IWSG: April 2024

 Welcome to the monthly blog hop of the IWSG.  Please visit the site and check out all the participants, and don't forget to thank our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and all the admins of this terrific group. Let's share our pain and triumphs with other writers.

This month's optional question:

How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

Well, I've been blogging since 2008 so, a long time. I was on Facebook at about the same time. It's not my favorite place and I started Twitter whenever it started. I've had an Instagram account for a number of years but have only recently started being more active on there. Instagram is the most distracting for me. I really like the content I find there. I always feel a bit sad about how blogging isn't what it once was, but I have made real friends through this blog. I've never liked Facebook and only visit because I feel I shouldn't totally let it go and I see pictures of my relatives on there. Twitter is often mean. I've blocked so many negative people on there. Will we ever call it X? Never expect to see me on TikTok.

I still working on my new WIP and have taken a pause in getting my previously published books back out there since I now have all my rights back from the publishers. I did the work and have re-published my two completed fantasy series. The Morbunda Trilogy and The Futhark Chronicles are now available on Amazon. I still have more than 20 science fiction romance novels to re-publish.

I watched the 3 Body Problem on Netflix. I found it to be okay but I don't get all the hoopla about it. I enjoyed the new version of Roadhouse. 

In some cool news, my granddaughter has joined in my jigsaw puzzle hobby. Though she just turned 7, she's doing 300 piece puzzle by herself. She used an end of my puzzle table while I'm working my my 3,000 piece puzzles and we talk about everything. I know all the first grade intrigue from her elementary school which I can't share because I'm sworn to silence.

I hope spring is heading your way. Be safe if you're lucky enough to see the eclipse next week. I'm excited about it.

What is your preferred social media contact with the world? Any social media you despise? Is spring upon your abode yet? Did you love The 3 Body Problem? 

IWSG: March 2024

 It's warm, rainy, and March. Welcome to another blog hop of IWSG. Please check out the entire list of participants here. Thank you to our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh and to all the admins who provide a safe place for writers of all genres and all levels of experience.

This month's optional question:

Have you "played" with AI to write those nasty synopses, or do you refuse to go that route? How do you feel about AI's impact on creative writing?

Excellent topic. I can't wait to read everyone's opinion and experiences. I have not used AI for any of my writing stuff. I think it's a slippery slope. I know some writers who are touting it, and I think they are sliding down that slope. AI can already duplicate your physical voice and with training, can duplicate writing styles. Some AI companies have already been sued for using writers' work to train their AI. We all like to think that nothing can replace human creativity, but I think that belief underestimates AI's possibilities. I fear AI's impact on the writing world. 

And let's not get started on SKYNET.  LOL

My own writing is going pretty good. New stuff is getting done, though slower than I'd wish. Old stuff is getting editing and new covers. I'm almost done with that for the immediate future. I'll have my two completed fantasy series available on Amazon very soon. Book #3 in The Futhark Chronicles, Beneath the Mountain, is now available on Amazon.

I'm feeling good about exercising. With the warmer weather, I'm off the elliptical and back on the road with my old-lady jog.

I'm really disappointed in Netflix. They canceled two shows I enjoyed, Shadow and Bone and The Brothers Sun.  At least a few network shows I follow are back on, but I'm not really exited about any of them except Will Trent.

I'm busy organizing the registration for the 37th Annual Pennwriters Conference being held in Lancaster this year. I'm so excited to meet in person, L. Diane Wolfe, who will be attending, leading workshops and taking pitches from attendees. She's making a long drive and we appreciated it.

Do you think you're read anything written by AI? Do you attend in-person writing conferences or workshops? Any shows you love get cancelled lately? 

Keep On Digging

Non-writing Work
I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed the last few weeks. Did I take on too much? I finally finished the third draft of my novel and am ready to send it to my publisher. The book took me longer than I expected so I'm glad to shove it out the door. But it wasn't actual writing that had me feeling inundated.

