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.

At the Library

When The Keepers of Sulbreth was first released, like many other authors, I made sure those google alerts came to my mail box. I googled the title nearly every day, looking for reviews, searching for the independent stores who had stocked my title. It was fun, exciting and sometimes surprising. One of the things that surprised me was the number of libraries across the country where my book turned up on their list of titles, including my own county library.

In the past year, I've rediscovered my local library and enjoyed many books I wouldn't have read if I would have had to buy them. Lots of new authors were added to my list of 'read everything they write.'



Kansas City Public Library

But since I parted ways with the press that published Keepers for me and took the self pub route for the rest of the series, I won't ever see the next three books of The Futhark Chronicles in my local library.  I miss that and I've heard library sales are very big indicators of a book's success. 

I often look for my bloggy friends' books at the library also. Most of them are not there. The self pubs don't surprise me, but I think I should find some of those books published by small independent presses.

Does your library carry books by small, independent publishers? Do they carry self pubbed books? Do you make good use of your local library? 

Victory

It's done! I completed One Good Woman and have it ready to send to my publisher, New Concepts Publishing, as soon as they tell me they want it. This fourth and last book in The Solonian Chronicles is perhaps the most uplifting and a perfect ending to the series. When I wrote The Greater Good, the first book in this series, I hoped it would be the first in a series if I ever found a publisher. The Lesser Evil flew off the keyboard while I waited to hear about my submission. A Ruthless Good was a story that had to be told. It made the world of Solonia a more complete world and also answered some historical questions. Favorite characters make appearances in many of the books and fans should have no trouble guessing that Brady Gellot and Cara search for happiness and a better world in the One Good Woman.

I'm back to working on the third book set in the fantasy world of Futhark. I know I might have to interrupt it to work on edits for To Tame a Tiger, but I have to keep busy. I'm also busy submitting my newest fantasy manuscript, First Dragon, to a number of publishers. I'm excited about that, but I dread the wait.

Thanks for all the encouragement as I worked so hard on this. Back to watching my Supernatural before I hit the Alphasmart and work on Beneath the Mountain.

Decision Made

After a few days of dithering around, I'm taking some advice from friends and starting on the project I know is the right one to do. I've sent my 'dragon fantasy' out to a few more agents and made a list for the third, or is it fourth, round should all these choices reject me.
Tonight I'm pulling out the rough draft of my fourth book in The Solonian Chronicles, as yet unnamed, and getting to work making it saleable. I actually think it's a stronger story than the third book in that series, A Ruthless Good, though I won't know until I'm done. It is the last book I'm writing set in Solonia, the future Earth, but I have another series I hope to sell to New Concepts after this one. I only need about ten more hours each day so I can get to that.
I wanted to thank all my friends who gave me suggestions on what to dig into next. It's causing me some stress to have so many projects needing my attention. If my writing ever needed me to quit my day job, it is right now. However, letting go of that paycheck would mean I'd be writing in a tent and eating mac and cheese out of the book for dinner every night like I did my senior year in college. Still have some trouble looking at that stuff even though my kids like it.
I'm finding some excitement in getting this book(geez, I really need a name for it) finished. I do love my characters. My heroine is especially complicated and as the story unfolds, my hero turns out to have many layers beneath his seeming perfection.
I'll update the progress of the last Solonian Chronicle periodically and maybe even think of a title.

What I Will and Won't Do This Week

I have so much stuff piled up on my desk there's barely room for my coffee. I keep writing reminders, lists, and stacking things into meaningly piles. I need to catch up, but I also need to finish up some other things. So I writing a public list reminder to myself of what I will accomplish this week and what things I will set aside until later.
#1. I will finish the edits on To Tame A Tiger for The Wild Rose Press.
#2. I won't waste any more energy or emotion complaining about my books being on all those pirate sites for free download.( But it makes me so mad).
#3. I will take the time and do the paperwork to join PAN.
#4. I will set up my squidoo page.
#5. I won't start reading the third book in Brent Weeks' shadow series because I can't seem to put his books down once I start.
#6. I will send all that paperwork off the TWRP and join their yahoo groups.
#7. I won't visit Facebook twenty times a night to see what interesting things my friends are up to.
#8. I will visit all my favorite blogs once a day and leave comments. They're so funny and informative.
#9. I will not under any circumstances visit Borders or any other bookstore this week including and not limited to online booksellers.
#10. I will get on the treadmill each day and run instead of walking no matter how many other things I can think of that I need to do.

