Manic Monday

Due to a miscommunication, my guest post over at http://blackinkwhitepaper.wordpress.com/ was pushed to this Friday.

This round of rewrites have been sent off to the most excellent of agents.

And since this heat has melted my brain, I'm going to leave you all with some Harry Potter themed alcoholic drinks.

Manic Monday

This weekend I realized that the book I had planned as Book #2 in my series is actually Book #3. Lucky for me, I also figured out the plot of the new Book #2. Now to just let the plot bubble away in the cauldron of my brain for a bit.

My friend K.B. Wagers asked me to write a guest blog for Black Ink, White Paper. After looking over the interview questions she sent, I opted to go for a regular blog post instead of just answering questions. So look for that on the Black Ink, White Paper blog this coming Friday, July 15th!

I was lamenting on Facebook today how woefully neglected this blog is and K.B. subtly made the suggestion that I pick one day a week and make a habit of posting on that day. So, I'm going to take her up on that challenge and do my very best to post something every Monday. And if I don't have a new post on Mondays, I give you all permission to threaten me with spiders. :-D

Happy July 4th Weekend

I finished the rewrites for Where Demons Fear to Tread. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from a couple readers to make sure I didn't miss anything and didn't leave any embarrassing threads dangling then it's off to my wonderful agent.

In the mean time, I read over a story for a friend. OMG! It was so good. I can't wait for some agent and then publisher to snatch this up because it made me laugh, cry, love her and hate her all at the same time. I was supposed to be beta'ing it for her, but I got so caught up in it the first time around that I couldn't do anything but read it through to the end. The second read through was just as engrossing as the first time, but so much more difficult because I knew what was going to happen. Damn you, Katy!! *sniffles*


Today I started to poke at a story I began in high school. This story started out as a horrible Mary Sue wish-fulfillment. The first several rewrites over the years didn't do much to alleviate that problem, but now I'm proud to say I have three dimensional characters with flaws and personalities all their own.

Have a little snippet:

Trent didn’t answer, he only stared at her. His blue eyes were cold as ice, but she refused to be cowed into submission. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared back in defiance. He turned away first, but it was by no means a victory for Kit. Somehow she had the feeling it had been a calculated move on his part.

            Damn him!

            “Fine, then where are my chambers?”

            He smirked and she knew she was not going to like his answer.

            “Right here, my love.” He gestured with his hand, the movement taking in the entire room. His room as she very well knew. “Even if there is to be no sexual contact between the two of us, you will still sleep in my bed.”

            “The hell I will!”

            He raised his eyebrows, clearly bemused.

            Like an indulgent parent would look at an unruly child, she thought crossly.

            “You will either sleep in my bed or on the floor.”

            What a choice, but she knew which one she would ultimately choose.

            “All right then,” she huffed, crossing the stone floor to the bed.

            He smiled at his victory until she snatched a pillow off the bed and walked over to the fireplace. She stretched out on the brown fur rug hoping it was free of bugs. Deliberately rolling over and closing her eyes, she told him silently in no uncertain terms how much regard she had for him and his orders. Inside she knew his clenched jaw and expression of unadulterated fury would give her nightmares.

            The roller-coaster ride of emotions took their toll and she drifted off to sleep despite the hard stone beneath her and the lack of a blanket.

            When she awoke she was warm and comfortable, a tanned male arm encircling her waist. The bastard had waited until she had fallen asleep then picked her up and put her in his bed.

            The hard length of his body curled against her back, a sheltering presence. Of course, those things that shelter can also trap and that was exactly what this was.

            Her eyes scanned the room looking for anything she could use as a weapon. He was battle trained, so any attack she made had to be fast and deadly while he was still asleep. She wouldn’t get a second chance.

            Slowly she rolled onto her back and his arm tightened around her, restricting her movements.

It's a Delicate Balance

Right after I quit a job that had me working 70-80 hours a week at all hours of the day and night I vowed to myself that I would never again let a job get in the way of my life. Unfortunately, I am having the exact opposite problem right now. I'm letting life get in the way of a potential job.

I was doing so well before the move. I'd get several hours of writing done almost every day and not spend so much time distracted by other things. But this move, everything that needs to be done with the house, and the bout of depression I went through this past winter seem to have sapped what little willpower I have. I spend too much time flitting between websites, wandering around the house cleaning or just staring in dismay at the mess, and occasionally poking at these rewrites.

In the last few weeks I've managed to add another 5k words and tweak the first dozen chapters (two and a half of them today), but I feel like I should be going faster. I look at the speed of some professional authors in the urban fantasy genre and I know in my heart that I'll never be successful if I can't pick up my writing/editing pace. I'm just not sure how to do that and it is so discouraging. 

Spring Is Here!

I've been tracking an interesting peculiarity about myself for the last several years -- my creativity is tied to the cycle of the seasons. All Winter my brain feels like it's full of cotton. The words are there, but they're muffled, distant, not within my grasp. And my yearning to write is diminished as well. I'm easily distracted, irritated with the entire process, and too easily discouraged.

Now that the warmth is returning, the flowers are starting to grow, and the snow is gone I'm getting back into the swing of things. I *want* to write. I have ideas bubbling up through the mud and demanding my attention. I can concentrate again.

I wonder if my Muse is affected by SAD... It's definitely something I should look into for next Winter.

Strange Coincidences and Writing

When I started writing Where Demons Fear to Tread, I set a specific date for things to happen. I chose 2012 as the year for the Fall (but NOT 12/21/12) and the start of Demons is May 2028. I didn't do much research into future astrological events with the initial writing, but now that I'm doing these intense rewrites for my agent, I've decided to mold this to actual dates and events for that month. As I was doing research, I came across this site. "Accordingly, to its cycle, this will provoke a revolutionary wave in US and around the world in 2028. This often happens when Uranus transits Gemini. Hopefully, this will be a revolution for the best, for the environment and for human nature."

Yeah, um... that's kind of cool.

Happy New Year!

I've been silent on here for far too long, I just haven't had the motivation or brain-power to think of anything to say. My agent asked me to take a few months away from my book before starting rewrites so I could look at it with a fresh eye, which I've done. In the meantime, I've been busy working on the new house and just letting my brain relax and refresh itself.
With the new year has come new motivation and it's now time for me to buckle down and get these rewrites done. I know what needs to be done for most of the rewriting, I've got that all figured out. There are some things (major things) that I'm still struggling to sort through in my head. I'll figure them out and pull through this. I have to. *wibbles a bit*

OH MY GODS!!!!

I have an agent!

I am so very excited to announce that yesterday I accepted representation from Cameron McClure of the Donald Maass Literary Agency! She loves the story and the characters and is very excited about it, which makes me ecstatic. She does want me to do another rewrite, but I can handle that.

Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods!!!

*pinches self*

Quiet

I know I've been quiet lately, but that's because I'm so busy and stressed out right now I can barely think. My husband and I are buying a new house and that is taking up most of my time and energy. On the advice of one of the agents, I have set the book aside and am not thinking about it at all for a month. In the meantime, I am busy working on a few fun projects, several of which will never see the light of day because they are simply for my own personal amusement.

I should have some good news to share shortly, but until then, there's not much to say. 

Doubts

And the doubts have set in with a vengeance...

I finished the revisions and sent them off to the agent who requested them. Now I'm worried that I didn't take them far enough. That I didn't do enough to make it good enough for her. I'm so worried about this my stomach is tied up in knots.

The three people who read it over for me before I sent it out all raved about it, but I just can't help but doubt.

Too many awesome things have been happening for me and I can't help but think that something has to give. I've NEVER had so many good things happen to me all at once and I'm a little wary.