Virginia Nelson, Author

Six Sentence Sunday- Clothing Optional

2012-01-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

September of this year is not only my birthday... it is the release of my sexy story, Clothing Optional with MuseItUp Publishing. Clothing Optional is a menage story of two guys and a gal who end up in a resort that invites them to explore things they had not dared to back home... well, I will let my six sentences tell you the rest.

“Clothing optional. Well, you would think they would list that in bold letters or something.”

Brie burst into laughter and Andy flushed red, she assumed in embarrassment at his mistake. Seeming flustered, he dragged a hand through his hair. “Well, the rooms are non-refundable. How about what happens in Florida…”

“Stays on Facebook?”

Happy Writing!

The smell of DaFeet

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

I love baby feet. They are so tiny and super soft.

My youngest son currently has feet you can literally smell from across the room.

I did say that I loved baby feet.

I brought up the subject of feet because I got a rejection yesterday.

I had such mixed feelings about this particular rejection, it triggered a blog. And spaghetti sauce. Lemme start at the beginning.

I have four contracts right now. Four. Not shabby for an author who, on December first, found out her publisher was closing it's doors and that in this case, loyalty equaled putting all my eggs in one basket... and my basket had just broken.

I am also an editor and a reviewer. And a full time college student. And a single mom of three kiddos, two of which go to a charter school at home.

To say that things have been hectic this January would be a bit like walking outside during a blizzard and saying, "Hmm... Look, there is a snowflake."

So seeing the letter regarding a synopsis that I had sent out on a book that I am nearly done writing (Read: Have not finished writing not to mention polished as much as I personally prefer before my work sees daylight so gaaah!!), I said out loud, "Shit!"

If they had accepted it, then I had to finish it up fast and shove it out the door, polish be damned.

And then I read the email. They had (very nicely, I might add, in a really thoughtful manner) rejected it. And I said, "Thank God."

And then the usual mess of authoremotions kicked in. "Why did they reject me? Maybe I am not good enough. Gah, I suck. They knew it. I know it. Hells, it is for the best. At least my massive suckitude won't be released on the public for them to tear me to shreds as I so deserve..."

Yeah. I mentioned it was sort of a mixed bag of emotions? It was. Really.

So I plodded out to the kitchen, still in my jammies, and made spaghetti sauce.

I am Italian and my grandfather, Guisseppe Sabatina, came over from Italy (or so my mother has told me) and married his little Dutch girl. My mother put red sauce on everything. There was something soothing about the familiarity of the gestures-- frying the meat, adding the spices... tasting the sauce.

And I called my best friend. She pointed out that our motto is that everything happens for a reason. My plate right now is filled to overflowing and I have other projects I have to work on. Deadlines I have to meet. More time to work on this one was a blessing, not a bad thing.

Between the smell of the sauce and the sound of her voice and it was like the miasma of mixed up feelings lifted.

The smell of dafeet wasn't too much to bear. It wasn't a defeat, not really. To quote Damon, from Vampire Diaries, "It is right. It's just not right now."

Why am I telling you guys all this?

I know you all get rejected, too. And I know it sucks. This wasn't my first rejection--far, far, far from it. And it is easy to say don't take them personally. Don't take bad reviews personally. Just keep going.

But if you are having a bad day or whatever... and it happens... it isn't easy to shake off.

Not for anyone.

Find the thing that helps you find your center.

Make the spaghetti sauce. Or play basketball. Or a video game. Or have sex. Whatever trips your trigger.

And then look at it again.

Because then you can keep going.

Okay, Happy writing!

Sick kids vs. productivity

2012-01-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

This week, I had the joy of sick kiddos. Projectile vomit, for those of you who have no kids, is actually projectile. And it hasn't ceased to amaze me, after nearly fifteen years of being a mother, to see a child shoot anything the length of their body. The muscle control... Yeah, no wonder their stomach hurts afterwards.

I guess I didn't go to enough parties in college. Probably I would have learned how amazing the human body was earlier had I just gone to more keggers.

That said, I still managed to get an epic amount of work done. Which brings me to my point...

If you train yourself to expect certain things daily, you will expect them in times of adversity as well.

What the hell do I mean? No worries. I fully intend to explain.

A runner gets up and trains their body to expect to run. If they skip that run, they will feel as crappy as I would if I tried to run five miles. Their body wants that run, that adrenaline rush. Without it, it complains.

The same thing goes for your writing and productivity in whatever goal you set for yourself. If you set the bar about yeaaah high. Every day you hit the bar...

You will find that on days when you feel like crap or when life gets in the way, you are driven to at least hit that bar.

The secret to being a writer, the real secret, really is writing. Every day. Something.

Even if it is just a blog. Even if it is just editing what you wrote yesterday. Even if you are just writing something inane. It trains you to do it and do it daily.

No one that I know of can write an 80/90k book in a day. (And believe me, I know some people with some crazy prolific daily word counts.) But most anyone can write 1k. A lot of people can write 5-7k.

If you do that everyday, how many days before you hit the 90k?

Your first book might just suck.

Really, just like your first marathon run might be challenging just to complete. There is a chance no one will buy it. And even if it doesn't suck and someone buys it, maybe it needs lots of technical stuff overhauled.

But if you fix that stuff and keep writing, you will continue to suck less and less. Until writing is something that comes as naturally as breathing.

Most of my blogs are about 1k long. If you sit and ponder that a little, it sounds long. Daily writing 1k about whatever is going on or writing advice...

But that is what I do. I write.

And you can, too. But it has to be something you are willing to work for.

Okay, happy writing, all.

Writing is Easy (a job?)

2012-01-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

Someone (who shall remain nameless) recently said to me that it must be nice not to have to work and just go to school.

Well, I have to agree. That would be nice.

Unfortunately, I don 't know a thing about it.

For today, I am going to focus on just one of my jobs (since, although this person didn't realize it, I have more than one) to simplify the focus of the blog.
I am an author.

If you don't think this is a job, then you have never done it. Or perhaps you haven't done it the way I do it. The following post is full of my opinions on the craft and my advice. I can't cite its credibility. I can tell you I have won some awards, gotten some awesome reviews and hit a bestsellers list using these tools but I don't know everything. (That is the cool thing about being a writer... You get to learn something new everyday. Best job on the planet. Just yesterday, I learned about death erections. W00T!) If that isn't enough credibility, there is a red x somewhere floating to the far right corner of your screen. Click it. (sorry. first cuppa coffee. muahhahahaa...)

What is an authors job?

The simple answer is to tell a story. But if it really was that simple, everyone would do it. To tell a story well, your story has to flow, have believable characters, have understandable terms, move the characters forward in some way and leave readers feeling like they have gone on a journey with you.

Sounds pretty easy, right?

Flow

If your editor tells you that something doesn't flow well, this is a huge problem.

Example:

The acrid burn of the smoke and the crackle of flames was a living thing, churning like a red sea around Marcy. Crawling on her hands and knees, she choked and thought of the ocean. The ocean had pretty waves that broke on sand. Sand was gritty. Gritty like the air around Marcy. If she could just get out of this hellhole, she could find her son.

Okay, I think I made it pretty obvious in that passage where the flow breaks up and throws the reader off track. If not, let me remove part of it and tell me if you can see how it flows better with some of it taken out.

Example:

The acrid burn of the smoke and the crackle of flames was a living thing, churning like a red sea around Marcy. Crawling on her hands and knees, she choked. If she could just get out of this hellhole, she could find her son.

Flow can be even more dramatic than that example but the point is that it throws the reader out of the story you are telling. Anything that jars the reader, taking away from the story you are telling, is considered a disruption of flow. It can even be an awkward word choice. Like this example:

Darcy's hands fluttered like lead balloons. Lead does not flutter. Neither do balloons-they float. Your reader's head is tilted sideways and they are thinking, "Huh?" And you lost them.

Believable Characters

Believable characters are one of the hardest things for an author to accomplish. The art of breathing life into words and turning them into people that you could actually fall in love with, hate, laugh at, be friends with... that is nothing less than magic.

But you have to do it on two levels as an author. It is your job to not only breathe life into your human (or alien or animal or... whatever) characters but also your setting. Worldbuilding is just as important as telling us that your main character has brown eyes and likes ice cream.

It is a balancing act. You can't dump all of the info on us. (I will do another post another day on the disservice of an infodump.) But you have to know it so intimately that we can see it with you. Which brings about the key to giving us those believable characters...

Show, Don't Tell

You can't tell me that she has brown eyes or that she is hurting. Show me those brown eyes leaking tears of agony and have her scream her pain to the stars. Tricky. But if you distance me, the reader from your characters by telling me what they are doing rather than showing me...

I am bored. I have just been jarred out of the story. You lost your flow. You didn't do your job, author. And I, the reader, am suffering because of it.

And while you are doing this, you have to do it in understandable terms...

What the hell are understandable terms? Good question. Understandable terms are things that your reader are familiar with. I know, making a reader learn something new is great. I try to write in something that will teach at least one tidbit in each and every story I tell--even my shorts. I love to learn and I love to teach. Tossing a moral in or a chance to get on my soapbox... I love that shit. Especially if I can sneak it in.

But that is why we have context clues. Your job as an author includes giving fragments of information when introducing new terms so that the reader can keep on seamlessly reading without cranking out the dictionary or googling every other word.

Now, this does NOT hold true for academic writing or non-fiction. But for fiction writing, the goal is to take the reader away on a journey and you can't do that if you lose them. You want to take them with you and you have the tools (words) to do that. Make sure you give them the breadcrumbs they need to stay with you.

Move the characters forward

Allowing room for growth is important. If your character starts the book off afraid to get into a relationship because her last one was with an abusive SOB... she has tons of room for growth. If your male lead is emotionally retarded because he doesn't believe in love and is stupid enough to tell her that, GREAT! But remember, they have to move forward from that point. And you can't have them do something so unredeemable that your readers pitch the book across the room, done with the characters and done with you as an author.

A balancing act

All in all, it is a balancing act. You are juggling characters. You are juggling social networks. You are juggling publishers and editors and other author friends. You have a real life, too.

And sometimes people in your real life will comment that you need to get a real job... *giggle*
Because... y'know... writing isn't any work.

Happy writing! And juggling.

From the mixed up files of Virg: How I edit my own work

2012-01-20T06:01:00.001-08:00

I got an interesting email on one of my loops about editing and it got me to thinking about one of the steps of the writing process that I haven't shared with my up-and-coming author friends.

So yes, this is another one of my very popular How To Be A Writer Posts.

(You are giggling but if you saw the number of views that these posts get, you would agree that they are very popular indeed. *wiggles fingers at writers*)

Editing Your Own Work

After you write something, we all know that you should go back no less than a thousand times and edit it to death. Then you should let it sit for a week or a month or some other lengthy amount of time and then edit it again.

And then your work is perfect.

No, it isn't.

You then need another set of eyes (or ten) to look at it. Me, personally? I send it out to my beta group. I am a lucky gal. My beta group consists of a group of dedicated readers. I have posted what a reader is before on another blog. A reader is someone who is able to see a story for the storyline and tear it to bits. Why did your character talk through a door? Why did they hop in the shower and start blow drying their hair? (Yes, I once electrocuted a character by having them blow dry their hair in the shower. It actually made it through three rounds of edits and got caught in copyedits... but I digress.)

Then I send it out to three professionals. In my case, professionals means people who are either a. also authors so they are just as anal as I am or b. also editors so just as anal as I am. They aren't going to tiptoe around my feelings and treat me like a mamby pamby sissy girl. They are going to make my manuscript bleed. And I like it when it bleeds.

But they are honest and that is why I like the blood. It is good, healing blood. It will get any poison that is making my manuscript sick out and let it be what it could be.

I do the changes, fix it and then...

I send it to three other people.

So, yes, I send it to an ARMY of people. *hellooooo beta world!!*

And then I write a query letter. And I send THAT to an army of people. And they shred my query.

(Are you getting that this whole writing thing isn't the solitary process you were thinking it to be? Yeah, the network you are building? It is an incredibly useful thing. And not just for bitching at 3am about lack of Starbucks delivery service. Although, they are good for that as well.)

And then I submit it to a publisher.

With the full knowledge that if they chose to accept my manuscript that they will then put my work through at least three rounds of edits and one of copyedits. And that the editor might have completely different views and opinions from mine and from the people who beta'd for me.

I once rewrote a book three times while in edits. The editor had me change the point of perspective THREE times throughout the editing process.

And here is the key...

I did not tell off the editor.

Your editor is your friend. Their goal is to help you make your book better using all the tools in their vast arsenal. Not worse. No editor has ever (that I know of) sabotaged a book. Why in the hell would they do that?

Have I always agreed with everything my editors have had to say. Nuh-uh. But they didn't know that.

It has become ritual for me to open edits and a bottle of wine with my best friend and any edits that frustrate me are duly yelled at and told off the first day I get them. With as colorful of language as we can come up with. (Points for creativity are awarded on a scale... meh, we won't go into it.) And then I put the wine bottle away... (Okay, it goes in the trash because it is empty. Don't judge.) and I get serious and do the work. The editors never hear any of those colorful comments. Because that isn't professional. But it is fun to rant and rail-- In the privacy of my home over wine and with my friend.

One of my currently dear friends edited one of my books and I can tell you right now she probably was frustrated as hell with me. She probably was telling me off from her editors chair... which makes me giggle. *wiggles fingers at friend in question* I have a really bad habit of starting out books in first person perspective, changing to third and staying in third. My voice is in third, for the most part. But when I am finding my characters, getting to know my world... I start out in first. And then I catch my stride and fall into third. I ALWAYS do this. I don't fucking know why. But I do. You can literally tell when I get immersed in my story because everything literally smooths out, makes sense and flows... and the red edit marks magically stop. But those first few chapters are always a struggle for me.

Not every editor has known how to deal with that.

But each one I have worked with has taught me something. I have learned bits about blocking from one that I didn't know before. Another gave me priceless information about showing and not telling. Another editor really brought home the value of action modifiers vs tags.

I hit ARe's bestsellers list. I have won awards.

I wouldn't in a million years THINK of self pubbing a piece of my own work that was not EDITED EXTENSIVELY.

The value of editing is something I cannot promote enough. You are too close to your work. You have read and reread the same passage so many damn times that you can probably recite that shit in your SLEEP.

