What I'm Missing For You

Dear Nano Diary,

Day Two and I am suffering from drastic television withdrawals. Not only did I miss Castle last night (horror!), but tonight I'm missing Sons of Anarchy. How will my life go on if I don't know if Jax will be any closer to saving his son Abel. My commitment to writing instead of watching t.v. this month may be the ultimate test of wills.

Thank the NaNo Powers That Be for TiVo.

Word count so far: 1267 - far behind the 1600 I'm supposed to be producing each day. Shhh... don't tell my team members.

Happy writing,
M

When Day One of NaNo Sucks - You are in for a bad month

Dear NaNo Diary:

I set my alarm to get up at 5 a.m. This is the only time of day when it is quiet enough for some serious writing. I got up and moved to the couch. Fell back asleep. Woke back up at 7 a.m. when hubby and daughter woke up.

Word count so far for first day: 0

Me <-------------- Failed first morning!


Hopefully the day will get better and I will find some time to write.

I've noticed all the blog posts with fabulous advice on how to make it through NaNo. I wanted to share some important advice as well.

There are many items that will be put aside during this highly anticipated month of writing abandon such as dishes, laundry, day-job work, eating, Thanksgiving and sleeping. However, below are 2 items you should not neglect:

1. Please continue to shower. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to not wash your hair in order to shave off precious minutes better used for writing, but it will become distracting when you lift your arms to type and the smell of sweat-stained armpits assaults your senses.

2. Continue to feed your children/animals. While you may forgo the time consuming rituals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, please do not neglect your children and/or pets. Child Protective Services and the Humane Society do not care about NaNo, and even worse, you can’t take your laptop to jail.


Happy Writing!
M

Interview with a Werewolf

In anticipation of Christine Bell’s release AWAKENING: Book Two in the Wolves of Pray series, Christine has allowed me to interview her sexy main character Sean Mulaney.


Sean, thank you so much for being here today, although I can tell by the glare you’re throwing in my direction that you aren’t too thrilled to be interviewed.

Listen, I might as well tell you right off the bat, this wasn’t my idea. Christine asked me to do it, so here I am. But I’m a busy man, so let’s skip the foreplay and just get to the questions. That work for you, Red?

Okay, let’s jump right in, shall we? Tell us a little about your pack – the Wolves of Pray.
We don’t usually talk about this kind of stuff. Christine says you’re cool, so I’ll give you a brief overview. We’re a werewolf pack, living in Pray Montana. Our alpha is Liam, his female is Amalie. We run a business that deals in real estate acquisitions. Anything else is pretty much classified. If I told you…I’d have to eat you.

*I place my hand around my throat and hope like hell he’s kidding* Um, moving on, you all share a house and send your children to a private school. Why is this?
The single members of the pack, along with our alpha and his mate, share a house because it’s practical. We have needs that can’t be easily met by a traditional home life. A large plot of secluded land where we can train and exercise, excellent security, and the camaraderie of our pack, just to name a few. For us, pack = family, so it doesn’t feel strange to live in a group. Being alone feels strange.
As for school, our kids need to learn things that traditional schools don’t teach. If you can find me a school in town that offers Stalking With Stealth, I’ll certainly consider a transfer, though.

Recently, a new addition joined the household; I believe her name is Chandra. How do you feel about her joining the pack?
Chandra’s good people. She’s really nice to my son Ryan and she’s a strong addition to the pack. She’s also dead sexy.

Wait, does she read this blog? You know what, can you just delete that last part?

On to a more difficult question. Your mate Sara was murdered and the pack has yet to find the culprit. How has the loss of Sara affected you and your son?

I can’t sleep, I can’t think, I can hardly parent my son. The grief is heavy, every minute of every day. I’m stuck in it. It’s like quicksand, trying to suck me all the way down. The only reason I even fight it is because of Ryan. Then there’s the guilt. I can’t even look at myself in the mirror. What kind of mate am I that I allowed this to happen? That I haven’t found the man who took her from us and punished him yet?
*Sean sits back in his chair and folds his arms, leveling me with a chilling glare*
The key word there is YET.

