Lynessa Layne's Blog: The Dark Side of Light - Posts Tagged "dcye"
140,000 Word Novel?
Ok, so my internal debate today is whether to keep DCYE book 4 'DANGEROUS GAMES' where it stands (finishing last chapter today) at 140,000-ish words (approximately 450 pages), or break it off into book 5 'HOSTILE TAKEOVER' at a lower word/page count. The first three DCYE novels in the series are 104,000 to 111,000 words (380-400-ish pages).
I personally like a longer book, especially in a series. More read for the money, and more story for the mind. What are YOUR thoughts?
Replies welcome!
LLIL,
Lynessa
I personally like a longer book, especially in a series. More read for the money, and more story for the mind. What are YOUR thoughts?
Replies welcome!
LLIL,
Lynessa
What's She Been Up To?
Over several weekends, from late February through mid-April, hubs and I have been remodeling our basement storage room into a home office / writing cave. What started as 70s fabulous linoleum and cinderblock wall has been transformed into a shiplap and gray wood-look tile modern haven for writing. (For pics, check out my Facebook page...pics to be added to my website soon as well.)
I LOVE my new digs for writing! I am so happy with how it turned out! Motivation for sure. Since moving into the distraction-minimized office, I have been able to concentrate at a level I've never experienced, and productivity has exploded! I've published book 2 of DCYE in paperback, submitted book 3 for paperback, completed book 4 (150,900 words / about 475 pages in print) for paperback, and eBook, and it's gone through my amazing editor for final review. Book 4 is in formatting and prep phase for publishing, and should be released by late May. Book 3 paperback should be released mid-May. After all this, I'm taking a month off for summer vacation, but plan on diving into book 5 in July.
In addition to remodeling, yes, I'm a soccer and karate mom, so practices, games and matches are a regular part of real life. Three of our 4 girls, 8, 11, and 13, all earned orange belts last week! In addition, my 8 year old, playing on the 10 year old team, won 3rd place in the city soccer league today! They beat the team that knocked them out of the championship match, by a score of 9 - 2 today, so they get a team trophy! (No trophies for 4th place) Never give up was a tough lesson to learn, but the kids rose to the challenge, and learned perseverance in the process.
Additional projects on the docket include publishing a fellow author's books in paperback (my editor TK), working on a mustery-suspense crime novel with her, compiling short stories for a collection, gathering more fodder for DCYE series on-location in Florida, and revisiting a stand-alone noir mustery-suspense crime novel based in New Orleans I started a couple of years ago.
In addition to all this, another first...
DCYE has been submitted for Writer's Digest and Independent Author Network Book of the Year! This is the first time one of my novels has been up for an award, so I'm excited, nervous and a little overwhelmed at once. I want to thank everyone who's picked up one of my books and fallen in. Without you, I'd just be a frazzled homeschool mom babbling in the corner instead of writing books for you. Thank you for kind words of support and appreciation of the work I put into each and every sentence!
LLIL,
Lynessa
I LOVE my new digs for writing! I am so happy with how it turned out! Motivation for sure. Since moving into the distraction-minimized office, I have been able to concentrate at a level I've never experienced, and productivity has exploded! I've published book 2 of DCYE in paperback, submitted book 3 for paperback, completed book 4 (150,900 words / about 475 pages in print) for paperback, and eBook, and it's gone through my amazing editor for final review. Book 4 is in formatting and prep phase for publishing, and should be released by late May. Book 3 paperback should be released mid-May. After all this, I'm taking a month off for summer vacation, but plan on diving into book 5 in July.
In addition to remodeling, yes, I'm a soccer and karate mom, so practices, games and matches are a regular part of real life. Three of our 4 girls, 8, 11, and 13, all earned orange belts last week! In addition, my 8 year old, playing on the 10 year old team, won 3rd place in the city soccer league today! They beat the team that knocked them out of the championship match, by a score of 9 - 2 today, so they get a team trophy! (No trophies for 4th place) Never give up was a tough lesson to learn, but the kids rose to the challenge, and learned perseverance in the process.
Additional projects on the docket include publishing a fellow author's books in paperback (my editor TK), working on a mustery-suspense crime novel with her, compiling short stories for a collection, gathering more fodder for DCYE series on-location in Florida, and revisiting a stand-alone noir mustery-suspense crime novel based in New Orleans I started a couple of years ago.
In addition to all this, another first...
DCYE has been submitted for Writer's Digest and Independent Author Network Book of the Year! This is the first time one of my novels has been up for an award, so I'm excited, nervous and a little overwhelmed at once. I want to thank everyone who's picked up one of my books and fallen in. Without you, I'd just be a frazzled homeschool mom babbling in the corner instead of writing books for you. Thank you for kind words of support and appreciation of the work I put into each and every sentence!
LLIL,
Lynessa
My FIRST book show!
On November 20th, I'll be attending my very first book show / author signing event as an author with a table!
