Monday, March 31, 2014

March 31st is here

I made it. I still can't believe the month of posting has come and gone, and I succeeded with my goal. It's getting close to the time I have to head to work, so this won't be the longest post, which I'm pretty sure I've said for at least five posts in the last thirty-one days.

I went on a short road trip yesterday and worked up a synopsis on the way. The words my mind came up with while I watched the trees and sky for hawks are below. I think it helps incorporate the title I came up with and gives me a lot of flexibility on where the story goes.

As you'll find as you read the synopsis, I decided not to go with a Greek god, but a hero from those times. I looked through the list of available gods and just wasn't feeling any of them. The story behind this particular hero gave me a built-in villainess and a cast of interesting supporting characters. Without further ado, here is that synopsis.

Molly's dreams of being a mother were finally coming true, but a hospital visit from her daughter's father sets forth an adventure Molly wasn't prepared to embark on. Jason, the man Molly thought was just a one-night stand she found in a bar, turns out to be a whole lot more than another average Joe. The fact that he's older than three thousand years and doesn't look a day over forty is only one of the little mysteries Molly finds out about her new beau.

He's actually the Jason from mythology fame and his ex-wife doesn't take kindly to Jason finding new love. She's proven over the years that she enjoys hurting him whenever he attempts to kindle a new love affair, which usually entails death for the unlucky new lady. Against a witch with too much power at her beck and call, Molly finds herself in a tangled web of a lover's scorn and she'd prefer to get off at the first exit. Jason has other ideas on how to keep his new family safe, none of which coincide with Molly's.

A life Molly never expected possible for her is waiting, if she and Jason can find a way to thwart the evil witch's attacks. With the Argonauts on their side, the task should be a piece of cake. Let's just hope the witch isn't the one in the kitchen baking.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

March 30 Update

So, it took me about five seconds, or minutes, to find a title I liked a ton better than that other one, which I'm choosing not to remember. I probably spent thirty minutes or so just staring at the new cover I made making sure it really felt right to me. Granted, if I do submit this book to a publishing house and they like it, chances are they won't care about my pretty purple cover, but I really don't care. Like I said last night, I need a title and cover to really get going. Said working cover is somewhere below for your viewing.

The fact that I awoke to a different book playing out in my head, in living color, and actually brought a tear to my eye at one point because of the emotion behind it, is not going to deter me from this project. I made notes, which read "vampire stalker, parking garage, no memory and happiness exchanged for compliance, threat of others, pissed off vampire king". It may not look like much now, but if it's already made me cry once, it's bound to be good. It was definitely one of those moments that I wish I had a computer hooked up to my head to write down everything that was happening.

As strongly as I felt about it, I'm going to mark it down as my next project, and more than likely not going to be able to do much until I play around with a cover for it. I have a title in mind already. As things were playing out for me while I was really trying to fall back to sleep, it was clear what the book had to be called and that is something that doesn't usually happen like that for me.

Tomorrow brings us to the end of March and the end of my daily updates. I'm planning on having a synopsis for the current book written to share. I see a lot of things happening in April, so I expect I'll update at least once a week and hopefully my postings will be more enjoyable than "not much happened today". I don't have a large following here on my blog, but to those of you who do read it regularly, thank you. Your continued support means the world to me.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

March 29 Update

I have verified that trying to clear your head on a motorcycle ride doesn't work well when the wind chill is 42 and going 60 mph feels like 2 degrees. My brain remains frozen even hours later. All it's been able to do is map points for the summer ride my local Harley dealership does each year, since I happened to pick up my ride booklet today. I can't wait for it to get warm enough to actually go on my planned trips.

Before my brain stopped functioning, I worked on thought for a title and started playing around with a cover. The current title I'm stuck on is A Trip to the Clouds. I don't really know where it came from, but I can make it work if I end up sticking with it. I'm still in the process of figuring out exactly where this book is going.

I really like the first chapter as it sets up most of the main characters, at least the ones I know about, and who the villain of the book is. The second chapter hasn't gotten it's deserved attention because of work and me having to run around today. Tomorrow is another day that I know I'll be on the move, so any hope of getting five chapters done this weekend is shot. Life is unpredictable that way sometimes and I learned a long time ago to deal with it.

