The Indigo Spell

One of my favorite authors, Richelle Mead, has a new book coming out on February 12^th. It is called The Indigo Spell, number three in the bloodlines series.

This is the excerpt from Goodreads:

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

 

It sounds sooooooo good. I cannot lie. I am super excited and have been waiting almost a year since The Golden Lilly, book two in the series was released. I hope it lives up to my expectations, there is no doubt in my mind that it won’t. If you haven't read the series, check it out. It's well worth the Read.

Just another Manic Monday.

 My weekend was pretty uneventful if you want to include laying down hardwood, watching the fourth episode of Downton Abbey (which broke my heart btw), and snuggling with my sick honey…whom now I am consumed with the same cold/sickness.

I am glad to be back at work. Most people would complain but I am a routine type of person and enjoy the luxury to experience it on a daily basis, only because the days with spontaneity mean so much more. I know…I’m sort of random in that way.

I’m looking forward to the next few months. Partly because I’ve been hitting the gym almost daily and I want to see some results and as we all know when it comes to losing weight results cannot come fast enough. Also, I will start visiting the tanning bed; I think jelly looks better with a tan, lol. Beginning in March I will be relocated temporarily for work which means I’ll be stationed only twenty minutes away from Becca, so I will get to see her whenever I want at my own leisure for at least two months. Awesome!

I am also working on a few ideas for books. Some that might be nothing but some that have the potential to be awesome. We’ll see. I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!

Just another day...

Instead of writing on the blog this morning, I took a punch at writing the first chapter of a SNN. Needless to say, it is very…wow. Urban fantasy with a few twists. I really like it so far but if it were a movie it would definitely be rated R. Yeah, can you say sex scene? I’ve always written vanilla sex scenes and this one, well, it’s dirty. I’m going to let Jennifer read it later and see what she thinks. But, when I think something is dirty it usually means that it is dirty.

 I’m going to keep working on that until I get more motivation to work on more. I will start small and then go big. Other than that, I totally cheated on my diet yesterday…I had two of the skinny cow chocolate fudge popsicles. They were delicious. And I had pickles and crackers…before dinner. Yeah, I couldn’t help it. I just felt starved. I wish I felt that way about writing…so hungry. Oh well. I’ve started…and one of these days I’ll have to finish.

I hope everyone has a great day. And just for fun, here is a picture of me and Tina.

I have to Begin Somewhere....

Yesterday, I didn’t accomplish too much. I wrote out an idea to see where it led me. Needless to say, it was to another SNN. But, sometimes ideas have a way of leading their own direction. Halfway through the day I was also hit with a new SNN from Jennifer. It was funny because she was like BAM, hit with a sci-fi. I think it’s funny. But, they always say you should write what you know. And for me that is urban fantasy….so I’ll see where this new idea takes me, hopefully to a finish line.

Tina hasn’t has an online presence in forever and this is for several reasons. She just graduated from Western Kentucky University with a teaching degree and right now she is trying to finish her bachelor in legal studies. She only has three classes left and she’ll be finished. I am super proud of her. She has been working her butt off for too long. And I know exactly how she feels. Lord knows I am so glad that I graduated.

Becca has been busy. She has been subbing at a school in Michigan. I got to see her in December twice. Once at the beginning of December and then once at the end. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make a trip up soon to see her again. She’s been working on her books too. After receiving rejections all the time, I understand now why you have to be as tough then steel to be a writer. There is just, so much rejection. And it’s so hard to have people who aren’t as passionate about your material as you are.

I guess I am sort of proud. This is the second consecutive day I’ve written on the blog. I guess that counts for something. Even if it isn’t writing my novels. Other than that, I’m busy working every day and working on my fitness at the gym. I have a great feeling about 2013. Everyone have a great day and Hakuna Matata.

The New Year and a New Me!

The New Year has begun…and I have made several resolutions involving my health. Sadly, the most important which includes my writing goals has gone unanswered. The entire month of December came and went in a blur of excitement and now I’ve been up to my ears in healthy foods and exercise in an attempt to lose weight. I wish writing could be as easy as exercise. But, I had to join the gym just so I would gain the motivation to go. Maybe that is what I should do with writing…maybe, I need to designate a time/place to write every day and just do it. But, my mind always draws a blank and I’m tired of having a million half started books. I want a finished book! Something I can call my own.

This weekend was the first weekend I visited with Jennifer in almost a year. A year! I went from spending every day talking and bouncing creative ideas off each other to bare minimum communication. So, my goal is to start talking to my three writing partners again. And, I want to set up a time at least once a week that we can all sit down and chat online. Where we can tell each other our goals, relay our progress, and give each other the support we need to complete our writing aspirations.

It’s going to be hard. But, nothing valuable in life was earned from sitting on your bottom and not working for it. With that said, I’m ready. World, it’s your turn…start holding me accountable. And that’s just it…dieting alone is hard. Dieting alone when you have a team of support is easy. Same difference with writing. Writing alone is hard; writing with a group is easier.

Now, it’s time for me to jump back into writing. I hope everyone has a great day and feel free to comment or leave me advice on what gives you motivation and what routine have you set in place to accomplish your literary goals.

Ruts and Great One Liners!

