J.R. Pearse Nelson's Blog, page 12

Tending Your Writer Garden: the Old & the New

Spring is a time of growth, and this spring has seemed especially so. It may be that I've been settled in this home, and in some new life roles (namely, motherhood), for just about six years now. Long enough for roots to deepen and thrive. Here's one of my gardens now. Mostly strawberries and hostas; it keeps drawing my eye these days. It's morphed a few times over five springs, and looks lovelier than ever this year.

Strawberries a-coming! They took four years to really produce.
My cheery, apple-bearing gnome. My daughter chose him for me.I saw the Tend Your Garden analogy on Joe Konrath's blog today. If you're a writer, and have never perused Joe's incredibly informative (and often controversial) blog, you must check it out. Do it now . I'll still be here in a year when you bother to come back...he'll suck you in over there, I promise, and it will be worth it. To sum it up, today's post was about continually drawing new eyes to your backlist, by continually focusing on the market for it, and improving it. Very good advice.

First, I'm going to absolutely agree with Joe, that you must put effort continually into improving the books you have on the market.

I published my first book in August 2011. I now have four fantasy romance novellas, two fantasy novels, and one fantasy short story (free here) on the market. Over the last couple of years, I've cultivated my work that's already on the market by:

Investing in new cover artExperimenting with prices (on single books, and price structures with series)Changing back matter (the excerpts, links, descriptions, etc. that you include at the back of your ebook or paperback)Staying up on ebook formatting standards, and uploading new versions when needed Editing and updating descriptions Adding tag linesUsing Picmonkey to make buttons to use for promotionsLearning to make my own covers for short stories (a major work in progress - maybe something that will never be my strength)Listing with KDP select for a time so I could give away thousands of books (with little sales results so far, but my editor likes to tell me they're like ticking time bombs on people's Kindles, ready to draw readers when they finally get around to opening my free book)
There's more that I could do. Definitely. I'm always wanting to do more, and I'm always reading other writers' blogs and experimenting with what I think might work for me. I've also been experimenting more with Facebook, but I really don't understand how the writers who are popular there manage so much interaction. It's amazing, that's for sure. And I am just trying to have fun with it, and as Joe mentions, not measure my progress against anyone else's. I'm in my mid-thirties, and I have a lot of years to invest, and a lot currently on my hands...I don't need the pressure of acting like this is all a race.

While it's important to improve work you've already released, and draw new eyes to it continually, as Joe points out, for a writer at the beginning of their career, a focus on how you want your writer portfolio to look in five or ten years is crucial. Promoting one or two books today is not going to pay off in the long run as much as getting your behind back in the writing chair and releasing another two books a year (at least) so that you have ten more books on the market in five years. Twenty more books in ten years. When a reader finds you at that point, they will have more of your work to buy -- and readers LOVE to buy more of an author they like. Make it available by getting your behind back in the chair.

**Sidenote: isn't that a great excuse to do what you love, which is why you're a writer in the first place?**

Back to Joe's overall analogy of tending the writer garden: I believe it also starts with cultivating your own loves and passions, and that includes your writing, but it also includes the positive mindset and joy that grows from pursuing other passions, be it time with friends/family, play of some sort, another art like painting or music, gardening, hiking, being in nature....do those things that make your heart sing. And when you return to your writer chair, you'll have filled the well, tapped in with those deep roots, and you'll be a happier, more productive writer.

Sunday Update: Finally Rocking Shield!

It's been quite a week for this fantasy writer. I released a novel last weekend, and then took a couple of days off from writing. But after a couple of days, I got really excited about my next big project -- the one that moved into "primary writing project" stage when I hit publish and sent Chaos Calling out into the world to seek its fortune.

Shield, the fifth book in my fantasy romance series, is coming along quickly now! At the start of the week, I had my characters in a fix that I'd been trying for days to figure a way out of. Actually, it was always a major problem I knew I'd face at the beginning of this book. So....a problem I've been avoiding for two years or so! Ha!

