I have a wonderful guest over at the 7 Scribes today. Frankie Roberston is discussing her new book – Blazing a Trail by Frankie Roberston. If you want to learn more about self-publishing or if you are weighing the pros/cons, then you’ll want to check out what Frankie has to say.
Have a great weekend!
Happy Friday! Want to hear more about Mystic Storm? Please join me today at the 7 Scribes and find out why I say – When in Doubt, Throw in a Flying Monkey . . . or Three!
Also, our new cat Nene has settled in nicely. Here she is on my lap.
Please join me at the Scribes today as I share – Stories that Stick.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday!
Today, I’m over at the 7 Scribes where I make the case that daydreaming is required – Do Not Disturb – Daydreaming in Progress.
On the Mystic Storm front – I’ve read through the printed first draft and yikes! I still have some work to do to smooth it out. So I will be diving back into the writer’s cave to clean it up.
My guest today at the Scribes is fellow paranormal romance author Rosanna Leo. She talks about her latest book The Selkie. Totally hot cover and a fun read too!
I read this book after the cover caught my eye on Facebook (you all know I am a total sucker for abs). I really enjoyed it and made note of it on Goodreads. Rosanna sent me a note and, of course, I had to ask her to be my guest over at the Scribes blog. Stop by and say hello.
Hope to see you there!
One of the best things about being a writer is when characters consent to interviews. Today, I’m sharing an interview between debut author Gerri Brousseau and her sexy pirate hero, Captain Edmund Drake.
Read on through to the end to find out how you can enter for a chance to find out how you can claim “the ransom”!
Let’s listen in:
Interview with Pirate Captain, Edmund Drake
Gerri Brousseau: Captain Drake, What motivated you to kidnap Lady Catherine?
Captain Drake: Now, now, Milady, kidnap an overly harsh word. I prefer to think of it as detaining. I merely detained Lady Catherine from arriving in London.
GB: Ah, I see. Then what motivated you to detain Lady Catherine?
Captain Drake: The ransom, of course. I saw an opportunity and I seized it.
GB: How difficult was it having a woman aboard ship?
Captain Drake: It was a situation that mightily tested my resolve.
GB: How so?
Captain Drake: Keeping my men away from her was a small challenge in comparison to staying away from her myself.
GB: How did you manage to do that?
Captain Drake: By constantly calling to memory the fact that without her virtue intact she would garner no ransom. Still, despite my great efforts, I must confess that many a time I found my resolve to be shaken.
GB: I understand she was stolen away from you by Blackbeard.
Captain Drake: That black-hearted son of a … I beg your pardon, Milady. The answer to your question is yes. Yes, Blackbeard did indeed kidnap Lady Catherine, and had the most vile of plans for her.
GB: Now, now, Captain Drake, we can’t reveal too much about the book.
Captain Drake: Again, I beg your forgiveness, Milady.
GB: Tell me, Captain Drake, how do you feel about the Duke of Devonshire?
Captain Drake: He was merely the means to an end. I would rather not discuss the Duke. Next question, if you please.
GB: You are quite well mannered for a Pirate, Captain Drake. How do you account for this?
Captain Drake: Thank you, Milady but as you have so aptly pointed out, we cannot reveal our secrets now … can we?
GB: No. I suppose not. Allow me to ask you a different question then. Had you a long acquaintance with Blackbeard? (I watch as his fingers graze the thin scar on his cheek bone.)
Captain Drake: Yes. It was he who graced me with his blade, leaving me this scar as a constant reminder of him.
Q: And how do you feel about your rival?
Captain Drake: My hate for him is part of what has made me the man I am today.
GB: Thank you, Captain Drake, for joining me today and for your candid replies to my questions. It has been a pleasure speaking with you.
Captain Drake: You are quite welcome, and rest assured, Milady, the pleasure was entirely mine.
GB: Would you like to say some parting words to our readers?
Captain Drake: Aye, there are two things I wish to impart. Firstly, they should read my story in “A Pirate’s Ransom” and secondly, they should visit Lady Gerri’s website (www.gerribrousseau.com) and enter her contest for a chance to “Claim the Ransom” for themselves.
Thank you, Captain Drake.
The following links will allow you to purchase “A Pirate’s Ransom” (links go here)
To enter the contest and have a chance to Claim the Ransom, please visit Gerri Brousseau’s website at www.gerribrousseau.com, click on “Claim the Ransom” and follow the instructions. Best of luck to all who dare to take a chance to claim A Pirate’s Ransom.
Thank you Gerri and Captain Drake for being my guests today!
A Pirate’s Ransom is available now from Soul Mate Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
So dear readers, if you have a question for Captain Drake, now is your chance to ask!
Happy Friday!! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes for – Care and Feeding of Your Doubt Monster.
Since last week, I’ve kicked into high gear. Finally, I’ve hit the halfway mark on my work in progress. And I’ve been slowing adding to Mystic Storm (Zephyr’s book) and Redemption (Galen’s Book). There must be something in the warm air because my daily word count has shot through the roof this week.
Last year, I averaged about 2,000 words a day on The Undead Space Initiative. This past week, I’ve done 3,000 words a day. Total word count to date = 45,144.
