That’s right, get your FREE download of the Dunvegas 2007 collection of short paranormal stories from the authors of the Behind the Veil blog. Here’s the direct link.

Happy Halloween to All!

My contribution to the collection is a little tale I call “The Big Bad Wolf” - it’s a werewolf story set in the ficticious Dunvegas hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday!

I had a great time meeting everyone in Marlboro on Saturday. Such a nice group of people! And I loved the Halloween costumes!

It’s been a busy few days. First off, today I posted my snippet from the Dunvegas collection we’re doing on the Behind The Veil blog (Link in my sidebar). It was also my day to post on the Daughters of Circe blog and now I’m posting here, so there’s been a whole lotta posting going on!   I spent last night finalizing the Dunvegas cover art and also working on a page where I’ll be posting links to the various free stories I have floating around - 3 in total, right now. We’re promoting the Duvegas collection as a whole on the blog for the month of November, then I’ll be posting just my story - titled “The Big Bad Wolf” - on my site, probably at the beginning of December. Like I said, I’ve been working on a page just for free stories to add to my site, which will probably go live then, if I can finish it in time and figure how to add it into the existing framework of the site.

In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at the cover. I did a basic cover for the collection as a whole, then adapted it for my individual story. I’ve offered to do individual covers like this for the rest of the authors in the series, but so far, nobody’s taken me up on it. But then, we’re all pretty busy, so I’ve noticed some paying more attention than others at different points in this project. I know I was guilty of that until a week or two ago, when I got moving on the story in earnest.

The story is a short - only about 5,000 words, but it introduces the head of security for the ficticious casino called Dunvegas. He’s a werewolf, of course, and the red-haired woman who stumbles into his path is much more than a tasty morsel… she’s his mate.

The full story will be available on Halloween, along with the others in the collection, so look for the download link on the Beyond The Veil blog.

Signing Tomorrow - Marlborough, MA

Tomorrow is a BIG event for the Paranormal Romance Book Club up in Marlborough, MA. Stella Price and I are doing a discussion and signing at the Borders there from 2-4pm and everyone is welcome! I hope I’ll see some of you there!

Stella and I will both have prize bags filled with promo items for just about everyone who shows up. We’ll also be answering questions about romance, writing, publishing… whatever anyone wants to know, and signing our books.

Sweat 70 & Editing

Today is the day. I hope. I really need to get a grip on these edits and I have a few hours this afternoon to really dig my teeth into the book and fix the things that don’t quite jive. I absolutely hate fixing a book after the fact. I’d much rather write it clean from the get-go, but alas, this is part of the publishing process and I have to just do it.

So pardon me while I do a little verbal kicking and screaming before I get working.   Of course, I have Hugh up there for… inspiration. Yummmmmm.
Wish me luck!

Strange Day

I haven’t been writing anything new, so the writing challenge is on hold - sort of - until I finish with edits. I had a strange day and haven’t even started working on my book yet today. See, I had to take a spur of the moment train ride into Manhattan for meetings related to my “real” job, which ain’t writing.

I’m at a sort of cross-roads in my career. I spent a lot of time climbing the corporate ladder, got pretty high too, but I decided to chuck it all and try my hand at writing a few short years ago. The writing thing has been going reasonably well, but now I’m faced with a tough decision: Do I continue writing or do I accept a really great job offer at the top of my former profession?

The enticements are many. I didn’t quite realize until I went into the city today how much I missed the atmosphere and the politeness of that world. I haven’t worn any of my suits in a long time. It was nice to brush off the lapels and my commuting shoes (I have great shoes that not only look good, but can be walked in for considerable distances on city streets). It was nice to sit comfortably with colleagues who understood my background, my education, my experience, etc. It was nice to be taken seriously by powerful people (in their realm) and not feel like a newbie or a struggling author for a little while.

For a little while today, I was in my element - comfortable surroundings where what I said had weight. When I decided to chuck that career and start seeking publication for my writing, I gave that up. For the past few years I’ve been starting all over at the bottom - a newbie who has little credibility, no formal education in English or creative writing, and no big contract with a big publisher to lend me countenance. No, I’ve been a struggling writer with an up-and-coming publisher. I’ve been a new kid on the block, needing to prove myself everywhere I go and every time I speak.

That’s way different from what I was used to, but I was happy to deal with it if it meant I could do what I love… write. But that other world is really, really tempting.

