Annette Dashofy's Blog, page 22
January 21, 2014
Goodreads Giveaway!
I'm attempting to set up a Goodreads Giveaway for an ARC of Circle of Influence. The button to enter is on the right, but as I post this, it isn't active yet. I hope to figure out why ASAP, so keep trying. My technical ineptitude is showing.
January 20, 2014
Guest Blogging today at West of Mars
I'm at West of Mars today talking about my short story "Sweet Deadly Lies" from Lucky Charms. Stop in and check it out.
January 14, 2014
Finally...
They’re here!
We had some wicked weather recently that played havoc with a lot of shipping schedules. While I knew my ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) were on their way, I had no clue when they would arrive. Patience may be a virtue, but it isn’t one of mine.
Friday, the box showed up on my front porch. Reverting to a four-year-old at Christmas, I squealed with delight as I snatched the package and began to tear into it. My heavens, some people use a lot of tape. Plus my knife was dull. I very nearly ripped into the thing with my teeth. But at last I tore it open.
Shiny! Pretty! My baby! My first-born. My debut novel!
There is something very REAL about finally, FINALLY holding your book in your hands. Not just a print-out of the cover art, which I’ve been carrying around with me and flashing at everyone I encountered for the last few months. No, this is three-dimensional. It looks like a book. It feels like a book. It even has words inside! MY words.
“What is an Advanced Reader Copy?” you ask. It’s simply an uncorrected proof. An early print run that both my publisher and I are sending out for reviews and blurbs. They may contain a few errors. And no, they aren’t for sale.
However…
If you’d like to get your hands on one, I plan to set up a Goodreads giveaway in the very near future. Stay tuned and check back. I’ll post details as soon as they’re available.
We had some wicked weather recently that played havoc with a lot of shipping schedules. While I knew my ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) were on their way, I had no clue when they would arrive. Patience may be a virtue, but it isn’t one of mine.
Friday, the box showed up on my front porch. Reverting to a four-year-old at Christmas, I squealed with delight as I snatched the package and began to tear into it. My heavens, some people use a lot of tape. Plus my knife was dull. I very nearly ripped into the thing with my teeth. But at last I tore it open.
.jpg)
Shiny! Pretty! My baby! My first-born. My debut novel!
There is something very REAL about finally, FINALLY holding your book in your hands. Not just a print-out of the cover art, which I’ve been carrying around with me and flashing at everyone I encountered for the last few months. No, this is three-dimensional. It looks like a book. It feels like a book. It even has words inside! MY words.
“What is an Advanced Reader Copy?” you ask. It’s simply an uncorrected proof. An early print run that both my publisher and I are sending out for reviews and blurbs. They may contain a few errors. And no, they aren’t for sale.
However…
If you’d like to get your hands on one, I plan to set up a Goodreads giveaway in the very near future. Stay tuned and check back. I’ll post details as soon as they’re available.
January 1, 2014
2014: Looking Ahead
RESOLUTIONS, GOALS, AND EVENTS
I’ve never been one for making “resolutions” because they’re too vague. I’ve always felt “goals” offered a better chance at success. What’s the difference? A goal is something you have control over. “I want to get published in 2014” is a resolution. “I’m going to write and submit an article every month” is a goal. You may or may not get published, but you’re doing something tangible toward that intention.
It worked for me in 2013. I made a plan and stuck with it. It can work for you, too.
This year is a little different. I have my three-book contract, so I’m not working on “goals” for publishing so much as I’m following a production schedule that was made up for me by my editor, while weaving my own writing quotas into and around it. While in the past, my goals have all concentrated on writing and submitting to different markets, this year I’ve changed focus. And I have included some of those vague resolutions into my plans for the coming year.
Resolutions:
I’m going to work on finding balance. Since writing is now mandatory and no longer a luxury, other aspects of my life have taken a hit. For 2014 I need to restructure my time and priorities so that my family and friends don’t feel shut out. I’m still vice president of Pennwriters and, if I’m re-elected this spring, will have two more years in that position. I need to find a way to write without completely crawling into a cave for weeks on end, so that I can continue to serve my fellow writers in whatever manner possible. I mustn’t become a hermit.
