Hey everyone. Hop over to the Scribes today. Saturday’s Scribe, J Monkey’s is particpating in the Blog Tour De Force.
Everybody who comments on the blog today gets a free digital copy of her first novel, The Cordovan Vault. And for every copy she gives away to a commenter, a copy goes to a soldier, too.
This is a great cause. Please stop by and show your gratitude for our hard working men and women in the armed forces.
Thanks for you support!
Happy Friday everyone! Please remember to join me at the Scribes today. Today’s topic – Let’s Hear it for the Doubt Monster. Yup, you read that right. I might just have something nice to say about the pest this time.
It’s taken all week, but I’ve finally gotten back into the groove.
Now that I’m convinced the power is staying on, I’ve been able to work on my NaNo novel (I hate it, the book is crap, but I’ll get over it). I’ve also been critiquing several of my fellow writers books (keep those pages coming, ladies). And I’m finally making edits to The Undead Space Initative.
One fringe benefit to no power last week, I actually read an entire book – Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth (highly recommend it – who could not love the President’s Vampire?). After I devoured that book, I read Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins (another home run – a great read – fantastic job Kristan!).
Overall, it’s been a fairly productive week. My only regret – I haven’t worked on plotting the sequel to Mystic Ink. So much to do, so little time…
So tell me, how was your week? Share please! I’d love to hear how you’re all doing.
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.
Much to my delight, she also provides a suprisingly different insight on my nemesis, The Doubt Monster.
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.
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?
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?
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.
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.
Hey everyone. Please be sure to visit me over at the Scribes for my post on Chocolate Cupcakes of Doom (and our new recipe page) . And Saturday, be sure to read part two of Lynn Kurland’s interview.
So you may have noticed, I’m not my usual cheerful self.
Another beloved pet has left our family. It’s been hard to lose three pets in less than a year. Granted, they were all in their elder years. My cat Ollie was almost 19 (see here)! And there was Sparky (almost 14 years) back in October 2010 (more on him later).
This time we lost Oreo. Our beautiful dalmatian. Our girlie! The love muffin.
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.
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.
Casey Wyatt 