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

At Last! A Contest!

And it's a very simple contest. As I said in a previous post, I hate the title for The King's Bride and I need to change it before I submit it. Trouble is, no matter what, I can't think of anything better.

So, here's the contest - best book title wins a copy of Tiger Eyes and After the Storm (and an acknowledgment in the book when/if it sells!) I'll post the synopsis to the King's Bride, and all you need to do is come up a title for it. The contest will run through January 31st and all entries should be sent to kimberlynee AT gmail DOT com.

Good luck!!!

The King’s Bride

Synopsis

With his coronation imminent, Stefan Vanechka, the Crown Prince of Mordainia, has no choice but to accept the bride who has already been chosen for him, a woman he has never met. Faced with threats from both outside his kingdom, as well as within, he not only must do his duty, but he needs this woman. The woman chosen to be his bride is a Seer, and he will do what he must in order to protect his people and his throne.

Kristian Petroviya never knew she carried royal blood in her veins, and that she was betrothed at birth to the future King of Mordainia. Spirited far into the wilds of Mordainia as a child, she grew up knowing nothing of her heritage, or what was expected of her in regards to her gift. Rather, she was raised as being only one step above a peasant, reared by an aunt who used that gift for her own advantage, until Kristian was able to free herself  and begin her life anew. Marriage to anyone, least of all a future king, was the furthest thing on her mind and the last thing she wished to do.

Left with no choice but to accompany Stefan and his men back to Mordainia’s capital, Kristian is forced to accept a truth she’d never dreamed possible. And as they journey on, neither can deny the growing attraction between them. But when Kristian discovers the truth as to why he has come for her, and what her gift means for the future of his reign, it threatens to destroy not only lifelong friendships and growing trust, but Mordainia’s existence as well.

Edited: Please put Title Contest in the subject line of your email. ! :-)

Tiger Eyes is HERE!

Yay! Tiger Eyes is now officially a book! It's available at Amazon, Fictionwise, Barnes and Noble, and at My Bookstore and More!

Here's the back cover copy:

Love takes no prisoners.

Captain Gabriella Markham is accustomed to standing on the deck of her ship, wind in her face. Not rotting in a dank hold on an enemy’s ship. There’s only one thing on her mind: revenge on the pirate responsible. Until she realizes the seriously injured man sharing the darkness is Captain Diego Cruz, the man she almost married.

When Diego opens his eyes, he finds himself twice cursed. Not only was he attacked and taken, he’s marooned on an island with the woman who betrayed him five years earlier. Even worse, the fire between them still burns. And the faster he heals, the harder she is to resist.

Desperation cracks their resolve. Passion consumes them, but it only reopens the wounds of the past. Survival is only the first step in a quest to find out who hired another pirate to see them dead—and why. Only then will they learn if their hearts will survive on the fragile strand of trust that still hangs between them…

Warning: This book may lead to fantasies involving deserted islands, passionate affairs, and a belief in true love.

Want to read an excerpt? Check it out here!

And I betcha it'd make a super-terrific Christmas gift for that historical-romance-lovin' someone in your life! :D

My Four

Okay, I'm done with my Christmas shopping, and since I can't motivate myself to do the wrapping (I swear I'll do it tomorrow. Honest) here's a fun little post I stole from Scarlett Parrish's blog. Go check it out while I'm answering these questions...


1. Four shows that you watch:

•  CSI - although I'll admit, the show is nowhere near as good as it was when William Peterson was on it. 
• CSI:NY - I only recently discovered this one, and it took about two and half minutes to get hooked on it. Not only does it appeal to the geek in me, but it a) has Gary Sinise in it, b) I adore NYC, c) it has Gary Sinise in it. (are ya seeing the pattern???)
• Countdown with Keith Olbermann - He's like, my news-guy crush. Don't tell my husband.
• The Rachel Maddow Show  - I want to have a beer with her. It'd be awesome.

2. Four things you are passionate about:

• Getting time completely to myself. 
• My family
• Improving my craft (that sounds so stupid and dorky, but it's true)
• Baseball

3. Four phrases you say a lot:

• "Are you kidding me?!" <--- see the multiple punctuation? Drives one of my editors nuts. :D
• "You have got to be kidding me!"
• "How cool is that?"
• "I need coffee. A lot of it. Like now."

4. Four things you’ve learned from the past:

• There really is only so far down you can go. Eventually, you have to go up.
• It isn't what happens to you that defines you, it's how you handle what happens to you that does.
• Nothing worth having is easy to get.
• Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

5. Four places you would like to go:

• England
• Scotland
• back to Ireland
• Hawaii

6. Four things you did yesterday:

• Spent the day with old, dear friends I don't get to see often enough
• Watched the NY Giants piss away a great game as their defense folded like a cheap suit and they GAVE a victory to the Philadelphia Effing Eagles (can you tell I'm still pissed about that??)
• Watched the Survivor finale. Yes, I watch Survivor. Don't judge me.
• Played with my son and his Phineas and Ferb "action figures."

7. Four things you are looking forward to:

• Christmas. This is my favorite time of year
• Going to sleep tonight. I'm exhausted
• Spring. And yes, I know winter's only just beginning. Let's not talk about that, m'kay?
• My hair growing out. I cut nearly 12" off it last January. Not. A. Good. Idea.

8. Four things you love about winter:

• Snow. There is no such thing as too much.
• Having the window cracked enough that I need the sheet, the blanket, and the comforter.
• Christmas music
• That spring is next

And there it is - my list of four.

I'll probably post once or twice more before the end of the year and you KNOW I'll be posting tomorrow, since Tiger Eyes will be available **ahem** tomorrow. :D

Tiger Eyes is Coming!