Having said that, note to friends and family: if I don’t reply to your emails or phone calls immediately, I’m not ignoring you. Well maybe I am, but with good reason. And I will get back to you as soon as I meet my word quota for the day. If you DON’T hear back from me within 24 hours, nudge me. My brain can be like a sieve when I’m juggling three books in three different stages of production.
Goals:
Average two pages per day on whatever manuscript I’m drafting at the moment. Some days that may turn out to be only one page. Others, it may be five or six. Book #2 (Lost Legacy) must be turned in the first of February. I intend to have a completed first draft of book #3 by the end of June. Note to friends and family: I may have to renege on my above resolution in June if I fail at my page count goal during January through May.
Events:
Further cutting into my page count goal are the following events. But I so hope to see my friends and family (and a lot of my readers!) at them.
March 22 - Publication Launch Party for Circle of Influence at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont PA (near Pittsburgh) at 2PM.
March 25 – Official release day for Circle of Influence
April 28 – Book Club appearance at the Burgettstown Library, time TBA
May 2-4 – Malice Domestic Mystery Convention, Bethesda, MD
May 5 - Festival of Mystery, Oakmont PA
May 16-18 – Pennwriters Conference, Lancaster PA
November 13-16 – Bouchercon, Long Beach CA
I also have a blog tour scheduled for the spring. Stay tuned for those dates.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2014 complete will all your goals and dreams fulfilled.
I’ve never been one for making “resolutions” because they’re too vague. I’ve always felt “goals” offered a better chance at success. What’s the difference? A goal is something you have control over. “I want to get published in 2014” is a resolution. “I’m going to write and submit an article every month” is a goal. You may or may not get published, but you’re doing something tangible toward that intention.
It worked for me in 2013. I made a plan and stuck with it. It can work for you, too.
This year is a little different. I have my three-book contract, so I’m not working on “goals” for publishing so much as I’m following a production schedule that was made up for me by my editor, while weaving my own writing quotas into and around it. While in the past, my goals have all concentrated on writing and submitting to different markets, this year I’ve changed focus. And I have included some of those vague resolutions into my plans for the coming year.
Resolutions:
I’m going to work on finding balance. Since writing is now mandatory and no longer a luxury, other aspects of my life have taken a hit. For 2014 I need to restructure my time and priorities so that my family and friends don’t feel shut out. I’m still vice president of Pennwriters and, if I’m re-elected this spring, will have two more years in that position. I need to find a way to write without completely crawling into a cave for weeks on end, so that I can continue to serve my fellow writers in whatever manner possible. I mustn’t become a hermit.
Having said that, note to friends and family: if I don’t reply to your emails or phone calls immediately, I’m not ignoring you. Well maybe I am, but with good reason. And I will get back to you as soon as I meet my word quota for the day. If you DON’T hear back from me within 24 hours, nudge me. My brain can be like a sieve when I’m juggling three books in three different stages of production.
Goals:
Average two pages per day on whatever manuscript I’m drafting at the moment. Some days that may turn out to be only one page. Others, it may be five or six. Book #2 (Lost Legacy) must be turned in the first of February. I intend to have a completed first draft of book #3 by the end of June. Note to friends and family: I may have to renege on my above resolution in June if I fail at my page count goal during January through May.
Events:
Further cutting into my page count goal are the following events. But I so hope to see my friends and family (and a lot of my readers!) at them.
March 22 - Publication Launch Party for Circle of Influence at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont PA (near Pittsburgh) at 2PM.
March 25 – Official release day for Circle of Influence
April 28 – Book Club appearance at the Burgettstown Library, time TBA
May 2-4 – Malice Domestic Mystery Convention, Bethesda, MD
May 5 - Festival of Mystery, Oakmont PA
May 16-18 – Pennwriters Conference, Lancaster PA
November 13-16 – Bouchercon, Long Beach CA
I also have a blog tour scheduled for the spring. Stay tuned for those dates.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2014 complete will all your goals and dreams fulfilled.
