much planned this summer. We are doing a Caribbean cruise, but that's the only planned trip we have. Mostly, we're just going to laze around the pool, and maybe go down the shore a few times. That's it. That's what summer is about and why I love it. The pool was opened on Tuesday and because we had such a mild winter, it's almost crystal already. There's some sediment that needs to be vacuumed, but that won't be a big deal. Last summer, it took nearly two weeks to get the pool ready, because of all the snow, etc. Not this year. It'll be ready in another day or two.
At the end of the month, the hubs and I'll celebrate our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Fifteen years. We began dating right after the NY Rangers won the Stanley Cup (so close this year, but go Kings!) and now here we are. Fifteen years. Two kids. A home. A dog. Life is good.
I have a few projects ready to go over the summer. And I'm in the planning stages for a new book as well. This one's a little different. One I've wanted to write for a looooong time. I'm going to get out of the Regency era for a little while, since I've always wanted to write a book set in the Old West. But otherwise, I'm keeping a very light writing schedule this summer. I'll be into edits for Windemere before long, and Musa's birthday is coming up in October, so keep an eye out because I'm sure there will be some sort of contest going on.
Friday, June 01, 2012
A First for Me
So, right now I'm currently in the middle of writing the fourth McKenzie book. I was cruising along, nearing the 70k word mark, when I realized I was out of story. Not. Good.
I backtracked through the manuscript and realized, I'd had a huge turning point waaay too soon in the story. It concerned an event that happens at the beginning of the book, and is hinted at through the first half, but then-- BAM--I revealed it all too quickly. Without it, I lost a good deal of conflict and the story went as flat as a souffle gone wrong. Splat.
Normally, it wouldn't bother me. I'd just go back and fix it. But this time, I'm on a very tight deadline (why do I do this to myself???) so I have to not only go back and fix it, but I have to rewrite an entire third of the book. Yikes. And the scenes at the end of the book will now be moved into the the middle of the book. I'm also rearranging a lot of the second half of the book, which is really just a big mess right now.
It's been like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle and while I love jigsaw puzzles, I've never had to piece a book together that way. It's been... interesting. I'm still working out a lot of the knots, but the conflict is back and it's sharper, and that is good with a capital G.
But I have to admit, I will be glad when this draft is finished and I'm in the revising stage. Revisions will be a piece of cake compared to this. :D
I backtracked through the manuscript and realized, I'd had a huge turning point waaay too soon in the story. It concerned an event that happens at the beginning of the book, and is hinted at through the first half, but then-- BAM--I revealed it all too quickly. Without it, I lost a good deal of conflict and the story went as flat as a souffle gone wrong. Splat.
Normally, it wouldn't bother me. I'd just go back and fix it. But this time, I'm on a very tight deadline (why do I do this to myself???) so I have to not only go back and fix it, but I have to rewrite an entire third of the book. Yikes. And the scenes at the end of the book will now be moved into the the middle of the book. I'm also rearranging a lot of the second half of the book, which is really just a big mess right now.
It's been like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle and while I love jigsaw puzzles, I've never had to piece a book together that way. It's been... interesting. I'm still working out a lot of the knots, but the conflict is back and it's sharper, and that is good with a capital G.
But I have to admit, I will be glad when this draft is finished and I'm in the revising stage. Revisions will be a piece of cake compared to this. :D
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Love/Hate Relationship
Last night, the kidlets and I were heading out to our local Rita's because the Boy's school was doing a fundraiser and really, who needs an excuse for a Rita's?
Well, the place was a zoo and when we finally left, somehow, the conversation flowed to Windemere, my current WIP. The Girl has already decided she wants to be a writer when she grows up (which I can totally see happening because right now, the stories she writes are hysterically funny, even if they don't always make sense) and I said something about how aggravated I was with Julian and Emma (H/H from Windemere) because they weren't doing what I wanted them to do.
"But, Mom," the Girl said, sounding a little confused, "they're your characters. Don't you make them do what they do?"
Ahh... young padawan, allow me to show you the love/hate relationship a lot of writers have with their characters. Then you will understand.
Yes, they are my creations, but they take on a life of their own through the story. I know the basics about them - what they look like, where they live, what sort of upbringing they had- and that's about it. Their personalities, their quirks, their flaws all come out as the story unravels. And sometimes, where I think the story is going is nowhere near where it actually ends up.
And that's when I want to drop rocks on everyone and kill them--figuratively speaking, of course.
Right now, I want to drop rocks on them. All of them. Because they are going off script again. Gah.Why do they insist on torturing me?
