Jamie DeBree's Blog, page 55

Weekly News, Goals & Archive 8/15/11

I was talking to my hair stylist this
weekend, and she said her kids start school in less than two weeks.
There was football on TV – football! All the signs of fall are
coming on, and I feel a little cheated that we didn't have more of
a summer here. It wouldn't be so bad, except we didn't have a
spring either – and the old-timers are predicting a long, cold
winter. We still have several yard projects we're hoping to get
done before the weather turns. If it would just wait a couple more
months...

On the upside, snow on the ground means
the weeds will die. And no yardwork. And staying home more, avoiding
the cold. Cozy.

I finally fixed the formatting for The
Biker's Wench, so it's now available on Smashwords, and should be
available on Sony, Kobo, Apple and Diesel within the next couple of
weeks. Sorry for the delay!

And for anyone reading my erotica
shorts, The Mechanic is now available online. PDF copies are
available through Brazen Snake Books, or you can scroll down for
links to the store of your choosing. I'll be adding the
Amazon/Barnes & Noble links tonight.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly News, Goals, &
Archives 8/15/11
Wednesday:
Writing Notes – Recognizing Weakness
Friday:
Ch. 14 of Falling in Public
Sunday:
Code Name: Succulent – Housecleaning Routines

Elsewhere

Tuesday: Chapter 14 of The
Minister's Maid at Fantasy
Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New
design at NailArt
Tuesday
Thursday:
Publishing Schedule Logic at Beyond
the Words
Saturday: Tea
post at Tea onTap

If you missed a post last week and want
to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of
my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so
click at your own risk.

Posts for August 1-7

Fiction

Chapter 13 of TheMinister'sMaid (Romantic Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 13 of
Falling inPublic (Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 7 of
ThePileDriver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter
8 of ThePileDriver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter
54 of Angel Eyes
(AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)

Writing/Reading/Publishing

WritingNotes: Focused Practice (The Variety Pages)
Release DayHoopla...or Not? (Beyond the Words)

Health & Personal
Wellness

(The Variety
Pages)

Goal Reports

Last week was very productive, I'm
pleased to report. All my serial chapters got done and posted, the
novelette got edited and published, and I got the web sites all
updated (though now I need to updated the BSB site again for the new
release). We got the yard more or less cleaned up just in time for
the guys to start siding our house, and now they're cruisin'
right along on the project. Our house is currently a lovely
techno-shade of silver foam insulation that still looks better than
the peeling paint did.

The rest of it kind of got left by the
wayside, so here's to continuing productivity this week, eh?

Goals for the Week

Writing

5 serial scenes, on time (no
slacking due to gaming...ahem)

Read through of TWC & plan
revisions

Business

Send TBW out for reviews

Catch up bookkeeping

Re-think short story blog project

Write up submissions guidelines

Personal

3 workouts

Schedule weekly housecleaning
times

Start cleaning out vacated
aquariums for donation (if siding guys finish)

Hit our county fair for a night to
wander the exhibits & eat fair food

Dentist appt. on Thurs (wherein
he'll tell me how rich he's going to get off my super-bad teeth)

And that's plenty for me this week.
Hopefully most of it will be managable.

What are you up to this week? Big
plans before fall hits again?
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Code Name: Succulent – Navel Gazing

This post is entirely too long - but it would be weird to break it up. So settle in...

Navel Gazing - Excessive
introspection, self-absorption, or concentration on a single issue.

You might notice I do a lot of this in
these particular posts (or in general, but you're all nice enough
to ignore that, right?). I try to keep it contained to my own head
most of the time, because really – all that thinking and
self-analyzing is just boring and/or tedious to anyone not actually
doing it. But occasionally my introspection seems to amuse people…

The fact is, we all do it, and I think
it's healthy to navel gaze every so often, though perhaps not to
excess as defined above. Without truly knowing ourselves and what
makes us tick, how can we ever hope to figure out what makes us
happy?

But that's actually not what I
planned to talk about this week (amazing how the internet can
facilitate digressions, isn't it?).

No, I planned to talk about my navel
(ironic, yes?). Specifically, my belly button piercing.

Got your attention now, I bet.

Body modification has never just been
about "fashion" or "trendiness" for me. I've always put a
great deal of thought into it before I took the plunge. When I look
back on it, each event signifies a very specific point in my life
when I took a stand, learned something about myself, or wanted to
remind myself about something later in life. Sort of like permanent
strings on my fingers (um, body), or a scrapbook of specific "eras"
of my life.

