Writing, Editing, and Diet Cherry Pepsi

Good morning, all!  It's Hump Day!! lol

Okay, so I know I've been suspiciously quiet for the last couple of weeks (well, those of you that really know me, silence is more the norm, but that's another story).  Anywho, I've been up to my arse in edits and writing and dental work, so things have been a bit busy (crazy) and I've finally found a few moments to post some updates.

First, writing: Galactic Dynasty's first book is coming along sloooowly.  It has taken me forever to get a good feel for the beginning of this book, especially since it's written from the perspective of an alien species and is taking place about 600 years in the past.  That might sound a little strange, but now that I've got a feel for it, it's going to be AWESOME!!

As for the new YA concepts I'm working on, both the paranormal and the contemporary, I'm making progress with those but am letting the words flow as they come. 

Speaking of words, I actually managed to get time to do nothing but write yesterday (go me) and had set a goal of 4000 words to be written by the end of the day.  I am either super-creative or on crack, but I managed to write 4660 instead...woohoo! *throws confetti*  So, after accomplishing that minor miracle, I had a snack plate and watched Wristcutters: A Love Story with the Muse.  If you have never seen this movie and like strange, unique concepts about the afterlife, definitely check it out!

Now, editing: I am currently doing technical and content edits for the Muse's upcoming novel (still don't have a release date).  Or, maybe I should say, was doing edits.  As I got closer to the end, he and I both realized that his story wasn't as complete as we first thought.  The characters were apparently knocking on the inside of his skull and saying 'um, hello, we're not finished talking yet'.  So, long story short, he will be adding more to the story and the release date may or may not be any time soon.  But that's the beauty of publishing your own works: you get the creative freedom to step back and say 'hey, this isn't ready' and not panic after saying that because you have mega-huge deadlines to meet.

With all that spewed out, I will probably be turning my editing attention back to Dangerous Moves, the 4th book in The L & L Mysteries series.  I really want to get this one out by December, if possible, because I love the storyline and want to share it with the world.  In my very biased opinion, I think the series just keeps getting better with each new release.  But, I dare you to prove me wrong on that!  Go on...I double dog dare you.....okay, okay, I Triple Dog Dare You!  (Kudos to any who can tell me what movie that comes from!)

So, what's with the Diet Cherry Pepsi, you've been wondering...  Most all authors will tell you that they have a certain beverage that really gets their creative juices flowing.  For some, it's coffee, some it's tea.  For me, I like my coffee in the morning and my tea at night.  But for the hours of about 11 to 7, I am a Diet Cherry Pepsi girl.  Just something about the flavors and fizziness that push my brain to continue to be creative, even when I just want to throw up my hands and say 'I'm done'!

And, of course, the worse thing that can happen is having an author run out of their creative juice beverage.  The rest of our bodies may continue to function properly, but if we run out of our go juice, then our creative part of our brain malfunctions and refuses to spit out even one crumb of sparkle or genius.  So, guess what?  This happened to me yesterday.  Yes, I managed to get some major writing in during my morning coffee phase, thank god.  But when the afternoon hit, forget it, I had nothing.  I tried to force something to come out and it wasn't pretty.  So, I made a special trip into town (which is about 30 minutes away for me, so yes it truly is a special trip into town), where I found the creative gods smiling down on me: 4 cases of Diet Cherry Pepsi for $11.  I quickly snatched up those 4 cases, rushed back home, and wrote another 2000 words!  So, lesson is: do not let an author get dangerously low on their creative juice beverage!

Alright, I believe that's all I've got for now.  I need coffee and then I will probably do some more writing today.  I hope everyone's well and I'll try not to be so long in writing my next post...tata!

Editing and Writing...

It seems as though I am wearing a couple of different hats today.  As part of the publishing company I run, I am a technical and content editor, a cover designer, a web master, and of course, an author.  So, today, I am wearing my editing hat and my writing hat.

My Muse is also an author and has already published one book - The Drill Sergeant's Women - which is available on Nook and Kindle.  If you haven't checked out his book yet and you like contemporary novels with a bit of spice, definitely check it out!  And, just as an added incentive, check out this cover I designed for him:

Doesn't that just grab your attention and say 'Read Me'? lol  Seriously, though, this is an awesome book for adults, so definitely read it!

Anyway, he has finished the draft for his second book and that's what I'm currently editing.  I've also created a cover for that book, but I'm going to wait until closer to release date to share that with you as well as more information about the book itself and it's title...so definitely stay tuned!

But I also mentioned the fact that I'm wearing my writing hat today.  The Muse and I are co-authoring a Sci-Fi series called Galactic Dynasty and I am currently writing the first book in that series.  Just to catch people up that may not know, I already have the second book in this series written (it originally was supposed to be the first book in the series).  But, while we were going through and doing edits, it suddenly dawned on us that the series really needed a book before the one we were writing in order to really set the stage for what is taking place in this series.  We are planning at least five books in this series with the possibility of more, depending on how the books take shape.

