R.L. Naquin's Blog, page 2

The Office of Dry Erase

I thought you might be interested in what goes on in my office. I try to be organized. I really do. But something unexpected always happens to throw things off.

For example, last year I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted things to go down. This was my partially completed editorial calendar from that time period. I had a plan that stretched all the way out to 2018 and covered 18 new books. Last year’s schedule was mapped out, month by month in what might be described as a terrifying plan. I was pretty confident, though.

 

We’ve now reached February of the following year, and I can tell you the plan is still good. But it’s about six months behind. I did get the short story collection out last month, though, and I’ve moved on to focus hard on Unfinished Muse. Life’s curveballs only delayed me. They didn’t make me quit. Here’s what that same dry-erase poster on my office wall looks like today:

 

In case you’re wondering what’s written in the upper lefthand corner, it says “Murffy was here” in my terrible handwriting. One of my oldest, bestest friends asked me to do that, since she lives too far away to do it herself. And there it will stay.

Usually, my elaborate plotting goes on the “Big Board,” but in the fall, I gave up the board so we could plan our television shows for the season. This is a throwback to the excitement of the fall lineup when we were kids. It’s not so much an organizational thing as it is the fun of planning what new shows we’ll try out and when our old shows are coming back. Don’t judge us for how much TV we watch. Honest. A lot of shows get dropped from our schedule fairly quickly.

It’s wiped clean, now, awaiting the timeline I’m working on for Unfinished Muse.

I also have a bunch of smaller boards I use for brainstorming individual problems, like character traits, lists of places, names of background characters, or this. This is from when I was working on Demons in My Driveway. It’s a map of the world. No, seriously. Each blob I drew represents a continent. It’s not meant to be accurate geographically (obviously). But I needed to visualize how many Aegises I had left and where they were in the world. The line with numbers above that is the list of chapter numbers. I have no idea why that’s there. It would also be on the Big Board.

 

I am a writer, not an artist.

In addition to the boards I’ve shown you, I also have two more of those dry-erase posters, only in yellow, on the wall behind me, two more mini boards, a dry-erase monthly calendar, a folding dry-erase board that looks like index cards, and an electronic Boogie Board. I take my notes and brainstorming seriously.

Really, I just like writing stuff so I can wipe it off again. And someday, if I’m very, very good, I’ll have one of those huge boards on wheels that flips over so I can write on it on both sides.

Everybody’s gotta have a dream. I’m sure you’ve got a weird one, too. Right?

See you real soon!

I Made It!

Holy hell. It’s the end of January.

Since my last blog post, I finished writing the last Monster Haven book, went through a developmental edit, a line edit, a copy edit, and a proofread.

I wrote several new short stories, edited all eighteen shorts and four poems with editor Sara, and finally got Transmonstrified published. (My husband did the formatting. I can’t take credit for that.) In a few weeks, the print version will be out, too.

I put together blog posts, favorite lines, and fun facts for my publisher to use during the release week for Phoenix in My Fortune. And I attended a book signing in Topeka.

I also survived Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, and at least one new emergency stay at the hospital for my dad.

For those of you who have asked, Dad’s pretty much the same. Some good days. Some not so good days. Not a lot of changes, really. I was right about this being the new normal.

So. With the holidays over, the last Monster Haven book out the door and awaiting its release date, and the long-promised short story collection published, my stress level has dropped considerably. My plate is not so full that I don’t have time to breathe.

My number-one priority now is tackling Unfinished Muse, the first in the Mt. Olympus Employment Agency series. I should be finished with the first draft mid-March, and I hope to have it available for you by May. The second book, Unamused Muse, won’t be far behind. And if things go as planned, right on its heels will be the third and final Muse story, Uninspired Muse.

I have no more blog posts to write for other people at the moment, so I’ll be back here, taking care of my own blog again. Consider this post to be a reboot. After this, I’ll try to post every Monday. And I’ll try not to make it all updates and news. With things settling down, I’m hoping to have some new road trips to report on soon. I’m also hoping to use our ridiculously huge LEGO collection to give you sneak peeks of scenes I’m writing. It’ll be epic. And probably stupid.

But the bottom line is, I’ve missed talking to you folks. I had to hole myself up and get a ton of stuff done. It left me no brainpower (or time) for being goofy on my own blog. And socializing was minimal, on and off the Internet. That time is over now.

I’ll be back on Monday, just in time for Groundhog Day. If I see my shadow, it’ll be six more weeks until I get this book written. If I don’t, it’ll be a month and a half.

See you real soon!