Obviously this sort of thing isn't
for everyone, but even though I do have one tattoo that I wish I'd
placed differently, I still can't bring myself to regret getting
it, even though it no longer holds the same meaning it once did. It's
still a symbol though – it's just changed over the years.

Back to my navel (which started this
whole navel-gazing episode). Something you may not know about belly
button piercings is that a hollow needle is used to remove a plug of
skin where the ring will go. If the piercing heals fully, it will
never close up again, even if you take the ring out. What does happen
sometimes though is that sebum (your own skin oil) fills the space
when you remove the ring and creates a little plug, and the ends heal
over. For me, the spot where it healed over after I took my ring out
was very thin, and prone to breaking open when I scraped it with a
zipper or whatever (which, embarrassingly enough though not
surprising, is more likely to happen when my pants are tight). Then
it gets infected, and hurts, and it's incredibly hard to heal since
it can't drain properly.

File this under: "things you should
think about when getting a navel ring". The hole is forever, and so
is the risk of infection (for some of us, anyways).

So last week when once again I knocked
that thin piece of skin open, I decided I may as well just put a ring
back in the hole and let it drain to be sure it heals properly. And
that got me thinking about why I got the piercing in the first place,
and why I eventually took the ring out.

I was 21. I never have been much of a
drinker (even on my birthday, I didn't really drink much), and I
wanted something to sort of "mark" the occasion besides a
hangover. Navel piercings were popular back then (are they now? I
have no idea. LOL), and I was just sort of discovering my sexuality
then (no, I didn't "give it up" in high school like so many
teens do). A belly button ring seemed sensual, a way to celebrate
being female and the exploration of my sexuality. I read up on them,
and got all the information about healing and such (because I am not
generally an impulsive person when it comes to large needles), and
finally decided to take the plunge. I made an appointment, got
marked, clamped, and suffered through a moment of intense pain, and
then it was all over. I loved it, even though it was a serious pain
in the butt to get healed (my advice, don't work as a
lifeguard/swim instructor when trying to heal a navel piercing.
Impossible to keep it truly clean in the pool water).

It made me feel impossibly female, and
more like a desirable creature than I had before. Just knowing it was
there even though I didn't show it off much changed my awareness of
my own body, and the potential power it held. It made me bolder, and
more apt to go just a little bit further out on those shaky limbs I'd
been scare of before (here's where mothers everywhere are
forbidding their daughters to get navel rings, right?).

When I took it out over ten years later
(around five years ago?), it was because I'd started gaining
weight. It didn't look "right" anymore – that look belonged
to someone slender and sexy, and I wasn't feeling like either of
those things anymore. So I put all my navel jewelry in a drawer, and
let the hole close up as well as it could, leaving my younger, better
body behind with only a scar to remind me of those skinnier days.

Now that I think about it, it seems
like I was punishing myself and giving up at the same time. I was
acknowledging that I probably wouldn't ever have that skinnier body
back. And I fully admit I still have issues with my weight and my own
sense of sensuality. Contrary to what some might be inclined to
think, it's not Hollywood either...it's my own sense that when
I'm overweight, I'm not as healthy as I could or should be, and
that's not sexy. Healthy is sexy for me – not stick skinny
model-thin, but a healthy, muscular body. It's less about weight
than it is about fat vs. muscle, in my mind.

And now everyone out there with a few
extra pounds will think I'm judging them...which isn't true –
my feelings don't extend outside my own sphere, and I think it's
perfectly possible for larger women to be beautiful, sexual
creatures. It's just much harder to embrace that for myself than to
believe that about others, if that makes any sense.

So to get to the point, I'm leaving
my navel ring in, even after the infection has healed again (it's
doing much better after just a week). For two reasons – one being
to remind me that I don't have to be slender to be a sensual being,
and the other to remind myself that I shouldn't give up on my body
– if less fat is what I want, I should work hard to make that
happen. I shouldn't just settle for a body that doesn't make me
happy, because in the end, it's entirely my choice, even though it
is more work now than it used to be.

And that's what living a succulent
life is all about, right?

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Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Ch. 13

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday. To receive each installment via email, please sign up here.

Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11|Ch. 12

Falling in Public


Chapter 13

The lights were hot and bright as Holly smiled her way through the introduction and initial small talk on stage. Sherry Ormond, the talk show host was full of  effervescent energy and combined with her high-pitched laugh and the apparently constant need to move, the woman was driving Holly insane by the third question.

