A Work in Progress...

Book two is driving me nuts!!! It was originally supposed to be part of the first book, but there was no way I was writing a 300,000 word book and then selling it for $.99. It just wasn't going to happen. So I did what any writer would do: I split the book into two books.

This wouldn't have been a problem if the first part wasn't so damn integral in the second part. I'm not just talking major plot lines, I'm talking sub-plots, side stories, side characters... everything. And I need to somehow wind everything up and give the readers the answers they are looking for by the end of this book because I will not be able to do it later in the series. (I would explain why, but I don't want to give anything away.)

On top of that, I need to do this all in a way that stays true to the original story. I need to maintain an element of mystery, romance and, dare I say it, the supernatural. Yes, I am really having trouble with that last part. *sighs*

Anyways, I wish their was a point to writing all of this, but there really isn't.

I apologize for my bad grammar, annoying venting and constant rambling.

On the plus side, I am making progress--about 20,000 words of progress. That puts me at about 115,000 words for the second book. Another 30,000 and it should be done. Then I'll have to go back and decide which sub plots I am going to murder and where the 50,000 words are going to come from that I need to destroy. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

I realize that I'm starting to vent again, and while that may be helpful for me, it's probably not what you would like to read about.

Wish me luck and pray that all of these lunatic words and chapters I'm cranking out will somehow fit together in the end.

The perks of Self-Publishing!

#1: I maintain all the rights to my books.

How awful would it be if I actually had a publisher pick-up the first book, but drop the rest. The entire series would be wiped out!

#2: I get to have total control

There's not going to be an editor telling me to cut out the curse words or fade over the sex scenes.

#3: I get to design my own covers

I've become seriously addicted to photoshop and couldn't be happier about that!

#4: I can post anything I want regarding my book w/o permission

That includes deleted chapters and scenes, which, I think, will be a lot of fun for the readers.

#5: I have no deadline

That means NO PRESSURE; I can work at my own pace, which I can assure you, results in better quality.

#6: There are no expectations

I'm just an indie author writing because she wants to, not because it's her job. (Not that this is the way traditionally published writer's feel.) If I fail and everyone thinks I stink, I haven't let anyone down.

#7: I get to write my own book blurb

And if it's 175 words instead of 150 no one can get on my case about it. Muahaha...

#8: I can write the way I want

Instead of the way I'm expected. If I want to have one book be completely erotic and the next a gory slasher, I can do that.

#9: I can sell my books at an amazing price

Because I get to keep 75% or more of the royalties rather than 15%

#10: I did it on my own

And that's definitely something to be proud of.

A Pup Named Riley

This is Riley and he'd like to take a moment to tell you about himself.

Hi! My name is Riley James, but mom and dad call me Big Guy, The Monster and Meat Head, too. I'm half King Shepard and half Lab and almost 2 1/2 years old! My old dad used to leave me alone outside all day while he went to work and I would get bored and dig holes in the yard. I guess he didn't like that because he sent me to doggy prison. I was there for a really, really long time--almost half my life! All of the other puppies got adopted, but not me. I didn't bark, or pee in my kennel and acted like a complete gentlemen, but most people just walked by without even saying hello. Someone told me it was because I was so big, (95lbs) but I was still just a puppy and needed a family too. Then my new dad found me. He LIKED that I was big and he and mom decided to take me home.

This is a fort my mom built for me.

I was really scared the first few days at their house. Everything was new and strange. I also didn't want them to bring me back, so I stayed on my best behaviour. They gave me food and water and a big bed, which I later ate. Eventually, I realized that mom and dad loved me and were going to keep me FOREVER! I didn't have to pretend to be a gentlemen any longer! Now, mom says I'm really naughty and puts me in timeout in the bathroom when I'm bad. It stinks, a lot.

When I'm not being punished or doing something naughty, I like to play with my ball or a log (sticks are too little for me). Sometimes I like chasing the cats, too; especially Jazzy because she is so mean. Mom used to take me for walks all of the time, but now she and dad have to walk me together because I accidentally pulled her down the sidewalk when a bicycle went past. I just wanted to say hello!

Anyways, it's really nice to meet all of you. Tell your puppies I said hi!

I'm Back Into It!

It feels so amazing to be back in the writing groove that I just had to tell you about it!

In the last two months I've probably only cranked out about 10,000 words. If your not a writer, you should know that that's awful--actually, beyond awful. But I just hadn't been into it as you may have gathered from previous posts. Now, I've reverted to old tactics, but amplified them to the extreme.

When I wrote Secrets Inside Us, I wrote the second half first and then went back and wrote the beginning. When I started writing Secrets That Define Us, (By the way--I'm still not sure if that will be the official title) I wrote the first five chapters, then wrote the last nine, then wrote chapter six, then wrote some random chapter in the middle... well, you get it. But now I've gone to the complete extreme: I've begun writing Secrets Revealed without finishing its predecessor.

I wonder if other authors would slap me on the wrist, stick my head down a toilet or just grunt and say, "Shit happens"?

