Stop the Clock & the Calendar PLEASE

There's a little insanity in my family ... me!

Crazy is the only possible explanation for agreeing to judge a writing competition, take an on-line course, prepare for a live chat/all-week workshop, AND complete the usual assortment of writing projects at the same time!

You'll notice I didn't even mention silly little things like eating and sleeping.

I've tried prioritizing (i.e. tackling the projects with the shortest deadlines first.) I've tried nibbling on the elephant (my neighbor's eloquent way of saying do a little bit at a time and hope you eventually muck your way through.)

Maybe I could have a complete and total meltdown ... collapse in a heap on the floor and cry.

NO! I forgot. I don't have time!!

If you registered for The Muse Online Writers Conference, remember to sign up for BURN THOSE BUNNY SLIPPERS AND BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL WRITER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ... Chat Monday, Oct. 13 9 a.m. EST and all-week workshop. It will be my pleasure to "meet" you and work with you!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Writing and procrastination

by Maggie Toussaint

Have you ever noticed that if you have a chore you don't particularly want to do that you procrastinate? Back when I had to iron my husband's dress shirts for his job, he'd get down to the last one before I broke out the ironing board. And I never actually hated ironing; it is restful in a busy sort of way. What I hated was getting out all the stuff, taking ten minutes on each shirt and losing an hour or two of my day on something that I had to repeat over and over again.

Dusting falls in that category for me. In fact, I'd rather clean the bathroom than dust. There have been many times that you could practically eat off my bathroom fixtures but draw your name in the dust on my bedside table. My point in mentioning this is that I never dreamed those wacky attitudes would spill into my writing.

I love writing. But there are parts of writing that require more effort from me, and I find myself backing off from the challenges when I'm pressed for time. Does this happen to you?

Now that I have writing projects in all stages of completion, I find myself spread thin. I'm still getting stuff written, but there's a sense I have of operating in crisis management mode, and as a result, the hard parts keep slipping by.

Multi-tasking works for some people. It works for me on everything but creative processes. I need chunks of morning time to be satisfyingly creative. I can't create with two loads of laundry going, phone calls from friends and bosses coming in, the TV blaring, and competing nonfiction stories from my day job dancing around in my head.

What to do? Protect your writing time like a precious newborn baby. Turn off the cell phone. Turn off the ringer in your office landline. Turn the internet off (oh no, not the internet!!!). Park yourself in the chair and get it done. The rest of the world can wait an hour or two.

Don't let busy-ness disrupt your writing time. It's still procrastination, no matter how you look at it. Make writing your priority, and even the hard parts will get done.

Happy writing!

Maggie Toussaint
Writer Wednesday with Maggie at the Spa
www.maggietoussaint.com

Tap Dancing as Fast as I Can

The check is in the mail. I know; that's what they all say, but this is the first time in the LONG process of trying to get a publisher to replace the spring check that never arrived that I heard those beautiful words.

I'll believe them when I hold the check in my greedy little hands.

Till then, I'm tap dancing as fast as I can tying to clear my desk to make room for contest entries I promised to judge and work related to the online writers conference.

What's on your desk?

If you registered for The Muse Online Writers Conference, remember to sign up for BURN THOSE BUNNY SLIPPERS AND BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL WRITER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ... Chat Monday, Oct. 13 9 a.m. EST and all-week workshop. It will be my pleasure to "meet" you and work with you!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

Let's give a big SRN welcome to Denise Patrick

Hi! Welcome to our monthly interview at SRN. Today's guest is Denise Patrick.

I'm Denise and I was an army brat. Although I haven't lived in Utah my entire life, as of now I have lived here longer than any other place in my life time (18 years). I'm going to date myself by telling you that I started reading romances when I was in my very early teens. My mother was hooked on Barbara Cartland and I read what she read. From that I developed a love of Traditional Regencies - my favorite genre to write.I've always loved to write and wrote many stories during my teenage years, but I never really thought about publication. My Aunt (Mom's sister) and I used to read romances and joke that we should write one someday, because some of them were so over the top or lame that we just laughed at them. Then she died in 2002 and I realized that "someday" would never come. As a form of therapy, I started writing again. By 2004 I had four complete 100k novels sitting in my computer and had no idea what to do with them. I stumbled on the eHarlequin website and the rest, as they say, is history.Interestingly enough, my first published book was an Inspirational - a genre that I rarely ever read and certainly never thought I could write. But, I had an idea for a story and a friend who encouraged me to write it down.I write for two publishers, By Grace (http://www.bygracepublishing.com/) and Samhain (http://www.samhainpublishing.com/), and currently have five books out. I'm still learning the ropes and everyday I find something new and interesting about this business that I didn't know before.-----------------------------------

Thanks for the opportunity.

