Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop Winner

It's time to pick a winner for the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop.  Congratulations go to....

Katie Wilkins!

Katie, please email me your mailing address (laralacombewriter at gmail dot com) and I'll send your book out ASAP!

Thanks to all who entered, and be sure to come back next month for another giveaway!

Voltaire was right

I'm trying to squeeze in some writing time while here with the family in chilly Nashville.  We've had a bit of snow, but nothing is sticking (yay!).  Between the Harry Potter marathons and gorging myself on French onion dip, I think I managed almost 700 words yesterday, which I consider a win.

As I work on my edits, I find myself getting a bit overwhelmed at times.  It's so easy to sink under and flail about unproductively, all because I'm focusing on the trees instead of the forest.  I keep telling myself to step back and look at the bigger picture--how do I need to update this scene to move the plot forward and to accommodate the changes in the story?

I also have to keep reminding myself that, as our old friend Voltaire first said, the perfect is the enemy of the good.  In fact, I should probably print this quote out and plaster it everywhere.  My book will not be perfect, and I'm only paralyzing myself if I think I can make it so.  That is not to say that I want to do a crappy job with my edits, but it's important to keep in mind that any words are better than no words, and I'm not chiseling these things into stone--they can be modified or erased at the click of a button.

Fellow authors, how are you faring during the holidays?  Making any progress?  How do you approach edits?

Stay safe! :)

Merry Christmas!

Have a happy and safe holiday!

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

I'm pleased to participate in the Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop, sponsored by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Oasis for YA.

The holidays are my favorite time of year, thanks in no small part to the widespread distribution of plaid.  Seeing plaid everywhere feeds my Scottish obsession, and I figured for this giveaway, I would share my love of the Scottish romance.

Up for grabs is a copy of Monica McCarty's latest, The Recruit.  Here's the back cover blurb:

Scotland’s King Robert the Bruce is retaking his kingdom from the invading English. To win, he’ll need all the grit and courage of his elite band of warriors, the Highland Guard, men who fight without fear and love without limits.

Fiery, aggressive, and bold, Kenneth Sutherland is a true champion—skilled with any weapon and driven to win. Now Kenneth is ready for his greatest challenge: joining Robert the Bruce’s secret army to fight among the elite. Kenneth’s best chance to attain that honor is by winning the Highland Games. Focused and prepared for victory, he is caught off guard by a lovely wisp of a woman—and a stolen moment of wicked seduction. Her innocent arousal and her shameless hunger fire his blood. He will win his place in the guard—and in Mary of Mar’s bed. 

The ruggedly handsome hero-in-the-making stirs a heart that should know better. Mary vows that her surrender will be sport only—no promises, no heartbreak, just one night of incredible passion. Nothing, she swears, will persuade her to give up her hard-wrought independence and put her fate in the hands of another powerful man. But with every gentle touch and heart-pounding kiss, Kenneth makes her want more. Now Mary wants his heart. But is this determined champion willing to surrender everything for love?

This is a great series, and the books can be read as stand-alones as well, in case you haven't read the others (but you really should as they're awesome).  I also have a ton of Scottish-romance goodies to include with the book, so the winner will be getting quite a collection of stuff!

The giveaway is open to US readers, and runs until December 27.  I'll announce the winner on  Friday, December 28.  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Good luck, and happy holidays!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

A non-Tolkien fan reviews The Hobbit

I have a confession to make: I don't like J.R.R. Tolkien.  I read The Hobbit back in middle school, at the insistence of a friend who had drunk the kool-aid, and I hated it.  Absolutely hated it.  I never went on to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I've had people tell me those books are better.  I'll take their word for it.

I saw the movie The Hobbit this weekend.  Given my history with the book, I was predisposed to not really like the movie.  While I thought it was visually well-done, with lots of special effects and action, I thought the plot was somewhat lacking.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Bilbo and the dwarves basically get into one scrape after another, with Gandalf always turning up at a key moment to save them.  Later, rinse, repeat.  Frankly, it was boring.  What are the stakes?  Where's the risk? I kept hearing Donald Maass's voice in my head saying "Make things worse for the characters."  In this case, everyone makes it through to the end of the movie.  No one dies, no one is seriously hurt--although I did think the dwarf leader was going to bite it in one scene.

I'm not saying the characters didn't have to make sacrifices or encounter hardships, but with Gandalf always there to save the day, I was never really worried about how things were going to turn out. Likewise, I guess I didn't really connect with any of the characters because it seemed a foregone conclusion that things were going to be okay in the end.

