Lauralynn Elliott's Blog, page 15

ROW80 Update 1/29/14

So here I am, sitting at home, having a “snow day”. I’m supposed to be working, and I actually am. But you don’t know how hard it is to be here at home at the keyboard working instead of writing. I’m in my office, surrounded by kitties (well, two), with the sun pouring in the big windows beside me. When I look outside, I see the sun glistening off the snow that fell yesterday. Want. To. Write. But I must continue to work.

Sometimes I don’t check in on Wednesdays since the majority of my writing happens Thurs-Sat. However, I did have a nice round of writing on Fire Wizard yesterday, coming in at 1127. This gives me a total word count of 3945 so far. I think I’m going to love this story. There’s going to be such nice conflict between the hero and the shero. *rubs hands together and laughs maniacally*

I plan on getting Hearts of Evil published within the next couple of weeks. The biggest holdup right now is gathering prizes and questions for the FB book release party. More on that soon!

So how are the rest of you doing so far for January?

ROW80 Update 1/26/14

Is it really almost February? I’m so looking forward to spring. It’s been colder here this year than it’s been in 20 years!

So…about my goals. I set a goal for 5,000 a week, which is pretty steep for me, but I want to get this WIP done more quickly than the last one. I was really dragging my feet last year. I didn’t hit that goal this week, only coming in at 2812. But, I’ve also been working on final edits for Hearts of Evil, planning a release party, etc. So I haven’t been idle by any means.

About Hearts of Evil. I posted earlier that my two beta readers disagree on the inserted chapter. So I let my mom read it and asked her opinion. She said, “It works either way.” Grrr. She’s no help! LOL. So I’m waiting to hear from one more, who I let read it without the inserted chapter first, then I’ll send her that chapter. She’s the only one who will have read it without the chapter before reading the chapter. Maybe that will give a different angle.

I have no idea when Hearts of Evil will be released or when the release party will be. I need to make a decision about that chapter. After all, I make the final decisions, right?. Isn’t that the great thing about being indie?

ROW80 Update 1/22/14

I’ve missed a couple of updates because there wasn’t much to report. I’ve been out of town, and if you want to see pictures, check out my previous post. Anyway….

I finished edits on Hearts of Evil. Here’s the publishing holdup. My two beta readers strongly disagree on a chapter I inserted close to the beginning after the book was written. One beta thinks I should take it out, the other thinks I should leave it. They both have VERY valid reasons for their opinion. And I just can’t decide. So I’m having a couple of other people take a look and see what they think. I know the ultimate decision is mine, but it’s hard when both beta readers could be right for different reasons. The good thing is, they both really liked the story. Another thing that’s holding me up is I want to do a FB release party, but I have to get all the prizes together. Luckily, I have most of what I need since I can’t afford to buy anything else right now, but it’s the putting everything together that will take a little time. I want to thank Ruth Ann Nordin for giving me some good ideas about questions to ask for the release party.

Now on to my other project. I sat down and wrote the first chapter of Fire Wizard last night. I don’t know why I always have this fear when I start a book. I’ve done this a dozen or more times, but I’m always scared to death when I start. Well, I didn’t used to be, but I’ve felt that way for the last two or three projects. I need to get over this silliness!

I hope to get in about 5,000 words per week now that I’ve actually started on the book. I hope you all are doing this with less fear than I am!

Fun Things I Did in Texas

Warning! Don’t click on the double underlined links. They are ads, and I can’t stop them since WordPress allows this.

I could do two or three posts on my Texas trip. I might share some more in detail later. but I thought I would start with this post and just show it in pictures. So here goes!

I saw the Alamo…

Alamo

Alamo at Night

I walked on the River Walk…

River Walk

More River Walk

I ate at Boudro’s and had guacamole made right at my table…

This might not be Boudro’s but it’s in this area.

I took a ghost tour…

Sisters Grimm Ghost Tour

I took a boat tour…

Boat Tour

I ate Texas Barbeque and listened to a good band (I don’t usually like country, but)…

Trey Wilson

I took a helicopter ride (this was awesome)…

Helicopter I Thought I Would Fall Out Of

I ate authentic Mexican food and watched a children’s dance group…

Balet Foklorico

I had so many more pictures, but I had to stop somewhere.

Oh, and if you’re so inclined, Just Judy’s Jumbles has an interview with me on her blog. You can fill out the form on the right and be entered to win a paperback from me. I’m giving away five!

Cover Reveal – Hearts of Evil

I’ve been so busy, I don’t know when I’m going to get all the edits done for Hearts of Evil. Especially since one of my betas suggested a whole new scene, which does make sense when I read it. The book would be okay without it, but I want it to be more than okay. My two main beta readers are both so great. Sometimes they disagree on something, and then I have to decide which way to go. But their input is so valuable to me! I don’t usually mention their names in case they don’t want people to know they beta read for me, but if they tell me it’s okay, I will start mentioning them. Because they deserve a lot of credit!

