Still in the month of madness here, and I'm actually doing really well. I just don't have enough brain power to come up with blog posts yet. So...
I'm finishing up some work on Kiss of Life right now, and wrapping myself up in the awesome of Remy. For those who don't know, Adam Lambert is my character model for Remy, and this song always makes me think of the character in all his fantabulous glory...
Talk to you next week... or maybe just share more music next week. We'll see :)
Showing posts with label Blood Kissed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blood Kissed. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Give a Reader a Reader
But, you say, the odds are so not in favor of me winning that. So I'm here to sweeten the pot. I'm going to post a freebie holiday short below, and by answering the question in the Rafflecopter correctly (it's an easy question if you read the freebie), you're entered to win a copy of either Of Course I Try (which is one of the books on the Nook--list of awesome books and authors below--so if you win the Nook, don't pick this one :P) or it's sequel The Ghost of Vampire Present. Vampire smexiness! (If you already own both, we'll figure out an alternate prize.)
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| ***Click here for a list of all the blogs participating.*** |
So, without further ado, I give you a story about one even made Max... Max. Every character has a history, and every once in a while, a special holiday gift is involved.
CHRISTMAS IN CHAINS (A Blood Kissed Story)
Since becoming a vampire, especially since I was brought here, time has little meaning. Christmas, however, always brings a special surprise.
The first year of my imprisonment, hot pokers were driven into my flesh so I would understand what my victims felt if I didn’t glamour them when I fed. The lesson repeated the next year, along with my first bath in holy water—in case the first time didn’t convince me to be kind unless there was cause to be cruel. The next year, I spent Christmas day chained in the garden, just within the shadow of its walls, where the sun could sear my flesh without destroying it so I would remember that no matter how strong I think I am, there’s always something stronger.
It was by those memories I counted the years here. A dozen so far, and judging by the decorations draped luridly about the place, number thirteen was fast approaching. I gave up begging for release after the first five years. Now I alternated between hoping to survive and praying for death.
Today, I leaned toward the former. I wanted to live…just not here. Not anymore.
There were no more lessons I could learn. Even if there were, I didn’t want those answers. I had enough nightmares to last me several centuries.
The stones of the hearth bit into my bare knees as I scrubbed at the marble inside the fireplace.
Silver chains clinked at my wrists and ankles. Resting on my heels, I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead.
“You missed a spot.” Remus’s voice grated on the last of my frayed nerves.
Snapping would do no good though, especially not with Christmas and my annual “gift” right around the corner. So I choked on the retort and clenched my shackled hands into fists, trying to calm myself. “Where?”
“Don’t growl at me, Maxmillian. To your left.”
A faint smudge of soot marred the very edge of the marble. Movements rough, I scrubbed at the spot until it disappeared. “Is that all, Remus?”
“I’m tired of talking to your back. Turn around.”
As always, the order, issued with complete calm, made me bristle. Part of me wanted to defy him, but my back still stung from the last time he’d reminded me who was in charge. So I turned and stared brazenly at him. I’d tried playing the whipped puppy; it didn’t get me anything, so I didn’t bother anymore.
Remus lounged on a red velvet couch, his robe gaping open to reveal flawless pale skin. I knew he thought it made him look irresistible. I resisted anyway. And I never found it all that difficult. He twirled a finger in his hair, looking almost coy for a moment. I must not have responded the way he planned, because he sighed and lay back on the couch. “I’m chilled. Start a fire, would you?” He turned toward me, his gaze even.
I tried to stay calm, but my muscles bunched. And my captor simply smiled at me. Of course he would notice. He always noticed. “You just had me clean the fireplace, Remus.”
He waved a hand lazily. “Yes, and now I want a fire. Build it and you can be free for the evening.”
All I wanted to do was race across the room and sever his head from his shoulders, but I knew better than to try that again. The next time I tried to kill Remus, he couldn’t see it coming or I’d fail. “Right away.”
I built the fire and had it blazing in minutes. Then he had his guards take me below ground and chain me to the ceiling. “Enjoy your Christmas Eve,” one of them growled as he yanked the chains over my head and stalked out, slamming the door and leaving me with only the light of the moon filtering through the barred window.
This was my reward. Not freedom by any standards I used to know, but I was away from Remus for a few blessed hours. Sometimes that was enough. Straining against my bonds, I could just see the moon outside my cell. A connection to the outside world—tenuous though it was—like a cruel lover, disappearing when I needed her touch most.
My muscles taut and trembling with the agony, I muttered prayers as I did every moment I spent alone—for life, for the lives I’d taken, for release, for death, for the death of Remus, and for the ability to kill him myself.
“I cannot help you with the killing, but I can get you out of here.”
The tiny voice in my right ear jerked me from my meditation, my arms screaming as I stood upright. “Who? What?”
The voice by my ear laughed and in a flurry of wings revealed itself as a shadow in the moonlight. “I am Janiqua, and I can spring you from this prison, Vampire, but you will owe me a favor in return.” She fluttered back to land on my arm, barely five inches tall, with brown hair and dragonfly wings that glittered in the pale light.
As much as I wanted to jump at the offer, I had a hard time believing I wasn’t hallucinating from pain and exhaustion. “What sort of favor?”
She shrugged, more a movement of wings than shoulders. “I don’t know. That’s why you’ll have to owe me. Do we have an accord?”
I’d long since given up hope of Christmas miracles, but I nodded. In an instant, the shackles opened and my arms fell heavily by my sides, forcing me to stifle a groan of exquisite pain. She darted under the door, and soon enough it swung wide.
“Quickly, Vampire. The guards won’t stay asleep for long.” She flitted up the stairs. I raced after her, rubbing my wrists. The guards were indeed asleep at their posts, and I dashed out the front door.
I didn’t question my good fortune until I stood shivering at the gates of the estate. “Janiqua?” I called as she fluttered into the night. “How did you find me? And why the hell did you help me?”
Her pointy teeth flashed in the light of the moon as she darted close to my ear. “I like people being in my debt, Vampire.” She flitted away and called back over her shoulder, “As to who sent me? Consider it a Christmas present from your Fairy Godmother.” Her laughter echoed in the night as she flew away.
After that, I did the only reasonable thing—put as much distance between myself and Remus’s estate as I could before dawn lit the sky, savoring my Christmas miracle and plotting my vengeance with every step.
Below is the Rafflecopter for the big giveaway.
Your question for entry here is: What is the name of the character keeping Max captive?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
NaNo NaNo NaNo NaNo... Batman! Er...
It's NaNoWriMo day 6! That means by the end of the day today, I should have at least 10,000 words written on Kiss of Life.
My plan had been to have more like 25,000-30,000 done by today, but that's not happening. You see, life and frantic plotting have gotten a bit in the way. (AKA--I was sick, we had company, and I didn't get the book totally plotted in advance.)
Why was my plan so... vast in scope? Because I thought I could do it. I really want to get this book done and sent to my editor and I'm all excited about it. Plus, I've done that kind of word count recently, so I figured magic could just strike again.
I'm here to tell you that life doesn't always work that way. Hell, even if I'd had everything lined up perfectly for the ideal amount of writing time and no interruptions and a magical teapot that provided me spicy rooibos at sipping temperature... it still likely wouldn't have happened. My brain wasn't ready for that level of commitment with this book because I still had far too much discovery to do about the story.
Some books are easy to write fast. The story is nice and compact. Minimal number of characters. "Simple" plot. Etc, etc. Others are formed so fully in an author's mind that they just spill onto the page (I had that happen once, it was awesome.)
With Blood Kissed though, I've got a big cast of characters and a plot that requires some twisting and turning. (The people who read this series won't be too happy with me if I make it all nice and predictable. And Remy would kill me in my sleep.) So, I had to let it simmer. Then I had to let it stew. Then I had to let it age in a damn barrel as epiphany after epiphany hit.
I think I have it all now. The pieces are laid out in front of me, and I can more or less see the picture they make. So... 10,000 words by today, but it's the last day of taking it easy. Now, it's time to bust ass and write.
My plan had been to have more like 25,000-30,000 done by today, but that's not happening. You see, life and frantic plotting have gotten a bit in the way. (AKA--I was sick, we had company, and I didn't get the book totally plotted in advance.)
