Books I've read...

I will be updating this area (and the blogs area too) when I have a moment. I've got a lot on at work catching up after knackering my back, and I haven't been reading much new material lately (buying - yes; reading - no!).

Instead I've been re-reading some of my comfort reads. You know the ones - you don't have to concentrate too hard and they leave you feeling as if you've had a great big hug, you're wrapped in a warm blanket and you've just drunk a huge mug of hot chocolate (that didn't make you feel sick) all at once. Which would probably be really messy if you did it all at once in real-life but as this is just a metaphor* it's ok. No spilt hot chocolate or first degree burns.

*Who knew that there were so many elements to the metaphor - we won't go into when I last did grammar but I'm sure we didn't cover all of these then.

Flash in the pan?

I've lately been sucked into the joy-of-flash. Flash fiction that is.

I've entered two pieces in the Binnacle ultra-short competition, submitted one short piece to a magazine and now I'm working on 3 short pieces (well, really one short at 150 words and 2 ultra-short at 50 words apiece) for another writing competition that closes on Friday.

Considering the fact that I have problems finishing longer (i.e. novel-length) pieces, is the allure of flash the fact that it is so short and therefore it's rather difficult not to be able to finish a piece? Although shorter, it is certainly no easier to write as you are condensing as much of the essence of the story as you can into that brief collection of words and I find I have to remind myself that just because I, the writer, knows something - it doesn't always come out in the writing itself.

For example:

your character sends a radio signal to the sun, which takes c. 8.19 minutes to get there. (You just know I looked that one up don't you?) In your flash piece you may refer to that without taking the time (or using the word count) to explain that when your character says "Eight minutes there and back again, but how long between?" he's referring to the there and back again time of the signal and that he's wondering how long it will take the machinery at the other end of the signal to act on the instructions.

I know that's what I mean, because it was running in the back of my mind at the time I wrote the piece - but I've found that with flash pieces (especially those that come in under 200 words) that if it needs explaining (and my writer friends felt it did!) then you should leave it out/ change it - because in short pieces you don't have the 'room' to explain and a WTF?! moment half-way through a 150 word piece is not necessarily a good thing! (I've also found that, short pieces or not, it's extremely useful to have people you trust to ping ideas off as they can point out those WTF?! moments so you can check whether you want to leave them in or not).

I am enjoying writing flash and the feeling of achievement that finishing and submitting them creates can't be denied.

Even if they don't get selected for anything, even if they don't make a shortlist or warrant a 'thanks for your time' - the act of completing and submitting has done wonders for my self-confidence.

I can do this. Next time it'll be for something a bit longer, and the time after that for something longer still.

Mood: Productively happy

Listening to: Kelly Clarkson - "Behind these hazel eyes"

Binnacle Ultra-Short Competition

I've entered two pieces into this competition: Last Light and Homecoming.

It was quite a challenge, because each piece had to be no more than 150 words in length, and trying to get everything relevant condensed into such a small amount of words took some refining. But I'm fairly happy, and I submitted something!!! OMG. Closing date is the 15th of February and then announcements in May so I'm not going to stress about it; just carry on with the Bears.

Mood: Upbeat

Listening to: X-Men III: The Last Stand

What kind of fae am I?

What type of Fae are you?

Business Plan

I'm unpublished - but even the unpublished should have a business plan which, like a set of goals/new years resolutions, lists what you plan to do in a given year but also (following PBW's guidelines) you break it down into monthly/weekly/daily goals as well as estimating your annual budget. Which does make it appear more manageable as you don't just have - write novel!!! There's an actual (reasonable) plan to guide you through. (It's about time I had a reasonable plan to work from!)

Starting as I mean to go on (even though it is already halfway through January) I wrote mine out today and also managed to (slightly) exceed my daily wordcount. If I can keep that up, then I can meet my goals with about 2 months to spare for editing, query writing etc. (All things being equal - nothing going pear-shaped and all that)

Mood: Quietly confident

Listening to: Sandy Thom's "I wish I was a punk rocker"

I'm baaaack!

Well. After a rather nasty fall down the stairs in October which culminated in an injury to my coccyx and a pained inability to sit down for long (especially on office/computer chairs) I am now back at work and better able to sit down. If I'd had wireless broadband and a laptop I could have posted from the sole armchair that didn't cause me absolute agony, but, I didn't/don't so - long absence and here I am.

New Year's resolutions to follow when I've got a moment.

Tardis image

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month is nearly upon us again.

For those of you not in the know, participants aim to write 50,000 words or more of new material (i.e. starting a new book) between the first and last days of November. Boards/forums and sign-up takes place in October and there's a fair amount of chatting going on already!

I'm giving it another go this year (always a bridesmaid etc. but maybe this year I'll get the garter instead of looking after the mad relative in the corner!)