So I have a lot of thinking to do. Today was a strange day - in some ways comforting to return to my old world, and in some ways disturbing to realize where I was and where I am now.

In unrelated news: The space shuttle docks with the ISS tomorrow, so don’t forget to tune into NASA TV if you want to see it. I’ll be watching, that’s for sure!

Space Shuttle Today!

The shuttle just might be going up today. I’ve been watching NASA TV since about 6am this morning and it looks like it’s all a go, except for a small ice issue they’re discussion. Hopefully the ice thing won’t postpone the launch. Keep your fingers crossed!

For those of you who don’t know yet, I’m a space nut. I watch NASA TV pretty much non-stop on my computer while the shuttle is up there. I just find it fascinating! Probably because my Dad is a scientist and worked on the lunar module and some of the early space shuttle stuff too. He’s worked on a number of amazing projects and to this day, we always try to watch launches and landings of the shuttle together. He’s a great guy.

On the writing front, I’ve started my edits but they’re slow going. I have to change a lot about a certain character because my editor just hates her. Boo. This is the worst edit I’ve ever had. Usually, they’re a breeze, but this… well, I’m earning my money on this one. But it’s making me re-think the whole writing thing. If I have to go through this every time, I don’t think I want to be a writer anymore!

Still Sweating

How’s that for inspiration? Or maybe for instilling fear! LOL!

I need a bit of a kick in the pants right now because I’m entering a phase of edits. These are perhaps the worst I’ve had to deal with in my (admittedly short) writing career for a combination of reasons. First, I have a new editor. It’s hard to get used to a another person’s way of doing things and the new person doesn’t necessarily have all the knowledge of what came before in a series. It’s a hard adjustment — and no disservice is meant toward the editor — it would be tough with any new editor after having established a series with someone else. It’s a learning process for us both.

Second, now that I look back on the manuscript I sent in, I do see some structural flaws that crept in because a huge gap of time had passed from the time I started the story to the time I finished it. It couldn’t be helped — I had other books coming out that needed my attention and this one got pushed to the side time and time again. In fact, it got pushed aside so much, there’s a marked difference in the writing from the way it started to the way it ended. (Oy!)

Realizing that doesn’t make having to go in and fix it now any easier. In fact, I just find it tedious and annoying. But then, I always find editing tedious and annoying. A necessary evil, if you will.   Someone asked me the other day what my favorite part of the publishing process was and I knew my answer right away - the writing part! The initial burst of creativity. The time spent giving ideas form and shape. I love that part. The rest is just what I have to do to get it published and move on to the next creative burst. Sad, but true. Oh, and I also liked the shopping part - buying trinkets and designing and buying printed materials to give to readers and use for promotion. That part is darn fun too! LOL

So the sad part is, for the next few days, maybe weeks, I’ll be Sweating on edits. My word count won’t go anywhere, but I’ll be working harder than if I were just writing something new. Oh well, it can’t be helped, and it is still a necessary part of the writing process, so it’s still Sweat. I’ll check in when I can and let you know how I’m doing.

In addition, I’m still doing my signing tour. Next Saturday I’ll be at the Borders in Marlborough, MA and at a Borders somewhere in NJ the Saturday after that. (I’ll pass on the details when I track them down.) So mark it on your calendars if you’re in the area and come down to say hello!

Dunvegas

I managed about 4400 words yesterday, all on a new story that I’ll be giving away as a little Samhain treat for my readers. It’s a story set in the mythical casino of Dunvegas - a little collaborative creation from the authors on the Beyond The Veil blog. Each of us are writing paranormal stories set at this mythical casino and will be posting bits of them on the blog leading up to a free download of all the stories on November 1st.

My story is tentatively titled The Big Bad Wolf. Here’s a little snippet for you to enjoy…

The man reached into his pocket and flipped open a badge. “Chet Davis, head of Dunvegas Security, ma’am. Like I said, I’ve been watching you since you stopped outside the moat.”

“I didn’t see any moat.” The badge seemed legit and the man was big enough to be a professional football player, or a cop. He was tall and muscular, like many of the other men she’d seen in the casino, but he seemed a cut above the rest. A little taller, a little broader, a little sharper-eyed.

His smile almost stole her breath. “Why don’t I escort you to the front door and you can see what I mean?”