Since this is the book I'm thinking about submitting to that one publishing house that I brought up that one day, it's probably good that I take my time and don't write like a madwoman. I know when the plot fully settles in my mind, I won't have a choice, but slower approach won't hurt anything.

I've been thinking about that title some more and I don't know that I like it. I also thought of Golden Boy, but that seems like something that has probably been used a million times. I'm looking through public domain pictures as I type to try to find something I like more. If I get nothing else done this weekend, I want a cover. I should want a book first, but I work better with the title in my head. Happy reading, everyone. Pray my head doesn't explode from too much deliberating.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Between Blood has arrived

No boring title today. I'm way too excited to have Between Blood out in the world. I really like this book, probably because I think I went through every emotion possible when I wrote it. There's a bit of something for everyone in the fight to win Helena's heart. Well, maybe not everyone. Vampire haters probably won't like it because there are vampires in it, but I don't really think the supernatural part of things is up front in the book.

It's the tale of a young woman finding out life sucks sometimes. Okay, now you can see how my lack of sleep last night has made me slightly crazy. The book really focuses on two key parts in Helena's life that alter the woman she is. There are other big events mentioned, which probably shaped her just as much. It's told in two parts with potentially a time jump thrown in, because I'm telling you, Helena had some years in there that bored me to tears when she told me about them. I don't mind you crying over my books, but it better not be because you're bored.

My favorite character in the whole thing, aside from Helena, of course, is probably Cole. He's a man of few words, you'll get that joke if you read about him. I can't remember if I wrote when I first started writing about him how he was kind of unexpected, but if I didn't and said something else about him, I lied.

Just keep in mind while you're reading, it's a world I created and in such a world I am queen and anything I say goes. I don't think this one has as many twists as I tend to throw in, but there may be a surprise or two.

Anyway, away from books for a second. It's supposed to be nice this weekend, so hopefully I can get out on the motorcycle It would be really nice to clear my head after a couple of stressful days of work. I'm hoping to think of a title for my next project and I do some of my best thinking on the road. It's too bad I can't ride the motorcycle and type at the same time. I'll have to work on that. For now, I think I'll try to catch up on some sleep and pretend I didn't just about hit publish before including a least one link somewhere in this post to smashwords or amazon so you could check out the book.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

March 27 Update

I somehow managed a thirty minute break today to get a little writing in. I have to stay up until at least 2 AM tonight for work, so maybe I'll get more than 600 words done. While I try to stay up, I've been catching up on television shows I haven't been able to watch thanks to hockey.

So far I've watched the series finale of Psych, loved the nod to Monk that I picked up; this week's episode of Fast N Loud, too many Mustangs for my liking; and now I'm on to Supernatural. I still have Person of Interest and I think I'm going to need a few pounds of straight sugar to make sure I stay awake.

My computer is working overtime, but as soon as it's done, I'll be working to upload Between Blood all the places it needs to be for it to be available tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

March 26 Update

First, here is the link to read the first five chapters of Between Blood altogether. I decided not to embed the whole things this week since it's more than just a few pages. I've got to spend time away from book world tonight, so this is going to be extremely short.

First chapter of new book is done and I'm really enjoying where the crazies are taking me. Only about twenty more chapters to go. I would say more, but the husband is commanding that it's time to go.

Don't forget to enter for a chance to have Between Blood sent to you on Friday when it comes out. It will be sent as a Smashwords coupon, so you can choose any format that works for you to read it.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

March 25 Update

Well I had an early hockey game today so I didn't get much work done of the new book, but I did figure out where at least the major part of the conflict is going to come from. That is usually half the hurdle and I hope to get a good chunk of it written before the week is done. By good chunk, I'm thinking five chapters.

I'll have to see how that goes. With a busy schedule at the day job, I don't think my idea of doing some drawing for Between Blood is going to happen. I'm not too upset about that because I have enough going on in my mind with what I'm writing.

Nothing really else to talk about or report for the day. Tomorrow I'll probably post a couple chapters for fun.

Monday, March 24, 2014

March 24 Update

We're in to the last week of daily updates. I am celebrating and doing my usual spastic dancing. That seems kind of rude, but I think weekly updates will be much better and I started another book today, so I'm going to get in my zone from time-to-time and making sure I post something won't always be a priority.

