Big News to Share!

So, a while back I posted about The Soul of Arial series that I've been writing/mulling over.  And I mentioned that I was putting it on the back burner until I could decide for certain what I wanted to do with it.  Well, I've decided....

Prophecy Revealed (The Soul of Arial #1) is in the process of being edited and will (hopefully) be published within the next 6-8 weeks!!!

This is a major milestone for me as it takes me out of the realm of 'tweens (The L & L Mysteries) and young adult + (Galactic Dynasty) and puts me full force into the adult arena.  And since this will be my debut for adult readers, I really want to make sure I've got everything nicely massaged so that when readers pick this book up, they know right away it's meant for mature readers and won't want to put it back down until they've reached the end.  And when they reach the end, I want them to want to move on to the next book, even if it hasn't released yet!  Yeah, I want a lot. lol :)

Anyway, The Soul of Arial is a planned trilogy.  Whether any other books result after the three books are written, I have no idea.  It's possible, but it's not in the plans at this time.  This trilogy falls in the fantasy genre with elements of supernatural/paranormal woven in.  Everything is made up, so I can't actually say that there are any familiar supernatural/paranormal creatures (i.e. vampires, werewolves, angels, etc...not going to find them here) and even the realm is not anything that someone would be familiar with, per se.  It's a mash up of different ideas/theologies/myths/philosophies rolled into one big, complex realm to make it a unique and intriguing world to dive into and explore.

So, I'm very excited to share this with you and can't wait to share more as the publishing process progresses.  I hope to have a cover designed within the next couple of weeks and will share that here on the site as well as keep everyone up to date on things.  Plus, I still have other projects I'm working on as well and will post updates on those too.

Exciting, crazy, happenin' times here and it's awesome that I get to share that with all of you!  Now, it's off to do some more editing/massaging!  Have a great week!

Discount Days of Summer!

Good Monday Afternoon everyone!  I have a quick announcement to make.  Amazon.com, which carries The L & L Mysteries in paperback, has decided to discount all the books in this series with the exception of The Art of Deceit (The L & L Mysteries #2).  Not entirely sure why they didn't discount that one, but all I can do is shrug and pass this awesome tidbit on to you!

Here's the link for all the books on Amazon.com: The L & L Mysteries series.

The discount is only for paperback versions of this series sold on Amazon.com.  So, grab a couple of mysteries at a lower price and Happy Reading!

Moving Forward

Since the last time I posted, The Butterfly Connection was published and is now available for Kindle, Nook, and in paperback...WOOT!!  This means that The L & L Mysteries series is behind me and I am moving forward.

My next project is Starward (Galactic Dynasty #1) that I'm co-authoring with my Muse (aka my wonderful hubby).  The manuscript is actually finished as of early last week and we are now entering the editing phase.  This is going to be an amazing beginning of a very exciting sci-fi/adventure series and I can't wait to see Starward published!

With the manuscript for Starward finished, I am now moving my writing focus to a new series I'm authoring for adult readers.  I don't have a title for the series yet, but the first book in the series is called The Soul of Arial.  This series falls in the high fantasy realm and explores a whole new take on where souls go when humans die.  I don't want to give too much away right now, but I'm very confident that nothing else exists out there that could compare to this series.  At least nothing that I've read and I've read A LOT over the years.

With that said, I need to return to my writing cave for now.  I'll try to resurface and give some updates later this week or early next week.  Until then, I hope everyone has a wonderful week and don't forget to celebrate National Reading Month by curling up with a good book! :)

New Projects

With the official release of The Butterfly Connection (The L & L Mysteries #4), I can finally put that series behind me and begin working on the many other writing projects that have been waiting in the wings for the last couple of years.

The first project being Starward (Galactic Dynasty #1) which I'm co-authoring with my Muse.  I'm really looking forward to escaping into a much different genre, this one being sci-fi/adventure for mature readers.

It feels strange, though, having gone from writing for a much younger age group to writing for those that are in their late teens and above.  The transition is challenging, but I like that because it forces me to develop and expand my writing skills even more.  One thing hasn't changed, though.  The characters are alive and well in my mind and are clamoring to tell their parts of the story!  And I'm excited to tell it for them. :)

While I'm in the process of completing Starward, I will probably be working on a couple of other series that I've been kicking around for the last few years.  The Soul of Arial is one of them and is only about half-written.  But I'm really excited about this book as well because I feel that it is so different from what's already out there in the Fantasy genre.  This book in particular is definitely for mature audiences and again is a challenge to write, but a good challenge.