Wednesday and Thursday I had long meetings near my office, which is 60 miles from home. Meetings that lasted until late afternoon. Keep in mind that I live on the east side of Portland, which is a major metro area with TERRIBLE traffic. I've always adjusted my schedule so I miss traffic, so staying that late in the afternoon throws everything off. It takes FOREVERS to get back home. So I didn't fight it. I worked it out with my husband and instead of getting on the road right after meetings on Thursday, I hunkered down in a diner right on the Willamette River, and worked out my plot troubles. YES! Win all around! A burger and a beer and 400 words of notes later, I had figured the way out!!

Here's how my word count measured up this week (not counting those notes -- just fiction words!):
Monday - 400
Tuesday - 700
Thursday - 500
Friday - 1,900
Saturday - 1,300
....For a grand total of 4,800 words. That isn't far off from my goal of 5k a week, which I plan to hold myself to as I would like to finish this draft in May. I'm at 11k now, which means about 20k to go on the final Children of the Sidhe book. Tight, but still doable. :)

Best of luck on your writing goals this week! And remember to enjoy the spring weather, and be kind to yourself! :)

Sunday Update: Chaos Calling Released Yesterday!

My first goal for the spring was to publish the second novel in my Foulweather Twins fantasy series. DONE!

Chaos Calling is out now. One more book to go in the series. I've also thought of a possible spin-off series, but I'm not committed to it at this point. Fun choices for a writer -- which story do I tackle next? Of course, when I ask that question I'm usually talking about next year (or three years from now), because this year is already booked. (Word play, anyone?)

I haven't done as well on my second goal for the spring, which is writing the fifth and final novella in my Children of the Sidhe fantasy romance series. I had been tinkering with it as final edits for Chaos Calling continued, to the tune of just a few thousand words over a couple of weeks. Then I hit a mental stumbling block about a week ago. My characters are in a fix, and I don't quite know how to get them out without being lame. Ha! Writer problems. Now that Chaos Calling is published, I'll have more time and energy for this book. I'll still be able to finish the first draft in May.

My third goal for the round is getting out with friends. I've done well with this in April! We went to the coast with a huge group of friends, to celebrate one couple's baby shower. Having all of the families together was absolutely AMAZING. Some great memories. And Friday night I answered the summons of a girlfriend and hit up a fabulous restaurant for appetizers and cocktails. More to come. I have a bunch of ladies I need to schedule dates with. :)

I'm enjoying the spring time, bouncing between lovely warm days and torrential downpours here in Oregon. I swear we get some of the BEST days in the spring. I'm a moderate-weather, Oregon girl. I like mid-seventies, and rarely see it. lol

What are you most looking forward to as the weather warms up?

New Release! Chaos Calling Is Available Now!

The second novel in my Foulweather Twins fantasy series hit the e-shelves this afternoon! If you haven't read the first book, Queen Witch is on sale for $2.99 through May 10th.


You can find Chaos Calling on Amazon US, Amazon UK, (plenty of other Amazons), and Smashwords. It'll be out next week on Barnes & Noble and the iBook store. 
Suspicion and stubbornness have never served Sage so well…
There are moments when the panic swells in me as I realize afresh what I have done. To betray the immortal I was raised to serve… What was I thinking? But those are just moments. Every day I live with the consequences, and they’re worth it. If the only way I know to make the Lady suffer, to force her power to wilt, is to serve another like her, I will take it. Until I find a better way.
Sage Brighton made a choice six months ago. A choice that changed her whole world. Now she skulks in the shadows, hiding even more from her twin and the rest of the Queen family than she had before. Serving two immortals is stretching her beyond her limits. And then there’s her unwelcome attraction to Chaos, the immortal seeking to destroy her family, and her relationship with Peter. As Sage’s days and nights spiral out of control, can she figure out who to trust? A wrong move now could spell the end of everything she’s worked for. It could be the end of her.