I haven't got through the first chapter yet, but I'm over halfway done with it and I think I know where things are going. It will be interesting to see if I keep the characters I've picked. They should suit my needs, but only time will tell, so I'll refrain from revealing the twists for now.

I thought about posting where my thoughts were going with the first 1,800 words, but I'm going to keep them a secret. I'm still deciding what the big problem the main characters will face and how many twists I can add to get there. I have a lot of ideas based on the reading I've done on the male I picked from Greek mythology.

I used a lot more gods than I had thought in Unlucky in Love and it took me a while today to pick someone that I found interesting. He isn't really a god, but I'm going to bend some myths to make it so him being alive is a possibility. The one thing I learned from writing about Greek mythology is that there are quite a few things that make immortality possible. My hero probably has a really ugly ring he's wearing or something, but I won't worry about that until he gets around to explaining himself.

I'm going to quit writing for now so I don't go against my better judgement and start posting the whole plot I see running around in my head.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

March 23 Update

It's been a busy day already in my household. I'm expecting company today, which happens about twice a year, so the morning was spent multi-tasking between finishing up my proofreading and cleaning the house up. I'm happy to say that I accomplished both tasks. I really like how Between Blood has shaped up. I'm still waiting to hear back from one of the beta readers and I really hope they don't say they totally hated it.

At this point, I'd probably just had to live with it because I really like how it turned out. I've been keeping myself from hitting the publish button since I finished up reading earlier this morning. I want to give it a few more days to percolate in my mind. I'm thinking about maybe doing some artwork for the inside of the book. I haven't ever done that before, but it's been a while since I've drawn anything and I kind of want to add some more personal touches.

I'll ponder that today and see if I can't make magic in the coming days. For now, I've got to go wait for company. I'm crossing my finger they haven't forgotten they were supposed to come over.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

March 22 Update

I really wish the weather around my part of the world would figure out what it wanted to do, and I'd prefer it decided on staying above 60. More days where I can get out and ride my motorcycle would be much appreciated. I expect it will only be a week or two before it settles down, so I shouldn't complain, but I want to ride.

Today was a busy hockey day, so I haven't been able to get through all of Between Blood, but I'm about halfway and hope to get another five or six chapters in by the end of the day. That goal shouldn't be too far fetched and will leave me in a good place to finish up tomorrow.

There isn't much else to report. If you happen to have Mother Nature's ear, pass along my message about winter needing to be over. You'll have my eternal gratitude if you do.

Friday, March 21, 2014

March 21 Update

It's Friday, which means two days to focus on getting Between Blood all buttoned up. I really want to start on another book and I'm hoping to be able to do that next week. I've got two different ideas, but one of them isn't paranormal at all and seems really depressing. For some reason it really appeals to me.

I'll be holding off on it though to write the other book I'm currently watching scenes play out behind my eyelids. It is going to be about a god, I haven't decided which one just yet, but there will be one and it won't be in the Unlucky in Love world. I had thought about doing a Poseidon story, but with the direction I see it going, I decided it's going to be someone else.

So, if you have a favorite god from mythology, let me know and I may use him. If you missed it yesterday, giveaway for Between Blood below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, March 20, 2014

March 20 Update

It was first audio proofread day and I enjoyed listening to the book from beginning to end. I tried to incorporate what I've heard from three readers now. There are some parts where I'm trying to take slightly differing views and combine them for a happy medium. That seems to be the fun part of getting people's opinions. They never all quite match.

I always find myself laughing at the typos I find as I go along. They seem to be different from when I first started writing. A lot less homophones and more just actual goofs of typing or putting es instead of ed or no ly where there should be one or one where it shouldn't be.

I think as I write more, it's getting easier to pinpoint the problems as I'm going along and correct them, which makes my proofreading life a lot easier. I'll listen another time this weekend and see how things look. I'm hoping today got most of the leftover stragglers and next weekend will still work for the publishing date. That should be plenty of time for me to rewrite the whole thing, if necessary. That's of course a joke.

The dogs are telling me they need cookies, so I've got to go take care of them. I made a giveaway up last week, but had neglected to post it because of my pondering about publishing houses. I remembered it today and the entry is below if you're into entering book giveaways.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

March 19 update - Excerpt

As promised here is my Wednesday excerpt. Not a whole lot else to say today, so I'll leave you with that.

