Today I’m being interviewed at It’s Raining Books
I hope to see you there. Remember at the end of the tour, one lucky commentor will win a $25.00 Amazon gift card and an e-copy of Mystic Ink (either Kindle or Nook version).
Writing
I’m at Bodice Ripper Novels and Magically Seductive Romance Today!
My virtual book tour officially starts today with two stops:
Bodice Ripper Novels
Magically Seductive Romance
I hope to see you there. Remember at the end of the tour, one lucky commentor will win a $25.00 Amazon gift card and an e-copy of Mystic Ink (either Kindle or Nook version).
Virtual Book Tour: The Undead Space Initiative
I’m excited! I start my very first official Virtual Book Tour for The Undead Space Initiative.
For Mystic Ink, I scheduled all the blog stops myself and quickly realized (far too late) that I am really not good at writing a zillion unique blog posts in a short period of time. And it totally killed my writing schedule.
So this time around, I decided to hire Goddess Fish to the do the work for me. They also set up an interview only tour. While I had to answer at least 2 interviews a day for a solid week and half (and it was a bit much), it’s much better than what I did before.
I hope you will stop by and leave a comment. At the end of the tour, I will award one lucky commentor a $25 Amazon gift card and e-book copy of Mystic Ink (either Kindle or Nook version).
September 10: Bodice Ripper Novels
September 10: STOP 2 Magically Seductive Romance
September 11: It’s Raining Books
September 12: Rogues Angels
September 13: The Bunny’s Review and The Book Connoisseur
September 14: Black Velvet Seductions Blog
September 17: Mark of the Stars
September 17: For The Love of Reading
September 18: Realmantic Moments
September 19: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
September 20: Words of Wisdom from The Scarf Princess
September 21: Talisman Book Publishing
I hope to see you there!
Never Give Up, Never Surrender!
I saw an interesting quote on Facebook by John Rodgers – “You can’t think yourself out of a writing block, you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.”
Once again, I find myself at odds over the story for Mystic Storm. I don’t why Zephyr’s book is such a challenge, but there is no way I’m not delivering this book.
First off, I’m not suffering from writer’s block (honestly, I don’t believe in it), but I’m having what I think of as “organizational” issues. The book is plotted out and I’m proceeding according to my plan, however, I seemed to have strayed off the path.
How does that happen?
Easy.
I often let the story wander in other directions as I delve deeper into my characters. As a result, there are portions of the timeline that have been skewed. Rather than stopping completely to fix it, I’ve decided to re-read what I have, take notes, then keep on trucking.
Why?
Because the end is not changing. It’s only how I’m getting there that might differ. If I stop right now and try to fix the book, I know it’ll stress me out and I might never finish Mystic Storm.
Since I know there are people out there who would like to know what I did to Zephyr at the end of Mystic Ink, I can’t leave them hanging. Not to mention, I have Devlin’s book – Mystic Hero – waiting in the wings.
So, if you’re spinning your wheels on a plot, might I suggest skipping over that part and moving on? I’ve found that it’s much easier to keep writing and deal with it later because as John Rodgers suggests – the issue may solve itself, but only if you keep writing!
How does everyone else cope when the story is off kilter or not quite right? And do you agree with John Rodgers?
And if you have a free moment, visit the Scribes. I’m interviewing Gerri Brousseau about her debut novel – A Pirate’s Ransom.
I’m Dreaming in Ink!!
Today, I’m being interviewed at Dreaming in Ink! Please stop by and say hello.
Here’s some ink to stare at. Not mine, but my Hubby Scar’s cool dragon tattoo.
Stormy Weather
Finally. It’s Friday! It’s always tough to get back into the groove after a week of vacation.
It’s funny how 5 minutes on my work laptop can dissolve every ounce of tranquility.
Anyway, I wasn’t totally idyll last week. After completing the first draft of Misfortune Cookie and sending it off to my first readers, I moved onto Mystic Storm (Zephyr’s book) and Redemption (Galen’s book).
So far, Zephyr continues to resist me. Galen, on the other hand is being more cooperative. The only problem, Redemption is the next book after Ascension, which I still have out on submission. Normally, I wouldn’t spend time on Galen’s book, but he’s been itching for completion since I started in it in January 2010. Plus, he’s so much fun to write. I’ll miss him when the book is done (maybe that’s why I’m still working on it).
