Photo 365 #176

January 30, 20158 Comments

Since yesterday was my birthday, I decided to treat myself by going out to lunch. It was positively divine to get a break from the ramen I’ve been scarfing for far too long.

riss

It was nice to get out and about, but it didn’t work so well for my writing. Between the noise from my fellow diners and the soap opera playing on TV, I had trouble focusing on what I was trying to write. Despite all that, and the similar challenges I faced at lunch today, I actually got quite a bit done and feel rather pleased with myself.

The project in the picture is my latest short story, commissioned by Miss Tadpole. I’ve been working on it for a couple of months – rhyming is haaard, yo – and I hope to have it finished by the time she comes home on Monday. I don’t know if I’ll reach my goal or not, but I feel like I’m finally gaining ground with this story, and I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. It’s set in Lokana, but long before the time of my novels.

And now, on to the next thing! Have a great Friday, everybody!

Photo 365 #175

January 29, 2015January 29, 20156 Comments

Last night, the sun set on my thirtieth year. And what a glorious sunset it was!

sunset30

See? Toldja it was pretty. 🙂

It’s been a great birthday today, even if it has left me thinking a lot about my mom. I’m now the same age she was when she died (or at least I will be come August), and it’s got me thoughtful. Luckily, I’ve got some great friends who’ve done a fantastic job of keeping my spirits high today, and I want to share the happy with you all.

So! I’m running a special on Tuesday Daydreams. From now through Monday, you can pick up a copy (if you don’t have one already) for $1.50 (regular price is $2.99). Just go to Smashwords and enter coupon code FE67Z at checkout. You can also pick up a copy at Amazon.

I hope you all have a fabulous Thursday. See ya back here tomorrow! 🙂

Photo 365 #168: Revision time

January 22, 2015January 23, 2015Leave a comment

If you haven’t been following me on Twitter the last couple of days, I’m really ramping up my revision of The Price of Mercy.

revision

This was taken a while ago, but I forgot to snap a newer pic of my revisions this noon, so I went trawling through my archives. Some time after I took this, I gave up on marking up my hard copy and decided to go straight into rewrite mode. What that means is that I am literally recopying my hard draft, adding new things and fixing old things as the need arises.

When I started this revision, I’d chopped my book in half. That left me with a starting page count of ~154. The latest page count is 295, which means that I’ve done a heck of a lot of rewriting since I started this project! I still have a heck of a lot more to do, though, and I’m beginning to wonder if a fourth book won’t end up being necessary. Of course, if that’s the case, then I’ll start worrying that I won’t have enough material to fill a fourth book…

Being a writer is…

Photo 365 #154

January 8, 20158 Comments

Some people complain about working lunch breaks, but really, I don’t mind them. In fact, I think they’re a heck of a lot of fun.

lunchbreak

Maybe that’s only because my idea of a working lunch break involves taking off to parts unknown and spending time with all sorts of crazy characters. 😀

Queryland revisited

January 4, 201511 Comments

Zandoor
Artwork by Hazel Butler

Hoo boy, am I ever tired! I finally finished reading the Query Shark archives last week and boy, did all that education wear me out. Two hundred and sixty-six queries, plus revisions, plus comments. Talk about a learning experience! That and the comments I received as part of Michelle Hauck’s query critique blog hop have really helped me shine up my query. And further brainstorming led to a name change for my MC.

Behold, my new and improved query:

Dear Super Agent:

Nineteen-year-old Prince Zandoor is expected to follow in his father’s corrupt footsteps. His first task: Marry a wealthy noblewoman and fill the royal coffers to the brim. But the prince has other ideas.

When he falls in love with a peasant…

Strange Portals now available!

December 8, 20144 Comments

Just in time for a much needed holiday break, twenty-two stories about fairies, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and everything in between. Visit a witch’s body swap victims (Samantha’s Day), find what happens when a girl is buried alive (Buried Alive), learn the origin story of Harper (from Night Touched Chronicles) and Verchiel (from the Amaranthine series), and much, much more. So kick up your feet, relax, and indulge in a short story by a new favorite author.

Includes stories by AK Stein, Adan Ramie, B.G. Hope, Barbara G. Tarn, Bonnie Mutchler, CG Copolla, DM Yates, JK Rosaline, Joleene Naylor, Kay Kauffman, Maegan Provan, Rami Ungar, Roger Lawrence, Roxanna Mathews, Russ Towne, Terry Compton and Tricia Drammeh.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by picking up a free book? The Ink Slingers League is proud to present Strange Portals, a collection of twenty-two short stories to help you fend off the holiday crazies. Take a load off and escape into one of these holiday havens, or kick back for a couple of hours and visit them all. They’re our gift to you this holiday season, so enjoy!

Strange Portals is available for free on Smashwords and Amazon (where it will hopefully be free soon), so pick up your copy today!

Why do I write what I write?

December 7, 2014December 6, 20142 Comments

Jenny at readsbyredriverbanks asked me to take part in the Writer’s Blog Tour last weekend, and I’ve finally taken a few minutes to sit down and type up a post. I did a post on the same topic back in May, when the ever-lovely Tricia Drammeh asked me to take part. That time I answered the questions with more of a focus on my fiction writing, but this time I decided to focus a bit more on my poetry.

Why do I write what I do?
I write poetry because it’s something I’ve always enjoyed reading. I remember as a kid I spent a whole afternoon in one of the trees out at my grandparents’ place writing poems about my summer vacation as a school project. I used to really like free verse, and sometimes I still write a bit of it, but I’ve found haiku to be an interesting challenge, and it’s really quite satisfying to be able to cram a world of emotion into 17 syllables.

What am I working on?
I’m still working on…

Holiday query blog hop!

December 6, 2014January 4, 201522 Comments

Vegin
Artwork by Hazel Butler

Once again, Michelle Hauck is hosting a blog hop to help authors get their stuff together. This time, though, instead of first page critiques, it’s a query critique! Like my first page, I’m sure that my query needs as much help as it can get, so here it is:

Dear Super Agent:

As the Crown Prince of Lokana, nineteen-year-old Vegin is expected to follow in his father’s corrupt footsteps by marrying a wealthy noblewoman and filling the royal coffers to the brim. But the prince has other ideas, and when he falls in love with a peasant named Lipei, his father threatens to deny him the crown and live forever. Though Vegin knows his father is serious, he insists that he will marry for love or not at all.

But there are bigger problems facing the kingdom than succession.

Authors to Watch features Tuesday Daydreams!

December 6, 2014February 1, 20156 Comments

TDSW Authors to Watch is a great blog run by my good friend Tricia Drammeh that features books and authors of all stripes. Today, she featured Tuesday Daydreams: A Journal in Verse! You can check out her post here.

But she’s not the only one who’s been talking about Tuesday Daydreams lately – Joleene Naylor and DM Yates have, as well. Joleene’s post is here and Donna’s is here.

All three of these ladies are talented authors in their own right and you should be sure to check out their books as well as mine. Tricia’s books include the Spellbringers series and Better Than Perfect, among others. Joleene writes the Amaranthine books, where vampires and glitter don’t mix. DM Yates writes fantasy novels and poetry, and you can find out more about her books here.

Make sure to spread the love, and check out all of these wonderful books today!