Granted, this is the first movie of a trilogy, so maybe things get worse for them before the end.  I have to say though, this movie didn't exactly leave me clamoring for more, and I'm certainly not about to pick up the book to refresh my memory.

Has anyone else seen the movie yet?  What did you think of the movie or the book?  Am I the only person out there who never really liked Tolkien?

Hmmm....

So I was checking out Etsy the other day, and I ran across a site that makes and sells book purses.  Have you guys seen these?  You take a hardcover book and re-purpose it as a handbag.

www.123rf.com

My first reaction was delight.  I love books, I love purses--the perfect marriage, yes?  But then I got to thinking about it. How are those purses made?  Oh, that's right.  The books are destroyed.  Their pages cut out and discarded (or recycled), leaving the shell behind.

Now, a book is more than it's physical presence.  The story lives beyond the printed word, and no amount of physical manipulation will truly destroy the book.  It's just...  It's a book.  Something that is, dare I say, almost sacred to me?  Destroying a book like that feels awfully close to book burning, even though my rational mind knows they're nothing alike.

On the other hand, a book purse is an unusual thing.  I'm sure it would inspire a lot of comments.  Is that such a bad thing?  Maybe someone sees your book purse and is intrigued.  Why did you pick that book? What is it about that story that made you want to carry the book around all the time, advertising your literary taste?  Maybe they get inspired to pick up the book and get lost in the story.  Maybe you bring another reader into the fold....

I still haven't decided what I think about these bags.  Unusual? Undoubtedly.  A good thing?  I just don't know.

What do you think?  Am I being irrational?  Would you buy a book purse (or do you have one already)?

Insecure Writers' Support Group - December edition

It's time for another edition of IWSG posts!  For a full list of participating blogs, be sure to check out Alex Cavanaugh's blog.

Can you believe it's already December?  I thought for this month's post, I'd take stock of my year in writing and tally up where I made progress and where I fell short.

Good things:
--I finished Edge of Trust.
--I submitted Edge of Trust, and the editor requested some revisions, which I am currently working on <yay!>

Needs improvement:
--I started 2 books and made progress, but I really wanted to have a second book in the can by the end of the year.  That's not going to happen.
--I participated in NaNo (twice, if you count Camp NaNo during the summer), and failed to win.

I think the biggest lesson for me is that I need to work on my daily writing progress.  I can't just plan to write for large chunks of time on the weekends, because that doesn't always work out.  I need to do a better job of taking advantage of the odd 30 minutes that pop up every now and then.

I also need to learn to ignore my internal editor.  I think that's my biggest roadblock to using the aforementioned spare blocks of time I have--I start writing, and wind up deleting because the words 'aren't good enough.'  Really though, any words are better than no words, am I right?

There are still a few weeks left in the year, and I'm coming up on my winter break at work.  I hope to take advantage of the time off and finish up the revisions for Edge of Trust and make additional progress on Edge of Danger and Edge of Truth.  The holidays are already a crazy time of year, but I think I can do it!

Good luck to everyone on meeting your writing goals during the holiday season!

How much time do you need?

It's the holiday season, which means life is all kinds of crazy. Still, many people have time off from work, which means more time for reading <yay!>.  I was on Facebook the other day, and I noticed a woman had commented that she had read 24(!) books during her Thanksgiving break. How's that for a reading binge?

My first thought was 'Good for her' but then I started wondering about the quality of her reading experience. I don't know about you, but there are some books that I love to linger over, to really take my time and enjoy them.  These tend to be the books that give me a 'reading hangover.'  You know what I mean: you finish the book and the story lingers with you, making it so that you are at a loss as to what book to pick up next.  It can't possibly live up to what you just finished, so why bother?

I don't want to sound like a reading snob.  I won't deny that I read plenty of 'potato chip' books, those that are tasty and fun and go down quickly.  I love those books, but they don't make me pause.  I don't take those characters into my heart or find myself thinking about them in an idle moment as if they were my friends.  The 'potato chip' books are great, but it's the 'steak and potatoes' books that really make reading worthwhile for me.

How about you?  Do you move from book to book to book, or are there some stories that really make you stop?

Great Expectations Contest!

www.123rf.com

Yes, I am alive. :)  It's the end of the semester so I've been buried in work, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel--two more weeks until break starts!