"Pressure is something you feel when you don't know what the hell you're doing." Peyton Manning

I serve as secretary to two different writing groups. They're volunteer positions and I thought it would be a good way to help out and give back to two organizations that have helped me so much without being responsible for the big decisions. You know about good intentions. Without whining and complaining, I'll just say it's much more work than I expected and that work bites into my writing time. At least for the one group, I'll be able to complete a large portion of the work this month. For the other position, I pretend to know what I'm doing even though I'm lost. Too much chaos for my comfort.

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." Harry S. Truman

Another thing contributing to this pressure is being trapped indoors by the weather. I love the outdoors. Even when it's not cold, it's been a very gloomy winter with cloudy days and cold rain if it isn't snow. I need some sunshine!

Books
But good things are happening. I received a contract for my fourth and final book in The Futhark Chronicles, Heir of Futhark. I roped in a great guest to appear on IWSG next Monday, Andrew Grey talking about plotting.

Pat Hatt has a new book out, A Not So Realistic World.  I'm  hoping he comes out with a new Profanity Granny soon. I wish my mother-in-law was still around for many reasons but she would have loved Profanity Granny. Did Pat know Hellion Helen Gourley?

Other things keeping me upbeat,  I received an invitation the York Book Expo in the mail. It's not until October but it was a lot of fun and reasonably profitable. Sign ups for the A to Z theme reveal is happening next Monday. You can sign up even if you haven't decided. You still have a month to make up your mind since the actual reveal occurs on March 21st.

Entertainment
I finally watched The Martian. It was okay and as uplifting as the book. But like in most cases, I much prefer the book.
I always look forward to the Olympics though there's always way too many ads. I'd rather seem more events. But I know it's all about the money. However, I wonder how much the Zika virus will cloud the games.

Are you looking forward to the Olympics? What non-writing part of the business of being a writer frustrates you? (You're not allowed to say promotion) Are you involved in any book events this year? Ready to sign up for theme reveal?

The Fun Never Ends

November is in a hurry. Perhaps because I have so much going on. My to-do lists seems to grow rather than shrink. For everything I mark off as done, I have to add two more.

A quick roundup of what is going on in my writing world. The third and last book in my Warriors of Gaviron Series, The Warrior and the Professor is available as in individual purchase on my publisher's website. It's only offered as part of a boxed set on Amazon for now.

The Futhark Chronicles, Book #1, Keepers of Sulbreth, is now available on Amazon. This is the third publisher to have the book up on Amazon, each time with a different cover. I'm currently doing a round of final edits on Book #2, Beyond the Gate. My publisher has done a great job making the covers of both books match enough for a casual view to see they're the same book.

I also received the contract for Book #3, Beneath the Mountain. This week after I finish the above edits, I'll be working on the cover art sheet, blurb and logline for that book.

I'm also very excited to have the first book in my newest space opera romance series up on the coming soon page. I don't have the release date yet, but my publisher has already given the series its own banner.  The Galactic Outlaws starts off with The Outlaw's Prize.

There's only seven more things on my list that need done this week. And that's only my writing work. I'm still helping my husband with that huge paint job he has going on. It's over half done so this week should be the last he needs me for extended hours.

I finally rented and watched Jurassic World this weekend. I'm giving it a so-so rating. I'm glad I didn't pay theater prices to see it. On an up note, Fargo is on tonight. This season is incredible! In my opinion, I'd call it the best show on TV.

I visited the local Barnes and Noble this past weekend. The good news is that the store was packed. People everywhere. The bad news now is that B&N has given over nearly half the store to things other than books. Bags, candles, games, toys and other gadgets that I guess are helping them stay afloat.  On the weird bookstore news, maybe you hear that Amazon opened their first physical bookstore. Lots of mixed feelings about it.

Wisdom from The Old Farmer's Almanac: Nothing sharpens sight like envy.

What is keeping you busy this week? Have you watched Fargo? Did you hear about the Amazon store? Wouldn't you like to visit it if for no other reason than curiosity to see how the giant believes a bookstore should look?

Recovery and Moving Forward

Sometimes the A to Z Challenge feels like such a big project that when you're done you feel like you need some time off. No one can blame you if you do. But I'm not taking any down time. I'm busy working on some of the things I talked about during the challenge to promote my writing and it's working. My sales have been pretty good, actually better than ever for Heir of Futhark and the other books in The Futhark Chronicles Series. Very happy with that.