And right now, I'm currently doing research for an epic fantasy/adventure series that I've got brewing in the back of my mind.  The research is fascinating and I can see so many different ways to weave in what I've learned so far to make the story really come alive.

But, as a whole, you'll probably be seeing update posts regarding Starward for the next few weeks or months.  That is where my focus is going to be primarily.

So, I'm off to do some more massaging and tweaking of the manuscript!  I hope everyone is having a great week so far.  And, make sure you pop by Cressen Books' website to read the first chapter of The Butterfly Connection as well as check out the other books that are available!  There's some awesome stuff out there!

Where Has the Week Gone???

It seemed like only yesterday it was Monday and I had a whole week stretching out before me with things I needed to do.  Then, I looked up and suddenly it's Friday!  Holy Crap, where did the week go?!

I managed to get a couple more chapters edited in The Butterfly Connection (The L & L Mysteries #4) before I got side-tracked with 101 other things.  And if I'm lucky, I may be able to move ahead with more editing today.  But I'm not holding my breath on that.

So what did I do this week to make it go by so fast?  Well, I published my Muse's 2nd book, Naked Lady Dreams, and of course had to tell the whole world about it.  *shameless plug: Check this book out...it's amazing!

I've also been prepping for a book signing that's taking place this Saturday (eeekk! Tomorrow!!) for one of Cressen Books' new authors, Rachel Stark.  She'll be signing her debut novel, A Veil of Shattered Dreams, at Beasley's Books and Eccentricities located in Charles Town, WV.  If you're in the area, be sure to stop by!  The photographer and the model for the book cover will also be there with Rachel, signing books as well.  So, this is a unique opportunity to get all three signatures!  Cool, right?  The signing is from 1-4pm.

I've also begun working on cover concepts for another one of our new authors, Jessie McClain.  She's writing an intriguing and dramatic romance series that spans over a few generations of the same family.  Currently, I'm working on the cover for the first book in this series, attempting to find the right cover design that captures the books' essence.  Not an easy task, but it's a very enjoyable one! :)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I promise you that everything I've mentioned above has taken up the majority of my time this week.  But, it's all good, so I don't mind. :)  I love watching other authors' novels take shape and come to life!  Being a part of that exciting process is the reason I do what I do because it's such a rewarding and enriching feeling when it all comes together!

So, that's it for now.  I'm off to develop some more concepts and maybe work some more on edits of The Butterfly Connection.  I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!

Priorities and Procrastination

You know, I never cease to amaze myself with how well I procrastinate.  When it comes to things that I'm working on for myself that I know I need to get done and even want to get done, I still manage to find ways to put it off. 

Take, for example, The Butterfly Connection (The L & L Mysteries #4).  This is a book that I've had written for quite a while now and I'm in the final editing stages even as I type this post.  But, I find myself looking for anything and everything else to do so I can put this off. 

Why?  Well, one reason is because this is the last book in the series and I'm a little sad to see it end.  But, at the same time, I'm ready to move on to other projects.  It's just that, I think about Leyla and Lucien and wonder if I'll ever revisit these two characters and the world they live in.  Or will it just fade into the back of my mind as I move on to create new worlds and new characters.....hmmm....yeah, I still don't have an answer for that. 

And another reason I keep procrastinating has more to do with getting things done for the business and setting The Butterfly Connection to the side so I make sure nothing falls through the cracks with the business.  Anyway, the point is that I keep putting this off (whether it's because I'm personally putting it off or it's because other aspects of the business have taken my focus, doesn't matter).

So, that's me procrastinating.  Now on to me setting priorities.

If it's for myself, I know the top priority has to be The Butterfly Connection simply because I'm literally almost done with it, I want to get it published ASAP, and I want to finish out The L & L Mysteries so I can move on to other things.

If it's for others, it all depends on what's happening at the moment within the business.  For example, right now we are getting really close to officially publishing a book that one of our new authors (and our current intern) is writing.  So, I need to do several things for that, including creating a webpage for the book and telling everyone about it.  Then there's the book signing that will take place after the first of the year for this book and I'll need to make posters and flyers and get things ready for that.  And this is what I actually intend on working on today.

