| Boy, am I behind or what? |
[Jun. 29th, 2007|02:20 pm] |
Geez. If time flies when you're having fun, I must be having a blast. I can't believe I haven't updated this darn thing in months. Time to get back on the ball!
School's out, and boy, is it HOT. But I can't complain. Even in my un-airconditioned garage office, I'm getting some work done. I'm currently blasting away at a sci-fi/futuristic romance. Yeah, I know. It's a little different from what I've done in the past, but I like to think I'm not boxed in to just one kind of writing. Right now, I've got this sci fi, a couple of fantasy pieces, and a few romantic suspense stories underway.
I also have a series I'm going to be working on with a wonderful author, Erica Easley - so keep an eye out for those! Our OMEGA heroes are going to be hot, and our heroines are NOT damsels in distress! We've got our basic outline for the series, which right now is five books, and we're part of the way through book one.
It's been a wild couple of months. We finally got our middle daughter "officially" diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome - a form of high-functioning autism, so that's taken a while. Then we lost two wonderful pets in the spring - our dog that we'd had for 16 years, and a cat we've had just as long. We have no idea how old the cat was, because we adopted her as an adult, but we adored them both. Lost them both within a month of each other. I was devastated, because they were my first "kids".
We had adopted another cat from the animal shelter - a big old orange tom named Tigger - who definitely lives up to his name! He's three, but he's as playful as a kitten. I'm convinced he hallucinates, because he chases stuff that simply isn't there! Then yesterday, my darling daughters talked me into adopting a kitten that had been dumped off at a friend's farm. Sigh... But I can't say much, because she's absolutely darling. So, our family had two grievous losses, but we've adopted two new members who seem to be fitting in well.
So, life has been busy as usual - but I'm nearly done with the sci fi. I'm at about 75K words now, and hope to have around 90K when it's complete. Considering I left the hero and heroine in a rather precarious predicament, I suppose I should get back to them.
Thanks for dropping by - I'll try to keep this updated better!
Regards,
Susan
PS - OH - and if you leave me a comment, please sign your name! I keep getting anonymous comments, and I don't know who they're from! Thanks!
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| A Little Holiday Cheer... |
[Dec. 12th, 2006|04:17 pm] |
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Well, sort of, anyway...as much as it can look like Christmas when it's 65 degrees outside. We finally got our lights up - I'll try to get a picture for you on the website soon. Don't know how to post one here. Sorry, not to web-savvy these days.
In any case, I thought I'd share a little holiday cheer with you all, compliments of my Executive Editor at Cobblestone, Brandi Broughton. This is her take on the "Twelve Days of Christmas."
The 12 Days of This Month (Words by Brandi Broughton - original tune/lyrics unknown.)
On the 1st day of this month, my editor checked for these:
A comma splice in a sentence.
On the 2nd day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the third day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 4th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 5th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 6th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 7th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 8th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Oops - hyphenation,
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 9th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Ugh, L-Y adverbs,
Oops - hyphenation,
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the 10th day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Any head-hopping,
Ugh, L-Y adverbs,
Oops - hyphenation,
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the eleventh day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Messed up happy endings,
Any head-hopping,
Ugh, L-Y adverbs,
Oops - hyphenation,
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
On the twelfth day of this month, my editor checked for these:
Bad so-so plotting,
Messed up happy endings,
Any head-hopping,
Ugh, L-Y adverbs,
Oops - hyphenation,
Misused gerund phrases,
Proper quotations,
Lay versus Lie.
Poor punctuation,
Bad grammar,
Any misspelled words,
And a comma splice in a sentence.
So, a little seasonal giggle for you. Enjoy the holidays!
Regards,
Susan |
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| It's the holiday season... |
[Dec. 4th, 2006|09:33 am] |
Or so they say. Somehow it doesn't feel quite like Christmas yet, despite the inundation of holiday cheer in every retail outlet in the country. Maybe it's because I've been fighting a bitch of a cold for a week, or maybe it's because I've had sick kids home from school for days on end...but somehow the Christmas spirit is eluding me this year.
I wish I could tell you I have a lovely holiday themed book coming out for you to enjoy, but alas, my muse seems to have taken the holidays off and run away to the Bahamas or something. I've struggled with my romantic suspense for months now, and only after a LONG (two hour) IM conversation with my wonderful executive editor at Cobblestone, Brandi, did I realize that the reason I can't seem to make the story progress is because my heroine has NO character arc. She's flat as a pancake. UGH. Not exactly what you want to hear, but at least now I know what to do to fix it. Major revisions ahead on that one...and it's no wonder, now that I realize the problem, that the story was rejected. Who wants to read about a boring character who doesn't learn anything about herself?
