We Have Kristan Higgins!

Please join me today over at the Scribes as we welcome NY Times/USA Today bestselling author Kristan Higgins . She graciously answered our interview questions and brought an excerpt from her fabulous new book UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.

Read this book!

Much to my delight, she also provides a suprisingly different insight on my nemesis, The Doubt Monster.

 
Stop by leave a comment, ask a question. Don’t miss out!  Hope to see you there!

Happy Halloweenie!

Happy Friday everyone. Please be sure to visit the Scribes today. Julia Rachel Barrett  (one of my favorite people) is my guest today! She’s sharing how she became a writer and the cover of her new ghost story In the Flesh.

Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. Being a native New Englander, I love the change in seasons and watching the leaves turn to lovely shades of yellow, orange, and red. Granted, Fall has been more muted this year due to all the wild weather, but I’ve still been enjoying it.

This past weekend, my family attended a pumpkin carving party at a friend’s house. We had a blast! The kids, my hubby and friends carved awesome designs. We ate pizza, cupcakes, and cozied up on the couch watching  The Nightmare Before Christmas.

We had the inevitable debate – is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?

Halloween is that one last holiday before the crazy “holiday” season begins. Before the madness…

And then November arrives.  For writers – November is NaNo WriMo. I participated in 2010. The book I wrote was Mystic Ink.

Little did I know last year that I was writing the first book I would sell. Ironically, because I sold the book and I have edits due, I don’t know if I can participate in NaNo this year. I’m still preparing, but I’m hesitant to commit.

I am the Pumpkin King

Who’d a thunk it? (Besides Susannah Hardy – who knew from the start that I’d sell Mystic Ink!)

Life is pretty funny.

How has your life changed since Autumn 2010?  Feel free to share, the good, the bad, the mundane.

And is “Nightmare” a Christmas movie or a Halloween flick?

Show me the Cover!

Happy Friday everyone. Please stop by the Scribes as we wrap up our first theme week – joining an organization.  Check out my post – Don’t Go it Alone!

I received something very exciting this week –  the cover art for Mystic Ink!

When my editor sent me the cover questionnaire, I realized that I had no idea what I wanted. In the past, I had a few ideas, but they were all kind of nebulous and strictly in my head.

The questionnaire was a reality check. Mystic Ink needed a cover because it was going to be published.

OMG I sold a book!!

Right.

I did. It’s real. I didn’t imagine it.

Take that Mr. Doubt Monster.

So, I thought long and hard, then responded with my preferences and information about the story and characters.

I was eager to see the cover for the first time. With my name on it!

Needless to say, I was thrilled with the results.  I now have something tangible to look it.

Next hurdle, edits. When I get those, you can be sure I’ll share that experience too.

Tell me, when have you anticipated something? Did the reality meet your expectations? Or would you do things differently?

Here comes Soul Mate Publishing!

Today’s a special day!

Soul Mate Publishing has officially launched!

Stop by and check out these amazing titles:

 Love’s Guardian

 Prince Charming, Inc.

 Blood and Kisses

That Carrington Magic

Trust of the Heart

 Hunted

 Legacy of Olympus

 Bizarre Life of Sydney Sedrick

And these are just the beginning. More great books are waiting in the wings!

Stop by and be sure to let them know – Casey sent you!

We are also having a Blog Hop. Click here to participate.

 

Mystic Ink – Sold!!

Happy Friday everyone! Please be sure to check out my Friday Scribe post – Go Graphic (Novel, that is). And thank you to everyone who left me condolences for my beloved Oreo.

Now to the big news. 

Mystic Ink has been sold to Soul Mate Publishing!!

I don’t have a release date yet. When I do I will be sure to share it with everyone.

Soul Mate is a new e-publisher and I would love your support in making them a success. Please be sure to “like” them on Facebook! and check the page often for news.

As can be expected, my focus is going to shift away from plotting and onto revisions for Mystic Ink. I’m very excited about this new venture. A big thanks to my critique partners and beta readers who helped me refine the book.

Stay tuned! And see you next week.

Lynn Kurland at the Scribes!

Hi everyone,

Please stop by the Scribes today. We have a very special guest – three time RITA Award winner and New York Times bestselling novelist, Lynn Kurland!!!

Click here to read her interview  – http://wp.me/p1wdXo-q4

Be sure to visit the Scribes on Saturday, when we post the second part of the interview.

Now the Fun Begins!

