Sweat 70 - Day 3

I managed to write a bit more than 2000 words yesterday, which was great, but I also played a little with graphics. I’ll post some of the results here once in a while to help keep me motivated.   For example…

Now that’s what I call motivation! *sigh* Guess I’d better get to the writing for today, but before I leave you, a little further tidbit from Mr. St. John (who looks a lot like the guy above)   Here’s a tiny bit of his first meeting with Callie, as it stands now. It might change as I edit this manuscript, but this is how I wrote it yesterday…

“You’re an empath?”

She nodded, making an amused yet curious expression as she no doubt tried to feel what he was feeling. Rick redoubled his shielding. He’d be damned if he’d let her read him so easily.

“Believe it or not, I’m a very strong empath, but you’re a tough nut to crack, Rick. Why such strong shields?”

“It’s pretty miserable where we live. It’s become second nature to block.” Rick grabbed at the most likely excuse he could find.

“You have some empathy?” Callie stopped concentrating and looked up at him with an open, friendly expression.

“Some, but not strong.”

“Telepathy?” she asked in his mind.

He liked the feel of her thoughts in the intimacy of his mind all too much. “Some. But not over great distances.”

“Me either. My range is limited to two or three miles.”

“Yeah, that’s about my limit too.”

“So what has you so conflicted about joining Davin’s program? I can assure you he’s not like the other Alvians.”

“Yeah, I get that, though it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. I never thought an Alvian could have emtion.”

“It’s rare. But it gives him a unique understanding of what our people are going through. He chose to come here first to test because he knew of all the Alvian settlements, this one treated humans worst.”

Rick was surprised by the statement, but oddly he felt a flare of hope kindle inside him. He looked around the room, glad to see Sadie among those chosen for the program.

Watching the dear older lady, Rick spoke more candidly than he otherwise would have. “I’ve been doing my best to help them. That’s why I don’t know if I should leave. Who will take care of the rest?”

A soft hand covered Rick’s and shocked his gaze back to the beautiful young woman standing in front of him. “You’ve done all you can here, Rick, and you can continue to work toward better conditions for humans even more effectively if you come with us. That’s what Davin wants. It’s what he’s working toward—freedom for us all to live in peace.”

“How do you know we can trust him?”

Callie’s smile lit the universe as she turned back to Davin and took his hand. “That’s easy, Rick. Davin is my husband.”

Sweat70 - Day 2

Just so you know, I won’t be posting about this challenge each and every day, but in the beginning, I want to start off right at least, so I might post more about it in the next few days than I will as time goes on…

Yesterday I did well on the challenge writing just shy of 3000 words. Woo-hoo! I also put up an overall word count meter in the sidebar of this blog. It looks rather sad now, but we’re only just starting, so I set a goal of about 100,000 words in the next 70 Days of Sweat. I might expand that goal somewhere down the line, but I thought it a good, round number to start with.

One of the things I’ll be doing is posting little tidbits - not excerpts exactly - but little snippets of what I’ve written the day before so you can get a little flavor of what I’m working on. The snippet below is from Davin’s Quest, the second in my Resonance Mates series. It’ll be out from Samhain in February 2008.

Rick St. John had learned survival skills at his father’s knee. There was no better man to learn from than Zachariah St. John, former Army Ranger and medical doctor. He knew how to survive in the worst conditions, how to hide, and how to fight. He taught his son all the skills he’d need to survive in the Waste and gave him more of an education than most children born near the end of the world as they knew it ever attained.

But the day the Alvians finally caught up with him, Rick was not at his best. Sick with a high fever, he wasn’t able to use his gift of healing or his extensive knowledge of either medicine or self-defense. His reaction time was way off and when the soldiers captured him, they took him not to prison, but to a hospital ward where he stayed for the first three weeks of his captivity.

He didn’t make a lot of friends during that time, but he’d used the opportunity to learn more about his new situation before the Alvians realized he was more recovered than he let on.

He didn’t let them know about his talents either. As far as they knew, he was a minor telepath. He wasn’t about to become the subject of study when they realized just what he could do. Healing talent as strong as his was rare. He’d be damned if he’d give the Alvians another lab rat to study.

70 Days of Sweat Starts Today!

Time to start writing! I think the goal of this challenge is between 750-1,000 words per day. Honestly, that’s not much for me when I’m on a roll, but I’m very sloppy with my time management and want to use this challenge to get a little better at that. I’ve been known to knock out 5,000-7,000 words a day, but I don’t write every day and my usual goal is somewhere around 2,000 words, which is very do-able for me, if I get my ass in the chair and actually settle down to write!

That’s been harder and harder of late with all the traveling I’ve been doing - catching the flu - and doing my ongoing signing tour. But I’m going to do it! I mean it! I need to do this and get myself writing each day, even if just a few words.

I’m going to look for a wordmeter to put up here on the blog so you can all see how I’m doing. I won’t separate it out manuscript by mansuscript because I’ve got a few I’m working on right now, but an overall total word count might be useful for me to track my progress. Feel free to post encouragement! I know I’ll need it!!!

Gearing Up to Write

Looks like tomorrow is the beginning of 70 Days of Sweat. Hmm. I suppose I’m ready, but I’m pretty sure this will be a slow start for me. I’m traveling tomorrow so my time for writing will be limited. But anything that gets me writing again is a good thing. I’ve been in a bit of slump since catching the flu at RAW. Seems like I’ve been doing everything BUT writing of late. Still, I’m optimistic.

I’ll report in here once in a while on my progress. This is the first time I’ve participated in this challenge, so wish me luck!

Philadelphia Book Signing Today!

Come see us for a panel discussion and book signing today from 4-6pm at Robin’s Book Store in Phillie today!

70 Days of Sweat

I’ve decided to participate in the next round of 70 Days of Sweat - a challenge designed for writers in order to finish off lingering writing projects or write something new. The goal is modest - between 750-1000 words each day - but sometimes you need a little accountability to make you get even that much done each day. They allow a few days off for holidays, etc, but other than that, I’m supposed to check in twice a week to say how well I’ve done. I think this will be a goo exercise in getting me to write each and every day. The challenge starts on Monday, so wish me luck!

If you want in on the challenge, here’s the link to all the information: http://70daysofsweat.com/wordpress/

FAR Winners!

Sorry I kept you waiting - I had some technical difficulties getting into this blog (I’m still learning my way with the new installation). So without further ado…

The winner of the download is: Rain

The bonus prize winner is: Tammy G.

Please email me: BIANCADARC AT GMAIL.COM to claim your prizes and thanks for playing!

CONTEST - X-Posted from FAR

Today I’m giving away a PDF download of one of my backlist titles. The winner may choose one from:

Maiden Flight
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Forever Valentine
Lords of the Were

How to Enter:

Email BIANCADARC at GMAIL.COM with the subject line FAR CONTEST and the answer to the following questions:

1. What is the title of my most recent ebook release?

2. What is the title of my most recent print release?

3. What is my (new) blog address? (A gimme for folks reading this on the blog!)

4. What is the title of my first Resonance Mates book?  * BONUS: When does it come out in print?

If you get the BONUS question, you’ll be entered into a second drawing for a package of goodies, including bookmarks from most of my recent releases, a limited edition “Dragons Light My Fire” bumper sticker, and more!

Enter by MIDNIGHT Pacific Time, tonight, October 3rd. I’ll announce the winners here and on the FAR Chatters Group tomorrow.

(Hint - all of this info can be easily found on my website, so it’s not as hard as it looks!)

Good luck!