An editor is a fresh set of eyes that can see what you wrote vs. what you think you wrote. An editor can see what your reader will see.

Okay, moral: Edit. Be open to edits. Your work is not as perfect as you think it is.
Drinking wine and playing games that involve coming up with colorful insults is good.

Happy writing!!

STRIKE

2012-01-18T01:01:00.000-08:00

http://sopastrike.com/

Heather Brewer Mini Contest

2012-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

Heather Brewer, bestselling author of the Vladimir Tod series of books, held a mini contest for who could draw her as an anime/manga character.

The pictures you see over here
<-----

Were done by JFab Brown, a 12 year old artist. I am sharing them here so that she can enter the contest.

Best of luck JFab!!

Heather Brewer-- Pick me!!

2012-01-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

As you guys may know (if you follow me over at facebook), my daughter is a HUGE Heather Brewer fan. Some might even call her a member of the minion horde.

Being an author, reviewer, book blogger and *ahem* sort of a fan myself, we were excited to read that Auntie Heather (as the minion horde is fond of calling her) will be giving away an ARC of Soulbound to some book blogger out there.

PickMePickMePickMe!

So, just wanted to drop a blog and let Ms. Brewer know that she would be most welcome in the land of Odd Stuff. And this is that blog.

*wiggles fingers at Heather Brewer*

If you don't understand our deep and overwhelming love of all things Brewer, then you should probably get your tooshie over to her blog/website here. Or maybe just pick up one of the NYTimes Bestselling Vladimir Todd books here. Y'know... so you can understand the coolness.

Or even, preorder Soulbound once it becomes available (it comes out in July.) Cuz that would be cool as well. :)

Happy writing!

I'm in LOOOoooOOOve...

2012-01-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

I'm in LOOOoooOOOve...

(Insert hearts and flowers and butterflies and shit here, if you will.)

This past year, many of you dear blogophiles may have noticed that I have been considering the different forms love takes in our lives. I think it is necessary as an author to be a weird combination of philosopher and people watcher. I think it adds to the dimension of our characters and our ability to bring them to life for you readers out there. I can't make you feel punched in the gut with emotion... make tears clog up in your eyes or have you snarf coffee all over the screen if I, the author, am not feeling the emotions as I paint with my palette of words.

I certainly can't turn you on and have your face flush if I don't understand passion.

That said, I have always thought that I have a lot in common with Jane Austen--when it comes to romance, anyway.

I don't believe in love at first sight. I never have. Lust at first sight, okay. Chemistry at first sight, sure.

Love? Yeah, no. I don't believe it. I know some of you are enthralled with the idea of it but me, personally, no. I believe that love, real love, is something that is built up over conversations. Love is built up over time when you see that person, really see them for who they are... and still care.

That person might not be a knight in shining armor. He might not always make the right choices. He might not always look like a cover model from a romance novel.

But there is something about them...

Once I fell in love with my best friend. Which was funny, really, because I had REFUSED to go out with him. He was a dork. He wasn't my type. I had a thousand reasons to say NO. Lucky for me, he was a stubborn asshole who kept nudging and nudging until I finally caved. And then he bloody well ignored me. Seriously. He would take me to movies and dinner and talk up a storm...

But he never held my hand or tried to kiss me. This shit went on for MONTHS.

It went on exactly the right amount of time for me to realize that I LIKED him. (Which reminded me of a line off Vampire Diaries last night. "It's right. It's just not right now.") Not just as a friend. It let me get past myself and see him for who he was and that I liked it. It got me to a point that I couldn't help but smile when he grinned and his eyes crinkled just so...

And also to a point that I had firmly decided (because I am sometimes psychic... But my amazing psychic abilities are for another post) that he didn't like me like THAT.

So when he finally got around to kissing me, my head shot off my shoulders and my heart leapt to my throat and all in all, I fell harder than I had ever fallen before.

Y'see, if they are your best friend, it is next to impossible to guard your heart from them.

Which was a hard lesson to learn. I bet you were hoping that this was the part where I told you we went off into the sunset and lived happily ever after and have been married now for x-amount of years and some other great stuff like that.

Nope.

Oh, I can tell you more goopy romantic stuff though. He once Cinderella'd me. I refused to go to the ball. Refused. I had about a hundred excuses. So, once he had battered down enough of them, I went with more mundane excuses on the day of the ball. "I don't have a dress."

He produced a dress, perfect, and in my size. So now I am standing there, scraping the bottom of the excuse barrel. "I don't have shoes. Or underthings for a dress and..."

He pulls out shoes and underthings. Me- How did you know what SIZE???

Him-grin.

"Well, I can't go to a ball without my hair fixed." shrug "Or a sitter. So you see it is really IMPOSSIBLE for me to go to the ball."

You know that man had a HAIRDRESSER lined up? *wiggles fingers at HC* It was downright devious.

Anyway, he also once tried to give me a ring... Which I also rejected with a panic attack kind of reaction. I refused to open it until he had ensured me it wasn't THAT kind of ring.

(Are you getting from this that I am not the easiest woman in the world to DATE? I fully expect the comments section below to be FULL of offers from men needing more rejection in their lives. Cuz, man, am I a keeper or WHAT??)

But like I said, this story doesn't have the happy ever after that I am sure you expected. Because in real life, sometimes shit happens. People, no matter how gooshy and sugery and sexy it all may have been, find ways to make it all fall apart.

Here's the deal, though. If it hadn't fallen all apart, I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't have learned--ever--how independent I can really be. I would have spent my life leaning on his strength. I would have known, every day at any hour, that Mr. Knight in Shining Armor-even-if-rusty would come and save the day.

But knowing that the Knight wasn't there allowed me to find out I am resourceful. I am stubborn, too. (Probably I should have realized that before... yeah, I am stubborn about realizing I am stubborn, too. Go fig.) I had people who controlled my life when he was around. I never would have sloughed those chains loose if I knew that he could scrape my ass out of any hole I fell in.

So my happily ever after was that he left. That I found out how kickass I am. That I can survive anything.

I wouldn't have found any of that out if I hadn't lost him. Because losing him (and a few other things that kicked my ass... deaths of people I loved and such) was one of the hardest things I ever survived. I don't think I have ever cried so hard as I did when I realized it was over. That it could never be like that again. That it was really, and truly done.

He is still around, by the way. He will never read this but others will read it and know who I was talking about so I am calling myself out in public big time here. *wiggles fingers at HC again*

But I am doing it to make a point.

Yes, my dearies, here comes MamaVirg's moral for the day...

You hear that saying all the time. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

And it sounds so damn trite. And if you are hurting, to be honest it doesn't make you feel one little bit better.

But it is true. I really wouldn't be who I am today if I had never loved like that. Just like I wouldn't be who I am if I hadn't lost like that. I could have a whole conversation just with my eyes with this man. He could turn me on with a glance. He could make me feel like no one else had before him.

Because he made me get past ME and go outside my comfort zone. When I said something stupid and talked out my ass, he knew when to shrug and not argue and let reality prove him right. And he made me learn to live without him. Again, get past what I thought I knew and see the world without the rosy glasses I like to wear.

I HAD to break to become whole. Too many pieces of me were broken when he was around for me to keep going the way I had been. I had to break to put the pieces back in an order that I could live with.

Sometimes losing someone is just as important as falling in love.

You won't find that between the covers of a romance novel. But I really think it is true. Sometimes you live your life happy the way you are even if the way you are is a little broken. A little askew. And it takes someone breaking that askew bit, and you resetting the bone, so to speak, for you to really heal.

Does that mean that I don't sometimes miss my friend... a lot?

Hell no. I am not some kind of superhero. No one is ever happy to lose a friend, especially one who really knows you, even the icky bits, and cares anyway.

But I can see that life had to work that way.

Fall in love whenever you can. And don't be afraid of falling out of it either. Because everything happens for a reason.

Even if you can't see the reason past the sheen of tears.

Okay, told you today was going to be deep and meaningful shit. *waggles brows* I called myself out on my own blog. But I hope you get the moral behind it. I know a few hearts out there are hurting... feeling alone and like the world will never again look right without that one that they loved.

This blog was for my broken hearted friends. You can go on. You will.

And it will all be for a reason.

Keep waking up in the morning. Keep healing. And always...

Believe in love.

Back to school...

2012-01-10T14:02:00.001-08:00

A new semester has begun and, like so many other college students, I went back to class this week.

The last class I went to today had a small physical room and a large number of students attending.

It was like a human sardine can. You never notice how people SMELL unless you are attracted to them... Or if you are shoved into a sardine can with them.

That said, I noticed something about that class. Everyone entered somewhat awkwardly, as if they knew that the moment they stepped in the door, twenty or thirty other peoples eyes immediately trained on them. No one looked comfortable entering this room full of strangers.

I assume a few of them at least are very secure, confident adults. And yet... That moment of awkwardness.

People are fascinating to me. I had a chat this morning with an author friend of mine and we discussed the writer propensity for people watching. Watching each of the people entering that room lose whatever confidence they had before coming into that room was fascinating for me.

Why is it that we might be the most outgoing, comfortable person in the world but still we let a roomful of strangers throw us that far off our game?

If it was a roomful of people we knew (therefore one would assume that we care about them and should care what they think...) would that same lack of confidence come into play?

I don't think so.

It sucks to be the new kid. I get that. I moved around so much when I was a kid that I have a hard time listing all the schools I went to. But WHY does it suck to be the new kid? Why is it that people who don't matter... Strangers... have more control over how we behave than our loved ones? If they rejected us, scorned us, why the hell would it matter?

Okay, that was my neat tidbit I learned about human nature today. (In a history class... which means I probably should have paid more attention to the lecture. But, to be honest, he lost me at WWII. I am hoping he recaptures me but he started off with Greeks and Romans and had my interest piqued... and then he said we wouldn't be discussing them and lost me... *shrug*)

Okay, virgrant over.
Happy writing (and people watching)!

Get your copy of Sleeping Garden for FREE!!

2012-01-07T07:05:00.001-08:00

Sleeping Garden, written as Virginia Ashley, is a YA Paranormal...

Blurb:

Olivia didn’t plan to find her mother dead when she came down for breakfast. She never would have dreamed that the summer before her senior year would be spent in a house that looks like a museum rather than basking on the beach with her friends. If you had tried to tell her that she would instead spend her time gardening, trying to find out why someone would lock a garden and juggling two attractive boys, she would have fallen over in laughter.

But when her life changes in a heartbeat, all of this and more challenge this strange young woman.

A fairytale told with a modern edge, this story is a retelling of the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett tale, A Secret Garden, but with a paranormal twist.

Yesterday, Coffee Time Romance and More gave it 5 Stars!!! "Sleeping Garden takes the original fairytale further as the characters explore a world of paranormal beings, mystical curse and new friendships that blossom into more. The overwhelming emotional boundaries hit upon in this book have the reader feeling as if they have been punched right in the gut, leaving you breathless. The details throughout this novel are extremely rich and vivid, and I found the words painted bold pictures in my mind as I read. This is an amazing tale by a very gifted author that will leave you wanting another taste of Virginia Ashley’s work."
(Read the whole review here...)

And now, it is available on Amazon for only $2.99

For Amazon Prime Members... FREE.

What do you have to lose? Pick up your copy here today!!!

Sleeping Garden reviewed by Coffee Time Romance

2012-01-06T20:50:00.000-08:00

I don't even have words for how thrilled I was to receive this review of my YA Paranormal, Sleeping Garden!!! (Sleeping Garden was by me, writing as Virginia Ashley)

It was only out for about a week (due to the closing of SBP) but...
THIS REVIEW IS AWESOME!!!

"Ms. Ashley explains that The Secret Garden was one of her all-time favorite novels as a child and she really gives the original work credit when writing this tale. Sleeping Garden takes the original fairytale further as the characters explore a world of paranormal beings, mystical curse and new friendships that blossom into more. The overwhelming emotional boundaries hit upon in this book have the reader feeling as if they have been punched right in the gut, leaving you breathless. The details throughout this novel are extremely rich and vivid, and I found the words painted bold pictures in my mind as I read. This is an amazing tale by a very gifted author that will leave you wanting another taste of Virginia Ashley’s work."

Read the whole review here. And thanks to Coffee Time Romance Reviewer Danielle for making my year!!

Stop Bullying Where it Matters

2012-01-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Our schools have a zero tolerance rule about bullying. I think that this has led to a new kind of bullying.

Stealth bullying.

Back when I was a kid, bullies were always HUGE. I remember one such bully plowing through the hallway, shoving people into lockers. If you watch TV, bullies were always giants, lurking with their troll breath over some poor scrawny kid wearing big glasses and Urkle pants.

But zero tolerance has taken that bully and ended them. My son is one of the biggest kids in his grade. He, though, is a gentle giant. He reads (he loves Stephen King and Goosebumps books), does origami, and draws comic strips.

All around, he is a swell little guy. At both his regular daycare and his backup daycare, they consider him a helpful kid, fun to be around and always getting along well with others. He has friends still that he has had his whole life. He befriends underdogs. He is just... a nice guy.

And he is begging me to pull him out of the brick and mortar and homeschool him.

"He calls me a gay fag. He told me that I should just die since no one likes me. He told me that he can tell me how to kill myself if I was too stupid to figure it out by myself."

When my son, who is usually very soft spoken and never cries, yelled these words at me with tears pouring down his face...

My heart twisted in my chest. Why him? Why was someone picking on him? Why would anyone say things like that to another kid?

And there was more. Apparently this child has come to school gloating and educating others on words like 'teabagging' and other phrases that I would love to say my kid didn't know... but he does now. Free education... I guess.

It got me to thinkin... How is all this going on without the school knowing?

I asked if he was bigger than my son-- Bullies, as I said, are supposed to be big enough to kick your ass. He isn't. He actually has called both my son and daughter (according to her) fatasses. (Neither of my kids are even a little overweight and regular doctors visit verify that they are growing up very healthy... leading me to believe that perhaps this child is very small...)

Bullying today isn't like it was when we were kids. No tolerance has lead to a new kind of villain and a new kind of victim.

Stealth bullies.

Whispered words and notes... things teachers can't see or regulate.

And it is sad, really.

Because the biggest victim, in this case as in so many cases of bullying, is the other child.

