First Release Day!

Can't believe that the day has finally arrived, my first every release day.  Everything that I've been working towards for the past six months or so came to a head this morning in a quiet but profound way.  First of all, I can call myself an author, not just a writer. :)  Irregardless of whether I have any more releases, this first baby of mine will be around for at least three years. It's an amazing feeling, very gratifying, very humbling.
Remarkable Restraint was one of those stories that just flowed directly from my brain to the screen.  My characters came alive and I wrote the story in only a few days. I was blessed enough to have a good enough relationship with my CP Ava March and Shawn Lane at that point to impose upon them for a critique. Their insights were invaluable, and I must say that without their feedback, I wonder whether this would have gone anywhere. I was bummed (but understand because of the formatting and space constraints) that there wouldn't be a way to include a dedication, so here it is!!

For Ava and Shawn, two talented and classy women that have encouraged me every step of the way. Thank you for your ongoing support...Chaz and Justin wouldn't be here without you!

As long as I'm throwing the love around, here is a blanket shout-out to everyone here in my cyber life and out there in the real world who have made the process of going from aspiring writer to published author so much fun. *mwah*

All The News That's Fit To Print

It's been a fairly eventful day so far, writing-wise.  I was compelled to stay up last night until after 3am, banging out the last chapter of Rough Riders and actually managed to finish it to my satisfaction. Ended up stretching a bit further than I expected, but I needed the extra space to wrap things up sufficiently.  I went ahead and did a quick edit and got it off to my editor this morning. Another creation out looking for acceptance!

I'm also pleased to share that Silver & Gold will be published by Dreamspinner Press as part of their 2nd annual Advent Calendar collection. Keep an eye out for this in December. It will be available as a single e-book or as part of the complete 31 story collection.

Also found out that an author who has become a dear friend is back home after a stay in the hospital.  Very happy day all around!!

Hump Day Happenings

So I'm *this* close to finishing my current WIP, Rough Riders.  Thought I would wrap it last night, but I got into a very tender yet hot scene and the romantic side of my muse clammed up.  When that happened, I wisely gave up and left it for today, and I'm much happier with what's coming out now.

On another note, when I got into my last 'team' scene yesterday, I had a pretty complete storyline come to me for Mario, who is a secondary character in Rough Riders, and will be getting his own story in a few months. As soon as I come up with a working title for that one, I can cross it off my Sept to-do list! 

Release Date for A Pint Light!

Hi all! I hit the Coming Soon page at Total E Bound and got my release date for A Pint Light, my Voracious Vamp short story, available October 26th! Just in time to set the mood for Halloween!
http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=594

Progress

I spent some creative time today working on my website, adding a Works In Progress section, which forced me to think about and clarify the status and descriptions of my manuscripts and ideas. I think that in the long run, this will prove to be time well-spent, above and beyond having a new page for the site. In addition to letting people know what's on the way, it will (hopefully) help me to track my ideas, give me a convenient place to flip through to decide what to work on next, and motivate me to move these from the WIP page to the My Books page.

Also managed to get through a tough transition scene in my current WIP, Rough Riders, which takes me to 12K, and sets me up for the remaining three major scenes. If I get through a scene a day, I can actually have this in on schedule by 9/15. I'm sure my editor is happy to hear that!

Cover For A Pint Light

Fun e-mail morning!  Got my cover from Total E Bound for A Pint Light. Love it!  Great angle. :)

Happy Hump Day!

Wrote another 3500, which puts me well into Chapter four and right in the middle of a very hot scene. I also sat and roughed out an outline of major plot points for the rest of the story.

At the rate I've been going, I should have the first draft completed by this weekend, giving me plenty of time to tweak before it needs to be in by the 15th. That would also allow me to get going on my other September project. The completion date I'm shooting for on that one is the 20th, and it's around 25K, so it'll be tight.

5K Day on WsIP

Had my most productive day since APL yesterday. I overcame a roadblock on my current WIP, Silver & Gold, and finally got that on track to completion. I managed to get through the most difficult scenes, the setup and first meeting, which puts me in place to begin work on the fun scenes. All downhill from here, since most of the rest is set in my head. :) Already hard at it this morning, reviewing yesterday's work and delving into the next scene.

The entire 5K wasn't on S&G, part of it was a mid-story scene I hammered out for my next project, also on track to complete this month. I don't have many firm details to pass along yet, but let's just say this scene involves fit men, sweat, and an illegal tackle. Those of you who know me know that I usually write in a very linear fashion, but this scene was so vivid that I needed to get it down, even though it occurs well into this book.

I came up with my characters' names during my very productive and impromptu emergency-name-creating-summit-chat this weekend (thanks Shawn and Ava). Originally just looking to firm up names for S&G, the byproduct was two great names for the next project as well. Andy (aka my muse) was apparently very happy with my choices. He's finally stopped pouting and is actively helping me along now. It probably doesn't hurt that he's VERY interested in a secondary character in  S&G. :)