I intend to stick to this list and complete all ten by this time next week. Wish me luck.

A Sweet, Sweet Week

Where to start. The past seven days have been a whirlwind for me. On Monday, I was still fuming about the pirates stealing my three futuristic romances. I won't use all the words to describe them I've used in conversation when I discovered it. I did very little writing last weekend. Anger is not an emotion that lends itself to creativity. At least not for me.
But Tuesday morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and knew the path I needed my plot to take as I navigated my characters through their dark moment. And I still remembered it when I woke up again an hour later.
That was the start of a lot of good things. Checking my fantasy publisher, Medallion Press, in a moment of procrastination, I discovered my book cover had finally been put up on their website along with a blurb. It's so beautiful as you can see from the picture alongside this post. The blurb isn't the one I wrote and I wouldn't call it entirely accurate, but it's there. Here's the link if you'd like to read it.
http://www.medallionpress.com/blurbs/sulbreth.html

Later that same night, I discovered the book cover for my newest futuristic romanc release, A Ruthless Good, is on a list over at Goodreads for the hottest erotica cover. Now remember I was a bit distraught because my book isn't erotica and feared it would turn away my ususal readers or mislead new readers. But I'm not silly enough to cry about free publicity. Please go vote if you will.
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/531.Hottest_Romance_Erotica_Covers

As if the good fates hadn't smiled on me enough, the very next day I received an offer of a contract for a fantasy romance from The Wild Rose Press. I've heard so many wonderful things about this publisher, I can't wait to have my book in their lineup. To Tame a Tiger is the novel I had tied up in that bankruptcy mess with Triskelion even though they never published it. I was so afraid it would never see the light of a readers book light.
Continuing on my quest to make this one of the best weeks of my writing career, this morning I finished the first draft of my fourth book in The Solonian Chronicles, the futuristic romance series I have with New Concepts Publishing. This book is the last in the series that started with The Greater Good, The Lesser Evil and A Ruthless Good. I haven't titled this one yet and will tell you more about it later when and if I get a contract.
So I've met my writing goals for Febuary, snagged that new contract and had the joy of seeing that fantasy book up before the world. Everything is flowing.
Until last night. Did I tell you I think I destroyed my website?

The Edge of Season

My writing has lagged a little this week. It's that odd time of year when winter is holding on with sharp, biting cold claws while spring wears away at it with added minutes of daylight and the increased warmth in the afternoon sun. I'm anxious to be outside, cleaning out my flowerbeds, trimming back my raspberry bushes before they get completely out of control and raking up the last of the old brown leaves that escaped last fall.
I usually do my promotional work when I first get home from school and then do my writing after dinner. But now when I get home, the longer daylight hours call to me. One day I cleaned out the garage instead of promo. Another day I washed my car and cleaned windows I haven't touched since last fall.
Things may get worse before they get better. The first day of spring sports practice is only a week away. My daughter plays softball and my son runs track so I'll be busy being taxi to and from practice as well as being number one fan. And in two short weeks, daylight savings time begins. How will I stay at it when it's light out even longer?
Do the seasons distract you? What is your best writing season or are you steady throughout the year? I know the holiday season slows most people down, but what about other times of year? You would think as a school teacher and having my summer months off, I would get a lot of writing done during June, July and August, but the opposite is true. I love the outdoors and near rain or cold to keep me at my keyboard. My alpha smart helps because I can take it outside and to sporting events and get some writing done. Am I the only one distracted by the great outdoors?
It's dark and cold now, so I'm going back to my WIP. I have to get it done before that time change.

Favorite Drink While Writing

I like coffee with my writing when it's light out. Any coffee will do but lately I've had to turn to heavily disguised ice coffee. After over thirty years of coffee abuse, my stomach has said 'no more' to that lovely, aromatic black fluid. I've tried every brand of java that promises mild on your stomach to no avail. So I'm stuck with the stuff watered down with cream and sugars. Sign....
After dark and into the wee hours, I change my drinks to wine or my very favorite, Disaronno amaretto on the rocks. I fine, caramel like sipping liqueur from Italy. Ahh...
So what do you have sitting on the corner of your writing desk. Something to pump you up with caffeine or mellow you out with alcohol?