I am supporting my son. I am behind him 100%. If it needs to happen, I will pull him out of the brick and mortar and he will come home and they won't be able to touch him.

But that other little kid...

Do you realize the kind of environment he must live in? What has he seen... what insecurities is he masking with his attacks on other kids? What has he heard that led to his vast knowledge on topics that no sixth grader should know about (Teabagging, for example)?

How scary is the mental picture of what he goes home to every night?

My stomach is clenching just thinking about it all. I honestly believe that there is no such thing as a bad kid... There are bad parents. There are bad circumstances. But I cannot believe that any soft, sweet warm bundle of life is born BAD.

And though my son is dealing with this, we will get through it. He will be stronger, someday, for having made it through this.

That other kid? It is terribly, terribly sad.

And if I end up having to bring my middle son home...Who will be the next target? Bullies don't stop because the one they were bullying is gone. They find someone else... someone else that will take the brunt of their anger and frustration.

I have asked the school for help. It is the most that I can do. But if your child goes through something like this... If your child is bullied...

Please, I beg of you, remember that the 'monster' is a child, too. Something is making this kid do this.

Kudos to those of you who raised kids who care. I am sorry if you have to deal with something like this. But who speaks out for the bully?

It may not work. But if you can save one kid...
Isn't it worth a shot?

Sneak Peek! Hypnotized ~ Adult Only

2012-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sneak Peek- adults only- Hypnotized
Coming soon from Virginia Nelson

My internal ranting came to an abrupt halt when I entered the room hung in velvets and sparkle. It was such a jarring difference from the modern façade, the elegant waiting room, that it had me dropping my phone.

Scrabbling to pick it up, a pair of shining black shoes came into view.

Following the line of leg up, I took in dark jeans that hugged legs that looked firm and tempted me to reach out and touch. Spending too long considering his package, I wondered if he was really that endowed or if he was padding his… er… bits.

Face flushed with embarrassment, I forced myself to shoot the rest of the way up, almost toppling on my stylish, if knockoff, heels.

And I only came to his chest.

A fine chest it was, too, with shoulders at least twice as broad as my own holding up arms as thick as my thighs.

Again, worried to be caught ogling some strange man, I tilted my head back to look him in the eyes.

And I was mesmerized. He had probably the most fascinating face I had ever seen—strong, male, dusted with hair that no razor could ever fully tame. The eyes that met my own were a striking grey—almost metallic— and all of it was framed with curling black hair.

Holyfuckingmancandy.

Clearing my throat, and wishing that I could clear my blush as easily, I tried for a smile.

It probably came out a little sickly around the edges. My pulse was pounding and liquid heat had turned my body into a keg of lust that was primed to ignite.

Happy Writing!!

How to be a quitter

2012-01-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

I am good at being stubborn.

Even when it is stupid.

I have a huge internet confession to make-

I have been a smoker for almost half my life.

So this year, I decided I was done. I decided to ask my doctor for Chantix to help me make the change and set everything up for my own success.

And then I read the Chantix box.

It can cause strange dreams, depression and is a little scary sounding.

More scary than dying of lung cancer? Probably not. But when your mind is the most important bit in your personal tally of great traits, scary nonetheless. (Although I confess, as a writer, the strange dreams seems like it almost be more of a perk than a downfall.)

What if I loose that special something that makes me a writer? What if it messes with who I am rather than just my bad habit?

So I stalled. Stupid, but I stalled. I have had that box of Chantix and not taken that final step to TAKE one.

Today was the day. Today I took my first Chantix, risking everything to try to accomplish my goal.

(I am still curious about the strange dreams...Strange according to who? Because I can say, honestly, most of my dreams are pretty darn strange to begin with.)

Part of me still wants to rebel. I am NOT a quitter.

I am a writer. We are ALLOWED to smoke too much and drink far too much coffee. It is almost an expected portion of the stereotype.

But today, a bigger part of me has decided that I AM a quitter. My health has sucked for a long time... Maybe this will help. I deserve to see my kids grow up. I deserve to not die gasping.

Will this be easy?

Oh, hell no.

But I am going to do it.

I am going to apply my bullheaded stubborness to it and kick its ass.

What are you quitting this new year?

In which I blow smoke up your ass...

2012-01-02T17:32:00.001-08:00

In recent research for a book I was working on...

I discovered the tobacco smoke enema.

Apparently popular in the late 1700's and early 1800's, it kinda was exactly what it sounds like.

Y'see, back in the day there was actually a foundation, a group if you will, who was dedicated to the reanimation of dead bodies (or resuscitation depending on your word choice) and they actually went so far as to pay gold coin if you were able to bring them a body that had JUST died so that they could try out their experiments.

So after awhile of people drowning other people in an attempt to get the money, they changed it to, 'You get a useless medal, you murdering, greedy bastards.'

(Not in those words. But you get the gist of it.)

Anyway, they discovered quite a few clever ways to reanimate 'dead' bodies. (Remember, this was in the era of bell ringing. If you don't know what that is, well, lemme tell you. Sometimes the people they buried WEREN'T dead yet. So they attached a bell above the graves of the newly dead and attached a string that was put in the hand of the 'corpse.' They started doing this when, upon pulling up some caskets, they realized that some had claw marks where the very NOT dead inhabitants had attempted to CLAW their way out. So, bells. And someone would hang out and wait to hear if bells rang... and then dig them back up.)

One of the ways they tried (and don't get me wrong, not ALL of their ideas sucked. They figured out, or claimed to, mouth to mouth respiration. Important stuff, that.) was the tobacco enema.

The idea behind it was that tobacco was being commonly used for medicine at the time. Smoking tobacco could 'cure' a range of ailments from the common cold, cough, and even drowsiness. (Probably it helped with the cough because soon after, patients would probably DIE, therefore not need more care but what do I know?) So...

The North American Indians decided to shove it up someones tooshie.

Probably they were annoyed by that whole getting kicked out of their homes thing and thought it would be funny to shove tobacco up someones ass... I dunno. But they came up with it.

So putting tobacco, mixed with water, into the anus became a popular cure for things like stomach pain or if you had just drowned... SQUIIIIRT!!

I think, if I was near death, that would probably be a good way to reanimate me pretty quick.

They stopped using it in the early 1900's when they realized... um... Tobacco is sort of poisonous.

Woopsie.

But for a long time, they did this. Because it was warming and stimulating...

And disturbing.

And it was also a great way to 'clear' the lower 'passage.'

Read: make them poop.

In 1780's, the Royal Humane Society (AKA the people paying to get newly dead bodies) installed multiple resuscitation kits along the Thames (including the handy dandy kit for making a smoke enema) after in 1746, a recently drowned woman was 'saved.' When she 'drowned,' a passing sailor advised the husband to take the stem of his pipe, insert it into his wife's rectum and 'blow hard.'

Miracle!! She woke up.

Ahem.

The method was never really suggested for use by the elderly. It was thought that it 'dried' you out and the elderly were dried out enough already.

About a century later we came up with the phrase, "To blow smoke up ones ass."

Which it turns out you can DO!! I don't think you should. But you can.

Okay, enough history for one day.

Thanks to Wikipedia, The Royal Humane Society and all the other sources (that I would cite but I don't remember right now...) that helped me learn more about this... fascinating topic.

Out with the old...

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve is upon us.

(May it be noted that today is also the last day of my NaBloPoMo challenge and WOOT!! I did it!!! A blog a day for a whole month!!!)

With New Year's Eve, there are all kinds of interesting posts popping up about what people are resolving to do for the new year. About how next year is going to be different. About things that they want to see happen with the new year...

It makes me wonder (and yes, this is where the virgrant begins) why we think that a new year is a new beginning.

I went to see that movie We Bought a Zoo yesterday with the kids. It is a true story based on a family who bought a zoo. (You can actually see the zoo's website here and donate to keep it open.) In the movie, Benjamin Mee is a writer who states that with 20 seconds of pure courage, you can dare to do anything.

(Okay, the movie had me from the first line... when they mentioned he was a writer. )

How often do we say that we are going to change this or that or do this or that and never do it?

I want to climb the pyramids. I want to swim with dolphins. I want to change the world.

But it gets put off. Maybe I will do it when I have more money. Perhaps next year because this year I am very busy with work and the kids. Maybe once I figure out my relationship. After I loose ten pounds.

Why not TODAY?

My point-and the linking factor between New Year's and Benjamin Mee is this...

If you have a dream, something that you want but don't do for whatever excuses you feed yourself everyday to keep doing the stupid crap you think you HAVE to do...

Stop it.

Chase your dream.

You only have one life. And most elderly, when asked what they would go back and change if they could change anything, is that they would have dared more. Risked more. Said yes to more chances when they happened. When asked if they want to go on the trip or spend time with friends, they answered, "I have to work." Looking back, that payroll wasn't the thing that made memories.

The things they DID filled their lives.

I walked away from an office job not long ago. It was a comfortable job and I could buy clothes if I wanted them and eat in nice restaurants and afford trips now and again.

And now I am a stay at home mom/student/author/editor/reviewer.

I am really happy to have that list of what I am. I can't always afford the luxuries that came with working insane hours. When I quit the job, I felt as if I was leaping off a financial cliff and I was sure to fall flat on my face.

Well, looking back, money is tight. But you know what?

I hated my office job. I hated my life.

I love my life now. The challenges I face are because I am living my dreams.

If I have another stroke tomorrow and don't live to see 2012...

I will know I did it my way.

What do you want? What is the thing that would take that 20seconds of raw courage to do? What is your adventure?

Are you going to grab it by the ass and knock it into submission?

Or are you going to 'resolve' to change your life?

2011 has come and gone. So have all the years before it.

Don't let 2012 go on 'plans' and 'somedays.'

Don't make resolutions.

Make change.

Happy writing!

Bubbly: An erotic contemporary romance for New Years

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Bubbly: An erotic contemporary romance for New Years

By Anne Holly

Beth’s had the best of everything and the worst of everything. From the outside, a poor little rich girl, hounded by the press, but, on the inside, bruised by dark memories. When she seeks escape from her suffocating world on New Years Eve, she accidentally gets a taste for how the other half lives. Rough bartender Tig Riley offers her a whole new outlook on life in his arms and maybe even a brand new future, if only she can trust him. Can he really help her heal herself?

PG-13 Excerpt…

“You are far from cold, lady.”

She felt herself swoon at his words.

“But you may well freeze,” he said. “We should get you inside.”

“Inside?” she chirped, suddenly alarmed.

“It’s up to you,” he said. “You can go in there, and go freshen up, and carry on with your party or we can go inside some place private and see where this leads us.”

She felt torn. His arms eased away from her and she was relieved he was giving her the option of escape, but she was suddenly too embarrassed to ask him to continue doing to her what she wanted him to do.

“But your job?” she asked, her mind hazy.

“It’s okay,” he said. “My buddy in there owes me one.”

“You won’t tell him?”

“Of course not,” he said. “My days of bragging are over. I’ll just tell him I have the shits or something.”

She laughed at his vulgar reassurance, and so did he.

“You’re so pretty when you laugh,” he said.

“So are you.”

“There you go again,” he mock-snarled. “You go on up, and I’ll meet you wherever you want.”

“My room, on the third floor?”

“Sure,” he said and touched a curled knuckle to her lips with incredible affection.

“Okay,” she said, reluctantly straightening off his lap. She wobbled a moment, her knees lacking assurance on those silly heels.

“You need some help?” he asked.

Oddly tempted, she almost said yes, but gathered her dignity enough to step away from him.

He grabbed his bag and gestured for her to go on ahead, and she carefully picked her way back to the door as she heard him slam and lock the van.

Whatever was about to happen, good idea or not, was not what Beth had planned for ringing in the New Year. But she had dreamed about spending it with someone special and that glimmer of hope gave her courage.

For more info, please visit http://annehollyholiday.webs.com/newyearstales.htm

Anne Holly is a Canadian writer of romance and erotic-romance, as well as a mother and teacher. She has found a particular niche in holiday romance. You may visit Anne at her blog or website, or find her on GoodReads, Facebook and Twitter (@anneholly2010). Sign up for her newsletter here. Email her at anneholly2010@gmail.com.

Exciting week...

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

New Years is upon us...

What have you resolved for the new year? I can tell you right now that I wanted to be standing in Times Square by this year so I could see the ball drop live and it probably isn't going to happen. However, the kids and I will be hunkering down with a good friend as we have the past couple years. We will sip drinks at midnight and watch the ball drop and do a countdown. Possibly there will be a Wii dance party. Then, of course, the traditional pork and sauerkraut. Pigs never look back...

How do you ring in the new year?

Yesterday, I had the fun author of steamy MM, Megan Slayer on the blog. If you missed it, check out the blog here. She was talking reviews with us and we got to hear about her new releases Permanent. Check out her website here or pick up your copy of Permanent here.

Tomorrow I will have a special guest here at the blog. Anne Holly, multipublished author, is stopping by to tell us about her recent release, Bubbly. This story is a fantastic erotic piece that will fit great into anyone's New Year celebration. Pick up a copy over at amazon today here.

Happy Writing!

I Read a Review Today, Oh Boy!

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today we have a guest post from Megan Slayer!!
I am super excited as I have read this author and adore her work. Since she had a new release yesterday, if you haven't heard about her, you may want to pick up Permanent. You can grab it here. Here is a short bit about the book before we get to the blog~
Sometimes love just ain’t enough...

River Cortland trusted the person he loved. His faith couldn’t protect him from the bitter sting of a cold-hearted Domme. If he’s going to learn to trust again, he’s got to deal with his past. His roommate and best friend, Tory, has seen the physical damage and hasn’t walked away. Can he deal with the emotional scars as well?

Tory McClellan wanted the carefree life...until one night with River changed everything. There’s more to the shy art teacher and Tory wants to know everything-how he tastes, the scent of his skin, the feel of his body as they make love. What terror lies behind River’s brown eyes? Better yet, how can Tory make the sadness go away and be in River’s life, permanently?

Available December 26th From Total-E-Bound!

I wanted to thank Virginia for having me on her blog. Love being here. Always fun to hang out at the different blogs and when it’s the blog of a friend, it’s even better.

So why did I use the title I picked? I’m an author, I shouldn’t be complaining about reviews. Well let me state here and now, this isn’t about my reviews or a review of my books. It’s a general impression of reviews.

