Friday, August 27, 2010

It's RELEASE DAY!!!!

Osiyo~

Yep, two blogs in a single week! But I have a special reason- besides the fact that I need to post more than this every week. I announced a few weeks ago that my friend and critique partner, Christine Bell sold her first novella, Pray. As a recap Pray is the first in her Wolves of Pray series with Cobblestone Press, you can check it out, and buy your very own copy here. Today is the release day for her super Book 1 of this wolf shifter series that I am so excited to have read and critted for her! (Check out Chloe Cole's future release, Captive Audience when you go to Cobblestone Press.)

To celebrate her releases Chris is romancing her readers with a contest! Bounce over to her blog for a chance to win not one, but two fabu prizes! Check the August 25th post. While you're there, click the links to Fiction Groupie and Ju Dimello's blogs where Christine is guest blogger and interviewee, respectively!

So, hop on over and say 'Hey' to Chris, 'follow' her blog and comment for the chance to be romanced by a wonderful new author!

Dodadagohvi~

Monday, August 23, 2010

Ever wonder *What if*?

Osiyo~

Since my unexpected, and sweet, request for 'Perfect Doctor Viv' I find myself thinking, what if? What if 'Perfect Dr. Viv' or Healing Whispers either one is my first sale? The One. How will my life change? What will I do next? When will I be able to attend a RWA National conference under the sweat and steam of my hard won efforts?

I've always loved writing in some fashion. In school and beyond I wrote poetry (amidst stories), which my middle school teacher loved and made copies of for the whole school. It was a very small school with two graduating eighth graders, me and my boyfriend (when he wasn't being a big jerk). There was one seventh grader (two when the new boys came to town for part of the year and left before it was over). Even with my *extensively published* writing career, I can't see my life changing all that much when I do sell my first ms, except I might be way busier as a published author.

There will be promos, getting my name out there for the world to scrutinize my writing. Interviews, reviews...etc, the list goes on and on (I live by the title of my blog. I am a dreamer). Friend and paranormal/contemporary author of Ring of Lies, Rachel Lynne has already volunteered to help with this. As has other friend and paranormal/erotic author of Call of the Wilds, Gale Stanley, should sales go well. Which, as said dreamer, they can't go any other direction, right? .

Next? I'll keep writing, of course. I love my cowboys. Maybe I'll write a sexier-than-sin cowboy who falls for his lady doctor, or a cowgirl who falls for her who-knew-he-was-so-hunky doctor. No matter. I'll write. Maybe I'll finish the wolf shifter story since the Gray brothers are seeming to each have their own story, my first series. I hope to finish and sell my mind manipulation story. This is another near and dear to my heart couple, and have been since they were born of my first NaNoWriMo attempt in Nov 2005. They have been patient and deserve recognition. Who knows, if they don't sell I can always post them as a *freebie* on my website. Yes. I have a website, and it may eventually get finished, maybe even in the same era as the story I might post on it. I figure these two creations were born about the same time, and will prolly both be finished in the same century at least.

RWA? You can bet your bikini-clad butt that will be first on my *to do list* of priorities! First sale, first RWA National conference--paid in full for the following year!!! Yeah! That, and a new computer or lap top, whichever I haven't gotten by then. Ooh, and an eReader! I'll need to find a way to get chocolate to my editor(s)! Can you ship wine?

Oooooh, me likey virtual window shopping! I could blog all day on *what I'll buy when I sell*!

Hmmm. Has anyone gone broke before getting the check in the mail?

But...I do need to try to keep my nonfiction life realistic, since my fictional brain is most definitely not.

What about you? What was your first major purchase item after you sold that first book? What will it be when you do sell?

Dodadagohvi~

Friday, August 20, 2010

Stressing out

Osiyo~

I haven't had a lot of time to blog this month. Between criiquing and writing my father in-law fell ill and has tied up a fair amount of energy, and time, with worry and visiting him in the hospital.