Top Ten Favorite Ways to Procrastinate

We all do it, but I think writers have a special gift and flare for procrastination. Here are my top ten favorites.

10. Update blog and visit all my friends' blogs and comment. Tell yourself it's all about networking.

9. Check Fictionwise and other booksellers to see if you received any new ratings.

8. Google your name or the name of your book just in case there's a surprise review out there somewhere.

7. Bake some cookies because your children are 'starving.'

6. Run out to the coffeeshop and get a four dollar ice coffee because theirs is so much better than your own ice coffee.

5. Reply to every post on the twenty-five yahoo groups you belong to.

4. Run a quick security scan on your computer because you really shouldn't let those things go.

3. Just a quick check in with facebook or twitter because it's all about the networking, baby.

2. File rejection letters by date and then decide to do them alphabetically.

And the number one favorite way for me to procrastinate is:

1. Rearrange my workspace including but not limited to: moving my desk, vaccumming the corners where it was sitting, dusting EVERYTHING, throwing out all those saved emails with possible contacts on, logging expenses and earnings, putting receipts in the tax folder, make a written list of all the things I need to do for promo, another list for all the authors and books I want to read, and rearrange my keeper shelf by author in order of publication and finally but not least, find the best spot on my desk for pictures of my kids.

What are your favorite ways to procrastinate?

What's a Writer to do on a Weekend?

I have lots of pals who write and many of them work other jobs. I don't have to wonder what most of them are doing on a weekend. No, they're not catching up on housework or finding the time to prepare that extra special family meal. They're trying to get their word count up for the week on their current WIP. Or they're working on edits, trying to find a bigger slice of time to concentrate on it rather than the minutes here and minutes there they find during the week.
I know one of them was at a booksigning near her home this weekend. (Sorry I couldn't be there, hope it was fabulous).
A mini vacation for a writer is a weekend conference where they can network, smooze with other professionals, have some fun interrupted by moments of terror when they pitch to an editor, an agent or finds one seated next to them at the bar. Good stress, but still a working weekend, not a real vacation.
Some writers use this weekend to update their blogs, their websites and other little time consuming things they've put off for the week.
Often a writer with a busy family packs her alpha smart or laptop in the Rodeo and heads off to a tournament, field hockey at Kutztown University this weekend, and sits on the sidelines huddled over the keyboard while chaos breaks all around her. Those little alpha smarts operate at all temperature extremes including 98 degree baseball games and 22 degree football games.
Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and lots of people have parties and social activities planned. This writer is thinking she'll order pizzas so she doesn't have to cook. Will I watch it? Professional sports don't hold much appeal for me after watching my sons play in college. Those college guys play for nothing and they bleed and sweat as much as those millionaires and seem to try a lot harder. They cry when they lose and are really excited when they win. Nah, I won't watch much of it. But the game is important to me because it will keep everyone else busy so I can write in peace.
So enjoy you weekend, all you writers out there. I hope you had the chance to go out on this Saturday night. Me, I'm uploading this week's toil from my alpha smart to the desk top. That's what this writer calls a great weekend.

Favorite Snow Day Activity

Once again the prospect of a snow day hangs over the head of central Pennsylvania school children and their teachers. Or is it a dangling carrot? Those unexpected days off are also such a pleasant surprise and it's very tempting to sleep late, laze around and do nothing. I hate to waste the gift of a day though so I already have plans.
First I will fill the bread machine with the ingredients I have had sitting ready for almost a week. I also have plans for a new oatmeal cookie receipe I must try. Cookies with oatmeal in can't be fattening, can they? While I'm baking those, I'm going to get put together some chicken corn soup. Perfect for an icy, snowy day. Of course, all this is dependent on the electricity staying on which is not a given whenever we have an ice storm.
My daughter has brought a nice stack of wood into the garage so we can get that fireplace roaring tomorrow. A pot of hot tea and maybe our favorite version of Jane Austen in the DVD player and I'm set.
Between taking batches of cookies out of the oven, I'm going to do my daily blog visits and check in with facebook and twitter. Then while the soup simmers and the bread rises, I'm going for a 5K day on the WIP.
So I'm doing my 'snow dance' this evening and hoping for that unexpected vacation day. Be safe.

