Deadlines

I've just completed and set out my sex & politics story, Whispers. It's set in D.C. in a senate building with a senator and a DOJ lawyer. I sent it off to Jamaica Layne the editor for Ravenous for this anthology. (It's due December 1) I'll wait to see if they accept it or not.

Olivia Adair is a junior senator having an affair with the Department of Justice liaison, Ryan Granger. Neither want to give up their careers, but aren't willing to give up each other, either. Leaving her senate office late one night, Ryan overhears an aide talking about the death of a senior senator. He investigates, but when Olivia is hurt in a car accident, he wonders if the aide is now after her. Will he give up his position to save her life or is already it too late?

Saturday

Semi-traditionally known as Black Saturday but not as popular as Black Friday. There are still deals and deals to be had out there. And with deals, story ideas! Didn't think so, did ya? I'm here to tell ya that yup...standing in line, wanting to smash your head against the wall, it all goes to keeping your sanity and thinking of something other than "Why the hell did I get up this morning to brave these crazy hoards? Even the barbarians were saner than these people!"

Thanksgiving is a family holiday but it can also be a romantic holiday. So what's a writer to do but think of romantic ways to use this crowded time of the year?


No, I couldn't think of a romantic ANYTHING for Black Friday. But I did think of a romantic getaway for Thanksgiving. What can I say, that line was long!

So this weekend I'll be working on some holiday stories because Tis the Season!

Happy Thanksgiving

The history of Thanksgiving is an interesting one. And I'm not just talking about the Pilgrims coming over. I'm talking Lincoln and reminding a nation at war the meaning of that nation.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on 28, 1863, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She wrote, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution." The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise."

The original proclamation, written by William Seward (also know for the purchase of Alaska), was sold to benefit Union Troops:

According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President
Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William
Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow
Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary that he complimented Seward
on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

So tomorrow, as we gorge ourselves on turkey and football, remember our past, our troops, and our hope for the future of our great nation.

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm

http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/source/sb2/sb2w.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgproclamation.html

Don't forget to download your free short story, and enter a chance to win a iPod Touch at Ravenous Romance.

December 6, 2008: Dark Desire of the Druids: Tryst is available from Ravenous!

(I've had problems with blogger ad adding a site, so if MY link doesn't work, it's: http://www.ravenousromance.com/)

Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for a lot of things, every day I'm glad for friends and family. This year I'm thankful for my health. Some of you know I had a 15 day hospital stay and a further 6 week no real food and (horrors!) no caffeine or alcohol. So I'm doubly thankful for a healthy return to life now.

I'd like to include family and friends, my fellow Victorians, and supportive writers. And finally for a free morning on Thanksgiving to catch up on sleep and some editing.

The countdown is on! 11 days until the release of Dark Desire of the Druids: Tryst. Be sure to check out Ravenous Romance for a free short story download and a chance to win an iPod Touch.

Sex & Politics

Ravenous put out the call for sex & politics stories, deadline December 1. I have so many other things to write, though my 2008 deadlined stories are finished. What's an author to do but write one?

The forbidden romance, the thrill of discovery. I love it! So now I'm off to write, between carpet people coming, and getting ready for Thanksgiving, and work.

Holidays and short stories

They're coming. Thanksgiving is this Thursday, next you know Christmas'll be here in like a week, and bam! New Years. Do people actually breathe during the season? I'm not sure I do, but that's not the point.

Holidays=holiday stories. Holiday stories=writing holiday stories. Writing holiday stories=what holiday can I write about? All, the squeaky cogs of the brain.

I already have 2 (possibly 3) Christmas stories coming out this year. But there are other holidays. New Years aside, there's Valentine's day, St. Patrick's day, Easter, Flag day...you get the picture.

In one of the Christmas stories I submitted, there are 4 women and the men in their lives. No, this isn't Sex in the City by Isabel Roman. Nothing near that. More like Four Calling Birds. Which is what I named it, but Ravenous might change it, and they're more than welcomed to. So, my Four Calling Birds are only beginning their romantic holiday journey.

What's an author in the midst of holiday anxiety to do but propose further stories for her 4 couples? Propose 6 more holiday for her 4 couples, that's what.

We'll see if Ravenous accepts these proposals. In the mean time, I have other stories to write. Like the female pharmacist in 1918 London and her scared war hero home from Flanders. When he isolates himself from the world, only she can bring him back to the world. But what happens the morning after?

Deadlines approaching

December 1 is the deadline for the first in my Wicked Seduction short story series. Complicated Courtship, about a woman in 1774 Boston who wants to remind her Sons of Liberty fiance all they can share, is finished. I just edited it again, and will go through it once more before sending it out to Ravenous next week.

My only problem is street names in Boston while Massachusetts was still a colony. After we won the Revolution, they changed all the names. All of them. So now I'm stuck with no street names. A friend, Dee, actually mailed me a couple books on old Boston, but even they conflict with the street names. It's enough to make a writer want to scream.

Now you wouldn't think a street name was that important in a 5800 word story. It is. Makes it authentic and all. Plus it sounds better than Kirsten walked down one street to the next, and never bothered to remember what their names were. Right. Admit it, you wouldn't buy that, either.

In The Shadows

Thought I'd post a short blurb for my Civil War anthology story, In the Shadows. Have contract in hand ad am mailing it out tomorrow. That's all I know...no release date, no potential release date, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for July 4th with all the implied connotations therein.

Jack Harrison is an Englishman running the Northern Blockades. He's in it for the money...that and the hand of the fair Marion Shelton. With nothing but his name, which counts for nothing in the American South, he needs hard currency - gold - to prove he's worthy of her hand.

