A Bit Of Change...

Change is good, especially when things grow a little stagnant or you just have gone as far as you can go.

That's the case with me, these days. Midian Entertainment was great, got me where I needed to go and now I'm back on the writing road with Legacy Scribes Collaborative. I have one final book coming out with The Breed, hopefully to be released at the end of March.

After that, I have 3 more books planned. Those will be published through Legacy. So I should have at least two more out before the year is over. I'm excited about all of this! I've been a busy girl with all kinds of writing projects, but nothing for myself for the last few years except "Blood of My Sisters". Now that I have that out, I can get back into my usual routine.

How is your writing going? Give me some details!

IWSG...

I'm back to the IWSG post! Woohoo! If you want to know more about this or want to find the list of other participants, please visit Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog here.

This month, the optional question is:

How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?

I am choosing to do my own insecure thing this month.

Over the last few years, I have quietly been working with Midian Entertainment on a massive project. It hasn't been until recently that we've been allowed to share, do book cover reveals, etc.

My role in all of this is basically a writer, an editor, a publisher, and an adviser. I'm also currently acting as a marketing manager, trying to build a following on Twitter without really having given the public much to look at and go all on faith.

I wear a lot of hats. My writing has sort of come to a standstill due to multiple reasons. I'm not complaining, I'm just wanting to get back to it.

My constant fear is, will everything I've done be good enough? Will this just bomb entirely and if it does, how will it affect me? I'm pretty sure I know how it will affect me...  and it won't be good.

I have grown as a writer over the last several years. I've worked to hone my craft. I just haven't been able to put anything out into the world until now to prove that. So will I still be viewed as a hack fantasy writer who couldn't cut it so she self published? I still don't have the third book finished! Which... is in the works.

See? Lots of insecurities as I step into these new roles in my writing career.

How about you? Comment down below. And don't forget to visit the other participants!

Have a great day!

What I'm Working On: The BREED

Hey everyone!

So I finally get to tell you a little more about that project I've been working on. It's called The BREED. About two years ago, I was approached by a couple of people to help get a project off the ground. One of these people I have known for some time as we used to game together in that text based RPG I've mentioned way back in the day called Legends of Cosrin. The other person was a complete stranger.

That complete stranger had this idea for a multiverse world full of your usual horror creatures; vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, etc. He wasn't a writer, but still had this idea that he worked on with my gaming friend. His names is Charles and my gaming friend is Ray. Ray knew my writing skills due to lots of posts I had made and role plays I had designed in game. For whatever reason, he felt I was the one who would be able to help get this project off the ground. I'm not only an author on this project now, but I'm the Creative Director as well.

So I was allowed to recruit authors as long as they signed a non disclosure agreement. Let me tell you, that was more difficult than you realize because I couldn't give these authors much information until they signed that NDA. I posted on here looking for people, I scoured my author friends list and I only got a few bites. But let me tell you, those few bites have panned out and we are so close to being able to tell everyone so much more!

In the meantime, all I can say is we have a few stories ready for editing and publication, plus a couple of screenplays. There are about half a dozen more stories in the works. When all is said and done, we're looking at having books, movies, video games, brand merchandise, graphic novels and so much more. It's been a very interesting past couple years!

If you'd like to learn a little more, there is an old article on the Horror Society site here.

You can also check out one of our many pages on Facebook here.

If you think you'd like to be a beta reader, here is the Facebook page for that here.

If you think you'd like to be an author and want more information, contact me here.

More links:

Facebook page for the movie, "Feeding on Fear".

Facebook page for "The Midnight Carnival".

So there it is. That's just the tip of the iceberg of what I can reveal at the moment. I hope it piques your interest enough! Have a good Monday!

I #Amwriting, I #Amediting...

Things in my writing world are finally taking shape. I currently had some help from a fellow Word Weaver pal. She formatted "Adversarius" for Smashwords. I no longer have vetting errors and I fixed my book cover in Gimp to meet their requirements as well. It is currently being reviewed for Premium Status. Whether or not it passes review, it is now up for sale for all eReaders here.

As my title indicates, I'm editing and revising book two, "Veritas" for publication. Once I've given it the once over, then the twice over, I'll need to find an editor willing to work with me.

