Is upon us. How the heck did that happen so fast? Have you noticed that the older you get, the faster the years zip on by. I remember as a kid those 365 days that made up a year were LONG. Now, they rush by in a blur. Like a souped-up sports car racing by where all you see is the blur of color, 2008 is a mash of events made fuzzy by the warp speed of life.

Well, except for NOW. Now, everything has slowed down to a snail’s pace. Each day, for the next forty-nine days, will likely be slower than the day before. Why is this? Take a look…

That’s right! In about 49 and 1/2 (yes, the half is important!) days, my book will hit the shelves.

I can’t wait…which, of course, means everything is in slow motion now. Oh well, that’s okay, at least I’ll be able to enjoy it. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself!

Don’t Forget!

This week at the Novel Girls, we’re talking about Writer’s Block. Come see what each of us have to say!

And I’m exhausted! But wow, isn’t this time of year so much fun? Even with the madness, the worries, and all the other stresses of life, Christmas is just magical. Simple as that.

We’ll be finishing our shopping up this week, getting presents wrapped, and by the weekend, we’ll be baking up a storm. My kids are sooo excited, and I’m just enjoying the ride. Partially because I’ve always loved Christmas and that will likely (hopefully) never change, but also because this year I’m home with my family, and I’m healthy. This time a year ago, I was sick…and only days away from being admitted into the hospital, where I’d say for several months.

So yes, this Christmas is more magical than ever because I’m HOME.

Is anything in your life making this Christmas a little brighter than any before? If so, please share!

Don’t Forget!

This week, we’re talking about Christmas Traditions at The Novel Girls. Come say “Hi!” Also, we’re running a completely awesome contest over there to celebrate Lesley Livingston’s soon-to-be-released debut book. Come check it out!!!

Actually, there are several countdown’s going on in my house at the moment. The big one for any house with kids in it is, of course, Christmas Day.

We also have the mini-countdowns that lead up to the big day: putting the Christmas tree up (done), baking and decorating cookies (not yet), visiting Santa (this weekend), visiting Children’s Wonderland (a Christmas tradition for my family and many others in this part of Ohio), and driving around on Christmas Eve to check out the amazing lights and decorations in some of the area neighborhoods. And that doesn’t even take into consideration watching all the classic Christmas shows that are on TV this time of year!

The kids are excited, and becoming even more so as each day passes. And seeing as I’m very into Christmas, I’m nearly as excited as my little ones are. However, this year, the countdown extends past Christmas, past New Years, and right into February–when my first book, A Taste of Magic will hit the shelves. I am (naturally) mega-excited at the prospect of holding my book in my hands, of reading reviews, and of hearing from readers.

And then….the countdown will continue on until March, when I’m having my very first public booksigning, and it will keep on movin’ all the way until July, when my second book, A Stroke of Magic will be released. Speaking of A Stroke of Magic, I finally have some more info to share about the book! Here is the official back cover copy:

You know how freaky it is, to expect one taste and get another? Imagine picking up a can of tepid ginger ale and taking a swig of delicious, icy cold peppermint tea. Alice Raymond just did that. And though the tea is exactly what she wants, she bought herself a soda.

ONE STROKE OF MAGIC,

AND EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED 

Alice’s life isn’t turning out as planned. After breaking things off with her lying, stealing, bum of an ex, she discovered she was pregnant. Motherhood’s definitely on her “someday” wish list, but a baby means less time for her art and no time for recent hallucinations that include this switcharoo with the tea. She has to impress her new boss, the ridiculously long-lashed, smoky-eyed Ethan Gallagher, and she has to deal with her family, who have started rambling about gypsy curses. Only a soul-deep bond with the right man can save her and her child? As if being single wasn’t pressure enough! 

Alice’s life has just become icy cold peppermint tea. She just has to forget the ginger ale.

Isn’t it awesome? And today, I received the cover art for the book. Here it is, in all its shiny, beautiful, totally amazing glory:

Pretty great, huh? I’m blown away by it, just as I was (and still am) by the cover for A Taste of Magic.

Back to countdowns…in between everything I’ve listed, there are much smaller things I’ve been looking forward to. What about you? What countdowns are going on in your house/life?

Don’t Forget!

This week at The Novel Girls, we’ve been talking about our favorite things. Come on over and take a peek!

I’m in the process of writing a new proposal for a new story. The first three chapters are always the most difficult for me to write, and often, they end up being altered significantly several times. I think this is because it takes me a little while to get to know my characters, and because I’m a character-driven writer, I just don’t know them well enough in the beginning to really nail those first three.

I never used to worry about it, because I knew when the manuscript was complete I’d have time to go over those first three again, and make any necessary changes. But now it’s a totally different playing field, because this book is not yet contracted, which means these first three chapters are going out pretty much need to be as close to perfect as possible, before I finish writing the book.