Why was my plan so... vast in scope? Because I thought I could do it. I really want to get this book done and sent to my editor and I'm all excited about it. Plus, I've done that kind of word count recently, so I figured magic could just strike again.
I'm here to tell you that life doesn't always work that way. Hell, even if I'd had everything lined up perfectly for the ideal amount of writing time and no interruptions and a magical teapot that provided me spicy rooibos at sipping temperature... it still likely wouldn't have happened. My brain wasn't ready for that level of commitment with this book because I still had far too much discovery to do about the story.
Some books are easy to write fast. The story is nice and compact. Minimal number of characters. "Simple" plot. Etc, etc. Others are formed so fully in an author's mind that they just spill onto the page (I had that happen once, it was awesome.)
With Blood Kissed though, I've got a big cast of characters and a plot that requires some twisting and turning. (The people who read this series won't be too happy with me if I make it all nice and predictable. And Remy would kill me in my sleep.) So, I had to let it simmer. Then I had to let it stew. Then I had to let it age in a damn barrel as epiphany after epiphany hit.
I think I have it all now. The pieces are laid out in front of me, and I can more or less see the picture they make. So... 10,000 words by today, but it's the last day of taking it easy. Now, it's time to bust ass and write.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The Blog Tour Is Coming! The Blog Tour Is Coming!
I need it to not be summer break anymore so I have some idea what day of the week it is. Sorry for the very late post. Anyway... the blog tour for Kiss of Death starts next Monday. So there will be no post here other than to remind you to stalk me elsewhere the following week. For those who like to know what's going on in advance, however...
8/20-- I'm at Wicked Lil Pixie with a game to celebrate the awesome man flesh on my cover. Trust me, you'll like the game.
8/21-- I'm at Insane Hussein Reviews with the first post of the Remy Says series. For those of you who don't know, Remy is my favoritest character of mine ever, so he's getting a bit of play during the tour. Here he'll be talking about sex with vampires.
8/22-- I'm at Yummy Men & Kick-Ass Chicks with another bit of Remy Says. This time he'll be talking about the best ways to kill a vampire. As well as at the Evil League of Evil Writers talking about something bookish or ranty... or both.
8/23-- First interview of the tour at Hennessee Andrew's blog. She asked some interesting questions. I love those :)
8/24-- Today I'm at Smexy Books with post three of Remy Says. Today it's Top 10 Ways to Infuriate the Vampire Council.
8/27-- I'm at DemonLover's Books & More with Remy Says: Remy's Guide to Demons
8/28-- RELEASE DAY! I'm celebrating with an interview over drinks with my editor of awesome, Skyla Dawn Cameron.
8/29-- Today I'm at PonyTails Reviews with another edition of Remy Says. Today he's talking about pets. And since this is Remy, it might not be what you're expecting :P
8/30-- Remy Says at Keri Stevens' place. Today he'll be talking about Alphas versus Doms.
8/31-- Finishing up the official tour with an interview at the home of author Steve McHugh! In addition, I'll be talking about ChiCon and panic attacks at Steamed! (Not really related to this book, but... Also, for those of you who will be at ChiCon, be sure to look me up! Panel, KoD reading, and beer, oh my!)
9/3-- I'm home from ChiCon and at the ParaPosse today!
9/7-- Doing something a little different. I'm at Romance eBook Haul, but I think I'm going to have my characters play along for the post. It should be... entertaining :P
8/21-- I'm at Insane Hussein Reviews with the first post of the Remy Says series. For those of you who don't know, Remy is my favoritest character of mine ever, so he's getting a bit of play during the tour. Here he'll be talking about sex with vampires.
8/22-- I'm at Yummy Men & Kick-Ass Chicks with another bit of Remy Says. This time he'll be talking about the best ways to kill a vampire. As well as at the Evil League of Evil Writers talking about something bookish or ranty... or both.
8/23-- First interview of the tour at Hennessee Andrew's blog. She asked some interesting questions. I love those :)
8/24-- Today I'm at Smexy Books with post three of Remy Says. Today it's Top 10 Ways to Infuriate the Vampire Council.
8/27-- I'm at DemonLover's Books & More with Remy Says: Remy's Guide to Demons
8/28-- RELEASE DAY! I'm celebrating with an interview over drinks with my editor of awesome, Skyla Dawn Cameron.
8/29-- Today I'm at PonyTails Reviews with another edition of Remy Says. Today he's talking about pets. And since this is Remy, it might not be what you're expecting :P
8/30-- Remy Says at Keri Stevens' place. Today he'll be talking about Alphas versus Doms.
8/31-- Finishing up the official tour with an interview at the home of author Steve McHugh! In addition, I'll be talking about ChiCon and panic attacks at Steamed! (Not really related to this book, but... Also, for those of you who will be at ChiCon, be sure to look me up! Panel, KoD reading, and beer, oh my!)
9/3-- I'm home from ChiCon and at the ParaPosse today!
9/7-- Doing something a little different. I'm at Romance eBook Haul, but I think I'm going to have my characters play along for the post. It should be... entertaining :P
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Breathing...
Sorry for no post last week. As my Twitter followers know, I was on the extended-family summer-trip-thing (aka visiting the Carolinas). It is now July 31, and I am happy to report that I made the submission deadline... with a couple hours to spare. *dies* I really need a more sanity-inducing summer schedule one of these years.
In forty-five minutes (from the point of me writing this), it will be August, which means it is the month of editing madness. Multiple projects need to be edited, which is awesome in that it means I have multiple projects going but bad in that it means I am not writing... sort of.
You see, I can't do another adult story right now because too many "similar" characters will cause my brain to implode, setting off a chain reaction that will result in a giant black hole taking the place of earth (and by default killing everyone).
I can, however, do something totally different. That means the wacky middle grade idea The Boy and I have been toying with is started. It's slow-going since he wants to take part in every stage of the writing, but it is being written. For those of you who don't know, I've written YA and really enjoy it. Middle Grade... is a foreign thing for me. It's a voice I'm not really confident with, but thankfully I have a middle-grader to help me on my way. It may never get finished. It may never be sent anywhere, but Operation: Wishes is the only thing I plan on writing in August. Just for giggles, I may keep you posted on how it's going.
In addition to editing-madness and Middle-Grade-madness, I also have OMG-NEW-RELEASE-(Kiss of Death, in case you didn't know)-madness this month. ("We're all a little mad around here.") I'm in the process of firming up dates for a blog tour--my first--and hopefully will have a calendar up next week. If you're a book blogger and you want to be included, let me know (selestedelaney[at]gmail[dot]com)!
For now though, I'm still just trying to keep my head above water. The kids have camp next week (YAY!) so hopefully that means copious amounts of work-time for me.
In forty-five minutes (from the point of me writing this), it will be August, which means it is the month of editing madness. Multiple projects need to be edited, which is awesome in that it means I have multiple projects going but bad in that it means I am not writing... sort of.
You see, I can't do another adult story right now because too many "similar" characters will cause my brain to implode, setting off a chain reaction that will result in a giant black hole taking the place of earth (and by default killing everyone).
I can, however, do something totally different. That means the wacky middle grade idea The Boy and I have been toying with is started. It's slow-going since he wants to take part in every stage of the writing, but it is being written. For those of you who don't know, I've written YA and really enjoy it. Middle Grade... is a foreign thing for me. It's a voice I'm not really confident with, but thankfully I have a middle-grader to help me on my way. It may never get finished. It may never be sent anywhere, but Operation: Wishes is the only thing I plan on writing in August. Just for giggles, I may keep you posted on how it's going.
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| Coming August 28!!! |
For now though, I'm still just trying to keep my head above water. The kids have camp next week (YAY!) so hopefully that means copious amounts of work-time for me.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Drowning in Deadlines
What that means is I've had to be really diligent about deadlines. Which is really good for teaching me discipline, but really bad for my sanity. I'm finding that I'm hitting book-burnout really quickly this summer. Whether it's because I'm juggling so many very different stories or because I'm constantly in go-mode, I'm not sure.