I'm also finding that writing my little flash fiction pieces with the artwork is really helping me a lot. I love it. If you haven't seen them, the latest one was on Monday and you can find that one here.

Hope you are all having a good week and I'll see you next time!

Ahhh, Editing...

Revisions are well under way for book two, 'Veritas'. I'm less than 20,000 words from my goal.

There is a serious flaw in all of this, however.

I may bypass that 70,000 words and head right on to like, 90,000. Possibly.

I am nowhere near where I planned to be in the story by now. I have a specific plan on how I want to end this one and begin book three. I'm going to have to finagle things so that happens without me ending up with over 100,000 words.

Wish me luck in that endeavor! Otherwise, I'll have to look back over my writing and choppity-chop. Woohoo! I mean... ahem.

I also finally gave in and downloaded the free trial of Scrivener. OMGah! I've had a couple of you tell me to get it before, but just kept putting it off. I'm so very sorry I just brushed it off like that.

I LOVE this PROGRAM!!

And I took the advice of another friend of mine and read the very long tutorial before even attempting to work this thing. Glad I did, or I would have been seriously frustrated.

I love how I can write out each scene and then just click and drag them around to place them how I want. Forget Cut and Past, this is epic!

And the notes! Don't get me started on that feature. Love it. LOVE! So, a belated thanks to all of you who told me to get it. You know me, gotta hit me over the head with a sledge hammer in order to get anything through my thick skull.

All right, so that's what is new with me these days. Just keep watching that little blue bar under Veritas Revisions. It jumps by at least 2 to 3,000 words just about every day these days. Gotta get it done, then on to book three. And then, I have plans for something else. Muahahaha!

Have a great rest of the week, everyone.

Just Another Monday...

I avoided the word 'Manic' because it isn't a hectic day for me today. Matter of fact, this forgetting to post thing is becoming a bad habit. Again.

I've been wrapped up in revisions. I'm also becoming a bit of a computer potato because of it. I'll sit here, write/revise on the upwards of 1,000-4,000 words. In between, I'm surfing the web, taking a moment to let everything sink in while contemplating the next scene. I've also been reading some stuff for people. Bits to critique and what not. So my day is pretty much spent right. Here.

I need to get out and go for a walk! Which, I am planning on doing today, until I forgot I hadn't posted anything for the blog.

Whoops!

I'm also trying not to be a pushy nuisance on Twitter. I've seen so many blog posts about what NOT to do on Twitter. One of the things is, don't constantly push your books. Okay, so I send out a link to my book every so often now. Mostly I try to be myself. (I know, uh oh!) I post links for others more than my own stuff. But I'm also trying to send out shout out's to new followers and make them more personal than generic.

Not that time consuming, really. I only gain maybe two new followers every other day. But, I do need to get off the computer a little bit more than just to do dishes, laundry or make dinner. My eyes will go square shaped if I'm not careful.

Oh! I have a new review up of 'Adversarius'! Almost spaced that! You can go read it here.

And I was interviewed on Friday over here. Sheesh, I gotta keep up with this stuff!

On that note, have a great week and I'll be posting up a couple reviews of my own.

Trying To Get On A Schedule...

Wow.

Since I've quit the paper route, things have been a bit hectic and I've been a bit more focused. However, not always on the things I need to focus on!

I've got to make a schedule for myself or I won't get anything done.

Here's what I've been doing:

~ Blogging, of course and reading blogs as well as trying to keep up with the comments.

~ Tweeting. I am trying to spend time on Twitter to keep up the decent presence I've worked hard to get. While this isn't exactly time consuming, I do have to do something daily or it gets overwhelming just like everything else.

~ Facebook. Well, this isn't really a big deal. I get on there, read my notifications, respond where I need to and all that. What tends to suck me in are those stupid games. So I have kept the browser open on that page specifically to keep up with responses to my posts and others.

~ Word Weavers. Even when my friend Jenna and I were working the networking of Word Weavers on MySpace, I don't think we were EVER this busy. We have the blog, the website and the group page on Facebook. We also have Twitter for WW as well. I don't get on there all that much, but it is shared time with Jenna. We have several people willing to volunteer some time, but it can be inconsistent. Plus, we're still trying to figure out where to put them.

