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Writing Challenge Check-In

May 21, 2008 on 7:29 am | In Writing | 2 Comments

Off to a slow start this week. I have to finish polishing an 80,000 word book and hand it in to my editor, so that takes precedence. But the novella continues to grow. I’m not sure how long it will be when I finish, but it’s off to a nice start.

I’m also working on a few other things – I started a military/werewolf story a few weeks ago that I’ve been working on on-again/off-again. It appears to be on-again right now, so I’m going with the flow.

Unlike a lot of writers I know, I tend to work on a lot of different projects at once. I have the freedom to do that since none of these works are contracted anywhere yet. I suppose I’ll finish them at some point and see where they might fit best for publishing, but like I said, I have a lot of leeway since they’re not contracted anywhere. They’re my “fun” projects. My stress relievers. If they turn into something else later, well, that’s great, but for right now, I just enjoy working on them whenever the mood strikes.

One good piece of news – I managed to print out and mail a partial. Woo-hoo! Submitting everything electronically has made me lazy in the extreme. It’s an arduous task to actually print something out nowadays and have to lug it down to the post office to mail, but from time to time, it needs to be done, so I’m patting myself on the back for actually getting that done.

Now it’s off to work more on the novella… wish me luck!

Life

May 20, 2008 on 9:00 am | In Life | No Comments

It’s been an interesting few weeks. I’m sure you realize that writers don’t usually get out much, so the yearly party that is the Romantic Times Convention is something a lot of us gear up for all year. It’s a whirlwind week of craziness when all those carefully laid plans either come to fruition or fail miserably.

I’m happy to say that most of my plans – for shipping/carrying promotional items, travel, hotel arrangements, etc – did rather well. All it all, I think it was a successful conference, but now I look at my calendar and realize it was a month ago and wonder “What have I done with my time since?”

Recovering from the conference is always tough. Like I said, we writers don’t get out much. But this has been worse than usual. Why? I think being on a book deadline has had a lot to do with it. But the good news is that the first draft of the book is done and will be polished and in my editors hands sometime in the next few days.

The other reason is part of the season itself. I’ve been enjoying Spring in my garden, Spring cleaning my house and doing a few signings here and there, which has been a lot of fun, but I don’t really have my “nose to the grindstone” the way I do during Winter months. I’ve also been dragging my feet to accomplish some goals I’ve set for myself, including submitting partials to a few places and earnestly searching for an agent.

But all that is over! You hear me? Over! This is my self-pep talk. Today I’m going to work on those submissions and hopefully grind one out. I’m also going to polish that book and get it fit for my editor. So no more playing around here. I’ll see you all later! Now it’s back to work.

Writing Challenges

May 18, 2008 on 7:00 am | In Contemporary, Writing | 6 Comments

I finished my 70,000 words for the 70 Days of Sweat Challenge. Yay! Now I’m working on the Cata University Challenge – I believe it was a novella in a month.

Well, I’m off to a good start. I’m actually working on a sequel to “Perfect” in the same “Gone Country” vein. This one is about a woman going to the wilds of South Dakota to meet the grandfather she never knew. Of course, there’s a really sexy cowboy on the old man’s ranch for her to get mixed up with.

More news as it becomes available…

Creature Feature: Royal Black Dragons

May 17, 2008 on 7:01 am | In Creatures & Legends, Dragon Knights | No Comments

 

I was recently asked what makes the dragons I write about different from others and thought I’d answer the question here, in a “Creature Feature.” Hope that’s okay with you all.  

In the Dragon Knights series, there are many varieties and hues of dragon, but the only black dragons in existence are the Royal Blacks. They are the shapeshifters - beings of noble blood, born and sworn to protect both humanity and dragonkind.

They rule with an understanding born of the fact they are both human and dragon. The founder of their line, Draneth the Wise, intended it just that way, so the dragons and humans could live in harmony and work together to protect their land and people against the forces of evil.

In my Dragon Knights series, the time has come when this partnership will be tested utterly. The last of the wizards have returned to continue their war against each other, using humans and other creatures like the venemous skiths as pawns in their deadly game. King Roland, Prince Nico, and their brothers will lead both the dragons and people of their land into battle… and beyond.