I received a bit of an early Christmas gift last night, in my email inbox. My electronic copies of Tiger Eyes made their appearance, so I guess it really is going to be released on the 21st. The feeling of getting those copies never gets old, but I have to confess--there's a little more of a rush when the box of print copies arrives. With Eden's Pass, I forgot to let the Powers-That-Be over at Samhain know I'd moved (oops. How do you forget something like that???), so they went to my old address. Fortunately, the woman who bought our townhouse was kind enough to have her mother bring the carton to me. Unfortunately, the woman was a smoker and had the box in her car for about two weeks before she had the time to deliver them. It  took a long time for the smoky smell to dissipate. Blech. But still, she didn't have to bring them at all, so what's a little stinky at that point?

But still, it's a wonderful thing, to get that email file and unzip it. Yay!

So, there's just about two weeks until Christmas and I'm happy to say I am pretty much finished with all my shopping. Wrapping is another story, but the shopping is just about finished. This year, I actually had ideas for people, which is a switch from most years. And, I enjoyed shopping as well, which never happens for me. I'm not a shopper. I go, I get what I need, and I get the hell out of Dodge. But this year, it was a nice way to spend an afternoon. All I have left to get are stocking stuffers. Then I'm finished. My record for Christmas shopping? Two hours. I was nine months pregnant with my first child (The Girl, who'll be ten at the end of the month. How's that for poor planning???) and basically bought everyone the same thing, only in a different color. :-)

All that's left is to find out who all will be here on Christmas Day (originally I was supposed to be doing Christmas dinner, but now that's kind of up in the air.) I might end up doing Christmas Eve instead, which is fine, but people--you have to let me know.

And the wrapping. I hate the wrapping more than the shopping and I think there should be a law that all gifts must come in perfectly square, nicely solid, boxes. I suck at wrapping odd-shaped things. Really. I make a really lousy elf.

So what are your holiday plans?

Kindle vs. Nook - Which One to Choose?

I have a confession to make -

I don't own an e-reader.

There. I said it. I don't own an e-reader. Whew, I feel better now.

Okay, so that said, I'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting one. Maybe after Christmas. Trouble is, I'm a little torn between the Kindle and the Nook. My brother swears by his Kindle. I've heard others swear by the Nook. So, which to choose? Decisions, decisions.

In other news, I finished my NaNoWriMo project over the weekend, and the edits to Tiger Eyes are pretty much done (one more read through before they go off to my editor), so now... vacation! What a lovely word and I am soooo looking forward to the time off.

Oh, and have I mentioned Playing with Fire comes out this Friday? Yay! :D

And then there's Thanksgiving. Last year, I inherited the cooking duties. This year, with my mom being sick, we're having a full house. It will be noisy, there will be much food and wine, and it will be nice having the family together. I'm glad I don't have to do any traveling, as I'd much rather be home cooking than going anywhere. We'll be up early, the Macy's Parade will be on, the house will smell wonderful, and we'll all be together. That's all that matters.

What about you? What're your Turkey Day plans?

Popping In...

Because yes, I am still alive. I think.

Final edits on Playing with Fire are done and turned in. It'll be out next Friday so look for it. Buy it early and buy it often! :)

Ahem...

I'm most of the way through final line edits for Tiger Eyes, so yay! I'm thisclose to being completely caught up on everything. Five books in less than six months is madness and I'll be glad when December rolls around. I'm taking the month off.

I'm also thisclose to finishing my NaNo project. It was supposed to be a western historical, but I scrapped that idea partway into the first week and decided to finish writing Aidrian's story. It's coming along nicely and I should finish it up sometime in the next two or three days. Yay!

Hopefully then I'll get around to regular (or at least semi-regular) blogging.

Hopefully.

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. :)

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.

The Stencil Project (Day 2)

I hit a wall in the edits for Tiger Eyes. My editor pointed out something that needs to be changed, and I've been pondering just how I can incorporate what needs to be told, and the most logical way to tell it without losing the info (if that makes sense.)

So, while I was pondering, I figured I'd finish up the stenciling in the kids' bathroom. It was a crummy, gray, rainy, good-for-nothing-but-sleep kind of day yesterday, which made it a perfect day to finish.

And here it is - over the sink...

The last one was taken using the panoramic feature on my camera. The ceiling really isn't angled like this - those "angles" are where the three separate images were "stitched" together to make on picture. It's a cool feature, but I don't know how to prevent it from distorting like this.

And now, the bathroom is done. I thought about going all the way around, but my other half and I decided that would probably be overkill. However, since I know this is a relatively inexpensive and easy way to brighten up a room, I'm already planning to do the other two bathrooms and the Boy's room (once it's repainted. That's next on my list.)

Oh yes, I am a stencilin' fool...

And, I worked out my plot/edit problem while I was stenciling - so it's therapeutic and decorative!

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.

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

Finally!

I've been sitting on this news for over two months now, which hasn't been easy, you know. But now it's official, so I can happy dance and celebrate and all that other good stuff!

Following some intense contract negotiations (okay, I asked and they said no problem :D), I'm beyond psyched to announce that Tiger Eyes, the follow up to Eden's Pass has been sold to Samhain Publishing. Woo hoo!

Tiger Eyes is Diego's story and I have to confess, it's probably my favorite story. I love Diego and Gabriella - who have a rather checkered history and I'm soooo glad his story is going to be told now.

I don't have much in the way of details just yet, but believe me, they will be posted as soon as I know.

Okay, I'm off to happy dance a little more. Care to join me?

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!