On the good news front, I did have one major gold strike in my capitalistic Christmas ventures. I usually find a few of the "hot" toys to sell on eBay during the holidays to help with my family's Christmas expenses. (And it seems the older the kids get, the more expensive the toys they want are!) So...this year, I'd been keeping my eyes open for what we all know is the BIG thing this year - ELMO T.M.X. Now...why this toy is so incredibly hot is beyond me. We had the original Tickle Me Elmo when my son was a young child, and yes, it was cute, but it certainly wasn't anything extraordinary. I can't imagine the new one would be that much different. However, as I was stumbling half-asleep through Target early one morning, I located two - YES, TWO - Tickle Me Elmo toys on the shelf. At 34.99 each, I figured it might be worth it to pick these up and slap them on eBay just to see what happens. Call me opportunistic, but somehow I've gotta pay for a PSP for my son and a Nintendo DS for my daughter...and if Elmo can help me out, I'm not opposed to a little good old fashioned capitalism. (I promise I don't gouge prices - I simply list the item at the retail price and let the bidding commence - can I be blamed if someone is WILLING to pay exhorbitant prices for a toy?)
Anyway, back to writing...the Cobblestone authors are doing a holiday chat on Joyfully Reviewed on December 16th. Be sure and stop by, because there will be lots of great authors with wonderful books, prizes, and other give aways. Stay tuned for more information - Emma Peterson made a beautiful flyer and I'll try to get it posted here soon!
Best regards,
Susan |
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| The rest is still unwritten... |
[Nov. 15th, 2006|10:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | garage office | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  disappointed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten | ] |
Current mood - Disappointed. Yeah, that about sums it up.
Okay, folks...after two long months, I finally got the big R from the agency I'd submitted to. Oh, well. Of course, it "didn't suit their needs" and they wished me luck.
Such is the life of an author. I'm disappointed but not discouraged. In fact, I've begun keeping a file of my rejections just so when I'm famous and at the top of the NY Times Bestseller List, I can look back at them all and smile. No, I'm not going to thumb my nose and neener-neener at anyone, but I will remember all these rejections that made me realize I simply needed to work harder.
Easy to say now, I suppose...but it's the truth. Obviously what I sent wasn't quite kicky enough to get her attention, so I'll move on. No sense in worrying over it. In fact, I've already submitted a few other queries. We'll see how that goes.
I wish I could tell you all that I'm kicking a** in NaNo this year, but the truth is I'm not even CLOSE to 50k. Okay, I'm not even close to 5K, but we won't get into that. I've been buried in edits for weeks now, and between the manuscripts I'm editing and taking care of my kids, there simply hasn't been enough time for writing. But that's okay, cause the kiddies have to come first, and someday I'll have a lot more time.
Completed final edits on the first manuscript I've ever done for a book that's due out in print. That should be interesting. I'm also working on the second round of a romantic suspense by a new author at Cobblestone. It's a good story, with a kick-butt villianess and a sweet ending. My next project is a paranormal, I think - I haven't gotten too far into reading it yet, but it looks interesting.
Okay, this entry is long enough. I'm going to try to get some quality sleep and hope my little one sleeps all night tonight. Tomorrow, I'll send out more submissions, and I'll just keep sending them until I find the right place for them.
Difficult as rejections are, I'm going to keep looking at my glass as half-full.
Regards,
Susan |
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| Well, this is a little odd... |
[Oct. 31st, 2006|06:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  confused | ] |
I finally heard back from Kimberly Whalen at Trident, the agent I'd submitted my work to, and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it.
She said my first two books were very good, but she felt they would fit better in category romance and suggested I submit them to Harlequin. She said I didn't need an agent for that.
Okay, but she said she REALLY liked my romantic suspense, my work in progress. Unfortunately, the subject matter was similar to another book she already has contracted, and she felt it would be a conflict of interest for her to take mine on. Bummer.
Then she emailed me back and asked if I minded if she forwarded it to another agent. She'd discussed it with a colleague in her firm and the other agent had asked to see it. I didn't see the harm, so I told her to go ahead.