But, it's one of the key reasons I've been a bit scarce on-line. I would have continued to assume no one had noticed, but since I've had a few people seek me out asking if I was alive and everything was okay... I'm stating for the record that I'm good. I'm not dead or dying or even dealing with sickness-of-doom. Asthma and allergies have been a little twitchy. Depression is hovering, waiting for a sign of weakness to grab hold of, as it always does. But really, I'm just tired. I love having my kids home, but it totally alters my ability to get shit done.
And vacations do that too. Every time I leave the house for more than a few hours, I get twitchy because I know all-the-things-will-cease-progressing. But so far, I've managed to bounce back from those periods of panicky quiet. It just means I'm more busy, less chatty when I get home.
So, right now I have a July 31 deadline I'm striving to finish & polish something for. And I have edits coming. And more edits. Then I get August for edits, more edits and the Kiss of Death release (I'm working on a blog tour now).
So, I'm not dead, just buried so I can work in relative peace. (At least if you discount the screaming... mine and the kids'.) I promise that once things even out in the fall, I'll be back, but as I keep reminding myself--busy is good. So, I'm good. And it looks like 2013 won't be nearly as dry for releases from me as 2012 was. (I am also working on planning better LOL).
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Blood Kissed Announcement!
Short post this week, but I hope it's one you'll get excited with me about...
A bunch of people have been asking for a while about the status of the Blood Kissed series. Well, today I'm happy to let you know that there's more Jocelyn coming and, as requested over and over again, it's longer--a lot longer :) This announcement was going to wait for cover art, but I needed to celebrate something good today. (Plus, it gives me another easy blogging day when cover art comes in--WOOT!)
I am crazy-happy to announce that the first novel-length Blood Kissed installment, Kiss of Death, will be coming late this summer from Mundania Press. I'm super excited to work with Mundania. I've been really impressed with the quality of books I've read from them, and I love the fact that they are more focused on speculative fiction than romance since the novels are most definitely urban fantasy. (Don't worry--there's still plenty of sex :P)
However, in addition to the length, there have been some other changes. I hope you'll all stick with me for the ride. Oh... and you'll all finally get to meet Remy (*lusty sigh*).
I'm hoping to line up a blog tour to coincide with release, so if you happen to run a book blog and want to be on my contact list for the tour, please let me know in the comments or via email at selestedelaney (at) gmail (dot) com.
Also, I want to give a special shout out to my new editor, Skyla Dawn Cameron. This business is kind of a crazy place. Skyla actually gave me my first "break" in the industry. She was the editor on a charity anthology called Nothing But Red a few years back (2007? 2008?). I subbed a poem to that anthology, and Skyla said yes. There's a special feeling about that first yes (even when you don't make money from it), and since then Skyla has become a good friend and mentor. She has my utmost respect and I'm crazy-happy to finally get the chance to really work with her. So, Skyla, thanks for saying yes again. I'll do my best not to let you down.
A bunch of people have been asking for a while about the status of the Blood Kissed series. Well, today I'm happy to let you know that there's more Jocelyn coming and, as requested over and over again, it's longer--a lot longer :) This announcement was going to wait for cover art, but I needed to celebrate something good today. (Plus, it gives me another easy blogging day when cover art comes in--WOOT!)
I am crazy-happy to announce that the first novel-length Blood Kissed installment, Kiss of Death, will be coming late this summer from Mundania Press. I'm super excited to work with Mundania. I've been really impressed with the quality of books I've read from them, and I love the fact that they are more focused on speculative fiction than romance since the novels are most definitely urban fantasy. (Don't worry--there's still plenty of sex :P)
However, in addition to the length, there have been some other changes. I hope you'll all stick with me for the ride. Oh... and you'll all finally get to meet Remy (*lusty sigh*).
I'm hoping to line up a blog tour to coincide with release, so if you happen to run a book blog and want to be on my contact list for the tour, please let me know in the comments or via email at selestedelaney (at) gmail (dot) com.
Also, I want to give a special shout out to my new editor, Skyla Dawn Cameron. This business is kind of a crazy place. Skyla actually gave me my first "break" in the industry. She was the editor on a charity anthology called Nothing But Red a few years back (2007? 2008?). I subbed a poem to that anthology, and Skyla said yes. There's a special feeling about that first yes (even when you don't make money from it), and since then Skyla has become a good friend and mentor. She has my utmost respect and I'm crazy-happy to finally get the chance to really work with her. So, Skyla, thanks for saying yes again. I'll do my best not to let you down.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Day Late...
Since tomorrow NaNo is over, I'll leave the final NaNoReb check in for my other blog (where I haven't posted hardly at all this month). For today, I want to give people a heads up about something.
Starting tomorrow and running through the month of December, my Blood Kissed novella The Ghost of Vampire Present is Decadent Publishing's Read for a Cure book.
What that means is for every copy purchased in December, Decadent is donating all of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society. In addition, I'm donating fifty cents from every copy to my sister's Relay for Life team (in addition to my regular donation, which any other money I might earn from sales helps to fund :P) This is a LOT of money that can be earned for cancer research.
If you're buying someone an e-reader, please consider including The Ghost of Vampire Present with it. Or if you get one as a gift. Or encourage people you know to buy it. They get a book and can possibly help save a life.
For more information on WHY I volunteered to do Read for a Cure (along with a giveaway of the first Blood Kissed story and a vampire-themed care package), check out the 30 Days of Decadence blog: http://30daysofdecadence.blogspot.com/2011/11/family-mattersso-does-cancer.html
Also, be on the lookout for a special Saturday post here. I have another holiday short in an anthology that comes out next Friday. On Saturday, you'll get a blurb, an excerpt, and a teaser of the cover. Talk to you then!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Putting in the Work
So, a few weeks ago, I was getting a story ready to submit. I told my editor that she'd have it as soon as I'd finished with revisions. At that moment, it was out with my wonderful betas for a read-through so I could fix any glaring issues before I sent it in. She said (paraphrased), "You don't revise until after I edit it."
Then, at a totally separate time, I was talking to a fellow author (who shall remain unnamed) about one of her shorter works. She basically said that she didn't put as much time into it since it was just supposed to be a quickie--a break from her novels.
Needless to say, I was...confused.
You see, I have a process I go through before I send anything in for publication. I write. I revise. Maybe twice. For longer pieces, I might post part in my online writing group and wait for critiques (to revise again). I send to my betas. I wait for their comments. I revise. Then, if the revisions were big, I send it back to them to make sure it's solid. If not, I revise again. Then...sometime after that, I send it in.
I do this for my novel-length stories. I do this for my novellas. I do this for my short stories. Hell, if I'm worried about it, I do something similar for my flash fiction before I post it on the blog. I cannot imagine sending my rough drafts to my editors. Even thinking about it has me breaking out in a cold sweat right now. You see, as much as I love my editors and think they're awesome, I want as many eyes as I can reasonably get on my manuscript before it goes out. And I feel that way about all my stories; I don't differentiate by length (though, I will say that just because they are longer and therefore have more room for "issues", novel-length stories tend to go through more revisions than shorts).
Based on similar comments from both an editor and another author, however, I'm starting to think I might be in the minority with regard to these habits. I know in digital publishing, output is important. If you can't churn out stories fast enough, you can be forgotten as new authors pop up. But the idea of putting anything out there that is less than the best I can make it bothers me...a lot. This isn't to say that other people don't write crazy-good first drafts with no inconsistencies or weak spots or grammar issues because I'm sure some people do, but I'm not at the point yet where I can delude myself into thinking I'm one of them.
So, if you've been waiting on Badlands 2 or the next Blood Kissed story, consider this my apology for the delay. I want to get those stories to you. I just don't want to cut corners to do it, and for me it would be cutting corners (believe me, my betas are phenomenal and not at all afraid to tell me when I suck). Please forgive the delay, and hopefully I can work on that whole prolific thing in the meantime.
Then, at a totally separate time, I was talking to a fellow author (who shall remain unnamed) about one of her shorter works. She basically said that she didn't put as much time into it since it was just supposed to be a quickie--a break from her novels.
Needless to say, I was...confused.