"Now I was planning to ask you how you researched your sex scenes here," Sherry bubbled in a more serious tone. She peered over her tiny little glasses at Holly like a disapproving teacher, with a knowing wink toward the audience. "But I think we all know the answer to that, given the picture in the paper today, don't we? So how long have you and Eddie Pierce been...seeing each other? And how did you meet?"

The infamous photo popped up on the monitor, the black censor boxes over the relevant parts somehow making it look more lewd, rather than less. Since closing her eyes and hiding behind the chair wasn't an option, she merely lifted her chin and raised an eyebrow at the crowd. A mistake was only a mistake if you called it one, right?

"Actually, I have a confession," she said, hoping she looked appropriately contrite. "Since Mr. Pierce and I both have new offerings coming out soon, we decided to combine resources and give the fans something...memorable as a thank-you for buying our work. I think his music and my books make a great combination, especially considering the book I'm working on now. What do you think? Did you enjoy our little photo shoot?"

Applause erupted throughout the studio and she smiled again, nodding her thanks under Sherry's predatory stare. Mentally steeling herself against the onslaught of more questions, she waited patiently for the applause to die down. The audience had bought it, but she knew the hostess could still turn things around if she wasn't completely convinced. 

"So this whole thing was just a publicity stunt?" Sherry laughed, her expression conveying her disbelief. "I have to say, if that's true, you two should be making millions as actors. It looks pretty real to me, don't you think?" she said, facing the camera. More applause, but Holly refused to give up. She shrugged, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.


"Oh come on, Sherry. Are you telling me you wouldn't get a little starstruck if you were in bed with a guy that good looking, even if it was just for show? Ladies? Would any of you have a hard time looking at Eddie Pierce like you want him?" She laughed, relieved when the cheers and whistles were much louder than they'd been before. Sherry sat back in her chair with a grin, conceding graciously with a nod of her head.

"Good point," Sherry said when the noise faded. "I think we'd all be rather inspired to have been in your position, and unfortunately, we're out of time for today. Thank you for joining us, and I know I'll be looking forward to your new book." She turned to the camera, gesturing at Holly. "Holly Saunders, everyone. Next up, the zookeeper has something rare and exotic to show us, after these messages."

Somehow Holly managed to shake hands and step down off the platform without falling on her face. Waving to the crowd as she walked off stage, she managed to keep her smile in place until she made it back to the dressing room. Once the door was closed and locked, she collapsed onto the couch, any energy she had left draining away into the well-worn cushions. She closed her eyes, and wondered if it would be possible to change her ticket and leave for home tomorrow. She'd planned to stay a week and turn the trip into a vacation, but now it all just seemed so overwhelming...

"Just a publicity stunt, huh?"

Holly's eyes popped open to see Eddie five feet away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She opened her mouth, but closed it again when she realized she had no idea what to say. He walked over to stand in front of her, his looming presence making her feel like a recalcitrant child.

 "Because that's not how I remember things at all."
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Writing Notes: Focused Practice

Last week I was reading one of Dean Wesley Smith's posts in his series called "Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing". If you aren't reading these, you should be - there's a ton of excellent information in them. This particular chapter is titled, "Writer's Don't Need to Practice". He's busting the myth that professional writers don't have to hone their craft constantly.

I was a little confused at why this was a myth, to be honest. Or to be more clear, I couldn't figure out why people would believe that professionals didn't still have to work at writing stories - writing *better* stories. Do people really think that having a certain number of books out makes learning unnecessary for writers?

And all experience aside, nearly every writer I know is a perfectionist, or at least works hard to tell the best story they can. Will those writers ever quit trying to tell a better story? Hard to say, but I doubt it.

The thing is, in my experience, every book is different. Every set of characters are different, and each book requires a different challenge to be met on the part of the writer. This is all inherent to the writing for me - and it's what normally feeds these writing notes. I draw off of whatever I'm dealing with at the moment in any given story, and try to make heads or tails of it while I write. That sort of thing can all be classified as "practice", in my opinion. But it's not deliberate - I just sort of stumble into it, and play with it until I feel pretty good about how it works.

What Dean advocates in his post is what he calls "Focused Practice". It's choosing one thing to work on in the next story before you even start writing, and then practicing that one skill every chance you get. Then with the next story, you pick a different skill, etc. Rather than my bumbling "stumble over it" method of finding things to work on (which I'm sure will still happen), it's something to keep in mind for the whole novel, not just the individual scenes where things jump out at me.