Excerpt:
As soon as my feet touched the cliff top at Cape Foulweather, I whirled to face Wren, grabbing her arm to still her forward motion. “You acted like a child back there. It’s always the same with you. I’m sick of it!”
Wren’s gaze dropped to where my hand connected with her flesh, and she kept her eyes there as the silence drew onward. I got the message, and gave up the grip that had tethered her to listening to my words. Not that they’d ever sink in.
What a horrible day. We’d been sent to rectify a situation in Cambodia, where a witch had called something not of this world into existence through spells. And when the Lady had to clean up something like that, she cleaned it up back to the source.
In this case, that source was a tiny, grandfatherly man living in a one-room hut in the middle of nowhere. I’d never know whether he’d been trying to call the horse-sized, blood red lizard creature. It had rampaged through the countryside for a day and a half, until we could get there and reverse his work, sending the monster back to wherever it came from. Whether that had been his intent or no, he was doomed from the moment we darkened his door.
Still, Wren didn’t have to take such joy in the killing.
By the time my twin was done with the old man…there hadn’t been much to recognize as a man. I’d invoked a combustion spell, and watched his corpse burn until what was left wasn’t recognizable as human at all, nor flesh. When he’d burned to smoldering cinders and ash, I used another spell, and a breeze picked up in the interior of his hut, scattering the ash that had recently been a man right out the door. While Wren stood quietly, I wiped the hut clean of our presence. I was always cleaning up after her.
Now I had to get my point across fast. Before long, one or another of the aunts would come to see what was taking us so long. Dinner was probably on the table, with Aunt Ivy watching the clock impatiently.
“What is the point of making them hurt, Wren?” I hated the pleading tone in my voice. Maybe if I were stronger, she’d listen to me.
My sister was quiet for a moment, and when I’d decided she wasn’t going to answer, she said, “What’s the point of the sun rising, or the waves beating the shore, Sage?”
“I’m talking about people and pain.”
At that she finally met my eyes, and my chest tightened at the hurt still lingering in me, when I saw my sister for who she truly was. She really didn’t get it. My words were a mystery to her. And somehow, it never stopped hurting me.
My phone beeped gently; the distraction from this conversation was a blessing. Pulling it from my pocket, I hoped it was Peter. He was the best distraction.
My heart thudded and lurched when my eyes caught the number on the screen.
Chaos calling…
It flashed as CC, the letters far too large for my liking, with my stone cold twin standing right next to me. Wren didn’t appear to notice, but I couldn’t exactly answer his call right now.
This was the razor-fine balance I walked these days. And what could I do about it? Wren would never join me serving Chaos. I had less hope of that result now than when I’d betrayed the Lady six months ago. Chaos seemed happy enough to have another of the Lady’s Hands in his pocket, but the tight space was beginning to chafe.
I was seeking my own freedom here, after all, not just another – a better – immortal to serve. I’d take a quiet life with a small boutique on the coast over these soul-wrenching missions. I’d take that deal any day. Sure, I was on the right side now. Maybe I was even doing some good against the Lady and her constant power plays. But I was still far from the normal life I craved.
Tonight would be normal enough. We were late for our twenty-first birthday dinner with the aunts.
Without another glance at Wren, I turned and walked inside. For Aunt Hope’s sake, I took a few deep breaths and focused on a serene expression. My sister’s strangeness wasn’t Aunt Hope’s fault. Since we’d never known our mother, there was no one to blame at all. Our personal histories were all we had, as if our ancestry was shielded behind the vapor of times gone by and the decisions made for us while we were too young to speak for ourselves. The unspoken truths about us that we’d never be privy to.
But Aunt Hope had always been kind. She’d been all the mother I’d ever needed, and I schooled my expression so I wouldn’t let her down. If she understood what was in my heart, she would worry, despite the fact she was as likely to change my mind about the Lady as I was likely to change Wren’s. It wasn’t going to happen.
I sniffed the air appreciatively as I stepped inside the house. After a long journey in the whipping wind, the house felt too still, and a touch too warm. But it would always be home.
“Girls? You’re late. We only waited because it’s your birthday,” Aunt Hope called cheerfully from the direction of the dining room.
Wren slipped in behind me, bringing a chill touch of wind with her.
I made my way to my seat, steeling my nerves in my childhood home.
Aunt Ivy frowned at us. “Where have you been?”
“Working,” I answered calmly.
“Well, that’s unavoidable then. Come on girls, have a seat. The food is getting cold.”
“Did you cook?” I asked Aunt Hope. It certainly wasn’t Aunt Ivy.
Aunt Hope shook her head, her auburn curls now streaked with the occasional gray. When had that happened? “Melody is here.”
“Where is she?” I craned my neck to look into the kitchen, but I didn’t see her bustling around in there either.
“Oh, I didn’t mean she was here right now. She’ll be back later tonight.”
I let it go. If she wanted to tell me where Melody had gone, she would have done so.
“So, where did the Lady send you this time?” Aunt Ivy’s jealousy was obvious. She’d never wanted to give up taking missions as one of the Lady’s Hands, but there was nothing either of us could do about it, so she kept her annoyance in check, mostly.
“Baltic Sea. There were some artifacts discovered there, including a couple of scrolls that she wanted. Just a trading deal, nothing that interesting.” I didn’t mind sharing the tales. It helped, a little, to talk about it, even though I knew Aunt Ivy relished her gifts and her service in a way I would never understand and could not bring myself to emulate. However, I wasn’t interested in sharing about the last stop on this particular trip; I continued to steel my stomach against the stream of gory images.
Aunt Ivy shot Aunt Hope a look, like I’d just confirmed something for her. I didn’t ask. Honestly, I didn’t want to know anything about the aunts that I’d feel compelled to pass on to Chaos. I was determined to leave them out of this. They were retired; they didn’t take missions for the Lady any more. Why should Chaos worry over them? I let those lies comfort me in the face of my disloyalty, and ignored the look that passed between them.
The food was simple, and lovely. I was earnestly glad Melody had come, and I couldn’t wait to see her later. I could feel the love she’d put into the meal, as I always could with Melody’s food. I soaked it in for the dark times sure to come.
Later, I snuck off guiltily as the aunts rinsed our dishes, and returned the call from Chaos. It rang three times before Tim picked up. “Sage?”
“It’s me,” I confirmed impatiently. “I don’t have long.”
“I need to meet you tonight. The old pier.”
“I can’t make it until midnight.”
“That long?”
“It’s our birthday, and we’re celebrating. All of the Hands are getting together for dessert – and I have to go, Tim.”
“Alright. Midnight.” He didn’t sound happy about it, but what could he say? The last thing any of us wanted was my cover blown. That went double for me given it was my skin on the line.
“See you there.” I hung up and went back to the table, hoping no one would notice the tension stringing my shoulders together like I was full of wires.
One of these days I was going to blow it. It was a feat of will just to track all of the lies I told. I didn’t want to know what would happen when the Lady found me out.
*****

