Paranormal Romance

Onward Ho!

| Casey Wyatt

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??

Vampires in Space!

| Casey Wyatt

Hello my friends! I’m doing triple blogging duty today.

At the Scribes I talk about bad boys – Take a Walk on the Dark Side. If you’re an Avengers fan (or a Loki fan), this post is for you!

And over at the Soul Mate Blog – Let’s Hear it for the Doubt Monster.

If you have time, stop by and say hello!

Today’s post is short and sweet as I’m currently working on two books.

Or I’m trying to anyway. The idea is that I’m always working on one book or the other. At the moment, it’s working and I don’t want to mess with a good thing. And, much to my delight, I’ve even worked on Galen’s book too (but I don’t want to jinx it so I won’t say much more!).

Time is limited and I’d love to finish at least one draft by July, because . . . drum roll, please –

The Undead Space Initiative is coming out in July from Pink Petal Books.  Finally, the crazy book I crafted in July 2011, about vampires in space, will be available.

Here’s the story in a nutshell:

Cherry Cordial, vampire stripper extraordinaire, spectacularly messes up her life with a single act of kindness. How could she have known when she rescued gorgeous rogue Ian McDevitt that she would be implicated in the vampire queen’s murder? Soon, she faces the wrath of the entire vampire community. To escape retribution, she joins a settlement program to colonize Mars. Her choices are grim: hurtle through space to the red planet to face the unknown and possible death, or stay on Earth and face> certain annihilation. To make things even more complicated, a certain gorgeous rogue seems to be shadowing her every move…

I don’t have the cover art yet, but when I do, you’ll all be the first ones to see it.

And, in case you missed last week, I’m participating in Night Owl’s Summer Fun Web Hunt. I’m giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner. Check out the rules by clicking the image below:

Now, y’all have to pardon me because I need to get back to writing so I’ll have something new on my bookshelf for 2013 and beyond.

 What about everyone else? What are you all working on?

Kitties for a Cause!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! Today, I have a guest – J.D. Revezzo, here to share her latest project – Dark Things II: Cat Crimes. All proceeds for this book will go to various cat charities.

Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes – where J.D. answers our interview questions.

____________________________________________________

Like any little girl, I was enamored of cats. I had several growing up, though all my furbabies are over the rainbow now. What I learned in those years, I could call into …

Top Four Traits of Cats….and some debunking:

1. Cats always land on their feet.

True. I’ve seen some jump from impossible heights, twist in the air and indeed, land on their feet.

2. Cats are graceful

Fact, I used to have cat that was so graceless, we called him a buffalo in a cat’s body. Case in point, cats are supposed to be lithe on their feet, right, able to leap tall counters in a single bound—and yawn at you while doing it? Not so our Baby Buffalo. He would leap up onto a counter, and knock every dish, container, and spoon to the floor as he slid along the surface. (He’d also jump up onto full dinner trays and knock them over. )

3. Cats are cautious of strangers.

Again, not so. See, I have allergies to cats. I kid you not, it seems whenever I am in a room with a cat—any cat—the animal will seek me out, and do its darndest to rub itself in my face. *searches for Claritin*

4. Cats are stealthy. I had one that not only snuck its way into my house on a winter’s night without anyone seeing her, but she ended up in my bed with me.

These are just the ones I observed. Some of these tied into my story, “What Sekhmet Keeps” which you’ll find in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes. It is an anthology of dark and mischievous cat tales,

Dark Things II: Cat Crimes

A collection of tales featuring feline mayhem, murder and dastardly deeds. Vampire cats. Scoundrel cats. Daring cats. Killer cats. Cats you don’t want in your worst nightmares and cats you might want on your side against evil. Authors include Mary V. Welk, Patty G. Henderson, Patricia Harrington, Jim Silvestri, Ken Goldman, Shanna Germain, Anna Sykora and dozens more. Intro by Robert W. Walker. All proceeds from sales go to several cat sanctuaries across the USA. Enjoy over twenty-one “cat tales” and support a cat charity!

And for my story:

“What Sekhmet Keeps”

by J.D. Revezzo

Betrayed by a false lover, cat shifter priestess Onfalia Mau lost her lioness soul and freedom to her lover’s treachery and Sekhmet’s wrath. Now, after three thousand years, Donquar has returned with one thing in mind: to steal the goddess’s scepter. Onfalia knows that to do so means to unleash Sekhmet’s unholy, bloody Slaughter on the world and she’ll stop at nothing to foil Donquar’s plans.

I hope you’ll check it out, and enjoy these fabulous stories!

All proceeds from the sale of our anthology will go to Cat House on The Kings, a no-kill cat sanctuary in California.

Their URL

http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/

Buy links for the anthology:

In Kindle and paperback at Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/DARK-THINGS-II-Crimes-ebook/dp/B006O15YBE/ref=tmm_kin_title_0/185-0297248-1137456?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

And in Epub at Lulu.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/compiled-by-patty-g-henderson/dark-things-ii-cat-crimes/ebook/product-18787458.html

About J.D. Revezzo:

J.D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly.