Well, little by little, things start to work out, and usually, I don't have to drop those rocks. But it is tempting at times. And that's when I begin to think I should have gone to medical school instead. :D
Well, the place was a zoo and when we finally left, somehow, the conversation flowed to Windemere, my current WIP. The Girl has already decided she wants to be a writer when she grows up (which I can totally see happening because right now, the stories she writes are hysterically funny, even if they don't always make sense) and I said something about how aggravated I was with Julian and Emma (H/H from Windemere) because they weren't doing what I wanted them to do.
"But, Mom," the Girl said, sounding a little confused, "they're your characters. Don't you make them do what they do?"
Ahh... young padawan, allow me to show you the love/hate relationship a lot of writers have with their characters. Then you will understand.
Yes, they are my creations, but they take on a life of their own through the story. I know the basics about them - what they look like, where they live, what sort of upbringing they had- and that's about it. Their personalities, their quirks, their flaws all come out as the story unravels. And sometimes, where I think the story is going is nowhere near where it actually ends up.
And that's when I want to drop rocks on everyone and kill them--figuratively speaking, of course.
Right now, I want to drop rocks on them. All of them. Because they are going off script again. Gah.Why do they insist on torturing me?
Well, little by little, things start to work out, and usually, I don't have to drop those rocks. But it is tempting at times. And that's when I begin to think I should have gone to medical school instead. :D
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
I Did It Again
Once upon a time, I had a contract for a book I hadn't written yet. I always thought it would be so cool to do that, sell a book based on a short synopsis. So, when I sold A Perfect Lady before it was written, I was thinking, "Oh, yeah. You are ossum!" and doing the Snoopy dance all around my office.
But then reality set in. I had a contract. For a book that was. not. written. WTF was I doing, dancing around like a madwoman? I had work to do. I had a deadline.
And when I finally turned in A Perfect Lady, I swore I would never, ever do something so stupid again. Sign a contract for an unwritten book? Write like a lunatic to get said book finished on time? Never. Again.
Riiight...
Guess what I did?
Well, I am happy to be able to announce that the fourth McKenzie book, Windemere, is now under contract with Musa Publishing for release this October. Yay!
But the book is not finished yet.
boo...
Actually, it's a little over halfway finished, so I shouldn't go too crazy trying to meet my deadline. At least this time, I've got the bulk of the book written. Not nearly as much pressure as having to write the entire book (not to mention the additional madness of having to scrap the first 25k words and start over, like I did with A Perfect Lady. Talk about insanity. Yikes!)
Windemere is Emma and Julian's story. It's actually set after A Perfect Lady, but before The Pursuit and Playing with Fire. Writing a series out of order has been interesting, and it's also something I don't think I'll be doing again. But with this one, I hadn't actually planned to write Emma's story - then an idea for the book hit and that was that. And when that idea became a real story, I mentioned it to my Musa editrix and now here we are. :D
I'll have blurbage and excerptage and cover love coming soon. First things first - have to finish writing the book.
And I swear, I will never do this again.
Until the next time. ;-)
But then reality set in. I had a contract. For a book that was. not. written. WTF was I doing, dancing around like a madwoman? I had work to do. I had a deadline.
And when I finally turned in A Perfect Lady, I swore I would never, ever do something so stupid again. Sign a contract for an unwritten book? Write like a lunatic to get said book finished on time? Never. Again.
Riiight...
Guess what I did?
Well, I am happy to be able to announce that the fourth McKenzie book, Windemere, is now under contract with Musa Publishing for release this October. Yay!
But the book is not finished yet.
boo...
Actually, it's a little over halfway finished, so I shouldn't go too crazy trying to meet my deadline. At least this time, I've got the bulk of the book written. Not nearly as much pressure as having to write the entire book (not to mention the additional madness of having to scrap the first 25k words and start over, like I did with A Perfect Lady. Talk about insanity. Yikes!)
Windemere is Emma and Julian's story. It's actually set after A Perfect Lady, but before The Pursuit and Playing with Fire. Writing a series out of order has been interesting, and it's also something I don't think I'll be doing again. But with this one, I hadn't actually planned to write Emma's story - then an idea for the book hit and that was that. And when that idea became a real story, I mentioned it to my Musa editrix and now here we are. :D
I'll have blurbage and excerptage and cover love coming soon. First things first - have to finish writing the book.
And I swear, I will never do this again.
Until the next time. ;-)
Monday, October 24, 2011
And The Winner is....
Sebrina!!
Congratulations and I'll get those copies of A Perfect Lady and Playing with Fire to you ASAP!
Thanks to everyone who followed and commented! It's great to see some new faces around here and I hope you'll all come by and visit again!
Congratulations and I'll get those copies of A Perfect Lady and Playing with Fire to you ASAP!
Thanks to everyone who followed and commented! It's great to see some new faces around here and I hope you'll all come by and visit again!
Monday, October 03, 2011
Trying to Keep Up With It
Blogging, that is. I've been good. So far.