So, see...I do know how to set priorities and get them done.  It's just when it comes to my stuff that I tend to drag my feet and I have absolutely no idea why.  I mean, you would think that I would be chomping at the bit to work on my stuff and would be procrastinating when it came to other people's stuff, right?  Nope, that's just not how I work.  I prefer to put other people's stuff ahead of my own.  I guess that could be considered a good thing, but it still doesn't get any of my stuff done...sigh.

And that reminds me, I need to do two posts on this blog about the two new authors we've taken on at Cressen Books LLC.  So, stay tuned because those posts will be coming in the next few days.

Yep, lots to do and I can already feel myself wanting to put things off and just goof off for half the day.  MUST...RESIST....TEMPTATION......

How do you organize your priorities and ensure that they get done?

Are you a procrastinator?

If so, how do you keep yourself from procrastinating when it's really important to get certain things done?

 

I love to hear from you, so leave me a comment below!



Holiday Chaos and New Bookcases

The holidays always seem to be a crazy time of year.  Shopping to be done, family to spend time with or catch up with, Christmas cards to send out, decorating and tree hunting....in other words, a bit chaotic.  And because of this chaos, it's so hard to remain focused on what needs to be done.

So, in some ways, I blame the chaos for not having accomplished more in the past few weeks.  But, if I'm really honest with myself, I feel as though I'm floundering just a bit.  I'm on the brink of wrapping up The L & L Mysteries with the final book, The Butterfly Connection.  And even though I'm excited to finally have this series done, I'm a little saddened by it too.  After all, L & L is the first series I've ever published and it has a very special place in my heart.  But, I also recognize that I'm ready to move on to bigger, better, and more challenging writing projects, two of which I've already begun.

One of these projects is a collaborative effort with my Muse (aka, hubby).  It's a sci-fi/adventure series called Galactic Dynasty.  I'm really looking forward to putting more of my focus on it and hopefully having the first book published sometime in 2013 (no specifics yet on that and the book doesn't have a working title yet).

The other project is called The Soul of Arial.  If you've been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you'll know that I've been working with this story over the last week or so and am making really good progress with it.  It falls in the fantasy/paranormal realm (more fantasy than paranormal) and I'm absolutely in love with my two main characters, Arial and Rayner.  This is geared towards adult readers, just like Galactic Dynasty is, but could be read by mature teens as well.  I'm hoping to have Arial finished in the next month or two and then published, but we'll see how that goes.

With all that said, I do have some exciting news to share.  I finally got my bookcases delivered (2 months after ordering them) and I have some lovely pics to share with you!!

Here's how they were delivered before the shelves were put into place:

 

Here they are with the shelves:

 

And now, here they are with books on the shelves:

 

The bookcase on the left holds all of my adult and classic novels (mystery, thriller, romance - historical and contemporary, paranormal, sci-fi, and high fantasy);

 

The bookcase in the middle holds my young adult collection (contemporary, mystery, and paranormal);

 

And the bookcase on the right (the top two shelves anyway) are my TBR books.

 

The cases are made with pine wood and were stained to be as close a match as possible to my writing desk.  And I've got a pic to show what my writing area looks like, since I don't think I've shared that before.

 

So, that's what I've been up to for the last few days.  The bookcases arrived on Wednesday and it took me a couple of days to gather up all the books and put them on the shelves.  Then, of course, I had to organize everything!  Yeah, I had way too much fun with this project!  And, of course, that was just another thing that added to the normal chaos of the holidays, which in turn distracted me enough to not work on things I should have been working on these last few days.  Sigh. 

Oh well, life goes on and I'm very happy to finally have bookcases to show off my books.  And, now that I've got everything arranged the way I want it, I can shift my focus back to what I should be working on...finishing up The Butterfly Connection and writing more on the two new projects.

And I guess that wraps things up for this post.  I'll try to post again soon with some updates on how these writing projects are going.  And, if you just want to see how my word count progress is going on Arial and Galactic Dynasty, I've got word count meters located on the Stories in Progress page (they are the first two stories listed...the rest of the stories are more ideas at the moment).  I do try to update the word count meters after each day that I write on them, so feel free to check back periodically to see how those are coming along.

Happy Friday to everyone and I hope you have an enjoyable weekend!!