I also dove right into the second book in my Intergalactic Recon Marines. This is the second book in the series following The Marine's Queen. That book is sitting at #70 in the Kindle Store in its category of romance. Best I've every done.  I'm at about 6K in the first week of writing and I know where it's going so hopefully this first draft will go pretty good. I also anticipate a little more writing time now that A to Z is over. 

All the things I mentioned in my A to Z posts and the wonderful comments I received have really fired me up to get my writing career rolling. As I wrote my posts and read the comments, I started thinking. Why am I waiting until June 7th to get started on so many of these ideas and plans when I could be doing some of them right now.

I'm busy updating a few things and this weekend I'm going to catch up on some reviews for some friends on Goodreads and Amazon. Thanks to all my friends who have given me reviews and the other readers who took the time to write and rate.

I'm trying to use my time wisely on facebook and Pinterest, the only two social sites I visit nearly every day. I don't spend hours on them, usually on a few minutes, but I'm aiming for more short visits. 

In May we do have a few more blog fests coming up. Are you signed up for more blog promotion events? What are you working on right now? Do you have a goal for the upcoming month? Have your spring yard work done yet?

To Do List

I've spent the last ten days working on a to do list. Every time I check something off, I seem to add three more things to replace it. Lots of these things are like a housekeeping list for my writing life and not so much setting goals. I'm getting around to the goal thing, but not yet.

Housekeeping involves some things such as:

* Adding up tax info for my husband to do the taxes. Not that I'm making big money or taking big deductions, but it still has to be done.

* I spent an entire afternoon changing all my email addresses I use to sign in at various sites, personal and professional, to my gmail address. I had been using the gmail and two different verizon addresses. All gmail now. You never know when you might change internet providers and then I'll want to be rid of those Verizon accounts.

* I schedule a number of guests on this blog for the next few months. I want to help them with their promotion and hopefully they'll return the favor.

* I've been investigating security programs for my computers. I need to renew my Norton or buy something else today. Haven't decided yet.

* I'm working with my niece, my intrepid cover artist for the fourth and final book in The Futhark Chronicles series. It's with my editor now. Love that Gina.

* I'm catching up on some writing articles and magazines I have stacked on my desk. I'm always looking for something that will make me a better writer.

* I'm also getting back into the swing of blogging three times per week and visiting more blogs everyday.

So my desk looks a little neater. Now if only blogger would fix itself so I can upload pictures. I have my new camera and all these pictures I took to use here, and blogger is being difficult.

So what housecleaning chores did you have to do lately for your writing business? Any security program you recommend over the others? Do you use numerous email addresses?

Quarters

I want to lead off today with a big thank you to Duffy Brown, author of the Consignment Shop Mysteries for the bling she sent me a few days ago. A really cool little bag along with some bookmarkers I can give out at my next booksigning and to some friends. I love mysteries and hope you'll check out her site also.

In Pennsylvania, most public high schools divide the school year into quarters. Last Thursday, I was officially one quarter of the way done with my last year of teaching. I could say it went by quickly, but it wasn't fast enough for me.

This week I also finished the first quarter of my third draft of The Heir of Futhark, which is the last of four books in The Futhark Chronicles. The last quarter of the story if you will.

I'm out of quarter stories, but I'm not out of stories. I wish I could write faster  as the next novel I have planned is starting to push itself forward in my thoughts. I need to get The Heir done so I  can move onto the next one. I need to get The Heir done before I have to get to work on First Dragon, the lead novel in my next epic fantasy series for Crescent Moon Press.

Do you ever have a difficult time thinking about what to write next? Anything you're a quarter of the way finished with? Do you know Duffy?

Promote Me by Me

I guess my greatest weakness as an author is in the promotion of my work. I really have a difficult time pushing my work, spreading the news and talking about my books. Some writers manage to promote their work in non-offensive but effective ways on their blogs, on facebook and other social media venues.

The Heir of Futhark, book #4 and the final novel in The Futhark Chronicles, is still in the major edits stage, but I have plans to do a better job with this release. I've been watching and learning. I hope.

The first three books in the series.