A Ruthless Good coming in Print

I am so thrilled to learn my publisher, New Concepts Publishing, is releasing my latest futuristic romance in print this June. A Ruthless Good, will join the first two books in my series, The Greater Good and The Lesser Evil as print releases. Three books to have for book signings!
Now if I can only figure out what to do about that cover. It's a little too hot for many signing venues. It's too hot to have around the house when my daughter's friends visit. I have mixed feelings about this latest cover. I didn't get any chance to preview it and actually never saw it until the day my book was released in ebook. I know hot covers can be a great selling tool, but I'm afraid the cover may lead some readers to expect a higher sensuality level than the novel actually contains.
What do you think? Have you ever bought a book expecting something carnal and bold and found it to be rather mild instead? I don't want my readers to feel cheated.
But again, I'm so happy about this book coming out in print. My publisher only puts out a few books in print each month so I'm excited that mine is one of them.

A Ruthless Good Released Today!

After much frantic preparation, somehow my publisher ironed out most of the last minute details and A Ruthless Good was released today from New Concepts. Here's a little detail and a short excerpt. Try this link to see the smoking hot cover and read another excerpt.
http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/aruthlessgood.htm


A RUTHLESSS GOOD is out today!
A RUTHLESS GOOD is the third exciting futuristic romance in The Solonian Chronicles series. Realm warrior, Claudia Turan leads an expedition into the northern wilderness in hopes of finding the lost city of Parlania with its universities and libraries. She expects to find ruins and hopes to salvage some knowledge from the remnants. Instead she finds survivors and a warped society in the midst of revolution. Roth Celebria is the leader of a ragtag band of desperate freedom fighters. Should Claudia risk the safety of her own colony to help Roth? Or is her desire to help him more of lust than concern for the welfare of his people? Both of them learn that the battle for what is right can be merciless and one must be ruthless in the fight against evil. And sometimes sacrifices of body and soul must be made in the hope for a better tomorrow.


Read a short excerpt here and visit my website for more:
Roth struggled toward the warmth. Even if it was the fires of hell, he wanted to reach it. But something heavy weighed on him and held him back. Was he buried? Dead and under the dirt. Why couldn’t he move?
…….
"Hell’s shithouse. They’re ruined!" a strangely accented female voice cursed. She uttered more odd phrases in an angry tone.
A woman displaying anger? A woman cursing? Beyond the fire he saw trees. Roth slowly shifted his head a little to widen his field of vision. He was outside. Not far away he heard the purr of the river.
The woman wore a man’s shirt and pants. She held a boot in her hand and glared at it with a ferocity that shocked him. And her face, beyond the fierce scowl, was unlike any he’d ever seen. Angles and dimples, evident even now with her frown, combined into a work of art. An image of a goddess. And to heighten her divine appearance, her hair hung long and loose to her waist. It was made of silver. Not the dull gray color of old age, but the silver of a deity gracing Parlania with her presence. Her brows were dark, almost black, and her face unlined in youth. Her hands as she turned the boot about were long-fingered and strong while her wrist looked fragile. But a sword lay at her side.
She glanced over at him and shocked him into a gasp. Her eyes were the same silver as her hair, a color that could not be mortal. Perhaps he was dead.
"So you’re awake."
Her voice poured over him like the warm honey produced by mountain bees. And something about it made him very aware of his nudity beneath the mountain of blankets weighing on him.
"Can you speak? Do you understand my words?" She rose with a grace to mirror a dance move and walked around the fire to kneel by his head.
Roth tried to sit up, but the world spun sickeningly when he lifted his head.
"Whoa there, stranger." She pressed him back with a strong hand.
Not that she had need of strength. His muscles were as soft clay.
"Here, roll to your back and let me put something beneath your shoulders." She picked up more blankets from beside the fire and moved around behind him. She lifted the covers from his back to add the new.
"Son of a damned Savage bitch!"
Roth closed his eyes. Somehow having this lovely goddess see his ravaged back shamed him.
He heard her take a few deep breaths before she scrambled around to where he could see her again. She pointed to her chest. "My name is Claudia."
"Roth." It hurt his throat to produce the one rough, quiet word.
"Roth." She smiled and it did a funny thing to his insides. "Mia told me I have to get you to drink something as soon as you woke up. Do you think you could sit up enough to have something?"
He got his elbow under him enough to lift his upper body a little. The lash had curled around his side on some of its strokes, so it hurt to be on his side though not as much as being on his back would.
Claudia held a warm cup to lips while her other hand steadied his head. A fragrance foreign to him rose in misty tendrils of steam from the mug. He’d expected water or tea. He pressed his lips closed.
"It’s all right. I know you Solonians never had chocolate before, but I promise you’ll like it. It’s very reviving."
Roth liked the scent already, and what harm could a drink do? He was helpless. The woman didn’t need to poison him. She could strangle him or beat him to death with a piece of wood if she wished.
It tasted better than it smelled. It slid smoothly over his tongue and teased him with an unlikely combination of sweet and bitter at the same time. He took a few more sips before his strength failed. Claudia helped him ease down to his side.
She returned the metal mug to a spot near the fire and then settled unto the ground where he could see her. Her long slim legs folded beneath her in a move made erotic by the tight pants clinging to her thighs and hips.
She stretched out and picked up her wrinkled looking boot again. "I hope you can say more than your name, Roth, after I ruined my best boots wading out into that ice flow to save you."
She had rescued him? A woman? "Thank you."
Her frown changed to that breath stopping smile . How quickly her emotions changed, and she hid none of them.
"You’re welcome. I think I’m actually thrilled to meet you. We’d almost giving up hope that you existed. You’re worth a pair of boots. Maybe."
Her every sentence confused him. Who was she?
She reached out again and picked up the sword. "But first, you should tell me what happened to your back, and why you were drowning naked in the river."
She spoke with such authority, Roth didn’t know how to answer. She was a woman yet spoke with the stern command of a senior shepherd. "What are you?"
Her quick smile flashed at him again. "What? I’m the Realm captain who’s going to decide if you live or die if you don’t answer my questions. I can only think of a few reasons a man would be whipped almost to death. Might be I should have let you drown so you better start convincing me before we throw you back in that ice bath."