What do you do on a typical writing day?
I don’t know that I have a typical writing day. I work full time outside the home, so my writing is confined to the evenings. But, I am also active in my church and other groups that sometimes take up my evenings with meetings. I probably only get two good evenings a week to write, but I try to spend most of my Saturdays on the computer, too. There is no real routine beyond sitting down, spending a short time reviewing where I stopped, then plunging in.

What do you do for inspiration?
I read. Before I start a new historical, I immerse myself in a specific period of history. If I want to include references to actual events and people, I read up on them. Then I also read other historical romances. I have favorite authors that can immerse me in the period so thoroughly that when I start writing the settings and dialogue just emerge.
I also write inspirationals. When I start one of those, I usually pick out a song with the theme I’m exploring and listen to that. Thank goodness for mp3 players and headphones, or my family would be heartily sick of specific songs by the time I finish a book. Not me, though. The song usually is a favorite to start with and writing a book based on it only makes it moreso.

Is there a genre of book you would like to write but haven't yet?
I love light paranormals, but I’m not sure I have one in me. The idea of giving someone a special power or talent that no one else has and seeing what they do with it has always intrigued me. I’m not into world-building, though. And, I’m not very fond of vampires, so my idea of a “light” paranormal would be more like “Bewitched” with specific constraints on the power.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I’m a pantster through and through. When I start something new, I open a file and jot down a few ideas. Usually that consists on the characters names and any secondary characters that I can think of. There’s a setting, and the beginning of some sort of conflict. Then I start writing and flesh everything else out as I go. Of course, this causes lots of re-writing because sometimes I get to Chapter 10 and decide that I want my heroine to do something that I said in Chapter 4 she couldn’t do – or had written another chapter in such a way that for her to take that action would ruin the book. Or, sometimes the characters just decide to go off on their own and take me along. (For which I am extremely thankful.)

How can readers find out more about you and your books?
I’m not very good a keeping up on the web, but I just recently put up an experimental (read, free) website. I have a blog that I add to at least once a week, sometimes more, and I have a forum on Coffee Time Romance where I discuss my books and give the readers insights and background into my writing. The Forum currently has a running background thread for my current series, Gypsy Legacy, in which readers can find out more about the history of the characters in the series. I also have MySpace page, a page on Authors Den, Goodreads, and Historical Fiction books. My website has the entire first chapters of all my books. Links to all of my pages on the web can be found on my blog.

Website: http://www.freewebs.com/denisepatrick
Blog: http://denisesden.blogspot.com/
Coffee Time Forum: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=296

In the writing that you are doing, who would you say has influenced you most?

A good question. I suspect my inspiration has come from a variety of people and places. I can’t talk about favorite authors without starting with Barbara Cartland. Hers were the first historical romances I read in my early teens. My Mom was absolutely addicted to them and since we read a lot of the same books, I read what she read. By my late teens, we’d moved on to Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers and many more in between, but I never stopped reading Dame Barbara. Her syrupy sweet and innocent Regency heroines fed an imagination raised on fairy tales. Much of what I write is that, but not quite so sweet. My interest in history was also fueled by her after I read one of her historical biographies.

