A New Review

June 11, 2009 by

This is going to be a really short, quick entry today. I’m writing this the night before since I won’t have time in the morning and I’m drop-dead exhausted.

First – I’m up to 5000 words on the new WIP. The first 18 pages are jam-packed with action and I love, love, love the characters and the story so far. A few times I even giggled at myself. It’s always nice to have fun writing, isn’t it?

Second – I have a new review for TAKE ME I’M YOURS. Finally! I got 4 stars from CataRomance.

“This is a romance that is passionate and lusty while being sweet and sassy.  The characters can be a contradiction of terms but they never deviate from their goals and desires.  This is a love story that one will happily fall for.”

If you’d like to read the whole thing, check it out here!

And Third – I just ordered the COOLEST book from BN.Com with my birthday gift card. I can’t wait to get it! I think it’s really going to add some zip to my writing. Especially the current WIP. It’s called Ka-Boom! A Dictionary of Comic Book Words, Symbols & Onomatopoeia by Kevin Taylor. Yeah, say that five times fast! You can get the book and more info here.

Yeah, I’m boring today. Sorry about that.

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , , , ,

Draining

May 22, 2009 by

First! An announcement. The new trailer for Take Me I’m Yours is ready and available for viewing! The embedded trailer will follow at the end of this post. :)

What a draining week. I’ve been so busy trying to get caught up that it’s already Friday and I’m looking at the aftermath in my house. I need to get by the bank today and the store for envelopes. I still have those thank you cards to get in the mail. But I have Birthday #3 out of the way this month (and I’m going to ignore my upcoming birthday…) so I think I can finally get back on track with the more important things.

Next week is the last week of school. The kid is having End-Of-Year-Itis that’s for sure. Yesterday the school nurse called me because he had been in the clinic for about 15 mins (I hadn’t even finished my first cup of coffee for crying out loud) complaining of a stomach ache. I had to leave work to go pick him up. He had an upset stomach and some bad allergies so I got him some meds and took him to his grandparents for the day. He immediately curled up on Grandma’s lap. By the time I got there to pick him up he was all better. Uh huh.

I’m sure he really didn’t feel good - we had a little “accident” if you will in the morning which was NOT FUN. Kids really are gross sometimes. When they’re small, it’s forgiveable. But when they know better, it’s not.

And lately bedtime has been a big chore. He doesn’t want to get to sleep when he’s supposed to. He’s up and down a lot. This is a new bad habit and it drives me up the wall.

But anyway… got some news yesterday too that wasn’t surprising but still kind of sad. It’s going to be an interesting next few weeks.

I didn’t feel like cooking last night either. I had some paperwork to catch up on for the chapter, checks to write, laundry to do, litter box to clean (I got some new litter that’s “all natrual” so we’ll see how that works out). I was a bad Mom and cooked a frozen pizza. Then we had cookies. I sat outside for a bit to enjor the nice weather and chatted on the phone to Man (he’s working late) and then put the kid int he tub and in the bed.

By the I was exhausted. All the events of the last week or so have finally caught up to me so I called it a night and turned in. Sometimes you have to do that every now and then.

I did get some other writing-related stuff done which was good. Still tweaking the manuscript, synopsis and letter. I’m getting closer to taking that plunge…

This weekend we’re going to the movies, just me and the kid. I’m really looking forward to it. Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and I’ll catch ya here later. I might get the bug and blog this weekend. ;)

Happy Friday! Oh and enjoy the trailer. :)

 

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , , ,

Deep Edits

May 6, 2009 by

Congrats to Debbie L! Winner of TAKE ME I’M YOURS!

If you didn’t win, don’t despair. You still have another chance to win a copy. Just check out the Reader Stimulus Plan. ;)

I’m blogging today at the Samhain blog at 9:00 am if you’re so inclined.

This month, I’m taking Margie Lawson’s Deep Edits workshop. I have to admit, I’ve already learned a lot in only the first two lectures. And we still have a few more weeks to go!

One of the things Margie talks about is how to “backload” your sentences and paragraphs. I actually applied what I learned from that to writing my query. Since I’m getting ready to send out queries, I figured it would be a good time for that.

I agonized over every single word. I made sure that every sentence ended with a punch. I’m still not sure about the turn out, especially since I haven’t sent it out to my trusty readers. But after reading the query over and over and out loud, I think it actually sounds a lot better. I hope it’s enough to get me a request.