Demons’ Birthday

Holy cow, guys. I’m writing this the night before Demons in My Driveway is born. I honestly can’t believe this is book five already. Seriously. I don’t remember writing five books.

Actually, I’m close to having written six, which is even crazier.

Anyway, we’re almost done with Zoey’s story. Demons is the beginning of the end–sort of the first part to a two-part finale.

Unlike the release day for book four, I’m not able to take the day off. I went away last week and holed up in an Internet-free cabin in the woods to work on book six, Phoenix in My Fortune. I’m not done, but I am getting close. Not close enough to take off tomorrow to celebrate, though.

So, here’s the question: Will tomorrow be the day? Will book five bring the release day when I don’t spontaneously burst into tears? I have no idea. I don’t feel overly emotional. I feel cool. I feel like this is no big deal. I’m totally jaded by now.

Ha!

Yeah. We’ll see. I’ll let you know how it goes. If it’s going to happen, it has to be this one. Because when Phoenix comes out, it’ll be like saying goodbye to Zoey. And I’m terrible at goodbyes. I’m going to bawl like a little girl who lost her favorite stuffed armadillo.

I hope you enjoy the beginning of the end. The zombie apocalypse awaits.

See you real soon!

Regrouping, Rethinking, and Responding

If you follow me on Facebook or if you’ve read my blog recently, you know we’ve had a pretty rough couple of months with my dad having a massive stroke and all that goes along with that. Now that things have fallen into more of a routine, the dust has settled and I can focus on work again.

My editorial calendar is totally trashed, guys. Really. I’m so far behind I want to throw my arms in the air and walk away. I’ll try this author thing again another lifetime, and I’ll try to get started a little earlier than the age of forty next time.

But that’s not realistic. And I don’t give up. Plus, I kind of love what I do. But, according to the schedule I set for myself at the beginning of the year, I am now two novels and a short story collection behind. Seriously. How can I possibly catch up?

I can’t. My fabulous husband keeps giving me the stink-eye and telling me I’m not behind. I just have to re-adjust the schedule. So. That’s what I’m here to do today.

The good news is, although I’m technically two months behind on Monster Haven #6, Phoenix in My Fortune, my publisher is working with me to get it out on time anyway. That does mean, however, that I have to give it my full attention for the next few months. The short-story collection, Transmonstrified, probably won’t be out until November or December. I’ve got three half-written short stories and one brand new one to write still, plus the edits Awesome Editor Sara has been working on with the rest of the stories. I can’t possibly juggle those while writing the final book in Zoey’s story. I’ve been trying. It’s not efficient. And frankly, writing the finale requires my full concentration.

I promise you, I’m making the collection worth your wait. Multiple new Monster Haven stories, a ton of stuff you’ve never seen, and a new Mt. Olympus story (starring the gorgon receptionist!) that may very well turn into a serial down the road.

So. By the end of the year, the collection will be out and the last Monster Haven book will be off my plate. Come January, I’ll be able to focus entirely on the first Mt. Olympus books and get those out as quickly as I’m able.

And then? There’s a certain closet monster who’s begging me for his own series. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.

Anyway. Thank you all so much for the kind words, encouragement, and patience. I’m finishing up this crazy year and then moving forward with a fresh start.

I’m not late. I’ve rescheduled.

See you real soon!

Step into My Office

Lately, I’ve found the best way to keep myself productive is to keep changing my environment. Home is often too filled with dirty things to be cleaned, empty things to be filled, loose things to be put away.

I’m easily distracted.

Just to be clear–it doesn’t mean I clean those things when I’m home. I sit there wallowing in what a terrible housekeeper I am instead of either 1. Doing something about it or 2. Ignoring it and getting back to work.

So occasionally, I put on pants and go out.

Sometimes I go to Starbucks. It’s a good choice. They keep me well fed on nutritious sandwiches, and I can drink an awful lot of unsweetened iced green tea, which doesn’t cost me much in either dollars or calories.

There are days that Starbucks is overrun, so I have to go elsewhere. The grocery store across the street from there also has a Starbucks, plus lots of comfy booths and tables, plenty of outlets, and wifi. I don’t eat as healthy, often grabbing a couple of questionable egg rolls from the deli counter, but I can get a lot of work done and my tea is still there.

Today, I find myself in our brand new, high tech, fabulous library. I picked out a couple of books I’ve been wanting to read.

(Side note to NY publishers: no, sorry, I don’t care how hard you’re fighting for higher e-book prices, I’m not paying that much. I’ll get the books free from the library until you see reason and bring the prices down. That’s from a consumer standpoint, not an author standpoint. It’s also another blogpost, not this one. But $10.99 is far too much for a digital version of a book that’s nearly fifteen years old.)