Click here to register and join in the madness! (err... I mean fun of course heh heh heh)

Interview with Cindy Hwang from Berkley

Go to the Running with Quills website to read an interview Jayne Ann Krentz did with Cindy Hwang, Executive Editor at Berkley Publishing Group. In this interview she talks about the rise of the paranormal, why it's hot and what some of the sub-genres of the paranormal genre are. Cindy also lists a few of her authors.

So, have a look. See what you think & add your 2p!


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On the me front - I've mostly been doing tours and presentations for new students coming into the University (when they turn up, that is) and consequently I feel absolutely knackered and can't quite believe that I've got another three-and-a-half days before I can have a lie-in -- which I probably won't get anyway because I have to get up to let the dogs out and if you're awake enough to get up and let them out, you may as well get dressed and take them for a walk as well. Right? Well. That's what they think anyway.

Mood 1: Knackered!

Mood 2: Knackered!

Listening to right now: Moulin Rouge Soundtrack - Disc One

Reading : Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn (and I will update my "I have read" list - it's on the to-do list I have, but it's not near the top)

Eureka!

Well - I've been having a few problems with one of my main characters in WIP1 (no working title as yet) because her motivation for being where I want her to be seemed a little spongy to say the least. However, on my way home the other night I had a blinding epiphany (aka a stray meme) and realised I'm giving her too much backstory at the start of the book - blah blah blah (reader falls into a boredom induced coma) and that I needed to start it straight in and cut her off from everything. On her own, bit of a lost fish - really needs to find who she is, not who she's dutifully been for the past 15 years.

I actually feel as if forward motion is once again possible (as opposed to hamster on a wheel motion).

So. Progress. New outline but from a better starting point and it's better for her character.


Mood: Excited

Weather: Raining

Music: Necromantic Overtures by Bill Efting

Oh, yeah - I also need to update the books read bit in the sidebar. I think I'll redo it so that the books I read, and the books I re-read are in separate sections. We shall see. I'm away at the weekend, so it'll be next week sometime before I'm likely to get to it.

Romance Diva's Erotica Industry Q&A 19th-21st Sept

NB: If you're not already registered with Romance Divas you'll need to do that before the event, because you'll need to request access to the Steamy Workshop after registration - it's not automatic.

So come along and join in the fun and get some of those burning industry questions answered!


Ready to learn from the Pro's?

Please join us at Romance Divas from September 19th - 21st as we host some of Erotic Romance's hottest names!

This free question and answer session will be held in the Divas Steamy Workshop section of our forums. Because of the adult themes and language, this workshop will be limited to our members who are 18 and older. Click here to visit out our Steamy Workshop and make sure you have access before the event begins!

Our confirmed guests include :

Erotic Romance Authors: Eden Bradley, Joey Hill, Shelley Bradley, and Sunny

Agents: Jessica Faust and Laura Bradford

Editors : Treva Harte of Loose ID and Raelene Gorlinsky of Ellora's Cave.

Contact Karen if you have any questions prior to the event.

Writers, readers, fans, and anyone curious about one of the fastest growing segments of romance are welcome. Be sure to join us to ask these industry professionals your most burning questions, and learn from their suggestions and advice!

permission to forward granted



Mood: Excited!

Long weekend coming up!

Actually, it's a very long weekend. We've got the Bank Holiday on Monday, and I've got Tuesday and Wednesday off so in all that's five days I'm not at work! Yay!

I do have some house-related stuff to take care of (more book-shelves!), but that won't take up the full five days so I'll have time to get some writing done in nice stretches rather than brief bursts here and there.

And of course, one mustn't forget one's dog-walking duty. Collies have rights and expectations you know!

So, short and sweet, but hey that's me all over!

Mood 1: Excited!!

Mood 2: Productive!!

Merry

Knight Agency Group Chat today!

Kristin Daly from HarperCollins will be chatting with the Knight Agency today (12:00-13:00hrs EST - which works out to 18:00hrs in the UK (if I got my time conversion right - British Summer Time gaaah!))

You need to be a member of the Knight Agency Yahoo Group to take part.

Friday, August 25th from Noon to 1 pm EST, We at TKA are thrilled to be chatting with Kristin Daly. (I know you're dying for more so here's a bit about Ms. Daly...)

Kristin first became interested in children's books as a career in high school, when she worked in her local public library shelving—and often covertly reading!—books in the children's room. In May 1999 she was hired as an Editorial Assistant at Golden Books, where she worked on picture books, series fiction, and the Road to Reading line. In January 2002, she began working at HarperCollins, where she has been for the past four and a half years and counting.

Kristin has been privileged to work with authors and illustrators such as Valeri Gorbachev, Charles Santore, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Jack Prelutsky, Suzy Becker, and Barbara McClintock. Currently, she is especially excited to be working with best-selling author Gary Blackwood on his first I Can Read Book, The Just-So Woman, and talented newcomer—and SCBWI member—Sudipta Bardhan on her first Harper picture books, Snoring Beauty and Hampire! Kristin edits a range of children's titles, from picture books and easy-to-reads through middle-grade, and is currently on the hunt for her first YA novel.