Also, I’m trying to figure out what all to do at my book release party on FB (whenever that happens). If any of you have any unique suggestions on questions, games, prizes, etc., let me know. I’ve already some input, but I need more.

Anyway, I’m just rambling on and not getting to the point. What was the point? Oh, yeah. Cover reveal. So without further ado (or with ado, who knows?), here is the cover for my upcoming release, Hearts of Evil. Thank you, Anya Kelleye.

ROW80 Round 1 2014 Goals

I often list other goals besides writing goals on these ROW80 posts. This round, I’m going to focus on my writing goals. I might share some of my other successes from time to time, including weight loss, but my STATED goals are going to be writing related. I’ve been too lax on writing, which caused me not to publish anything but a short story for an anthology in 2013. If it’s in my power, I will publish this year. So….

1) Work on edits for Hearts of Evil based on beta readers’ suggestions. I have two beta readers who are VERY good editors AND proofreaders. I’ve heard you should never mix those and that you should have different people for these three jobs. However, this is working for me. Two of my beta readers are authors. One is an editor in her day job. The other is a well-known “seasoned” author. They kick my butt (in a kind way), so it works. My other two beta readers are, well, readers. One has the unedited version. The other will get the edited version. This last one catches typos that others sometimes don’t. Which is odd since she’s 79 years old and doesn’t see well. LOL

2) Work on plotting Fire Wizard starting today. I have a lot of questions already answered based on Susan Bischoff’s Story Toolkit. She’s a little more detailed than I want to be, but I use what works for me. I now just need to write out what will happen in every chapter.

3) Write 5,000 words per week. I’m not going to specify which days I’ll write like I did last time, I just need to make that 5,000 word goal.

4) Publish Fire Wizard by June 30, 2014. I downloaded a simple publishing worksheet set up by Ruth Ann Nordin. I’ve already filled it in with my projected timeline for this book, including word count goals and first draft. The 5,000 word per week goal won’t necessarily be all about First Wizard, although some weeks it might be. I have another project that I abandoned a while back that I might take back up. More on that later.

I hope your eyes haven’t glazed over yet. I tend to skim when people write blog posts that are really long (unless it’s really exciting!), and I try not to go overboard, but these are my goals, and I needed to talk about them. Now I’m going to pop over to some of the rest of my ROW80er’s blogs and see what they are doing this round. You know, in between doing what I’m supposed to be doing here at work.

The End of 2013

Several of my friends have written a blog post recapping 2013. I almost didn’t, but I think I’m going to.

This year has been a pretty bad year for me. Hubby and I have both had health problems, his much worse than mine. The health problems contributed to financial problems, which would have been much worse if not for the generosity of others. I don’t think I can blame that for my lack of writing, though. I can’t really find a good excuse for not publishing anything (except a short story for an anthology) in all of 2013. I haven’t published since December 2012. That’s the longest I’ve ever gone without having a new novel or novella out there. I think I just wasn’t motivated enough. Book sales have been down, and that’s discouraging. But I’m SURE not going to sell anything if I DON’T get it out there. If I could have gotten my last book out this month, I could have said I published a book in 2013, but alas….

Anyway, I didn’t meet too many goals this year. I lost 25 lbs, so that was good, but I wanted to lose more. I’ve kept up with my exercise, so that’s a positive. My eating habits have slipped, so I need to fix that. My writing goals were NOT met. This is going to change in 2014, but that’s a post for tomorrow.

Now I want to count my blessings in 2013.

1) Hubby is still alive.

2) I’m still alive.

3) I have two wonderful, healthy sons, and I love them and their families SO much.

4) My mom is still around, and she’s the best mom in the world

5) I have awesome friends, both in real life and online.

6) I met even MORE awesome friends online this year.

7) I got to read a lot of books.

8) My church family is awesome, and I love them.

9) I have a job that I like, and I love my co-workers.

10)I may not have everything I want, but right now I have everything I need,

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s Eve, and I’ll talk to you guys next year. I’m getting ready to go to a party/singing at church in a little while. Love you all!

Hubby Update

I’ve been promising updates. I checked my previous posts and realized I had already told you guys more than I thought. I was actually sleep deprived when I wrote my last update, so that’s why I probably don’t remember much about it. LOL

Anyway, to recap. Hubby hurt his foot at work. Then he had a heart cath done, they found a blockage, and put in a stent. His heart function (the part where it pumps out the blood) is bad, so he’s on a bunch of different medications and is wearing a “Life Vest” which is an external defibrillator. He’s a pretty sick guy, and he’s stir crazy right now.