Between Blood Excerpt Chapter 3

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

March 18 Update

Isn't this month over yet? I think I'm going to need a vacation from trying to come up with something halfway interesting to write each day. I do want to get something out there a little more often than my once, maybe twice, a month previous posts. I think that means weekly posts are in my future.

I've gotten feedback from one and a half of the betas and so far things look pretty good. More descriptions, expand a scene and some general fun that usually gets taken care of during proofing, which I'll be starting Thursday I think. Maybe tomorrow, but I have to go to a hockey game and that eats up most of my night.

I was really excited to hear from the one beta who has made it all the way through that her reactions to Cain in particular throughout the book were exactly what I felt when I wrote it. It feels really good to know I was able to make that type of thing come through.

If any of the peoples reading for me happens to be reading this, I want to thank you for taking the time to read through my chaos. I know when I haven't started listening to it yet my thoughts can be a little muddled. A big thank you to the person I'm going to start calling alpha beta for pointing out some obvious places that needed looked at.

Tomorrow will be an excerpt day, which is my favorite day. I sometimes have evil thoughts and think about posting chapter twenty or something later in the book to really confuse everyone. I'll probably refrain, but you never know.

Monday, March 17, 2014

March 17 Update

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I don't really celebrate, since I don't drink alcohol and that seems to be what most people do, it tends to be just another day around my house. That said, I was sure to wear green to work just in case people were feeling pinchy.

Not much going on as far as writing and books go today. I'm waiting to hear feedback before I get too far into proofing. I'm sure based on the feedback I'll want to make some adjustments and I've figured out it's better that I do that before audio proofing two or three times because I'd have to do it just as many times again to make sure things flow right.

I did decide that I'm going to wait until my next new novel to try to submit anything to the publishing house I mentioned the other day. I don't think Between Blood is just right for it and it is too long by their standards. I have ideas for another book that will fit better with them, so I think I'll start writing that soon. I actually had to stop myself from starting it today. I didn't want to get distracted from Between Blood and I'm pretty sure where my thoughts were going it would have been a distraction.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have ideas of things that need to be changed in the book and I can get to work on finishing everything up.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

mARCH 16 uPDATE

Clearly, one of the dogs turned the CAPS lock on again with a title like that. Since my blueberry muffins aren't done cooking just yet, I'm going to be lazy and not change it. That's what you guys get for me liking to make things homemade and not just buy the prepackaged stuff. Lucky you.

I posted a few topics on Goodreads yesterday to try to find beta readers and WOOHOO I've received three responses so far. I can't wait to see what they say and at the same time I'm really nervous to hear it. I want my books to be liked, but I want to know where my logic in writing them is flawed. It's a vicious cycle. As long as I don't hear "Where'd you learn how to right, kindergarten?", I think I'll be okay.

All three that have responded have said they can read Between Blood with a quick turnaround and I should know how painful the news is within a few days. If you're interested in more information about being a beta reader for the book, you can check out this post.

You may have noticed a few cosmetic changes going on around here yesterday. I'm trying some different things out and chaos will most likely continue for the next week while I figure out what currently moves me. If anything is too scary or ugly, just try to read my posts with your eyes closed. Make sure you record it for prosperity reasons, of course.

Okay, well, the muffins are out of the oven and the drooling has started, so I should probably go do something about that.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

March 15 Update

I'm to the point in my process where I need to take a day or two and just let the book digest in my head. I've gone through and hopefully tied up all the loose ends and just need to hit it hard with some proofreading, but I have to wait to start. I find if I just read the book, or have it read to me, too many times in a row, it gets to the point where I can't see mistakes anymore.

There was a time when I just sat down and for four days went over the whole thing and then I'd find after a day or two break that I missed easy things. So, I edit then wait at least a day and then start my audio proofing. I think it works out better that way, even though I know I can still miss stuff.

I was looking at a publishing house, I think that's what they're called, that I found on twitter last night and thought about submitting the story to them. It is a little longer than the 70,000 words they seemed to want as a max, but I'm still thinking about maybe just getting it out there. I love to just write and having to worry about the marketing part of things, which I keep saying I'm going to start doing, but then never really do, takes a little bit of the fun away.

I'm still at the point in this process where every single sale or free download, or just someone acknowledging that my work exists, excites me. I doubt I'll ever get over that, but I do want to try to get other people to enjoy my work.

