FREE Class!

My friend Kit Frazier, author of Scoop & Dead Copy, is teaching a Kick Butt Query class for FREE!  It starts next Monday.  Check out the deets here.  I might see you there!

Unspeakable By Laura Griffin

 I've just finished reading Unspeakable, book 2 in Griffin's Tracers series, and WOW! I loved every second I spent reading. The suspense was nerve-wracking, the romance was well-crafted and the villain was creepy! As usually happens with Griffin's books, I found myself loving even the secondary characters and I'm thrilled that I now get to read the next book in the series, Unforgivable! If you haven't yet read a book by Laura Griffin go ahead. Treat yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Torture

The book may be done, but the agony of writing the query still haunts me.

Tell Me No Lies

Tell Me No Lies, my latest romantic suspense manuscript, is DONE!!!!!!  Time to celebrate and relax before the fantabulous CPs send it back for another round of revisions!

I'm Still Lying!

I'm so close to being done with this round of Lies!  I'm soooooooo excited.  And exhausted.  Yesterday I got back to the revisions after my editing job.  Today I've literally been on the computer all day.  I've got 2 chapters to flesh out and revise (some bits to write from scratch) and then the epilogue.  It's close!  I can feel it!  Tune in tomorrow (or later today since it's technically already Monday) and check my progress!

EARLY TUESDAY MORNING:  I finished the story and started working on the epilogue when I realized I have no idea how it's supposed to end!  I think I'll sleep on it and finish up later today.

No Words Needed

I went to see Thor last night with a friend.  I hadn't really planned on seeing it, didn't know the history surrounding it.  And then I saw this:  

{{{Sigh}}}  Today is one of those days I will be totally shallow and just say what a fine male specimen Chris Hemsworth is!

Hump Day

So....I'm thinking that I might keep my original title, Tell Me No Lies.  If I think about it, I can explain it enough to work.  While I liked the suggestions people gave me, I haven't brainstormed with them and nothing stands out.  So Lies it is and Lies it will remain until an editor changes it!

I had an editing job that took a lot out of me over the last few days, so I haven't been writing.  BUT...the editing job is done and later today I'll be able to get back to work on finishing Lies for my CPs!

3 weeks until Cat's book comes out!!!!  I can't wait until I can go to the bookstore and get it!  I will be interviewing her here soon too, so stay tuned for that.

2 weeks until our school year is over.  I plan to have an anniversary post to celebrate my 1 year out of the classroom and to reflect on the Pros and Cons of my choice to leave and my choices over this past year.

Contest Winner!

The random number generator picked.....Karen Saunders as the winner of Cat's book!  Congratulations, Karen!

Thank you to those of you who commented and tried to help me figure out a new title for my book.  Tez, I know you commented as well, but it seems when Blogger went down the other day it erased your comment & suggestions.  Thank you for commenting anyway!

At this point, I don't have enough title suggestions to have the voting today.  I will try to come up with some other suggestions while I work today and maybe I'll be able to have a vote in the next day or two.

Contest, Contest, Contest!

"Name a Book, Win a Book" Contest!!!

With Lies being almost finished, I've realized that the original title doesn't fit anymore.  I LOVE Tell Me No Lies, but the crux of the story doesn't revolve around lies anymore so I need to come up with a new title.

Here is the one sentence blurb for the manuscript:

A self-absorbed bounty hunter must convince an obsessed victims' advocate to turn over her latest client in order to salvage the only thing that matters to him- his reputation.

Now the hero does spend quite a bit of time in the book trying to convince the heroine that he'll go along with her plan, but he has no intention of following through...until later in the book.  But his road to heroism is paved with people waiting to see him screw up and tons of self-doubt. 

THE PRIZE:  A copy of my friend and critique partner Cat Schield's first book, a Harlequin Desire entitled Meddling With a Millionaire that comes out June 7th!

To be entered, please leave your title suggestions (or questions if you need more details) in the comments.  The contest will run from now until midnight on Saturday, May 14th and I'll choose a winner from everyone who commented.

THEN on Sunday I will post the finalists for the title contest and you will be able to vote for the title you like best.  I will choose one other winner from those who vote and comment on Sunday.  So you have TWO chances to win a copy of this FABULOUS book!  (And to get a free taste of Cat's writing, visit her website.  Right now she has a free novella that's connected to the June book.  Don't delay!)

Psssst! Hey You, Over There.

I need your help.  Should you choose to accept this mission, you'll be in the running for a book by a brand new Harlequin Desire author!  Specific details of the "Name a Book, Win a Book" contest will be coming soon!  This notice will self-destruct in 5...4...3...2...

D-O-N-E!!!!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  The 4th draft of my manuscript Tell Me No Lies is DONE!  I finished it late last night after working most of the day except for a couple of hours to see Fast Five again.  (Hey, I told you already.  Don't judge me!)

But there is no rest for the wicked.  I'm hard at work today and the rest of this week on a final round of revisions before I send this to my FANTABULOUS critique partners who will strip it apart and help me make it into a FANTABULOUS story!  Wish me luck!

Mother's Day

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there and all the women who have such an important role in shaping our future! Thank you for all you do and I hope your families treat you right today.
  



My mom is getting on a plane today to go visit her hometown, Sunderland, England with my stepfather and my 20-year-old nephew who has never been there before.  Have a GREAT time!

Rollin' Along

Squeeee!  Lies is coming along SPLENDIDLY!  I truly think my main issues with the book (as an author) are resolved.  Yes, I'm still writing new content and I've got more revisions to go AND I've got to send it to my CPs, but I'm pretty confident that will all happen sooner rather than later. 

So, my goal now is to finish this current draft by the end of the weekend.  If I manage to finish it early enough, I will go to the movies on Sunday as a reward.  What will I see, you ask?  Um...Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson and the Rock.  Yes, again.  Don't judge me.

Layering

A friend of mine talked recently about how she wanted to layer in "stuff" so that each of her scenes does more than one thing.  I thought that was a great idea.  For her. 

Lately I've been getting some stuff done on Lies but not enough to satisfy me.  I had this one particular scene (scene A) that was pivotal to the external plot, but I've been dragging my feet on writing it and I couldn't figure out why.  It didn't feel special.  I didn't have anything but dialogue and I didn't know what else to put in the scene. 

Yesterday I decided that an important scene to the hero and heroine's emotional/romantic arch (scene B) needed to happen sooner rather than later in the book.  It needed to happen before scene A.  I, as a person, wasn't really happy with that decision, but I, as the writer, did it to see what would happen.   (After all, I always save my previous drafts so I could delete it and go back to the original if it didn't work.)

Today, after a really crappy substitute teaching job, I brainstormed how moving scene B would change scene A and the rest of the book.  You know what?  It's perfect!  It adds in another layer of "stuff" for the reader to dissect and chew on and makes both the suspense and romance plots so much richer. 

I'm In Love!!!

I went to see Fast Five and I'm in love with Paul Walker.  And Vin Diesel.  And Tyrese Gibson.  And The Rock.  I mean, come on.  What's not to love?  Besides, there's nothing like an action/adventure story to help keep the creative juices flowing as I continue working on Tell Me No Lies!