Anyway, long story short (too late), Galactic Dynasty now has a new first book which I am currently writing the first draft for.  I will be updating my progress on the word count in the right side bar of this blog if you want to check in on it from time to time.  I also have word count meters set up for two other novels I'm working on and will explain those a little more as I figure out the overall direction I want to take with those.

Now, back to the mention of editing.  For those of you who are wondering what happened to The L & L Mysteries books, the first three are published and available on Kindle and Nook.  By clicking on the covers on the right side bar, it will take you to my publishing company website, where you can read the first chapter and use the links to purchase the books.  I do have two more books planned for this particular series and am working on editing the fourth book right now.  I do not have a timeframe as to when this book will actually be published, but as I work my way through the edits, I'll keep everyone posted.  The fourth book does have a title - Dangerous Moves - and I hope to have a cover figured out for it soon.  But I can definitely say that I'm really excited about this one and believe it to be the best L & L yet!

One more thing not necessarily related to editing and writing: I have provided links to my Facebook page and my Twitter page.  You can find them at the top of the right side bar.  So, come like me and follow me as I do tend to post quick updates at these places, especially on Twitter.  And all posts from this blog can also be found on my Facebook page!

Okay, I think that's all for now.  I need to get back to these edits and writings.  So, have a great week and I'll hopefully be back again soon with more news!

I'm Back...and Trying to Find My Flow!

Whew...what a vacation!  I swear, I had to come back home just to get some rest.  Not to mention recover from a horrible head cold I caught while in CA.  But, I had an awesome time and have a few pics to share before I get into what I'm doing now that I'm back home again.

These are just a couple of pics I took of the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1).  The views were just overwhelmingly stunning and I couldn't stop taking pictures.  Thank god I've got a digital camera...I'd hate to think of how much money I would have spent on film!

I got to stand on the San Andreas Fault...Woot!  Yeah, I'm a dork and no, there were no tremors that day.  So, this fence used to line up straight with the fence that is to the right side of me.  In the Great Earthquake of 1906, the two sections were spread apart and this is a representation of how far apart they split...pretty freaky, huh?

One of the many pics I got of the fog-shrouded Golden Gate Bridge.  Up on top of that big hillside on the right is where I got the majority of my windburn...lol.  I almost fell over at one point, the wind was so brisk.  But it was cool trying to capture rapid shots of the bridge as it slowly peaked through the grey fog up there.  Definitely worth the burn!

Okay, you'd think I was sitting on this rock contemplating the universe or the next scene I was going to write in one of my novels, right?  Wrong!  I was reminiscing over the amazing spaghetti and meatballs I'd just eaten at a great little Italian restaurant in Ft. Bragg, CA.  The Muse and I had to come to the beach afterwards to work off all that mega pasta we'd shoveled down!

So, if I ever become a gazillionaire, then I want to own a stretch of beach just like this.  Although, I would prefer it in a little warmer climate since this particular place doesn't get much above 60F.  But still, I want this...mine...mine! lol

Yep, I couldn't go to the Redwood Forest without hugging a Redwood.  So, I found this massive giant and gave him some love!

And last, but not least...this is me and the Muse in front of the 3rd largest redwood in the area.  And guess what they named it.........The Big Tree!  lol  Yeah, I think they could have at least attempted to be more creative and unique!  Oh well, it's government...no creativity required!



So, these were just some of the pics taken during our vacation.  I think I ended up with either 300 or 400 pics by the end of the trip (thank god my camera's digital).  The scenery was breathtaking and I was amazed at how many times the scenes and climates changed, just within a fifty-mile stretch.  We went from desert-like to forest to ocean within a matter of a few hours and it was all incredibly beautiful!  If you have not been to Northern California, I would highly recommend it.  It's well worth the visit, especially the stretch from Eureka to San Francisco!

Alright, now on to more work-related stuff!  I actually have been trying to fight off a head cold I got in CA for the last week, so not much has happened in terms of writing.  Instead, I've been editing a story that the Muse has written that we hope to publish within the next couple of months.  But, I've been feeling the writing itch coming back on, ever so slowly, so I will probably be churning some words out today and seeing where the flow takes me.

Also, at the end of this month, we'll be welcoming our intern for the fall semester.  We're very excited to be working with her and I'll post more details once she's on board.

And, we've been in contact with a potential author that might sign on with us.  We're still in the talking phase, but if things work out, I'll be very happy to share with you more information.

As for other writing projects, I've come to realize that I'm not entirely sure if the YA story I'm writing is contemporary or paranormal.  So, I've changed the title just a bit on the Word Counter on the side bar.  Once I have a better feel for which direction I want to take, I'll update the counter title and write a post for that.  I know it sounds strange that I'm not sure which genre the story falls in, but there's actually two stories that are getting pieces taken from each one and incorporated.  It's a bit of a mess right now, so we'll see what comes out on the other side!

So, I believe that's all my news for now.  I'm going to hop off here and see if I can brew up some scenes for one of these novels I'm writing!  Have a great week and I'll post again soon!