Marion doesn't care about the money, but about her country. As a spy, she's tasked with learning what she can about troop movements and local gossip.

When she overhears a plan to kidnap high ranking politicians, she's forced to reveal the truth to Jack, and ask for his help. Will he turn her in as a spy, or will love win out?

Civil War Anthology

Some of my fellow Scandalous Victorians and I recently decided that a Civil War Anthology would be a great idea. We all wrote stories revolving around it, and just yesterday we received our contracts from The Wild Rose Press!

This anthology will be available in downloadable form and in print, but I don't have a date for that. As soon as I do, I'll post it.

I'll post a summary of In the Shadows later this week.

What to do

It's all going so fast! Friday I managed 5,883 words, pretty damn close to my 6K mark! Yesterday-nada. But I needed the break. Today is Wanton Woman. Going to finish that one up now that I know where it's headed. There was something I couldn't figure out with that story, the plot, but now it's all good. So finishing that, relaxing because it's finally sunny though it's going to be cold! Yesterday it rained all day but was 63...today it's sunny and 46. Go figure.

Mark the date: December 6, 2008

Dark Desire of the Druids: Tryst (prequel to Dark Desire of the Druids I: Murder & Magick) will be released Saturday December 6!

Check out Ravenous Romance!

Another Day...

...Another 6000 words. Don't think I can do it? It's a goal...I did 5000 Tuesday. What's another thousand words in a day? Plus, in doing that, not only will I have a total of 12K words (my math isn't off, I had 1100 already) but the first act (10 chapters) finished.

Not a bad way to end a day...of course I have to get to it, blogging and facebook-ing is fun but ultimately not writing productive.

Onward

Got my copy edits for my 'Green Love' environmental short story Hot Water. Going through them now and continuing to work on Morgana's story. Tuesday I got 4 chapters (about 6000 words) finished, and plan on doing that and more Friday.

I admit, I was distracted Tuesday...weather, research (names lead to another site, leads to some other damn thing and before you know it you're into something that has NOTHING to do with the story.)

But tomorrow, other than lamenting I can't see Quantum of Solace on opening day, I'm going to ignore all interruptions and write!

Date!

Dark Desire of the Druids I: Murder & Magick will be available on Wednesday December 24!

I think that says it all. *G* When I have updates on my other stories, I'll be sure to pass them along.

Morgana's story

Morganna/Morgana (I decided to change it to one 'n'). I'm working on her story today. All day.

I have pages of research on Philadelphia 1882, reams of what my magickers can and can't do, and 2 separate outlines. One comprehensive and one chapter breakdown. I'm so set.

No, I won't get it finished, possibly the first Act which would be great. With the deadline January 15, I want to make significant headway on it.

Yes, I'm just that anal. I know it, I embrace it, and I have long since learned to deal with it. Besides, you know how fast the holiday season goes! Better to have it done that miss that deadline. Or stressing over it between January 2 and 15. Something's bound to creep up.

Organization

My office needs organizing. Desperately. I can no longer take it! Out with the old - 10 year old files, papers, things I saved because I'm sure at the time they were important. Not so much now.

In with the clutter-free lifestyle! I'm a changed woman. Or will be once I get rid of all this crap. And in my new neatness, I'll be inspired ad creative.

Facebook

I added (someplace) my blog to Facebook. It wasn't as hard as I thought, but then I don't know where it ended up. Weird, huh. What're you gonna do. Plus I spent a good portion of yesterday on Facebook...sending Star Trek ships, sending Disney characters, farming...it's so easy to procrastinate on there, so many new things to...ah...learn. Yup. Learn.

Back to writing this evening. Trying to finish up a short story so I can concentrate on DDoD 2, Morganna's story. I have that all outlined and have broken down all the chapters. I'm really excited to start her story, but want to get a couple contracted short stories finished so I don't have to worry about them.

Countdown

Three weeks until Ravenous goes live. I'm pretty psyched about it, even if it's NOT my company. It IS my publisher! *G* I'm planning my marketing already: facebook, website, blog, business cards and postcards, and most definitely word of mouth.

So don't forget to enter for an iPod Touch, and don't forget to check out my books when Ravenous goes live!

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!

My computer is dead. Crashed. Melted. Died. Luckily, I did not lose everything. In fact, other than old versions of most things, all I lost was just one teeny scene from the second story in my Wicked Seduction Series, Wanton Woman. I can live with that. But the frustration! Damn computer guy. I totally blame him.

On a MUCH brighter note, don't forget to enter the chance to win a iPod Touch from Ravenous! They go live December 1!

Green Love

I'm currently doing a story for Ravenous' Green Love line. It needs to have an environmental issue at the heart of the story, as well as a romance. And sex.

A lot of ideas work, but I'm doing geothermal. Why? Because it's fascinating. Here's a wikipedia page on it to give you an idea. Alternate energy is a hot (no pun intended) topic, but Iceland has used geothermal for years. The researching is great, but I also really love the story between Aidan and Elizabeth. I hope you will, too.

Don't forget to enter Ravenous' iPod Touch giveaway!

Got Wolf?

Ages and ages ago I entered The Wild Rose Press's Black Rose Got Wolf? contest. Like June ages ago. Completely forgot about it until last week when I remembered they were announcing the winners on Halloween. TODAY I googled the results and after an intense search found the results.

I WON FIRST PLACE!

I'm desperately trying to breathe, but frankly I'm way too excited to bother.