All in all, I think reviews are fantastic. Even the negative ones. Why? When an author gets a review, it’s nice to know what the public thinks. Just because I might like the book, doesn’t mean the general public will. One of my favorite reviews for my books was a terrible one. Honest. The reader noted the book was confusing, trash, and they thought it was written too fast. Why would that be a favorite? The reader taught me to not take myself so seriously and to really look at the book. The one thing the review said that stuck with me was that the book needed to be longer and the characters more fleshed out. PING! The light bulb went off in my head and the characters started chatting. Yes, they wanted more time to talk. So, I listened and I’m glad. I’ll probably never make that reader happy—can one ever make everyone happy at once?—but I made myself happy and learned something.

Now for the oh boy! part of the post. I like to read the reviews of books I’m buying. Why? I want to see what others think about the book. Is there something in the book that might turn me off? Is there a twist ending? I’ve done my fair share of reviewing. I love to talk about the books I’ve read and why. You never know where you’ll find your next favorite read.

What I do not understand about reviews is quite a bit, but here’s one thing: “I didn’t really like the book and it wasn’t XYZ’s best. Still, buy it.”

Um. Hmm. I saw this and cocked my head. I’m all for short reviews. Tell me and be done. You didn’t like it. It wasn’t the author’s best, but I should buy it? I might very well like the book. I tend to like books that get panned often. But still, this doesn’t tell me what about it was so terrible.

Here’s another: “This book is s*&^%”

The review is your opinion. That’s fine. But swearing like this in a review makes less of an impression of the book and more of the reviewer. I scratch my head and think, well do I want read more of the reviewer’s reviews? I’m not really learning anything about the book.

So what do I want to know about a book when reading the review? What turned the reviewer on about the book? What made the book special? What really stuck out and made you want to bang your head? Did the characters stick with you? What would you like to see if the book was revised?

Why? Answers to these questions give me the author a better understanding of what to improve on, what worked, what didn’t and what characters really spoke to the reader. I can run with that. If you like a book, tell the author. There’s nothing more fun than getting fan mail in the form of a review. If you had mixed thoughts, put that in the review. Honestly is the best policy. If you didn’t like the book, honesty works. My suggestion? If you didn’t like the book, tell why. Saying it’s garbage doesn’t really work. If the author knows why, then there is room for growth.

You never know. Your review just might be the catalyst for the author’s next book.

About Megan:
When she's not writing the stories in her head, Megan Slayer can be found luxuriating in her hot tub with her two vampire Cabana boys, Luke and Jeremy. She has the tendency to run a tad too far with her muse, so she has to hide in the head of her alter ego, but the boys don't seem to mind.

When she's not obsessing over her whip collection, she can be found picking up her kidlet from school.

She enjoys writing in all genres, but writing about men in love suits her fancy best.

Currently hanging out every Wednesday and Friday at the Menagerie Authors site, hunting Hotties for the Saturday posts, and working on the next great story brewing in her head!

The cabana boys are willing to serve, unless she needs them. She always need them. So be nice to Javier or he will bite--on command.

On Love

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

Tina Gerow, multipublished author (who's website you can see here), posted on facebook this quote yesterday:

"You can't just stop Loving someone; either you Always will, or you Never did."

It got me thinking...

How many times in any given day do you say that you love something? I love chocolate. I love coffee. I love this snuggie.

How many people do you say it to?

I watched an awesome documentary called Pompeii:Back from the Dead last night on Netflix. There was one skeleton called The Green Woman. She was a pregnant member of the aristocracy and her skeleton had turned green in the remains of the dead city Pompeii. It seems that the vast amount of jewels that she felt the need to take with her into supposed safety had reacted in a chemical change and turned green.

Green like money. Green like the emerald bracelet that she clutched to her pregnant belly in her last moments of life.

Not a miniature portrait of someone she loved who wasn't with her. Jewels.

How often do we forget to say, "I love you," to the ones that matter?

How often do we know that we love someone more than breath and yet fear saying the words?

Be it for sake of shame or fear of rebuttal or any number of reasons, how often do we bite our tongue on the words that really matter and instead say useless things, collect useless things, treasure inanimate THINGS when the ones we love we fear making precious?

I try to tell all my kids at least a dozen times a day that I love them. The people that are dear to me, I clutch in terror. It seems, for me at least, that mortality has been an ever present shadow over the ones that I love and perhaps it is because I learned so early how fast and unexpected death can come to your door... to your home... and take away the ones you love that I am so aware that the end is close at all times.

I read a story on the news of a woman who lost both her parents and her children in a devastating fire on Christmas day. The article went on to talk about her success in business. Does that matter? Is it some comfort to her that her career will go on when so much has been swept away as quickly as one might clear a dry erase board?

Some people in my life probably think me strange. I know one of my exes received a call from me a few months ago on which I left a message telling him how he changed the course of my life... How his love for me made me stronger and better and without it, although it may be gone now, I would not have the strength to go after the things I dream of.

We are no longer together but he made an impact on my life.

How many would not have made that call, fearing the reaction?

I guess my point is that the Green Woman of Pompeii died in a room full of slaves, clutching jewels that did not save her. We clutch to our bosoms the things that we think will matter... But so often leave us empty and alone.

Be the one who is not afraid of love. Love is messy. Love hurts. But without it, we are nothing but bones left to be picked over.

And remember the quote..."You can't just stop Loving someone; either you Always will, or you Never did." Because if you really love, it doesn't go away like a lightswitch flicked to kill the lights. It burns. It stays alive in you. It may change forms but if it is real love... It will never end so long as there is a breath left in your body.

Which is, again, sometimes messy. Sometimes painful. But it is wonderful because real love makes you stronger.

Even when they aren't there anymore.

Okay, this was me going on one of my Virg rants and I am sorry. Tomorrow will be much more upbeat. Tomorrow, Megan Slayer will be visiting the blog and she will give us the low-down on reviews and a sneak peek into her recent release.

But for tonight... Hug someone just because you want to. Tell someone you love them just because you do.

For tonight, remember the lesson of the Green Woman.

Happy writing!

Yes, Santa, there was a Virginia...

2011-12-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, Santa Claus, there was a Virginia.

In 1857, Harper's Weekly printed a story about a jolly man in a red suit. Upon reading the article, Virginia O'Hanlon wanted to believe in the magic. Her friends had told her that there wasn't a Santa Claus. So she wrote the editor that had first printed the article and asked him.

When the response came back... Advising that a world without Santa was like a world without Virginia's, the world found a new story.

Imagine my excitement, today, when my awesome landlord brought over the original article... The one that made young Virginia wonder.

Brittle with age, the paper was too dry for me to flip the page open but I snapped a few shots with my cell phone so that I could share them with you all.

Virginia wrote:

“Dear Editor:

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?”

— Virginia O’Hanlon

Here is a copy of her letter... If you click on it you can read it.

Believe in the magic... :)

Happy writing!

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T06:46:00.001-08:00

My kids have had a wonderful Christmas morning and I am pretty sure we are in for a fantastic Christmas day. Uncle Chad is joining us this year so not only will we be having dinner with our 'adopted' family but we will have him there to share it. On top of that, visits are planned to grandparents and aunts...

All in all a wonderful day. But the things that I am grateful for aren't under that tree... Although I am crazy grateful for everyone that helped make this morning so wonderful for my babies...

I am grateful for the people who helped make today special. I am happy that my three kids are healthy and warm this morning. I am grateful that I am alive to see it.

None of this should be taken for granted.

Our life isn't perfect. I would love to have a man to curl into while I watch the kids shredding paper from glittering presents under the glow of the tree. I would love to go get in my car and not worry that the damn thing is gonna blow up. I would love to say that I am not ever worried over money, or family issues or dramatic battles of epic proportions.

But, y'see, it doesn't matter. Because there are so many other things that are so close to perfect that this morning... I have got to sit back and say...

Thank you. Thank you to a universe that made my life so happy and full. Thank you to friends and family that make me feel loved and secure. Thank you for my children's health and that I am here on this Christmas morning to hear the little comments they are making and the rattle of Lego's newly opened.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it. And to those who don't, I wish you peace.

Jack Daniels Christmas Cookies! A guest blog with Lisa Pietsch

2011-12-24T09:23:00.001-08:00

Lisa Pietsch shared this old family recipe with me and although I am not a big cook, I had to try it out. Here is Lisa's recipe:

Jack Daniels Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup of water
Lemon juice
1 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of nuts
1 tsp salt
2 cups of dried fruit
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup Jack Daniels Whiskey

1. Sample the Jack Daniels to check quality.
2. Take a large bowl, check the Jack Daniels again to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.
3. Turn on the electric beater.
4. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
5. Add one teaspoon of sugar....
6. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Jack Daniels is still okay. Try another cup, just in case.
7. Turn off the mixerer thingy.
8. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
9. Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.
10. Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Jack Daniels for tonsisticity.
11. Next, sift two cups of salt, or whatever. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Jack Daniels.
12. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
13. Greash the oven. Turn the cake 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
14. Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Dack Janiels and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

Best of food ~ 2011

2011-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

We all know I am not a cook or a baker... *cough* *sputter* *ahem*

I am, however, a fat kid. And I loooooove to eat. So today on the blog, I wanted to highlight the recipes that others were kind enough to cook me that really made my year (and made me happy for yoga pants...)

Ham Chowder

This recipe is AWESOME. I am pretty sure this is the one we are using. It is creamy and delicious and fantastic with a nice loaf of focaccia.

Click here to go to All Recipes for the fantastic recipe.

Broccoli Slaw

A friend of mine from work shared her recipe for this one. It is super easy.
A package of Broccoli Slaw (I found it at WalMart...)
Almond slivers
Crasins
Cheddar Cheese
BACON
Hellman's Mayo
Cider Vinegar
Some sugar

You just mix all that up, mixing the liquids till they look like a slaw (Yes, I made this one so no, I don't have exact measurements, sorry.) and then it is delicious!!! I am pretty sure it is good for you... But the bacon and cheese make it worth it. (Also, I have a sick addiction to crasins. Freaking amazing little things...)

Homemade Alfredo

Again, this is one I actually MADE.

A package of Philadelphia cream cheese
Some of that garlic in oil stuff from the grocery store
Stick of butter
some milk
fresh parmesean

All you do is put the garlic and butter in a skillet until they melt together in a smelly mix. Then you add the philly. You mix that until it is sort of a boogery mess but the philly is thoroughly melted. Then add the milk until it turns all creamy and dreamy. Toss in some parm for flavor and VOILA!! SOoooOOO much better than the jar stuff. You can add other spices (Salt and pepper and such) to taste. You can combine this with shrimp, chicken, broccoli or just noodles (depending on both your laziness and the contents of your freezer.

Oh mah goodness is it awesome.

Tiramisu

Okay, I have no idea if this recipe is like the one I had. It was a mouthgasm. It was cake, drizzled in espresso and chocolate and then fluffy with whipped cream. But this recipe LOOKS like mine tasted so let me know... Find the recipe here.

Best books ~ 2011

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to pick a best of books for the different categories this year since I have read some awesome books. I will do my best. If you have read any of my favorites or any that you would like to suggest to me, feel free to hit up the comments section below. You can pick up any of these titles by clicking on the cover art (I linked to buy sites to help you out.)

Best of 2011 YA Dystopian

Possession by Elana Johnson

This book inspired me. The writing in it is simply delicious and the characters are so likeable... It reminded me of Madeline L'Engle in it's style. Loved this book and cannot WAIT till the second book, Surrender, comes out. You can read my blog here on it. You can find info about picking it up here.

Runners up: None. This book was AWESOME

Best of paranormal YA

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones captured our family this year and we were driven to pick up the whole series including the newly released City of Fallen Angels. We cannot WAIT for the next in this series. Y ou can read my r eview of the series here.

Runners Up: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab (I forgot to review it but loved this book. You can read part of my opinion here.), The Marked Series by PC and Kristen Cast

Best YA Fairytale with a Modern Twist

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

Another one I forgot to review but brilliant. This book was a companion to Pearce's amazing Sisters Red and it didn't let us down in the least. I am looking forward to Purity and Fathomless... Future works by this fun and fresh author.

Runners Up: None. Loved this book

Best Romantic Comedy

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

I have Until There was You on my kindle and have to read it as well but I love this authors style. I literally snarfed coffee all over my computer reading her. I cried. Awesome.

Runner Up: The Real Housewives of Olympus by Saranna DeWylde (you can read my review here.)

Best MM erotic

Upon Midnight by Buffy Christopher

This sexy little book inspired me to dare a little more in my own writing. And she wrote more of them. *fans self* Awesome.

Runners up: None. When it comes to sexy m/m action, I liked this.

Best action sequence in a sexy romp

The Path to Freedom by Lisa Pietsch

Sarah Stevens is kicked out of the military and dumped by her boyfriend. She manages to go to fatcamp, learn to kick ass and meet some very sexy men on her journey to becoming a weapon herself. This book had a little bit of everything. If you are looking for a sexy and yet fun ride, this book is your ticket to intrigue. Awesome.

Runners Up: Again, I am a runners up fail. This book was great.

Okay, those are the ones that stick out in my memory. I think I shall start doing this quarterly since I have a terrible memory and I am sure I am missing some fantastic books that I read this year...

What books moved you? What is your top list for books to read? Let me know :)

Happy writing! (Or reading as the case may be...)

Writer's version of Jingle Bells...

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

It is getting closer and closer to Christmas...
Last year I did the Twelve Days of Writing, which you can find here.

This year, I give you The Writer's Version of Jingle Bells:

I call it Writing Sells

Dashing through the edits

In a week or maybe a day

O'er the words we go

Screaming all the way

Tracking changes blinks

Making comments bright

What fun it is to write and edit

A work in progress tonight!

(chorus)

Writing sells, writing sells,

If you work real hard.

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

Writing sells, writing sells,

writing all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

A day or two ago

I thought I'd write a book

And soon my editor

Had covered it with red,

The outcome seemed not bright

My plot was full of holes

I had written a fantastic book

Or so the coffee said...

Writing sells, writing sells,

If you work real hard.

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

Writing sells, writing sells,

writing all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

Now the changes made

I am sure I have it right,

Send it back again

but fear I've gotten it wrong.