December 31, 2013
2013: Looking Back
Forgive me, Garrett Morris, for borrowing (and corrupting) your famous SNL tagline, but 2013 has been bery, bery good to me.
As I look back at my first blog post for the year, my goals for 2013 included pitching some story ideas to Pennsylvania Magazine, querying Circle of Influence, finishing the second Zoe Chambers book, finishing the short story I was working on, and making my dream of traveling out west a reality.
How did it turn out?
I only pitched one story to Pennsylvania Magazine, but it was accepted. My article “Restoring the Past, One Buggy at a Time” appeared in the September/October issue.
As for querying Circle of Influence… If you’ve followed this blog (or if you’ve kept tabs on me on Facebook or Twitter) you already know I signed a three-book contract with Henery Press in early September. Circle of Influence, the first in the Zoe Chambers mystery series, is set for release in late March 2014! (Available for pre-order now!) The second in the series (recently renamed Lost Legacy) is set for a September 2014 release. And yes, it’s “finished” although it’s still undergoing the polishing phase of the writing process.
The short story, “Sweet Deadly Lies” was accepted and is part of the Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Talesanthology put out by my local Sisters in Crime and available now.
My dream trip out west was all I’d hoped it to be and more. The story with photos can be found in this blog’s archives (June 2013).
I met—first time face-to-face—several of my very best friends. Oddly, it didn’t seem at all like we were meeting for the first time. Rather it felt like a reunion and a joyous one at that. I fell in love with Coloradoand New Mexico. Hubby got to fly fish in the San Juan River.
I got to ride a horse through the Garden of the Gods. I can’t wait to go back!
So I accomplished all of my goals. Amazing. Proof positive that you should never EVER give up.
On top of that, a few other wonderful things happened to me along the way. In May, I won the Pennwriters Meritorious Service Award and sobbed openly in front of the membership at the presentation during the Pennwriters Conference.
Of lesser importance, but still fun, I bought a new car. Well, a USED car, but spotless and low-mileage, so it’s hard to think of it as "used." I love my Subaru!
In August I had major surgery for a tumor. Even that turned out well. The tumor was benign, and I recovered in record time.
2014 has its work cut out for it if it plans to top its predecessor. And I have my work cut out for me in making a new set of goals.
To be continued…
As I look back at my first blog post for the year, my goals for 2013 included pitching some story ideas to Pennsylvania Magazine, querying Circle of Influence, finishing the second Zoe Chambers book, finishing the short story I was working on, and making my dream of traveling out west a reality.
How did it turn out?
I only pitched one story to Pennsylvania Magazine, but it was accepted. My article “Restoring the Past, One Buggy at a Time” appeared in the September/October issue.
As for querying Circle of Influence… If you’ve followed this blog (or if you’ve kept tabs on me on Facebook or Twitter) you already know I signed a three-book contract with Henery Press in early September. Circle of Influence, the first in the Zoe Chambers mystery series, is set for release in late March 2014! (Available for pre-order now!) The second in the series (recently renamed Lost Legacy) is set for a September 2014 release. And yes, it’s “finished” although it’s still undergoing the polishing phase of the writing process.
The short story, “Sweet Deadly Lies” was accepted and is part of the Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Talesanthology put out by my local Sisters in Crime and available now.
My dream trip out west was all I’d hoped it to be and more. The story with photos can be found in this blog’s archives (June 2013).
I met—first time face-to-face—several of my very best friends. Oddly, it didn’t seem at all like we were meeting for the first time. Rather it felt like a reunion and a joyous one at that. I fell in love with Coloradoand New Mexico. Hubby got to fly fish in the San Juan River.
I got to ride a horse through the Garden of the Gods. I can’t wait to go back!
So I accomplished all of my goals. Amazing. Proof positive that you should never EVER give up.
On top of that, a few other wonderful things happened to me along the way. In May, I won the Pennwriters Meritorious Service Award and sobbed openly in front of the membership at the presentation during the Pennwriters Conference.