So go along and say hi and get some of your questions answered.

Merry

Mood: Grumpy
(I have a cold - just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend!)

100 Blogs (or more)

A number of gals on Romance Divas, and bloggers elsewhere, are taking part in this viral blogging experiment, so I thought I'd add my (quiet) voice to the fray - you never know, someone may stop by! So if you're reading this and want to enter into the experiment, click on the links to get the code and post it on your blog!

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

$200 Amazon gift certificate
Signed copy of Slave to Sensation
New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh
ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game

You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION Nalini Singh Berkley / September 2006

Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.

Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt

Mood: Excited!

The power of persistence

Sherry Thomas has an interesting post on her blog today about the percieved Great Divide between published and unpublished authors - and how, once she got The Call she discovered that the Divide was a construct and that proud moment of being published shouldn't just encompass the moment when you get that contract in your hands, but should also acknowledge your persistence and perserverence in getting there.

The true watershed events in my quest for publication happened not on the day I got bought, but on the day I first sat down to write the story in my head, on every day that I filed away rejections and did not quit, and on the day when I finally realized that rejections are meant to be learned from, not just filed away.

The full post can be accessed here

Mood: Not bad, not bad at all.

Busy, busy, busy at Romance Divas this month

Romance Divas
Author of the Month : Gemma Halliday – Contests workshop from the Golden Heart winner
Aug 5-7: Paranormal Event with Carrie Vaughn, LA Banks, CT Adams/Cathy Clamp, Gena Showalter, and Kelley Armstrong.
Aug 11 Jessica Faust: Bookends-inc agent in the Chatroom. 9 Eastern
August 8-18 :: Getting To Know The Voices in Your Head Workshop with Jo Ann Ferguson/Jocelyn Kelley
Aug 18 :: Theresa Meyers: PR/Promo in the Chatroom.
August 25 :: Ann Christopher, Patricia Sargeant, Maureen Smith and Sophia Shaw Multi-cultural Authors Chat

So make sure you come along and sign up for some of the chats and workshops!

Unfortunately, I'm going to miss most of the paranormal event as I'm away this weekend (shopping! book shopping! mwaahahahahaaaa!) and won't have access to t'internet; but I'll be able to stop by on Monday (and possibly Sunday night as well)

Mood 1: Excited!
Mood 2: Tired!

Interesting...verrrrry interesting.

Your World View

You are a fairly broadminded romantic and reasonably content. You value kindness and try to live by your ideals. You have strong need for security, which may be either emotional or material. You respect truth and are flexible. You like people, and they can readily make friends with you. You are not very adventurous, but this does not bother you.

What Is Your World View?

Left behind - those not going to the RWA Nationals

PBW is doing a series of Virtual Workshops on the craft of writing for those who aren't going to the RWA conference (either because they don't want to/ can't afford it/ live in a completely different country so really can't afford it etc.)

Check them out and see what you think: yesterdays was about planning a series, todays is on tracking trends in the industry.

Alison Kent is doing giveaways each day on her site (one for readers and one for writers)

Lucy Monroe is also hosting a blog party and giving away prizes (you have to post a comment to have a chance of winning something)

Enjoy!

Been a while...

Well, it's nearly August and the outline isn't done yet. But, I've made myself a promise that if I get the outline done in short order then I can have a (brief) break to work on something else I just had an idea for.

One of the problems is that my main character has changed. It was going to be the female MC, but now it looks as though it'll be the male MC. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it just threw me because it's not what I originally planned. Sod's law also says that when it actually comes to writing/revising it that that may change again. I don't even know if it's a straight paranormal or a paranormal romance. I want it to be a PR, but we shall have to see whether that's a direction it can go in, or whether I'll need to drop some character attributes to make it work.

Mood 1: Hot, damn hot.

Mood 2: Tired.

It's hot...damn hot!

And unless we get the thunderstorms we've been promised, it's going to get hotter! (Actually, it's not so much the heat, as the humidity that's wearing me down - especially at night when the temp and the humidity seems to rise and you just doze instead of having a good regenerative sleep.)

Had a couple of ideas for storylines - not sure yet if they're novel/novella or short story items - and I've put them on the backburner for the moment as I need to get the outline for the current novel done/ 50% done by the end of this week. I've got a 1 year old's birthday party to go to after work today, but then I should have 2-3 hours to work on it this evening. Unfortunately, there may be little opportunity to work on stuff at work for a while as I've got a lot to do to get ready for the new term (I know it's in September but when you've got to get someone else to print what you've written for handouts etc. you need to get it done ASAP to avoid the start of term FUBAR effect - gaaah - been there, got the migraine)

Which means, it's going to be evenings and weekends (and lunchbreaks if I can get out of the office)

Have a good one, and try to stay cool.

Mood 1: Busy

Mood 2: Hot