That brings me to the part I didn’t want to mention. Mostly, because I didn’t want people to worry about us or feel sorry for us. Of course, I DO want prayers and thoughts! Anyway, hubby will be out of work at LEAST a month. Maybe longer. The doctor would have let him go back to work with restrictions, but the company he works for won’t let him because he couldn’t do the job he has with those restrictions. Plus, he probably couldn’t work with his hurt foot anyway (I’m getting a sense of deja vu on that one). I just keep hoping one of my books will someday break out enough that it will give us an income cushion when stuff like this happens.

Here’s what I’m doing to try to make up for lost income. My salary alone won’t even pay our BILLS, but hubby is eligible for short term disability, and that’s about 60% of his pay. It just takes a couple of weeks for it to get started. We can make this work.

1. I’m not eating out except for a couple of times a week, and that’s only really cheap places. (sometimes that’s cheaper than buying groceries). Also, if I bring my lunch to work, I don’t have to use the gas to go somewhere to eat.

2. We’re cutting our church contribution in half. This is the hardest thing for me on the list. But the Bible says: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by in store, as God has prospered him….” 1 Cor. 16:2. We are prospering about half of what we were, so I think we are doing the right thing.

3. I’m planning on calling Directv and cancelling our premium channels.

4. This one is hard. I’m not buying any books until this is over. I have LOTS already on my Kindle…enough to feed my addiction.

5. I’m going to stop taking the expensive natural vitamins I’ve been taking and start taking cheaper ones.

6. I’m canceling my gym membership. I have weights at home. I’ve just got to use them.

7. I’m going to pay only the minimum on my credit card bills for right now.

8. This one is bad, but we might have no choice…I’m going to use a credit card when I HAVE to.

That’s all I can think of right this minute. If any of you have suggestions on how to save money, I’m all ears. Even if you have suggestions that are just jokes rather than real suggestions, I could also use a laugh. LOL

End of ROW80 Round 4

I FINALLY finished the first read through of Hearts of Evil. Yes, I have a title! I added a scene between the prologue and the current first chapter. If the beta readers think the scene adds to the story, it will become the first chapter. I found a few errors, but not as many as I thought. I sent the story to two of my beta readers today. I had already sent a non-edited copy to another one. I have one more to send it to. My two major beta readers are very thorough and always have a lot of suggestions for edits. I hope they will be gentle. LOL. I have a few concerns about this story, and I hope the betas can help me address those concerns. I have no cover art yet, but Anya is working on that.

There is a lot going on with my husband right now, and I’ve purposely withheld a lot of it for a couple of reasons. 1) It’s the holidays, and I just didn’t want to bring anyone down with all of this. I also tried to forget a lot of it, and I managed to enjoy Christmas with family and friends. 2) I don’t want anyone to think I’m whining or trying to get sympathy. When I’m ready to share, I’ll do it because I feel close to all of you and WANT to share. But after the holidays. We are going to enjoy these holidays all the way through the New Year.

Next year, I’m going to set deadlines for myself. I let myself get very lax with my writing this year, and because of that, it took me a whole year to get my latest book done. I’m used to publishing more than that, so this didn’t feel good to me. I’m going to be stricter with myself in 2014, but I’m going to make sure I allow for possible setbacks that might be beyond my control.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas (if you celebrate it) and let’s all have a fun New Year’s Eve.

Genres, Pen Names, and Going in New Directions…or Not

Sometimes I feel like if I hear the word “genre” one more time, my head will explode. I know it’s a legitimate word about a legitimate thing, but it’s so frustrating sometimes to try to figure out where my book fits. I’ve worked on my latest book for many months. During that time, I’ve tried my best to figure out what genre to put it in. Because, you know, you HAVE to. It has to go somewhere. So, is it… Horror? Paranormal? Paranormal romance? Thriller? Murder mystery? Supernatural thriller? Ack! I really hope my beta readers will be able to help me with this, because this is the first time I’ve never had a clue.

So now we segue into pen names and new directions…which also involves genre. I can’t get away from this word! Anyway, almost two years ago, I started what I was going to call a Christian Romance. And I was going to write this book under my real name instead of my pen name. I wanted something I could actually let my church friends read. I abandoned that idea after only writing about 15% of it because I was afraid it would take time away from my Lauralynn Elliott books. Today, I was thinking about a couple of things. First, I wonder if I should abandon the idea of writing Christian Romance and write “Sweet Romance”. I think there might be a bigger readership if that’s how I market it. I could get the Christian romance readers because they know there won’t be graphic sex in it, but also maybe get readers that don’t necessarily want to read books with the word Christian in them. I would have to rework a little bit in this book so it won’t sound so “judgy” in places. The second issue is the fact that it could push back publication of my other books. I’ve never been able to write two books at the same time. But I know others that do it, so it CAN be done. If I set aside certain times or certain days for each of the books, maybe I could pull it off. And it might be helpful if I’m stuck on one to be able to work on the other.

So what do you all think? How do you feel about genres? Have you ever had problems figuring out where your books fit? Do you write in different genres? Do you use more than one pen name?