Monday Moans ~ My Turn!!

I wanted to write something cool today. I wanted to have this post that would totally draw people in and be fabulous. Then life happened. Had two resubmits. Gotta get those done (and since one is a little, shall we say...late....yeah, you get the picture).

I thought, okay, I'll have the characters talk. Works great. Monday feature.

No dice.

Mum.

Crickets.

Argh.

So yeah, I'm at the corner of lost and frazzled and trying to get my bearings so I can get everything done.

In other news, took the top off the Jeep. Yowza that was fun. Breezy... cool...oh and a little hot on the top of the old noggin, but, at least it wasn't rain. Or snow.

Got some good ghost adventure material. The boys and company went back to Mansfield. I'm stoked to see what they got. The voice phenomenon are pretty cool. Didja know ghosts are heavy breathers? Apparently they are when women are in the room. Imagine that. I know.

So...off to work on second resub and to figure out a way cool blog pic for Tasty Tuesday.

Cya!

A New Contract!!!

For Thank You Thursday, I have a new contract to announce. Yuppers. It's been over six years in the making and gone through about fifteen different versions. What am I talking about? Only the one book that started it all and got me into the idea that maybe, just maybe, I can write...maybe. Hey, you won't hear my say I am the best author out there. I know I've got tons to learn. But this story is near and dear to my heart. I know I say that every time. But if you've been with me on the ride since the beginning, you'll know that racing is one of my passions. I can't race.
Can't figure out the clutch. But I love to watch racing. And I know a couple of drivers and have talked to a few more. Even know a spotter pretty well. (He tells the drivers where the traffic is on track, in case you were scratching your head.)
My first story, first romance I ever attempted was a race themed story. I had this awesome guy picked out for a hero and a great heroine to tame him. But I had no idea that there were words that shouldn't be use. These crazy things called passive voice and point of view changes, head hopping....since then, I've gotten a little better. I know how to not use, if at all possible, passive voice. I know the skill to keeping certain words (was, had, did, has, is) to a minimum, and I realize that if you switch POV's mid scene, it had better be REALLY important.

So my news? The book, six years in the making, has been contracted by Total-E-Bound. I can't wait!!!

Friday Flirts

I'm sitting here jamming to old Billy Joel tunes and working on revisions/edits/WIP's... Yeah, I'm a busy girl. Megan came over for a while to work on her WIP. I looked it over and I think once she gets this particular pivotal scene done, she'll be pretty good to go. Me? Not so much. I chattered with C for a while, too. She teased me about having one too many irons in the fire and setting the bar a bit high. Duh. I don't know what to do with myself if the bar isn't way over my head and more or less out of reach. Story of my life.

In the planning stages:
Rhett's part of You'll Think of Me. He's still in the rough stages. I mean, I know what he wants to do, but I want to put him in a situation he thinks he can't handle. I mentioned something to him about twins. He was receptive...I don't think he has any idea *how* I want him to end up with said twins. Hee hee.

In the works:
Still chugging away on the NASCAR story. I have the lawyerly parts done and right. The rest needs to come into focus.

In revision:
I have two here. I sent What Might Have Been to the CP, got it back and have one scene to finish. I *think* I have a handle on it, but as I know all too well, my having a handle on things isn't always what I think it is.
Also, I'm working hard on the resub. I spoke about that one yesterday, so not much to report as of right now. But hey, I feel a lot better about it than I did on Wednesday. Will it be the fresh, original, creative thing my editor expects? I have no freaking idea...and I'm scared it won't live up to standards.

In edits:
I should be getting the first round edits on Careless Whisper. I always get the feeling of dread knowing the edits are coming. Why? Cuz...I do. I dunno.

Releasing Monday:
Tangled Up releases from Total-E-Bound. Grab your copy!

Back to the grindstone, plus the song changed. Yes, I'm listening to a-ha and I like it.

And Don't Forget to Check out These Awesome Authors: Megan Slayer, Kealie Shay, Menagerie Authors, Jessica Jarman, Devon Rhodes, Ashley Ladd, Linda McMaken, Cheryl Dragon, Marianne Arkins, Anne Rainey, KA Mitchell, Mychael Black, and Jenika Snow!

Monday Moans

Ever have to admit your deepest fears? I mean, admit to the one thing that will knock you down and it may not be possible to get back up?

I was listening to the radio and "Learning How to Bend" came on. Naturally, I had to crank it up. I'm a man's man, but I do have a softer side. And really, the song is more about working with your partner rather than against. I then found the Gary Allan cd I love and blasted "Just Got Back from Hell". Made me feel a little better.