Of lesser importance, but still fun, I bought a new car. Well, a USED car, but spotless and low-mileage, so it’s hard to think of it as "used." I love my Subaru!
In August I had major surgery for a tumor. Even that turned out well. The tumor was benign, and I recovered in record time.
2014 has its work cut out for it if it plans to top its predecessor. And I have my work cut out for me in making a new set of goals.
To be continued…
December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas...
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season!
December 2, 2013
Launch Day for Lucky Charms!
A year ago, as I was completing my short story for submission to our local Sisters in Crime chapter’s anthology, I had no idea whether it would even be accepted, let alone end up being the first of THREE launches within nine months! The second will of course be Circle of Influencein March and the third will be the second Zoe Chambers mystery coming out in September.
But today is the big day for Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Stories.
I’m sharing the excitement with eleven of my Pittsburgh area Sisters in Crime. It’s truly amazing how much talent we have here in southwestern Pennsylvania.
As previously mentioned, I wrote my contribution “Sweet Deadly Lies” a year ago, long before my contract with Henery Press—long before I knew my cast of characters from Circle of Influence would be hitting the bookshelves in short order. But it turns out to be excellent timing, because when I created this short story, I borrowed one of my secondary characters from the series for it.
Detective Wayne Baronick is a police detective for the Monongahela County Police Department. You’ll get to know him in the Zoe Chambers’ series as a good-looking thorn-in-the-side to Vance Township’s Chief of Police Pete Adams. In “Sweet Deadly Lies” we get to meet him and his younger sister, Abby, also a police officer, but in the shadow of her more successful brother. This is Abby’s story—her turn in the spotlight.
The story opens:
Mona Peterson had once told me the chunk of fake turquoise hanging on a heavy silver chain around her neck always brought her luck. Seeing that same silver chain cutting purple grooves into the gray skin of her throat, I had my doubts.
Interested in reading more? Perhaps you need a Christmas gift for a mystery-loving friend or family member. Go online here to purchase the print version and request a signed copy. Have a Kindle or a Nook? Click here for the Kindle version or here for the Nook Book.
Other e-book formats are available. I’ll have the links posted as soon as I receive them.
If you’re in the Pittsburghvicinity, I invite you to come to Mystery Lovers Bookshop this Sunday, December 8 where all the Lucky Charms authors will be hosting our publication party and signing copies from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I think I heard mention of champagne.
But today is the big day for Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Stories.
I’m sharing the excitement with eleven of my Pittsburgh area Sisters in Crime. It’s truly amazing how much talent we have here in southwestern Pennsylvania.
As previously mentioned, I wrote my contribution “Sweet Deadly Lies” a year ago, long before my contract with Henery Press—long before I knew my cast of characters from Circle of Influence would be hitting the bookshelves in short order. But it turns out to be excellent timing, because when I created this short story, I borrowed one of my secondary characters from the series for it.
Detective Wayne Baronick is a police detective for the Monongahela County Police Department. You’ll get to know him in the Zoe Chambers’ series as a good-looking thorn-in-the-side to Vance Township’s Chief of Police Pete Adams. In “Sweet Deadly Lies” we get to meet him and his younger sister, Abby, also a police officer, but in the shadow of her more successful brother. This is Abby’s story—her turn in the spotlight.
The story opens:
Mona Peterson had once told me the chunk of fake turquoise hanging on a heavy silver chain around her neck always brought her luck. Seeing that same silver chain cutting purple grooves into the gray skin of her throat, I had my doubts.
Interested in reading more? Perhaps you need a Christmas gift for a mystery-loving friend or family member. Go online here to purchase the print version and request a signed copy. Have a Kindle or a Nook? Click here for the Kindle version or here for the Nook Book.
Other e-book formats are available. I’ll have the links posted as soon as I receive them.
If you’re in the Pittsburghvicinity, I invite you to come to Mystery Lovers Bookshop this Sunday, December 8 where all the Lucky Charms authors will be hosting our publication party and signing copies from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I think I heard mention of champagne.
November 19, 2013
Cover Reveal Day!