I hope that answers at least some of the questions about the Royal Blacks. I’ll post more in another feature about wild northern Ice Dragons and the precious and rare Snow Dragons, so stay tuned…

FireDrake – the Dedication

May 16, 2008 on 7:00 am | In Dragon Knights | 2 Comments

Some of you might notice I mentioned someone specific in the dedication of FireDrake. I was a little cryptic in the dedication, so for those of you who are intrigued, here’s (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of the story…

Sometime last year I was tossing around ideas for the title of this book. I’d come up with a list of possibilities and mentioned a few on my Yahoo chat group. I liked “FireDrake,” but wasn’t sure exactly how it applied to the story I’d written so far. The book was about a third finished at that point and to be brutally honest, I wasn’t sure where it would go from there. I’d taken a little break from writing it to finish up some other projects and I wasn’t exactly stuck, but I wasn’t too eager to start work on it again because I wanted to let some ideas percolate in my mind.

Finding a title can be painstaking work. Or it can be easy. There is no middle ground. As I said, I liked FireDrake, but wasn’t completely sure. So when I mentioned it on my Yahoo chat group, I was paying close attention to the responses. They were mostly favorable for this title and I was pleased, but Jennifer said something in passing that really ignited my creative fires and gave the book that little extra something that made me eager to get back to writing it. After that, it flowed nicely to its final culmination in what I hope you’ll agree is a great addition to my Dragon Knights series.

So what did Jennifer say? I don’t remember her exact words, but it was something like “that title would really work if Drake could do something wtih fire.” Up ’til that point, Drake didn’t have much overt magical ability. That little comment started the seed growing that eventually became not just one but many firedrakes in the Dragon Knights world.

All thanks to Jennifer, though she probably had no idea what her words would ignite.

Thank you, Jennifer! And thanks to Drake – the fictional character that almost wrote himself. I hope you enjoy him as much as I did!

New Release! It’s “Perfect”!

May 15, 2008 on 6:22 am | In Contemporary, New Releases | 2 Comments

Gone Country: Perfect officially releases TODAY from Tease Publishing. Tease sells primarily through AllRomanceeBooks.com and other online ebook sellers like Fictionwise, etc. Tease is a very new publisher but I think they’re destined for great things! My thanks to Stella Price for an excellent cover and all kinds of support behind the scenes and the rest of the folks at Tease. Here’s to many more “Gone Country” stories in the future!

Buy Perfect now from ARe for only $1.99

Party on the D’Arc side!

May 14, 2008 on 6:12 am | In Appearances | No Comments

Join me and a bunch of my author friends TODAY for an all-day party on my chat group! The group is located at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BiancaDArc/

If you’re not yet a member, join up by sending a blank email to: BiancaDArc-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Be sure to drop by at some point during the day or evening to enter prize drawings and read great excerpts from some of your favorite authors! People will be dropping in and out all day, so check back every once in a while for new stuff.

I highly recommend setting your email to “Digest” for party days, otherwise you’ll probably be flooded! You can always change back to individual emails later – or whatever setting you prefer. To change your settings at any time, just click on the little “edit membership” link toward the top-middle-left of the page. Then choose “digest” or one of the other settings. Within a few minutes it should change over to the new delivery method.

 

 

FireDrake Flies Today!

May 13, 2008 on 7:00 am | In Dragon Knights, Excerpts, New Releases | No Comments

Finally, FireDrake releases today from Samhain Publishing! I say “finally” because it feels like I’ve been waiting a long time to get Drake’s story out there. It’s the start of a new chapter in the Dragon Knights saga with a lot more magic and action/adventure. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Here’s an excerpt – the entire Prologue – to whet your appetite and if you click the “more info” link it’ll take you to the Samhain website where you can either purchase the book or read the rest of Chapter One. Enjoy!

Click Here for More Info

Click Here to Buy Now

Prologue

Prince Nico, Spymaster of Draconia, and now King-Consort of the Jinn Brotherhood walked the battlements. The high towers of the Draconian royal castle were his home, and among his most favored places. His keen eyes searched the wide expanse, built so high in the clouds, until he found the creature he’d come to see.

She was a juvenile dragon, only about twenty-five winters old, in an absolutely stunning gold, pink and soft orange color. That’s what happened, Nico thought as he approached her, when a red and a golden dragon mated and were very, very lucky.