Oh, you're probably wondering who I am. Sorry. Deputy Marlon Cross. I work at the Jarvis County Sheriff's department in Ohio. I love my job and a certain woman.

But back to my fear. I love being a cop. It's in my blood. It's who I am. I can't begin to imagine not being on the beat, not keeping people safe, and not serving and protecting. But Wendi asked me a ton of questions (aggravating if you ask me), but she asked me a ton of questions and one of them had to do with my greatest accomplishments. Duh, being on the force. I am a cop. That was an easy question. Then she wanted to know about my greatest disappointment and my worst fear. Well, those were harder.

I don't like to admit I'm scared. Imagine being in a situation where a suspect has a gun drawn. You can't show fear. Not at all. So do I have moments when I'm scared? Yes. I won't go into the moment of fear and disappointment, but I came damned close to losing my job. I've said, I'm defined by my job. When things happened that put it in jeopardy, fuck yeah, I was scared. What would I do with myself? Being a bouncer is fun for a month or two, but not long term.

I'd be totally lost.

(*Sigh*)

I'm going to take off for now. I'm not really feeling too talkative all the sudden. I'm sorry this was a downer post. I'll call Logan or maybe Ryan to come over and chatter. They know how to work a room.

Later.

Wendi told me to put this on at the end:
And Don't Forget to Check out These Awesome Authors: Megan Slayer, Kealie Shay, Menagerie Authors, Jessica Jarman, Devon Rhodes, Ashley Ladd, Linda McMaken, Marianne Arkins, Anne Rainey, KA Mitchell, Mychael Black, and Jenika Snow!

Friday Flirts

Friday Flirts.

I wanted to have something fantastic to post today. I did. I feel sometimes like I'm falling a tad short.

Ok, so what am I working on?

Still have the NASCAR book in the works. I want to get farther on it. We'll see. Time is a minimum.

Halfway through the menage story. It sorta got kicked to the back burner. I'll get there.

Got PRM sent to the editor. I won't even hazard a guess on that one. Lest time I did, I fell flat on my face. What have I learned? Mum is the word. :)

Farmer is with CP, so he's at a stand-still. No worries.

I think that's all right now.

Friday Flirts

I know, most of you are out shopping. Well, I'm not. I'm not one for the crowds, being shoved to get a cheap tv or parking out in BFE. I can't see the point in sitting in the snow/wind/rain/cold just to be the first in line for an iPad.

But that's just me.

I'd rather do my shopping online or later or (if I had my way) way early. Yes, I'm one of those irritating people who has their shopping done by Halloween. (If I don't, I chafe. Really.)

So, because I'm a derelict and forgot to mention my NEW RELEASE on RELEASE DAY. (Long story...needless to say, it was forgotten in the shuffle of life).

Get your copy of You'll Think of Me.
Not only did I get a fantastic cover, but at a little over $5, it's a steal (but don't really steal it - cuz that was another hurdle from this week).

Cade is one of my favorite characters and it's a story near and dear to my heart.

The man of her dreams finally came home from the war, but is he still the man she remembers or have his demons changed him forever?

Melanie Roberts loved her best friend more than she could ever imagine, and for longer than she wants to admit. Though once lovers, she's resigned herself to being no more than his best friend and roommate. On the eve of his return from deployment in Iraq, in order to keep her heart from breaking, she decides she's moving on—after one last sexy night.

Cade Nicholson has come to a decision. As he comes home damaged in both body and soul from his latest deployment, all he wants is to find comfort in Melanie's arms. Unsure and unsteady in expressing his love to the only woman to hold his heart, he has to find a way to convince her of his true feelings.

Can two best friends overcome their demons to prove their love for one another before past decisions come back to haunt them and it’s too late?

Reader Advisory: This book contains anal and outdoor sex.

Get your copy today!

And in other news:
Remember me talking about Please Remember Me? For all of you who read Cass and Logan's story (Right Where I Need to Be), well, PRM which is Marlon and Jade's story, is back from the CP and **I think** all the kinks are worked out. I'm writing the synopsis little by little (since they are so not fun) and hoping to have it to editor within two weeks. Am I scared? Heck yeah. Submissions are never my strong point. Stomach ends up in knots and I'm scared the editor will hate it (even after the CP's, beta readers, and everyone else whose helped in the revision/polish process has given it the go-ahead.)

So wish me luck and grab a copy of You'll Think of Me.

Ta for now! (I've got a synopsis to write.)

Thank You Thursday

There's been some changes so I wanted to make today my thank you day to my editor. She isn't my editor anymore, but after four books worth of hard work, she deserves a thanks!