Chaos Calling Cover!

Chaos Calling, the second book in my Foulweather Twins fantasy series, will be hitting the shelves in ten days or so! Yippee! This book has received great feedback from my editor and beta readers....who want the next book NOW. That's a great feeling!

And speaking of great -- check out this cover done by Kellie Dennis of Book Cover by Design!


Chaos Calling
Suspicion and stubbornness have never served Sage so well…
There are moments when the panic swells in me as I realize afresh what I have done. To betray the immortal I was raised to serve… What was I thinking? But those are just moments. Every day I live with the consequences, and they’re worth it. If the only way I know to make the Lady suffer, to force her power to wilt, is to serve another like her, I will take it. Until I find a better way.
Sage Brighton made a choice six months ago. A choice that changed her whole world. Now she skulks in the shadows, hiding even more from her twin and the rest of the Queen family than she had before. Serving two immortals is stretching her beyond her limits. And then there’s her unwelcome attraction to Chaos, the immortal seeking to destroy her family, and her relationship with Peter. As Sage’s days and nights spiral out of control, can she figure out who to trust? A wrong move now could spell the end of everything she’s worked for. It could be the end of her.


If you want to see how this story begins, check out the first novel, Queen Witch! (You can read details and an excerpt on my "Fantasy Books" page.)Paperback
Kindle U.S.
Kindle U.K.
Nook

And watch for Chaos Calling in the next couple of weeks!