In the meantime, I wanted to let you all know about the Great Expectations contest sponsored by my local RWA chapter.  Here are the details:

What: Great Expectations Writing Contest

Who: Unpublished authors (and authors not previously published in that genre)

Where: http://ntrwagreatexpectations.blogspot.com/

Why: Because entering a writing competition like Great Expectations can be a great thing for you, your writing, and your career.

Great Expectations encourages inspiration, learning, improvement, discipline, experience, and publishing.

Inspiration

A writing competition with different categories can encourage you to polish that story you've always wanted to write. Great Expectations offers you a chance to enter the first twenty-five pages of your manuscript in the following romance categories:

• Contemporary Series

• Erotic Romance

• Historical

• Inspirational Contemporary

• Mainstream with Romantic Elements

• Romantic Suspense

• Single Title

• Specialized (Futuristic/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal)

• Young Adult

Learning

Every entry will be evaluated by at least five first round judges and scored. Feedback is often provided by those judges. Finalists will then be reviewed by professional editors from a variety of publishing houses. Previous entrants to Great Expectations have found the feedback invaluable to improving their manuscripts.

Improvement

Writers who apply what they learn from the feedback have the chance to polish their manuscripts for future competitions and submissions. Imagine the chance to know what in your first twenty-five pages really resonated with the judges and where they had questions. Too often, writers don't have access to this kind of information. You have a chance to improve the quality of your writing, your submissions, and your story just by entering.

Discipline

Like all competitions, Great Expectations has some hard and fast deadlines. From early bird entries to the very last day you can enter. To take advantage of the other benefits, you have to meet those deadlines. Discipline helps writers become more focused not only on their story, but also their method.

Experience

Experience is the best teacher. Whether you are a first time pre-published author, a veteran of writing competitions, or an author looking to experience a new genre, Great Expectations can help you achieve experience in that area with valuable feedback, contacts, and learning.

Publishing

Many finalists in the Great Expectations contest (and even some who didn't final) used the experience, the learning, and the feedback to turn their entries into polished full submissions and publication. Final judges may request full manuscripts during the judging process as well, so just by entering you have the chance to make it to the short-list of authors an editor wants to see more from.

The only question you should have left is, why aren't you entering Great Expectations?

Enter today.

I hope some of you will take advantage of this contest--it's a wonderful opportunity!

Gratitude Giveaway Hop Winners!

How was your Thanksgiving holiday?  I hope you all got to spend time with family and friends, and enjoyed your respective meals.  I know I enjoyed my pie.  Mmmm... pie.

Anyway, it's time for me to pick the winners of the Gratitude Giveaway Hop (drum roll please):

Congratulations go to...

Leigh Ann Gregoire and Texas Book Lover!

Please email me your address at laralacombewriter at gmail dot com, and I'll get your books in the mail this week!

Thanks to all who entered, and check in next month for another great giveaway!

Gratitude Giveaway Hop!

This month, I'm happy to participate in the Gratitude Giveaways Hop, sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Up for grabs are 2 (yes, two!) autographed copies of Circle of Desire by Carla Swafford.  Here's the back cover blurb:

She Knew How To Fight But Not To Love ...

As the top assassin at The Circle, a shadowy group of mercenaries, Olivia St. Vincent can hunt down anyone. She's been trained since she was a teenager to kill without feeling, to interact with men without love. But when she's kidnapped by the enigmatic leader of a rival organization, she learns she's been lied to for years. She never worked for the good guys.

Collin Ryker believes the sultry woman he's abducted knows more than she's telling about The Circle and its plans for complete domination. Over time, as they work together, Olivia's tenacity and vulnerability captivate him. But if he isn't careful, Collin will fall into the biggest trap of all: caring for a woman who can betray him to his greatest enemy.

The giveaway will run until November 25, and I'll post the winners on Monday, November 26.  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WIP blog hop!

www.123rf.com

I'm excited to participate in this blog hop!  Thanks again to my fellow RWA chaptermate JenFitzGerald for tagging me.

Here are the questions:

What is your working title of your book? Edge of Truth

Where did the idea come from for the book? I had read an article about the increasing violence of the animal rights movement, and decided my next hero was going to be an undercover agent who had infiltrated one of these groups.  Naturally, my heroine was going to be a target of the group, and he would have to protect her from danger.