~ Not only do I have all that going on, but I am gearing up to do some work from home. I'm getting ready to do critiques, proofreading and soon, editing. I'm learning from some very good teachers on how to edit. But I am also doing book trailers. Once I am able to provide samples of my work, I'll have a 'Services' section on my blog. Once I get up enough money to purchase PhotoShop, I'll most definitely be putting my art degree to good use and start doing book covers.

This all takes time. And it takes time away from my writing. Besides all of this, I'm still doing book reviews. Which, I love to read, so those aren't a big deal. I read every night before I go to bed and if I am lucky, I get a book done in a couple of days. Depending on the book. Some of them are so good I want to linger.

And on top of all of this, my daughter just informed me I'm going to be a Grandma. Phew!!!!

So now you see the need for a schedule. Lol! I've got my work cut out for me. Wish me luck!

How do you schedule your week? Do you work outside the home as well?

The Edits Are Here!...

Hey everyone! Just want to let you all know I received my edits and so if I am missing for any length of time, you know where I am.

I have a few scheduled posts for the upcoming weeks on my World Building series. I also have a couple of guest posts to fill in some openings. Of course, I also have my Friday Favorites to work on. If you see a post from me during all of this, it will either be an update or a rant.

Ha! No, not really. I like all the suggestions given to me. It is helping me a lot and I certainly appreciate the hard work of editors.

I hope you all had a good week. Hope the rest of your week is good and enjoy the weekend! Have fun kids, don't start any fires you can't put out.

Writing Wednesdays: Building Magic...

So here is the first in my world building posts. I'm going to start with magic. Not for any reason in particular, it's just a place to start.

Magic in my world is not unique by any means of the imagination. But it is different, simply because how I view magic. My opinions on magic in fantasy differ, I'm sure, from other fantasy writers out there.

There is a lot of debate in the fantasy world that I'm sure most of you are unaware of, if fantasy is not your genre. The debate? Should magic have rules? Lots of fantasy buffs think it should. Where is the fun in fantasy if you've got a magic user that can just conjure up whatever he or she wants with the snap of their fingers?

And what of the magical 'cost'? By cost, I mean what does it cost the magic user to conjure? Does it take away from his energy? His life in either seconds, hours or years? Maybe it takes from his soul.

I'm currently reading a book where magic affects the users mind. Every time they use magic, they go a little more insane. ("The Way of the Black Beast" by Stuart Jaffe) (Note: Guest post on Thursday August 9th by Stuart, drop by!)

But what about those pesky rules? I'm of the mind that magic should not have rules, per se, but limitations are an absolute must! Again with the whole snapping of fingers and poof! you have stuff. Magic should cost the user something, right?

In Melanie Rawn's series of books, The Dragon Prince trilogy and The Dragon Star trilogy, she has magic users called Sunrunners. The basis of these Sunrunners is this: They can use sunlight to communicate with other Sunrunners over long distances. Can they conjure up items or anything? Nope. They just speak to each other. So what are the consequences of something like this? They can't use starlight. It is forbidden, but if the Sunrunner is powerful enough, they can accomplish it. They also don't travel well on water. You put a Sunrunner on a raft over a river and they're incapacitated for hours. Imagine what sailing would do to them? The other drawback to being a Sunrunner? There is a drug that they can use to increase their power to reach longer distances. It is super addictive and they're easily controlled when addicted. Sometimes, though, a Sunrunner will get lost in the light and can't find their way back to their body. If this happens, they basically end up an empty shell and die.

In David Eddings' series of The Belgariad and The Mallorean, Belgarath the sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara the sorceress, are a couple of pretty powerful magic users. They use the 'Will and the Word' method. You picture what you want in your mind then you will it into being with a spoken word. One of the drawbacks is that when you use magic, it makes a sound other magic users can hear. Sends out a beacon, and if you are hiding, that's not good! There are very few magic users in Eddings' world. A handful, in fact and they are not easily swayed. They try to stay out of things unless Prophecy dictates otherwise. So they can use magic all they want and their lifespan is limitless. They can be killed, but you better be able to get close, first.