Of course, that’s hopeful thinking, isn’t it? LOL

And unfortunately I’m going to have to cut this off short today. My hand is killing me (still have that injury) and I’m having a hard time typing without typos. Yeah, it hurts. I suspect it has something to do with the crummy weather (more rain today – blah!) plus the fact that it hasn’t quite healed up yet. Durn thing.

At least it’s Hump Day.

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , , ,

The Reader Stimulus Plan

May 5, 2009 by

Hey, even we authors aren’t above giving our readers a Stimulus. ;)

Fellow Samhain author, Misty Evans, and I have launched into a new endeavor and we need your help. Yes, you. Help us name our characters and our story! Now you’re probably scratching your head and saying to yourself, “How can I help two fun ladies name their characters and story?” I’ll tell you how. Get thee to our survey by clicking HERE:

http://tinyurl.com/c8gesy

and voting for your favorite name for our Hero, Heroine and Story Title. What’s in it for you? Oh, boy, do we have a treat for you! We’ll enter you into a drawing to win a copy of Misty’s I’d Rather Be In Paris or a copy of Take Me I’m Yours by yours truly. That’s two readers, twice the fun. Voting deadline is Midnight CST, May 31, 2009. So, you know, you have a while.

But wait! There’s more!

Once we have names and a title, we’ll begin writing the story and putting it into our newsletters for your reading pleasure. How about that? A free story PLUS you get the added enjoyment of knowing you helped us out. And you could win a free book in the process. Isn’t that fun? ;) The only catch is, you have to be a subscriber to BOTH our newsletters to get the entire story. Sneaky, aren’t we? To sign up, send an email to Misty by clicking here or to me by clicking here with the subject NEWSLETTER SIGNUP.

Hope you’ll come play with us and get in on the fun. Because trust me when I say it’s going to be one heckuva story.

Come on… you KNOW you want to!

Here’s a little blurb about the story:

About our story:

Super Agent meets Super Hero. He can save the world, but can she save him?

Heroine is on a mission to stop her own government from building an army of clones. The only problem is this FBI agent’s on probation. No badge, no gun, no partner. Taking matters into her own hands, she goes undercover as a runway model during New York’s Fashion Week, and finds she can’t keep her eyes off the shoes or the sexy Armani-suit-wearing man who’s in a bit of trouble himself. She trips, breaks a heel, and falls face first…into his lap. Not only does she stumble onto one of the sexiest and most eligible bachelors in New York, she also stumbles onto one of the biggest undercover jobs of her career.

Hero is the typical New York bachelor on the surface, but he has a secret only one other person knows about. He and his buddy, a microbiologist, have discovered a cure for cancer-and it all lies in Hero’s genetic code. The mutation gives him the ability to regenerate quickly, giving him immortality. His secret, however, doesn’t remain a secret for long when his buddy is murdered in cold blood and the killers are now after him, intent on stealing the research-and his DNA-to build their own dark immortal army.

And the only one who can help him comes in a five-foot-ten package labeled Sex Goddess: Keep Out.

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , , , , ,

Great Release Fest!

May 4, 2009 by

I’m happy to announce Take Me I’m Yours has been released from Cobblestone-Press! WOOHOO!

Here’s the 4-1-1 on the book:

the third novella in the Coffee House Chronicles

Available now from Cobblestone Press!
Cover Art by Tuesday Dube
ISBN: 978-1-60088-414-6
Length: Novel
Price: $5.99
Genre: Contemporary
Content: Erotic Romance
This title contains explicit language and graphic sex.

 Even painters need inspiration from time to time… 

Marion is mending a broken heart. When her fiancé leaves her at the altar, she picks up the pieces and tries to get on with her life. She finds solace in her work at the gym and art lessons.

Graeme has never fallen in love. As a celebrity in the art world, he can have any woman he chooses. Yet the one he really wants has eluded him for years…until a chance encounter brings Marion and Graeme together, giving him his shot at having the woman of his dreams…and drawings.

Can Graeme’s love mend her shattered heart?

Click here to read an excerpt!

Want to win a copy? Yes, you know you do. Because it’s a fest, you see, and there is much merrymaking and joy! Just post a comment below and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a copy in your choice of format (LIT, PDF, PRC, HTML). I aim to please you, kind readers. Comments must be posted by midnight CST; winner will be drawn tomorrow and notified via email. Good luck!

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , ,

What’s New

April 30, 2009 by

Tomorrow is the day! The day that TAKE ME I’M YOURS comes out with Cobblestone-Press. Hopefully tomorrow, I will be doing the Great Release Fest and everyone can join in for the fun and games.