You see, I have a process I go through before I send anything in for publication. I write. I revise. Maybe twice. For longer pieces, I might post part in my online writing group and wait for critiques (to revise again). I send to my betas. I wait for their comments. I revise. Then, if the revisions were big, I send it back to them to make sure it's solid. If not, I revise again. Then...sometime after that, I send it in.
I do this for my novel-length stories. I do this for my novellas. I do this for my short stories. Hell, if I'm worried about it, I do something similar for my flash fiction before I post it on the blog. I cannot imagine sending my rough drafts to my editors. Even thinking about it has me breaking out in a cold sweat right now. You see, as much as I love my editors and think they're awesome, I want as many eyes as I can reasonably get on my manuscript before it goes out. And I feel that way about all my stories; I don't differentiate by length (though, I will say that just because they are longer and therefore have more room for "issues", novel-length stories tend to go through more revisions than shorts).
Based on similar comments from both an editor and another author, however, I'm starting to think I might be in the minority with regard to these habits. I know in digital publishing, output is important. If you can't churn out stories fast enough, you can be forgotten as new authors pop up. But the idea of putting anything out there that is less than the best I can make it bothers me...a lot. This isn't to say that other people don't write crazy-good first drafts with no inconsistencies or weak spots or grammar issues because I'm sure some people do, but I'm not at the point yet where I can delude myself into thinking I'm one of them.
So, if you've been waiting on Badlands 2 or the next Blood Kissed story, consider this my apology for the delay. I want to get those stories to you. I just don't want to cut corners to do it, and for me it would be cutting corners (believe me, my betas are phenomenal and not at all afraid to tell me when I suck). Please forgive the delay, and hopefully I can work on that whole prolific thing in the meantime.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Who is Spencer Pierce?
When I set out to create my characters, I usually have a pretty good idea of the type of person they are and what they look like. Backstory and quirks and that sort of thing are where the real work comes in. But the basics usually fall into my head fully formed. That was definitely the case with Spencer Pierce, captain of the Dark Hawk in Badlands.
The first thing about Spence is that he isn’t a big guy: muscular and strong sure, but more on the skinny side (wiry is the nice way of putting it). And then there are his eyes. Spencer’s eyes are one of his most telling features. No matter what kind of front he puts on for anyone, his eyes are haunted and speak of a past he’d rather forget. Right around the time I was “casting” Spencer, White Collar came on TV. Matt Bomer fit in a lot of ways, but he just didn’t have that dark edge I wanted for Spencer—he was too “cute”. It didn’t take long to realize the guy I kept seeing when I pictured Spencer wasn’t playing a nice guy on TV. He was playing one of the most deliciously sarcastic and bloodthirsty vampires on TV. Ian Somerhalder is very much the physical embodiment of Spencer Pierce. Of course, if they ever made a movie of Badlands, he’d have to bring a haunted past to the character of a really nice guy. Is he that good of an actor? Hmm…
But as for the character, that’s all Spencer. The closest thing in most of my TV/movie watching to a dirigible captain are from science fiction, in particular spaceship captains give the best parallel. But if you look at most of them, you’ll see some trends.
- Star Trek
- Star Wars
Sigh. Spencer’s his own breed of guy. But then I thought, what about someone who’s close? Surely one of those captains would be able to sit down and have a drink with Spence without trying to rob him, kill him, or take his woman. Not really. The only ones who wouldn’t probably wouldn’t have a drink with him in the first place.
I could think of one guy who would though. Sure, he’s a smuggler and he’s got attitude to spare. However, he’s not the kind to start off with aggression nor is he the kind to shit on a fair deal. So, if you recognize a little bit of Malcolm Reynolds in Spencer, there’s a reason for it. They aren’t the same character by a long stretch, but I like to think they’d get each other and maybe even be friends.
In addition to the contest that is going on with this post as part of the treasure hunt for The Romance Studio, I'm also offering a digital copy of either of my Blood Kissed stories to a random commenter here (winner's choice of Of Course I Try or The Ghost of Vampire Present).
The first thing about Spence is that he isn’t a big guy: muscular and strong sure, but more on the skinny side (wiry is the nice way of putting it). And then there are his eyes. Spencer’s eyes are one of his most telling features. No matter what kind of front he puts on for anyone, his eyes are haunted and speak of a past he’d rather forget. Right around the time I was “casting” Spencer, White Collar came on TV. Matt Bomer fit in a lot of ways, but he just didn’t have that dark edge I wanted for Spencer—he was too “cute”. It didn’t take long to realize the guy I kept seeing when I pictured Spencer wasn’t playing a nice guy on TV. He was playing one of the most deliciously sarcastic and bloodthirsty vampires on TV. Ian Somerhalder is very much the physical embodiment of Spencer Pierce. Of course, if they ever made a movie of Badlands, he’d have to bring a haunted past to the character of a really nice guy. Is he that good of an actor? Hmm…
But as for the character, that’s all Spencer. The closest thing in most of my TV/movie watching to a dirigible captain are from science fiction, in particular spaceship captains give the best parallel. But if you look at most of them, you’ll see some trends.
- Star Trek
- Kirk is a devil-may-care ladies’ man. (So very not Spencer)
- Picard is straight-arrow, proper and…yeah (Love him, but not Spencer)
- Janeway’s uh…a girl (honestly, this is when I got bored with Star Trek and stopped watching)
- Star Wars
- Han Solo is a smuggler and a cad. Sure he turns into a great guy, but he starts out as kind of a jerk (Not Spencer)
- Lando Calrissian takes us right back to Kirk.
Sigh. Spencer’s his own breed of guy. But then I thought, what about someone who’s close? Surely one of those captains would be able to sit down and have a drink with Spence without trying to rob him, kill him, or take his woman. Not really. The only ones who wouldn’t probably wouldn’t have a drink with him in the first place.
I could think of one guy who would though. Sure, he’s a smuggler and he’s got attitude to spare. However, he’s not the kind to start off with aggression nor is he the kind to shit on a fair deal. So, if you recognize a little bit of Malcolm Reynolds in Spencer, there’s a reason for it. They aren’t the same character by a long stretch, but I like to think they’d get each other and maybe even be friends.
In addition to the contest that is going on with this post as part of the treasure hunt for The Romance Studio, I'm also offering a digital copy of either of my Blood Kissed stories to a random commenter here (winner's choice of Of Course I Try or The Ghost of Vampire Present).
Thursday, March 10, 2011
HELP!!!
First, I'm on a #FridayFlash hiatus. I owe people comments from last week still. Things are just too busy this month for me to commit to doing anything extra, so the flash has to go for now. I'll be back with some in April after RT is over :)
For now though...
Con season is basically here (EEP!), and I'm doing some last-minute scrambling. I have magnets and a few t-shirts and stuff for the Blood Kissed series, but because of some rather inconvenient (but understandable) rules, I don't have much promo material for Badlands. So, I'm planning/hoping to do some romance trading cards. The thing is I'm not sure what all to get.
Here's the deal. I'm asking a friend of mine to do some art for them, and I don't want to put her under too much pressure. Plus, I can only afford to do so many at a time. So, I'm looking to limit it to four cards. Obviously I want to do Ever and Spencer, but I'm not 100% sure what else. My first instinct was to go with Zeke and Henrietta, but then I thought "Oooo the Dark Hawk is kind of a character in her own right." Lots of things came up in a quickie, impromptu Twitter poll, but it was suggested I ask here.
I need a decision quickly (probably by the end of the weekend), so what I need from you is this: other than Ever and Spencer, give me two more Badlands trading cards you'd like to see. (If it matters, I will probably add to the collection when I sell the next story, so this isn't the "end" of the cards, just the beginning.)
THANKS!
For now though...
Con season is basically here (EEP!), and I'm doing some last-minute scrambling. I have magnets and a few t-shirts and stuff for the Blood Kissed series, but because of some rather inconvenient (but understandable) rules, I don't have much promo material for Badlands. So, I'm planning/hoping to do some romance trading cards. The thing is I'm not sure what all to get.