“Are you throwing me out?” Something about him riled her, though she was usually a quiet kind of person, not given to confrontation. But this man dared her to say no, just for the fun of it.

Strange, she’d never thought of confrontation as fun before, but the sparkle in his dark brown eyes made her shiver, and it wasn’t from cold. No, this was a shiver of awareness of her own fragility next to this giant man’s strength. He could crush her, or weigh her down in the most delicious way possible.

Where were these scandalous thoughts coming from? She was a librarian for goodness sake! She wasn’t one to ogle strange men, even if they did look good enough to eat. She did her best not to blush, but she could feel the heat of a flush rise to her fair cheeks. Chet smiled in a way she could only term wolfish.

“On the contrary, I wouldn’t throw out a pretty little thing like you, Red.”

Suddenly, Sherry was glad of her dark red hair that refused to be tamed. Normally it was the bane of her existence, but this man seemed to like it if the searing appreciation in his gaze was any indication.

“But we’ve got a convention going on here and you stick out like a sore thumb,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t keep an eye on you. So tell me, why did you come in here of all the casinos on the strip?”

Something told her he really wanted to know. She shrugged. “I was walking. It got dark and I realized I was hungry, so I stopped and I was outside Dunvegas. I didn’t really look at the place before I came in. I was just seeking some warmth, a change of clothes and a meal.”

“Clothes? That’s why you were in the bondage boutique?”

She blushed again. “I didn’t realize what kind of store it was ‘til I saw what was inside.”

“But some of those outfits intrigued you.” He didn’t phrase it as a question and the dancing light in his eyes told her he really had been watching her finger a few of those outfits longingly.

A lump formed in her throat despite his warm expression. “I guess so, but I have nobody to wear them for now.”

“That sounds like a story I need to hear,” he crossed his arms, shifting his weight back to regard her. “How about you tell me over dinner?”

More of this story will be posted on the Beyond The Veil blog on the 29th. In the meantime, the other authors will be posting excerpts of their stories all this month, so check them out. This is all leading up to the unveiling of the complete stories on the 1st of November (if all goes as planned). We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out, how you can get your hands on all the stories.

In the meantime, I won’t be able to do much fresh writing for the next week or so. I just got edits and they’ll require quite a bit of my attention, so I’m not sure I’ll be getting the word count moving much until I get past this. It’s still writing though, so I don’t feel so bad.

New Cover for Christmas Short

Well, here it is…

My part of this compilation is a short story called Solstice Dreams. It’s a tale about two fey - a warrior and a sorceress - one of the High Court, one a Lower Court dark elf. Both are searching for the jolly old elf they’ve heard lives in the far North. (It’s not as hokey as it sounds!) It’s a hot story for a short one and it’ll be out this December from Whiskey Creek Press/Torrid. This is my first release with this publisher, so it’s a learning experience all the way around.

The cover is cool at this size, but when I reduce it down for my website it looks like a big greenish blur to me. LOL! Oh, well. I’ll put it in the side bar as soon as I work up the energy to figure out how to do it again.

I didn’t do much writing yesterday because I spent most of my day proofing a galley for an upcoming print release — not my favorite task because I don’t always see the mistakes after having looked at these passages so many times during the editing process. But that’s still work, so I figure it doesn’t count against me on the writing challenge. And I was ahead of myself anyway on the word count, so it’s all good. I hope to get a lot more actual writing in today. Wish me luck!

Oh, and I’ll be signing books with Stella Price at the Borders Book Store in Middletown, New York tomorrow! It’s in the Crystal Run Mall (entrance near Target). Hope to see some of you there!

Sweat 70 - Day 4

Here’s another “inspirational” graphic for those of us Sweating with Sven in the writing challenge.

I managed another 1000 words or so yesterday, which was fine because I was editing the rough stuff as I went along. It worked out okay, but I’d really like to get a bit more done today. Usually my self-imposed word cound goal each day is about 2000 words.

But to complicate matters, I have a galley to proof and I kind of stink at proofing. See, by the time the proofing rolls around, I’ve read the same words so many times, I just don’t see the mistakes anymore. My brain fills in what it expects to see, I guess.

I also want to remind those of you who read this blog that I’ll be signing books this Saturday at the Borders Book Store in Middletown, NY, so if you’re in the area, please drop by! It’ll be me and Stella Price and we’ll have goodies to give away!