Contest reminder, revisions and upcoming excerpts

Did you see that I'm running a contest to give away 5 signed copies of UP FROM THE GRAVE? No? Then go here to get all the details, but hurry. Contest ends Monday night.

A little over two weeks ago, I finished writing THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES (what's that, you say? Go here for all the details!) Since then, I've been trying to get caught up on business things while hoping, as I always do, that the book didn't suck. Even after finishing a dozen novels, I still am not a good judge of my own work. All I know when I finish a novel is that I love the story and characters, but that doesn't mean anyone else will :). It's why I usually get at least one critique before I even send a completed manuscript to my editor. Preferably two, if my critique partners aren't buried under their own deadlines. I had a full critique and two partials on THE BEAUTIFUL ASHES before my editor saw the final version, so for the past couple weeks, I've been nervously hoping that I ironed out the worst of the kinks in my pre-editorial-note revisions.

Yesterday, I got the much-anticipated email from my editor telling me that she LOVED the book. Cue relieved happy dancing! Revisions arrive on Monday, so I'll be back to work on it then. Once those are done,  I can finally start to post excerpts online. I've been holding off because I wasn't sure what scenes would stay or go, but after revisions are completed, I'll know, so stay tuned! I can't wait to share Ivy and Adrian with you :).