I digress.

So, I’m in my fab new library where I have an outlet next to me, the wifi came right up, and the atmosphere is pretty quiet. The larger tables are all filled, so I’m kind of hunched over an end table sort of thing, but it’s my first time working here, so the novelty hasn’t worn off. There’s even a little coffee kiosk on the way in, and I was able to get iced green tea.

The difference between these three places really comes down to the people around me.

Starbucks is usually filled with students and professors preparing for classes. I live in a college town, so that’s to be expected. It’s pretty quiet, but tends to get super busy.

The grocery store is fascinating. It seems to be some kind of meeting place for strangers doing business. I eavesdrop–of course I do, I’m a writer–and try to figure out what people are there for. A wedding dj went over the happy couple’s playlist. A Disney travel agent gave a spiel to a stranger considering a career change. A nanny had an interview with a potential new family.

I’m in the library. It’s so quiet. People speak in hushed tones punctuated by children’s laughter and the scraping of a chair. There’s a lot of reading going on in here. And typing. Except for one fascinating woman sitting by the window doing something intricate with string. Tatting? Friendship bracelets? I can’t stop watching. I want to take up a new hobby and sit across from her in the picture window. Origami, maybe. That would be nice.

I have one more option, but I’m waiting for the weather to cool down. For my birthday last month, I got a desk that attaches to my steering wheel. Yes, I know. I read all the hilarious reviews spawned by George Takei. But I wanted one anyway.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll try it out. I’ll drive out to the lake, park overlooking the water, and work from inside my car while watching the seagulls dive for fish.

Do you think the yacht club over there has iced green tea?

The New Normal

You may have noticed I’ve been grossly absent from this blog lately. Maybe not. Maybe, like me, you notice when someone has a new blog post up, but don’t notice when there isn’t a new one. If you follow me on Facebook at all, you may have seen that, back in May, my dad had a massive stroke, so you haven’t expected a post.

Now, I’m not really big on hanging out my personal life in public, even on my personal Facebook page. So, I’m not really going into details here, since I don’t think the hospital stays, insurance issues, incompetent movers, or nursing home musical chairs are very interesting.

But I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. This entire experience has been filled with sorrow, anger, panic, helplessness, and depression in a great big stew of all the worst emotions humans can experience. There have been good days and bad days — and the bad days have been pretty damn awful.

But people can’t sustain that over a long period of time. The mind checks out, I think. At some point, as long as nothing changes, no matter how horrible the situation, it begins to feel normal. To be honest, each time we reached what we’ve been calling “The New Normal,” something new happened to throw us back into emergency mode. Right now, I’m on the other side of that again, and everything seems normal. Not great. Just normal. This is what life is now. It’ll change eventually, I’m sure, but for now, this is a normal day.

So, what’s this got to do with writing? (You knew I’d have to bring it around eventually, right?)

This all got me to thinking about the characters in Monster Haven. Zoey begins with no knowledge of monsters or fairies or gargoyles existing. It doesn’t take long before she settles into her new life — her new normal. She can’t sustain a high level of panic, fear, distrust, and disbelief. No one can live like that. The emotions have to level off.

Maurice is going through a terrible divorce, but he settles in, too. I suppose there are some people who normally dwell in a place of sadness, but that’s not Maurice’s personality. No matter how bad things get, he’s going to recover and accept the new way of life.

Normal doesn’t necessarily mean bright and cheery or dismissing of the way things are. For some people going through a loss or other tragedy (or monster invasion), The New Normal might be a pretty dark place. But in the end, I don’t think our minds or bodies are made to function on high alert or constant sorrow indefinitely.

I’m sure there are all sorts of psychology papers written about this. It’s not a new idea. It’s simply new to me.

I’m living The New Normal.

It’s time for me to stop existing in emergency mode and time to get back to work.

Monster in the Flesh

On Friday, I announced on Facebook the big, exciting news that Monster in My Closet it going to be released in trade paperback on June 2.

This is pretty huge for me. I’ve had four books published so far, and I’ve never held an actual print book with my name on it. I guarantee, there will be tears when it finally happens.

But there are details I promised to share over here.

As you probably know, my publisher, Carina Press, is a digital-first publisher. Print is not their primary concern. Their parent company is Harlequin, which has been around forever. Carina is only about four-years old. We’ve all been eager to see them start coming out with print versions of their books, but that takes time, negotiations, contracts. Publishing is changing fast, and one of the reasons I chose them was that they were rolling with those changes, trying new things, and experimenting to find what works.