Here's the deal. I'm asking a friend of mine to do some art for them, and I don't want to put her under too much pressure. Plus, I can only afford to do so many at a time. So, I'm looking to limit it to four cards. Obviously I want to do Ever and Spencer, but I'm not 100% sure what else. My first instinct was to go with Zeke and Henrietta, but then I thought "Oooo the Dark Hawk is kind of a character in her own right." Lots of things came up in a quickie, impromptu Twitter poll, but it was suggested I ask here.
I need a decision quickly (probably by the end of the weekend), so what I need from you is this: other than Ever and Spencer, give me two more Badlands trading cards you'd like to see. (If it matters, I will probably add to the collection when I sell the next story, so this isn't the "end" of the cards, just the beginning.)
THANKS!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Bargaining: Devil's Bargain
Welcome back to my #FridayFlash posts and thanks for coming.
If you're new to my stuff or you didn't remember, I'm doing a series for five weeks showing the five stages of grief, each one from the perspective of a different character.
The third stage is bargaining. Only two characters came immediately to mind for this stage. Both characters come from my Blood Kissed series (Of Course I Try, The Ghost of Vampire Present, and future tales), but one of their stories would have greatly spoiled the end game of the series, so the decision was easy. We're sharing another visit with Max, but for this one, we're traveling back in time about a hundred years.
.
.
There are certain things they don’t tell you about the military when you sign up. For instance, when you’re in battle, you follow your commanding officer’s orders, even if he’s sending you to your death.
The hardest part about that is simply the knowing.
The machine gun fire ripping through your body follows as a close second.
Lying in a pile of corpses praying for death to take you isn’t too far behind either.
.
.
When darkness fell the first night and I still had some strength left, I tried to drag myself back toward the allied lines. My staunch refusal to accept that I was dying lasted until I passed out from the pain, blood filling my mouth from how hard I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.
I woke the next day to more gunfire. Always more.
Only now I’d ground dirt through my shredded uniform and into the wounds that oozed a constant stream of blood. Had I pulled myself into the damnable Somme, at least the blood would’ve run clean again. And I probably would have drowned rather than lying there, waiting for infection or blood loss to take me.
Soon, the smoke and dirt and blood blurred in my sight and images of Lily took over. My wife—standing in the kitchen over a sink full of soap bubbles, sunlight glinting her blond hair as she sloshed water all over her apron and burst into laughter.
That was the moment I realized I couldn’t die. I had to get back to her. Back to the life I’d promised when we’d said “I do.”
As the sounds of fighting quieted a bit and darkness descended again, I began whispering prayers. “God, just let me get home to Lily—let me tell her I love her one more time—and I promise to be a better man. Just let me live.” I didn’t know how long I lay there saying the same things over and over, begging for another chance at life.
Then a lightly accented voice came from right next to me where only the dead had been a moment before. “Will you really do anything to go on living?”
I opened my eyes to a night lit by the glow of the moon and the flash of gunfire. There wasn’t much to see on the ground besides shadows, but a man with long hair completely at odds with current fashion knelt beside me, utterly calm in the madness of the battlefield. “Are you an angel?”
He shifted, and I swore I could hear him smile. “Something like that. What is your name, soldier?”
“Shaw. Sergeant Maxmillian Shaw.”
“A pleasure, and you may call me Remus.” He settled on the ground next to me. “So would you truly do anything to live again? Because I must tell you, you have about five excruciating hours left otherwise.”
I didn’t bother to ponder how he’d come up with the number. “Yes! I want to go home to my wife,” I cried, my voice so weak I didn’t think he could possibly have heard me.
“It is somewhat complicated. I can save you, but you’ll have to spend some time with me before I can send you home.” He leaned closer, the soft blackness of his hair tickling my neck.
“As long as I can see her again. Make her happy.”
Remus laughed and the sound danced in the night like fireflies. “I’m afraid it won’t be quite as simple as you want. You’ll get back to her, but you will never have the life you lived before again. You will have to hide things from her, from everyone you know. Everything will change. Are you certain it’s a sacrifice you can make?”
An icy chill started to seep into my veins, burning its way through my body, and shivers wracked my frame, making every pain flare to life again. And I said what he demanded, even though I knew I’d never lie to her. “I love Lily. Of course, I’ll sacrifice whatever I have to for her.”
“I’ll say this much for you Americans, you have strange ideas about what love means. But so be it—I will save your life.” Fire lit the sky as he threw his head back. And though he may have had the face of an angel—long black hair framing sparkling, intelligent blue eyes—I found myself staring down a demon. His fangs flashed in the light, and before I could say anything, he was on me.
His teeth pierced my flesh, and for a moment new pain blossomed there, and I felt certain it had all been a trick. Some test to get into heaven that I was sure I’d failed. Then, even as I felt my heart slowing, a rich fluid filled my mouth, salty, but sweeter than anything I’d ever tasted. The moment it hit my tongue, the darkness of death retreated, leaving only hunger behind. I latched onto the thing pressed against my lips and drank and drank.
I don’t know how long I stayed there, but with every swallow, the pain lessened, and my strength returned. When at last I opened my eyes once more, I found myself not on the battlefield, but in a cave, the sun casting a circle of light near the entrance. He’d done what he promised—I was whole again. Pushing to my feet, I reached toward the light. Before the glow even touched my skin, the flesh on my fingers erupted in flames. I yanked my hand back, batting the fire away.
“Lesson number one—“ the melodic voice said from behind me, “—daylight is no longer your friend.”
Turning, I found the demon, Remus, in the recesses of the cave. His fangs gone, but the gleam in his eyes the same as I’d seen as I lay dying. And in that moment, I knew I had indeed failed the test, because I’d wakened in hell.
If you're new to my stuff or you didn't remember, I'm doing a series for five weeks showing the five stages of grief, each one from the perspective of a different character.
The third stage is bargaining. Only two characters came immediately to mind for this stage. Both characters come from my Blood Kissed series (Of Course I Try, The Ghost of Vampire Present, and future tales), but one of their stories would have greatly spoiled the end game of the series, so the decision was easy. We're sharing another visit with Max, but for this one, we're traveling back in time about a hundred years.
.
*****
.
There are certain things they don’t tell you about the military when you sign up. For instance, when you’re in battle, you follow your commanding officer’s orders, even if he’s sending you to your death.
The hardest part about that is simply the knowing.
The machine gun fire ripping through your body follows as a close second.
Lying in a pile of corpses praying for death to take you isn’t too far behind either.
.
.
When darkness fell the first night and I still had some strength left, I tried to drag myself back toward the allied lines. My staunch refusal to accept that I was dying lasted until I passed out from the pain, blood filling my mouth from how hard I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.
I woke the next day to more gunfire. Always more.
Only now I’d ground dirt through my shredded uniform and into the wounds that oozed a constant stream of blood. Had I pulled myself into the damnable Somme, at least the blood would’ve run clean again. And I probably would have drowned rather than lying there, waiting for infection or blood loss to take me.
Soon, the smoke and dirt and blood blurred in my sight and images of Lily took over. My wife—standing in the kitchen over a sink full of soap bubbles, sunlight glinting her blond hair as she sloshed water all over her apron and burst into laughter.
That was the moment I realized I couldn’t die. I had to get back to her. Back to the life I’d promised when we’d said “I do.”
As the sounds of fighting quieted a bit and darkness descended again, I began whispering prayers. “God, just let me get home to Lily—let me tell her I love her one more time—and I promise to be a better man. Just let me live.” I didn’t know how long I lay there saying the same things over and over, begging for another chance at life.
Then a lightly accented voice came from right next to me where only the dead had been a moment before. “Will you really do anything to go on living?”
I opened my eyes to a night lit by the glow of the moon and the flash of gunfire. There wasn’t much to see on the ground besides shadows, but a man with long hair completely at odds with current fashion knelt beside me, utterly calm in the madness of the battlefield. “Are you an angel?”
He shifted, and I swore I could hear him smile. “Something like that. What is your name, soldier?”
“Shaw. Sergeant Maxmillian Shaw.”
“A pleasure, and you may call me Remus.” He settled on the ground next to me. “So would you truly do anything to live again? Because I must tell you, you have about five excruciating hours left otherwise.”