What genre does your book fall under?  Romantic suspense

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Henry Cavill would be great for Mark, and I think Zoe looks a lot like Mila Kunis.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  Undercover FBI agent Mark Frisco is the only thing standing between a fanatical, violent animal rights group and their target, veterinarian Zoe Daniels.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  I'm hoping to go for traditional publishing.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  Still working on it :)

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  I think readers who enjoy the KGI series by Maya Banks and the A-TAC series by Dee Davis would enjoy my books.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?  This is the third book in my Edge trilogy, and as I said, the idea came to me after I read the aforementioned article.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  This is a roller-coaster of a story, and it's been a blast to work on.  I think it's a fitting end to the trilogy, and it's an action packed way to wrap things up.

Thanks again for tagging me Jen!  I'm going to share the love and tag Zan Marie Steadham

Coming up for air...

www.123rf.com

Wow, I've really neglected the blog this week.  In my defense, I'm deep in NaNo land, and while I'm a bit behind (as the calendar in the sidebar shows) I have hopes of pulling this off.  I'm just going to keep plugging away, and I tell myself that every day I write is a good day. :)

Now, on to some potentially exciting news.  I submitted my first manuscript, Edge of Trust, to an editor a few months ago.  She wrote back this week, telling me she liked the book, and would I be willing to revise and resubmit the story?  Naturally, I agreed.

www.123rf.com

While this is in no way a guarantee of publication, I'm over the moon!  Part of me still can't believe that someone I'm not friends with or related to likes my writing, and wants to work with me on making it better.  I'll keep you all updated as this adventure progresses, but in the meantime, please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Hope everyone out there is doing well.  To all my fellow NaNo'ers, keep writing!

Decisions, decisions...

I know what I'm doing this weekend. What about you? :)

Onward and upward...

I'm a member of the Books and Writers Community, which is an awesome place for writers (and readers) of all stripes to hang out and discuss books, writing, research, and anything else that pops up.  One of the things I like best about The Forum is the willingness of members to help each other out, especially in terms of critiques.  You can post a snippet of your writing and get feedback from dozens of people, all pointing out ways to make your work stronger, better, faster... (well, you get the idea)

www.123rf.com

While I love posting my work, I am usually reluctant to do so.  I'm not afraid of soliciting feedback--indeed, I'm something of a feedback junkie--but I feel like my critiquing skills are not up to par.  It's not fair for me to ask these people to put in the time and effort of critting my work, when I feel my suggestions to them are so superficial as to be laughable.

I know the only way to get better at this is to practice, so that's what I've been doing.  I'm speaking up more and more when people ask for feedback, building up some karmic points so that at some point, I can post without feeling like I'm taking advantage of this great community of readers and authors.

Do you feel like your critiquing skills are lacking, or is it just me?  How have you improved your skills?  Was there anything in particular that helped you out, or is experience the best teacher?  Please share your experiences in the comments!

Third time lucky?

I really want to give this book away, but no one is getting back to me.  I'm picking my third winner, and if I don't hear from them, the prize goes back into the vault...

Congratulations go to...  Kaci Verdun!

Kaci, please email me your address and I'll mail your book ASAP!

Are you ready for November?

www.123rf.com

A quick check of the calendar reveals that November is but 2.5 weeks away!  While I could say something about how quickly the year is flying by (it is), I'd rather talk about the beauty that is NaNoWriMo.

What is NaNoWriMo you say?  Why, it's National Novel Writing Month!  It's that glorious, reckless time of year where you devote yourself entirely to writing, without a care for plot, editing, or any of the other factors that can bog you down.  You just put your butt in the chair and write.

It's exhilarating.  It's exhausting.  It's extremely difficult.

I'm still kicking around plot ideas for this year's endeavor.  I don't normally spend a lot of time getting things in order before I start, but I know some people write outlines, index cards of scenes, stuff like that.  I'm not a big plotter anyway, so that doesn't work for me.  Still, I always start with a basic idea of the characters and story.  For me, a big part of the fun is seeing where my characters take me as we go.

Is anyone else doing NaNo this year?  If so, look me up and let's be writing buddies!  My user name is Lara Lacombe.  I look forward to seeing you online!

New winner!

Unfortunately, I've had to pick another winner in the Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway Hop.  Why don't people check their email/Twitter accounts more often?  Grrr....

Anyway...

Congratulations go to Rose!

Please email me your address, and I'll get your book in the mail right away!