And now they’re looking at all the options for getting their books into print.

The old ways of doing things were/are pretty brutal, especially for the author. A seemingly arbitrary number is chosen for the print run, the books are distributed to stores, and a month or two later, any leftover copies (unless it’s a bestseller) will likely be pulled, have their covers ripped off, and the price paid refunded to the bookseller. The publisher and author don’t get paid for those books.

I’ve simplified the process, but that’s the regular way of doing things. But you can see some of the problems. Bookstores don’t have a lot of room to carry a book indefinitely. If it doesn’t catch fire right away, it’s doomed. And everybody loses money.

Carina is experimenting with traditional, mass-market paperbacks in stores. I’ve seen a few out in the wild. Now they’re trying out print-on-demand options as well.

Print-on-demand has pros and cons to it. It’s a bit more expensive to produce, which makes the price higher. (And mine is going to be produced as a trade paperback, which is larger and fancier than a mass market paperback.) For now, physical bookstores won’t carry them. (They wouldn’t be able to return the ones they can’t sell.) However, the books won’t disappear after a month or two, either. Print-on-demand is forever(ish).

Monster in My Closet will be available in trade paperback on Amazon (not sure where else, yet) on June 2, 2014. The retail price will be $17.95, though I’m sure Amazon will discount it because, you know, that’s what they do.

So, those are the details. Monster has been chosen to test this out. There’s no planned end date, but it is a test of the POD service. Things could change, or this could prove to be a success and maybe the rest of the books will follow. Who knows?

Everything is changing. I feel so fortunate to be in the middle of those changes.

Have a great week! See you real soon!

 

Guess What Day It Is!

Golem in My Glovebox is out!

I cannot begin to describe what it’s like to know there were people sitting up last night, waiting for their e-readers to kick in and download their pre-order at the moment it was released. I have no words for that. I can tell you that I’m trying not to cry this morning, though. This is my fourth book release, and I’m hoping to make it through (for the first time) without bursting into over-emotional tears.

I’m walking a very thin line. I don’t think I’m going to make it.

I am so very grateful to every one of you who’s taken the time to tell me how much you love these books. I had hoped a few people would enjoy what I’d written. I didn’t expect so many people to truly love them. Today, especially, I want to reach out and hug all of you.

But enough of the emotional stuff. Let’s leave that for Zoey. I just wanted to stop by and wave on my way out the door.

For each of the previous release days, I’ve stationed myself in front of my laptop checking sales ranks, watching for reviews, and thanking people for their congratulations. I’m usually a complete mess by the end of the day. (Refresh, refresh, refresh.)

Today is going to be different. By the fourth book release in a year and a half, I should be a pro, right? My wonderful husband took the day off from work. We’re going out. There’s a King Tut exhibit I want to see. A restaurant that serves burgers via a model train that runs around the room. There might even be a trip to the planetarium and the LEGO store.

I’m not even going to pretend that I won’t be checking my phone all the time. And I’m not going to promise that I won’t burst into tears the minute my husband comes out of the bedroom and tells me “Happy release day!”

But I will be thinking about all of you today, wherever I end up going. Because without my awesome readers, today would be just another Monday in just another April.

Thanks for taking this ride with Zoey and me.

See you real soon!

The Mount Olympus Employment Agency

I promised last week I’d be back to tell you a little about the new series I’m working on. So, here I am, ready to spill my guts. Not all my guts, mind you. Some of my guts. We can’t have too many guts in one post. It’s not like I write horror, you know.

At the moment, I’m actually juggling two separate things: The first book in the new series and a brand new Monster Haven short story. In the spirit of gut-spilling, you can watch the progress bars over on the right to see how I’m doing.

The idea for the short story is a little new, so I’m not ready to tell you about it. But I will say this: It’s from Maurice’s point of view this time. I have a hunch a lot of people are going to be excited about that.

So, the new series. Books one through three follow Wynter Greene, a perpetual quitter who’s never really engaged in life, love, or career. When times get tough, Wynter always moves on. Until the day she quits her job, dumps her boyfriend, and tosses out a half-finished craft project. The triple-quit triggers a shift in her entire world. Her houseplant, Phyllis, starts talking to her, then takes over her life, sending her to the Mount Olympus Employment Agency where she’s assigned to the Muse department. How can Wynter, a lifelong loser, possibly help other people complete their projects? She’d better figure it out fast. If she fails, she’ll be transferred to the gates of Hades where she’ll be stuck shoveling poop for the three-headed dog, Cerberus.