If I do decide to try to submit the book, that will mean that the release date I was hoping for at the end of the month will probably be pushed back because I wouldn't want to release it on my own and actually have someone accept it. I have a feeling they won't take it anyway, just because I know I'm not for everyone. I'll have a better idea on which way I'm heading by the end of the week.

I find that I'm anxious and nervous either way. It would be nice to have someone that would do the editing and marketing stuff for me, but I hate giving up any control about the way the story goes. Maybe Between Blood won't be the one that I finally try to submit to a publishing house, but I have a feeling before too long, I'll write something that I think is ready for that step.

Friday, March 14, 2014

March 14 Update

Made it through another work week and I'm happy to see the weekend. As I'm getting towards the end of a book it is sometimes hard to concentrate on anything else. Just ask my husband about that one since I've been completing my editing tonight and he's had to listen to me uh huhing all night. I'm not exactly sure what I've agreed to, and I'm a little scared to find out.

I'm hoping to get a spell check and grammar check via Microsoft Word tonight, the front and back matter added and think about what I'm writing for a dedication. I used quite a few names in this book that I borrowed from people important in my life, so I'm thinking this book was meant to be for them.

One of these people is my little sister. There's a whole story behind my childhood and family life that tells the tale about why she's so important to me, but it is a little more personal than I'm comfortable talking about. I'll leave it at we've been separated for about fourteen years and have just recently been able to connect more. Because of those years of separation, I don't think she knows how important she's always been to me and I'm hoping one day I'll be able to tell her.

The other person who I thought about a lot during the book was my grandmother, who died a couple of years ago. She was a very inspirational person in my life and I'm pretty sure I got my love of books from her. There are times I wish I had started writing while she was still alive, so she could have given me her critiques, but at the same time I don't really see her reading the kinds of books I write. She liked romance, but the paranormal parts might have had her questioning where my head was at,

With my goals for the night in mind, I better sign off to get things done.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

March 13 update

I have been stuck with my nose to the computer working my way through Between Blood and almost let my post for the day sneak by me. I don't have any real updates other than I haven't had to fix too much as I've gone through and worked on editing things for continuity. My current word count is around 79,000 words and I'm adding enough here and there that I think things will fill out nicely and hit my 80,000 word goal when all things are said and done.

I'm sorry to say that's it for the day. I'm hoping I have something more interesting tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

March 12 Update - Excerpt

As promised here is the excerpt for today. I also wrote THE END on the book as a whole and have started to go back through and start editing. It's been a good day.

Between Blood Excerpt 2

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

March 11 Update

I've had a problem remembering to fill in post titles before I hit publish, so I'm going to make it easy on myself. Date. Update. Done. I can't believe it's only March 11th. It really feels like it should be later to me.

Part of my problem is probably that the writing stuff has been way too easy since this weekend. I didn't think I'd be done writing until this coming up weekend, but I'm down to maybe two chapters and have been writing that many in a day. Things came together even better than I planned and I'm wrapping up my loose ends and trying to insure the characters get their happily ever after.

Today's writing has been part sad, part happy and part hot. My favorite trifecta of emotions. I ended up being happy with what had to happen. It was a completely different outcome from where I thought the story would go when it began back in November.

I got 25K words done in the first week or two of November and didn't feel the way the story was heading was right for the book. The characters didn't understand who they were yet and needed a little time to percolate. I put it away, promising to come back to it, and worked on Rhea's, Hermia's and Desma's stories. I'd check back on the vampire book in the closet from time-to-time and started getting the story to flow in my mind, but was committed to finish Unlucky in Love first.

I'm really happy that I didn't continue on those months ago. I don't think it would have ended up the same and the strain of making things work would have taken some of my love for writing away. I get frustrated way too easy and any small hiccups where the story doesn't naturally flow ends up discouraging me.

Rest assured that things are currently flowing well and I'm anxious to get back to inch closer to the end of the book. Stay tuned tomorrow for the next excerpt.

Monday, March 10, 2014

I'm running out of titles

Between Blood has finally revealed the remaining secrets it has been trying to keep from me. I just made it to the 66K and probably have less than five chapters left, so it's nice of it to tell me what the frick was going on. I worry about Helena's mental health because of some questionable decisions, but she promises things will work out.