Timing can be important for books this time of year. My former publisher, the one I reclaimed my rights from for this series, had scheduled each book to be released January first for four years in a row. Is that a good time? Are people pretty busy on that first day of the year. Hangovers? Bowl games? Parties? Resting before returning to work the next day?

How about right after Christmas? All those new eReaders, tablets and other personal electronic devices are yearning for something to download. Why not one of my books? So is the Christmas season a good time to have a book released?

Or are people too busy from Thanksgiving until after the new year? Are potential readers spending their money on gifts for others and not buying books? Or can some good promotion convince them to spend a little on themselves?

Do you think a particular time of year is a good time to have a book released? What do you think of a holiday release? A New Year's Day release?

Oh yeah, I meant to say in this post, buy my books. See, I'm getting better at it.

The Next Big Thing

Thanks to David Powers King who passed on The Next Big Thing to me. I've put it off for a few weeks because of the super duper blog fests I've been enjoying as a participant and a visitor lately. Time to catch up with this before next week's Monstrous Monday Blogfest sponsered by Tim Brannan at The Other Side.

Now to anwer the questions about The Next Big Thing

1. What is the title of the book I'm working on?
The Heir of Futhark, Book #4  and the final installment of The Futhark Chronicles.

2. Where did the idea come from?
This ending for this series has been in the plan since I wrote the first book four years ago.

3. What genre does it fall under?
This is classic epic fiction where the hero and heroine must save mankind from an evil entity with magical abilities.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your main characters in a movie adaptation?
I want Henry Cavill as Cage Stone. I'm sure it will be a bigger role for him than Superman. And Amanda Righetti from The Mentalist will be a perfect Sabelline Shelton. She's tall and built like an athlete.

5. What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?
Cage and Sabelline search desperately for a means to defeat the god-like being they're released into the world before all mankind falls under its evil spell.

6. Will it be self-published or represented by an agent?
This is the series I reclaimed from a publisher who decided to take their business in the direction of celebrity books after they published the first two books in the series. I'll be self-publishing it.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft?
About seven months, which is about normal for me.

8. What other books within the same genre would you compare it to?
I would compare it to Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn in that the fantasy world isn't huge and sprawling though there is more magic in his story.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I've always loved fantasy. Like most fantasy lovers, at some point I read Tolkien and the rest is history.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
If you read the first books in the Futhark saga, all the mysteries and questions will be answered in this final book. By the last page, you'll understand the history of Futhark and the direction the world is going. There's action, love and death. There's sadness and triumph though the final victory comes with great cost. I hope you all want to know how it turns out.

Thanks, David, for passing this on to me. Talking about it helps get me motivated to get those edits done.  Part of this if for me to pass this on.

Let me introduce by friends to a writer who is a newly published author. Gerry Trust has been a friend of mine for many years and I'm so happy for her success and never say quit attitude.

Stop over and see what David is up to. He's a very busy blogger and has something new up almost every day. I'm glad I found him through some blog hop or other.  Check out Gerry Trust and wish her luck.

Busy Week Ahead

Time is flying by. I have some fun bloggy plans for this week.

Tomorrow Hildie McQueen and I will be guesting on each others blogs. Join me on hers to read my take on how to name characters in fantasy. I'll be using examples for my epic fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles. Do you know the origin of the word, Futhark?

 You can check out her blog now to hear about her experience on the recent Moonlight and Magnolias Conference in Georgia.

Hildie will be sharing even more about her recent conference experiences on my blog on Monday. I'm very envious of my writer friends who are busy with fall conferences. Next year.

On Wednesday of this week, I'll be joining around 90 other bloggers in the Did I Notice Your Book blogfest, another great idea for Alex Cavanaugh. You can still sign up and join us. Even if you don't join us, hop around and read about some books and authors you may not have heard of but that maybe you should check out.

So lots to do besides working on my current WIP, The Heir of Futhark, fourth and final book in my series. Work, work, work, but the fun kind. Hope to see you around this week.

Are you joining Wednesday's blogfest? Have you heard of Hilde McQueen?