My magic users have limits as well. I call them Mahjii. They're born into magic. They know by the age of fourteen if they have magical energies within. They have one year to seek out training and if they ignore it, they pay the price. My Mahjii must seek out training or their magical energies will consume them. They literally burn with fever and end up in ashes. Sometimes, they're only powerful enough to maintain that energy within. It prolongs their death and they're pretty sick their entire life, but they're alive. That's their only restriction, really. And rules? Well, they're meant to be broken, aren't they? They try to stay out of political issues. They have chosen to withdraw from the world after their city is destroyed, so people in my world think they're dead and gone. Myths and legends. But they still exist!

Mahjii in my world use the energy that surrounds them. They draw off the energy of the earth at their feet, the air, water, anything. They don't exactly conjure up just anything. They have specific things they create and lots of tools to enhance their abilities. My Elves that use magic are the same way, but their magical energies won't kill them if they can't control it. My water Elves live near running water to power their magic. Lakes don't do it, rivers are workable but oceans are optimal. They can use the energies to shape-shift and conjure to a point. The way my magic users see it is if they need it and can't find it anywhere or make it, they create it using their power.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Tune in next time when I discuss kingdoms. Tomorrow I will have a guest post by Stuart Jaffe, author of 'The Way of the Black Beast' regarding magic in his world. So drop on by and say hello to Stuart!

Insecure Writer's Support Group...

Is it that time again, already? Really?? Wow. August, huh?


Well, time flies no matter if you are having fun or bored out of your mind.

Here we go then!

It is the first Wednesday of the month and it is that time! Yes, you know it, Alex J. Cavanaugh's IWSG or Insecure Writer's Support Group.

My how this group has grown. Lots of insecure writers out there, I suppose.

I don't know if I will be helpful or whiny this time around. But I am going to discuss my new found love of Outlining.

Yes, this once upon a time Pantser has dipped her toe into the pools of the Outlining world. And it wasn't half bad.

Revisions on my second book are moving along quite nicely. But I found I have soooo much information to keep track of that I was getting confused near the beginning of the book.

Things like: 'Did I already mention this?' to 'Ohfortheloveofallthatisholy I can't believe I FORGOT to put that in!!!!'

Yeah. You get the idea. Absolutely. I'd be driving along on my paper route and either inspiration would hit or I'd be driving past a customer's house because I was thinking about if I mentioned certain key elements or not. That made the route last longer, having to turn around and all that.

Sheesh.

So I did a quick outline and have all sorts of things scribbled over it as far as notes go. What I want to see in each chapter. Well, that didn't get put in the right chapter, we'll move it here... Things like that.

I can't believe how much easier it is to write from this! I mean, until I got sick last week, I was chuggin' right along. I'm a third of the way through the revisions. You can keep an eye on them with my little word count gadget up there for 'Veritas'.

So which do you prefer? Pantsing or Outlining? Have you ever tried either one if you are dedicated to the other? Share your experiences! Have a great rest of the week, my support buddies!

I'm Sorry?...

I'm a little stunned.

You guys know me, I don't always comment on your blogs, but when I see something you've posted and it hits me like a ton of bricks, I have to add my two cents.

So here it is.

First of all, let me just link you to this post here about an indie author who went on a review rant. This post will link to another where you can see the details of it all.

Second, let me state right here and now that if I offered up to review your book and haven't AND you have not heard from me about it. I'm sorry.

Last thing I need is someone listing me as their source of angst. I mean... I can be, but not in this instance!

Now for the rest of my two cents. It doesn't matter if you are an indie author or traditionally published author. If you ask me to review your book (because hey, I've reviewed books here) please keep in mind that I have stuff to do with my own book, my work, my family. Even with *gasp!* other books. If I can't finish your book, for whatever reason, I will try again. If I still can't, I will email you. Personally, I don't like to give a bad review. I'll give you my review in private if it comes to that point, not for all the world to see simply because I know how hard it is to shake off negativity.