The end of April already? Excuse me, Father Time? Could you please slow down a little? I’m not really ready to age another year in 27 days. K THX BAI! :)

The last few days have been pretty busy for me. When I got home on Tuesday night, I had to run to the post office to mail out the chapter dues renewals for one of the chapters I’m in. Then when I got back home (after a visit to Taco Bell), I sat down and worked on the WIP.

I was very close to finishing, so I pushed through and worked until midnight and got it all done. After letting it sit overnight, though, I think the ending could be a lot stronger. I think it even might be a little anti-climatic.  

So since I finished the revision, I decided to “relax” on Wednesday. Which I quickly discovered is a foreign concept to me. I think I’ve forgotten how to do that. I paced the house. I read and responded to email. I paced some more. The kid was quite entertaining with his jokes and drawing pictures and writing me spy letters. And then itw as time to get him settled down into bed. I was suddenly wiped out from staying up too late.

I have a second book planned to go along with Phoenix but haven’t done any sort of plotting on that yet. I have a general idea of where I want to go. Plus there was an open call for submissions from Samhain that I’m thinking of doing. The deadline is August 10, so I better get busy on that if I’m going to make that happen.

And… I’m already thinking about another project, which is something I hope to talk more about in-depth later.

See why I can’t relax? There are too many things up there in the head and I need to get them out on paper. Sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day. Well, there are… I just have to spend them doing things that, you know, pay the bills. :D

So…that’s about all I know.  What’s new with you?

Filed Under: Dusty Tome Tagged With: , ,

The Big Reveal

March 3, 2009 by

Be sure to come back tomorrow! I have a special guest and I’m doing a giveaway!

Also! I’m a guest over at Selena Blake’s blog about kissing and, well, other things. Check that out here.

LOOK at my beautiful cover! Isn’t gorgeous?? I’m so thrilled! I love it. (Click on it to see a bigger, better, hotter version.)

I finished final edits on Take Me I’m Yours last night. It’s off to get onto the publication schedule. I should hear something in the near future. I have to say, the edits were rather painless, despite my moments of feeling like the book was a pile of dung. I think it actually turned out very good. I hope readers enjoy their story as much as I do.

And just as I was typng the email to the editor to send it off, my phone rang. Apparently, my child has decided to go back to his old tricks of playing in school instead of working. sigh His dad was not a happy camper and I can’t say that I blame him. So the kiddo was in some serious trouble last night. When he got on the phone with me, he was clearly upset, saying his stomach hurt and he felt sick. I quickly squelched that with a, “Oh, you are not. You’re just upset because you got into trouble.” Which was true.

Twenty minutes later and a very long talk with the kiddo, he was feeling a little better, though not chipper at all. He knows he’s in trouble. He knows he’s screwing up. Yet he continues to do it over and over again. We have both talked to him until we’re blue in the face, taken things away from him, punished him, etc. Nothing seems to get through to him.

So, last night on the phone I told him that he had to be responsible and do what was expected of him. Then I gave him an example of what would happen if Mom or Dad didn’t do their work. I explained in detail that we would not have a house, or a car, or clothes, or food. I asked him if he wanted to live in the street, to which he quickly said NO. Of course not. So I told him – if he continued on this path, he would (a) fail second grade (which is horseshit becuase of this no child left behind crap – I’m sorry, I just don’t believe in it but I figure he doesn’t know that and I’ll use that to put the fear into him); (b) all his friend’s would leave him behind in 2nd grade; (c) he would grow up to be lazy and no one would like him.

Okay, so that was probably mean but what else could I do? Maybe that will get through to him. I don’t know. We’ll see how today goes.

All I know is… I’m getting my tubes tied. One is ENOUGH! :D

But back to writing… I emailed off the final edits. Then I worked on an article I’m doing for the chapter newsletter about gadgets for writer’s. And THEN I worked on edits for Phoenix. I realized the beginning needed some more description and help. That was about all my poor brain could take.

I’m going to have to get myself on some sort of rotation schedule because I want to edit Phoenix and also work on Delilah’s story. I’m thinking about trying alternating days – Phoenix on M-W-F and Delilah on Tu-Th-Sa. Take Sunday off to catch up with Everything Else. I don’t know yet if that’s a good plan or not. But I’m going to try it this week and see what happens. Maybe it will help me have better focus.

Last night, I ordered The Well-Fed Writer from Amazon so it should be on the way soon. Hooray!

I have one more contest entry to read and then I’m done with that contest. Received four more for another contest. I’m going to try and knock them all out this week. Then I don’t have to think about them anymore.

Filed Under: Dusty Tome, Mom & Son Tagged With: , , , ,