When Will I Write Again?

Wow, it has been a crazy few months and things don't look to be slowing down any.  Especially with the holidays approaching, I've been trying to figure out just when I can get back to my writing.

As some of you may know, my Muse and I own a publishing company.  So, aside from writing, I wear many other hats including editing, cover design, website maintenance, etc.  And this year, we've taken on an intern from Shepherd University who has been an absolute joy to work with these last few months.  Her enthusiasm and insight has helped us branch out even more with our business and has given us ideas of how we want to proceed in the future with many different things.

And most of you probably remember me announcing that we have signed on a new author, Jessica L. Padilla, who will be writing in the Paranormal genre.  So, exciting times to be had by us here and more exciting times to come as we may sign Rachel Stark, our intern, on as an author (she's still contemplating what she wants to do and we don't want to pressure her and will respect any decision she comes to as we want to see her do what's best for her).  We are also in talks with another potential author but that's still the early stages, so we won't know anything at this time.  But I'll definitely post when we know something for sure there.

With all of this going on, I also managed to get our books in paperback out on Amazon.com and soon it will be time to start a "Christmas" marketing campaign.  So many things to juggle where the business is concerned and I worry at times that I'm going to drop the ball somewhere.  I mean, the Muse is a huge help with the business, but he works full-time for the federal government, which leaves me handling the business alone most days.  I don't mind because I absolutely love what I do and I love working with all the different aspects of a publishing company.  But it can get overwhelming at times for just one person to handle.

So, that brings me to the title of this post: When will I write again?  I've got The Butterfly Connection waiting to get it's final edits so I can publish it and finish out The L & L Mysteries series.  I've got Galactic Dynasty waiting for me to write more on it.  And I've got a ton of other stories and ideas that keep grappling for my attention.  But there's only so much time in the day and these other pieces have needed my complete focus these last few weeks.

I'm extremely happy that the business seems to be picking up, so please don't think I'm complaining about that.  It's really wonderful and exciting!  In the case of my writing, I guess I'm going to have to figure out how to restructure my days so I can at least get some writing done each day and not feel as though I've completely abandoned my own aspirations to be a writer.  I have so many stories to tell that I don't want to push them to the back burner permanently.

So, I'm out of here for now to figure out how to make time for writing and to hopefully get back into the wonderful flow of words!

Working Through the Blahs

There are times when I get the blahs and I just can't decide what I want to do with myself.  Nothing seems to hold my interest for more than a few minutes regardless of whether it's something I enjoy doing or not.  And when these moments happen, writing seems to go right out the window because I can barely put two coherent words together, let alone an entire sentence.

I love being creative and really abhor when my creativity gets blocked by random visits from Blah-Ville.  But, I've learned that I don't have to be creative in writing during these times.  I've discovered many different ways for me to be creative without having to try and smash words together.

So, during this particular visit from Blah-Ville, I've discovered an interest to possibly put my Bachelor's degree to work.  My degree is in Simulation and Digital Entertainment which basically means I learned how to create computer/video games from the ground up.  And I've been kicking the idea around of maybe creating some fun, casual games to coincide with The L & L Mysteries series.  Possibly create a game for each book in the series.  I'm not sure what type of game yet, but I don't think it will be something too complex as I'll be the only one working on it.  But there are all different kinds of levels of creativity when it comes to creating games that I have a feeling I could be drowning in this project before long.  But I'll have a very happy, cheesy grin on my face!

Actually, I'm still working on the concept right now.  So game creation will not begin anytime soon.  But, as I go along with this new idea, I'll keep everyone informed of what's happening with it.

Writing comes first, though, and I have one more book in The L & L Mysteries to produce.  Plus, I'm co-authoring with the Muse on a sci-fi/adventure series that I really need to give more attention to in the coming months.  Fortunately, The Butterfly Connection (the final book in L & L) is already drafted out.  I just have to go through and massage it and tweak it a bit before it's ready to be published.

With all of this stuff floating around in my brain, I really can't begin to fathom how I could have received a visit from Blah-Ville.  But it happened and I'm trying very hard to push through it so I can continue on with all the great ideas and plans I've got rolling around upstairs.  And I'm confident that I'll push through and will be moving full steam ahead very soon!