ROW80 Round Two Goals

It's a stunner that April has arrived and it's now time to dash into Spring like mad hares on the chase...  I'm not giving in utterly to this feeling, with other parts of life to attend to as well. My cup is overflowing in what feels like all areas of life at the moment. Last round I just completely disappeared. I was still writing, but I didn't feel like blogging. And I let myself take that break. We'll see how the Spring goes.

Instead of thinking how this abundance in life takes away from my time to pursue my writing goals (yes, that's my thought pattern. blech), I'm going to try to embrace it, and forgive myself when I don't produce words as fast as I'd like. The truth is, there are so many stories in this noggin that I don't think I'll ever be really happy with what I can accomplish in a day. Over time, those days build into something great, though -- and something only I can do. I have to relish that feeling of success instead of beating myself up when I'm not moving fast enough.


If you haven't seen Kait Nolan's post to start this round of A Round of Words in 80 Days, the writing challenge that knows you have a life, her message today is to Be Kind to Ourselves. It's an important message, and one I've come to grips with on my own in the past year. Burnout is a bitch, people. And self-doubt combined with lofty goals can result in depression over time, if you don't adjust your expectations and forgive yourself. Thank the Lord for all you're learning, for all you are doing. Take time to refill the well. And don't worry about sales. Don't worry.

I'll try to follow that advice this round.

And now maybe you think you'll see some minimized goals? Er...no. I have a lot of stuff in the works. If I can let off some steam occasionally and come back focused, maybe you'll be seeing it soon. :)

ROW80 Round Two Goals:

1) Publish Chaos Calling, the second book in my Foulweather Twins Trilogy. This book will go to beta readers this week, and be published by early May. It came back from editing really fast, and my editor demands the next book. Ha! Not written. :) I'll get there later this year.

2) Write Sheild!!!!!!! This is the fifth and final book in my Children of the Sidhe romance series. I've written about 3k, and have a complete outline. Plus this couple is hot. So I'm currently trying to really get to know what drives them so this draft will be a smooth one. My goal is 5k a week, although there will be some adjustments around the publication of Chaos Calling (goal #1).

3) Play with friends. That might sound strange as a writing goal, but I need to get out more. One of my wonderful girlfriends has been encouraging me for months to join a book club that's made up of several other friends from the college era, and their friends. I'm going to do it. I need to see these people, and engage in real person speak. Having actual conversations is, after all, likely the root of good dialogue. Right? Heh.

So those are my goals. I'll be interested to see if others pick up Kait's theme. I think it's helpful. She's right that we aren't machines. And who wants to be?

Have a great Spring! And remember to be kind to yourself.

Queen Witch Upgrades

Queen Witch has a lovely new cover done by Kellie Dennis at Book Cover by Design. It's also now available in paperback!! Finally!!!



Paperback
Kindle U.S.
Kindle U.K.
Nook


The second book in the trilogy is with my editor now, and should hit the e-shelves in May. I'll be doing a cover reveal for Chaos Calling soon!

My Writing Process Blog Tour

My friend Lauralynn Elliott was kind enough to invite me to join her on this blog tour about writing process. Lauralynn was an inspiration and a huge help as I began my publishing journey in 2011, and we've been buddies ever since. Check out Lauralynn's post from last week, and I'll also link to the authors following me at the end of this post. Thanks for the invitation, Lauralynn! :)

What am I working on?
A lot of things! I'm so far from a monogamous writer, it's not even funny. (Really. Just try it. Not funny. lol) I get bored easily, and when you look at my fiction writing, that's obvious.
I'm currently editing the second book in my Foulweather Twins fantasy series. Also, in a couple of weeks I'll start writing the fifth novella in my Children of the Sidhe fantasy romance series. I'm also looking to publish a couple of short stories this year.
And I have a LONG list of projects behind these....enough to keep me busy for many years. Just the way I like it!