Writing Process

I'm busy on the fourth book of my epic fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles. The Heir of Futhark will wrap up the series. Someday I might revisit the world I've created there with a series about the next generation of characters, but I have to finish this book long before that can happen. Before I talk about writing, I wanted to let you know I'll be a guest at The Writing Nut this week. So hop over there now and meet Nutschell, a very special generous person.

Writers develop their own unique ways to go about writing a book. I generally write a really rough first draft, hopefully rather quickly. Quickly for me currently is five to six months. Then I print it out and read it, making huge changes, pulling and adding scenes, writing all over it in red and blue pen until there's more colored ink than there is black. After that, I use that rough draft as an outline to write the book I intend to send to my beta readers. That's where I am right now with Heir of Futhark.

Using the outline, I can write a couple of thousand words a day. Not every sentence gets changed so some chapters go pretty quickly. When I have to add or do a lot of clean up on scenes, it slows me down. Sometimes a single sentence slows me down. I want to keep it because it says something important, but it just isn't saying it quite right.

Here's a rule I use during this rewrite. If I have to read a sentence twice to know for sure what it means, I have to change it. I don't want my reader to have to pause to understand what I meant to convey. I want the reader caught up in the story, not taken out by my confusing prose or poor sentence construction. I'm lucky in that my beta reader, Gina, is excellent at catching things that might be a bit foggy.

I'm sure that as a reader, we've all encountered a complicated part in a book that we have to slow down and reread. Perhaps a part where you're not sure which character is speaking or which head you're inside of.

Do you catch this in your own writing? Do you notice it when you're reading? Do you know Nutschell?

Whata Week!

My delight overflowed this week. A week ago, the show Haven, started its new season on SyFy channel. A few of my favorite network shows had their fall premieres. Hawaii Five-0, Person of Interest, and tonight, Bluebloods. Then of course, there was the release of Avengers on DVD. How many times can I watch that before I'm tired of it? Don't know yet.

My oldest son moved a few years ago from the ranks of college football player to high school football coach. His team has started out the year 4-0. He's happy but the best part for me is having my high school students take the time to tell me Coach Gourley is the best coach they've ever had. I know they appreciate his knowledge, dedication and personal drive to win. It's fun to watch the team play and win.

Book #4 of The Futhark Chronicles is going well. My favorite part of being a writer is working on a new book. If only I could do only that part and leave all the rest to someone else.

My son from Penn State will be home this weekend. He's always fun to have around, managing to keep everyone in a great mood and I'll have someone to cool for. So my week is going great!

What's going well with you? Fun plans for the weekend? Have you been looking forward to any of the Fall return of favorite shows?

Weekend!!!! Yeah!

A very hectic week on the day job but now it's finally Saturday. Some good things are happening. Check on TBR Blog. This weekend is the any genre blurb fest. You can post a blurb of your book in the comment area or just read all the blurbs and fill up your TBR pile. Admit it, it was getting a little small with only a few hundred books on it. 

Also for the rest of September, I'm still the featured author on TBR. Thanks much to Cate Masters for asking me.

Thanks to PAGAN who gave me a nice review on Amazon for Beneath the Mountain. Hope I can get a few more.

I'm going to spend part of the weekend catching up on visiting blogs including so many from the Favorite Genre Blogfest that I didn't get around to visiting.

I've mentioned my upcoming retirement a few times and this past week I've added so many things to my 'next year' list. There are lots of book events and festivals only a few hours from me. I could go to those weekend ones while I'm still teaching, but then I'm exhausted the next week at work. I need my weekends to regroup from school. But 'next year' I'm going to attend a bunch of these. Maybe I'll be able to sit on a few panels and get more involved that way.

In the meantime, I'm working on Book#4 of The Futhark Chronicles, Heir of Futhark, and hoping I can get it ready for publication before the start of the New Year. If the world doesn't end in December.

Have you attended any writing events lately? Any in the Mid-Atlantic region you recommend for me for 'next year?'

Beneath the Mountain Available Now!

Beneath the Mountain, Book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles, is available for sale on Kindle. At only $2.99, it's a real steal for nearly 400 pages of epic fantasy.