Strikes Don't Matter
by Denise Patrick
By Grace Publishing
© January 2008

Excerpt:


Gina stared critically at herself in the mirror. Her dress was a pale blue cotton eyelet. The simple lines were smooth, hugging her curves comfortably before flaring out into a full skirt that ended just below her knees. A heart-shaped pendant on a gold chain drew attention to the small amount of cleavage showing above the sweetheart neckline. With it she wore matching strappy sandals with wedge heels. Even with the extra three inches, she knew Adam would still top her by at least three or four more. Tortoiseshell combs pulled her hair back from her face and allowed the heavy auburn curls to tumble down her back. She’d given up on make-up in the last few years, but tonight warranted the application of clear lip gloss and a small amount of mascara, purchased during the afternoon’s outing at the mall.
What would Adam think? Would he find her attractive? She hadn’t dressed to impress anyone in a long time, preferring comfort over show. Tonight, however, she wanted him to look at her with more than casual interest.
A knock on her bedroom door drew her from her thoughts. It was Sara.
“That’s a lovely dress. A good color on you.”
“Thanks. Are you all done?”
“Yes. I’ve tortured him enough tonight,” she laughed. “Not that he was concentrating very well in the first place. So you might as well go and put him out of his misery.”
Gina blushed at Sara’s intimation that Adam's inattention had anything to do with her, but picked up her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and followed Sara from the room.
Adam and Craig were standing near the front door. The two were laughing at a shared joke. When Adam turned to look at her, those firm lips curved in a devastating smile, that traitorous organ in her chest nearly stopped beating. He wore dark slacks topped by a long-sleeved button-down shirt and dark tie. Muscular forearms lightly dusted with fine, dark hair were exposed beneath sleeves rolled back nearly to his elbows.
Oh lordy. If all it took for her heart to react was a smile, she was in serious trouble – and they hadn’t even left the house yet.
Craig turned and she hoped, for once, he would remain quiet. She loved her brother dearly, but there were times when he said the oddest things. She was nervous enough as it was; she didn’t need him to play the part of a big brother, as if she was a teenager going on her first date. Luck was on her side tonight, for Craig only winked at her and turned to Adam, “Looks like Gina’s ready, so I won’t keep you. Have a good time.”
She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Shall we go?” Adam’s rich voice tugged at her.
Unable to find her own, she nodded and preceded him out the door.
Once on their way, he glanced over at her. “Do you mind if we make a quick stop before dinner? Our reservations aren’t until seven-thirty.”
“No.”
“I need to check on my grandparents. My grandfather sprained his ankle today. He’s a bear when laid up. I just want to make sure my grandmother hasn’t poisoned him.”
She chuckled. “Is she likely to have?”
“Not really. Although, I wouldn’t put it past her to slip him a sleeping pill with his pain pill.”
As she stepped out of the car at his grandparents', the scent of roses reached her on the warm breeze and she noticed the colorful profusion of flowers clustered at the front of the house. Their visit was short. His grandmother met them with a speculative gleam in her eyes, causing her stomach to contract. It was his grandfather, however, who made her blush hot enough to need a fire extinguisher when he called her over and whispered to her, “No further than first base. And, you make him work for that, you hear?”
Her choked laughter drew Adam’s eyes, and she tried extremely hard, without success, to smother her giggles. When they left, she knew Adam expected her to share the joke, but she couldn’t. Not without turning crimson all over again. The anticipation generated by his grandfather's comment sent her imagination into overdrive.
“Has your grandfather always been such a curmudgeon?”
“He’s always been a bit of a jokester, but lately I think his age is getting to him. He’ll be eighty in October, and all of these little mishaps remind him he’s not as young as he used to be.”
She smiled. “My father always says, if you don’t like birthdays, consider the alternative.”
He hooted with laughter, his deep voice raising goosebumps on her skin.
“I have to meet your father one of these days.”
Butterflies exploded in her stomach. Did he mean that? Her mouth went dry at the thought; the possibilities.
Unaware of the turmoil he was causing, Adam continued. “Perhaps the next time I come to Salt Lake.”

Characters Part 2

The last time I wrote on the craft, I described how to bring characters more to life by giving them desires. But even simple, one-dimensional characters have desires. The villain wants the money at any cost. The baker must deliver his delectable creation to the wedding on time. They have desires just as much as any other character you’ve ever seen. What makes yours unique, different, and yet real to life?

Let’s go a step further. Once you’ve set up the desires, next you need to add some layers. Just like an onion, we humans are more than what appears on the surface. We have different facets to our person which make up who we are as a whole. In that same fashion, fictional characters should emulate people in the real world. They should have some of those same traits, likes, habits and even annoyances that we see day in and day out.