Jenet was one of the prettiest dragons Nico had ever seen, though she was often melancholy and refused to train with the knights and other dragons, since she had no knight. Nor would she choose a knight. She’d made her choice, she would reply when asked, and until the stubborn man died of old age without her, she would choose no other.

So Jenet served as a sort of royal babysitter, watching the younger princes when they flew as black dragons—something only a precious few males of the royal line, who could trace their lineage back to Draneth the Wise, could do. At the moment, Jenet was watching Nico’s younger brother Wil and the younger set of twins making lazy loops in the sky. They were playing tag, but the activity also served to heighten their fledgling flying skills.

Nico walked over and sat next to Jenet, his human legs dangling over the sides of the high parapet. He had no fear of falling, for if he did, he would simply transform into the dragon that shared his soul and soar away on tar-colored wings.

“How goes it today?” Nico had known Lady Jenet all his life, so there was little need for formality between them.

“Passing fair, my liege.”

“Please, Jen, just use my name. I’m sick to death of all this formality. It’s even worse now that my new wife has been crowned Queen of the Jinn. Thank heaven it’s mostly a ceremonial title.” Nico spoke mind to mind with the dragon, as only a few people could do.

A dragonish chuckle, complete with a smoky, cinnamon-scented cloud, answered him as Jenet moved her large golden head to study him. Her jewel-like eyes blinked once, fixing her gaze on him.

“You never coveted your brother’s throne, did you? Perhaps that’s the reason the Mother of All saw fit to grant you one of your own, King Nico.”

Nico groaned and clutched one hand to his chest in mock agony. “You wound me, mistress, to remind me of my woes.”

Jenet laughed outright at that, filling the air with smoky dragonish laughter. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company this morn? As you can see, your little brothers are playing on the air currents above and all is secure.”

“I came to see you, actually. I have some news I thought you’d like to hear.”

The fire opal eyes blinked once as she regarded him. “And what is your news, Prince Tease?”

Nico chuckled, relishing the moment. His news could change her life and would definitely brighten her mood, if he knew Jenet at all. He drew out the moment as long as he could, heightening the anticipation, but in the end there was just no way to say it but straight out.

“Drake’s coming home.”

“Drake!” Jenet jumped to her feet faster than Nico would have credited. She was a nimble little thing for all that she was as large as any healthy juvenile dragon. She crouched on all fours, her wings outstretched and trembling in a show of excited eagerness. Her large head crowded him as he stood. “Is it true?”

Nico smiled at her soft, almost frightened tone. “It’s true. I had a special messenger from the Jinn arrive just this morning. Drake sent him ahead to make sure my brother Roland would stay put. Drake’s coming to personally deliver a message from the Doge of Helios.”

“Drake! Coming home!” Jenet rose up to stand on her hind legs and trumpeted her delight to the sky. Her magnificent pearl-like wings flapped happily, stirring up a joyful breeze as Nico watched, gratified and amused. It had been too long since Jenet had been this happy. It was good to see her so alive again.

And it was all because of Drake.

Drake had taken the eager light from her eyes when he’d left home fifteen years ago and she’d pined for him ever since. Now he was coming home, but for how long? Would he spurn her again? Or would he finally accept what was so obvious to everyone else who knew them?

Only time would tell.

2 Releases & Party This Week!

May 12, 2008 on 8:08 am | In Appearances | 1 Comment

That’s right, I’ve got two releases this week and we’re celebrating with a party! So get your copy of FireDrake on Tuesday, party with me and some of my author friends on Wednesday, then finish up with a copy of Perfect on Thursday. Come on, you know you want to!!!

A week of The D’Arc Side! Woo-hoo!!!

Writing Challenge Check-In

May 11, 2008 on 8:11 am | In Writing | No Comments

So the writing challenge is moving right along. This week I made it up to about 70,000 words total for the 70 Days of Sweat Challenge and wrote about 3,000 words of that for the month-long catauniversity challenge.

I admit, I’m getting a little confused with the overlap of these two events, but it’ll all work out in the end, I’m sure. Either way, I’m writing, which is the goal, right?

I’ll try to check in next Sunday with a further update of my progress. Until then, keep writing! (And I will too!)