Which means I need to really work hard to get to know my characters, my heroine in particular, as much as possible now. So while I have a rough (very rough) draft of the first chapter, I know it isn’t right yet. Rather than moving on, I’m going to spend the next several days on some characterization techniques and try to get more into my heroine’s head. I’ve already written a letter to myself from her point-of-view, but she hasn’t truly clicked for me yet.

Next on my list? Characterization Q&A’s don’t really do the job for me, so instead, I’m going to focus on some free writing from my heroine’s perspective at different times in her life. I’m hoping this will help me narrow in on her a bit more, so I can get these first three chapters in fighting shape.

That, along with work, is on my list for this week. I hope it all clicks in soon!

Don’t Forget!

This week, we’re talking about names over at The Novel Girls. Come say hi!

Things have been hectic. I apologize! The break was very needed on my end, but hopefully, I’m back on the posting path now. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving while I was away. We did! And now the Christmas rush begins. Normally, I love the Christmas holiday, but this year–well, everything just seems to be coming at me at lightning speed. I’m sure I’ll find my groove. Well…I hope I’ll find my groove!

This month, I hope to bring on some guest bloggers and do a few giveaways. As soon as I get some folks lined up, I’ll post a schedule.

That’s it for now! Check out my post on names over at The Novel Girls today. I’ll be back with more tomorrow–I promise!

Today feels manic, but I’m not sure why. Things are in control family-wise, work is pretty much caught up (though I have more to do), and the next book is starting to take shape. Somehow, though, today still feels a little out of control. Maybe I’m forgetting something? Ack. I wonder what?

Remember weeks and weeks ago, I talked about that beeping we couldn’t find? Well, we found it a while back. Tucked behind a shelf in my back room was a carbon monoxide detector that had reached the end of its life…so it was beeping sporadically to tell us. It was an electric detector, and apparently they only have a 4 to 5 year lifespan (this model, anyway). We replaced it and no more beeping. So now, when I’m up late at night working/writing, it’s to the blissful sound of quiet. Thank goodness!

Okay, off to figure out what I’m forgetting/supposed to be doing/etc before it drives me nuts. Everyone have a great Monday!

Don’t Forget!

Today is my Monday at the Ohio Romance Authors MySpace blog. Check it out!

Today is ALSO my day at The Novel Girls. This week we’re talking about inspiration and brainstorming. Stop in and visit for a while!

Happy Friday!

This weekend I plan on officially starting my next book. I’m excited. I’m inspired. I’m ready to roll up sleeves and dig right in. I won’t actually start writing the manuscript itself this quickly, though. I have other things that need to be done first. What do I do at this stage?

Well, a lot of it is thinking, making notes, and trying to get a firmer idea of character, motivation, and yes–plot. While I am not a heavy plotter (as I’ve said many times before), there are some basics I definitely need to know. But I always, always start with characterization.

My first task this weekend is learning more about my heroine and my hero. Once I do that, I should have a better idea about the plot itself. So then, I’ll move on to my least favorite part of the process: the synopsis. At this stage, I’m extremely happy with just a short synopsis. Something that will evolve over several days, if not weeks, that will give just a basic overview of what I think will happen over the course of the book.

This synopsis will likely change several times. That’s okay! Because each draft will open a few more doors for me to explore. When I finally settle on what I’m fairly sure I’m going to write, then I develop a chapter by chapter breakdown. I estimate how many chapters I think will be in the book, I figure out my opening, my first turning point, my mid point, my second turning point, and then my conclusion–and then I jot those in at the appropriate chapters.

Then, using my short synopsis as a guide, I do my best to fill in the blanks. This early on, I probably will leave many of the later chapters blank, as what needs to happen there will more fully evolve in my brain as I write the first portion of the manuscript. 

What I definitely won’t know is the exact steps and details that will take my characters from one place to another. Those come to me as I write, as I learn more and more about my characters and my story. What I will know is what realization and/or questions and/or turning points need to occur at different places within the story–and those I’ll mark.

Once I have the chapter by chapter breakdown done (which will continue to evolve throughout the entire book), I’m finally ready to begin actually writing. But even with the pre-planning, getting the first chapter–heck, the first line–right will not happen immediately.

It took me four weeks to get the first three chapters just right in A Stroke of Magic. In A Taste of Magic, I completely rewrote the first two chapters after the book was complete. Beginnings are fun and exciting, but I’m also a perfectionist…so if I think it’s not quite there, I’ll keep at it until it is. OR until I realize I need to move on to learn more before I can make them just right.

But still. I’m at the beginning again, and I love beginnings! So I’m excited to get started and see what develops.

Don’t Forget!

This week we’re talking about recipes at The Novel Girls. Yesterday was Jillian Cantor, today is Lesley Livingston, and tomorrow is Carolyn McTighe.