Available Now at Kindle

Beneath the Mountains continues the battle in the kingdom of Futhark. Marshal Cage Stone and his brother, King Jonared have pushed the demons out of the city of Futhark and regained the throne from the usurper. But they both know the peace is fragile and the demon solution is only temporary. Cage picks up the first hints of the evil power behind the plagues of illnesses and violence spreading throughout the city and into the countryside. He races to capture the demon lord before Keeper Sabelline Shelton embarks on a desperate mission to forever close off the opening to the underworld beneath the mountains towering over the city. Sabelline and Cage both believe going beneath the mountain will be a trip of no return.

The first book of this series, The Keepers of Sulbreth, Book #1, is now available everywhere for only .99 and the second book, Beyond the Gate, Book #2, is now only $1.99. 

There is one more book in this epic fantasy series, tentatively titled, The Heir of Futhark, is already completed in a rough draft. I'll be polishing it and getting it ready for my friend and editor, Gina. Since we're both teachers, the school year will slow us down a little. And I can't release a book without giving credit to my artist, Gayle Bower.

In a shameless bid for some free promotion, I hope some of my blogger friends will mention my new release.  Thanks for reading my blurb.

Is your TBR shelf full? I'm slowly working my shelf of paper books down, but I have a bunch on my eReader. I'll catch up on those during my lunch time at school and while riding bike as I rehab after my knee surgery.

Feeling Good

After getting a few summer obligations finished, I put my shoulder to the plow lines(Yes, I'm a farmer at heart) and did lots of work on my writing. I finished edits on Book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles, Beneath the Mountain, and am sending it out for a final read through. I always need someone to check my commas.

I also sent the first book in my second fantasy series, First Dragon, off to a number of small publishers.  I like the small publishers for so many reasons.  They get back to you quickly.  They're more likely to take a real interest in you personally. They understand the hurdles you face in promotion and in being a writer with a day job. I hope I can snare one of them to take on my newest venture in the world of prose.

I'm feeling good about getting something accomplished after weeks of devoting only minutes per day to my books.  My goal of the next few months is to make writing a priority for a few hours every day.

My last major commitment this summer is a visit to Boston for my daughter's college orientation at Boston University. I'm looking forward to exploring the city together including the college bookstore/Barnes and Noble where I can spend a little time with an ice coffee.

When I return home, I have to get busy on my newest project.  Once I decide what that is.

Is summer finding you with more hours to write? What are you feeling good about recently?

Nearly There

I've been absent from the blogosphere, including my own, for most of the past week. Still using computer choice C so my time is limited. The good news is how much work I've completed on my final editing before I have a professional do a final check for book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles, Beneath the Mountain.  Did I ever mention how much I hate commas and all the rules that go with them? That's a story for another day.

I found so many wonderful blogs over the past few months, as soon as I can take a breather from editing this book, I'm going to redo my favorite blog lists to include a bunch of my new friends.  I still have a long list of things I want to do for promotion and networking that I made during the A to Z Challenge.

One more week of school and then it's summer.  By the end of June, I'll have all my obligations for my daughter's graduation and college orientation done.  If I can keep up with the cleaning, yard work and my running, I should have lots of hours to work on my writing. Wish me luck.

Seven days and counting down.  What are you looking forward to in the coming summer months? Vacation? Staycation? Just to enjoy the warmer weather?

Always Something

I know many of you are aware of my continuing laptop problems. Still not fixed.  It's more of a challenge to keep up with blogging right now but I have no excuse for not getting more writing done. I'm in the middle of edits of Book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles.  Beneath the Mountain continues the tale that started with The Keepers of Sulbreth, continued in Beyond the Gate and will conclude later this year with The Son of Futhark. 

Rather than go into the long list of things I've been doing other than writing, I'll share the thought I had this morning while mowing the lush grass in my back acre.  When you have children, a day job, and a generous property to care for, there's always something that needs done.  There's always something I can spend my time doing.  There's always something I can work on besides writing.  And if I keep giving into the demands surrounding me, I'm never going to get done editing Beneath the Mountain.

Some things must come first like my daughter's softball playoffs, the day job, food, shelter, but I really have to give my writing more priority if I want to get my career moving forward. There will always be laundry to do, weeds to make war upon, meals to cook and some shopping that needs done.  With school over for the summer, I'm hoping to find more hours in the day to devote to my literary aspirations. Sunshine outside usually distracts me, but I'm determined to resist.