Just get a shot of vodka

Maybe a cuppa joe

Open up a new word doc

And give it another go.

Writing sells, writing sells,

If you work real hard.

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

Writing sells, writing sells,

writing all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to write

On a contracted book tonight.

On Rejection

2011-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

I just got the coolest rejection letter ever... For my short, The Accidental Pirate.

Wait, you are happy about a rejection letter?

Yes, actually. Pleased as punch. This particular rejection letter not only told me that the editor took the time to read my piece but gave me most valuable feedback on why she didn't pick it up. Apparently, for their guidelines, there wasn't quite enough sexual detail and they wanted more resolution to the suspense. Valuable info, that. In the future, when querying that house, I know what they are looking for and can better hit it.

In addition to telling me what she wanted to see, she included what she liked about the piece I sent her. They liked the style and voice as well as the characterization. They even encouraged me to consider them in the future.

So getting rejected is a good thing?

Yes. And although this piece may not have fit her house, by telling me what she saw, I can already think of a list of people who it would fit better. And, again, the knowledge of what she is looking for helps me make pieces for her a better fit into her guidelines for future works.

Rejection can sting. I know that. No one WANTS to see that something they worked so hard on didn't make the cut. But if you sit down and read the rejection letter, often you can find value in what was said.

Just remember, in writing, like so many other aspects of life, if you want it bad enough, you can get it. The system is set up in a way that it weeds out those who don't.

Keep every rejection letter as they are the maps that will help you find your way. Keep every rejection letter because you can look back on them and smile later. Keep them and learn from them.

Happy Writing!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011-12-19T07:41:00.000-08:00

I am trying to write this post with my cat-all 20some pounds of him-lying on my arm. Apparently, even given an entire house to roam, my arm is the best place he can find to sleep. Stupid cat.

And he is purring.

Anyway, I went to see Sherlock Holmes on Saturday night and I thought all you lovely blogfolk would want to hear my review. I was hoping to do something snarky... like Nicole Peeler's twitter feed the other day when she saw Breaking Dawn Part One... Yeah, Sherlock was such a good movie it sucked the snark right out my nose, pulled my ass to the edge of my seat and had me laughing out loud. So no snark. Sorry. Next time, I will try to go to a less amusing movie.

Okay, the trailer...

Yeah, I am pretty sure you can see, just from that, they followed pretty closely to the original movie but lost NOTHING of the coolness that I had come to expect.

Spoiler- Someone dies in the beginning that I didn't forsee.

And I was sort of mad about it. And so was Sherlock. So he starts chasing the professor around, dragging poor Watson in his wake.

Memorable lines to look for:

"How many times are you going to kill my dog?" - Watson

"How did you know I was going to find you?(Watson)
You didn't find me, you dropped a tower on me. (Sherlock)"

There was adventure, bromance, murder, suspense, danger, special effects...
All in all, on a scale of one to five, I would give it a five.
If you are going to pay the insane amount of money they now charge to go to a movie, this one is a great one to do it on.

($5.75 for a drink? That drink had better have a whole meal packed inside or be Starbucks or some craziness... But for fountain soda? Really? C'mon movie people. Get real.)

Tree killing

2011-12-18T14:13:00.000-08:00

Since I don't like live trees (John Denver and the Muppets brainwashed me as a child. I believe trees have souls and murdering one so I can hang lights on it seemed cruel to me), I have never before went to a tree farm to get a tree. This year, two of the kids and I tagged along while my best friend and her parents went to get trees.

It was so COOL.

For one, they had horse drawn wagons. And I really liked the horses. I was one of those kids who wanted to ride from the moment that I realized you COULD ride horses and to this day, I still have dreams of being Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet.

Another cool thing was the kids and the laughter and the snow.

Oh, and the guy let us drive the wagon... AWESOME.

They had free popcorn and peanuts while we stood and watched the tree get magically shoved through a machine and tied up... Altogether it was just FUN.

Here are some pics from our tree adventure. (Two photoblogs in one day... wowza, right?)

Saturday, a day late

2011-12-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

So I forgot to blog yesterday so to make up for it... You get two blogs today. Last night, I went to a friends company Christmas party. Here is a photo montage of the party... We also went to Sherlock Holmes 2 which was AMAZING... I may do a blog on it sometime this week. Without further ado- photo blog:

The story that must be told...

2011-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today on the blog, we are being visited by the awesome Lisa Pietsch. Aside from being a wonderful author who is supportive of everyone around her, she is a truly kind and smart lady and a good friend of mine. She needs help, but I will let her tell you about it. I give you... Lisa.

The Story That Must Be Told

by Lisa Pietsch

(visit her website here.)

In August I left my husband of twelve years (we'd been estranged for the better part of our marriage anyway) and started work as the Marketing Director for Sapphire Blue Publishing. By November, their long-neglected marketing program was on the upswing. Unfortunately, other factors had to be considered and my work wasn't enough for the owners of Sapphire Blue to keep it open.

So I got laid off.

Some time ago I made the decision to put all my writing eggs into the Sapphire Blue Publishing basket. Loyal? Yes. Savvy? Not so much. Luckily, when they closed their doors they returned all of the authors' rights immediately and let us walk away with our books and cover art.

That opened the door to self-publishing.

Many of my colleagues from Sapphire Blue Publishing are pursuing a mix of publishers and self-publishing but I realized this was a great opportunity for me to be completely independent. I knew great editors and graphic artists and I'd have the opportunity to rework some books I'd admittedly rushed through production.

The Path to Freedom

The Path to Freedom was my first full manuscript and my first published novel. Tina Gerow did the editing on it and I love it just the way it is. The 2008 version remains unchanged and is now available in electronic formats for 99 cents. It will soon be available in paperback from Amazon.com. (Virg Note: Click here to pick up your copy today!)

A Taste of Liberty

Sarah Stevens wins the lottery (so to speak) in this story but there is so much more to the story that the reader doesn't know. I rushed this story when I should have taken my time and expanded on the details. They're worth telling and readers deserve to know them. I'll begin expanding this book to double it's original size in January and hope to have some talented editors help me polish it for a February publication in electronic and paperback.

Freedom's Promise

Another story I rushed through. I should mention why. While I was working on these two books, my marriage was falling down around me. I was desperate to create something of my own and tried to do it too quickly while everything else crumbled. It wasn’t an easy place to write from. It isn't easy writing happily ever afters when what you thought was yours turns out to be a steaming pile of shit. So I'd like to work on this story too. Ideally, I'd expand on it in March and have my editor friends help me polish it in April. Then I'd release something with twice the original story in both electronic and paperback.

Stealing Liberties

The fourth installment in the Task Force 125 series was to be my very best work yet. It was under contract with SBP but not yet complete when they closed their doors. I have a hardcopy riddled with notes and bleeding red ink everywhere. The first draft was good but the final is going to be fantastic. Things happen in this story that loyal readers would never have imagined. Even I couldn’t believe most of them but, as any writer will tell you, there comes a time when you need to surrender to the muse holding a gun to the back of your head. So I did. Then life happened and I had to tuck the manuscript away for a while.

That’s when I met a character I’d written. He wasn’t just any character either. He was supposed to be a minor character that would be killed off. You know the kind, the Star Trek Ensign that beams down with the landing party. The guy who dies so the story can move along. But once I wrote him, I couldn’t kill him. I wrestled with it for three days but he’d become integral to Sarah’s story. Oddly enough, the man I met six months later would become integral to mine as well. Unfortunately, fact and fiction didn’t run parallel for me and Sarah. Regardless, this episode in Sarah Stevens’ story must be told.

Why so much detail, you ask?

Because I can’t do this alone.

There are stories here that must be told, people here you have to meet, and events that will change lives. I have the stories and I have all the words but delivering Sarah Stevens’ stories in a comprehensive manner means I need editors - few authors can deliver a book worth reading without them. I also need cover art and that means staying true to the other covers in the series and staying with the same artist.

So I took a stab at a Kickstarter campaign. I did the math for the editors, covers and miscellaneous publishing costs and I could release all three of these novels within the next six months if I had $6,000. To date, only $800 has been pledged to the Kickstarter campaign. If I don’t have $6,000 pledged by midnight on December 31st I won’t see one penny of it.

This is why some artists live in shabby little lofts, go without food and heat and scrape together what money they can to buy supplies to feed their muse. Canvas, paper, paint, ink, frames, covers…all food for the muse no matter what your form of expression may be. So, with two weeks left to 2011, and stories that must be told, I find myself wondering if I could tolerate a roommate in a 550 square foot loft and if maybe I could get rid of internet and cable. I don’t have a television so it’s just been for the internet anyway. Maybe I could just ride a signal in a McDonald’s parking lot? The easier way would be finding $6,000 in pledges but my life has always seemed to turn toward the hard ways. I guess the only way to look at all of this is to reassure myself that these experiences of mine, while trying to complete what I believe to be my mission here, will make a hell of a story when I’m dead and gone.

Here's the link to the Kickstarter campaign:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lisapietsch/task-force-125-operation-publication

I'm not afraid of doing things the hard way but I sure wouldn't mind a little help if you could spread the word.

The ABC’s of me

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

I talk about everyone else in my life on here and what I think of them. So I figured it was about time to do one all about myself...

A- A place you visited?

Colorado. And I loved it. The sky was an azure blue like nothing I have ever seen anywhere else. And it amazed me, standing in the foothills of the Rocky mountains, how it seemed you could see forever. Since I was born in the Appalachian Mountains, I thought all mountains started out rolling hills and then worked their way up. Finding out that in some places they jut out of the prairie, in rugged majesty, and point at the sky as if daring it to touch them. Just... Breathtaking.

B- Something you bought?

Recently? Christmas presents for the brat pack, of course!

C-Can you do something unusual?

I can bend my thumb joint over and touch my pinkie one. I have a double joint in my thumb. Yeah, I think that is pretty weird, right?

D- Did you ever do it in a strange place?

Wow, getting personal, aren't we? Yes, I sure have. And, no. I am not telling you where. Sheesh. Nosy much?

E- What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

Either cheese covered grubs or chocolate covered ants. I think most people would consider that universally weird, right? The grubs tasted like Cheetos and the ants like chocolate full of Rice Crispies. (Then again, everything tastes better covered in chocolate.)

F- Favorite food?

Chocolate! That counts as a food, right?

G-Give or get?

Give.

H- Have you ever sang in public?

Yes, but like Janie, the main character in my Odd Stuff series, not many who heard me survived. Sad, really.

I- I want to be when I grow up...(fill in the blank)

An astronaut. It could still happen...

J- Just for fun I like to...

Travel! I love seeing new places and exploring. There is an adventure out there... You just have to find it.

K- Kindle or Nook?

Kindle. I love mine. It is AWESOME.

L- Love more than anything...

My brat pack, of course!

M- My favorite place to write is...

Wherever the coffee is hot. I am a coffee addict.

N- Nothing can come between me and my...

Coffee!! Yes, it is really that important. And books. Gads, I have a lot of books...

O-One thing I would love to take out of a movie and have in my house is...

The Beast's library from Beauty in the Beast. Oh, the shelves!

P- People drive me nuts when they...

Say really rude things and then try to make it better with, "Just kidding!" or some other lame line that makes it seem okay that they are being an ass. Oh, and the misuse of quotation marks in signage. Especially when they put them around the word, "Sale!" Okay, are we just calling it a sale or is it actually a sale? What is with the quotation marks???

Q- Question you refuse to answer?

Well, if I refuse to answer it, why would I tell you?

R- Really love?
I really love shoes. It is a sick addiction. We literally have a shoe PILE.

S- Stupidest thing you have ever done was...
I could write a list. I am sure it has to do with breaking something. I am a horrible clutz.

T- Tell me about one of your books?
Well, the one I am working on right now seems like it is going to be fun. It is about a ghost who invades the home of her boyfriend's ex-wife. I had a lot of fun killing her off and now she is torturing the main character. It is going to be a fun paranormal. Look for more on it later.

U-Underwear?

Wow. Again with the really personal question. Okay, for this one I will tell you it is none of your business. Sheesh. People, really?

V-Virginia, do you believe in Santa?

I have to. If you don't believe in the magic, it doesn't work. Besides, there are too many songs and movies reminding me to believe. How can I not?

W- Where in the world would you go if you could go anywhere?
Easy. Ireland. Next question?

X- Any X-rays? Broken bones?

Lots of x-rays of my head. I had a couple strokes and it was sort of required. But broken bones, no. And I hope I never have any.

Y- You win the lottery... what will you buy?

Not much. I will keep a crappy car. I love my house. I think I would draw comfort about not having to worry about money and travel a bit but I don't really need much more than what I have. I am a lucky gal.

Z- Favorite zoo animal?

Girraffe. I love the way they run, as if in slow motion and so graceful, and yet cover so much ground with each stride. Love.

Final

2011-12-13T21:43:00.001-08:00

Since I am going to college...

I am taking my last final tomorrow.

Finals. It sounds so... final.

Which of course, got me to thinking. I am in the final days of the year when my baby, my first baby, is fourteen. It seems like hardly a heartbeat ago, they handed me this perfect little bundle, all sweet and pink with the most beautiful cupids bow lips...

And she is going to be fifteen.

Final.

And about a minute later, I was gifted with my first son. I can't say sweet things about how he looked when he was born... He was blue from being stuck for an hour and covered in ick. I am still not sure how Princess came out looking so perfect and my boys... Gorefests.

Speaking of boys... The baby, my sweet tiny youngest... We are in the final days of him being a decade old. In about a minute, he will be eleven and-tear-not much of a baby anymore.

Final.

I am kind of glad that school is letting out for a break. I think I may take some quality NONTECH related time and just enjoy these final moments of 2011. Right now they are all in their beds, fast asleep, having no clue that I am creeping in their rooms to watch them and know they are safe.

And all the while knowing that soon, I won't have that solace. Soon they will be off having lives and I won't know where they lay down to rest or if they are safe and warm...

Final.

Sometimes I think the scariest thing about being a mom is knowing that you try so hard to protect them from the world but it is right there...

Waiting.

And one day, you can't protect them anymore.

And you have to hope that what you did was the right thing and that they will be okay.

Sorry, it is late. I am having one of those soggy moments when you look at something so precious to you and know that you only have this moment to cherish...

And it doesn't feel like enough.