The weather was beautiful today in my neck of the woods, so I rewarded myself for getting another two chapters done by taking a ride on my motorcycle. It felt amazing to get some wind in my face. It's still a little while yet before I'm riding it on a daily basis, but after work and weekends might be doable.

I just finished watching the movie Trance and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what happened. I saw everything and understand all the pieces, but it seems like one of those movies that you aren't exactly supposed to get on the first time. Those twisty types of movies are usually some of my favorites. I like things that keep my mind working and make me really have to think. I never say no to a romantic comedy, but I can easily multi-task through them.

I just realized it was after nine. For some reason I thought it was around eight. Must be that daylight savings thingy. Well, it's almost time for me to turn into a pumpkin, so I better go spin in circles a few times before my head hits the pillow.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

A good weekend

I've got about 500 words before I finish chapter 19, so I'm very optimistic I'll meet the goal I set yesterday. I've had some interruptions from hockey games, ice chipping and Once Upon a Time, which is currently trying to keep me from writing this. Certain characters seem to attract a lot of my attention and they are taking me away from the fact that the characters from my book are running amok.

I predicted they were going to change the story and of course they have. It isn't as bad as I feared, but there has been a slight deviation from the original plan. It's bound to work out in my favor in the long run because it makes my ending a little more clear to me. I'd hoped to make things more difficult, which was probably why I had some issues connecting my dots together.

I have a feeling that my heroine's choice may not be final just yet, but I only have seven or so chapter left for her to figure out what she wants to do. And even if she does come to terms between her head and heart, the guys pulling her in two directions aren't done trying to help her make the decision that suits them best.

It's going to be a fun week.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

50K words and counting

Just hurdled over the 50,000 word count and I'm excited to think I really will hit my 80K goal. It feels a little like a race, which makes me glad it isn't because I would totally lose - I don't think my knees are up for running. Plus, my husband lives on the assumption that if he sees someone running down the sidewalk, the cops have to be chasing them. I've been known to yell watch out for the cops just to tease him when we see a runner.

Anyway, not really sure how that paragraph went downhill so fast, but I don't feel like deleting it. I've moved on to chapter 16 today and I'm two-thirds through it. If I can get a good jump on chapter 17, I'll be right where I want to be for the day. I'm really hoping to me mostly done with number 19 by the end of the weekend. It's a little of a stretch goal, but I'm counting on chapter 17 leaving me in a good place where I don't have to fight for every word.

It doesn't happen often, but I do run into times where I just have no clue what's supposed to be going on and end up staring at the screen wishing one of the dogs would take over for a while. At those times, I try to think about things I know are going to happen and work to figure out a way to maybe hint some of the future events and that usually gets me moving again.

Looks like break time is over. Needed to step away for a second to decide whether I was going to carry out the plan I had for chapter 17 and I think it's a go. The dogs are agreeing with me, so it must be a great idea. They would never lead me astray.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Another day, another post

Often when I look at the blogs I follow something piques my interest and I find myself clicking to see what words of wisdom I can find from others. This post, Writing—So Easy a Caveman Can Do It by Kristen Lamb caught my eye today. It's a very interesting read for any of the authors out there.

The writing I've gotten done today has been a lot of fun. I've moved on to chapter 15 and things are heating up. As I'm going along I keep finding twists that are going to come to light later in the book that keep getting better and better. I know how the general plot is going to end, but I haven't figured out exactly how I'm getting to that point.

That doesn't seem like the right wording. It's almost like I have a lot of the stuff leading up to the end figured out, but I don't know how just yet to make the ending I want happen. I hope that doesn't mean the characters are going to throw me for a loop. Ugh. I really hate when they start thinking for themselves.

I'm going to get back to it and try to talk some sense into them. Just talking about the fabled loop I mentioned has me worried they're getting ideas. In parting I'll leave you with one of the reasons my writing day has been so fun. Thanks to one of my newest characters, Grace, for this little tidbit.

“Oh. My. God. My eyes are going to need to be removed. The one good thing, and I seriously mean the only good thing, about having parents that don't really speak to each other, is the chances of walking in on them having sex is extremely low. I left you alone for ten minutes, telling you briefly that you should finally talk to Dad, and you decide to take it a step further and mount him like a rodeo woman on a horse.”