What's it worth to you?

www.123rf.com

I stopped by the bookstore during my lunch break today, and walked out $40 poorer, but much happier.  As I was driving back to my office, I thought about the price of hardcover books, and how that compares to the other forms of entertainment I pay for (no, not that...  Get your mind out of the gutter!)

Take movies, for example.  A full price movie ticket is around $10 these days.  Throw in a drink and some popcorn, and you've shelled out about $20 per person to see the latest blockbuster.  That buys you 2 hours of entertainment in a dark, air-conditioned environment (nothing to sneeze at during a Texas summer).  For about the same price (or a few dollars more) you could purchase a new hardcover release, which will buy you several hours of entertainment, depending on how quickly you read.  As an added bonus, you can go back and re-read it again and again without having to pay.  There's something to be said for that.

Now, I appreciate books are expensive and there is a legitimate issue regarding the price of e-books and whatnot.  But when you think about how far your dollar goes, enjoyment-wise, I think books win every time.  Maybe that's just me.

And so I have a question for you, dear readers.  Do you buy hardcover releases?  My finances can't support my book habit, so I only have a few authors on my hardcover 'ohgoditsanewbookImusthaveitNOW!' list, which helps keep things manageable.  How many hardcovers (or new e-book releases) do you buy in a given month?  Do you prefer paperbacks (or when the e-book price drops), or are you willing to pay a little extra to get the book right away?

Inquiring minds want to know...  

Giveaway winner!

Congratulations go to.... Misha K! You're the winner of the Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway Hop! Please email me your address, and I'll get your book in the mail this week!

Thanks to everyone for participating, and be sure to come back next month for another awesome giveaway!

Happiness is....

It took an extreme act of willpower, but I managed to refrain from buying this DVD the day it was released.  Shocking, I know.

At least now I can ogle Hawkeye's biceps in the comfort of my own home. [g]  I'll miss the movie theatre popcorn though--I can never get the microwave stuff to taste the same.

What was your movie of the summer?

Insecure Writer's Support Group - October edition

How is it October already?  This year feels like it's just flying by...

For this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group post, I want to talk about the insecurity that comes with comparisons.

I have a fabulous group of fellow authors in my local RWA chapter, and one of the great things about interacting with everyone is that I get to hear about their projects and ideas and so on.  A few of the authors work on multiple books at once, and so they always have several manuscripts in progress at any given time.

I do not do this.

I work on one book at a time.  I have ideas brewing while I'm writing, but I'm too afraid that if I stop working on one book to start another, I will never return to that original book again.  Ergo, I don't veer from my course.

Sometimes I feel a bit insecure because it seems like everyone else is writing, writing, writing, being super-productive and finishing multiple books a year, whereas I am plodding along, lucky to get two books done in a year.

Do I worry that I'm not productive enough?  Yes.

Do I worry that if when I get published, I won't be able to deliver enough content to keep the readers interested, since it is unlikely I'll be able to release more than 2 books a year?  Sure.  But what a great problem to have, right?

According to Kierkegaard, comparison is the root of unhappiness.  I know this, and yet it's difficult to stop using other people's productivity as a yardstick for my own.  Something for me to work on, I guess...

Does anyone else do this?  It's okay if you don't--I'm used to being weird. :)

Fangs, Fur, and Fey Giveaway Hop!

I know I just had a giveaway, but since I got a ton of books at the RWA National conference, I have a lot of goodies to share.

This month's giveaway is Fangs, Fur, and Fey, and it's hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Reading Lark.

Up for grabs is a copy of Karen Marie Moning's Into the Dreaming.  Here's the back cover blurb:

Free him from his ice-borne hell . . .
 
Stolen from his beloved home in the Highlands of Scotland, imprisoned in the Unseelie king’s dark, frosty kingdom, Aedan MacKinnon endured centuries of torture before becoming the icy, emotionless Vengeance, the dark king’s dispatcher of death and destruction in the mortal realm.
 
And in his century you both may dwell . . .
 
Aspiring romance novelist Jane Sillee has always believed that she was born in the wrong century, but she’s managed to make a decent enough life for herself—if only she could stop having those recurring dreams about a man too perfect to exist.
 
In the Dreaming you have loved him . . .
 
Haunted every night of her life by a devastatingly sexy Highlander who comes to her while she sleeps, Jane tries to write him out of her head and heart. As a child he protected her, as a woman he loves her.
 
Now in the Waking you must save him . . .
 
