Well, here it is November already. Remember that plot bunny I mentioned back in April? Well, I finished it in October! Yippee! I’ve titled it Bloodsworn. My mother was the first to read it and loved it…thank goodness, since I really wrote it for her. I kind of like it myself, even if it is 178,000 words. Yeah, I know, kind of long for a book, but it seems to read well. You can check out the first chapter under ‘Stories’ and see what you think.
Something else I’ve done a few months ago is join RWA (Romance Writers of America) and my local chapter TARA (Tampa Area Romance Authors). What a fantastic bunch of people. They made me feel very welcome the first day. And guess what? One of my very favorite authors is TARA president! C.L. Wilson! I had no idea she lived so close.
Anyway, they have workshops and guest speakers who give us struggling authors pointers in how to get our works published. Wonderful! Just what I need. Now, if I can just get some of the ladies who are already published to read and critique my book…
Oh well, even if that doesn’t happen, I’ve enjoyed writing the three books I’ve finished and look forward to my next project. What is it, you ask? Well, I thought I’d take a shot at writing a category story, something for Silhouette’s new Nocture Bites series. I’ve had a plot bunny on the back burner about a dragon dragged into our world by some enemies out to steal his magic. Changed into human form, he hooks up with a nurse who tries to help him. Sparks fly, fires smolder, and the two burst into some seriously seductive romantic flames. My only problem will be in keeping it short and sweet. (See Bloodsworn’s length above.)
Oh, and my oldest brother wants me to help him write this romance story he’s been working on. Can you believe it?!?! My brother!!! Ah, well, the man has always been full of surprises. And his story’s not half bad, actually. I’ll definitely have to squeeze it into my schedule.
Well, hope everyone out there had a great Thanksgiving. One of my other brothers who lives in north Florida is coming down for Christmas so I’m really looking forward to it.
Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas too!
11/29/08
4/6/08
WRITING UPDATE
I am pleased to announce that the first draft of The Winglyth King--Book II in The Measure of a Queen series--is complete.
Actually, it was complete a couple of months ago. I haven’t been very enthused about blogging since what I would really like to blog about is the selling of my series, but that hasn’t happened yet.
I did send off three proposals on March 22nd for Fire and Ice.
We’ll see what happens.
In the meantime, I have started Book III, but something has come up so I’ve had to set it aside.
That something started out as a Plot Bunny.
What is a Plot Bunny, you ask? Well, sometimes stories just pop into a writer’s mind and demand to be written. The best thing we writer’s can hope for is to jot them down to keep them from hopping around and interfering with the current project. Problem is, a Plot Bunny can turn into a full blown project in a heartbeat.
Such a thing happened when I tried stuffing ‘Bloodsworn’ in its bunny hole. As I wrote it down, it became too large to fit into the hole. I had no choice but to grant it project status.
*Sigh* It has since taken over.
Already it’s over 50,000 words—about half a book.
The main characters are a woman from Earth, Avera St. John, and a man named Devlin Tragar from a planet called Avalyr.
The story is growing by leaps and bounds and I hope to have it finished soon. Put it this way, I had better. I made the mistake of letting my mother read the first chapter. I warned her it wasn’t finished, but I still got a phone call the next day demanding the rest of the story.
Hence, my furious writing schedule lately.
It’s nice to know I have at least one fan. *smile*
I am pleased to announce that the first draft of The Winglyth King--Book II in The Measure of a Queen series--is complete.
Actually, it was complete a couple of months ago. I haven’t been very enthused about blogging since what I would really like to blog about is the selling of my series, but that hasn’t happened yet.
I did send off three proposals on March 22nd for Fire and Ice.
We’ll see what happens.
In the meantime, I have started Book III, but something has come up so I’ve had to set it aside.
That something started out as a Plot Bunny.
What is a Plot Bunny, you ask? Well, sometimes stories just pop into a writer’s mind and demand to be written. The best thing we writer’s can hope for is to jot them down to keep them from hopping around and interfering with the current project. Problem is, a Plot Bunny can turn into a full blown project in a heartbeat.
Such a thing happened when I tried stuffing ‘Bloodsworn’ in its bunny hole. As I wrote it down, it became too large to fit into the hole. I had no choice but to grant it project status.