I'm going to try this with my next draft. I'll be writing some flash fiction soon, and that would be a perfect place to start, I think. I want to see if having a focus for practice will make any difference over picking things out as I go.

Have you ever tried this? How do you practice your writing?
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Weekly News, Goals & Archives – 8/8/11

Starting the week with new cover art
just can't ever be wrong, right? I give you, The Wise Critique,
coming to print and digital shelves September 16, 2011.

Thanks again to my cover artist and
fellow author, Heidi Sutherlin of Creative Pursuits! This book has a
long and sort of sordid history, which I'll talk more about when I
release it. Suffice it to say, this is the book that showed me I
wasn't really cut out to write for Harlequin, and also showed me
what I was supposed to be writing. I think it's a fun book,
and I hope you will too. More later as I dig into final revisions &
editing this month.

Last week was a good one, I think. Lots
going on, but I managed to keep up fairly well, I think. This week,
it's business as usual around here.

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday:
Weekly News, Goals, & Archives 8/8/11
Wednesday: Writing Notes:
Deliberate Practice
Friday:
Ch. 13 of Falling in Public
Sunday:
Code Name: Succulent – Naval Gazing

Elsewhere

Tuesday: Chapter 13 of The
Minister's Maid at Fantasy
Ranch Novels
Tuesday: New
design at NailArt
Tuesday
Thursday:
Release Hoopla, or Not at Beyond
the Words
Saturday: Tea
post at Tea onTap

If you missed a post last week and want
to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of
my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so
click at your own risk.

Posts for August 1-7

Fiction

Chapter 12 of TheMinister's Maid (Romantic Suspense,
FantasyRanchNovels.com)
Chapter 12 of Fallingin Public (Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)
Chapter 5 of
ThePile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only,
NSFW)
Chapter 6 of ThePile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only,
NSFW)
Chapter 53 of AngelEyes (AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)

Writing/Reading/Publishing

WritingNotes: Stories from Real Life (The Variety Pages)
Summer Sales Report (Beyond the Words)
Juggling Genres
(#Amwriting.org)

Health & Personal Wellness

(The Variety Pages)

Goal Reports

It was a good week
for writing last week. I got all five of my serial chapters done (one
late, but done, nonetheless). I finished up the beta read and sent it
off to its owner. I didn't get my short edited, but I looked
through the edits and there's nothing that will be particularly
difficult, so I'll have that done and published this week. I feel
pretty good about all of that.

The rest of
it...well, let's just say the writing was good, and leave it at
that, 'K?

Goals for the Week

Writing

5 serial
chapters

Edit &
publish short story

Read through
of TWC

Business

Submit TBW
for reviews

Finish prep
for flash imprint launch

Update web
sites

Schedule some
promo

Personal

Workout three
nights

Finish
cleaning up for the siding guys

Reply to
emails

Read!

That's what I've
got cookin' this week – how's your's lookin'?
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Code Name: Succulent – Ending the Drought

I titled this post last week while
creating the blog schedule, optimistically thinking that perhaps
things would start getting back to normal after all the chaos and
hubbub. Turns out, the power of positive thinking won, and I'm
happy to say that towards the end of the week, we caught a nice
break. Things aren't completely back to normal yet, but normal
enough that I could sigh with relief and start refilling the well
again.

Naturally, when I've been drawing on
my reserves for so long, I tend to binge when I get to expand again.
It's not always for the better – I tend to gorge myself on all
good things until they simply become "excess" rather than "good".
I did that a couple days this week, but it was necessary to my mental
health, so I'm going with it. And I'm positively giddy that it
looks like there's a week-long vacation from the day job in my very
near future. Talk about a giant reset button...

Of course, there's always something
that gets shoved aside when I go on any kind of binge, and then I
remember why I still need to be careful with my time. Which is why
I'm writing this post at 1:30am. Paying for my binge-y indiscretions on Saturday night. 

It's all good though. I've been
here before, and it's not a bad place to be simply because I know
that in a few days, I'll have binged all I need to, and I'll
settle into a comfortable routine again for a few days. I like
routines. I live for routines. But if you've been reading this blog
long, you already knew that.

Ironically, now that the day job stress
is easing up, the personal projects are kicking into high gear. New siding on our house, new shed, new fence, new carpet. And the normal Halloween party prep, plus keeping up with my writing/publishing schedule. Last year the writing took a bit of a hit in the fall - my goal this year is to keep up the pace throughout. We'll see. 