She forwarded me the email as well - it was to Jenny Bent. Now, I've heard Jenny is one of the best, so I'm not displeased about that turn of events at all, but now, here I sit, playing the waiting game AGAIN. Ugh.
Anyway, keep your fingers crossed. Perhaps Jenny will be interested enough. In the meantime, I suppose I should quit playing on my blogs and get my butt busy finishing the book. She can't sell it if it's not done.
I'll update again someday...
Regards,
Susan |
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| An Agent? Possibly? |
[Sep. 25th, 2006|10:41 am] |
When I was at RWA this past summer, I hadn't planned on making any agent or publisher pitches, because I really wanted to go this first time and see what it was all about before I jumped in with both feet. However, sometimes fate intervenes, and I did meet an agent outside the hotel. (She asked me for a light.)
We chatted a while, and I had no idea she was an agent until she asked me to meet her inside for a glass of wine. She gave me her card. Kimberly Whalen, VP of Trident Media Group. Wow.
Okay. I was fine until I knew she was an agent, but now I was nervous. I dragged my poor, long-suffering critique partner by the hand to the salon Trident had reserved in the hotel. We chatted for a while with Kimberly and some of her authors, and before I left, she asked me to send her a query and let her know what I write.
I didn't follow up as soon as I went home. Why? Well, I suppose we all have our fears, and this woman is an agent for some very big names (Cherry Adair, Roxanne St. Clair, Karen Kendall...you get the picture) So, I admit I was afraid.
After a conversation with another author, Candy Halliday, who uses the same agency, I decided to go for it. I sent a query email to Kimberly, but didn't really expect anything to come of it.
Within a week, she requested the first 100 pages of ALL THREE of my manuscripts. I was floored, to say the least, but sent them anyway. Now, I realize this isn't a contract offer, and she might still reject me once she reads the work, but at least she didn't reject me based on the query alone. It's been a little over a week since I sent in the requested work, and I'm trying not to check email sixty times a day or jump every time the phone rings. I dread going to the mailbox - from what I've heard, if they reject me, it'll be by mail or email, and if they offer to take me as a client, they'll call. I don't really know if that's how it works, but that's what I've heard.
So, keep your fingers crossed, and I'll keep you posted.
Regards,
Susan |
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| Contest for Cobblestone Inn! |
[Sep. 15th, 2006|09:53 am] |
Okay, if you read the excerpt, here's the question.
Who starred with Julia Roberts in the movie Liz references in the excerpt?
First one to post the right answer wins a copy of Starstruck!
Good luck!
Susan |
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| Book Reviews |
[Sep. 4th, 2006|01:51 pm] |
I have a question. Do any of you read book reviews? I mean, do you read them before buying a book - do they have any effect on your decision whether to read or not read a certain book?
I'm just curious. I am getting very good reviews so far, but I know reviews are also highly subjective. I've seen books that I really liked get very so-so reviews, and books that I didn't like get good ones. So, I'm wondering, as readers, how do YOU view reviews?
Speaking of reviews...
There's a great new review site strictly for ebooks starting up. There's a forum there where readers can discuss the latest in ebooks, and their opinions on them. Right now, they're in need of reviewers, so anyone interested can check out this link. Just join the forum and PM either the webmistress Stella or Ashely, the review coordinator.
http://ritesofromance.iforumer.com
I'm also considering doing some book reviews here, for books that I've read. Is anyone interested in reading them?
Thanks
Susan |
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| More reviews for Snowbound and a NEW RELEASE next week! |
[Aug. 18th, 2006|03:38 pm] |
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know...I've been really slack about keeping up with this blog thing. I've been busy, but I'll spare you the details.
In any case, Snowbound, my first book, continues to get excellent reviews. Fallen Angel gave it FIVE angels - a big shock but a nice surprise to come home to after the RWA Conference in Atlanta. You can see that review here:
http://www.fallenangelreviews.com/2006/July/Tewanda-Snowbound.htm
Another site, Romance Junkies, gave it four blue ribbons. Here's their review:
http://www.romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/article_6241.shtml
And it got an excellent review from Joyfully Reviewed - they don't rank their reviews, but she seemed to really like the book. Their site is here:
http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/Snowbound.html
In any case, it's a thrill to know you're doing something that people enjoy. I realize reviews are very subjective by nature, but it's still nice to know people are reading the book and like what I've done.