*Sigh* It has since taken over.
Already it’s over 50,000 words—about half a book.
The main characters are a woman from Earth, Avera St. John, and a man named Devlin Tragar from a planet called Avalyr.
The story is growing by leaps and bounds and I hope to have it finished soon. Put it this way, I had better. I made the mistake of letting my mother read the first chapter. I warned her it wasn’t finished, but I still got a phone call the next day demanding the rest of the story.
Hence, my furious writing schedule lately.
It’s nice to know I have at least one fan. *smile*
7/29/07
Summer Update
Well, not a lot to report. Haven't heard anything back from the literary agent I sent my proposal to back around the 1st of May. I'm beginning to wonder if he ever got it. Sent it by email so I should probably try doing a snail-mail send and see what happens.
I did get the proposal sent off to AMG Publishers a few weeks ago. Got a quick reply from the acquisitions manager who said he'd get back with me this summer. I'm praying, but not holding my breath.
I've already done research on who I'll submit it to next...just in case.
Book II is coming along well. I hit a snag about the middle of July, but I think I'm past that now. New characters and story lines are cropping up, of course, so I'm having to start another tab in my SuLoPedia to keep track of them so I can go back and work on them later.
One of the characters, a man named Danrin, is going to play a big part in the overall story line. You won't see him in Book III, but he'll be back in IV and V.
I've also been bugged by another set of characters altogether who's story takes place many years before Ceralyn's. They pestered me for three days until I finally sat down and wrote the beginning of their tale. I've decided I'm going to start posting these short stories just for kicks. The one I've just finished is tentatively entitled 'Talia', but I'm looking for that to change as the story reveals itself later.
Another one is a much longer version of the Prologue for Book I. Not titled yet, but will be by the time it's posted.
The third one that's completed is called Nadea and the Wolf and involves Navarre's younger brother, Faolan.
Hope to have all of these posted soon...
I did get the proposal sent off to AMG Publishers a few weeks ago. Got a quick reply from the acquisitions manager who said he'd get back with me this summer. I'm praying, but not holding my breath.
I've already done research on who I'll submit it to next...just in case.
Book II is coming along well. I hit a snag about the middle of July, but I think I'm past that now. New characters and story lines are cropping up, of course, so I'm having to start another tab in my SuLoPedia to keep track of them so I can go back and work on them later.
One of the characters, a man named Danrin, is going to play a big part in the overall story line. You won't see him in Book III, but he'll be back in IV and V.
I've also been bugged by another set of characters altogether who's story takes place many years before Ceralyn's. They pestered me for three days until I finally sat down and wrote the beginning of their tale. I've decided I'm going to start posting these short stories just for kicks. The one I've just finished is tentatively entitled 'Talia', but I'm looking for that to change as the story reveals itself later.
Another one is a much longer version of the Prologue for Book I. Not titled yet, but will be by the time it's posted.
The third one that's completed is called Nadea and the Wolf and involves Navarre's younger brother, Faolan.
Hope to have all of these posted soon...
4/16/07
Getting Closer
Completing something is always a good feeling. I just finished my book proposal for The Measure of a Queen - Fire and Ice. Well, the first draft anyway. Still, after working on it for almost two months, getting this far is an accomplishment. During that same time, I added a new Chapter One to the novel as well as what I hope is a suspenseful Prologue.
Now it's time to get back to Book Two. Ceralyn and Navarre have discovered that Ulan has been kidnapped and they'e about to set out after him. Things are getting exciting.
I'd like to take a moment to offer my thanks to best-selling author, Jeanette Windle, for all her help and support and for believing that I can actually do this. I also owe a very big thanks to my niece, Darelle. She's always pushing me to write and encouraging me when I get discouraged.
Anyway, I hope to have the proposal finalized before the end of April so I can move forward with what I hope will be an entertaining and inspirational story everyone can read and enjoy. Keep praying folks...I've had several goose-bump-raising experiences related to writing this story that prove it works! God is Good!!!
Now it's time to get back to Book Two. Ceralyn and Navarre have discovered that Ulan has been kidnapped and they'e about to set out after him. Things are getting exciting.
