In case you were wondering...

Remember those aggressive goals for this month? Are you wondering how I’m doing?

• get an overdue story to the editor (who kindly allowed me a few grace days) – decided, reluctantly, to let this one go. Among other reasons, the story was insisting on becoming a novella. So now I have an erotic steampunk novella to write at some point!
• get everything done for Out of the Frying Pan and back to Teresa – DONE! We have a confab tomorrow to plan the next steps.
• do the edits/rewrites for Waking the Witch and get them to the editor who requested them – to be printed and mailed tomorrow!
• write a story for the Mountain Magic anthology – some brainstorming done; this is next on the To Do list
• write a story for the Crossed Genres anthology – after some consideration, decided to let this one go, too. A balance of research time vs potential payment…and in the end, novel work won out.
• prep “In Her Hands” for Kindle, etc. (if time) – in progress

The upshoot? I’m on track and on target. I’ve adjusted a few things here and there, but flexibility is part of the program.

Also? Loving Llyfr. File transfer between computers is so much faster—previously, I couldn’t use my laptop to open a file on Arianbach (main computer) and actually work on it. Now, happy joy.

Life-wise…not much to report. I worked all weekend, not being in the household that camped out this weekend, even though I’m friends with most of them. Ken won his rally (Yay, Ken!). I went to the LARA meeting and out to lunch with Christine (at Versailles, natch!). I made lunch dates with two friends for this week, and will be making a couple of writing dates as well.

Onwards! Or as Jason and Grant say, on to the next!

The long dark tea-time of the soul

Went to the LARA meeting today, where I saw many wonderful people and managed to win 3 books for $1. (A Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliasotti and two Jenny Crusie’s I don’t think I have. If I do, I’ll pass the extra copies along. Actually, I think I haven’t even read one of them. A travesty!)

Afterwards, Christine and I went out for lunch at Versailles, and I am now oozing garlic from every pore. Alas, poor vampires.

And now? Well, I should get some work done. And convince Ken to stop working in the garage so we can go grocery shopping. We’re out of milk, and half-and-half tastes weird in tea to me. But (a) he’s working in the garage, which means I might be able to park my car in there this year,* and (b) he already did put together the slow cooker meal for tonight (chicken thighs and canned artichoke hearts and a few other things. New recipe. Smells good so far).

Okey-doke. Onwards!

*To save money, he cancelled his storage shed and put all his work stuff in the garage before the garage was cleaned out to the extent that his work stuff—which involves pieces of room-sized machines—would fit along with my car and two motorcycles and a bunch of woodworking equipment.

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Currently Reading: The Little Sister, Sarah Waters

Lately Listened To: The Best of Both Worlds (Fish disc), Marillion

Recently Watched: Doctor Who

Attention local writers!

What: Warrior Writer Workshop
When: May 15, 2010
Who: National Bestselling Author, Bob Mayer
Where: Beverly Garlands Holiday Inn at Universal Studio Hollywood

Workshop: Based on Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear and Succeed, Bob Mayer teaches a unique and innovative workshop focused on educating writers on how to be successful authors in all aspects of publishing. Warrior Writer is a holistic approach that integrates the artist's creativity with the business savvy needed to succeed in publishing. The workshop is a nine-step plan that will provide the tools for writers of all levels to become the most successful authors each can be.

Bio: NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has 40 books published. He has over three million books in print and is in demand as a team-building, life-change, and leadership speaker and consultant.

Cost: IF PAID BY APRIL 18th! (Early bird Pricing EXTENDED!)
$75 for LARA members
$80 for OCC, EVA & San Diego RWA members
$85 for RWA members
$95 for Non-members

For more information and to register for LARA workshop please go to http://www.lararwa.com/workshop. html

Bonus Workshop: For a select few who sign up (limited to 12 participants) Bob will also offer his Warrior Writer A-Team Workshop on Sunday, May 16, 2010. This workshop will utilize the principles of Warrior Writer and The Novel Writers Toolkit and will be focused on both the participants writing as well as their business model. To learn more and to register go to: http://www.bobmayer.org/index. php?id=6

If you have any questions, please contact Tammi Flora at programming@ lararwa.com

Oh, is THAT what it is!

