1. Oh, look! I'm 16k words into the new manuscript.
2. Too many characters whose names start with the letter "G."
3. What do you call those statues on Easter Island?
4. Google, show me pictures of...
5. Hey, remember that episode of Night Gallery where... (because yes, this is a ghost series and I LOVED watching Night Gallery, and One Step Beyond, and The Twilight Zone and all those other Rod Serling things)
6. Oh. I have email.
7. Did someone say Candy Crush?
Write "what comes next" without it having to make sense (also called outlining). Oh, wait. That's productive.
8. Excuse me, I need to send an email to my best friend.
Hey, what a great day to take a walk. I think I'll invite my characters to go with me and tell me what comes next. (Oh. That's productive, too.)
9. What are my friends on Facebook doing?
10. Read.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Happy Birthday!
Hey, did you know I have a new book out? Yesterday was THE SELKIE's book birthday.
Did you also know that June is my birthday month? Something the new book and I and have in common.
You know the best gift to give an author? BUY BOOKS. Think about it. How much would you normally spend on a present? Do you realize that for less than $5 you can own a brand, spanking new book and make an author's day? What a deal! I'm willing to bet you spend more than the cost of a book on a birthday card (for those of you who still keep Hallmark in business). Where else could you get off that cheap for a birthday present? What's that you say? You usually spend more on a present? Hey, there are a bunch of other books to choose from. Buy the whole EPITAPH series, and you know the best part? The first in the series is free. BONUS! So you get 5 books for the price of 4, and you've still spent less than $20 if you're buying e-books.
So celebrate my birthday with me. Make my day. Fall in love with Jared in THE TWINS, or get swept away in Irish folktales in THE SELKIE. And if you're a World Cup fan, did you know that Liam in THE SELKIE plays professional soccer?⚽ Gooooooooooooal!
Did you also know that June is my birthday month? Something the new book and I and have in common.
You know the best gift to give an author? BUY BOOKS. Think about it. How much would you normally spend on a present? Do you realize that for less than $5 you can own a brand, spanking new book and make an author's day? What a deal! I'm willing to bet you spend more than the cost of a book on a birthday card (for those of you who still keep Hallmark in business). Where else could you get off that cheap for a birthday present? What's that you say? You usually spend more on a present? Hey, there are a bunch of other books to choose from. Buy the whole EPITAPH series, and you know the best part? The first in the series is free. BONUS! So you get 5 books for the price of 4, and you've still spent less than $20 if you're buying e-books.
So celebrate my birthday with me. Make my day. Fall in love with Jared in THE TWINS, or get swept away in Irish folktales in THE SELKIE. And if you're a World Cup fan, did you know that Liam in THE SELKIE plays professional soccer?⚽ Gooooooooooooal!
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| A | BN | iB | K | A | BN | iB | K | A | BN | iB | K | A | BN | iB | K | A | BN | iB | K |
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| Buy all 5 at Amazon |
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
The end of the series
One of the first series' that I read that I hated to see come to an end was the Lucky Harbor series by Jill Shalvis. It was a fun, quirky town filled with fun, quirky characters. No, I didn't love them all, but they were all interesting to follow, nonetheless.
As an author, my Epitaph series is the first one I mapped out from beginning to end, and as I sit to write the last installment, I'm feeling that same nostalgia. I don't want to move away! I want to stay in Edgarville, but when I finish Book 6, I've reached "the end." I've learned a few things along the way, met new characters who will stick with me. Where do I go from here?
Part of me wants to "Return to Hoffman Grove," another series that wasn't mapped out start to finish, but where I have other characters to explore. The downside to that series is that because I didn't map it out from the start, I missed out on some opportunities. (This author gig is a learning experience!) Not that I couldn't go back and do novellas or short stories to fill in the gaps, but I'm not really a short story/novella type of gal. I don't particularly care to read them - I'd rather immerse myself for an extended period of time. With that being said, I'm not limiting myself by saying "never." Some people LIKE to read shorts now and then, and for some characters, a short is the way to go. My editor thinks I should do a short about Mrs. Sumner, the quirky woman from EPITAPH (the first in the the series). I'll admit, she would be a fun story to write...
Then the other part of me is ready to forge ahead into something new.
I heard from one of my readers (I love hearing from readers, btw!) who said she didn't care for ghost stories as a rule, but she liked mine so well she actually branched out to read other authors who wrote ghost stories. The Epitaph series was designed as an homage to the ghost stories I enjoyed when I was young, but I'm ready to move forward with something different. My niche is to add that "something extra," that unknown force that makes people wonder if there isn't more out there - a ghost, fate, a "feeling" often described as overdeveloped intuition - rather than an overt supernatural force. But maybe I'm wrong. The Epitaph ghosts have been very "in your face."