When an ancient tapestry bearing the likeness of her beloved Highlander arrives on her doorstep, Jane is whisked back in time to fifteenth-century Scotland, to the castle of Dun Haakon on the isle of Skye, where she is given one chance to save her dream lover . . . or lose him forever to the Unseelie king.
 
Caught in a deadly game between the light and dark courts of the Fae, Jane must find a way through the ice to the heart of her Highander. But will the love of one mortal woman be enough to defeat such ancient and ruthless immortal enemies?

This giveaway is open to US readers only, and will run until October 8.  On Tuesday, October 9 I will post the name of the winner.  You will have 3 days to contact me, at which time I will choose another winner if I haven't heard from you.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

How much is too much?

So shiny and new!

I read an article today about the re-launch of MySpace.  I'll admit, the screencaps I saw looked good, and they seem to have done a nice job revamping the site.  I'm not sure I'm going to join up again though--with all the Facebook, Twitter, and blogging, there just aren't enough hours in the day to keep up with social media, work, and write.

I've pretty much picked Twitter and this blog as my primary social media activities, at least for now.  If (no, I'm going to think positively) when I get published, I'll probably need to expand my digital horizons, but for now, this works for me.

What's your approach to the whole social media thing?  Do you keep up with everything, or do you just have a couple of accounts you like to work with?  How do you get your name out there while maintaining the time to write?

New giveaway winner!

Well, I've contacted the first winner and haven't heard back, so I've picked another winner of the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop.

Congratulations go to.... Holly Letson!

Holly, please email me your mailing address at laralacombewriter (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll get your 3 Virgin River books in the mail to you right away!

Under the Sea Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations go to Susan Smith, winner of the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop!

Susan, please contact me with your mailing address and I will get your books in the mail soon!

Thanks to all the entrants, and be sure to come back next month for another great contest.

Monday Motivation

www.123rf.com

What'cha doing today?

Under the Sea Giveaway Hop!

This month, I'm happy to participate in the Under the Sea Giveaway Hop, hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Musings of ALMYBNENR.

As you can probably tell from the name, the theme for this giveaway is water.  With that in mind, I'm giving away three of the books in the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr--Hidden Summit, Redwood Bend, and Sunrise Point.



You have until September 20 to enter for your chance to win.  I'll pick a winner and post the name on Friday, September 21.  The giveaway is open to US residents only.  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

Good luck, and happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A little fun...

Has anyone seen the website I Write Like?  You paste in a few paragraphs of your writing, and it will tell you which famous author you most write like.  Apparently, I write like Kurt Vonnegut.

I write like

Kurt Vonnegut

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

It's a fun little exercise. Have you tried it? Which author did you get?

Insecure Writer's Support Group - September edition

Today I want to talk about something that affects us all--finding time to write.  With an ever-increasing number of things to do and demands on our time, how do you make time to write?

I know some people like to get up early and write before the hectic pace of the day starts.  I am the exact opposite of a morning person, so that's not going to work for me.

I try to write in snippets during the day--a few words here, a few words there.  I really like the weekends when I get a few hours of uninterrupted time to focus on my writing.  I need to do a better job about protecting that time, so I don't let it slip through my fingers.

What about you?  What's your strategy for ensuring you get to write?

Be sure to stop by Alex's blog to find the other writers posting this month!

Hooray for 3-day Weekends!

Happy Belated Labor Day everyone!  Hope you all had a nice day.  I ran around like a crazy person, but managed to get a lot done.

Be sure to tune in later in the week for IWSG on Wednesday, and a little post about motivation on Friday.

Have a great week!

First World problems... I haz them

www.123rf.com

There is a wasp in my apartment.  This is not cool.

Also, I think my laptop is about to crash and burn.

Le sigh.

Mea culpa

Sorry I've been so scarce lately.  It's not that I don't want to post, but life keeps getting in the way.

I just started a new job on Monday <yay!>.  So far, I love it.  The only downside is that I don't have much time to write anymore, and that's been tough.  I really miss Thomas and Claire, and I have a lot of ideas floating around that could use my attention.

www.123rf.com

I expect that things will settle down in the next few weeks, and I can sneak in the time to write once I adjust to my new schedule.  In the meantime, I will have to make due with writing on the weekend.  Good thing we've got a three-day weekend coming up!

I know I'm not the only one with a crazy schedule.  How do you guys find time to write?