I didn’t bother to ponder how he’d come up with the number. “Yes! I want to go home to my wife,” I cried, my voice so weak I didn’t think he could possibly have heard me.
“It is somewhat complicated. I can save you, but you’ll have to spend some time with me before I can send you home.” He leaned closer, the soft blackness of his hair tickling my neck.
“As long as I can see her again. Make her happy.”
Remus laughed and the sound danced in the night like fireflies. “I’m afraid it won’t be quite as simple as you want. You’ll get back to her, but you will never have the life you lived before again. You will have to hide things from her, from everyone you know. Everything will change. Are you certain it’s a sacrifice you can make?”
An icy chill started to seep into my veins, burning its way through my body, and shivers wracked my frame, making every pain flare to life again. And I said what he demanded, even though I knew I’d never lie to her. “I love Lily. Of course, I’ll sacrifice whatever I have to for her.”
“I’ll say this much for you Americans, you have strange ideas about what love means. But so be it—I will save your life.” Fire lit the sky as he threw his head back. And though he may have had the face of an angel—long black hair framing sparkling, intelligent blue eyes—I found myself staring down a demon. His fangs flashed in the light, and before I could say anything, he was on me.
His teeth pierced my flesh, and for a moment new pain blossomed there, and I felt certain it had all been a trick. Some test to get into heaven that I was sure I’d failed. Then, even as I felt my heart slowing, a rich fluid filled my mouth, salty, but sweeter than anything I’d ever tasted. The moment it hit my tongue, the darkness of death retreated, leaving only hunger behind. I latched onto the thing pressed against my lips and drank and drank.
I don’t know how long I stayed there, but with every swallow, the pain lessened, and my strength returned. When at last I opened my eyes once more, I found myself not on the battlefield, but in a cave, the sun casting a circle of light near the entrance. He’d done what he promised—I was whole again. Pushing to my feet, I reached toward the light. Before the glow even touched my skin, the flesh on my fingers erupted in flames. I yanked my hand back, batting the fire away.
“Lesson number one—“ the melodic voice said from behind me, “—daylight is no longer your friend.”
Turning, I found the demon, Remus, in the recesses of the cave. His fangs gone, but the gleam in his eyes the same as I’d seen as I lay dying. And in that moment, I knew I had indeed failed the test, because I’d wakened in hell.
Holiday Story Time!!!!!
Okay, so my vlogging debut is live. Eep!
If you've been playing along, you know the deal, but just in case...
In each of the videos, the Decadent Publishing logo will be visible somewhere. If you find it, email the author and tell them where it is to be put in the drawing for a free digital copy of their story (for example, me: selestedelaney@gmail.com). Also, Book Matrix Media (who did my author photos, which I love) and Tilvee have donated prizes too! Those logos are each only in one video. If you find either (or both) of those logos, email pjschnyder@gmail.com and let her know where they are to be entered for those prizes!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video! Click here--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMFA6sB7MBk
If you've been playing along, you know the deal, but just in case...
In each of the videos, the Decadent Publishing logo will be visible somewhere. If you find it, email the author and tell them where it is to be put in the drawing for a free digital copy of their story (for example, me: selestedelaney@gmail.com). Also, Book Matrix Media (who did my author photos, which I love) and Tilvee have donated prizes too! Those logos are each only in one video. If you find either (or both) of those logos, email pjschnyder@gmail.com and let her know where they are to be entered for those prizes!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video! Click here--> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMFA6sB7MBk
Sunday, December 12, 2010
This Week's Schedule...
Today (Sunday): I have a post up at 30 Days of Decadence about some of my favorite off-beat holiday things. Come check it out, I'm giving away a copy of The Ghost of Vampire Present and something special for one Max fan.
Monday: Day off unless something changes (woohoo!) However, Holiday Story Time starts today at Robert's place.
Tuesday: Interview at the blog of the wonderful and funny Deanna Wadsworth(POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK!). We'll be drinking and laughing and having a good old time. Join us! AND Deanna is also doing her Holiday Story Time today!
Wednesday: I'm going to be at the Harlequin author post-party chat. I'll be popping on periodically from midnight until 10 pm so stop in and say hi :) Also today, PJ is up for Holiday Story Time!
Thursday: It's my day up for Holiday Story Time! There'll be a video of me reading an excerpt from The Ghost of Vampire Present and giving away a copy to one lucky commenter!
Friday: I'm at the Daily Dose of Decadence with ten interesting things about the Blood Kissed series. Also posting my next Friday flash in here (psstt..... it's a Max story, don't miss it!) And, Clarissa is up for the last of the Holiday Story Time videos.
Saturday: I'm on video again and babbling about the holidays over at 13 Wicked Days of Christmas. (Have I mentioned I hate being on camera? I'll probably hide under a rock again until next year LOL.) Another giveaway here of digital copy of either The Ghost of Vampire Present or 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas.
Huge and busy week. I hope you are all willing to stick with me and check out all the posts and giveaways! I promise to tone it down for the rest of December ;-)
Monday: Day off unless something changes (woohoo!) However, Holiday Story Time starts today at Robert's place.
Tuesday: Interview at the blog of the wonderful and funny Deanna Wadsworth(POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT WEEK!). We'll be drinking and laughing and having a good old time. Join us! AND Deanna is also doing her Holiday Story Time today!
Wednesday: I'm going to be at the Harlequin author post-party chat. I'll be popping on periodically from midnight until 10 pm so stop in and say hi :) Also today, PJ is up for Holiday Story Time!
Thursday: It's my day up for Holiday Story Time! There'll be a video of me reading an excerpt from The Ghost of Vampire Present and giving away a copy to one lucky commenter!
Friday: I'm at the Daily Dose of Decadence with ten interesting things about the Blood Kissed series. Also posting my next Friday flash in here (psstt..... it's a Max story, don't miss it!) And, Clarissa is up for the last of the Holiday Story Time videos.
Saturday: I'm on video again and babbling about the holidays over at 13 Wicked Days of Christmas. (Have I mentioned I hate being on camera? I'll probably hide under a rock again until next year LOL.) Another giveaway here of digital copy of either The Ghost of Vampire Present or 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas.
Huge and busy week. I hope you are all willing to stick with me and check out all the posts and giveaways! I promise to tone it down for the rest of December ;-)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Sickie
No real post this week, sorry. Things have just been crazy. If you noticed, there was no Friday Flash, no Tuesday Teases...nothing. Yeah...
Anyway, the long and short of it is I've been sick for about a month now, still fighting this cough, intermittent fever, and other stuff, and it all finally caved in on me this week. I managed to get a couple video blogs done that'll go up before the holidays without any choking fits (WIN!), but other than that and a couple promo things, this week was a wash on me and the blogosphere. Hope you'll forgive me, but odds are I'm just going to use Tuesday Teases to point you to the other places I'm going to be during the week for the rest of December. With the holidays and stuff, I figure that's more than enough keeping up with me for people to do. I'm going to try to get back on the Friday Flash bandwagon next week though so keep an eye out for those on Thursday or Friday.
There is actually a lot of good news though. As I mentioned last week, 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas is out AND it is also available in print. And just a couple days ago, The Ghost of Vampire Present came out. Both have gotten reviews already--YAY!
In other Blood Kissed news. I've received the last of the feedback from my alpha reader, so I have what I need to get started on the first round of revisions. The bad news? Until at least a little more of the sickies leave my brain, I'm not sure about tackling them yet. Don't know how long I want to leave them sitting though either. Anyway, it's one step closer to being done, which is a good thing.
So...that should update you on what's going on here. Now I'm off armed with many cough drops to see a movie with my kids.
Anyway, the long and short of it is I've been sick for about a month now, still fighting this cough, intermittent fever, and other stuff, and it all finally caved in on me this week. I managed to get a couple video blogs done that'll go up before the holidays without any choking fits (WIN!), but other than that and a couple promo things, this week was a wash on me and the blogosphere. Hope you'll forgive me, but odds are I'm just going to use Tuesday Teases to point you to the other places I'm going to be during the week for the rest of December. With the holidays and stuff, I figure that's more than enough keeping up with me for people to do. I'm going to try to get back on the Friday Flash bandwagon next week though so keep an eye out for those on Thursday or Friday.