I know this was a bit of a rambling session.  But, do any of you ever get visits from Blah-Ville?  How do you handle those visits?  Leave me a comment below and have a great All Saints Day!

Tough Decisions Have To Be Made

For the past 4-5 years, I have been working diligently to create stories in The L & L Mysteries series.  I absolutely love the characters, Leyla and Lucien, and really enjoy getting inside their heads as they deal with various situations, some fun, some hokey, and some dangerous.  These two characters have become a huge part of my life and I look forward to continuing to develop them and their relationship through future mysteries and investigations.

When I first began this series, I envisioned it going on indefinitely.  I didn't really have a set number of books I wanted to write in the series and felt that I would just go with the flow.  Then, as the fifth book began to take shape, I realized something: Leyla and Lucien were maturing but their investigations were not. 

So, I decided that The L & L Mysteries would consist of 5 books.  Then, I would create a new, more mature "detective" series set during their college years.  I still like that idea and have already begun drafting the first book in this new, more mature series.

But something was still bothering me.  As anyone who has been following this blog has seen, over the past several posts I've mentioned beginning final edits on the fourth book in The L & L Mysteries, Dangerous Moves.  I had talked about cover design and the difficulty I was having in figuring out what design I wanted to go with.  I'd also talked about trying to get through rewrites and edits of the first chapter.

Well, today I had an epiphany.  When the Muse and I sat down to go over the rewrites I'd done in the first chapter, we kept struggling with the process.  Almost every sentence we went over felt forced or unnatural.  And it suddenly dawned on me.....I was having major issues with the entire book.  But why?  So, we set aside our work and began talking about why I was having trouble with this particular book.  And the answer suddenly came to me: I was actually trying to rewrite one of the earlier books but was using a different angle this time.

It finally made sense to me why this book bothered me so much.  So, I made the tough decision to completely remove Dangerous Moves from The L & L Mysteries line up and have decided that there will only be 4 books in this series now before I move on to the newer, more mature series.

It was not an easy decision to make which is probably why it's been bugging me for the last several weeks/months.  I love Leyla and Lucien and they had some great interactions in this particular book.  But, I also realize that it's not fair or enjoyable for my readers to pick up a book and suddenly feel as though they've been cheated because the core plot of the story was similar to another book I'd already published in the series.  So, I am stopping work immediately on Dangerous Moves and moving on to the final book of this particular series.

I do have a title for the final book and a cover concept is already brewing inside my little brain.  So, from here on out, you will here me talk more and more about the final editing stages for The L & L Mysteries #4, The Butterfly Connection!  I'm really excited about this book and the intriguing mystery that Leyla and Lucien find themselves investigating.  And I believe that readers will start to see a definite maturing aspect in the friends' relationship and partnership, as well as the type of case they will be investigating.  And this should lend itself for a nice transition into the new "detective" series I'll begin writing that follows Leyla and Lucien into college.

So, with that out there now, I'll probably be working some over the weekend to have the first chapter ready for final edits with the Muse hopefully by Monday or Wednesday of next week!  If you've read this far into the post, thank you for taking the time and showing the interest.  I really appreciate it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend and hopefully I'll have more updates to post soon!

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!

A Change In Plans...

For those that have been following along, you know how excited I've been about Starward.  We are actually only a few chapters away from it being completely done, edits and all, and I can't wait to do a final read-through of it!

But, just as in life, there's always changes and this is no exception.  The Galactic Dynasty series, which Starward is a part of, is a co-authoring project between myself and my Muse (a.k.a., my husband).  And with any co-authoring project, both authors need to come to an agreement or compromise as to how the book (or in this case, books) should be written and in what sequence.

So, over the last week or so, we've been having a lot of discussions and brainstorming sessions and here's the result of all of that:  Starward will still be published, but it will now be the second book in the Galactic Dynasty series, which means the publishing date is on hold until the first book is written.

Whoa, wait!  What do you mean, second book?  What happened to the first book?  Why is everything changing?!  lol...okay, maybe I'm probably more panicky or freaked out about this news than the rest of you!  So, let me explain what's going on and then maybe I'll, er...you, er...all of us will feel better! :)

When we first agreed to write the series together, I thought, 'oh, this will be fun and we'll have books publishing rapidly and the whole world will love us'.  Okay, maybe I didn't think all of that, but I definitely thought that it would be a lot of fun.  And it is!  But, it's also a learning experience and a challenge.  So, why are we changing things?  Well, I learned that my Muse is not very fond of the whole 'write the series and then do a prequel' concept.  In his mind, if I'm understanding correctly, if we already know we're going to write a prequel to the series, why not just make that prequel the first book and be done with it?