Juggling

I've always one of the people who like to finish one task completely before I go on to the next. Even eating, I tend to eat one thing at a time rather than a bite of this and then a bite of that. I have always read one book cover to cover before starting the next. Being an author has changed all that for me.
I remember the first time I had to set aside the manuscript I was working on to make changes in another book for an editor. It was so stressful and difficult from me to stop thinking about one set of characters and return to the lives of people I had finished with months before. Then when I finished it was nearly as challenging to go back to my WIP.
That part of the business did not come easily to me. I still don't like working on more than one book at a time, but I can do it. I know many writers who seem to easily juggle numerous projects without breaking a sweat. I'm not sure if I'll ever have that talent.
In the meantime, I have learned to read more than one book at once. There's the one I carry in my bag for timeouts during my children's sporting events. There is the one in my bedroom, the one in my desk at school and the one beside my chair in the living room. Who knows? Maybe I'll starting mixing my foods together on my plate.
Hopefully, someday I'll have to really learn to juggle. I think I could live with that kind of stress.

Don't Ever Give Up

All writers have those weeks, those months, those years, and this past one was mine. I'd been waiting to hear from a certain editor about a manuscript she'd asked me to make changes in more than once. She told me numerous times how much she loved the story and let me know in December she would give me a decision after the holidays. You can see where this is going. She rejected it along with an apology and a thank you for all my patience and hard work in a losing cause. Great comfort that was.
I was disappointed for a while, and perhaps a I felt a bit of righteous anger. But I've had enough rejections over the years to know what I needed to get by this. I immediately send out a query to a publisher I've been wishing I had something to fit. They responded quickly with a request for a full manuscript after ready my query and synopsis. I'm so happy I didn't waste days crying in my cups. Okay, I had a glass of wine. But only one. And tonight I'm having one in celebration.
Now about that rejection I received from that agent today, I have a whole list ready to pick the next one from. I'm not giving up.
I'll be back tomorrow or the next day with an excerpt for my next week's release, A Ruthless Good.

Hours in the Day

I know many of us feel this at one time or another, but I could really use about four more hours every day. I don't think four is being greedy. Ten would be asking too much, but with as few as four, I could bake bread each day, cook a meal from scratch, get at that durn treadmill every day and write another thousand words. As the way my day stands now, I must make tough choices of which to do. Giving up my day job eliminate any need to deny one of my pleasures, but I probably wouldn't have the money to buy the flour for the bread, or the electricity to run the treadmill or even a computer to write my novel on. So tonight, when I should have my nose in that WIP, I made the decision to visit some blogs of friends and whine a little about my lack of time.
So I'm curious, what might you do with four hours more per day?