Now I need to fill you in on the writing. I'm almost ready to file the rest of Healing Whispers away as fully polished and ready to ship. Rewrites are going well so far as I wait for word on the partial I mailed in on July 12th. In the meantime, I'm working hard on finishing HOME (which I still need a real title for). I'm at the saggy middle where I know where I want this story to go, just not sure how to get there and not lose the momentum of the story. I need somewhere around 9K words to go before I submit it for critique. That is my hard goal for this next week-finish HOME.

On another front, my cps and I decided to enter the HQ Medical fast-track running through the month of August. In middle school I had aspirations of becoming a nurse and read these medical-themed romance books to 'learn medically stuff' pre med school to get a head start. Ah, the mind of a kid. Now, I've always liked reading medicals and it used to be I could get them here in the US. I don't know if it's always been an availability issue because I realized just recently that I haven't seen them around much in the past years. No wonder- they only print over seas! They are out of the HQ London house. Don't ask how I always found them here, maybe I was lucky, maybe they used to sell them here years ago. This has a point. I never thought about writing a medical....because I don't have any medical back ground. Nope not even a nurse. As I grew tastes changed as they often do. I discovered all those other genres of books and decided I wanted to write. That. The other stuff, not medical. So that's what I write...as a rule.

About two weeks ago my cps asked if we all wanted to get in on the August medical fast track. Ummm-when do I have the time with all the other projects I've got going??? I found the time. I stared at a blank piece of paper (quite litrally) for two days trying to come up with something...anything, to write about. Usually my stories come to me, not the other way around. Blank, nothing, zip, zilch. I thought about what aspect of medicine intrigues me, what do I know even the slightest of? Animals. Almost every book I write has horses in it. I wanted different though. Dogs, cats, I remembered how as a child I would doctor everything on the ranch from wild birds to strays. Small animal doctor- that was me. In stature and patients. Then the pin prick of an idea came to me. Small animal veterinarian in remote small town (I love small town stories). Good. But HQ Medical requires 'people' medicine. One of my cps suggested I put 'average Joe' hero, who was gonna be some vague paper-pusher-work-at-home dad to a seven year old daughter, in human medicine. Ok, I can do that. How about a Medi-Flight EMT? I began writing and the next thing I knew I had twenty-plus pages. I call this one 'Perfect Doctor Viv'. I organized a chapter one from those pages and Tuesday night I emailed PDV along with a 2-page synopsis to HQ Medical, not holding out for much because I didn't have another chapter to follow with yet. I am so excited about these two characters. I told my cps I have to write this one now, even if it stays under my bed! Well- hopefully it won't make it under the bed. London HQ loved the chapter and they want the first three chapters! Yep, that would be the other two I haven't written yet. They called it "funny, sweet and fresh"!!! Ah-well. I love being under pressure with my writing! So, off to finish 9K on one ms, spit-shine the other...and write an all new one! Wish me good sense?

Dodadagovhi~

Sunday, August 8, 2010

PRAY release date

Osiyo~

I just got word that YOU can get your own copy of this great book, Pray, by Christine Bell when it is released August 27, 2010!!! Yep, just 2 weeks out. Believe me, I WILL have a copy! Not only of the first book, but also Awakening, Redemption (writing titles so far), and any, or all of this writers wolf shifter series, The Wolves of Pray- no matter what they are finally titled!

For other news: Well, there's not much actually. I'm waiting, week 3, for word from Harlequin/Silhouette about Healing Whispers. At this point no news is being considered good news. I don't want them to rush this story though and then not want it. Take your time, savor the story. WANT this story! :)

In the mean time, I have met Garrett Star and Sara James (Tobi's riotous cousin and her best friend-the bank teller from HW). These are two 'Priceless' and adorable characters. And you'll have a chance to see what Tobi and Tanner are up to with peeks in with them throughout.
Garrett- turns out he's got quite a temper and it is up to Sara to tame his wild side, along with his stubborn streak. Not everything needs to be his way to be the right way.
Sara- is a feisty little thing who needs a man in her life to even out her work-son-work-son existence, and Garrett sets out to prove to her that he is that man. But will she let him be a father to her 5 year old son, too?
The answer will be in their story. I have drafted chapter one to see who these two really are and believe me, they sizzle and steam when mixed together!

I'm almost finished with my Vietnam story 'HOME' as well.

Dodadagovhi~