Happy Friday everyone.  Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes today and say “hi” to our special guest – Frankie Robertson. She’s discussing her move to indie publishing and her new, traditionally published book – Veiled Mirror.

After a few weeks of waiting, I’ve received critique for The Undead Space Initiative. The overall reception has been positive. The book isn’t perfect (nothing ever is) and I have a bunch of questions, comments and “things that may need more explaining” to sift through.

To my beta readers and critique partners – thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to read and comment on my book. The book will only be better because of you.

How should a writer deal with feedback? Gracefully is always a good place to start. Try not to stress about it or take it personally.

But, practically, you also can’t please everyone. Nor can you re-make the book is someone else’s image. Balance is necessary. Take what works for you and discard the rest. But don’t toss it completely away (more on this at the end of the post).

One of the hardest things I’ve had to learn is what should be changed or not changed based on critique. Monday’s Scribe – Jamie Pope- has done a great blog post on critique and I urge you to read it!

The two questions I always ask myself – Do I agree? Will the change make the book better?

Notice, I didn’t ask, “Do I like it?” It doesn’t matter if I like the feedback or not. It doesn’t matter whether I want to hear that I might need to change something.  If I agree, I suck it up, start evaluating, and make the changes.

Also, notice I said,  “If I agree.”

And I always try to apply the unused, technique-related feedback to my next novel. That way I can grow and improve as a writer.

Besides, I’m still the Author Goddess. And what I say goes.

Evil Plotting

Yay! Another Friday. Don’t forget to check out my post over at the Scribes – I’m late, I’m late…for what exactly? and meet the Naggy Bunny.

Another week has come and gone. And I’m sad to say, not much plotting has happened for Devil’s Advocate.

I spent most of the week helping my fellow writers. I’ve been honored to read their works in progress and provide my feedback. I’ve read some sci-fi, paranormal romance, middle grade adventure and contemporary. I have such talented friends!!

I’ve received feedback on The Undead Space Initiative. So far, no one has told me the story is bad. I’ve gotten mostly high marks, which is always nice. Still, I’m not resting on my laurels. There will be edits. I’m not sure what form they will take yet.

I’ve been mostly reflective this week. Thinking about my new characters. What do they want? How will they achieve their goals?What happens next (my favorite question to answer).  Not all that different from talking to my sons (what do you want to do with your life?).

Just thinking about the word “plotting” brings to mind a different word – scheming. When you think about it, as a writer, you really are contriving an entire story out of thin air – creating a whole new world that didn’t previously exist. Totally cool and frightening at the same time. And once the story is published, then that world is shared with your readers. They bring their own expectations and realities. Your world isn’t only in your head anymore.

It’s a big responsibility, which is why I spend more time on plotting, character creation, etc. than I do writing. I’ve learned the hard way that planning ahead works best for me. In a few weeks NaNo WriMo will begin and I plan to be prepared (like a good Boy Scout mother).

It’s hard to believe Fall is almost here. I’ll leave you with a photograph I took last October at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. If you live in the area and you’ve never been – plan a trip. Right now.

Here comes Autumn

All’s Quiet on the Writer Front

Happy Friday everyone. Please remember to visit the 7 Scribes today – I am the Author Goddess.

Here’s how I’ve been keeping busy while I wait for feedback on The Undead Space Intiative.

  • A few days ago I received some awesome news – I finished first place in another contest. While it’s excellent news to receive, winning contests hasn’t really brought any offers from the editor judges. But that’s okay. As I reported last week, I have actually submitted to more publishers and plan to continue to do so.
  • I have spent most of this week working on the synopsis for The Undead Space Initiative. And I use the term “working” loosely! For some reason, writing an entire novel is easier than a two page synopsis. I’m down to the basic information and now all I need to do is polish it up.
  • Completing the synopsis (and, drat, I need to do a query letter -groan!) frees my mind to work on Devil’s Advocate. I have the main characters but not a fully formed plot. The plot is stewing in the back of my mind this week.
  • And I am taking two classes with a third one starting next week.

None of the aforementioned activities includes my full time job, family (also a full time job) or time spent doing other things like reading, Scribes stuff, Twitter. etc.

And speaking of  the Scribes – we have been very busy booking guest bloggers including: Frankie Roberston, Sandra Orchard, Julia Rachel Barrett, Kinley Baker, Jennifer Fusco, and Kristan Higgins.

I hope to see you all next week. Until then – happy writing!