My next book, Starstruck, will be released next week by Cobblestone Press! Check out my website, www.susangreene.net for more info and an excerpt of the book!
Well, that's about it for today - heading out for vacation tomorrow, and I must go pack. I'll report in again next week.
Regards,
Susan |
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| My First Review! |
[Jul. 16th, 2006|08:30 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | My living room | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  frustrated | ] |
| [ | music |
| | watching a documentary on Pirates | ] |
I found my first review today of Snowbound. Unfortunately, I found it by doing a Google search with my name spelled wrong on purpose...people are always forgetting to add the last "e" on the end.
IN any case, I found this one on Scribe's World. Here's what she had to say:
Since his fiance' dumped him for his agent, Jonah Masterson has had a hard time writing. Being sour on romance is not a good thing for a romance author. So, he has holed up in his mountain cabin to write and brood, not necessarily in that order. Then, a car crash disrupts his peace. Katherine Winstead is fortunately not hurt badly, but with her car in need of repairs and a snowstorm making the roads untenable, the two are stranded together. One thing leads to another, and a romance begins, but they both insist it is no more than a fling, despite the fact that their attraction goes beyond physical. Jonah's words ignite Katherine's artistic ability so that before the week ends, they have married their two gifts to one another for a planned book. Then, it is over; her mother and the wimp who wants to marry her arrive and insist on taking Katherine back to their world. Jonah can not forget her though, and Katie surely can not forget him, as she is now pregnant with his child. Months will pass before they meet again, and misunderstandings at that meeting may kill their chances to make a family.
Though somewhat predictable, this is a sweet, pleasant read with a too good to be true hero that hearkens back to Diana Palmer's Silhouette romances.
Reviewed by: Amanda Kilgore
Okay...aren't all romances predictable to some extent? I mean, they're SUPPOSED to end in Happily Ever After...but in any case, having it compared to a Diana Palmer novel is pretty darn flattering, IMHO.
More later...
Regards
Susan |
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| About time... |
[Jun. 26th, 2006|01:22 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  anxious | ] |
I am so not good at remembering to do this blog thing!
My book was released on June 16th, just over a week ago. I still don't have any reviews, but I'm hoping those'll come soon. *biting nails* Although, I've been told it's selling pretty well, so...I guess that means SOMEONE likes it.
I just submitted my second complete manuscript, another contemporary novel entitled Starstruck. I'll keep you posted as to how that pans out. I'm hoping they like it as much as they liked Snowbound, but I guess we'll see.
Okay, off to lunch, then back to work on edits.
Susan |
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| Chatting today! |
[Jun. 1st, 2006|11:52 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  excited | ] |
Okay...today I'm doing my first promo. Snowbound is set to be released on June 16th from Cobblestone, and I'm so excited. I'll be giving away a free copy of the book so drop by if you can!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thepinkposse/
I don't know if this will work, but look at this nice ad Stella Price made for me...
COme on by!
Susan |
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| Edits...edits...edits... |
[May. 18th, 2006|01:49 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | My five-year-old singing "I'm A Little Teapot" | ] |
I've just finished my third (and hopefully FINAL) edit on Snowbound. I thought the first pass was bad...this third one was thus far the most demanding of the bunch. I'm grateful to Cobblestone for having such thorough editors, but...Oy. Anyway, it's in the hands of the editor for the final pass, and I'm hoping we're done with all of that.
The first book I edited for Forbidden Publications (www.forbiddenpublications.com) is now up for sale, and may I say, I'm VERY proud of the author. She did a fantastic job on her rewrites, and her first review was a RAVE! Check this out: http://dayna-hart.blogspot.com/ Scroll to her May 16th entry for the great review of Velvet Seduction by Sabrina Luna. It's a short read, only 24K words, but it's a very sweet and HOT story. Enjoy!
Right now I'm working on ways to promo Snowbound, so if any of you have ideas, feel free to email them. I'm going to be participating in a newsletter/website with several other authors from Forbidden Publications, and I'll let you know as soon as that site goes live.
Just got my membership information from Romance Writers of America, and I'm tickled to death that I'm going to be attending the national convention in July. I hope to have at least one more book under contract by then, but I'll need to find a way to make time to write AND edit...as much as I love editing, it's very time consuming, and I haven't written anything in three weeks. My characters are driving me nuts, wanting me to get their stories written, so I guess I'm going to have to pull some all-nighters to meet the deadlines for edits and get the stories done. Hopefully, once school's out and all my little critters are in their summer program, I'll have more time.