There is actually a lot of good news though. As I mentioned last week, 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas is out AND it is also available in print. And just a couple days ago, The Ghost of Vampire Present came out. Both have gotten reviews already--YAY!
In other Blood Kissed news. I've received the last of the feedback from my alpha reader, so I have what I need to get started on the first round of revisions. The bad news? Until at least a little more of the sickies leave my brain, I'm not sure about tackling them yet. Don't know how long I want to leave them sitting though either. Anyway, it's one step closer to being done, which is a good thing.
So...that should update you on what's going on here. Now I'm off armed with many cough drops to see a movie with my kids.
Friday, December 3, 2010
17 Weeks to RT!
Okay, okay, I know 17 weeks is kind of a long time, but with everything coming up, I have to start wrapping my head around this stuff in advance. You see, last year when I went to RT it was just for the con experience and pitching opportunities...and I still wasn't prepared.
This year? Now I'm a published author and I need to look at the convention in terms of promo as well as fun and opportunity. I'm slowly gathering some promo items to take with me, but I need more. The thing about promo is everyone's doing it, so I want my stuff to stand out. This is proving more difficult than anticipated since I also need to factor in cost and weight since I'll have to take it all on the plane with me or ship it in advance. So, with that in mind, I'm actually running out of time depending on what I go with.
But I also still need to prepare for pitches, and that means finishing novels not intended for my current publishers. This is harder than it sounds because in my mind I should be on the next Badlands story and doing something else for Evernight and plotting the next Blood Kissed, and that doesn't even take into account my young adult stuff. It's more than a little mind boggling. But I'm hoping to have stuff finished, polished and ready to pitch (especially since I have the experience from last year under my belt).
It's looking like I might be part of a panel this year too, which is huge. It also involves another set of stuff to prep. I'm incredibly geeked about it, so I hope like hell it pans out.
Then there's the fun and games portion of things. Hello? Outfits! Faery Ball, Vampire Ball... I love the madness. I'm on the lookout for bits and pieces to my costumes (still hunting for the perfect corset for the Vampire Ball).
Soooooo much to do and think about, and that's not even taking into account the little things like remembering to bring a power strip so my roommate, PJ Schnyder, and I can both get ready for events at the same time.
Basically what this post boils down to is a heads-up if you plan to attend an event like this. Yes, you can prep for it really quick if you need to, but I recommend putting some thought into things beforehand if you can. Now though? I need to get back to my novel-writing :)
This year? Now I'm a published author and I need to look at the convention in terms of promo as well as fun and opportunity. I'm slowly gathering some promo items to take with me, but I need more. The thing about promo is everyone's doing it, so I want my stuff to stand out. This is proving more difficult than anticipated since I also need to factor in cost and weight since I'll have to take it all on the plane with me or ship it in advance. So, with that in mind, I'm actually running out of time depending on what I go with.
But I also still need to prepare for pitches, and that means finishing novels not intended for my current publishers. This is harder than it sounds because in my mind I should be on the next Badlands story and doing something else for Evernight and plotting the next Blood Kissed, and that doesn't even take into account my young adult stuff. It's more than a little mind boggling. But I'm hoping to have stuff finished, polished and ready to pitch (especially since I have the experience from last year under my belt).
It's looking like I might be part of a panel this year too, which is huge. It also involves another set of stuff to prep. I'm incredibly geeked about it, so I hope like hell it pans out.
Then there's the fun and games portion of things. Hello? Outfits! Faery Ball, Vampire Ball... I love the madness. I'm on the lookout for bits and pieces to my costumes (still hunting for the perfect corset for the Vampire Ball).
Soooooo much to do and think about, and that's not even taking into account the little things like remembering to bring a power strip so my roommate, PJ Schnyder, and I can both get ready for events at the same time.
Basically what this post boils down to is a heads-up if you plan to attend an event like this. Yes, you can prep for it really quick if you need to, but I recommend putting some thought into things beforehand if you can. Now though? I need to get back to my novel-writing :)
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Depression: What Have I Done?
Welcome back to my #FridayFlash posts and thanks for coming.
If you're new to my stuff or you didn't remember, I'm doing a series for five weeks showing the five stages of grief, each one from the perspective of a different character.
The second stage is depression. This was one that I battled choosing a character for because so many of them could fit this at different times. In the end, I decided to go with the best known one: Jocelyn. This takes place immediately after the events in Of Course I Try (available from Decadent Publishing and other online retailers). If you're looking for backstory but don't want to buy, the final scene of OCIT was re-done from Max's point of view in The Cost of Love (my first #FridayFlash) on Danielle LaPaglia's blog
Depression: What Have I Done?
I make it out the door and to my car before the shakes hit me. The keys tumble from my grasp as I try to put them in the ignition, clinking against the steering column before they fall onto the floorboards. Denial takes a breath and screams, “He’s not really dead!” But I know better—I felt his body disintegrate beneath my hands. I don’t get the luxury of pretending.
My eyes turn toward his house—a place that had been my refuge for when the rest of the world became too much. More than the house though, he’d been my savior, my protector, my everything.
“Oh God, what have I done?”
The only bad thing Max had ever really done was hide the truth. He lied. And I hadn’t even given him a chance to explain himself.
The pain and horror choke me, sucking the life from my body more thoroughly than Max ever did. I claw at the door handle, wanting to go back inside, absurdly thinking I can take it back somehow. My body sags against the door, the glass cool on my cheek as I realize I have no right to go back in his home. I’ve betrayed everything it stood for.
I am alone…and it’s my fault.
A sob catches in my throat, I’m too weak to even cry. Light and color are leeched from the world with every breath, bathing me in darkness and despair. I stare at the house, willing it to come back to life, but knowing in my heart it can’t happen. I killed the only man I’ve ever loved, took the very life that gave everything in my life meaning.
With him gone, I want to die too.
Daylight comes and darkness falls, and still I sit and wait. Death is too good for me now.
If you're new to my stuff or you didn't remember, I'm doing a series for five weeks showing the five stages of grief, each one from the perspective of a different character.
The second stage is depression. This was one that I battled choosing a character for because so many of them could fit this at different times. In the end, I decided to go with the best known one: Jocelyn. This takes place immediately after the events in Of Course I Try (available from Decadent Publishing and other online retailers). If you're looking for backstory but don't want to buy, the final scene of OCIT was re-done from Max's point of view in The Cost of Love (my first #FridayFlash) on Danielle LaPaglia's blog
Depression: What Have I Done?
I make it out the door and to my car before the shakes hit me. The keys tumble from my grasp as I try to put them in the ignition, clinking against the steering column before they fall onto the floorboards. Denial takes a breath and screams, “He’s not really dead!” But I know better—I felt his body disintegrate beneath my hands. I don’t get the luxury of pretending.
My eyes turn toward his house—a place that had been my refuge for when the rest of the world became too much. More than the house though, he’d been my savior, my protector, my everything.
“Oh God, what have I done?”
The only bad thing Max had ever really done was hide the truth. He lied. And I hadn’t even given him a chance to explain himself.
The pain and horror choke me, sucking the life from my body more thoroughly than Max ever did. I claw at the door handle, wanting to go back inside, absurdly thinking I can take it back somehow. My body sags against the door, the glass cool on my cheek as I realize I have no right to go back in his home. I’ve betrayed everything it stood for.
I am alone…and it’s my fault.
A sob catches in my throat, I’m too weak to even cry. Light and color are leeched from the world with every breath, bathing me in darkness and despair. I stare at the house, willing it to come back to life, but knowing in my heart it can’t happen. I killed the only man I’ve ever loved, took the very life that gave everything in my life meaning.
With him gone, I want to die too.
Daylight comes and darkness falls, and still I sit and wait. Death is too good for me now.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
NaNoWriMo Wrap-Up
So another NaNo has come and (almost) gone. If you are still working, get to it! *cracks whip* If you're done, congratulations. Honestly though, congrats to everyone who took on the challenge. Even if you didn't "win", I hope you still ended up with words. I "won" a couple days ago and I'm now trying to put the finishing touches on the draft since my editor really seems like she wants it...yesterday.