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
I don't think a lot about genre when I'm conceptualizing a story. I think more about how cool it would be to X Y Z, or to be X Y Z. This has made it difficult to pin a genre on my work. Or a targeted age group, for that matter. But I have figured out what draws me to writing fiction, and what I will always pursue:
I'm all about myth and magic. A while ago I went on a vision quest (not really), trying to understand the commonalities that tie my strange story worlds together into a somewhat cohesive personality. Myth and magic is what I emerged with, and I've found it really does sum up what I'm after as a writer. This is the stuff that is just pure FUN for me.
My Children of the Sidhe romance series is heavy on the fantasy worldbuilding (and the sex, some tell me. :)). My current fantasy series, Foulweather Twins, is set in the modern world, and features a stubborn and suspicious witch born to a reclusive family that serves a powerful, self-centered immortal.

Why do I write what I do?
Um...I can't help it? Seriously, start any conversation with me and a fictional twist is just a heartbeat away. I joke with friends that I turned on the spigot a couple of years ago with story ideas, and there's nothing that can turn it off again. Story worlds are it for me. I love fantasy. It makes me happy.
In the evenings, after my three and five year old kids are in bed, the thing I practically skip to do is pick up one of my books on mythology, natural magic, moon magic, herbology, superstition, world religion, world ritual, monsters, mythical creatures, secret societies....etc. And within a couple of pages I usually have a fun idea.
I dream about a time when I could actually turn an evening of ideas into a book in short order. And I'm working on getting good enough to do just that. It's sure to take me some more years, so stay tuned... :)

How does my writing process work?
For me, stories start from all kinds of places. I'll usually have some idea that eventually sparks a story long before I know what I'd actually write about. And at some point, I get bored with the current project dominating my time, and my attention turns to a back burner idea -- and it BLOOMS. (In other words, some of my best creative work happens when I'm avoiding other projects. Yeah, quite a kicker.)
Once I have an idea, I try to understand the characters. Either they've spoken to me already, or I need to tease them out of hiding. This stage can take YEARS for me. I began thinking of my Foulweather twins back in 2003....don't tell them I neglected them that long. No reason they should know.
I have issues with my ideas being very large. Things that could take me a million directions and ten years to write. Being that I have a rather incredible backlog of stories I'd love to write, understanding where I'm headed before I start writing has become key for me.
I plot ahead of time, but just as in my marriage, I'm not so tied to my plan that I let roadblocks actually stall me. I'd rather adapt than waste time (or angst).
Some days, it's a matter of chasing that next sentence. I do not believe in writer's block. Lay down that next sentence. And the next. And the next. Within a few minutes you'll hit at least one spurt of understanding where you're headed. No matter how fleeting, grasp those moments and run with them. But know that tomorrow you might not feel inspired. WRITE THE NEXT SENTENCE. AND THE NEXT. AND THE NEXT.
Other times, I believe I know exactly where I'm headed, and somehow my characters take me on a ride I didn't expect. This is often my brain doing things I could never plan, that work far better than any plan I've made in my life. Let the brain do its magic. Don't stick so stringently to your plan that you deny the magic. Your brain is amazing. Half of this game is learning to trust it, give thanks for it, and move the heck on to the next story.

Good luck, people! Let me know if I've been helpful in this post, of if you have questions about what I've said. What I'm doing, you can do, too. Practice, learn your craft, and tell your stories. Or, if you don't have the writing bug, go right ahead and consume mine, if myth and magic appeals to you, too.

And next week, link to these fine ladies to learn more about how they do what they do...

Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the author of the Zellie Wells trilogy, the Day of Sacrifice series, The Toilet Business – a collection of humorous essays, Found (Penny Black #1), CROSSING, and multiple short stories. She sometimes goes by S.W. Benefiel or Reina Stowe, but knows she’s not foolin’ anybody. Stacey lives in an orange house in Beaverton, OR with her  two young children who have old people names.
When she’s not writing or driving the kids around, Stacey is at CrossFit, lifting heavy things and cursing the inventor of the Burpee.
Brooke Jackson has been creating stories for nearly as long as she has been able to hold a pencil. These days, when seh's not at her day job, working miracles in the kitchen, or being the family carpenter and electrician, Brooke finds time to dream, plot and write. Marked by Glory is Brooke's first published novel, available on Amazon and everywhere eBook are sold. It's a riveting tale about the supernatural forces taht control our lives...and our hearts. 

Mid-Week Update: Has It Been a MONTH?