I don’t know what has gotten into me, and quite frankly I don’t care. I just want to finish a book!
For the last few months, I’ve been dragging. I’ve had all three books plotted out, but for some reason, the words just weren’t flowing. And then I realized what I was doing. I was letting myself get stuck. My number one rule when writing is – onward ho!
Just like the settlers making their way out west, when I’m actively writing, my creedo is: don’t stop, don’t re-read, and don’t stare at the computer screen for too long.
So instead of trying to make myself write a scene that I wasn’t seeing or just not into at that moment, I moved onto the next scene repeating over and over – I can fix it later.
Later. Not now. Later, when I’d finished the first draft.
When I’m done, it can be changed, improved, or deleted.
Really. It is that simple. I forgot. Silly me.
I know I’m not the only one who’s been in a bit of a slump. If you need motivation, I invite you to join us over at the CTRWA Facebook page where Jane Haertel is hosting writing sprints! If you’ve never tried one before, give it a try.
What’s been holding you back? What are your favorite tips for getting unstuck??
Happy Friday! Please remember to visit me over at the Scribes for Cal’s Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies. Yes, you did read that right. I did use double, chocolate, and cherry all in the same sentence.
It’s hard to believe that it was only a year ago that I started this blog (in April 2011). And last May, I was preparing to pitch to editors (see here). Well, CT Fiction Fest is back (tomorrow!!) and I will be pitching again. Only this year, I’ve decided to throw an agent or two into the mix.
Now that I’ve sold two books, I’d like to expand my horizons or maybe it’s more accurate to say broaden my reach. I’ve realized that in order to keep motivated, I need to update my goals. For so long, the goal was – sell a book!
Mission accomplished. Now it’s time to dream bigger which includes writing more stories. And believe me, I’ve got loads of them locked in my head, scribbled in notebooks, and even all over Post-It notes. Coming up with ideas is not a problem. Executing those ideas, while promoting Mystic Ink and preparing The Undead Space Initiative for release all while maintaining a full time job/life, is not so easy.
But, hey, I’m not complaining. No one is standing over me with a gun making me write. I could walk away at any time. Of course, I wouldn’t be happy with myself. I already know because I’ve walked away from writing before and it drove me nuts.
Since stopping isn’t an option, eventually something will have to give. At the moment, I’m focused on Mystic Storm and a totally different novel. That’s means not so much time spent on social media or other activities. The only way I can create time for writing is to take it from something else. That’s just how it is.
Buried deep in my mind is the fantasy that some day I can quit my day job. There is 8-9 hours, right there, plumb for writing. If I need to acquire an agent to do that – I’ll consider it. If I need to stick to e-pubs for a while – yup, that works. If I need to Indie publish – that’s a viable option too.
So back to pitching, this year, the focus is on – where can I go next? And what can I accomplish with the time I have?
To a non-writer I know this seems like crazy talk! But in reality, you have to really love what you’re doing to keep going. Selling a few books was exciting, but by no means the end of the story. Like anything writing is a journey, not a destination.
How about you? What are you trying to accomplish? What are you willing to give up to get there?
Happy Friday everyone. Please be sure to visit me over at the Scribes today where I explain why – I’m an Incubator.
I don’t have much to say today. My mind is otherwise occupied with Mystic Storm (check out my post yesterday – Lucky Seven for quick glimpse). But working on a sequel has me thinking about when an author decides to end a series. Or at least move onto something else with the promise of another book in that universe down the road.
I’ll admit it, writing another book in the same world as Mystic Ink is not easy for me. It’s not because I don’t love the setting or the characters, but a tiny voice in my head knows that after Zephyr’s and Devlin’s book, I don’t see any more in the future. That doesn’t mean there never will be anymore, it just means I have other stories to tell.
I might be better suited to writing standalone books (like Kristan Higgins), but in the paranormal romance universe that usually doesn’t happen. I can tick off a list of authors whose books are in the teens now or close to it. Some of them, I have long since stopped reading. They all started to sound the same after a while or the characters never seem to move on (or if they do it’s in a negative direction.)
One author I totally admire (and she was the impetus for this post) is Gail Carriger. Her latest release – Timeless – is book 5 in her Parasol Protectorate series. It is also the last book.
As a fan, I should be crying.
But I’m not.
The books have all been fabulous adventures. Yet, I’m relieved that she stopped the series at a high point. (I’m not going to review her book. Instead, I invite you to visit Penelope’s Romance Reviews for her take.)
In my opinion, too many series have run into the ground with characters or plots that should have given it a rest a long time ago. I’m not going to pick on specific authors or series, but I’m sure everyone has at least one or two they can think of that fit this description.
Gail has another series coming out (The Finishing School Series) and I’m looking forward to it. I admire that she is working on something else and is not being “typecast” into one kind of book. I don’t know the reasons behind the decision (that it was hers or the publisher’s), but I applaud it.
Thank you, Gail! (and if its not too much to ask – I hope someday we get to see more of Lord Akeldama!)
What say you? Do you like never-ending series by your favorite author? Or would you rather they wrapped it up?
Casey Wyatt 