Tagged and writing

There's apparently this blog hop going around where you're tagged by a (so-called *G*) writing friend to continue the hop. I've been tagged by Susan Macatee AND C. Margery Kempe.

What is the working title of your book?

Improper Conduct

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Police procedural + hot monkey sex + a desire to write something different = a story I didn't intend to write but am enjoying!

What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary romantic suspense

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh, good one. Let me think on that...oh, I know. Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiss. They look hot together, their chemistry sizzles, and frankly I think if there's another Daniel Craig James Bond, she'd make an excellent Bond girl (woman).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When her new captain takes a seductive interest in her, Detective Jules Marshall can't resist despite her ongoing investigation.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published. It's an odd work-count and frankly submitting to agents/publishers sucks the energy from you. So I'll have it professionally edited with a kicking cover and then professionally converted.
  

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Still working on that! As you can see by the sidebar, I'm not even to the 25% mark. 11% specifically, but I have other projects I'm working on and want to be able to devote the time and energy necessary to make this story really rock. I hope to have it finished by the spring.

 

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Suzanne Brockman when she was good? Her earlier books I'd say, not the works she has out now. Really liked her earlier works. Hmm, it's been so long since I've read a romantic suspense I can't think.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I don't know that anyone one thing or person inspired me, I wanted to restart my writing in something different than the istorical paranromal I'd aleady published and decided a contemporary, hot and sexy, suspense was the way to go.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

• It was originally supposed to be a lot heavier on the sex but the plot got away from me. I plan on making it just as hot and sexy as I can, but still focus on the plot.
• The 11% finished is the second time I've written those words, the first didn't quite work.
• I did the cover. :)

Who I tagged for December 5:

Kristabel Reed

Yes...just one. It's getting harder and harder to find authors who haven't already been tagged

Chapter One

This weekend I planned on writing 20-25,000 words. This included chapter one which is always the hardest to do. It has to be intriguing, progressive, captivating.

Great!

If it's just that good, people will read more. If it's not, chances are they'll never read chapter 2. Or, for that matter, buy the book. I've read at least parts of chapter one either online or standing in the book store. If I don't like it, of course I won't buy it. What's the point?

Hence the several hour chapter one tweaking marathon.

I personally think it was worth it. :) Here's hoping others do, too.

Friday Guest: Wendi Zwaduk will be here with her newest release My Immortal, a contemporary paranormal being released from Total-E-Bound. Don't forget to stop on by!

Thursday Progress

So what have I been doing the entire month of March that I couldn't update my blog? Working. A lot. However, on a writing front, I've been making tediously slow progress on my ghostly project.

The good news is that I'm only 10 chapters from the end! That might qualify as bad news, too, depending on how one looks at it, but I choose to be positive. GOOD NEWS!

Of course I have the read through of all read throughs to get through next, but I figure with the extra day off this week (thank you, Good Friday) I'll be able to come close to finishing up the story itself so that next week I can start from the beginning. And I know it'll be a lot to get through. I left large chunks half finished and have to now put in things I've added over the course of the story.

What's everyone else working on? How's your latest WIP coming along? Or have you decided glaring at it is better than nothing? (If so, I feel your pain!)

Tuesday Comings & Goings

My current WIP is finally, finally going well! OK, not great, not smoothly, but any forward motion and all that. And trust me when I say any forward motion. I'm pleased with what I have, even though it's sucking up all my time just to reconcile two very different halves and continue on.

Hence my hiding away and lurking on all my blogs (which I miss reading!) and just about everywhere else. Feeling very disconnected these days.

I've worked on another story, I've let this one sit, I've even threatened it and myself in order to get it done. So very close to the end. And yet.

How's everyone else getting on with their current projects?

New WIPs

I haven't worked on anything, really worked, in about 6 weeks. I've edited, I've researched, I've thought, but not really worked. I now have 4 stories I'd like to have finished by October. I don't know what happened here, but there it is, NOT in the order I intend to write them!

• 1 paranormal contemporary
• 1 War of 1812
• 1 American Revolution
• 1 Crimean War in Russia

I've taken out books from my library that haven't seen the light of day in a decade. Children's books I didn't know were even available! (Nice condensed versions with nifty pictures.) I've exhausted Wikipedia and their reference links. And still, I can't get "In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp..." out of my head. I'm not writing in 1814 OR about New Orleans! Burning of DC! I wonder if there's a song about that.

Oh, songs! Hmm, a new avenue of research to pursue. I love songs of the time. Hmm, thinking...

WIP

Sordid is once again regulated to the shelf. I feel terrible for the characters who probably don't understand why they aren't fleshed out and written about, but I can't help the way my brain works. Really! It's not my fault!

Another Victorian-set story. I love and adore the era, so it's probably only natural. :) This one takes place in 1851 during The Great Exposition and the vaulted Crystal Palace. The research has sucked me in and I'm all excited about it. The first couple pages are flowing nicely, but I really can't wait to get to the meat of the story.

Focus

I didn't mean to, honest! I meant to focus on my contemporary, Sordid Little Games. Something happened. Not sure what, but I do believe I'm firmly entrenched in the Victorian era. It's a log era, but I've come to love and adore it. So much happened then! So many changes and progress.

Birthrite - Raven is polished to a gleam. Seriously, it's cut and primped and pinned and shiny new.
Birthrite - Morganna has been outlined, scratched, re-outlined, scowled at, and once more. I'm pretty happen with it now, but am positive it'll revise sooner or later during the actual writing stage.
Sordid Little Games is outlined until it, too, gleams, those previous versions scratched in favor of this latest edition.
Untitled happened only last night. And then the research began. This takes place much earlier than Birthrite, probably the 1850s. It's only in the research stage, but it had to be done. Stinkin' thing wouldn't leave me alone! It made me write it!