I am pretty sure everyone has those nights.

You can pick your nose...

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

The saying goes that you can pick your nose and you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family.

I realized that this is probably a very good thing. Would you, for instance, have picked Aunt Gertrude that smells like a mix of cat urine and moldy socks?

Nope. Probably no one would pick poor Gertie.

But due to the magic of family, we are given this random mix of people who shape who we become.

Would you be the same if your father wasn't a military man? If your mother hadn't driven you crazy with her rules? Or did them being who they were turn you into who YOU are?

I didn't pick my family. And I am glad. Given the choice, I probably would have altered bits of my childhood. But I am glad I can't. Why?

I like who I am. I like the mangled up and twisted things that happened to me because without them, I wouldn't be me.

Some family you do get to pick. In this case I am referring to friends. These people you meet along the way and for some reason or another, they stick.

Your mom is still your mom and your kid sister still the only kid sister you would ever want... But friends give you those things that your family can't provide for whatever reason.

Does this make the 'adopted' family any less important?

Nope.

Anyway, I am glad for my family even if it is probably the picture of dysfunctional. I like our BradyBunch meets the Simpsons holiday events.

What makes your family special? Would you have changed it if you could?

Authors that inspire you...

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

I had asked my facebook pals to give me some ideas for the blog and a friend of mine mentioned this.

Considering this topic, I realized that had I written this blog a couple years ago, my answer would have been very different than it is today.

You see, a few years ago, my idea of inspiration in author form was a mangled jumble of off-the-charts sales and prolific writing abilities.

A few years ago, I would have said Stephen King or Nora Roberts or even Janet Evanovich. Because inspiration, to me at that time, was the idea of authors being rockstars.

Success is not just about hitting the bestsellers list ten times...

Having been an author now for a couple years, I gotta say, SURE. I would LOVE to sit on the bestsellers list. I would love to say that there are enough copies of my books in print to circle the globe a few times.

But that isn't what defines success for me now. In writing, like many of the arts, the race is against yourself. A friend of mine did a blog about running marathons that really rang true to what I am trying to say. You may not cross that finish line first or be the one rolling in the dough... But winning is hitting your personal best. Only you can define if what you are doing is working or not.

So knowing this, that the race is against myself not against Stephen King or Nora...

Do I still strive to reach the stars?

YES. Because feeling proud because you are willing to sit at the keyboard everyday is great. But you still have to have that idea that makes you press onward...

Mine is that someday lots of people will read my stories. People who reach for the stars walk in stardust...

Being prolific

This used to seem kind of unattainable as well. I have since learned that if you sit down at the computer every day and write between 5-10k words... Prolific isn't hard. Prolific and sellable are two very different things. Not everything I write sees the light of day.

But the more years I spend doing it... the easier it has become to turn on my internal editor and catch stuff that I never would have years ago.

The more years spent writing... the easier it is to sit down and fall into the world of storytelling. So this doesn't mark success for me anymore, either.

Who does inspire you now?

I have met lots of authors, working in the trenches, and watched them go from outline to submissions. I have been their friend and heard about the hardships they deal with everyday and barriers they are knocking down in my industry. I see them out there daring to grab their dreams by the asses and say, "Heel bitch."

That inspires me. So when I am sick and trying to get through edits, any number of you are there with me. When I am hurting because of personal issues or trauma... I know they are with me.

And if that shit isn't keeping them from reaching for their dreams, what kind of wimp am I to consider taking the day off from writing?

(As a matter of fact, as I type this I am very hopped up on cold meds. So if I have rambled... I blame the people over at Nyquil.)

I am not going to list their names... But I think that the authors I am referring to know who they are. (*hugs to you, kick ass author friends*)

And I admire that. It inspires me.

What inspires you?

Sneak Peek! Someone Like You ~Adult Only

2011-12-11T13:18:00.000-08:00

Someone Like You is my latest finished project... It is off on submissions right now *fingers crossed* It was inspired by the song by Adele of the same title.

Adele's lyrics: I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited/But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it./I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded/That for me it isn't over./Never mind, I'll find someone like you/I wish nothing but the best for you too/Don't forget me, I beg/I remember you said,/"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,/Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Another F/F erotic, this one follows Kay. Kay gets a phone call from her former lover to meet at a restaurant for Valentine's day only to find that the woman she thought loved her...

Is getting married.

To make matters worse, Cammie, the sister of the groom-to-be, is attractive and Kay is battling feelings for her.

So for a Sunday Sneak Peek, I give you Someone Like You.

Enjoy!!

Excerpt:

“Good. This is my building. Come in.” She turned and walked up steps towards double doors. I paused.

“I shouldn’t.”

“Fine. Be a chickenshit. Again, I’m not going to beg you.” The words were a challenge as was the way she cocked a hand on one hip. She had to know how sexy she was, standing there like that.

Joining her on the step, I moved into her space with a cocky arrogance that I only half felt. “You will beg me. And you’ll like it.”

Happy Writing!!

Busy is a good thing.

2011-12-10T06:42:00.001-08:00

A busy author is a good thing.

There are mornings that I wake up and look at the 'to be done' stack and want to weep. There is so much to do! I need a personal assistant or at least another couple of hands and eyes or hours in the day...

But here is the thing-

I am an artist. Artists like to do funny things like eat and wear clothes and sleep in beds. You can only do these things if you are actually getting paid for your work.

I have work that needs to be done because I AM getting paid for my work or have reason to believe I will be. Having lots of work that needs done and projects so plentiful that some have gotten back burnered for the time being...

A really good thing. I am blissful in this state like I am in no other.

So basically, anytime you hear us writer types saying that we are up late and have a deadline or that we have this huge pile of things that needs done yesterday...

Smile. Pat us on the back. Because it means that we are working and in any field of the arts that is a very, very good thing.

Overprotective, much?

2011-12-09T15:43:00.001-08:00

As a mom, I wear quite a few hats. I am doctor when they are sick. I am maid. I am tutor. I am playmate.

I could write a really long list of all the things that I am.

But the one that is hardest and sometimes most important is advocate.

No one LIKES controversy. No one wakes up in the morning and thinks to themselves, "Today, I shall take on a school board! And it is gonna be super fun!"

But sometimes... It is one of the jobs that come with the gig.

My daughter, as some of you regular blog followers know, has autism. Along with being diagnosed Aspergers, she has some cognitive issues. So battling schools to make sure that her needs are met has been practically a full time job in and of itself.

Then you add the baby. He is a brilliant but stubborn little goob. But he is ADHD. He is VERY ADHD. He is a walking, talking pingpong ball. It is awesome because his processing speeds are amazing but keeping him on task is... interesting.

The middle kid... well, he rides the middle of the road. He does well in school and he does so pretty easily. He has ADD but he handles it without meds or any huge interventions. He is soft spoken. He is quiet.

So when something happens to mess with his groove, I think I get even more riled up because he needs so little from me in comparison.

His teacher has a sense of humor. I get a sense of humor and I love sarcasm. But when my middle kid came home from school sick, after throwing up, and mentioned that the teacher, when told, responded, "Okay, goodbye, get out..."

I was so tempted to call up and flake out on someone.

I understand, as I said, a sense of humor. But if a kid is sick... this just seems mean. Middle kid claims it is a joke.

So here I am, biting down on all of my overprotective instincts and wanting to call up and play the hero for him...

And he says, "It is okay."

Sometimes, maybe, it is okay.

Doesn't make it easy to put away the sword when you had your full avenging angel suit on and were ready to do battle.

I guess my point is that there are times when you have to strap on your helmet and do battle, whether you want to or not. Other times, you bite your tongue. Not because you couldn't raise hell and slay the dragon...

But because the kiddo has it covered.

Hard for the overprotective, well practiced at playing the advocate mommy to do.

Best of luck to any of you out there who are slaying dragons or putting away your suits of armor this week. :)

Where is my Christmas Spirit- 2011 edition

2011-12-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

The unique thing about having a blog for years is you occasionally get the chance to look back in time at something you thought or felt years before and answer long-ago you.

Or in this case, 2009-me.

In 2009, the economy had first started it's downward spiral and I wrote a blog because I was searching for the true meaning of Christmas or some other drivel. (See the whole very meaningful blog here... I think my favorite line was, "The constant desire for newer, bigger, better, faster is not what Christmas was supposed to be about and my inner Charlie Brown is screaming and tearing out his three little hairs in frustration.")

Well, it is 2011 and things haven't gotten any better. Money still sucks. I haven't won the lottery or hit the NYTimes Bestsellers list or had any long lost relatives (who happened to be so rich that Scrooge McDuck envied his swimming pool of money ) die and leave me their sole heir...

And my kids are still very centered on getting newer, faster and shinier. They are still fine (clothes on their backs, toys in their toy boxes far nicer than anything I dreamed of as a kid, places they have seen ones that I would have loved to see, etc) but still their lists for Santa had things I can't dream of getting them (Kindles are not something Santa will be bringing the kids. They all asked for them. However... Santa will NOT be bringing three kindles. Santa would love to however Santa can't this year.) and I am not upset by that.

It doesn't bother me like it did in 2009.

My perspective is different now.

Back then I was working my butt off and the kids spent huge chunks of time in daycare. I had to sometimes work two (even three at one point) jobs just to stay afloat.

We have streamlined. We have cut corners. Things I thought we couldn't do without, we do without. All in all, I have learned to live on a tiny, infinitesimal budget and get the bills paid so that I don't have to be gone all the time.

Are things easier and do I not worry about money? Pssht. I wish. Someday maybe. But I have learned that money will probably always be a concern (single mom of three kids... Unless something changes a LOT, money will ALWAYS be a concern) so stressing out about it doesn't make it better. I don't have a magic wand I can wave to make the money issues vanish...

But I don't care. We have a roof over our head that fits us and our lives. We have food. We have the things that make us happy. Do we have everything we want? No. And we shouldn't.

But we do pretty good, considering.

And we are together. This was the priceless something that 2009 me couldn't have. The 2009 me could see no way out of working that many hours. 2011 me has found loopholes that allow for me to be home (and work from here) so I get to be with my kids.

For me, that is peace.

So this year, putting up the tree was something squashed between a Christmas party for one of the companies I work for online, working on Algebra homework for college, playing with my nephews who were over visiting and having all four (yes, the 'adopted' kid was over this year, too) kids work on it. I mostly pinged around in chaos. Busy. Laughing.

Happy.

The joy I searched for and hoped I would find years ago... I found it. It is in being with my friends and family... Being HOME with them. It wasn't solved with commercialism (knew that it wouldn't be) but in the joy of BEING there.

In 2009, I thought this dream unattainable. I found it.

We don't have a lot of money. We won't be backpacking in Europe this summer. I may never get to have my passport stamped.

But I have this time... This moment with three of the most awesome kids in the world.

Where is my Christmas spirit? Not in a tree. Not in a box wrapped in shiny paper. Not in the glittering snow covering the world like a blanket.

My Christmas spirit is in the belly laugh of a ten year old, free and joyous. My spirit is in the cockeyed smile of an almost fifteen year old girl, so eagerly trying to become a woman. My spirit is in the quiet smile of my twelve year old son as he comes over and wraps me in the worlds best bear hug.

And someday, they will look back on this Christmas and not remember it was the year they got their kindles (Because they AREN'T getting kindles.) but instead as the year that mom was home. The year that we drove each other nuts. The year that we went to grammies and made cookies and played in the snow.

And that is a damn fine accomplishment, if you ask me.

Loss and failure... or is it?

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today's blog was inspired by another author who wrote this blog about how being published made her feel.

I think that there is this image in our heads, brought on by Stephanie Meyer and J. K. Rowling, about us getting published and suddenly we are a rockstar. So for some reason signing a contract seems like it should change the rest of your life.

I think any published authors out there can agree with me that it doesn't. We are still, at the end of the day, writers. We sit down and do probably one of the loneliest jobs out there. What is a more solitary work than sitting down at a keyboard and vomiting up your soul? And then we sell bits of it with each book. This goes for every book... even the erotics. If you think it doesn't, then you know nothing of the writing process. Every book has a little piece of us in it. When we write vampires, psycho killers, love stories... any genre you can name, these authors sit down and use their own frame of reference and lives to come up with the plot.

Stephen King wrote what scared him. But there are other characters in those stories with the brutal deaths and scary monsters... there are mothers, friends, fathers, sons... all of these the author pulled out of their own lives, regurgitated and turned into fodder for storytelling. If you think it is easy to sit down at the computer and bleed, then you think I am exaggerating.

But that is what makes the stories come to LIFE. I'm not exaggerating. And if you want it bad enough, you KEEP SITTING DOWN TO BLEED...

So here we are, bleeding souls onto paper, and we get that contract and think that our lives are going to change. That somehow, everything is different now.

(It is a little like what I have heard about patients after gastric surgery... they think that now that they have lost the weight, the image in the mirror will look different. That people will treat them differently. Too often, the outside change doesn't leave time for the inside to catch up. So emotionally, when they look in the mirror, it is still the same image. And it hurts to see that. Ditto for publication... we think that the image will have been altered somehow but instead the outside doesn't catch up with the inside...)

And then we find ourselves going about our lives as they always have been. We shop at the same market. We have the same friends and family. Nothing changes, not really.

And it is this huge emotional rollercoaster...

I am so excited/happy/jubilant!! I did it!! I made it!! I am a published author!!

No one is reading it. Shouldn't my release day have more confetti or something? Why doesn't anyone see how HUGE THIS IS???

Oh, I am a failure. Why did I bother? No one is reading my book. Okay, not many people are. Someone pass the damn ice cream.

Who cares if they aren't reading it? I did it!! I wasn't doing it for the money! I did it to write a good book and I DID IT!!

I remember when I was excited about two books that I had releasing in the same month, I told a good friend of mine. His response summed up everything. "Yeah."

Me- Aren't you excited!! I have TWO books releasing this month!!"

Him- Well, you have lots of books out. Do you get excited about every one?

Yes. As an author we jump back on that emotional rollercoaster for every one. Even if we think-this time is different. This time I am not going to be surprised that there is no parade in my honor... no accolades from my peers... no buckets of money pouring down my chimney.

This time I am going to be okay with it being just another day.

Nope. We aren't. Our baby is being born... And we somehow expect the whole world to stop and oooh and aaaaw...