Do you think you will ever be able to find that special bond you had with Sara with another wolf?
No. And I think we’re about done here. *curt nod*
Thanks for your time.

To find out more about Sean’s journey to salvation check out AWAKENING coming soon from Cobblestone Press

Book Blurb:

Sean Mulaney’s beloved mate Sara is dead and her killer’s trail has grown cold.

Eaten up by grief and guilt, it’s an effort just to get through the day. Now, after a year in mourning, his animal instincts have reawakened. As Sean struggles to control the need clawing at him, along comes Chandra and she wants more than just passion.

But if she refuses, she might blow her once chance to convince him that she can rock his world and fill the empty space in his heart. Will Sean let love in, only to risk having it taken away again?

GIVEAWAYS!!!!!
Christine has two awesome giveaways – First is a copy of the first book in her Wolves of Pray series, PRAY. Become a follower of my blog (shameless, I know) and comment on this post and you're entered to win!

The second is a 10 page critique on your manuscript. To enter for the critique, become a follower of my blog (still shameless) and leave a comment with the best line from your current work in progress.

The winners will be chosen on Sunday, so please check back on Halloween to see if you’ve won one of these awesome prizes!

Have a Plan

Recently, a new member of Savvy Authors posted a question that many of us ask at one point in our writing career:

“I’ve written my book, what do I do next?”

It’s not a complicated question, but it did make me stop and think. Where should she go next? Then it hit me – she needs a plan. However, that isn’t something I can work out for her. Having a book plan is something each of us needs to sit down and figure out on our own. Yes, just like you write out a synopsis and a chapter outline, you need to have a written book plan as well. I keep mine posted on the bulletin board in front of my computer to remind me how often I’m ignoring the plan I’ve set out for myself!

Here are a few thoughts on how I think a book plan should go:

Step No. 1 – If you have just finished your book – Congrats! Half the work is finished. Now you need to revise, rewrite and find a critique partner to give you critical feedback so you can revise and rewrite again.

Step No. 2 – Research agents and publishers. If you didn’t have a clue as to where your book was targeted when you first wrote it, now is the time to really sit and think about it. As far as agents are concerned, I love using the Association of Authors’ Representatives website. It will give details on which agents are looking for what, and how to submit.

http://www.aaronline.org/

Many publishers do not accept unsolicited works, but you won’t know this until you research their websites and find out the criteria. Take the time to figure this out and then make a list of where you want your work to go.

Step No. 3 – Put together a simple spreadsheet with the name of your book, where you are sending it, the date it was sent and if you received a confirmation email or not.


Step No. 4 – Give yourself a deadline. By _____ date, I will have submitted to 6 agents. Then give yourself another deadline and another after that. Hold yourself accountable for meeting these deadlines.

Step No. 5 – Write that beautiful synopsis, polish your first three chaps and get that baby out the door. No excuses, no whining – out the door.

Not too long ago at a local RWA chapter meeting, an astonishing statistic was given:

Only 25% of writers who start a novel finish it. Only 25% of those writers actually submit.


Step No. 6 – While waiting to hear back from agents and publishers, start your next book. You want to have something more to offer them, don’t you? Yes!!

Like I said, those are just a few of my thoughts on how to put together a book plan.

If any of you have additional thoughts on book planning – please share!

Good luck All!

M

Challenges

I just love a good challenge.

I’m not a very competitive person, but I find myself surrounded by challenges lately. Some I initiated, and others I’m running into blindly.

But what makes a good writing challenge? Should you move forward with writing on a subject even if it’s leaps and bounds outside of your comfort zone?

Rhetorical question my dear friends! Of course you should. Well, that’s what accepting a challenge means, doesn’t it? Pushing past the unfamiliar and doing the required research and reading to pull off a piece successfully.