Yep, he is a man of logic and I certainly couldn't argue with that.  I know that so many series out there today have been written and then the readers want to know about the before time that led up to the series, so prequels have been written to satisfy that curiosity.  And I don't see anything wrong with that.  But for the series we're writing, we've discovered that it actually would make the series better (in our biased minds anyway) if we went ahead and made that prequel the first published book of the series and didn't actually call it a prequel.

So, that's the big change we've agreed to go with.  Which means I will be posting a progress bar on the side of this blog so everyone (including me) can see how I'm coming along with the word count.  I'm aiming for 80,000 words but will not be surprised if the first draft surpasses that.  There's a lot that needs to be revealed in this first book in order to set up the rest of the series as well as have it flow straight into Starward.  And this also means that Starward may get a few more tweaks once this first book is written in order to ensure that nothing gets lost or forgotten or changed due to the events of the first book.

And no, we do not have a title for the first book yet.  So, I'll be referring to it as 'the first book' or 'Galactic Dynasty Book One' or some other variation of the sort for right now.  I do still intend to finish the edits of Starward as I have a couple of more chapters to add that we thought would strengthen the story a little more and we both agreed that we wanted to have that finished ASAP so full concentration can be given to this first book.

Oh, and for those of you that have read or are reading The L & L Mystery series, I have not forgotten about it.  It has kind of gone to the backburner as this co-authoring project became the spotlight.  But, I do intend to continue with the mystery series and will be working on edits for the fourth book, Dangerous Moves, when I get the chance as well as coming up with a cover design for the book.

Whew, I've got a lot on my plate, but that's okay.  I love to stay busy as it keeps me out of mischief (for the most part) and it's all about being creative!  And just a heads up...the Muse and I will be traveling to Sacremento, CA at the end of next week and will be gone for two weeks.  This is a vacation for me, so I actually do not intend to do any writing or editing during that time.  But, I will try to take lots of pictures of the trip and upload a few when we get back to share with you all.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and I wish everyone a fun-filled weekend!

Releasing Soon...Finally!!

In case you didn't know, the last few months have been a complete roller coaster for my motivation.  At times I've been excited and ready to tackle edits of The Legend of Goat Head Lodge (the 3rd book in The L & L Mysteries), and at times I've really dragged my feet.  Needless to say, what should have taken a month tops has stretched into almost 5 months.  *hides face in shame*

But, at long last, I have finally finished the edits and will be formatting the book to upload to Kindle today...YAY!!!  *throws confetti and opens a bottle of bubbly*  (Actually, I don't have bubbly but I do have chocolate donuts...hehe)  There is still some work to be done to get The Legend of Goat Head Lodge up on Kindle and ready for purchase.  But hopefully by Wednesday or Thursday of this week, readers can purchase and download it to their Kindles.

So, once that piece is done, I'll be shifting my focus to Cressen Books' website.  I'm redesigning the entire site and hope to have the new (and improved) site up by the end of this week or early next week.  I'm already loving how it looks so far and hope that others will find the site much more appealing to visit!

I am also shifting my focus to Starward, the first book in the Galactic Dynasty series I'm co-authoring with my Muse.  I'm about half-way through the initial draft and will be working hard to have that book ready for publication by this summer or early fall. *crosses fingers*

And, I will begin edits of the 4th book in The L & L Mysteries, Dangerous Moves!  I'm very excited about this book and the mystery that Leyla and Lucien get involved in.  It's a much more serious mystery and really helps to evolve (in a good and mature way) their partnership and friendship.  The book is actually in the final stages of edits, but I refuse to put a release date on it yet since I tried to do that with Goat Head and failed miserably...sigh.  But, the closer I get to the final polish of Dangerous Moves, the more information I will have and will let everyone know when the release date will be. :)

I believe that's it for now.  I need to get going so I can upload Goat Head to Kindle and then get to work on the website.  I hope everyone is having a pleasant week so far and maybe I'll have more updates to share real soon!