But the world keeps turning.

So for all the other authors out there who are in the same amusement park as me, riding that rollercoaster, whether you are at the top and screaming with your arms in the air or at the bottom with your stomach sitting in your throat, I offer up this vlog song from Jackson Pearce's YouTube channel. I still tear up watching it.

It sums up everything nicely... Happy writing!

Crit Partners- Making it bleed...

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

You are looking at the picture and the subject line and wondering how the effervescent cast of Friends has anything to do with making anything bleed... not to mention what either of these things have to do with crit partners, aren't you? Okay, strap yourselves in and I shall explain.

Friends

Like so many in my generation, (*waves cane at the whippersnappers that aren't in my generation and didn't know who those people were* In my day we watched Friends! And we still do! The reruns are still hilarious!!) the cast of Friends spoke for us far better than most sitcoms. Most of us could name what Friends character we were most like (I'm a Phoebe but with a Rachel variety love-life...) and probably a few of us tuned in for that final episode. But the thing that made these characters really stand out when I was thinking of the crit partners blog is that they weren't afraid to point out both the positives and the negatives to each other. Each had a field that they were good at and their strengths made up for the others weaknesses...

A happy balance

This is what you should look for when finding a crit partner. My best friends dad is amazing. I look up to both her parents in ways too innumerable to list on this blog. But what he reads and what I write are two very different things. So even if I nail my genre and am doing things that will make the ones that read it squeal with delight, he is going to be bored to tears. This makes him a less than perfect beta reader for me. Equally unhelpful in a crit partner is someone who only flatters your work and isn't willing to look at it with the red pen of death. If you are so dazed by how wonderful it is, can you see the glaring errors that the author made? Nope. So to find someone who makes a good crit partner, you seek that balance...

Technicalities...

It is okay (even great), if you have a few different crit partners that you know are good at certain specialized things. For instance, your friend with the handy dandy English degree? They probably excel at finding comma splices and dangling participles. They can tell you if you misused that colon and where to properly put the quotation marks. However they may not be the best person to tell you that your flow sucks in chapter three. You need a reader (more on this in a second) for that. If you have a friend who either researched forensics for a project extensively or is a mortician, they might be a great beta for your murder mystery. Call your friend who is a cop and ask them procedural questions and listen to the way they talk... Medical questions can be fielded to your buddies who work in the medical field. It doesn't make you a bad writer if you don't know everything... It means you are willing to do the legwork, research your project and make sure that when someone reads it, flawless and seamless work is what they see... Not all the background checking you did to make sure that you knew what a body would look like on day three of decomposition in the hot desert sun.

What is a reader? Isn't anyone who reads a reader?

No. A reader is someone who reads your work like a person buying your book would. Who sees that your hero looks like an ass when he walks away from your heroine in the pouring rain in chapter five. If you didn't intend for him to look like an ass, this is priceless information. A reader sees that you had turned off the light two paragraphs up and yet your character is now reading a book in the dark. I once had a character in the shower, cold from a rainy day and she was blow drying her hair till it crackled. In one sentence. I had reread this piece a dozen times at this point and in my head, these were two separate items... shower then blow drying. But on the page I had it in the same sentence thereby electrocuting my character near the beginning of the book. A reader found it for me. Because the movie, as it played in her head while she was reading, didn't make sense. This is the magic of readers. They are priceless and when you find them, keep them if you can.

Define crit partner for me...

I want you to pick up the item nearest you and hold it to your face. It can be a book, a remote... whatever. If you hold it to your nose, you can't see it anymore. It becomes blurry and unclear. That is you and your book. You have written it, edited it and bathed in this world for however long it took you to accomplish the monumental task of writing it. You can no longer see it clearly. Now, a crit partner... Hold the item about a foot away... can see the item. They are distanced from it, just now dipping their toes into your world.

A crit partner is someone who:

1. Can find errors you made but can't see.
2. Can be a reader and see where you went wrong.
3. Can be critical and point out helpful things to adjust.
4. Can point out what you did well.
5. Knows something about a topic that you might not be an expert in.

A crit partner is not:

1. Someone who sees no value or entertainment in your work. (This will not help you.)
2. Someone who is so blinded by the good they can't see errors. (Although fun for the ego...)
3. Someone who will lie to you so you don't get mad or hurt. (This won't help you either.)
4. Someone who knows nothing about anything you wrote about.
5. Someone mean who just wants to hurt you. (Over critical won't help either...Balance.)

And worst comes to worst, think of how Chandler would tell Joey that he messed up. He wouldn't say something just to hurt Joey because he could... His goal was never just to hurt his friend. His goal was to help him. So even when delivering bad news, a crit partner will do so with grace.

Hope this helps!
Happy writing!

Lips of Velvet Coming Soon!!

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Exciting News!!

Since a recent blog was about patience, I should mention that my impatience does sometimes pay off. Lips of Velvet, my erotic f/f short, was contracted by Rebel Ink Press (And I love the abbreviation of this publisher... RIP. Love.)

You can check out their website here.

I did a blog post last month that was a sneak peek at this story. WARNING!! Adults only. Check it out here.

The plan at this time is for it to be released in spring of 2012 but I will have more information as it becomes available.

Hopefully I will have more contract/publication info coming in future blogs as I have quite a few things out on submission right now...

And a few other things yet up my sleeve.

I will keep you updated but for now!! *happy dance*

The perfect place to kill someone!

2011-12-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

I tend to have a bit of a one track mind. I was texting my best friend and asking about CPR. She was a lifeguard and I had already talked to a paramedic, an LPN, a few other medical types... so I was verifying some information and asking about bruising, ribs...

And not thinking about how the questions sounded to her at all.

So texting merrily away and asking about it and my bruising questions and such and she mentions clearing airways and all of the sudden I look around and I realize I have both my children AND HERS and that from her point of view it might be disturbing to have these sort of questions being fired her direction.

I quickly text her that they were book related questions and mention that the kids are all FINE and that I hope she knew that I would NEVER google/text if in a life dependent situation for medical advice...

She responded that she figured it was book stuff.

But it all reminded me of another night in Toledo. We were on a vacation for some school trip or another and staying at this lovely hotel. We went out to this Mongolian barbeque and I was fascinated by it all... the almost dancing style of the cooking, the smells, the tastes...

While we sat at our table, I am having an animated discussion with our party. And as the waiter was returning with drinks, I am waving a fork and pointed out, "This would be a fantastic place to kill someone!"

All of the sudden, the waiter dropped what he was holding.

I blinked at him, shocked. Everyone else started laughing. I wasn't sure why they were laughing at the poor guy. I mean, he dropped stuff.

Took me a minute to catch on but my best friend was quick to comfort the nervous waiter, pointing out, "Don't worry. She is an author. She doesn't have any mayhem planned for tonight."

Ah... single-minded devotion to ones craft has its upsides. But it also has its downsides...

Patience is a virtue

2011-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Patience is a virtue...

One I do not possess.

I admit, I used to sing the song from Willy Wonka all the time as a kid... "I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket, it's my bar of chocolate, give it to me no-o-ow!"

(Okay. I still do. Your point?)

I hate to wait. I don't like lines and I loathe and detest waiting rooms. I like to do things in waiting rooms so that I feel like the time is 'productive' like read books that I have due for review or that I want to 'preread' to see if they are acceptable for the kids.

I am pretty sure NO ONE likes lines or waiting rooms but they make me literally twitchy.

For college, my best friend has been trying to help me schedule and she wanted to give me gaps between classes so I had time to work on homework at school but one semester of this was enough for me to figure out that this meant, on times when I had my work done, that I was WAITING. Which I don't do well. And it wasn't like I could sit and write a book or do my other work on campus for a half an hour or an hour... So I was left twitching and waiting with things like, what, Farmville to fill the time...

Drove me NUTS.

So I eliminated the gaps.

The point of this rant? Submissions are hell for me. I am sure I am not the only person out there that goes wonky waiting. And since there is sometimes a THREE month wait... This is something I had to get big girl panties about and buck up and get past. Does it still suck... Yes.

Do you sit around in that waiting room and wait to see what they say?

Oh, no you don't.

While that book is out on submission, you can be writing another short. Or a full length. Do something else productive. If you spend the months or weeks or whatever inbetween while you are waiting just sitting there, chewing your nails...

You will have no nails, you will have pulled out all your hair and if they buy that book and ask you the million dollar question (Do you have any other work?) your answer will be... Ummmm...

But if you keep in mind that you want the whole world, in your pocket and you want it NOW you can be doing something rather than waiting.

(See? My impatience serves a purpose, doesn't it?)

Anyway, bet that song is playing in your head now. How does it feel to be my puppet? Muah ha ha ha....

Happy Writing!

Commited

2011-12-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

I have accepted the challenge... Taken up the torch... Jumped out of the airplane not sure if the parachute is going to work...

Yes, I have decided to take a blog challenge.

NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month and it is a challenge to post a blog every day for a whole month. Sound easy?

I have a hard time remembering where I leave my KEYS every day of the month not to mention blogging every day. So committing to do anything, every day, well...

I have a lot on my schedule. I am an editor. I am homeschooling two kids and have another in public school. I am a full time college student. I an author. I also review books. At some point in there, I like to do wild and crazy things like sleep, shop, do laundry... and people start to worry if they don't see me for long periods of time. Not to mention, you know, that whole holiday thing.

But I think I can do it.

Who is with me?

*ahem*

If nothing else, you can snort coffee on your screen if I fall on my face? (perks)

Here goes...

Paying it forward- Author Style

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have done querying, not paying reader fees, writing groups (I still have to do crit partners), how to write a book, how to write sexy, character description, names, killing off characters, NaNoWriMo , (more NaNoWriMo love Here), evil nicknames, and story starters on the blog. But I haven't mentioned promoting each other.

Time to knock this one off the list of writer-how-to blogs.

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

This line may be familiar to some of you. It was used in the TV show, Heroes, and it was all about super powers and other magic-y stuff. But the same theory applies to your writing. Once you did the writing, survived the censure of your peers, wrote the query and synopsis, managed not to give yourself a concussion slamming your head against your desk when you got your first rejection, got that contract and now have a book out there...

You find there is a whole community of other writers out there. Some of them write the same kind of books that you do. Wow!! Like minded individuals!! Who knew there was so many people like you OUT there???

(That last comment doesn't count for you, the alien fry cook legal assistant author... I know, your book, it is awesome. But seriously, you may be alone. Sorry.)

So now that you have found all of them and they are on your twitterfeed and facebook page and blogfeed... What are you supposed to do?

Pay it Forward

Isn't that from a movie, too, Virg? Okay, busted. It sure is. I like movies and TV. I don't get to watch a lot of them but the kids do so they keep me informed. If your pal who also writes suspenseful romance happens to be doing a giveaway on her blog, it would take you five seconds to share it on your fb wall. And the worst thing that could happen? Some of your followers who also read suspense might win her book. (Wow, they would hate you if they won something free. Hate.) If your pal who writes historical romances that you read and enjoyed is celebrating a new release, blast that out to your followers. I mean, you liked reading her... why not tell your friends she is releasing another book? You might even mention that you read her other book, Historical Romance, and what you liked about it.

What will this do for you?

Well, aside from the great karmic goodness that you get from being an all around nice person, perhaps when you have a new release, some of these people that you remember to promote will see that you are posting that release. And they might share it to THEIR walls. And their friends may not have HEARD of you. And they might see that, read the blurb, and pick up the book. They might not share it. But some of them will. If you have a contest, probably tons of those people that you promoted will remember you and mention on their social networks that you are giving something away. Again, their friends might want to win free stuff, so what do THEY have to lose?

But what if they aren't the genre I write?

You mean that you might read things other than what you write? GASP! You freak! You are the only one out there like that! No, I kid. Seriously, readers are readers. Lots of us go through moods or phases of one genre or another. So if they aren't the same genre, big whoop. Share their contest anyway. Your friend from highschool might love their cold legal style of writing more than they like your sexy, steamy one and they might be really interested.

So you are telling me this is a give and take kind of thing?

Yes. Don't expect other authors to give and give and give (promoting the hell out of your stuff and receiving no love in return.) And don't expect love from everyone you promote. If you send, for instance, a tweet to me, asking me to check something out and I take the time to not only check it out but to send you back an answer...

And you ignore my response and just send me another promotional tweet...

I am going to assume that there is just one looooong infomercial coming from your end and I am dropping your ass like a hot potato. I am all about helping other authors. But if you don't talk back and you just blast me with your promo.

Buh-bye. Good luck. You have lost me.

Don't be that guy. (And no, this isn't a rant against guy authors. The one I am thinking of was a woman. The phrase Don't be that guy just fit better. Yeesh.)

Basically, be the kind of promoter that you would want to deal with. No one wants 24/7 infomercial. That is why we tune out the TV at 3am. Readers WANT to know about your contests (I for one LOVE winning free stuff.) and I love hearing about new books I want to read and new authors. (The greats all started somewhere. I am excited when I discover someone that I think will be the next BIG ONE.)

But I don't want it shoved down my throat on my social networks. No one does.

Help each other. We have the platform to do it. Use it wisely.

Okay... Now I have to do one on crit partners at some point...
Happy Writing!

Funny Things Kids Say- Christmas Edition

2011-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Snow is falling with a gentle pitter patter outside that sounds like the whole world is saying, "Hush!" Even me, who has a very strong love-hate relationship with the white stuff, can't help but see it and think of Christmas.

Not that I have gotten any of my decorations up yet. This is the oddball year all around. Where usually my decorations go up the day after Halloween, this year I told the kids we were cleaning the attic first...

So it is the day before December hits and still no tree.

But this hasn't stopped the kids from getting in the spirit of things. They made letters to Santa last night.

Previous years have gotten me some memorable letters to the fat red home invader. For instance, David one year asked Santa to help his grandpa walk again (the year my dad had his stroke) and last year David asked for cornbread. After opening an amazing amount of presents (including things like a telescope...) David still looked sort of sad and lost. I asked him what was wrong.

"Santa forgot the cornbread."

So I know when the letters come out that I am in for a giggle.

This year, JFAB asked Santa to send one of his evil elves (Who knew he had evil elves?) to come down and take care of the dog that keeps crapping on her bike. Y'see, as she explained to the man in red, she knows it isn't her dog doing it. The crap is the wrong size.