Monday Motivation

www.123rf.com

Disappearing act...

www.123rf.com

About 90 days ago, I submitted Edge of Trust to an agent I met at DFW Con.  I haven't heard back from her yet, and today I figured out why--when I emailed her to follow up, I got an automatic reply from Book Ends that she was no longer with the company.  Bummer.

I'm not sure how long ago she left the company, and if I can (or should) try to track her down.  Has this happened to anyone else?  How did you respond?

Monday Motivation

FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Submitted

Wikimedia Commons

I think I told you that last month at the RWA National meeting, I had an editor request my full manuscript and a synopsis.  I finally finished the formatting and final read-through of Edge of Trust tonight, and just sent my first finished book whirring through cyberspace to land (softly, I hope) in the inbox of said editor.  Now the waiting begins.

Editors and agents are always talking about 'voice' or that 'next big thing.'  I'm too close to this book to tell if it has either one, but I sure do hope so.  I've had some awesome beta readers (thanks, guys!), and they didn't punish me for making them read the book, so I'm hopeful this editor will enjoy it as well.  Either way, I will definitely let you know.

Wish me (and James and Kelly) luck!

Monday Motivation

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Are we too nice?

www.123rf.com

There's a very interesting piece on Slate regarding the current literary culture.  Have you read it yet?

I think the author makes some good points--given the ubiquitous nature of social networking, authors are increasingly interacting with readers and each other.  This is not always a bad thing--I know that as a reader, I have enjoyed talking with authors about my favorite books, and as a writer, I really appreciate hearing them talk about their process and strategy.

However.

I have noticed on some author websites that any opinions or reviews that are less than glowing praise are shouted down by other fans.  There are countless accounts of authors behaving badly on GoodReads, Amazon, or other review websites.  As the author of this piece notes, this culture of love makes it difficult for critical reviews to come to light, because it's very easy to conflate the work under review with the person who just tweeted the adorable picture of her puppy.

Should authors step back from social media, in order to keep themselves separate from their work?  I don't think so.  Nowadays, publishers practically demand that authors perform some type of self-promotion, be it a Facebook page, Twitter account, blog, or other type of social media.  This is even more true for self-published authors, who must promote themselves loudly and often to have a chance of being heard in this crowded market.

I think it's important to differentiate the one-star drive-by reviews (the ones where the writer clearly hasn't read the book) from those that articulate an opinion and provide examples to back it up.  The latter are the type of reviews that are most helpful, both to authors and readers, and we as a literary community should encourage them.  Personally, when I review a book I try to provide examples from the text that support my argument as to whether it's a good book or not.

This is an interesting issue, to be sure, and I'm wondering what you all think about it.  Are we too friendly?  Do we stifle critical opinion because we don't want to hurt the author's feelings?  Or do we have the right balance of criticism and praise?  Let me know your thoughts!

Monday Motivation

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Insecure Writer's Support Group - August edition

Today I want to talk about publishers.  Having just attended the RWA national conference, I had a chance to interact with representatives from a variety of publishers, both traditional print and e-only publishers.  The sessions spotlighting each publisher were very informative and interesting, and I feel I learned a lot.  However, now that I've had some time to digest all the information, I find I still have a lot of questions.

I have a manuscript ready to shop around, but I'm still not quite sure where to send it.  I do know what my career goals are, but I don't know which route to take to achieve them.  Strive for traditional publication?  Go for e-publication?  Self-publish?  So many options...  Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to have a choice, but it would be great to have some kind of sign or assurance that I'm making the right decision.  Maybe I'll dig my crystal ball out of storage in the hopes of predicting the future of publishing...

What about you?  Have you decided how you want to publish your work?  What factors influenced your choice?

Monday Motivation

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

There's no place like home...

I had an awesome time at the RWA national conference this year, but boy am I glad to be home!  In keeping with tradition, I woke up with a sore throat this morning--I'm really hoping it doesn't turn into a cold or something, although it's not uncommon for me to get sick when I go out of town.  Oh well.

I took lots of notes and will spend the next few weeks getting them organized and written up so I can share the wealth with all of you.

In other news, I was able to pick up a last minute pitch session at the conference.  I'm quite excited to report that the editor requested my full manuscript and a synopsis, so cross your fingers for me!  Hopefully she'll like Edge of Trust as much as I do! :)

Hope you all had a good week.  I'm off to bed, provided I can get the boys to share...

Oh, you're back?