I have a theory that Mystic Storm is harder because it’s the next book in a published series. I admit there’s a small shadow of concern in the back of my mind. I don’t want to disappoint people who enjoyed the first book. I know I need to forget all that, but sometimes it’s hard.
I am happy to report I’m over the 30,000 word mark and that seems to be the “sweet spot” for me in my writing. I believe it takes me about 30,000 words to get into the groove of the story. At last, Kalli and Zephyr have come into their own and the story I’ve plotted seems to be flowing more smoothly. Yay!
Does that happen for anyone else? Is there a magic amount of words you need to get on the page before you know your characters?
If you have time, please stop by and visit me at the Scribes where I’m talking – Hootsuite!
Until we meet again next week, I’ll leave you with an image from my photo collection from Stonington, CT – Zephyr’s home.
I’m so Pretty – Beautiful Blogger Award
Yay! It’s Friday. Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes for – I am Not A-MUSEd!
Sabrina Garie has awarded me The Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you Sabrina!
As most of you may have guessed, there are rules.
Rule #1 – I must share 7 things. Today, I’m going to be different and share fun facts and a secret or two about my characters. Let’s face it, you all must be sick of hearing about me!
Rule #2 – Pass this award to 7 bloggers. More on that later.
From Mystic Ink:
1. Devlin Ward has a potted plant. It’s name is Medusa on account of its snake-like fronds. He would never, ever admit that to anyone
since the real Medusa would not be pleased. And we all know what happens to men who make her angry. Let’s just say it’s not the kind of rock hard Devlin would enjoy.
2. Nix is the most independent of the fifty daughter’s of Nereus. She is adamant about earning her own money and making her own way in the world. Her Uncle Memphis fostered her independence by taking her on as an apprentice in his tattoo shop.
From The Undead Space Initiative:
3. Cherry Cordial doesn’t like enclosed spaces. Once, when one her fellow vampires jokingly trapped her in a dark closet, she dumped dead fish in their beds for a week.
4. Jonathan, Cherry’s maker, first noticed her because of her beautiful singing voice. It was her rebellious spirit that made him turn her into a vampire. Later, whenever he’d complain about her sassy attitude, Cherry would remind him, “Tough cookies. This is what you signed up for. Don’t blame me that I have big mouth and know how to use it.” Cherry would like to remind you to get your minds out of the gutter. She’s a stripper, not a whore. Just saying.
From Ascension:
5. Kyra was recruited into the FBI by her boss, Terence Lange after she beat him and hundreds of other veteran sharpshooters at a
regional competition. Lange is inherently distrustful of magic, but does trust Kyra. Both of their understanding of supernatural phenomena are about to be shaken up.
6. Valerian is a stickler for rules and order. Clutter drives him crazy and he can’t stand salt and vinegar chips. Galen uses this information to annoy Valerian every chance he gets. While the two are friends, Valerian is also Galen’s superior, and Galen’s cheekiness often gets him into trouble. Not that Galen would have it any other way!
And from my WIP:
7. This isn’t a character fact per se, but my latest WIP has something to do with fortune cookies and evil spirits. Don’t worry Mystic Ink fans, I am still working on Mystic Storm (Zephyr’s book), but I opted to complete this book first since it was flowing faster.
Seven Beautiful Blogs:
1. Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes – Stop by and say hello. We’re friendly, fun and love to dish about all kinds of topics.
2. Meggan Connors – She makes me laugh with her honesty and self-depreciating humor. I love Edinor and her travels. You have visit her blog to find out who or what Edinor is!
3. Janna Shay – Kind and generous, Janna always makes me smile. She’s also an incredibly supportive and I do appreciate it!
5. Marian Lanouette – A great blogger who shares great advice. Plus, she is one sexy lady. Have you seen her Facebook photo? Her debut novel – If I Fail – comes out in September.
6. Leia Shaw – Whether she’s blogging at her own site (The Paranormal G-spot) or at Nights of Passion, she always has something interesting to say.
7. Julia Rachel Barrett – C’mon, did you think I wouldn’t pick the lovely Julia? Julia blogs every day and it’s always worth reading.
To the recipients of the Beautiful Blogger Award – go forth and share the beauty!
And feel free to share your favorite blog (s) with me!
Onward Ho!
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!
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?
Casey Wyatt 