I also am seeing a trend in some of the indie authors out there (not that any of them have contacted me personally) that have the frame of mind that they're somehow better than traditionally published authors. Writers as a whole are pretty humble creatures. We don't expect anything or think we're entitled to special treatment because we write. So why have that attitude? Are you so jaded by the publishing industry that you would turn on your readers and fellow authors? If that's the case, stop writing and find something else to do. Otherwise, stop whining and work on your book. Hire an editor, join a critique group, make your self published book the best it can be to avoid getting bad reviews.

I try to review books I read, whether asked to do the review or not. If I like the book, I am going to review it. There were a couple of reviews I did that were not glowing, rave reviews when I was helping another reviewer on their blog, but I didn't enjoy posting them. I did contact the person I was helping and said, "I can't do this anymore, some of these books are soooo bad!"

If indie authors want to maintain respect, let me suggest that you act in a professional manner. Act like a published author! Don't call people thieves or liars if they did not review your book. Not everyone will contact you if they don't like your work, they'll just drop it, ignore you and hope you'll go away. If you really want that bad review, it can be done. But why would you?

Tips on professionalism:

* Politely email the people and ask if they've had a chance to read your work, if not, when can they do so? If they have, but didn't like your material, either thank them for their time or ask for constructive criticism.

* Don't bad mouth people, their blogs, their books, etc. Karma will come back to you. People will see you acting petty and think, "Wow, I am NOT going to read their book if they're going to be like this..."

* What you post on the internet will find a way to remain on here FOREVER. So, with that in mind... THINK about what you post before you post it. I'm sure I have stuff out there I would LOVE to take down...

* Treat people how you want to be treated. The Golden Rule. If someone offers up a review of your book, offer one in return if they are a writer. If they're not a writer, link to their blog or website. Support the people that support YOU. However, if they don't follow through on their review promise, don't get pissy. Again, politely email them and say, "Hey, you promised a review for a review. If you are unable to review my book, I will not be able to uphold the deal we had." Of course... maybe try not to sound so rude... But people will read things online in their own voice and you may end up coming across snarky anyway. So begin with "I'm not trying to be rude."

Overall, no one is entitled to anything more than anyone else in this business. Yes, indie authors seem to have a harder time of it because of the route they choose. But I know several indie authors and respect the hell out of them because of taking this route. I also respect them because they ACT PROFESSIONALLY. No matter what route you take, this is a difficult enough of an industry as it is, why add to it? Writers have been pretty good about supporting their fellow writers. I really don't see a need for such competitiveness in this field because readers will choose what they like, no matter what. Not everyone is going to like your book to begin with and it isn't your job to force them to like it. Take it in stride.

And I hope everyone reminds me of this when I get my bad reviews. Hehe!

Do you have anything to add to this? Did I not review a book for you and contact you? By all means, leave comments. Not the best way to start off the week, but hope you all have a good week regardless.

Getting Close...

So I'm getting close to closing in on my final word count. I'm getting excited to show my beta readers the changes I've made, the couple of additions I have put in. I'm hoping the feedback is good. I'm sure it still needs work. I think the over all flow of it has improved, though.

I'll have to give it a good once over, because as well all know, spell check doesn't catch correctly spelled words used in the wrong context. Are/our, heed/head... yeah. Those.

I am getting nervous about working on the query, the long synopsis...

Okay. Not nervous.

Scared. As. Hell.

Yeah, that about sums it up.

What do you do to calm the nerves, ease the mind while querying? Do you work on something else? Do you bite your nails? Call people names?

Tell me what you do!

It's Hard To Be Humble...

Unless of course you're a writer.

I don't think I've met an egotistical writer. At least not an up and coming one. Not that published, established authors are egomaniacs. They're confident in their craft.

As an unpublished author, hopefully soon to be published, I can be confident. Egotistical... not so much. Yes, this is my "baby" I am presenting to the world. People will be kind but some will be downright mean. Let's face it, if people don't like a book and get to write a review, they get to hide behind their computer monitor and be as snarky as they want.

It is sort of like having another kid. You give birth to it, raise it and send it out into the world hoping you have done a good job. That this child will be a productive member of society.

While your book isn't your child, you certainly are presenting it to the world. Your name is all over that book and what's inside is a complete and total representation of... wait for it... YOU.

*Gasp!*

So now it begs the question: Did you represent yourself well?

