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!

What the? Wednesday...The Scariness of Submission

Submission. I know where your mind went. In some ways, you're right. There's a little of that in this post. And there's a little of a different kind of submission.

I'm working my heart out on a couple stories right now. One has to do with a menage. Yup. That one. Still not done with it. Not always a good thing. It's due by the end of the month. So if I want to sub it, then I need to get my buns in gear. That one has some fun submission and some yummy manlove. Yes. Megan convinced me to write some more m/m/f. And I liked it.

And then there's this other story. I've got a story I subbed last summer. Pitched it in person and everything. Needless to say, it was given a R&R. Revise and Resubmit. That would've been fine, had I not oh, I don't know...let it sit for more than a month. I worked my tail feathers off on it and then passed it on to a CP. Problem is, she kinda forgot about it...between forgetting about it and then finding out it was really not in shape...I haven't bothered to resubmit it. It's not that I don't want to. Far from that. I'd LOVE to resub it. I just didn't realize how bad off it was when I'd subbed it in the first place.

Hence my scared-y-cat-ness. I get all excited when a story is close to being ready but the queasiness that accompanies actually submitting...strikes every time.

Ugh.

I've got a sub in right now. It's a favorite of mine. So if it gets shot down, I'll be honest, it'll be a bit painful. Why? It's the polished and rewritten version of my very first MS. I call it the 6YOMS (6 year old manuscript). We'll see. And have fingers crossed.

You ever experienced the "I really need to ralph because I sent in a sub" feeling? Share your story. I'm all ears. Or eyes. Whatever. Let me know.

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!

Flirty Friday...and a Little Down in the Dumps

I don't have much to report today. I spent the week hammering away at my resub. CP said it was ready to go and that I'd fixed my problems in it. I dunno. But I do know that if I had piddled with it much longer, all I'd succeed in would be more procrastinating. So I bit the bullet and turned it in. I'm waiting on a WIP to come back from the CP from the second time around crit. Might be able to send that one in some time this weekend. I don't know.

Crazy, huh. A lot of 'I don't knows' in there.

But I'm working with Megan to get her story done and I'm still hammering at my NASCAR story. I will get that one pubbed and it will be fantastic (and If I don't keep convincing myself it will get done and be worth reading, I'll never finish it.)

I'm having a 'little engine that could' moment and feeling like I'm just not making the grade. Do you ever get those moments? I'd love to know what you do to bring yourself up. Sure, I've got chocolate, good friends, and great reads to get lost in. And I will for a while. But I'm open for thoughts.

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!

Thank You Thursday

I haven't done this recently, but I thought I'd say thanks to more than a couple people. My WIP and resub have been giving me fits. More than a few. I want to get them right, not just done. I've seen what happens when I get things "done". It's not pretty and usually ends up with me in tears. (Insert here: Rejection/Resub) There's been more than a couple things concerning the works that I cannot, to save my life, wrap my mind around.

Thus the thank you.

I have some great CP's. I do. Even those who aren't there step by step, I've got some great people to help me figure things out when my brain just doesn't want to work. For example, my dear CP has been going through "Please Remember Me" and really doing a fantastic job. I'll be honest, I'm the one falling down on the clock with it. She's been patient and explained things, but I've not understood. Another CP, who just looked a small passage from same part explained what I'd been missing in the exact same way. Brain still didn't get it. Then she said, look at it this way: there is a moment right here where I want to know what she's doing to get him to think this.

Talk about DUH moment.

If I hadn't had both of them helping me, I'd still be lost and more than a bit frustrated. Did it help with the rest of the resub. Sure it did. I'm looking at it way differently now. There's the same words, but now I have more of an idea what I'm missing. Was one way better than the other? Nope. Both were effective and both were resources I'll use later on (like in the next story), but *I* had to get my brain in gear. N, M...thanks.

Now I can't recall what article/blog I saw this on, but I'd been getting really down in the dumps about my WIP and resub. I felt like I wasn't 'getting' it and wasn't doing justice to the stories. I like to read blogs and sites and such, and started to think, well, gee, these people are getting in gear, I should be, too. Then I read an article where the author put it this way: You write at your own pace. Sure, lots of people will be around you getting contracts and having release days. If you make it into a competition, then you're not setting yourself up to be successful or healthy. You'll end up frustrated and worse, your writing will suffer.

Boy was she right. So to whomever said that, and granted, there is more than likely a ton of people who think that way, thanks. Made me feel better and jazzed me up to work on one of the many other WIP's while I sort out the resub and edited WIP.

Thanks, you all rock.

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!

So I Was Talking to a Friend...

My farmer was rejected finally by the editor. Somehow in the back of my mind, I saw it coming. Don't get me wrong... I didn't send something I thought was subpar. I thought the story was right on track. But, apparently the editor, tho agreeing that the story was great, wasn't what was wanted. Am I bitter? Heck no. I learned a while back that what isn't one person's cup of tea is another's. So I sent him back out again hoping that this time he'll strike gold.

But as I said in the title, I was talking to Megan yesterday (well, I would've today but she's sorta busy now cause her third cabana boy found his way home and they have to make up for lost time...), anyway, she suggested that even though farmer is sexy and hunky, he's a recovering addict and though he's brooding, he's not rock star brooding. She seemed to think and I agree that he wasn't flashy enough and that's why he wasn't appealing to the editor.

What do you think? Does the hero have to be flashy for you to like him? I mean, in farmer's case, he's a farmer. I don't know about you, but I don't know too many flashy farmers and beings that I come from a long line of farmers, I'd say I know what I'm talking about. Why can't Joe Ordinary be a hero just like Jumping Jack Flash?

Megan says it's a matter of fantasy--women want their fantasy man. A farmer isn't exactly the idea sexy man (so sayeth the woman who has three freakin vampire cabana boys...). I agree to a small degree. Yes, it's nice to read about the hunky doctor, or the studly actor, but I also want to read about a real person. There is a trend in romance to write larger heroines. BBW. So why can't the hero be average? Cause really, there are a lot of average guys out there who are pretty heroic without having to be the flashy type. I mean, where would you get your food if it wasn't for a farmer?

Just sayin'.


What do you think?

More Random Musings

Over the past week, a ton happened. I know it seemed like I was around.

I wasn't.

Where was I? No I won't make you play a game of where's Waldo. I went to Bristol to watch the NASCAR races. And yes, it was a blast. I love NASCAR (like you can't tell) and being in Thunder Valley. I walked on the track and "Got driver rubber". Get your head out of the gutter. There is ripped/shredded tire rubber on the track and yes, we filched some.

At the same time, I turned in my farmer. That part wasn't so great. I know, I know, there are the highs and lows of publishing. And I know that 1-3% of stories will be contracted. Still, to be told that the story is good, the emotion is great and the interior is fab... but it's not what we want... that took a little brave facing. You know, put the brave face on it, take it on the chin... okay, enough cliches. Still.

I also found out that my vampire story is with the editor. No clue what will come of that. I want to get my hopes up, but gravy, I don't need any more Milk Chocolate Milano cookies. (Yeah, that's my weapon of choice when I get a rejection.)

But anyway, I'm back to blogging, reviewing (cause I'm way behind), and twiddling with my NASCAR story. Oh yeah, it's about a driver and yes, I got some major inspiration at the track, tough part is that it was a submission and was all done, but it wasn't at all ready when I subbed it. It will be one of these days.

Toodles.