Here's the thing though. I'm not sending it to her yet.
The only person who has seen more than little snippets of this piece (those are available on the Blood Kissed Facebook page--I'd love it if you liked me there) is my incredibly awesome alpha-reader, Katee. She's been one of my betas since my second novel, and she gets me like no one else. This time she stepped up to the plate and has been reading Kiss of Death in it's most raw form so that once I'm done with the draft, I can revise with a plan in mind. Which means I can get it to the crazy people who are willing to speed-beta for me hopefully by the weekend. And then I can revise again next week and get it to my publisher.
Some of you are probably shaking your heads and saying, "OMG, is she nuts?" To which I answer, "Yes. Yes, I am." I wouldn't normally work like this. My usual course of action is to finish the draft, let it sit for a couple weeks, revise, then if I'm okay with it, send it to betas. As often as not though, I still don't think it's ready for them and I'll let it sit longer and revise again before sending to them. Then, with their feedback in hand, I revise again (maybe more than once). So normally, after the rough is done, it's a minimum of a month before I send it out to agents/editors. Did I mention minimum?
So while I am demonstrating that the usual way doesn't always work (crazy deadlines), my methods are still similar. I'm still doing revise, beta, revise before I send it out, because I don't want people in charge to see something that isn't the best I can make it (in the time allowed).
And you shouldn't either. I know I have readers here who aren't published yet. I know a zillion people did NaNo this year. And what I want to tell you is your stuff is not ready to send. The big-time authors I know who do NaNo don't send their NaNo drafts to their agents/editors, and none of us should either. Every manuscript needs some sort of real critique before it gets sent out, and every manuscript needs revision (beyond spell-check, though that's important too).
Every year agents complain about the amount of unpolished NaNo work they get every December/January. Don't be part of the problem. Revise it until it's shiny. Do your homework on agents and how to query. Do everything you can to make it as perfect as possible.
And for heavens sake, don't follow my example this year. Remember: I'm nuts.
Here's the thing though. I'm not sending it to her yet.
The only person who has seen more than little snippets of this piece (those are available on the Blood Kissed Facebook page--I'd love it if you liked me there) is my incredibly awesome alpha-reader, Katee. She's been one of my betas since my second novel, and she gets me like no one else. This time she stepped up to the plate and has been reading Kiss of Death in it's most raw form so that once I'm done with the draft, I can revise with a plan in mind. Which means I can get it to the crazy people who are willing to speed-beta for me hopefully by the weekend. And then I can revise again next week and get it to my publisher.
Some of you are probably shaking your heads and saying, "OMG, is she nuts?" To which I answer, "Yes. Yes, I am." I wouldn't normally work like this. My usual course of action is to finish the draft, let it sit for a couple weeks, revise, then if I'm okay with it, send it to betas. As often as not though, I still don't think it's ready for them and I'll let it sit longer and revise again before sending to them. Then, with their feedback in hand, I revise again (maybe more than once). So normally, after the rough is done, it's a minimum of a month before I send it out to agents/editors. Did I mention minimum?
So while I am demonstrating that the usual way doesn't always work (crazy deadlines), my methods are still similar. I'm still doing revise, beta, revise before I send it out, because I don't want people in charge to see something that isn't the best I can make it (in the time allowed).
And you shouldn't either. I know I have readers here who aren't published yet. I know a zillion people did NaNo this year. And what I want to tell you is your stuff is not ready to send. The big-time authors I know who do NaNo don't send their NaNo drafts to their agents/editors, and none of us should either. Every manuscript needs some sort of real critique before it gets sent out, and every manuscript needs revision (beyond spell-check, though that's important too).
Every year agents complain about the amount of unpolished NaNo work they get every December/January. Don't be part of the problem. Revise it until it's shiny. Do your homework on agents and how to query. Do everything you can to make it as perfect as possible.
And for heavens sake, don't follow my example this year. Remember: I'm nuts.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sleepy Saturday...
It's been a very busy week,what with NaNoWriMo eating my brain and doing edits on The Ghost of Vampire Present. (Did I mention edits are done? Yeah. Madness, but they are done.) So, since I'm not entirely coherent, I'm just going to let you know that I did a post on Blood Kissed over at Daily Dose of Decadence. Please check it out.
Also, I'm going to be doing a kind of crazed blog tour in the first half of December.
On December 1 I'm at Romance Author Hotspot, then I might have some time off (lol, it won't last, so check back for updates)
December 3 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas releases
December 8 We're having a party to celebrate the release of the anthology at the Book Boost. Lots of prizes and fun will be had! (I also have my monthly post at the Para-Posse that day, so make sure you stop by!)
December 12 I'm doing a holiday post at Decadent's holiday blog. Again...prizes!
December 14 The fabulous and funny Deanna Wadsworth is interviewing me over at her blog. We met last year at RT and the two of us always have fun with each other.
December 15 I'm at the eHarlequin Open House, specifically the Carina Press post party. It's an opportunity to meet lots of current and upcoming Carina Press authors, so please pop in sometime during the day
December 17 I'll be on the Decadent blog sharing some interesting things about me or Blood Kissed (I haven't decided yet)
December 20 I'm scheduled for an interview with Got Romance
AND I'm planning a short holiday story for one of my characters at Got Romance (date TBD) and an interview with Wicked Little Pixie (date TBD). After all that I might just sleep for a while. In case it isn't clear, all of this means my REGULAR blogging isn't going to happen unless the mood strikes. Hope you'll join me for the blog hop!
Also, I'm going to be doing a kind of crazed blog tour in the first half of December.
On December 1 I'm at Romance Author Hotspot, then I might have some time off (lol, it won't last, so check back for updates)
December 3 'Twas a Dark and Delicious Christmas releases
December 8 We're having a party to celebrate the release of the anthology at the Book Boost. Lots of prizes and fun will be had! (I also have my monthly post at the Para-Posse that day, so make sure you stop by!)
December 12 I'm doing a holiday post at Decadent's holiday blog. Again...prizes!
December 14 The fabulous and funny Deanna Wadsworth is interviewing me over at her blog. We met last year at RT and the two of us always have fun with each other.
December 15 I'm at the eHarlequin Open House, specifically the Carina Press post party. It's an opportunity to meet lots of current and upcoming Carina Press authors, so please pop in sometime during the day
December 16 is the day I will be doing my Holiday Storytime! There will be video of me reading from The Ghost of Vampire Present. For those of you who know me, you are aware getting me on video doesn't happen very often. There are also prizes with this, one every day from Decadent Publishing, and a couple extras from Tilve and Book Matrix Media. Make sure you check out all my friends' vlogs this week too.
December 17 I'll be on the Decadent blog sharing some interesting things about me or Blood Kissed (I haven't decided yet)
December 20 I'm scheduled for an interview with Got Romance
AND I'm planning a short holiday story for one of my characters at Got Romance (date TBD) and an interview with Wicked Little Pixie (date TBD). After all that I might just sleep for a while. In case it isn't clear, all of this means my REGULAR blogging isn't going to happen unless the mood strikes. Hope you'll join me for the blog hop!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Clicking and Cover Art
First, I got the cover art for the Evernight Publishing holiday anthology. It's so pretty....
Okay, now that I've teased you with something that won't be out until December 3, I have a new story available free...right now. As you know, Danielle LaPaglia shared her flash fiction with us on Tuesday (if you haven't read it, check it out), and yesterday I was on her blog. "More Max" has been something I've heard since Of Course I Try came out. "The Cost of Love" is my answer to that plea. WARNING: If you haven't read Of Course I Try, this story is very spoilerish. Proceed with that in mind. (Click here to read "The Cost of Love")
Okay, now that I've teased you with something that won't be out until December 3, I have a new story available free...right now. As you know, Danielle LaPaglia shared her flash fiction with us on Tuesday (if you haven't read it, check it out), and yesterday I was on her blog. "More Max" has been something I've heard since Of Course I Try came out. "The Cost of Love" is my answer to that plea. WARNING: If you haven't read Of Course I Try, this story is very spoilerish. Proceed with that in mind. (Click here to read "The Cost of Love")
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