As a person on the autism spectrum (Aspergers), I've always been petrified of crowds and debilitated by overstimulation. I cried ridiculously the first time hubs drove me through the French Quarter, okay? There. I admit it. When something is so beautiful it overwhelms me, or too much is going on at once for me to process my surroundings, I can't control my emotions. I had to run to our hotel room the first time we went to a casino. So many lights, sounds, bustle. On a second visit, once I'd had a chance to absorb everything before it was crowded, I was able to babystep through without melting down.
I may be painfully shy and quiet in public, looking for cues in facial expressions or tones of voice, but when I'm writing, at home, I have time and order conducive to expressing myself in written word. I have time to absorb and process the world around me. When life comes at me fast, I spiral into meltdown mode and want to crawl into a quiet place. That's why it's taken me so long to get to this place where I can do what I need to do to make this experience happen...why I've never done a big event as a writer.
After hubs took me to the T.I.A.B.C. book show in Tampa last month, many of my fears and trepidations melted away. I found myself accepting the possibility that I COULD do this. Even the relatively uncrowded Hollywood Studios theme park had me reaching for my inhaler ov vacation, so this is a big step. For those who don't understand or don't have to deal with autism, it's real, and it affects people in varying degrees. That's why it's called being "on the spectrum". It doesn't just happen out of the blue. It's lifelong. It's frustrating. It's disabling at times. The more I force myself out of my comfort zone, the more I chip away at it. Going to this event is a big step forward, though I try to push it to the back of my mind so it doesn't grow into a monster.
Regardless, I'll be there. I like small spaces, so having an author table in my own prison cell is a comforting thought, strange as that may sound. I'm excited to go and be there. I just hope it's a good experience to build on moving forward. So, if you attend, at least you know what a truly big deal it is, and even if nobody wants to buy my books, it's going to be a major victory for me as a person.
Looking forward to good conversations and seeing what it's like.
'LOCKED UP IN OHIO' author signing event
DATE: 20 Nov 2021
TIME: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
PLACE: Mansfield Reformatory
100 Reformatory Road
Mansfield, Ohio
COST: FREE for general admission; $20 for V.I.P.
TICKETS (Eventbrite.com):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/locked-u...
LLIL,
Lynessa
As a person on the autism spectrum (Aspergers), I've always been petrified of crowds and debilitated by overstimulation. I cried ridiculously the first time hubs drove me through the French Quarter, okay? There. I admit it. When something is so beautiful it overwhelms me, or too much is going on at once for me to process my surroundings, I can't control my emotions. I had to run to our hotel room the first time we went to a casino. So many lights, sounds, bustle. On a second visit, once I'd had a chance to absorb everything before it was crowded, I was able to babystep through without melting down.
I may be painfully shy and quiet in public, looking for cues in facial expressions or tones of voice, but when I'm writing, at home, I have time and order conducive to expressing myself in written word. I have time to absorb and process the world around me. When life comes at me fast, I spiral into meltdown mode and want to crawl into a quiet place. That's why it's taken me so long to get to this place where I can do what I need to do to make this experience happen...why I've never done a big event as a writer.
After hubs took me to the T.I.A.B.C. book show in Tampa last month, many of my fears and trepidations melted away. I found myself accepting the possibility that I COULD do this. Even the relatively uncrowded Hollywood Studios theme park had me reaching for my inhaler ov vacation, so this is a big step. For those who don't understand or don't have to deal with autism, it's real, and it affects people in varying degrees. That's why it's called being "on the spectrum". It doesn't just happen out of the blue. It's lifelong. It's frustrating. It's disabling at times. The more I force myself out of my comfort zone, the more I chip away at it. Going to this event is a big step forward, though I try to push it to the back of my mind so it doesn't grow into a monster.
Regardless, I'll be there. I like small spaces, so having an author table in my own prison cell is a comforting thought, strange as that may sound. I'm excited to go and be there. I just hope it's a good experience to build on moving forward. So, if you attend, at least you know what a truly big deal it is, and even if nobody wants to buy my books, it's going to be a major victory for me as a person.
Looking forward to good conversations and seeing what it's like.
'LOCKED UP IN OHIO' author signing event
DATE: 20 Nov 2021
TIME: 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
PLACE: Mansfield Reformatory
100 Reformatory Road
Mansfield, Ohio
COST: FREE for general admission; $20 for V.I.P.
TICKETS (Eventbrite.com):
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/locked-u...
LLIL,
Lynessa
Special Edition Covers
I've been designing new covers to reflect new and more content, so be on the lookout for a fresh look coming very soon! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the upcoming cover reveals! 😍
The Dark Side of Light
Musings on the things that matter in my realm as an author, reader, spiritual leader, and person.
I feature character interviews with my own characters and consider interviews with characters readers ...more
I feature character interviews with my own characters and consider interviews with characters readers ...more
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