There are no excuses for my behavior. I have fallen into a rut and have no way to dig my way out. I know the creative juices are still there because I keep coming up with these awesome scenarios in my head…bestselling book ideas…and these first liner ideas that are blowing me away.

And I have come to the conclusion that the holidays are a time for slumps. Maybe it’s because of the cold weather…or for the fact that I am tired of reading my own crap. Either way, I’m going to hound myself until Christmas...I hope to pump out 10k words a week. Ambitious you say? Absolutely…between watching my niece, making Christmas cookies, I stay pretty busy…lol.

On the bright side, I just learned that Miss Kentucky reads my blog. I know this because she attended our local Bowling Green Christmas Parade and when she saw me, she ran up to me and hugged me. Then confessed that she’s been keeping up with my small and minuscule writing career. I was in awe that our little local celebrity had been keeping an watchful eye. I hope I don’t disappoint!

In the next few days, I’m hoping to post quite a bit more…probably some of my one liner ideas…actually. How about I post one now? It will keep you pining for more! Here goes nothing…

“I heard the sound of metal plowing into flesh before I saw the blood on the window in my rearview mirror.”

See…great one liners. I hope everyone has a great week!

Scattered, Smothered, and Covered

And no, I’m not talking about Waffle House. I’m talking about my life. In the last three weeks I haven’t had one second to breathe. It’s been my regular job, on top of being audited, on top of becoming a new step-grandmother, on top of going to evening doctor’s appointments….there hasn’t been one afternoon I’ve been able to rest or hell, to write. I haven’t read or opened my laptop in three weeks. How did that happen? And I was so motivated to do NANOWRIMO but, now I can’t. I’ve been barnstormed and derailed and there is nothing on the horizon that motivates me to get back on track.

I wonder if I’ve been too hard on myself. If maybe I’ve pushed so hard, I’ve burnt myself up. Maybe all of my creative juices have bled out through my wrist and all of the silence and ice cream in the world can make me right again. Maybe I’m going through a midlife crisis….or a mid-book crisis. But, like all of my books, I get mid-way and then I stop. I can’t seem to find the words or time to finish them. I wonder if that’s a sign. That maybe this one book isn’t the one that’s going to make me the next Stephanie Meyer.

So, now…what to do. Do I blog? Do I stop writing my current WIP (which technically I’m not writing because I haven’t found time). Or do I just wait for the riffs to calm and to be saved on the island with Robinson Crusoe? I don’t know. All I know, I better figure it out soon. Migraines, back aches, full time jobs, new grandbabies are only excuses. Persistence is key…now if I can find some…which is an entirely different story.

Oh, and P.S. OUR PAGES AREN’T NUMBERED HAS HAD 4444 PAGEVIEWS. If that isn’t karma, I don’t know what is.

Going Outside of my Comfort Zone

In my family, I am the quiet one. I come from a family of talkers. I don’t think my brother Brandon ever stops talking. My son who is two and half just started talking and he talks non-stop all day long. I like to think that I am a pretty outgoing and talkative person. I can be shy and reserved at first. The initial start up is what I have a hard time with. I don’t normally approach someone and start telling them my life story. I wait for them to approach me first before I tell them my drama.

At the COFWC (Central Ohio Fiction Writers Conference) we were told that we should confront the other editors and agents there even if we don’t have an appointment and to talk to them. Right away I got butterflies in my stomach. I could pitch when I had an appointment already set, but to go up to a stranger and try to sell my idea made me nervous.

After the morning keynote speech from Simone Elkeles, which was amazing, I saw Editor Emily Keyes go out into the lobby. I followed her. As she ate her apple I approached her and started the conversation. I ended up pitching my story and she asked for me to send her the first three chapters and synopsis of Dreamer. I conquered my fear! There was something about her demeanor that I liked. She seemed shy and apprehensive which made me like her more. I have sent her the pages and I am eagerly waiting for a reply.

I got my rejection letter from Kristin Nelson two days ago. It was a very nice rejection letter. I didn’t cry when I got this one. I knew it was coming. I am not being pessimistic on this actually. I knew after pitching to her and hearing some of the stories that she liked, I knew that we wouldn’t be a fit. So, I am OK with the rejection this time because I am very hopeful that someone else is going to fall in love with my story and my characters, just like I have.

Inspiration VLOG Part One

Okay Guys. Here it is! Let me know what you think!

VLOGGING! (Sp?)

Hey Peeps!

I’m going to be experimenting with Vlogging this weekend. For people who don’t know what it is that is video blogging. I’m going to sit down and rant about my inspirations, favorite authors, distractions, the trials and pitfalls of being a writer, etc. I am hoping to have it completed and posted by Monday. It might be earlier or later, depending on my complications and what edits, etcetera I decide to include in the video. After all, this is my first one.

I’m hoping it will be a smash. Or a wreck. Either way, it will definitely be entertaining. Who knows? I might go into spews concerning different rounds of social media, how to socialize, twitter, Facebook, and moderate different writer’s pages.

I’m excited. I hope you guys don’t get bored. But, hopefully when I’m done everyone will get a clear idea about the things I love, the reason I write, and the motivation it takes to complete a book. Until VLOG release day, I bid you adieu and hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.