Today is one of those Oh-My-God-This-Is-Really-REAL kind of days. Henery Press has added me to their website and Circle of Influence has a page, too! I absolutely LOVE the cover! So today is all about showing it off and getting the buzz started!
Release date: March 25, 2014!
November 16, 2013
Coming Attractions
A multi-published author friend told me once I signed my contract, life as I knew it would change drastically. Wow, was she right.
I could definitely use a few more hours in each day. But I’m learning how to schedule my time. My real “creative” energies fizzle after about 3 p.m., so I have to fit my writing in before then. Businessy stuff (yes, I know there’s no such word as “businessy” but there should be!) can be done later in the day or pre-caffeine in the morning.
Now if only I could manage to block out the world during my creative hours. I’m working on it.
My Sisters in Crime chapter is all abuzz about the upcoming launch of Lucky Charms .
You can pre-order a print copy NOW from Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Want a signed copy? You can note that when you order. Want to meet all of us who contributed? We’re having a spectacular launch party at Mystery Lovers on Sunday, December 8 starting at 5:00 p.m. If you’re in the Pittsburgharea, we’d love to see you. Otherwise, the anthology will be available for sale in print and all e-book formats starting December 2.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement, Henery Press is revealing the cover for Circle of Influencethis Tuesday, November 19. Wait until you see it! I absolutely LOVE what they’ve done. I’ll post it here then, too.
So the next few weeks look to be a wonderful thrilling ride. Now back to work on books #2 and #3.
I could definitely use a few more hours in each day. But I’m learning how to schedule my time. My real “creative” energies fizzle after about 3 p.m., so I have to fit my writing in before then. Businessy stuff (yes, I know there’s no such word as “businessy” but there should be!) can be done later in the day or pre-caffeine in the morning.
Now if only I could manage to block out the world during my creative hours. I’m working on it.
My Sisters in Crime chapter is all abuzz about the upcoming launch of Lucky Charms .
You can pre-order a print copy NOW from Mystery Lovers Bookshop. Want a signed copy? You can note that when you order. Want to meet all of us who contributed? We’re having a spectacular launch party at Mystery Lovers on Sunday, December 8 starting at 5:00 p.m. If you’re in the Pittsburgharea, we’d love to see you. Otherwise, the anthology will be available for sale in print and all e-book formats starting December 2.
As if that wasn’t enough excitement, Henery Press is revealing the cover for Circle of Influencethis Tuesday, November 19. Wait until you see it! I absolutely LOVE what they’ve done. I’ll post it here then, too.
So the next few weeks look to be a wonderful thrilling ride. Now back to work on books #2 and #3.
October 27, 2013
October in Review
.jpg)
Somehow I seem to have blinked and missed October. At least I managed to grab some photos one foggy morning to prove autumn happened, because yesterday we had snow on the barn roof, and this morning the thermometer showed temps in the 20s. If winter isn’t here yet, it’s certainly pounding on the door. It’s been yet another crazy busy month. My revisions on Circle of Influence are due Tuesday. I’ve “finished” them at least three times in as many days. Yet each morning I fire up the computer, open that file, and find something to tinker with. I can see it now—I’ll be giving a reading from the published novel and still find something I want to change.
In addition to turning in my revised manuscript on Tuesday, I’m supposed to get my first look at my cover art that day. Now that I’ve completed (yeah, right) the edits and Deadline Panic has evaporated, I’m eager and excited to see my debut cover. As in NERVOUS WRECK. Henery Press produces such great covers, I can’t wait to see what they’ve done for mine.
But I don’t want to have another upcoming major event get lost in the shuffle. My newest short story “Sweet Deadly Lies” will be included in Lucky Charms, an anthology my local Sisters in Crime chapter is putting out. Release is set for December 2. We have a great cover for it, too.
I’m thrilled for my fellow anthologists. (Is that a word? I guess so. Spell check didn’t call me on it.) The process of putting this collection together has been an amazing collaboration, of which I confess I’ve done darned little beyond sitting back and watching. We have a phenomenal group of writers in the Pittsburgharea. I’m proud to be in their company.