You can learn more about her works at:

Her site:

http://harshadpassion.wordpress.com/

or if you wish, follow her on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Revezzo/233193150037011

Or on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/juliannewrites/

Thanks for being my guest today, J.D.

Got your own cat myth to debunk? Or if you’ve got questions or comments for J.D. – fire away!

Castles and Guns -Two Great Things that Go Together!

| Casey Wyatt

I’m over at Castles and Guns today! Stop by and hear my thoughts about luck versus hard work.

Go forth and visit me over at Castles & Guns!

How Sweet it is!

| Casey Wyatt

I’m so excited – Guilty Indulgence Romance Review site awarded Mystic Ink their coveted Ultimate Indulgence Book award. Stop by and read the review!

Yay!  5 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Stop By and Say Hello, My Friends!

| Casey Wyatt

I’m over at the Soul Mate Blog today – part of our April Blog-athon. Please stop by and say hello! Otherwise, I will be lonely!

See - Pigs can Fly!

There’s a Gremlin in my Book!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone! Be sure to check out my post over at the Scribes – Stagnant Brain Syndrome.

This week, I’ve been furiously re-reading my manuscript – The Undead Space Initiative so I can hand it in for final line edits.

And man, let me tell you, I swear there is a little gremlin sitting in my computer deleting words (that no one seems to notice are missing). The gremlin also likes to play with formatting and add extra spaces or delete space that should be there.

I know that all manuscripts have typos and missing words. It comes with the territory. Very frustrating, especially when you have a perfectionist personality like I do.

One way to combat the gremlin (besides the obvious thing – using spell checker liberally and often) is time away from the book. I haven’t read USI since last year. I’ve had time to forget what I wrote and see it with fresh eyes.

The other helpful tip: read in short, focused bursts. That way you won’t get sucked into the story and forget to check for those pesky errors. Any time I caught myself actually “reading”, I stopped and did something else.

Another suggestion: scatter the order of the pages. But, I converted the document to the publisher’s format and removed the page numbers. I had printed the entire book when I realized what I had done. Oops. Maybe next time!

Of course, time away has a downside – the urge to change everything. I nipped that in the bud when I realized I was letting The Doubt Monster mess with my head again. My editor at Pink Petal Books enjoyed the story and asked for minimal changes, so Doubty can go torment someone else.

You’ll have to forgive me today, if I answer comments later than normal. I’m having fun with my family and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

Tell me about your gremlins. Perhaps you have one that eats the socks in your dryer or likes to steal your favorite pen off the table. Or maybe something more interesting?

A Chance to Win Mystic Ink!

| Casey Wyatt

I’m part of a giveaway at Book & Trailer Showcase.  I’m giving away an e-book copy of  Mystic Ink to one lucky person. Head over to their site by clicking here and follow the directions on the site. Good luck!

So I was Like….

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday everyone. Don’t forget to stop by the Scribes. My guest today is Sharon Buchbinder! Don’t miss a chance to say hello.

So here’s how my week has been. I’ve had this stuffy nose (either a cold or sudden allergy onslaught after the freak warm weather here in New England).

Needless to say, I’ve been dragging my sorry carcass around with a box of tissues and a grumpy attitude.

And when I attempted to write, my characters decided to give me crap.  Kind of like this:

Me: “Zephyr, I’m so sick of you.”

Zephyr: “Who me? I haven’t done anything wrong.” He spots a bag on the dining room table and reaches for it. “Is that a new book?”

Me: I ignore the question.  “Why are you making my life so difficult?”

Z: “Don’t look at me. It’s all in your head.” <plastic crinkles>

Me: “Sure be a typical man. Deny that you have any part in all of this. Why did you have to go and piss off the Fates? You’re making my life hell.”

Z: “If I hadn’t you wouldn’t have a story to tell, now would you?”

Me: “I don’t appreciate the cheek. If I wanted that, I’d go find Devlin.”

Devlin: “Did someone mention moi?”

Me: “No Devlin. I’m too stressed out to deal with you today.”

D: “Well pardon me.”  He turns to Zephyr. “Has she been like this all week?”

Z: “You have no idea.” He pulls out  J.R. Ward’s Lover Reborn and brandishes it in my face.

D: “Hey, she’s reading about those vampires again. What? We aren’t sexy enough for you?” He flexes his muscles. “And you have the nerve to complain that your word count is bad.” <wags finger> “For shame!”

I sit in the corner, chanting, “I’m the Author Goddess. I’m the Author Goddess…”

Zephyr, examines his nails. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. Devlin, up for a round of drinks?”

Devlin says, “You bet your windy ass I am. Oh, mighty Author Goddess, have fun with the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  Too bad they aren’t going to write your book for you.”

They leave me muttering to myself like an idiot. I’m so pathetic even The Doubt Monster feels bad for me this week.

And on that note, I leave you with this great comic. Thank you Toni Andrews. You don’t know how badly I needed the laugh!