I’m currently writing my third NovelTea book. As I’m writing this one as a cozy mystery, I had the opportunity to create several secondary characters…ahem…suspects. Now, they could come across as merely archetypes if I didn’t add some human layers and complexity to them. Every character has a history and that history affects who they are and how they behave. The reader will never know all of their past but you, the all-knowing author, do. Armed with that knowledge, you can make your characters deeper and more interesting.

The heroine in my NovelTea books (Juliet Truesdale) is a bored bookseller who at the onset of the series yearns for more excitement in her life until the entrance of a handsome, mysterious stranger turns her world upside down. The idea has possibilities (right?) but what makes Juliet different from any other heroine in that position? First of all, Juliet is an Everyman character. She lacks the experience of navigating in this world of intrigue and spies. In the first book, especially, we the readers are along for the ride as Juliet fumbles around trying to figure out her way. People relate to her because they feel for her predicament and believe they might react similarly. She isn't a superhero and she even brings up that point to herself. Juliet is an enigma especially to the hero, Grant. She is sweet and naïve yet at times incredibly wry and suspicious. The best part of Juliet, at least to me the author, is that she is a dynamic character. Throughout the whole of the series, we will see her grow and become something completely different from where she started in book 1 and yet still resemble that bored bookseller at the beginning.

So as you sit down to continue work on characterization, find ways to make your characters distinctive from any other. Add those layers. Think about real people that you know. They have characteristics that at times may even be in direct opposition. They might love classical music and yet play professional football. It appears in opposition and yet it gives them depth and makes them appealing. Bringing in these facets, develops your character more fully into something memorable and realistic—something to stay with your reader long after they’ve closed the book.

Read more about my best-selling NovelTea books at the NovelTea Blog. A Night of NovelTea and NovelTea Next Door are both available at The Wild Rose Press.

Thanks for reading--Now get writing!

Cindy

www.cindykgreen.com

It's here!

Yep, today is release day!!!

Yay!!!!

THE ETERNAL KISS is now in print!

 

Celebrate with me! Woot!

Balancing Business & Creativity

Do you ever wish you had a super efficient clone to handle the business side of the author's life so you could concentrate on dealing with the Muse and the computer keyboard? I sure do!

There are days (and weeks and months) when it seems I spend far more time searching for markets, following up on submissions that never got accepted or rejected, and chasing overdue payments than I do writing.

If the day by day detail drudgery doesn't detract from writing time, it's because I've given up silly little luxuries like eating or sleeping.

Since cloning is obviously not the solution, what do you do to balance business and creativity?

If you registered for The Muse Online Writers Conference, remember to sign up for BURN THOSE BUNNY SLIPPERS AND BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL WRITER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ... Chat Monday, Oct. 13 9 a.m. EST and all-week workshop. It will be my pleasure to "meet" you and work with you!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne RosetteKeep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

The Marketing Wheel - a learning curve post

There's no point in reinventing the wheel. How many times have you heard that line? I am forever trying to do things better, but I got caught up trying to reinvent the marketing wheel myself. I was such a bright eyed goober with my first release, blundering into every promotional opportunity I could find, especially the free ones. When book number two was released, I realised I'd made a colossal error. I hadn't kept track of things.

That's my topic today - keeping track of things. I recommend that writers, especially new ones, keep a generic time line of what to do when. Within that file, keep the addresses, the contact names, and the results if possible.

In case my meaning isn't clear, let's imagine a scenario where you book comes out in electronic format in March and print format in July. You have your cover and your galley before the book comes out, and you can't rest on your laurels. With each book you must make the rounds to let people know its out there. Develop your timeline of things based on your comfort level of activity. Here's a sample timeline I made up:

2 months before the book comes out: put your cover and release dates on your website
2 months out: schedule stops on virtual tour for both releases; write those posts now
2 months out: sign up for author days on Yahoo loops
2 months out: write up press releases for both electronic and print release
2 months out: if no ARCs, make some yourself and send to print reviewers
2 months out: see what conferences fit your release date and sign up, if feasible
1 month out: plan a contest to celebrate your book's release
1 month out: create an excerpt file, a list of snips from your book to use as teasers
1 month out: design and finalize promo items (bookmarks, chapbooks, etc)
1 month out: create a buzz about your book by putting the release date in your sig line
Electronic release: tell everyone! hold that contest! blitz the virtual tour sites
3 months before print release: send ARCs (publisher provided or homemade) to newspapers
3 months out: schedule the signings at stops on your book tour, book appearances locally
2 months out: talk up the release in your newsletter
2 months out: send out those promo items to generate buzz for your book
1 month out: post a pre-order link on your website
2 weeks before: reconfirm with book tour stops, chat the release up electronically
Print release: make those appearances

This is by no means exhaustive, and it will certainly be tailored to you and your schedule. Keep a list of those media contacts handy so that you can be successful with books 2, 3 and so on, without reinventing the wheel.

Happy marketing!

Maggie Toussaint
read, write, unwind at The Book Spa
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheBookSpa/
www.maggietoussaint.com

Print signing of THE ETERNAL KISS!

When: September 13th (Saturday)
Where: Hastings San Marcos
            Hwy 80
Time:  2pm until the cows come home.

I'll be signing and discussing my first print release THE ETERNAL KISS.

If you're in the Austin/San Antonio area, I hope you'll come out and see me. I'll be joined by several authors of romance for this debut print book event!

10% off Vintage Rose books!

There's a happy event over at the The Wild Rose Press website!
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/
September is a joint celebration, showcasing two lines;

Last Rose of Summer (older heroines)

and Vintage Rose... (historical)
Vintage Rose is celebrating their month by offering all their titles at 10% off the usual price. Visit our bookstore and take advantage of the fall saving. Keep watch of our Free Reads for a rose petal by our Vintage Rose authors. It's a great chance to check out some new authors or catch up with some of your favorites.

So pop over to the publisher's website and grab a bargain or two.

I've a short story in the Last Rose of Summer line - To Love Again and my WWII romance book, Broken Hero is a Vintage Rose publication.
Click the link for more information on them.
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=116

Regards, Anne.~

http://www.annewhitfield.com

One of THOSE Days!

It's not even close to noon, but it's already been one of THOSE days when I wonder why in the world I ever decided to pursue writing as a career.

So much better to relegate writing to the once in a while whim of waiting for the Muse to knock me over the head and insist I sit down at the keyboard. Having a hobby to occupy the spare time I never seem to find would be ever so preferable to the author's life.

When I first started out, I thought showing up and producing words strung together in coherent sentences every single day would be impossible.

Having mastered the fine art of pasting my bottom in the chair and producing acceptable manuscripts, my new impossible goal became working up the nerve to submit.

The impossible task of dealing with rejection and learning to pick up the pieces and submit again eventually resulted in publication.

Surely, it should have been clear sailing once I'd mastered the basics. Just show up, do the work, and deposit the checks. Right?

I wish. The morning started with trying to collect a long overdue payment from New York. Still waiting for the call back on that.

Now, I have to turn my attention to a local ongoing project that I started in June. I got paid for three weeks, managed to get three more invoices posted for payment, and am working on the rest.

Someday, I hope my "impossible" translates into deciding which designer dress to wear to an awards ceremony and how to invest my fortune in royalties.

Today is one of those days when I deal with the not so glamorous business side of an author's life.

If you registered for The Muse Online Writers Conference, you'll be asked to make real time chat and workshop selections soon. Remember to sign up for BURN THOSE BUNNY SLIPPERS AND BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL WRITER YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE ... Chat Monday, Oct. 13 9 a.m. EST and all-week workshop. It will be my pleasure to "meet" you and work with you!

May the Muse be kind!!

Susanne Rose

http://tinyurl.com/2wlc43 “Lucki In Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette

http://tinyurl.com/33ndbl ”The Christmas Promise,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette Keep the spirit of the holidays going strong and take advantage of this bonus offer: Just send an e-mail to the author: Susannerose@wildrosepublishing.com) with “The Christmas Promise” in the Subject Line. You’ll have to read the story first so you can identify the secret recipe when you send your e-mail. Santa will send you a copy of the secret recipe.

http://tinyurl.com/3d2gsc “Forever Love,” a Wild Rose Press Champagne Rosette