A Bit of This & That

Things have been relatively quiet around here, since I turned in Windemere. I've been fighting with the blurb (which will go to my publisher this weekend, thank God. I hate writing blurbs almost as much as I hate writing a synopsis, which is saying a lot.) I'm working on a blanket for my nephew, so my nights are spent knitting and purling, which is relaxing. The other night, the hubs and I watched Sherlock Holmes, which wasn't quite what I expected, but I still liked it. It's the first Jude Law movie I've seen where he didn't make my skin crawl, so that was a plus. And it had Robert Downey, Jr,. in it, which was a HUGE plus. I'm not a huge movie person (I think the last one I saw in the theater was the very last Harry Potter movie, so that tells you how often I get to the movies.) I watch a lot of TV on DVD, though. Right now I'm working my way through M*A*S*H, and you know you've got brilliant comedy when an episode written forty years ago is still funny today.

I've also been doing some research for my next book. It's been fun, but a little challenging. I don't mind research, rather I kind of enjoy it. It's like solving a little bit of a mystery or solving a puzzle. I usually end up with tons more info than I could ever use, but since there's a chance it will turn up in a book later on (like the research I did on sugar plantations for Eden's Pass. That book came out four years ago and I ended up combing through the research files for it for information while I was writing Windemere) so it's all good.

Our dryer is on its way out, so the hubs and I have begun the joy that is comparing and pricing dryers. Joy. And I always find that the more research I do on stuff like that, the less I end up knowing. I hate reading the reviews, because for every one who loves a certain item, there are at least two more who hate it. I hate buying anything big like this because I know that a week after I get it, the one I really wanted will go on sale, but I've already bought a more budget-friendly thing instead. It's like buying a new car, only worse because I lease my cars, so I'm only stuck with it for 3, maybe 4, years. A new washer or dryer or oven is going to be in my house forever.

I can't believe summer is half over already. Back to school shopping is right around the corner. Of course, that means cooler autumn weather is as well. Then again, judging by how cold last winter was (I think the temps averaged in the forties. Not exactly frigid) it might not be such a relief after all. This summer has been brutal. I've never seen so many days where the temperature, combined with the heat index, hovered at 105 degrees. It's been awful, especially since I hate the heat. We've also had a lot of thunderstorms, which is good, since we really do need the rain.

So, that's really it in my corner of the world. I'm looking forward to watching the Olympics over the next two weeks. I love the Olympics - summer and winter - so it'll be a nice break from the ever-depressing news (and endless political bull^%&* that I won't even get into because it pisses me off so much.) Go Team USA! :D

What's Up???

That kind of describes the revision process - for me, anyway. The first draft isn't ugly, it's FUGLY, and my goal is to pretty it up. Then the next draft (hopefully) is a little less fugly. And so on, and so on. Until that magic moment when - aha! - it's pretty enough to go to the ball (aka - submitted to the editor.)

So now I'm waiting to hear back, which isn't easy and leads to idiocy like checking the email every ten seconds, starting 30 seconds after I hit the send button, and ending when... well, we'll talk about that another time.

And while I'm waiting (I've got two other projects stewing at the moment. I like to let the drafts sit for a week or so between revisions so I can look at it with fresh eyes), I was hit with inspiration. Yay! A new project.

This time, I'm going to try the whole outlining thing. I know, I've tried it before and it never works, but I have a good feeling this time. Right now, I'm at the roughing out the story stage, and will move into research soon. It takes place in the Old West, so if anyone out there can recommend a good research book having to do with the Old West, I'd love you to let me know about it. I'm starting at Wikipedia and will work outward from there once I have a list of resources, but any and all suggestions would be helpful!

Please and thank you! :D

Oh, and I'm still mulling over just how I feel about RWA's most recent announcement regarding the disaster Harlequin Enterprises created last fall when they opened their vanity publishing arm and started steering their rejected manuscripts toward it. I'm looking into all the info and should have something to say about it soon!

NEWS!

I'm happy to announce that After the Storm has a home as I sold it to The Wild Rose Press! Yay! Happy dance with me, won't you?

I don't have all the details just yet, but when they roll in, I'll let you know (because I just know you are dying to know all the details, right?

Anyway, I've been sitting on this for a while now, and now it's okay to make the announcement, so there it is.

And now, back to research. I'm up to my eyes in researching courtesans, Jack the Ripper, and London in general. And yes, it's all for the same story (sounds like a doozy, doesn't it?)

So there you have it. That's what's been going on in my world.

Let's happy dance a little more, shall we?

How The West Was Won

Okay - not really. Actually, it's more like "How the West is researched" because that's what I'm about today. Research. On the American Old West.

And I don't have a clue where to start.

See, with the exception of Eden's Pass, my books have all been set in and/or around the Regency era. Plenty of information on that time period. Loads of it. Too much info at times, if you want to know the truth. Eden's Pass originally started out around that same time period as well in its original incarnation. It only moved upon revision, when I decided to rewrite 90% of the book.

But now, I'm a little sick of the Regency, to be honest, and I've had this idea simmering for a story set in the Old West. It's an idea I originally came up with almost 20 years (YIKES!!!) ago and now, I think I have the story worked out to go along with the idea. Now, of course, it hasn't taken me 20 years to figure out the story, but that long to decide the time has come to write it.

And that leaves me a little... lost... because I have no idea where to begin with the research. I mean, I know roughly, but it's a little weird because all of my bookmarks are either Regency, Colonial, or late 17th century related. But my Google-fu is relatively honed, so that's where I begin this journey.

I'm also doing something new - I'm going to attempt to outline the entire story before I write it. But not how I've done in the past. I want to have as much of the story written out as possible, so that by the time the outline's done, I'm thisclose to having a first draft done. I've had such a problem with stories petering out on me by about the fourth or fifth chapter that I think it's time to mix it up and this is the best way I can come up with it.

So, wish me luck - I'm off to Google-fu. Though, if anyone's got a good website or book recommendation... I'm all ears! =)