Edits, Working and The End.

I’ve had a busy few weeks but all things seem to have come to an end just now. I’ve completed the third and final round of Assassin, which means I should have a release date soon. I’ve also been extremely busy with my day job, the weeks have been slipping by so quickly with all of the work I have to do. And finally, I typed those wonderful last two words on my new paranormal romance which is still untitled. The End. I’m done! I’ve got long hours of editing and rewrites ahead of me but the shell of the story is complete and it feels wonderful.

This new novel kind of fell out of my head. I didn’t really have time to set aside to write, I could have (should have) been working on take home day job work stuff but instead I pushed it aside to write. In between family, friends, daily chores, work and editing Assassin, I managed to write 10K a week (sometimes more). I hit some road blocks, some plot issues, but usually, after a good night’s sleep, I had them worked out. The scenes seemed to write themselves. Now, I’m not saying that it doesn’t need work,it’s still very raw, but the story is there. The hardest part is over. Now the editing begins.

I’m not a huge fan of editing. I can put it off for a lot longer than I can deny my craving to write. I don’t mind the work, but I sometimes get so fixated on a scene that I rework and rework it to the point of near-insanity. I get frenzied and have to pull myself away for days at a time so that I don’t end up destroying things completely with too much editing.

So , before I get started again, I’m going to take a bit of a breather. There are scenes that I’m itching to get my hands on again and there are problems that I want to work out, but for now, I’m going to revel in manuscript number five being completed. Hopefully, one step closer to a mega-book deal somewhere!

The End.

Embarrassing Moments…

A while back I promised that I would share a story with you about an embarrassing moment that happened to me on, what was supposed to be, one of the best days of my life. Enough time has passed where I can look back on that day and laugh…actually, I was laughing pretty much the day after…mocking myself that is.

So, as I’ve mentioned before, I had the opportunity to meet, chat and have coffee with one of my favorite authors. What an amazing day it was supposed to be! I had been looking forward to it for months and when the day finally arrived was so excited I could hardly stand it.

My day progressed as it usually does, work, work, work until finally the time came that I would get my chance to hang out with this author. So there we were, chatting about all things writing. I was getting some great advice, listening to funny stories and experiences, asking questions and generally being made to feel that I wasn’t a major knob when suddenly it hit me…and when I say suddenly, I mean, bam…sudden…I felt like I was going to vomit.

A wave of nausea washed over me and I felt my face drain of color (yes, I literally felt it happen.) So, I was sitting there, listening to this great author dish all kinds of valuable advice and all I could think was… “Oh, boy, please don’t let me puke all over her, please don’t let me puke all over myself.”

Finally after about five minutes of trying to fight it, I finally admitted to the author that I wasn’t feeling well. The lovely person that this author is, gave an immediate reaction of concern and understanding. I always carry an anti-nausea medication with me so I popped one and prayed that it would kick in soon. I did not want to leave my once in a lifetime chat for a little vomit…no way.

So, I sipped some water and waited. We chatted some more, the waves of nausea kept coming…but on top of that the medication was making me tired, so I started to yawn…a lot…while this wonderful author was trying to have a conversation with me! Totally freaking embarrassing.

Finally after another thirty minutes of vomit scare, I decided to pack it in. We said our goodbyes (I beelined for my car) and I drove home…all the while thinking I was going to die from either embarrassment, or whatever the hell was making me so sick.

Anyway, I don’t know what exactly was wrong with me. It might have been all of the excitement. I do, after all, carry my stress around in my stomach it seems.

The truly horrible part was that a few weeks later, I had the chance to speak with this particular author again…and you want to know what one of the first things this person asked me? How are you feeling?

Great, now I’m vomit girl. Yeah, lovely first impression!

I can laugh about it now…and the author was truly wonderful about it. People at my work thought it was hilarious. But what I wouldn’t have given to be able to talk for longer…to ask more questions, to have the undivided attention of a New York Times bestselling author. Who knows when the next time will be that I get to have a one-on-one with an author that I truly admire and respect.

So what about you all? Have you had an embarrassing moment that you’ll never forget?

This and That

This has been a busy week for me which unfortunately has stalled my progress on my newest ms. But that's okay, I'll be back in the zone soon, I'm that pumped about this new novel.

I completed the first round of edits on Assassin. Not as painful as I thought it was going to be...perhaps I'm improving...or Donna's help really saved me a lot of work now!

I also have a face to face meeting with my agent on Sunday, which I'm excited about. Excited and nervous. I don't want to make an a** of myself, so hopefully I say only super intellent things and make her fall in love with me and my work ethic!

I've been toying with the idea of posting some excerpts from my urban fantasy. What do you all think? Are excerpts or chapter posts an effective way to interest readers?

Fan Fiction: WTF?

I recently had a conversation with a New York Times bestselling author (it was the highlight of my year so far) who told me many wonderful things and offered me quite a lot of great advice. One of the things that we discussed was the existence of fan fiction, which she herself has been a victim of? Honored with?

See, I don’t get the fan fiction thing. I didn’t realize it even existed until a few months ago and when I was having this conversation with this author (did I mention it was the best day ever?) it really struck me as bizarre. Why would someone want to write stories based on someone else’s characters? And then why would they turn around and put it on line for everyone to read? I truly do not understand and would love it if someone could enlighten me.

I would feel immensely weird if I took someone else’s ideas and used them in any way. I like to come up with my own characters in my own plots. I think that writing fan fiction is a total waste of time (for me anyway, as it is my goal to get published...well, further published). I mean, I guess I can see how there’s an argument for practicing or something but still, wouldn’t it be better to just make it up on your own?

I’m not sure how other authors feel. The one I was talking to didn’t seem too put out by it. I mean, other than the fact that we laughed about the absurdity and all, but this person wasn’t angry or offended. I have read blogs written by other authors who threaten lawsuits and whatnot. I can’t really say how I would feel about it if it happened to me or my characters.

I do feel icky though at the thought of doing it myself. It would never have occurred to me as an option to write based on someone else’s ideas.

On the other hand, I can see how tempting it could be take someone else's characters and do whatever you want with them...tee, hee.

So, what do you all think? What’s the point of fan fiction? Is it purely for entertainment? Some kind of strange homage to the author? Or is it so strange that authors have a right to get offended and take legal action? I’m just not sure what the right answer is. Although I do think it is awfully bizarre,I’m trying to keep an open mind.