Doesn't matter if you are self-published or went through a publisher. Did you represent yourself well? Did you polish that work to a shine? Did you edit, revise and edit again? Did you send it out to people? Did you get feedback? And most importantly... did you listen?

I'm learning that while I may be a good writer, I STILL have room for improvement. I think back to when I started writing and let me just say: WOW.

It's like looking back at my artwork from when I was a kid to now. The scribbling outside of the lines to working my butt off for perfection.

So, I can sit here before you and say, "Man, I love my characters!" or "I love this part!" and it won't come across as egotistical. At least I hope it won't. I'm just proud of the work I have done and will be just as proud when I am published and see my name on the cover. Just like I would be proud of my own kids.

Are you proud of what you've done?

Show Don't Tell...

I've recently had my eyes opened to lots of different things I do in my own writing. Things that, now that they have been pointed out to me, are much easier to spot.

One of the things I tend to do is show the reader what is happening rather than telling them. Things that are vital to a good story. I've recently come across a couple of books where showing and telling were very blatant. It made me frustrated while reading. In one instance, the author told the reader of dialogue happening but no dialogue ensued. It was really rather frustrating. So I'm being very careful now to make sure that I don't irritate my readers in this fashion.

Another thing I came across was point of view switches that happened in such rapid succession that it was very hard to keep up with the story in some places.

Its funny how, when working on these things myself, they crop up in other books more frequently. I'm glad I am taking on this task of re-working my books and gaining so much knowledge that I grow in my own writing. I think of all the advice I can give to authors out there who, after having faced numerous rejections, is to look at exactly what is being said about your work by others and fix it.

I've been so impatient at times I want to just throw my hands up in the air and say forget it, I'm going to self-publish. But what good will that do me? If I try to go the traditional route and get the feedback I need to grow and learn as a writer, I'm harming myself more than anything.

I have nothing against self publishers. I know several authors who have gone the route of traditional publishing, rejected over and over and who do follow the advice of others. Even after polishing their work to a blinding shine, they're still rejected and go the way of self-publishing and are very successful. So for some it has worked.

For me, though, I'm realizing more and more that I still have so much to learn that going the traditional way is what will teach me these things. I need the rejection and feedback to better myself. After that, who knows? But I am confident that I am learning quickly and will have no problem finding a home for my books. But only when the time is right.

So I hope those authors out there who have been so impatient as to just rush their diamond in the rough read this and think a bit longer and heed the advice given. Revise, edit, repeat!

This And That...

Well, I had a scheduled post ready for today and ended up deleting it. Sometimes my soap box rants can irritate people, so I just let it go.

For those of you who are curious it was about sex in the fantasy genre. Not sexual fantasy, mind you. Just plain old epic, dungeons and dragons, Lord of the Rings style fantasy. I don't like it.

But on that note, I'll just gloss over it and move on. I've been revising, revising, revising! I'm getting there and now I have to change my word count status as well as book title over in my sidebar.

I used to absolutely HATE editing and revising. I still sort of do, but I realize more than ever now just how important it is. I mean, I am looking back on stuff I have written with new eyes and realizing... Wow, I left out a lot of detail just to get the main meat of the story down.

So am I having a change of heart over editing and revising? Eh, sort of. It is still redundant, it still irritates me because I want it done and over with right NOW! but I know that won't happen.

Writing is hard work. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You have to be dedicated to your craft if you want your story to sell. Yes, I know, people all over the blogosphere have said those very words over and over again and now I am repeating them.

Writing every day still is not possible for me, but when I do sit down and write, I get on a roll and end up writing every day even if it is only ten words. I had gotten to the point, before surgery, where I was writing while making dinner. Especially if I had to set the timer. That was awesome!

So I will be changing my little status bar over on the right side of my blog. I have also removed the word verification for comments. I hope to catch any and all spam, but who knows. I want more comments, I know how busy people are when reading blogs and a verification just slows everyone down. Including myself when I read other blogs.

Hope you have all had a safe, fun weekend and have a super week. Don't forget: Tomorrow is my review of Elf Killers along with a giveaway of the book! One comment on the review page is your one entry into the drawing. Multiple comments does not mean multiple entries. Sorry. Just trying to make it simple and fair!