Thursday, March 6, 2014

I realized something

One good thing that has come out of me trying to blog something every day this month is I've realized just how boring I really am. I consider that a good thing, but it makes things a little painful for those that are going to read what I post every day. I have Wednesday planned out now as an excerpt day, so there is that to look forward to if you like reading my books.

I'll have another chapter - chapter 14 to be exact - done in Between Blood today. I'm hoping to find some beta readers for it soon that want to tell me all the parts they hate. Seriously, though, if you're interested in reading the book before it comes out and don't mind giving me your opinion, let me know. You can wait until it's all done to start or read it as I go.

That's pretty much it for today. A quick break for a little dinner and I'm getting back to work.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Quick Excerpt

It was another busy day that didn't leave a lot of time for writing, but I did get the first half of the story ended the way I wanted. The second half has been working around in my head so much that I'm excited to start writing.

I decided to go ahead and share the first chapter. I usually wait until I've finished writing to make sure I don't have to change anything major, but reading through it tonight I decided the chances of me having to change anything was slim.

Here's an introduction to Helena, Thomas and Cain. If I was Helena, I wouldn't trust either guy, but I know a little bit more than she does at this point.

Between Blood Excerpt Chapter 1

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Character ramblings

Chances are better than good that this is going to end up as a short post. I say that knowing I like to ramble a lot and once I get started on a subject, I tend start typing like a crazy person. It's been a busy day, though, which has equaled no work done on Between Blood and I really want to get the thoughts finished that I fell asleep going over in my head. Sometimes it's hard to go to bed with scenes still playing in my mind, but other times I need to just turn things off to work it out.

Yesterday was a day of introducing a lot of new characters, which I tend to do on the fly. So far in the book the main characters have hung out by themselves and sadly I couldn't keep it that way. I like inflicting pain on characters and Helena and Cain have spent time getting to know each other and Helena can be a little witchy, or at least a word that rhymes with it.

There was a surprise when I started deciding who exactly this group of vampires being introduced to Helena would be and key features about them. Those details coming to light opened up even more ways that I can make Helena feel conflicted about the men in her life. You should have heard my evil laugh and seen me tapping my finger tips together.

I rarely ever know who all the characters are going to be in a book. I usually only know the main character and as I write more of the supportive cast gives me a look in what their lives are like and how they interact. My favorite unplanned character right now is Chris from Hermia in Love. If you've read that book, I'm sure you know just how much I love him.

So far in Between Blood, Cole is turning out to be my fave. I haven't even written much about him yet, but his secret past and connection with Helena has me excited. Since I left off getting ready to get into his story, I think I'll get back to work. Sorry this really has been probably my worse case of the ramblings, but I warned you to begin with I was in a crazy mood.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Funny moment in writing

Most of the time when I'm writing I get so engrossed with what certain characters in a scene are doing that I sometimes forget key details. Such an instance happened to me yesterday. I was writing along and got to a point where I looked down, theoretically speaking of course, and the baby my main character had been carrying around was naked.

Not the best way to be introduced to a room full of strangers waiting to meet you. I couldn't go any further without rewinding and finding a logical place to get some clothes on the baby. I felt like scolding the parents for forgetting something like that, but since they are mere figments of my imagination, I thought that conversation would be a little too strange. Even for me.

This is my third post in as many days and if you haven't fainted because you're just now realizing it, brace yourself. I'm going to try to post at least a little something every day this month. It won't always be the most witty or longest post, but I need to get in the habit of keeping this page a little more fresh.

So expect some excerpts in the days to come and more insight into the current book I'm writing. I think tomorrow's post will most likely be some information on the different characters and how they're developing. Until then, don't forget it's read and ebook week on smashwords. Check out some amazing free and discounted books here.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Between Blood

So I promised a post today and miracle of miracles I'm actually writing one. I worked on a cover and synopsis yesterday and I'm pretty happy how they turned out. I read the synopsis to my husband and he said it was cute, but gave away the twist. For any of you that have read my books before, I think you'll know that if I'm giving away anything in the description, there's at least one really huge twist going to be happening, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I'm almost done with the first part of the book. There is going to be a time jump around the halfway point because without it, War and Peace would probably seem small. I'm aiming for around 80,000 words, which will make it my longest story thus far, and I'm feeling good about that number. If I can get it longer, I wouldn't mind, but I'm going for at least that.