What's the 'something' that distracts you at this time of year? Do you have a lot of household chores, inside or outside, that cut into your writing time during the summer?

eXact

eX:  I know exact doesn't start with X, but I'm cheating a little  here. In the few spare minutes I have after visiting dozens of blogs each day, I'm editing Book #3 of The Futhark Chronicles. This is my final edits before I sent it to a professional for polishing. I printed a hard copy because I see mistakes better that way.  And I'm finding lots of them.  I thought it was nearly perfect but it is far from it. I've been adding and deleting those commas, rewriting sentences to vary their style and messing with those dialogue tags.

As a relatively unknown writer, I need to make a good impression on readers and any writing professionals I can convince to consider my work.  As a writer, I constantly judge the books I read. Even books published by major houses and written by very successful authors are far from perfect. Not everything in them is exactly as it should be.  They have mistakes those of us not so well-known aren't permitted to make.  I recently tried a new suspense author and found every cliche and stereotype in the book I've always tried to avoid.  The dialogue was stilted, the actions of the characters completely predictable and heroine 'too stupid to live.' Somehow the author sold this book and has the second installment in the series coming out soon.  I couldn't read it past the first fifty pages. 

So, I'll keep working on my imperfect manuscript and try to be as exact as I can on spelling and style. Hopefully if someone puts my book aside, it won't because of the mistakes that could have been prevented with a good edit.

Do you try to get everything exact or do you depend on your editors to help it become perfect? What things do you think established authors get away with that newbies don't?

Another Ebook +

I'm currently working on the third book in my fantasy series, The Futhark Chronicles, but I have other things going on at the same time. I continue to promote my romance novels under my pen name of Susan Kelley though it will be a few months before I'm back to work on a new novel for my publisher.

Another big project I'm working on is my second epic fantasy series. Though I'm feeling more comfortable and at ease with self-publishing, I'm still looking around for a reputable independent press to handle this series. The thing about this is, there are lots of those small presses popping up here and there. How am I to know if they'll do a good job with my book? Will they design a great cover? Are their editors professionals? Will they see my book is sent out for reviews? Will they make it available at all the major retailers?

These questions are important and sometimes I know an author who has worked with a particular publisher and I can learn some insider secrets relating to the competency of the company. But another good way to rate a press is by reading some of their products. And because of the reasonable pricing of ebooks by most independent presses, I can afford to sample their wares before submitting my own golden prose to them.

I currently have a list of nine small presses I'm considering for submitting my newest book. Over the next few weeks, I'll be shopping for samples of fantasy books published by these possible targets for a round of query letters. By spending a few dollars I'll get insight into the quality of books and know if a particular publisher is for me and me for him. If you have a romance book looking for a home, check out the independent press that is home for my books, New Concepts Publishing. They have a wide selection of books at low prices.

How did you find a publisher or how are you going about finding one? Have you ever read a book mainly to learn what quality of book is being published by a press?

So Many Stories, So Little Time



From FB

Busy, busy, busy. I've been trying to build my blog presence and am having fun getting to know online friends. My other big project is editing on the third book in my fantasy series, Beneath the Mountain. I enjoy it but it's going slower than I'd hoped.  In the meantime, I haven't worked on new material for a few months. 

I spent the end of 2011 getting the first two books in The Futhark Chronicles up for sale in the ebook market. After taking back my rights to The Keepers of Sulbreth and Beyond the Gate, I self-published them.  It was time consuming as I navigated those paths for the first time.  Now I have the third and fourth books to get ready. 

On the back burner is my second fantasy series of which I have the first book written and the second book started. I'm researching some small publishers to find a home for it. I long to get back to writing something new but feel I have to do the self-publishing on my other series first.

On top of that, I have a fantasy romance I want to polish up and send to my romance publisher, New Concepts Publishing. And circling around in my head is the plan for another fantasy series.  I love starting new projects but I'm swamped with the other stuff.

Do you enjoy diving into a new book or do you like getting that first draft out of the way and then getting into the editing process?  How long does it take you for a first draft?