Yep. It's been more than a month since I last posted here. Not sure why. I've definitely been busy with writing stuff -- specifically edits to my novel Chaos Calling, which will be released this spring. I'm done with my edits on paper. I think it's a good book. Ha! I don't believe I can actually tell with my own writing, though my books do seem to come together much more cleanly and smoothly than they did a couple of years ago. I guess we can all take some hope from that. :)

Life has been crazy. Work has been nuts, but I don't want to get into that. We're finally out of our three month intensive birthday/holiday season. Everything happens between November 4th and February 15th in this household. And with an extended family as large as ours, each holiday/birthday comes with two to four gatherings (more for Christmas). I kid you not. These folks make plenty of plans to keep us busy.

Also, my daughter turned five, and her father had long ago promised her a pet when she turned five. She's a sweet, calm girl, and she is ready for a pet, so I started doing my research on good first pets for young kids. I keep the pets in this family. Hubby will do what's needed of him, but he would rather leave the care taking mostly in the hands of...me. :) I won't argue, even though he was the one to tell her she could have a pet. Ahem. (Mostly because the man fixes my cars and mows my lawn, and I really like not having to worry about that stuff.)

Anyhoo, the pet we chose has been freaking people out. So...you write strange fiction about nonexistent beings -- who, by the way, have sex with each other and humans (yes a complaint I've actually gotten from extended family, to which I say, if you hate it DON'T READ IT. Also, that's only one of my series. *sigh*) -- and now you own...RATS?!?

Well, they're wonderful! They also make it super hard to get good pictures. Here's one of our rats, Gizmo, with my three-year-old daughter.


His brothers are Victor and Tizzy. I'm sure I'll add pics of the other boys soon. We've been having a great time with them. Gizmo likes to touch noses with the dog. We've even been gaining construction experience as we build stuff so they can go on adventures....and yes, this is another part of what I've been doing with my time. :)

Moving forward, I will start incorporating my edits into the electronic version Chaos Calling in a couple of days. Once that's off to my editor, I'm eager to write Shield, the final book in my Children of the Sidhe fantasy romance series. I want to write the first draft in a six-week stretch. I know I can do it -- that's devoting my 5,000 a week word count to that project alone, and then it will be DONE! The entire SERIES! Well, not quite done. I'll still have edits, and formatting the series omnibus for print....but, oh, I am excited to finish up a series this year.

Best of luck this week, writers and other friends!

Sunday Update: Finished Chaos Calling Yesterday

I can't believe those words, but they're true. In the middle of our family rush to put on a birthday party this weekend for the newly minted 5-year-old, my excellent, thoughtful husband sent me out in the world to seek my fortune…I mean to FINALLY FINISH THIS DAMN BOOK.

Seriously.

The last few scenes of a book should be just as easy to write as all the others, shouldn't they? Especially when you're me, because it's not like I leave the end to be finished each time. Nope. I'll just leave a blank space and red note at random junctures…basically when I get bored and want to move on faster through the story.

I basically sat on a story that was 80 percent complete since August, and hardly picked it up again until January. ARGH.

I will do better in 2014. I want the third book in this trilogy finished by the end of the year, on top of writing and publishing the final installment of my Children of the Sidhe fantasy romance series. I also have a bunch of shorts started and will start publishing those this spring/summer as I knock them off. Super fun, myth and magic based short stories -- see, my fall didn't go entirely to waste!

My word count goal was 5,000 for the week, but I wrote just 4,100. I also did a little touch-up rewriting, and that didn't count as new words.

This week I'll print and start a paper edit of the novel I finished yesterday. I want that book in the hands of my darling editor by President's Day. So probably an April release. :)

If you struggle with finding the fun in your writing, or if you're big on adding heaps of emotional pressure and such to the creative process, check out the blog of Dean Wesley Smith for some inspiration. Today's post on having fun writing is sure to give you a different way to look at your book baby. I'm a daily visitor at Dean's blog…when I found him it felt like validation for a lot of what I was feeling about the writing and publishing process. I've learned a ton from him. He's wonderful. Check him out. (He also happens to live in my home state, so it's fun to share weather. :))

Have a great week everyone!