Speaking of the critters, the littlest one is running around outside and it's time to get her big sister from school.
Regards,
Susan |
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| Almost done... |
[May. 5th, 2006|01:37 pm] |
Guess what? Okay, I'll tell you. I got a release date for Snowbound! Deanna (at Cobblestone) buzzed me yesterday to tell me she had it scheduled for release on June 16th. YAY! So, keep that date marked on your calendars! It'll be available for sale on that date, at this site. Cobblestone-press.com So, don't forget! I'm counting on you guys buying lots of copies!
The editing thing is going along well...it's a lot of work. I had no idea how much goes into this side of publishing until I got involved in it. I think it's definitely going to help me as a writer, being able to see things from both sides. I'm hoping it will also make me a better editor, since I know what it's like to be a writer.
Anyway, it's a lot more time-consuming than I thought it would be, but it's also very rewarding. The first book I edited is Velvet Seduction by Sabrina Luna, and it's available as of TODAY, May 5, at Forbiddenpublications.com. Check it out. It's a sweet little novella, with a nice dash of spice tossed in. We have a nice selection of great books coming out there, too, so be sure to check the rest of them while you're hanging around the site!
I'm going to get back to editing now. There's only so many hours in the day, and they seem to get away from me entirely too fast!
Later...
Susan |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 26th, 2006|09:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  Ugh... | ] |
Well, I've got good news, and bad news. Which do you want first?
Okay...Good news. I'm working now as an editor for Forbidden Publications! How cool is that? I'm about halfway through editing the first book, a novella entitled Velvet Seduction by Sabrina Luna. Keep an eye out for it if you like short and spicy. It's only 24K words, but it's a sweet, hot little story. The book will be released in about two weeks from Forbidden, on their grand opening.
Check out their site... Forbiddenpublications.com
Okay...now the bad news. I've gotten NO writing done in the last week. Between the edits and my son getting sick, I haven't written a single new word. I did manage another read-through of my MS for Cobblestone, and I'm still waiting on third edits on that one, but I haven't written a THING.
Of course, spending the day in the hospital yesterday was just a real blast. NOT. My son had been sick for two days, and the pediatrician was afraid he had appendicitis. Yeah. That's exactly what you want to hear about your eleven-year-old son. Sigh...
Turns out, a trip to the emergency room and a CT scan later, it's not. Just some horribly evil virus. Ugh. I really hope no one else in the house gets this crud...
Okay...I'm off to see who gets booted off American Idol. I know...it's completely nuts to be into this show...but I can't help myself now. So, I'll update again soon when I have something more interesting to say.
Susan |
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| The Joys of Editing |
[Apr. 18th, 2006|01:14 pm] |
Whew. Just finished my second set of edits, and I have one thing to say. If you think you're a good writer, just let a really good, tough editor get a hold of your work. It's very humbling. But out of 79K words I didn't have to change too many, so I guess that's a good thing. I suppose it's her job to make me look good, and for that, I thank her.
*Bows to Roseann*
Anyway, now I'm waiting on the third and final set of edits. I had no idea so much went into putting a book out. When I get through the editing process, I have to start promoting the book. Promotions. Who'd a thunk? I have no idea exactly what that means, but I guess I'll figure it out as I go. Does this count?
BUY MY BOOK!
Anyway, if you want to see the cover, check out this site.
www.cobblestone-press.com/comingsoon.html
There are some fantastic books coming out soon, so be sure to check it often! They open on June 2, 2006.
My site is back up and running, so if you're in the mood to surf, go there as well. '
www.susangreene.net
I wanted to get the .com, but someone already snagged it. I mean, who names a retail shop Susan Greene? Go figure. Anyway, I've got most of the links working except the bio page, so I'll need to get that done as soon as possible. I figured it wasn't too big a rush. There can't be that many people that want to know about me, and there's not that much to tell anyway!
Now if I can just figure out how to add the music I want, I'll be in good shape.
All right...time to get back to work...
Susan |
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| First Edits |
[Mar. 29th, 2006|08:54 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | relaxed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | None...watching American Idol to see who gets the boot. | ] |
I finally got my first set of edits this past weekend. Fortunately for me, I've been assigned a fantastic editor who is willing to work with me on things we don't necessarily agree upon. She made some really good points about my work on the first pass, and most of those were easily fixed, but I have a feeling the other shoe is going to drop and drop hard on the second pass.