(She also asked for a new house for her mom because her mom needed a study and an ipad. Smart kiddo, that one.)

Justice asked for a spiked leather collar, a flaming skull hoodie and a skirt with skulls on it. The scary child doesn't fall far from the scary tree?

Ash wrote this:

Dear Santa,
Can you please get me some stuff please? You do not have to but it would be really nice if you did. Here is a list if you would like to/
1. Lego's (any kind but I suggest the big stuff)
2. Amazon Kindle (Note from mom: Yes, he wrote Amazon. Smart shoppers, my kids)
3. PSP
4. PSP games
5. Sonic Screwdriver
6. Webkinz
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (Look at my shelves and not those ones.)
8. Lego Dr. Who Tardis
9. Phineas and Ferb Soundtrack and Movie
10. Acen Figures (Mom translation: Action figures)
Thank you, your friend and believer
Ashton
(And then he drew a cartoon at the bottom with Santa, a tree and Santa is telling the kids to have a good day. Less disturbing than JFAB's sunbathing hairy Santa on vacation after Christmas...)

David cracked me up, as usual.
David's Christmas List (This was the header on the page)
1. Amazon Kindle
2. Slappy (mom note: this is a ventriloquist dummy from Goosebumps books)
3. Sonic screwdriver (11th Doctor)
4. Legos (any)
5. Comic books (any Marvel)
6. Walking Dead comics
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (last straw)
8. Freddy Kruger Figure
9. Origami book
10. Scary books on Kindle (Stephen King)
11. Bakugon
Merry Christmas Santa. Tell the elves hi and say hi to the halflings if they exist. Have a nice day and don't hurt yourself on the way down.
Sincerely,
David
P.S. Please send a letter back explaining how you go down the chimney please!!!
(Below all this there is a cartoon with an elf yelling ABORT ABORT!! We got A WAKER!! and a child with eyes literally popping from his head screaming AHHHH THERE IS A MAN IN MY CHIMNEY!! while Santa's butt is sticking out of a chimney with the words HO HO HO floating down in a cartoon bubble. The whole scene is made merry with a tree topped with a star.)

All in all... I love kids and Christmas.
Happy Holidays all. And may your kids amuse you as much as mine do me.

The price of fame...

2011-11-29T15:18:00.001-08:00

I realized last night that I forgot to cover this in the query letter blog or in any of my previous writing tips and tricks blogs so I figured I should... If for no other reason than to be all inclusive.

So how much should I pay for the publisher to read my book?

A reader fee is what some agents/publishers used to charge authors to read their books. Nowadays, this is a scam. I have never in my entire career been asked to pay anyone to read a word that I wrote. Nor would I willingly pay someone to read it. The reason I haven't paid- I did my homework. Reading fees are not charged by most legit houses/agents. So how much should you pay? In my opinion- Nothing.

Okay, if that part is free, how much should I pay for book doctoring?

For starters, a publisher is not going to charge you for edits. If a publisher contracts your work, an editor will be included in most contracts. It pays for the publisher, if they are going to throw their name on the top of your book, to make sure that it is in the best possible shape that it can be in so they usually are very happy to supply their own editor to make sure that it is up to their standard. That said, it isn't a terrible idea for you to go ahead and make sure that your book is in the best possible shape that it can be in before it gets to the hands of said publisher to ensure that you GET the contract. Whether your work just needs looked over by a couple of critique partners with sharp eyes and bloody pens or you need to hire an editor to do this... that depends on you. There are good editors out there doing freelance work. Book doctors are a whole different realm and no publisher that I have ever heard of that was not pulling some sort of scam charged for editing. If they tell you that you need to pay for edits, do some homework before you sign that contract.

Well, how much do I pay the publisher for my cover art?

The publisher pays for that, too. It should all be in your contract and if you read the submission guidelines on the publisher you are interested in, most of them are pretty upfront about their terms and conditions. Again, it is in the publishers best interest to control this because their name is going on this book. If they allowed every author to have control of the cover art, they couldn't keep a company standard. It only makes sense from their point of view to have the cover art be in their realm.

So what do I pay for if I get a contract with a publisher?

Some marketing. It would be good to put up ads on some of the sites that promote and sell books like yours, for instance, although I am sure your publisher will be doing this as well. Running contests (so giving away copies of your work or gift cards/baskets) and buying some marketing supplies is always a good idea (think mugs, magnets, things of this nature...). But the actual nuts and bolts (reading the book, editing, cover art), this is the stuff that they do.

What about self publishing?

Ah-ha. This means you take on all of it. You pay someone to edit it. You pay whatever charges are entailed in copyrighting your work, publishing it on the venues you are making it available on... buying cover art and marketing. You own the book, the art, the rights and therefore stand to make all the profit when it rolls in. But the reason you are in the position to make all the profit is because you did all the work.

The purpose of this blog was that someone had told me that publishing with a publisher was very expensive and I just wanted to point out that like everything else... Do your research. There are people out there that will happily take your money if you don't know that you don't have to give it to them. There are also really good companies out there, completely on the up and up, working hard to help authors. But you can't tell them apart without knowing what to look for.

Some other resources:
Nathan Bransford's blog on Book Doctors
Writers Beware
Preditors and Editors

Query Letter 101

2011-11-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

Since I am back out there, sending submissions out, I remembered that this was a topic that I hadn't yet covered on the blog. Here goes.

Querying...

Scary stuff. Okay, I am lying. I don't really find it scary anymore. But I remember back when I sent my first query it was some heavy duty stress. Did I do it right? I actually had to look up WHAT a query was before I could write my first one. I mean, it means question, I knew. But in the publishing world, how was I, lowly wannabe writer, supposed to know what was supposed to be in a good one?

I researched people who knew what the hell they were talking about, at length, and recommend you doing that as well before you THINK about sending one out. My earliest queries, even with all my self assigned homework, were terrible. And I had read from some of the best (I followed Nathan Bransford's blog, Kristen Nelson's, I read Janet Evanovich's How I Write and read every sample I could get my eyes on.)

But they were still AWFUL.

Do I have it down now? Meh. I am not too shabby. And I am not scared of writing them. And you shouldn't be either.

What is a query?

A query is a letter to a publisher or a literary agent. It's a one page introduction to your work and you. It is sort of the letter version of, "Hello, there. I am Sam. I write books!" And if you send that out to an agent or publisher and they reject you, yeah, don't blame me. There is more. In one page you have to manage to blurb your book, blurb your writing credentials (if you have any) or why you think you are a good person to have written this book, and the vital statistics of the book. IN ONE PAGE. No one is going to read a seven page query. Not that I have heard of. If you find someone willing to read seven pages of query, please correct me in the comment section below.

But they want a synopsis, too?

They sure do. The synopsis is one or two pages about your book. Picture the bit about your book in the query letter as the part of the iceburg sitting above the water. They understand that most of the iceburg is under the water. But if you want them to strap on some diving gear and go into below freezing water to see it, that bit in the query better be good. Consider it like the blurb on the back of the book. Does it capture the reader? Sum up the basic premise and tone of your story in just a paragraph or two? If it doesn't, edit it.

But I don't have any writing credentials!

Do you think anyone does when they start? Probably starting your query letter out, "I have never written anything before but I sat down and wrote this bestseller that I know is going to not just become an international success but will become a blockbuster movie... and I have created the marketing on the dolls in advance, " is not going to win you any bonus points with an editor/agent. So don't. Be honest but you don't have to tell them you are so new at this that the shine hasn't worn off the bottoms of your shoes. Better to say something like, "I have been an avid reader and writer my entire life. This story was inspired by my years as a fry cook which were some of the most greasy anyone can ever dream of. I took creative writing courses for three years at Yada Yada University and am also a legal assistant which led to my vast knowledge of all things legal and assistant-y." If you are honest, even if your credentials are not that you spent five years sitting on the bestsellers list, you will not irk the person reading the query. Irking them is not good. But giving them reason to think you knew all about alien fry cooks that worked by day as legal assistants that you wrote about... That is okay.

You mentioned vital statistics...

I did. Yes, thanks for bringing that up. You need to include, at some point in this query, the meat and bones of what you are trying to get them to buy.

For example: Greasy Accountants, a sexy paranormal legal suspense, is a 90k manuscript. Although it includes elements of comedy when the aliens are working their night jobs as fry cooks, it is intended as a legal suspense-type story and has a strong murder mystery at it's core.

In that little bit (which, please, don't write a book about an alien legal assistant fry cook... this is me trying to give you examples. And I am leading with a bad example... sorry.) I managed to give you the genre of the story, the word count and any crossover elements. This is the meat and potatoes kind of stuff.

Can you give me an example?

Why sure! But I am making up another fake plot because I am sick of the alien fry cook legal assistant one. Okay, here goes:

11/28/2011

Mr. Agent Publisherguy,

On the bitter cold streets of Juno, crime has a name. Robert Badguy has plagued the night, searching for women to slake his thirst and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake for more than a century. Hardboiled detective, Janice Goodcop, thinks she is close to solving the mystery. A new man in her life attempts to distract her from her case but she is too good of a cop for that. When a blizzard hits and she is holed up in a dingy cabbage factory with Badguy, will she finally find what she has been searching for?

Or will Badguy slake his demonic thirst on the one woman who could have saved his soul and that of Juno?

Chilly Vampires is an 80k manuscript full of paranormal elements. The vampires in this tale don't sparkle, they chomp. It does have a few steamy sex scenes, so the genre is romance with paranormal elements.

I was the editor of my highschool newspaper and went on to college to become the head of our monthly publication, the University Magazine. After college, I got married and had two beautiful kids and have taken occasional creative writing courses at our community college, Community College. Now that the kids have grown, I have returned to my first love, writing. I hope you enjoy Chilly Vampires. I attached the manuscript per your submission guidelines as well as a two page synopsis.

Regards,
Nina Writer

That simple. And yes, that was all made up. Please don't make stuff up on YOUR query letter. And take your time. If they don't like this, they aren't going to read your synopsis and they will NEVER get to even your first paragraph in the actual book. So if you spend tons of time on ANYTHING... Make it your query letter. PLEASE. Edit and edit and reedit.

Some links I think you might find handy besides this one:
Nathan Bransford's How to Write A Query Letter
Kristen Nelson's Blog (Includes sample query letters that landed agents)
Query Tracker (a great site for finding and keeping track of who you are sending these to)

Happy writing!

Sapphire Blue Closes its doors...

2011-11-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

For almost three years, I have been excited to see this logo across the top of covers emblazoned with my name.

Now, in an instant, everything changed.

"For those of you who haven't heard, the official announcement happened this morning at 6:30am. Sapphire Blue Publishing is closing its doors."

This is a sad day. Sapphire Blue was the first one to give my writing a home. Through them, I met many amazing authors, editors and contacts in the publishing world that I wouldn't have been sure how to even deal with correctly if not for the wisdom and support that they were more than willing to offer.

I have branched out since then. I have other places I like to hang out as well. But it was always with the knowledge that I had my safe and cozy home at SBP and that if I had a question, there were a ton of people I could ask who wouldn't judge or think badly of me for asking.

Lucky for me... those people are still around.

But the ending of a company like this is sort of like a family breaking up. Having been a child of divorce, the feelings are quite similar. You can't control it. You can't stop it. It is scary.

I think that I will keep in touch with quite a few of my 'siblings' from the SBP family. That is the great thing that this company did. They united authors.

And with the usual class and grace that I have come to expect from all dealings with SBP, they reverted the rights to our work within an hour of notifying us that they were closing. There was no battle to get them back, no question of whether we would have to pay to get them back- Here. These are your books.

On top of that, SBP has granted us the use of our cover art. All in all, classy.

If I had it to do all over again, would I have chosen a house that was going to close this far into my career? Would I have risked it if I had known that they wouldn't be around as long as I plan to be?

YES. Because the experience was awesome. The people were amazing. The support was off the charts. This company did some really awesome things in its run. I was really lucky to have gotten to come along for the ride.

And to all of my 'siblings' from SBP who are feeling a little lost today and grieving...

Chin up! SBP picked you because they saw something awesome. Others will see it, too. For those of you who were newer, those of us who have been around a minute are still here for ya.

Resting with Dragons...

2011-11-22T18:22:00.000-08:00

I know. I planned to do a week of book reviews.

But I don't know too many readers who aren't in some way affected by the death of Anne McCaffrey. If they weren't lovers of her vivid storytelling, her kickass lead female characters or her brilliant grasp of fantasy, they read authors who were influenced by Anne.

Generations have read and been swept away on the wings of Anne McCaffrey's dragons. I first discovered her as a kid because her books were next to Robin McKinley's... And she had such pretty covers.

The first book I read by her was Dragonflight. And I was hooked.

If you want a copy, you can find her on Amazon here. Or click on the cover art that caught my teenage eye.

The story was of Lessa. Lessa was in worse shape than Cinderella. She was ugly, scrawny, dirty and hated and no one talked to her but a scruffy beast on the roof.

Then a Dragonrider came along and cleaned her up and took her away from everything she knew.

When she bonds with a gold dragon, her whole world changes. Suddenly people care what she has to say. Suddenly she matters.

But will she manage to save her people?

See, the thing about Lessa was, unlike Cinderella, she wasn't grateful to F'lar (like Cinderella was to Prince Charming) to the point of being oblivious to the world around her. She was willing to go toe to toe with him if he was wrong.

She was willing to do what she thought was right, no matter what the cost.

But none of that meant that Lessa loved F'lar any less than Cinderella loved her Prince... It meant she loved him more.

McCaffrey reinforced the idea that McKinley had introduced: Love isn't about giving up who you are or what you believe in. It is about finding an equal, a partner, and together, even if you sometimes fought, you can do anything.

This author wrote nearly 100 books. She was the first woman to win a Hugo. The first to win a Nebula. The first to hit the NY Times Bestsellers list for a scifi title. (Tor did a lovely In Remembrance here.) To say that she was a legend isn't an exaggeration. To say that she was an inspiration is simply stating a fact.

To say that this is a sad day in literature... May be an opinion but I feel it is one that many share with me.

Rest in Peace, Anne. May you fly with the dragons that you filled my dreams with. May your words go on to touch the lives of many generations after mine.

Anne McCaffrey 1926-2011