Keeping it Rolling

I had a great weekend. No, I didn't hit the lottery or powerball. But I did hit that part in my WIP where I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with the story. My characters were hurrying from scene to scene, their emotions soaring and sinking and the bad guys put in a great performance. And I'm only taking this short break to catch up on some facebook, twitter and check in with my blog friends. I love it. If only I didn't have to go to that day job. And I like my day job, but I still would rather write full time, all the time, any time and especially during this creative times.
So this is a short stop. I have to get back to it while everything is clear. Things are pretty tense between the hero and heroine right now.
Have fun and hope you all find the 'zone' in your work this week.

Upcoming Book Giveaway

On December 9th, I will be one of the featured authors giving away a book at The Romance Studio's book-a-day giveaway. I'll be giving away my first book in The Solonian Chronicles, The Greater Good. It's a chance to introduce new readers to my series right before the release of my third book in the series. In January, I'll be giving away a copy of The Lesser Evil, also in print format. My third book in the series, A Ruthless Good, will be released by New Concepts Publishing in late December or early January. I hope the readers signing up for the book giveaway will hope over to my website and read some excerpts from my all three of my books. If you're not a member of TRS, this is a good time to sign up.
http://www.theromancestudio.com
And visit me for excerpts and other interesting tidbits.
http://www.susankelleyauthor.com

Taking a Break

Recently I finished edits for two different books and sent them off into the wilds where hopefully someone will love them as much as I do. I have numerous projects waiting my attention. My website needs updated first and foremost. I have the third book in a series plotted and waiting for the prose to flow and create a novel from my chaotic outline. I have another book half done that I had to put aside for other projects and I left my poor hero and heroine in grave danger. The decision of which project to dive into first haunted me for the first day after I sent off that last manuscript. What to do?
I decided to take a break and ponder my dilemma. I baked, cleaned and read three books from that endless pile I purchased in vain hopes of leisure moments. The raspberries I froze after picking them from my backyard this summer made delicious muffins. I moved those shelves in the pantry and snared those wild dust bunnies making homes and babies in their formerly safe den. I laughed, shivered and even grew a bit warm while reading the creative works of my talented fellow writers. I pulled out my precious Jane Austen leather bound collected works and indulged in reading again about poor Mr. Darcy. I almost picked up the cross-stitch masterpiece that sits in half-finished misery in a corner of my office, but I resisted. I stretched my daily exercise routine to an hour instead of thirty minutes.
What has this to do with being a writer? Everyone needs a break from their work so they might approach it again with eagerness and renewal of creativity. Though I didn’t sit at the keyboard during my mini vacation, my thoughts often turned to my waiting projects. Reading the clever story telling of writers more famous, more experienced and more successful than myself, I considered how I might improve my own craft. One can do lots of thinking while jogging, baking and hefting furniture. I would rather have spent my break on a distance, tropical beach, but a vacation from writing doesn’t have to be going away somewhere. I’m confident I can now go to one of my other projects and have my characters speak in voices not identical to the ones I just sent on their way. Plots have thickened while I chopped sausage for in a casserole. Tragedies have come to light while I cleaned the last of the screens. I figured out what’s around the river bend for my poor heroine. I have one more day on my break before I sit down at the keyboard and strap in for another visit to one of my fantasy worlds. This was not a time of procrastination, but rather of recharging. I’m eager, refreshed and in possession of various skeletons of ideas. I know where I’m going to start. Just as soon as I rearrange my office.
How do you take your breaks?

Wish Me Luck

I finished those edits. Finally. This was the third time the editor asked me to make changes. She's taught me so much and even if she doesn't offer the contract this time, I know my writing is the better for my contact with her. I cut nearly 4, 000 words from the manuscript and one entire scene as well as parts of others. I killed off a character at her request and that added a depth of emotion the novel didn't quite reach in its original form.
So, I'm quite excited to send it out and dare I say, very hopeful. I really want to write for this publisher and work more with this editor.
On another issue, I'm expecting my cover for my December release from New Concepts any day now. A Ruthless Good, is the third installment in my Chronicles of Solonia series. One more book in that series is in the works and I think it will be the last. I have another series in mind I hope to sell to NCP also.
Keep me in mind when you're looking for something to read in December. Heart break, adventure and love is what I promise to deliver.