That’s the premise. The first three books are tentatively titled Unfinished Muse, Unamused Muse, and Uninspired Muse. And yes, I have a basic outline already for all three. But here’s the big secret to it all. After I write those three, I’ll dive into the next department with a new main character.  I have ideas for several of them, including Fates, Oracles, Furies, and Graces. So, you know, that ought to hold me for awhile. That’s fifteen books. Or not. Let’s see how the Muse books go, then I’ll see what’s next.

I don’t actually intend to write a series for the Cupid department, but I did write a short story taking place in the Cupid department for a Valentine’s Day short story collection over at Here Be Magic. If you didn’t catch it, you can read it here: Unmatched Cupid.

Yep. All the books and stories follow the same pattern–Un(something) followed by the department.

So, there you go. A little more information about what I’m doing right now. I’m aiming for the new Monster Haven short story to be in the April newsletter, then it’ll go on sale shortly before the April 21st release of Monster Haven #5, Golem in My Glovebox. So, you know, if you’re not signed up, make sure you do it soon by going here: Rachel’s Newsletter.

And that’s all the guts I’m going to spill for today. Back to work!

See you real soon!

2014: The Year of Focus

The last few years have been a crazy ride. I went from being a complete non-finisher to a published author of three (four, if you count the book currently available for pre-order) in three-and-a-half years.

The learning curve was huge. 2010 was The Year of Learning to Finish. Up to that point, I couldn’t even be counted on to follow through to completion on a short story. A novel was a brand new endeavor. I started in July and finished (thanks to a last minute leap into NaNoWriMo) at the end of November.

I followed that up in 2011 with The Year of Chasing the Dream. I learned to edit, query, accept rejection and, eventually, accept an offer and sign a contract.

For the record, I think that was the most difficult year. It might as well have been called The Year of Not Knowing What Would Happen. Believe me, that’s a state-of-being I despise. I have to have a plan, and you can’t do that when your novel is in the submission stage.

2012 was The Year of Dreams Fulfilled. Also, The Year of Learning to Be an Author. I worked with my awesome editor, experienced the joys and sorrows of back cover copy, cover art, and a new book title and series title assigned to me. And I experienced selling a second novel to the same publisher without having to go through the gut-wrenching official submission process. And then selling an unwritten four more books in the series.

If anything, 2013 was The Year of Becoming a Professional. I repeated the writing, editing, marketing, and all the other things I’d been doing. Plus, I started really studying the industry and learning from the experts. I went to a conference and a convention. I was on the radio. I spoke on a couple of panels. 2013 was terrifying.

And now, here we are. 2014. After last year, how do I continue the forward momentum? So much has already happened in such a short time.

I just turned in book five in the Monster Haven series, with only one book left before my contract with Carina is complete. Once I turn in that final book in August, what then?

Well, here’s the thing. When I plant my ass in the chair and work instead of wandering around “planning” to write, I’m pretty fast. I should be writing a book every two months. I’ve learned the pieces I need to pull that off. I just have to focus and put those pieces together.

So. 2014. Focus. And because this blog was originally started back in 2010 with the intention of making myself accountable, I’m going to tell you The Plan. I have an enormous dry erase poster next to my desk with my editorial calendar written on it. Mostly, projects are based on the two-month cycle it takes (in theory) to write a book.

In January, I published two short stories on my own in the Monster Haven world. They’re doing surprisingly well. By the beginning of April I’d like to publish another story.

Demons in My Driveway was due in to my editor by the end of February. I was a week late, but I think I can make up the time. Demons needed that extra week to be a better book.

March and April I’ll be writing the first book of my Mount Olympus Employment Agency series. Also, book 4, Golem in My Glovebox will be out.

May through August, I’ll be writing the final Monster Haven book, Phoenix in My Fortune.

I’ll also be working on a short story collection to be published over the summer, which is why I’m giving myself four months for those two projects. There will be some new Monster Haven stories in it, some old ones, and a bunch of other stories totally unrelated to Monster Haven. Most of the stories are already written or partly finished, so a lot of the work involved will be in the editing and layout/design/formatting. I’m not doing it alone, though. I’ve got an awesome editor already working with me on it.

After that, I’ve got two more books to write for the new series before the end of the year. Believe it or not, there’s padding built in there for surprise edits, problems, and maybe even a short vacation.

All it’s going to take is a little focus. I got this far without it. Now it’s time to take it up a few notches.

But I’ll need you to keep me accountable. I’m not quite there yet.

Oooh! A butterfly!

I’ll be back in a few days to tell you a little more about the new series. I’m really excited about it, and I hope you will be, too.

See you real soon!