Long Time, No See

Wow, I hadn't realized just how long it's been since I last posted on this blog! **blushes in embarrassment**  Oh well, I'm back now and have some progress to share. :)

First of all, The Legend of Goat Head Lodge, book 3 in The L & L Mysteries, is nearly complete.  I have one final chapter to write and edit...whew, thank god!  I thought I would never get here.  I have no idea why this book in particular has been so difficult for me to edit since I really love the concept and know it will be a great addition to the series.  Anyway, the cover has already been designed.  So, once the edits are complete, I'll be putting it in book format and will then upload it to Kindle...yay!!  And, just because I can, here's the cover:



Isn't it pretty?  I love it!!

Okay, now on to the next bit of news.  I am co-authoring a mature YA sci-fi series with my Muse called Galactic Dynasty and the first book in the series is called Starward.  I think I may have mentioned this before but since it's been so long since the last post, I just wanted to refresh everyone's memory, including mine...lol.  Anyway, Starward is over 55,000 words long now and is about half complete.  I'm hoping we might be able to introduce this new series by late summer 2012, but we'll see.

I'm also in the process of giving Cressen Books LLC's website a makeover and hope to have that completed in the next few weeks.  Then we will be actively looking to take on a few new authors in order to expand our product selections.  I will say this much; we are not currently looking to take submissions of either poetry or non-fiction.  We would like to stay within the fiction genre for right now.  If you know of anyone that may be looking to publish a fiction book, please give them this web address - www.cressenbooks.com - and let them know to be on the lookout for more information in the upcoming weeks.

Alrighty then, I think that's all the updates for now!  Doesn't seem like a lot, but man it's been busy since Christmas. :)  And I'm excited to have finally found my focus again.  So, it's time for me to hop off of here and get back to work on Starward and The Legend of Goat Head Lodge.  I will try to put more effort into posting more frequently from now on and will keep everyone posted as the various books and websites in progress continue towards their completion!

A Blog's Purpose

Over the last few weeks I've come to realize that if you don't set out with a specific purpose for your blog, it will soon take on a life of it's own.  This blog was originally meant to be for me and my musings about being an author.  But, I've quickly come to realize that I've got a lot of different things going on here.  Sure, I still have musings and ramblings and some of those even pertain to being an author.  But I've come to realize that there's nothing specific going on here.

So, I will continue to keep this blog up for my own ramblings.  But, I am in the process of creating a few new blogs that pertain to specific themes.  One blog will feature all things relating to The L & L Mysteries.  Another blog will feature all things relating to the Galactic Dynasty series that I am co-authoring with my Muse.  And, I am contemplating maintaining a blog about all things books because I'm rapidly rediscovering my reading fetish and want to share my true thoughts and feelings about the books I read.  If I do decide to create this book review blog, I'll post a link here for anyone interested.

Each blog will be updated as I reach milestones and have news to share.  They all won't get updated everyday...if I did that, I probably wouldn't have time to write the novels I'm blogging about. :)  And this blog will remain my source for rambling and musing when I feel the need.

Now it's time for me to get back to creating.  I hope everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday!

Busy, Crazy Times

Sorry it's been a while since my last post.  Things have been pretty crazy around here.  That and a three-day weekend with my Muse, which was wonderful!  And no, we didn't escape for some romantic getaway (we have that right here at home).  We stayed home for the most part and worked on clearing out a lot of dead trees and brush in a small section of our 15-acres of woods.  And the section we're working on is looking fantastic!

Anyway, I did that and I finished the first part of the book "Starward" in the new Galactic Dynasty series I'm co-authoring with my Muse.  Now I'm ready to tackle the second part, which will introduce a new and unique character to the mix.  I'm extremely excited about it but don't want to give anything away right now!  Let's just say that it's going to be really challenging to write from such a "absolute logic" perspective.

Over the last few days I've been reading a lot too.  I have a profile on Goodreads...a totally awesome site that I would recommend to any book-loving fiend.  You can click the link above and friend me or follow me if you're interested. :)  I've given my honest opinion on a few books I've read and will try to remember to link those to this blog in the future.  Right now I'm reading Supernaturally by Kiersten White and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Now, for the next couple of weeks, more craziness will ensue.  So, I may be a little sporadic in posting to this blog.  My Muse and I will be traveling to PA in a couple of weeks to attend Celebrate the Book.  We'll have a booth set up displaying and selling the first two books in The L & L Mysteries: Spanish Intrigue and The Art of Deceit.  If you happen to be in Carlisle, PA on October 22, come by and see me!