What do you think? Do you prefer the subtle innuendo of "we are not alone?" Or do you like reading about close encounters with supernatural forces?
And oh, hey, while I'm thinking about it, in celebration of next week's release of THE SELKIE - Epitaph 5, you can read EPITAPH, the first book in the series, without paying one thin dime. That's right, the first e-book at no cost to you. What are you waiting for? Go get a copy!
As an author, my Epitaph series is the first one I mapped out from beginning to end, and as I sit to write the last installment, I'm feeling that same nostalgia. I don't want to move away! I want to stay in Edgarville, but when I finish Book 6, I've reached "the end." I've learned a few things along the way, met new characters who will stick with me. Where do I go from here?
Part of me wants to "Return to Hoffman Grove," another series that wasn't mapped out start to finish, but where I have other characters to explore. The downside to that series is that because I didn't map it out from the start, I missed out on some opportunities. (This author gig is a learning experience!) Not that I couldn't go back and do novellas or short stories to fill in the gaps, but I'm not really a short story/novella type of gal. I don't particularly care to read them - I'd rather immerse myself for an extended period of time. With that being said, I'm not limiting myself by saying "never." Some people LIKE to read shorts now and then, and for some characters, a short is the way to go. My editor thinks I should do a short about Mrs. Sumner, the quirky woman from EPITAPH (the first in the the series). I'll admit, she would be a fun story to write...
Then the other part of me is ready to forge ahead into something new.
I heard from one of my readers (I love hearing from readers, btw!) who said she didn't care for ghost stories as a rule, but she liked mine so well she actually branched out to read other authors who wrote ghost stories. The Epitaph series was designed as an homage to the ghost stories I enjoyed when I was young, but I'm ready to move forward with something different. My niche is to add that "something extra," that unknown force that makes people wonder if there isn't more out there - a ghost, fate, a "feeling" often described as overdeveloped intuition - rather than an overt supernatural force. But maybe I'm wrong. The Epitaph ghosts have been very "in your face."
What do you think? Do you prefer the subtle innuendo of "we are not alone?" Or do you like reading about close encounters with supernatural forces?
And oh, hey, while I'm thinking about it, in celebration of next week's release of THE SELKIE - Epitaph 5, you can read EPITAPH, the first book in the series, without paying one thin dime. That's right, the first e-book at no cost to you. What are you waiting for? Go get a copy!
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| A | BN | iB | K |
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
After all the hard work is done
Every new book is a gift. After months of creative bursts and hard work and editor comments and more hard work, you read it through one last time, have a program read it to you one last time, you heave a sigh of relief as you wonder if it will pass muster.
The really exciting part? When the story still resonates with you, after writing and revising and editing and reading the same story over and over and over again.
I finished reading The Selkie to make sure the editor's revisions made sense, to make sure I hadn't thrown something else out of whack in the meantime, then I immediately had Word read it back to me so I could hear any errors I might have overlooked due to overexposure. Cover to cover, twice in a row, and you know what? I still loved the story. I still smiled at the McCormick family butting in, at the heroine's best friend trying to protect her.
Some stories you hate to put down, even when they're done.
But there's another story waiting to be written.
And here's a question. When I started the Epitaph series, I had pictured doing a boxed set of the first three in time for Halloween, and then I changed my mind. Now I'm considering boxing them together by family - The McCormicks and The Bensons. What do you think?
In case I haven't mentioned it, The Selkie is available for pre-order. The best part about pre-orders is they just magically appear on your app or in your mailbox. Go get your copy so you don't forget on release day!
The really exciting part? When the story still resonates with you, after writing and revising and editing and reading the same story over and over and over again.
I finished reading The Selkie to make sure the editor's revisions made sense, to make sure I hadn't thrown something else out of whack in the meantime, then I immediately had Word read it back to me so I could hear any errors I might have overlooked due to overexposure. Cover to cover, twice in a row, and you know what? I still loved the story. I still smiled at the McCormick family butting in, at the heroine's best friend trying to protect her.
Some stories you hate to put down, even when they're done.
But there's another story waiting to be written.
And here's a question. When I started the Epitaph series, I had pictured doing a boxed set of the first three in time for Halloween, and then I changed my mind. Now I'm considering boxing them together by family - The McCormicks and The Bensons. What do you think?
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| A | BN | iB | K |
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