On my way home from the LARA meeting and book signing on Sunday, I was thinking about various projects, just letting them run around in my head. I’d like to have Ghosted ready for the Novel Workshop in February (provided I can swing the cost…eep), so it’s next on my plate in terms of big projects. I’m still unsure/unclear about some areas, so what I have to do (among other things) is lay all the scenes out on the table and let my subconscious figure out what goes where. So there I was I driving (singing loudly along with Rick Springfield’s Venus in Overdrive), and loosely pondering all this along with the concerns and fears that I wasn’t figuring it all out and I didn’t know what the hell a particular plot point had to do with anything when suddenly I realized it wasn’t just a clue, it was a parallel mystery/subplot that the protagonist had to solve in order to solve her bigger problem as well as her emotional arc.

Holy crap, dudes. My subconscious has been waiting a damn long time for me to figure that out.

So that was pretty nifty.

Then I got home and I was pondering the short story I need to write next. Fantasy, nostalgia about anywhere from the 1920s to the 1980s. I’d like to keep it to about 1K, so a new story in my WWII/Thirteen Treasures of Britain universe would take too much set up. We’ve been watching Penelope Spheeris’s Decline of Western Civilization II… Another “Duh!” moment. Early 80s, hair metal, the Sunset Strip, a groupie who saves her band from selling their souls to the Devil…

Just finished writing it. :-)

Now, on to brainstorming the next couple stories, so I can get them off my plate and get back to work on Ghosted!

The work thing

Hey, I made a sale without doing a darn thing!

Alison Tyler remembered a story I’d submitted to her ages ago that she rejected for whatever project I’d subbed it for, and asked if she could include it in an upcoming anthology (pending publisher approval) and also excerpt it in a nonfiction book she’s writing (I’d get some compensation and a credit). Plus she wants to quote a comment I made on a Lust Bites post eons ago!

Acceptances are always fantastic. But there’s something a little extra when an editor approaches you, remembering something they saw from you a year or more ago.

So, things are finally settling out into normalcy again after me being away from home for more than half of May. I’ve got tons of things to talk about, so let’s make this the writing post, and catch up by theme.

This past weekend was a writers' fest! On Saturday, the local RWA ladies and I got together for high tea (5 out of 6 of us! a record!), and then three came over so I could show off the house, and we chatted for another few hours. After that, Ellenie and I grabbed our laptops and went to a local coffee shop and wrote for a couple more hours.

The next day was practically more of the same! Ellenie and I carpooled to the LARA meeting, where Sylvia Day and HelenKay Dimon spoke about the fears that keep us from writing. After that, five of us (including Christine, whom I hadn’t seen in ages—we couldn’t stop hugging!) went to Versailles and moaned our way through Cuban food, and then some of us repaired to Lulu’s for an afternoon of writing.

There’s been a fair amount of ins and outs over the past few weeks, including…

• A sale! My story “In Flight” will be reprinted in Best Lesbian Romance 2009! It’s a fun story. It’s got birds of prey in it! What’s not to love?
  
• I received, signed, and returned the contract for Flash Fucking, which will include (pending publisher approval) my story “The Heist.” The story is one of my personal favorites, so I’m quite chuffed!
  
• I also received my comp copies of Rubber Sex.
  
• Alas, I also received a rejection from Bane’s Universe for “Berengere.” It’s already been resubbed, of course.
  
• Alas, also a rejection from Clarkesworld for “Dreamseer,” which promptly got turned around to Æon.
  

My overall stats for April and May look like this:

Novel rejections = 3 (for 2 different novel ms)
Novel submissions = 3 (for 1 novel ms)

Short story submissions = 15
Short story rejections = 12
Short story sales = 1
Short story publications = 1

And that’s about it. This weekend I’m spending most of Saturday working, and Sunday I’m hitting the coffee shop early with Ellenie because of a birthday tea for two friends in the afternoon. It’s always an adventure!

Sunday's signing

Here's the lineup of authors for the book signing at the Barnes & Noble in Encino on Sunday from 12-2:

Eden Bradley
Leigh Court
Sarah Dale
Linda O. Johnson
Cheryl Holt
Carolyn Hughey
Cassidy Kent
Harley Jane Kozak
Kaitlin O'Riley
Brenda Scott Royce

Hope to see some friendly faces there! Remember, with the voucher, a portion of the proceeds of anything you buy will go towards the Los Angeles Romance Writers of America chapter...