So, it's time for me to hop off of here and begin work on "Starward" and creating display posters and such.  Until next time.....

Back To Work...

Since my last post, it's been back to work for me.  I've been inside Rosa's head for the last few days and am really getting to know this unique character, inside and out.  She's young and has a lot of growing up to do, but I see a lot of potential for her as the story progresses.

Speaking of which, I now finally have a title for the series and the first book in which Rosa is the main star.  The series is entitled Galactic Dynasty and the first book is entitled "Starward".  These books are being co-authored with my Muse and have been challenging and fun to write so far.  It's a world completely different from the L & L Mysteries and even though I have an outline of where the plot will take the characters, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds as my fingers fly over the keyboard.

This brings me to a subject that I had never really given much thought to before.  But as I was writing a particularly emotional scene for Rosa, it suddenly dawned on me that it was going to be an awesome scene!  And why did I think this?  Because I was actually shedding a few tears as the scene unfolded.

I'm not sure if other authors get this or not when they're writing.  But for me, this is the first time it's happened.  Of course, I usually tend to shy away from emotional rollercoasters, but after I finished this scene, I began thinking about other stories I've written and came to realize what I'd been missing out on.  Sure, it made me cry and I really don't like to cry.  But that's what made the character even more realistic; her very real, human reaction to an emotional situation.

Giving characters depth is a very challenging thing to do.  I think it might actually be one of the most challenging aspects to writing because it really forces the author to question how they themselves would handle different situations and then write that down for others to read.  The emotions and reactions reveal a little something about the author and sometimes that can be scary.  After all, perfect strangers will be reading these novels and in a way, the author is sharing their more intimate thoughts and feelings with those strangers.  The only difference is that the author is using a character in a story to portray those feelings instead of coming out and saying "Hey, this is actually me spilling my guts here!"

But it's those very real emotions that draw readers in and helps them to identify with the characters within the story.  So, depth of character is crucial and after having written that particular scene for Rosa, I will strive to give my characters the depth that they deserve.

Well, I'm off to continue Rosa's journey.  She has a very scary, life-changing decision to make and I don't want to leave her hanging for too long.  Until next time...

Which Character Am I Today?

As any writer (novice or otherwise) knows, characters are the integral part of any story.  Basically, you can't have a story if you don't have a character.  Whether it's one character or a hundred, they have to be there for the story to exist.

With that said, I imagine it's also a well-understood fact that sometimes a writer can have too many characters taking up space in the writer's brain.  I believe this usually happens when the writer takes on more than one writing project and they're in love with each of the writing projects.  Of course, I can truly only speak for myself and this is an issue I deal with a lot: Which character am I today?

I have a lot of writing projects on my plate.  Some I've been playing with for years, others I've just suddenly had inspiration for and find myself writing feverishly for hours on those new inspirations.  But it's always the same issue: Which character am I today?

I am currently working on two publishable projects (the other projects I consider more of my writing exercises in character interaction, plot development, or scene description).  One project I've already spoken of: The L & L Mysteries.  In those, I alternate between being Leyla Richards and Lucien Vintera, two completely different characters and I'm not just referring to them as being of the opposite sex of each other.  Their personalities are completely different and there are days when I feel like Leyla and days when I feel like Lucien.  And most of the time, I never know which day is which until I wake up in the morning and have had at least one cup of coffee.  (Yeah, I'm a java freak!)

The other project is currently Untitled but has the makings of being at least four books, possibly more.  The main character (as of right now) is a girl named Rosalita Martinez (Rosi to her mom and brother, but everyone else better call her Rosa or she gets a little prickly).  The reason I say as of right now is because I intend to introduce a character later on that the reader will start to see from that character's perspective as well as continuing to read from Rosa's perspective.  But right now, it's all Rosa and it's very challenging!

So, now I have Leyla, Lucien, and Rosa residing in my head, all vying for a chance to be the star of the day, so to speak.  And each one has a unique personality that makes them perfect for the series they are associated with.

Which character am I today?  The answer (for today only) is.....Rosa!  So, I better get going before she gets impatient (she is 16, after all) and does something I don't really want her to do...at least not just yet. ;)