I didn't know over a year ago how rough my work was. At the time I thought it was pretty polished. I subbed and nothing. Guess I just needed to find the right person. My sub found her inbox and the rest is history--sort of.

It wasn't all, "yes, I want this". I'll be honest. She actually rejected and asked for revisions on the sub. I thought my world would end. How could I have possibly screwed up an 11k ms that bad?

Ah, I had to get my ego in check a bit. Once I did that, and found a fantastic CP to go through the story line by line (Chele was a Godsend--still is). Then the story was good enough and clean enough.

Again, it wasn't super easy. There's that response time. (Enter ear worm) "The waiting is the hardest part". No kidding. I knew better than to expect an immediate response. I mean, sheesh, I wasn't important or anything. When the acceptance finally came, I screamed.

Thus started a four book relationship. It's nice to have someone who understands the point you're trying to get at, even when you aren't sure. And someone to talk to about a change that you think might totally ruin the story. Oh and the response time? Hey, it sped up a bit and you won't hear me complain in the least.

The editor/author part has come to an end and though I'm sad, I'm glad, too. I learned a lot and how have to face the challenge of wowing another editor. So thanks Jess for rooting for me and showing me I have what it takes.

You rock!

Friday Flirts! A New Contract!

Remember the Ghost story I talked about? Heck, Ryan stopped by already to chatter about it (he loves to chatter). Well, with a little love, care, and lots of polish, I sent it in. I gave up talking about what I've subbed because, well, I hate redacting and I hate getting my own hopes up. So even tho I let him chatter, I really didn't say I'd subbed it.

My editor loved my concept and the story and contracted it! Careless Whisper will come out late February 2011. Cool, ain't it? I'm stoked. Squee!

What the? Wednesday -- SPELLCHECK!!!!

SPELLCHECK!!!!!

This is a quick rant, but I can't help myself. Where I work, we must use spellcheck. It's not a maybe or a might, it's a must. Now, I am one of those rare few that managed to blow through high school without taking the famed Typing Class. I **er, ahem...** didn't see the need. Ok, so I was blissfully ignorant of that thing called the World Wide Web. Oh well.

But I am also the first to admit, my typing skills aren't the best. They've gotten way better than college. Hey, back then, I was the hunt and peck queen. I've since given up my crown for better things. But seriously, I had issues with margins, with fonts, and the dreaded typing errors.

Like I said, I'm better than I was, but not perfect. I tend to have a few stray teh's, the occasional fo, and the famous fro in my typing. And don't get me started on the invaluable delete and backspace button. Mine don't say delete or backspace on them any longer. Nope, they are shiny and nude from use.

So what is my rant? USE THE DAMN SPELLCHECK!!!

Do you realize how irksome it is (and I am guilty of this as well) to get an email with misspellings in it? Your professionalism goes right out the window. And if you're turning in something important to someone... like a synopsis... yeah, editors will toss a typo-ed synopsis and not even open the document.

So save me and everyone else a bit of time and use the command that will make all your little goofs go away. OH, and then READ what you wrote to catch the pesky their vs there, be vs bea, all right vs alright. You get the idea.

(((Ok, so it wasn't a quick rant. Sorry. But I'm feeling much better now. --And if you know where that line comes from, you've watched way too much tv.)))

Flirty Friday

Today's the day of the week where I decided to share a little of the in-progress stuff I have going on.

I turned in the submission for Arran's story, Tanged Up. This (I think), is the final story in the group. I could be convinced to do one more, but it all depends on response. If I'm asked to write a story for one of the secondary characters, I'll give her her story.

So what's on the horizon?

In My Immortal, my PI has a sister who is screaming for her own story. It just so happens that she decided to finally TELL me her story. When I get five minutes to sit down and write it, I think it'll be a good story.

Do you remember my story You'll Think of Me? It's one of my Air Force stories. It was picked up by Total-E-Bound and should come out this November. There is a wise-cracking secondary character named Rhett. I've had plenty of people ask me for his story because they loved him and wanted to know what he's up to. Well, fear not. Rhett is as talkative as Gypsy, but he's not quite so joyous right now about how things are playing out. I think he'll be happy in the long run, but he can't have everything he wants--right now.

I am going back to my farmer and getting him in shape. Funny how every time I think he's ready to go to a publisher, it's not quite right. It will be. (I hope.)

And one of these moments I am going to get back to my reunion story. Tanner and Macy really want me to give them their say. Ah, but that means bugging the CP, too. :)

I also have an idea for a menage story for this spring. Music and threesomes. We'll see. I can't tell you everything.

So there's the flirts. You know things are in the works and coming together.