I'd like to take a moment to offer my thanks to best-selling author, Jeanette Windle, for all her help and support and for believing that I can actually do this. I also owe a very big thanks to my niece, Darelle. She's always pushing me to write and encouraging me when I get discouraged.
Anyway, I hope to have the proposal finalized before the end of April so I can move forward with what I hope will be an entertaining and inspirational story everyone can read and enjoy. Keep praying folks...I've had several goose-bump-raising experiences related to writing this story that prove it works! God is Good!!!
3/6/07
Welcome to a New Adventure
If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison
Additionally, if you dream of people you would like to get to know better, then by george, get yourself to a typewriter and get to know them. ~Kathy Lane
Like many people, I dream frequently. Also like many people, I don't always remember the dreams. But there are some mornings that I wake up, the details so vivid, it's almost as if I had returned from a trip. On these trips I meet people, sometimes friends, sometimes family, but many times people I've never met until I dream them; people that I actually miss when I wake up in the morning.
No, I'm not crazy. At least no more so than any other writer with characters running amok in her head clamoring for the story of their life to be let out onto paper. I've leaked these stories in bits and pieces over the years, never really pausing long enough in this busy process called living to let one of them out entirely...until now.
Ceralyn, Navarre, and Tristan, the three main characters of my fantasy series, The Measure of a Queen, visited me one night several years ago after an evening of reading a compilation of fantasy short stories. Their visit resulted in eight pages of hand-written...sentences. (Note please, that I do not call it anything remotely resembling a story.)
In January, 2006, my niece started 'poking' me to attend the Florida Christian Writer's Conference with her. The FCWC is held in Bradenton, Florida, only an hour away from my home, so I finally gave in. Of course, I then needed something to take to the conference, so I went in search of some piece of formerly-written fiction.
Ceralyn, Navarre, and Tristan clamored the loudest, (three voices are, after all, louder than one or two), so I pulled out those eight pages of descriptive sentences. After spending two months working those sentences into a readable story I received a surprisingly good critique at the conference. In fact, the author who critiqued the story let me know in no uncertain terms that I had to finish what I started. Fourteen months later, those eight pages have grown to more than 120,000 words, with four more books of words waiting to be written. Talk about a story!
Click on The Stories and visit The Measure of a Queen to read excerpts from book one, Fire and Ice, and book two, The Winglyth King.
Additionally, if you dream of people you would like to get to know better, then by george, get yourself to a typewriter and get to know them. ~Kathy Lane
Like many people, I dream frequently. Also like many people, I don't always remember the dreams. But there are some mornings that I wake up, the details so vivid, it's almost as if I had returned from a trip. On these trips I meet people, sometimes friends, sometimes family, but many times people I've never met until I dream them; people that I actually miss when I wake up in the morning.
No, I'm not crazy. At least no more so than any other writer with characters running amok in her head clamoring for the story of their life to be let out onto paper. I've leaked these stories in bits and pieces over the years, never really pausing long enough in this busy process called living to let one of them out entirely...until now.
Ceralyn, Navarre, and Tristan, the three main characters of my fantasy series, The Measure of a Queen, visited me one night several years ago after an evening of reading a compilation of fantasy short stories. Their visit resulted in eight pages of hand-written...sentences. (Note please, that I do not call it anything remotely resembling a story.)
In January, 2006, my niece started 'poking' me to attend the Florida Christian Writer's Conference with her. The FCWC is held in Bradenton, Florida, only an hour away from my home, so I finally gave in. Of course, I then needed something to take to the conference, so I went in search of some piece of formerly-written fiction.
Ceralyn, Navarre, and Tristan clamored the loudest, (three voices are, after all, louder than one or two), so I pulled out those eight pages of descriptive sentences. After spending two months working those sentences into a readable story I received a surprisingly good critique at the conference. In fact, the author who critiqued the story let me know in no uncertain terms that I had to finish what I started. Fourteen months later, those eight pages have grown to more than 120,000 words, with four more books of words waiting to be written. Talk about a story!
Click on The Stories and visit The Measure of a Queen to read excerpts from book one, Fire and Ice, and book two, The Winglyth King.
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