Ugh...
For now, I'm going to shut this thing off and see who gets booted off American Idol this week. I know...mundane...boring...but face it, there's not much else to do on a Wednesday night, and I'm just not feeling uber-chatty.
So...later, taters.
Susan |
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| I sold the book! |
[Mar. 17th, 2006|12:11 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | None. Trying to work in QUIET for once. | ] |
Well...I did it.
I sold my first book.
(Is that cheering I hear? Oh, sorry. Must be the kids screaming at each other in the living room...)
Snowbound, my first novel, will be released sometime this year by Cobblestone Press. I haven't gotten a release date yet, so I'm not sure when. The grand opening of their website will be June 2, 2006, and they've already picked the first books to be released. Mine was too late for that, I guess, but they contracted it anyway!
So, YAY! I'm going to be a published author.
Ok...Ok...I realize it's an e-book and I'm not going to be famous or rich. But the idea of seeing a book cover with my name on it has me tickled. If you're interested, Cobblstone's site is Cobblestone-press.com.
Now I get to experience the joys of having my manuscript professionally edited. I expect it'll come back looking like my senior thesis - covered in red marks. But IMHO, that's the mark of a good editor. I'd worry if she didn't find anything.
I'm still having technical difficulties with my website so bear with me on that. Hopefully those will be resolved soon and there will actually be something worth looking at when you click that link. Right now it's sort of a jumbled mess.
Okay, well, DH is out of town tonight, and I'm exhausted. I wrote on my current WIP until I was cross-eyed, and decided to do this before I crash.
Check out Cobblestone's site. They've got some good books coming out in June, and the cover art is fabulous. None of those freaky alien looking people that are so common on e-book covers. I can't wait to see mine!
Going to bed now...alone...without DH...
Sucks.
Nite nite!
Susan |
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| The Journey begins.... |
[Feb. 14th, 2006|10:45 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Jimmy Buffett | ] |
Well, what better day for a romance writer to start a new blog than St. Valentine's day?
Now, before you groan and roll your eyes (if you have already, I forgive you) let me say this. Romance writing, and the genre in general, (say that three times fast) has gotten a really bad rap, probably becuase of its history of simpering, weak female heroines and bodice-ripping cads for heroes. Can't say as I blame you, since I personally despise those kind of books.
I started writing romance as a fluke. Got an idea to write some silly little fluff story for some friends on another message board, and it just grew and grew until it became a 580+ page epic fanfiction story, which now has garnered more than 40K hits (if you combine the websites where it's posted) and won a few awards. It never crossed my mind that what started out as a way to entertain my friends would become a new career path. I guess that's what I get for thinking. Er...not thinking.
In any case, now that I've started, I can't seem to stop. My first completed manuscript, which was about eight months in the making, was promptly rejected by Silhouette books, but I consider that a badge of honor. The rejection letter is like a rite of passage among authors, and I'd feel left out if I hadn't gotten at least one.
My next attempt to sell the book was Triskelion Publishing, an online publisher of e-novels and print books. I sent the synopsis and query letter to the editors, and did a lot of praying and finger crossing. My faithful Beta Reader(for those of you who don't know, she serves as a sounding board, cheerleader, critic, and editor, all rolled into one) did her fair share of chants and spells (Being pagan and all) and what have you, and voila! We got an email requesting the full manuscript.
Yippee!
Except that then I had to spend a few days getting the darn thing formatted properly before I could send it off. Now, it's in the hands of Valerie, the submissions editor for Triskelion, and I'm back to praying. Could it be that this road to publication might not be as long as I feared? We shall see.
Lots more good things to come, and I hope more books to write! Hopefully my web site will be up and operational soon. In the meantime, if you'd like to take a look at my first writing attempt, here's the link.
http://www.scribeoz.com/fanfic/story.php?no=558&sid=c370cdfa63b26f530da5933cf1370311
If you're not a Tolkien fan, this story won't mean much to you.
Bear in mind, I wrote this story BEFORE I knew jack about the technical aspects of writing, therefore, I CRINGE when I read it now. Beware, for those of you to whom these things matter, that there is an abundance of head hopping, unneccessary voice tags, sentences ended in prepositions, and not-so-great grammar. The story itself isn't half bad, but I can do better.
Just wait and see.
Ok...all for now, back to work.
Regards,
Susan |
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