Recently I left my comfort zone and it paid off in a big way. I submitted a synopsis and first chapter to the Mills & Boon Mid-Summer Madness Medical Fast-Track. This was a romance line I’d never considered before. Sure, I watch a good amount of medical drama on T.V., but how would that translate into a highly emotional romance good enough to catch the eye of an editor at Mills & Boon. I instantly realized I didn’t want to go at this challenge alone. So I posted for my critique group (the amazing 9 of Chapter By Chapter, to whom I owe more gratitude than I could ever convey) to write and send in submissions along with me. Four of them said yes. What did we have to lose?

Turns out, going outside the box was just what I needed. I got a partial request. But, things are never that simple. What I really got was a “revise your first chapter keeping these points in mind, then send in your partial” request. No complaining, I’m honored and will take a request anyway I can get it. So, for me the challenge continues. Again, I must push past my comfort zone and produce a piece that will sell.

That’s not the only challenge I have going on. Today I am entering the Battle of the Sexes Suspense Blog contest at Romance in the Backseat. Eight of us will face off against each other to write on a prompt in the POV of the hero or heroine for the readers to vote on. I only thought writing a medical was outside my narrow little box. Putting my work out there for the world to vote on – this truly turns my insides. I have yet to develop the thick skin an author needs to handle rejection. And should I lose after the first round, it will be a very public rejection.

As if all the above isn’t enough – Angela James, Carina editor extraordinaire - is taking blog pitches at Savvy Authors. Yep, you guessed it. I’m going to submit a three line pitch for a short story I wrote at the beginning of the year – by September 18th. Better get busy, huh?

But, if I don’t push through my insecurities and outside of my writing box, what would that say about me as an aspiring author?

What kind of author do you want to be?

I’ll leave you with that question swirling through your mind.

M

What I’m reading – One Tough Marine by Paula Graves
What I’m writing – Chaps Two and Three to my Medical, Suspense Challenge, and polishing my short story.
What I’m watching – Nothing, don’t have time. Oh, Being Human how I miss you.
Who I’m loving – My Twinkies (no not the food!)

Secret Crush Thursday

Now that the SavvyAuthors Summer Symposium is over, life has settled down just a tad. I am back to writing, editing and - yep - watching those beloved summer programs that help us make it through until fall.

One of my fav new shows is Covert Affairs airing on USA. I've loved Piper Perabo since her quirky roll in Coyote Ugly. I'm excited to see if they can make this CIA drama work. But my crush isn't on Piper, nope it's for Christopher Gorham. You may remember him as Ugly Betty's nerdy boyfriend in a few seasons. Well he's back on t.v. and looking like a hottie as the visionally challenged Auggie. He's definitely not the only drool inducing man on the show, but I'll start with him for now.

What's going on with me:

What I'm reading - The Definitive Book on Body Language

What I'm Writing - A synopsis and first chapter for the Harlequin Medical Summer Madness

What I'm Watching - Nothing good comes on Thursdays, but tomorrow I'll be watching the new SyFy show Haven (love my cop dramas!)

Congratulations Christine Bell!!

I had to come out of my short hiatus to extend a huge congratulations to my fellow twinkie, Christine Bell. The first two books in her The Wolves of Pray series have been picked up for publication by Cobblestone Press.

She is a true example of what comes from hard work, perseverance and oh yeah, don't forget - loads of talent.

As soon as she has a set release date, I'll post it and we can count down the days together.

Next week I'll be attending the Savvy Authors Summer Symposium - free to premium members or $30. It is five days of workshops, author chats, Q&As, and pitches starting on the 28th.

If you have the time - stop by and check it out. I volunteered this year to help with obtaining author donations, and coordinating some of the Q&As and chats. I'll also be moderating several of the events as well.

It is a great line up!

http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php?355-SAVVY-AUTHORS-SUMMER-SYMPOSIUM

See you soon,

M