Needless to say, fall is always a time
when I'm living more on reserves than the rest of the year, and
this one will be no different, except I feel like I have more of a
plan for how to deal with it. Plans are good. And as much as I hate
change, sometimes it's a very good thing.

For all that, there's still time for fun, somehow. Friday night we went to an Alice Cooper concert that was amazing, and Saturday night we had "oriental" night - Thai food, and we tried Sake for the first time (a chilled variety that I enjoyed very much). There's a Belly Dance review we might go to later this month - I've never been, but it sure sounds like an exotic night out! 

Living a succulent life = enjoying what you have, taking note of what's around us, and trying new things. I think I'm doing pretty well with that, all things considered.

I'm finishing this post Sunday afternoon around 2:00pm...and now I'd better get outside and help hubby finish our clean-up project. At least we're enjoying the sunny weather while it's here - it's good to get out in the fresh air for awhile.


What juicy things have you done this weekend? Um, family-friendly things, I mean.
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Serial Novel: Falling in Public, Chapter 12

This serial novel is posted in draft form every Friday. To receive each installment via email, please sign up here.

Ch.1|Ch. 2|Ch. 3|Ch. 4|Ch. 5|Ch. 6|Ch. 7|Ch. 8|Ch. 9|Ch. 10|Ch. 11

Falling in Public


Chapter 12

Holly pushed ignore as Eddie's name came up on her caller ID, and dropped her phone into her purse. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she left the hotel and caught a cab to the studio, barely walking in the door on time. As soon as she gave the receptionist her name, she was whisked away by people talking about hair, makeup and her wardrobe, but the whole time all she really heard was her phone ringing every so often from the coat tree in the corner of her dressing room. It couldn't possibly be Eddie calling over and over - he didn't seem like that kind of a guy, but she had to admit, she didn't know him very well.

Finally she was hustled to the "green" room that was decidedly more beige than green, and thankfully out of earshot of the blasted cell. Sipping on bottled water and waiting patiently to be called out on stage, she was shocked when the door opened and a tall man in a gray suit with a rather imposing expression walked in.

"Holly Saunders?" It was more of a statement than a question, but she nodded anyway and stood up, suddenly grateful for the four-inch heels wardrobe had forced on her feet. She couldn't really walk in them, but they definitely put her on a more equal standing with this unpleasant interloper.

He took a set of papers out of the portfolio under his arm, and handed them to her with a pen. "I need you to sign these before you go out on stage. It's regarding last night's...uh...indescretion." 

She frowned, taking the papers and scanning the first page. "Who are you?" she asked, looking at the clock, and then back at all the legal speak he apparently wanted her to read and agree to in the next three minutes.

"Vincent Shepherd," he said, holding out a hand and nearly crushing hers when she took it. "Eddie Pierce's manager. We just need to do a little damage control, is all. Now if you'll just sign the last page, I'll get out of your hair. There's a paragraph just above the signature line that sums up the basic contract requirements." He reached over and helpfully flipped the pages in her hand to the last page, pointing to the last paragraph.

Holly read the section, then read it again before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shepherd, but I can't sign this. Aside from the fact that I need to run all contracts through my agent, even I know enough not to sign this. A non-disclosure statement would allow you to sue me for any little thing in my books that you thought might reflect badly on Eddie, even if it has nothing to do with him. I'd never sign something like that." She tried to hand the papers back, but he wouldn't take them, and she settled for letting them fall on the coffee table. Thankfully, the stage door opened, and a short, skinny man popped his head in the door.

"Ms. Saunders - you're on. Come with me, please."

She nodded at Eddie's agent and hurried out the door, forcing herself not to think about what the look on Shepherd's face meant as she climbed the metal stairs to the stage door. Supressing a shiver, she pasted a smile on her face and stepped through the velvet curtain. 
Enjoy this installment? Try Desert Heat, available now at:


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Juggling Genres at #Amwriting.org

I'm over at #Amwriting.org today, talking about genres and how I juggle them (that really does sound kinda naughty, doesn't it? Or maybe it's just me...).



Join me!



(You know you want to...)

Writing Notes: Stories from Real Life

A while ago I was asked if a specific incident that happened to me would ever make it into one of my books. At the time, my answer was a resounding "probably not", as I was still pretty close to the situation and frankly, I couldn't imagine how I'd twist it into something acceptably entertaining. I've been trying to think of any other situation from my own life that may have worked its way into one of my books, and honestly, I can't think of even one. My books are mostly daydreams (sometimes night-dreams) – I live a pretty mundane life, all things considered. And while I do have a few "real life" stories to dress up and write someday, I'm not even close to ready to tackle them yet.