So today, my other half and I went oven shopping. When we bought our house four years ago, the oven, dishwasher, and microwave came with the house. We were in the house for about a two days when the dishwasher died. So, off I went to replace it. I wasn't happy about it, but what can you do, right?
Well, since about that same time, I've had a love/hate relationship with my oven. I suppose it was a nice oven -- a JennAir, which is pretty good. It's a convection oven (which really means very little to me, because the woman we bought the house from took the owner's manual with her -- but left the installation manual, for some bizarre reason. Probably the same reason she took the bag for our pool cover, I dunno -- I don't know who or what convection is.) But while the rangetop is gas (and for that I was thankful for when the power went out after Irene) the oven is electric.
I don't like electric. You don't cook with electricity. The broiler leaves everything kind of... gray-looking. No matter how high I have the heat.
But the oven. Wouldn't. Die.
Well, that's it - we finally decided the time's come to replace it. I've suffered long enough. My husband knows I love to cook (and I've come a long way since the hard-as-a-rock-and-about-as-tasty meatloaf I made for him right after we got married) and he knows how much I hate this damned oven. So we went shopping today.
My new oven will be here this week. It's all gas. It's convection (so I'll finally find out what that actually does.) It has five burners.
I'm in love. :D
Oh, and the over the range microwave is twenty years old and the handle is held on by electrical tape, so that is being retired at the same time. It's earned a good, long rest. I actually hate to get rid of it (I think the electrical tape gives it a certain je ne sais quois. And I know that isn't spelled right. And I. Don't. Care. :D) because I don't like to throw anything out that still works or might have some life left in it (my husband should consider himself lucky, for that, :D) but at the same time, the time's come.
And now that my edits for A Perfect Lady have been turned in (now I sit back and wait for the final proof. Yay!) I actually have a little bit of free time, and that's good. I can catch up on my blog reading (I've been terrible about that of late), I can get back to Six-Sentence Sunday, and I might even be able to read a book. Of course, my current WIP, Don't Tempt Me suddenly picked up again. I shelved it while I did edits and polished something else that will be going on submission tomorrow. Then, when I was putzing around over the weekend, I took a peek at it and BAM! The words came almost as fast as I could type them. I love that. So I will probably work on that as long as my muse and I are on speaking terms.
And that's where I am now, and it's good to be back.
So today, my other half and I went oven shopping. When we bought our house four years ago, the oven, dishwasher, and microwave came with the house. We were in the house for about a two days when the dishwasher died. So, off I went to replace it. I wasn't happy about it, but what can you do, right?
Well, since about that same time, I've had a love/hate relationship with my oven. I suppose it was a nice oven -- a JennAir, which is pretty good. It's a convection oven (which really means very little to me, because the woman we bought the house from took the owner's manual with her -- but left the installation manual, for some bizarre reason. Probably the same reason she took the bag for our pool cover, I dunno -- I don't know who or what convection is.) But while the rangetop is gas (and for that I was thankful for when the power went out after Irene) the oven is electric.
I don't like electric. You don't cook with electricity. The broiler leaves everything kind of... gray-looking. No matter how high I have the heat.
But the oven. Wouldn't. Die.
Well, that's it - we finally decided the time's come to replace it. I've suffered long enough. My husband knows I love to cook (and I've come a long way since the hard-as-a-rock-and-about-as-tasty meatloaf I made for him right after we got married) and he knows how much I hate this damned oven. So we went shopping today.
My new oven will be here this week. It's all gas. It's convection (so I'll finally find out what that actually does.) It has five burners.
I'm in love. :D
Oh, and the over the range microwave is twenty years old and the handle is held on by electrical tape, so that is being retired at the same time. It's earned a good, long rest. I actually hate to get rid of it (I think the electrical tape gives it a certain je ne sais quois. And I know that isn't spelled right. And I. Don't. Care. :D) because I don't like to throw anything out that still works or might have some life left in it (my husband should consider himself lucky, for that, :D) but at the same time, the time's come.
And now that my edits for A Perfect Lady have been turned in (now I sit back and wait for the final proof. Yay!) I actually have a little bit of free time, and that's good. I can catch up on my blog reading (I've been terrible about that of late), I can get back to Six-Sentence Sunday, and I might even be able to read a book. Of course, my current WIP, Don't Tempt Me suddenly picked up again. I shelved it while I did edits and polished something else that will be going on submission tomorrow. Then, when I was putzing around over the weekend, I took a peek at it and BAM! The words came almost as fast as I could type them. I love that. So I will probably work on that as long as my muse and I are on speaking terms.
And that's where I am now, and it's good to be back.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
To Celebrate...
Musa Publishing's launch, go and check out the contest on the Musa Publishing blog!!You can win free books (and who doesn't love free books?) and check out the two grand prize drawings coming next week!
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