Thank You Thursday

Today I thought I'd post a kudos. There are lots of people who helped get me where I am and gave me that little extra nudge to get my fanny in gear.

Drumroll please.

My first thank you goes to my PIC and originaly crit partner Angie. We don't live nearby each other anymore and I wish I could see her more often.

She read parts of Right and Learning before they were anywhere close to publishing worthy. She pushed me to keep writing even when I got the 37 rejection letters, including one from Harlequin. From the beginning, she's been the blunt voice in my ear saying, hey, you're going about this all wrong.

She intends to be a writer herself and I hope one of these days she can get the time to sit down and do more than just re-edit rough drafts. I know she's got more than one great novel in her.

So thanks Ang. You rock.

Well.... poo

Okay, this will sound like a pity party post. It is, to a degree.

I knew when I got into this industry that writing is subjective and there are a whole lot more tears than joys because, well, you're gonna spend more time learning and producing than contracting.

They (whoever they are) weren't kidding.

Now, you probably remember I subbed my farmer again. This time, I heard from one publisher, who told me the subplot didn't move her. Okay... and she wasn't convinced of the romance, but the writing was tight.

Okey Dokey.

I'm really not pissing and moaning. I'm not. But when I get two rejections and neither one mentions the same stuff... it makes me wonder. What's really not up to par with this story? And how do I figure out what to fix, if anything?

One last thing, Editor said, "What isn't right for one is perfect for another."

Then slip me the name of the one who does, yanno? Just sayin'. And is that nice-speak for, thanks but no thanks?

I know not everything I submit will be accepted. The publishing industry is a competitive, cutthroat industry. So, I knew going in that I had a 3% chance of acceptance. But still, no one said I had to like rejection, even if it's accompanied by great advice.

So back to the drawing board...

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter!

Thinking about what Easter symbolizes and realizing that people have better things to do on a holiday rather than read a blog, I thought I'd babble for a bit.

Shouldn't surprise you much, me babbling.

But the idea of renewal, rebirth, and second life had me thinking.

If you'd asked me ten years ago what I'd be up to, I'd have told you I'd be a teacher, I'd be making art, and probably single again. That didn't quite happen. Well, I did become a teacher, I did create art for a living, and I am happily a married mom of one. But I guarantee, I'd never thought back then that I'd be a writer. Do I consider myself a professional? I'd like to, but I can't quit my day job. Still, writing has opened up totally new worlds to me and given me a day job I actually love (besides writing and playing mommy). I met some great friends who are my closest friends. I've learned that happiness comes in the form of an email. And an email can be the worst thing in the world. I've found that people only think you are a writer if they can hold your book in their hands. An ebook to most people I know, is just a thingy on a screen. I found that waiting for contracts, edits, cover art, and release dates is just about as infuriating as nine months of pregnancy. Sheesh. I love my Ds, but I thought he'd never arrive. Same thing for my novel. Kinda like him, when I hold it in my hands, I'll know it's real.

But enough babbling for now. You've got things to do and people to see. So do I.

Toodles.

New Contract for Must Be Doing Something Right!

Just wanted to tell you all since I finally got said contract in my hot little hands, Total-E-Bound contracted the follow-up to Learning How to Bend, entitled, Must Be Doing Something Right. This is the story of Courteney and Nate (who shows up in LHTB). I got a tentative release date of late June.

I'm psyched.

I also sent in my farmer (now 40k) for resubmission and vampire (42k) is currently with and editor under first consideration.

Wish me luck.

Toodles.

So I Have This Story...

You may nor may not remember me talking about my farmer story. I subbed him and then got a reality check that knocked me on my behind.

BUT

I realized that the story I thought was SO GREAT... was really hiding within a huge story that was more junk and fluff than anything.

So what did I do?

Well, I cut the thing down. You see, I had a wonderful CP tell me, hey, this is written like a short story, but it's a full... what if you cut it down a bit? At first, I blanched. Cut my masterpiece down? Blasphemy! I had three other CPs look at the story and tell me it was ready to sub... um, not quite.

I thought about it a bit... yeah, it really did need cut down. Soooooo I went through with the proverbial red pen. I have no idea how much I chopped off, but I know it lost 6 chapters at least. We'll see. Among other things I did to make it better, was I had my Dh who hates to read (Romance is like asking him to eat his foot) to read it. And yes, he's found things in the slash-and-burn version that needed help, but he's also good at being blunt and honest. Funny, he's never worried about hacking my ego to bits BUT it helps. Really.

So I plan to send it to my trusted CP and then once it goes through her inspection, then I"ll resub it. At least the editor said, yeah it needs help, but send it back, I'll be happy to check it out again.

So back to my bat cave.

Toodles.