And then I was making dog food a couple weeks later, and this incredible idea (all of my ideas are incredible until I'm in the middle of writing them) formed around that original real life situation the aforementioned person was asking about. It rolled itself into a topsy-turvy romantic suspense story that I'll be working on sometime next year. Which sort of surprised me, because given the choice, I would have picked the thriller/horror genre for that particular incident. Although now that I've got some distance, perhaps someday I'll twist it into something entirely different yet again. That's the beautiful thing about ideas – they never go stale, and much like silly putty, you can shape them into anything you want.

Even though many of my stories are pure imagination, I do normally get inspiration from real life. The incident I'm referring to above will never make it into one of my books as it happened (or even close to how it really happened), mainly because that would expose more of "me" (and others involved) far more than I'm personally comfortable with. But when it comes to twisting a situation I see into something suitably dramatic and entertaining for fiction, I rather enjoy that particular process.

Do you ever wonder how much of a book you're reading comes from real life, or something the author experienced? Writers, how much of your real life experiences make it onto the page, and how far do you go to disguise them? Enjoy this post? Support your author: Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench

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Weekly News, Goals & Archive 8/1/11

It's August. *August!* Crazy how time flies, isn't it?

The Biker's Wench is available in print and ebook, and I'm happy it's done and out. I've signed up at Kindlegraph, so if you have a Kindle account of some sort, a twitter account, and want a personalized autograph of one of my books, it's a pretty nifty little program.

Next up on the publishing schedule is the erotic short I still need to edit, followed by The Wise Critique (romantic suspense) – renamed from Her Private Chef. I hope to have that out sometime in late September, and I'll post some excerpts as I'm editing so you can get a little taste.  I should have cover art for that very soon as well – I've seen the first drafts, and it's going to be really fun and quirky.  

And I'll be guest blogging at the #Amwriting.org blog on Thursday about juggling genres, so I hope you'll stop in there too…

Other than that, business as usual around here - so here's this week's schedule & archive:

This Week on The Variety Pages

Monday: Weekly News, Goals, & Archives 8/1/11

Wednesday: Writing Notes: Stories from Real Life

Friday: Ch. 12 of Falling in Public

Sunday: Code Name: Succulent – Ending the Drought

Elsewhere

Tuesday: Chapter 12 of The Minister's Maid at Fantasy Ranch Novels

Tuesday: New design at NailArt Tuesday

Thursday: Genre Juggling at #Amwriting.org

Thursday: Summer Sales Report at Beyond the Words

Saturday: Tea review at Tea onTap

Sunday: Progress Report at Body in Motion

If you missed a post last week and want to catch up, here's the link list. Note that this includes *all* of my posts, including for my pen name genres and non-writing blogs, so click at your own risk.

Posts for July 25-31

Fiction

Chapter 11 of The Minister's Maid (Romantic Suspense, FantasyRanchNovels.com)

Chapter 11 of Falling in Public (Romantic Suspense, The Variety Pages)

Chapter 3 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)
Chapter 4 of The Pile Driver (TrinityMarlow.com – Erotica, Adults only, NSFW)

Chapter 52 of Angel Eyes (AlexWesthaven.com, Thriller)

Writing/Reading/Publishing

Writing Notes: Sequential Series (The Variety Pages)



Health & Personal Wellness

(The Variety Pages)

Goal Reports

I'm pretty happy with the fact that I actually got all of my serial chapters written last week – especially since I got behind with releasing TBW and all. So that was a serious win. I also got all of my web sites updated, which was a pretty decent sized job as well. Other than that, I slacked off in a pretty major way, so this week I've got to get my butt in gear, regardless of what else is going on. Luckily, things are starting to level out at the day job, so I should be able to step up the goals a bit.

Goals for the Week

Writing

- 5 serial chapters

- Beta read done and sent back

- Short story edited & ready to format

Business

- Catch up bookkeeping

- Send TBW out for reviews

- Launch new flash fiction prompt & imprint for BSB

Personal

- Workout three nights

- Less time spent on games

- Make time to read at least a little every night.

- Catch up on emails (I have a stack to return/continue - if I owe you, I promise I'll be in touch soon!)

That's my  week – how's yours shaping up? Enjoy this post? Support your author: Tempest | Desert Heat | The Biker's Wench

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