Without further yapping from me, here is the cover and description. I'm shooting to have it all written and edited by April 1st, but we'll have to see how life goes.

Helena loved her family and the simple life they lived in the shadows of their mountain village. She was the baby of a family filled with her father, mother, two brothers and sister. Helena had never heard the stories of the things that lived on the outskirts of town, but when her family was taken from her by a vampire, she quickly learned things weren't as simple as they seemed.

Helena was nothing more than a kid at the time and if it wasn't for Thomas, she would've been lost. Thomas rescued Helena before the vampire that killed her family could get to her. He'd been hunting the monster and instead of trying to finish him off, Thomas got Helena to safety. He tried numerous times to lose her over the years so he could continue his revenge, but she stuck to him like glue.

Their duo of vampire hunters cut the way through dozens of vampires on their crusade to find the one that had ruined both their lives. When the day finally came for Helena to meet the monster face-to-face, she never expected to find him taking her away from Thomas without a fight. As much as she thought she'd learned about Thomas over the years, the fact that they had been searching for his brother the whole time hadn't been mentioned.

Helena understood absolutely nothing about the events happening in her life, or how she was, and had always been, connected with both men. Each man claims to love her, but in her eyes one will always be a monster and the other the love of her life. When brothers hate each other as much as Thomas and Cain, getting stuck between them is hazardous for anyone's health.



On a side note, it's Read an Ebook Week and I have two books for free over at smashwords.com. To get either/both Calypso in Love and Searching for Home for free, enter RW100 at the checkout. The links are Calypso in Love and Searching for Home

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Unlucky in Love post mortem

First, a big thank you to the reader that entered my most recent giveaway. I won't describe the spastic happy dance I did when I saw someone had entered, mainly because you would be frightened, but rest assured one happened. I don't have a lot of loyal readers, which is my own fault for not marketing and such, but the ones I do have are the best and if I could, I would give each of you a big hug. I'm one of those people that is terrified of touching others, so that's saying something.

Desma in Love did make it out into the world yesterday because I was tired of crying about the series being over by myself. It can be found on amazon.com and smashwords.com. When I started the project I really didn't know exactly where it would end up. I had just come off writing Nyx's books and wanted to do something totally different. Unlucky in Love definitely ended up different. The perspective, tense and general mood changed and a new set of characters developed for me to fall in love with.

And fall in love I did. Each character developed their own quirks and made me wish they were all my next door neighbors. I would have to do all the cooking for them because I don't think any of them women know how to do anything more than heat something up in the microwave, which is odd since they're about a zillion years old. The guys though, specifically Griff, could probably give me a run for my money in the kitchen.

I'm kind of curious who others have picked as their favorite gods and goddesses and such. It's really hard for me to pick favorites. For the gods it's a little easier for me because I've always loved Heracles. I love the other guys just as much, but if I had to pick one to be stranded with, I'm going for the one that can light things on fire.

In my head I'm making pros and cons for each goddess and I think my brain is going to explode. I seriously don't think I could pick one. Even Rhea, who I spent two books not really liking has so many things in my imaginary pro column that I wouldn't count her out.

As far as couples go, Heracles and Nani are up there, mostly because they remind me of my own marriage. However, I think Chrysaor and Hermia were my favorite. There is just a sweetness and vulnerablilty between them that I didn't find in the others.

For the characters that showed up from time-to-time, or moved in with their daughter and son-in-law with no future plans of leaving, I'm going to go with Kirill being my favorite. Poseidon is a close second, but the incubus really worked his way into my heart.

Those are my picks, so now it's your turn. I made up some pretty purple polls so you can let me know who were your faves. I'm working on a post for tomorrow about the next project I'm working on since this one has gotten way longer than I planned.

Who is your favorite goddess?
Calypso
Nani
Rhea
Hermia
Desma
Poll Maker
Who is your favorite god?
Griff
Heracles
Thad
Chrysaor
Adonis
Poll Maker


Who is your favorite couple
Calypso and Griff
Nani and Heracles
Rhea and Thad
Hermia and Chrysaor
Desma and Adonis
Poll Maker
Who is your favorite secondary character
Poseidon
Kirill
Phorcys
Keto
The oracle
free poll maker