Anyways, Secrets Revealed is coming along nicely. What took me two months to write in the second book has taken me five days to write in this one. Before I was stuck in my writing rut, I would normally crank out anywhere between 1,000 and 3,500 words a day. I think 5,000 was my max. And now I'm back at it!

In fact, just talking about it is making me want to write the next scene. I have someone I need to kill...

Stuck in a Rut

I wrote the first five chapters of Secrets That Define Us, the second installment in the series, and then hit a brick wall. There's so much I want to include in this book (most of which will be essential to future books in the series), that I'm not sure how to progress. I have everything written down that needs to happen. I'm just having trouble connecting all of those things.

After two weeks of writer's block, I skipped to the end of the book and wrote the last nine chapters or so. I had hoped this would help clear the block, but it's still as solid as ever.

I did continue on to write chapter 6, but I'm completely unsatisfied with it. I wrote it because I felt as though I was being lazy by not writing; I felt the need to accomplish something. The final product of doing this: 5,000 words of crap.

A lot of successful writer's have said that they are successful because they are doing something that gets overlooked: writing. Many hopeful new writer's spend far too much time reading about how to be a successful writer rather than actually writing. I completely understand where they're coming from, but can't understand how they can just sit themselves down and force themselves to write.

If I force myself to write, it shows horribly in my descriptions and flow. I have to WANT to write for it to be any good. I can't just make myself do it and expect the same quality of work. And how am I supposed to get in the mood to write with my brain stuck in this crazy fog?

I spent the last five days, writing out by hand, a 24 page outline for the third book. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it does nothing to aid me with my current dilemma.

I'm really jonesin' for a mentor right now.

I can admit when I need help. And, right now, I need it desperately. I guess this is where it's nice to have an editor and a team of staffers supporting you and giving you insight. But I'm on my own, and whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to get through this on my own.

Wish me luck... no, actually... wish that my brain will clear up.

The Formatting Nightmare is Over!

Pardon me while I catch my breath. I have just finished formatting Secrets Inside Us. Holy Moly! That took FOREVER! And, technically, I'm not even done yet.

Everything has been set to the proper font and size. I've gotten rid of all of the extra space. (I'll be dreaming about dots for a week) I've formatted my chapters so they will start halfway down the page. I've done everything! I even linked my table of contents. It's currently saved as both a word document and an html.

It's been a process--that's for sure!

Now, I only have to use the tools supplied online to transform it into an ebook. Oh yea, and finish the second book and write the third... but besides that...

I'm sure I'll run into more formatting problems along the way; especially once I reach the point where I'll actually be able to see what it looks like on the kindle and nook. It probably won't be quite as pretty as it is now, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Here's a link to a free instructional manual on formatting that proved to be a big help for me. The woman who wrote it is an angel for sharing this with everyone.

http://www.mademers.com/Word%20for%20Kindle%20Guide.pdf

Whether you need to format an essay, short story, novel, recipe... whatever, this could possibly make your life a lot easier.

Keep in mind that the instructions are for microsoft word 2007, but I had no problem applying them to microsoft word 2010. If you use a different program, you'll have to look elsewhere for formatting advice. This just happens to be what I used.

My Kickball Team!

We lost 0-13, but we looked good doing it!! I'm definitely considering writing a scenario like this into one of my books! In fact, I think I've stolen almost everything in my books from someones life, including my own. Does that make me a thief?

Secrets Inside Us

I just googled the title of my book and nothing came up. How's that for creativity? Not only is it one of a kind, it also correlates with the story perfectly. It might sound funny, but I'm kind of proud of that. I guess I'm just easily amused...

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM SIU:

1. BLOOD & GUTS
2. ROMANCE
3. SEX
4. LOVE
5. VIOLENCE
6. MYSTERY
7. SURVIVAL
8. HOPE
9. BETRAYAL
10. HUMOR

My friend, who has been unofficially critiquing my book, said that she re-read one part three times because it was so funny. That's really awesome! It really makes me feel like I can do this!

WHAT MAKES SIU DIFFERENT:

1. My supernatural character/s are just as vulnerable and fragile as the normal characters around them. They will never run at superhuman speeds, have superhuman strengths or hearts made of stone.
2. There's none of that fated gooey love stuff (Frankly, if you're fated to love someone, as far as I'm concerned, it's no longer true love) Don't get me wrong--it's a romance, but it's on a level that everyone can relate to and attain in their own lives, not just dream about reaching in some kind of fantasy.
3. Instead of adding a touch of reality to the paranormal, I tried to add a touch of paranormal to reality.
4. My characters are all delicious! Who wants to read a story about ugly people? Even the awkward and deformed will come off as hot and badass in my series!
5. There are no vampires. I've heard through the grapevine that people are becoming completely desensitized to them. I think that is a shame. Vamps are super sexy. I might write about vampires later, but not in this series. I also want to write a book about zombies, but every idea I get seems to already be taken. Anyways... I digress.

WHY YOU MIGHT HATE ME AFTER READING SIU:

1. I love cliffhangers!!
2. I'm not afraid to kill off the characters you love
3. Hopefully, I'll leave you unsatisfied and wanting for more... but in a good way.

Really, what am I doing?

I downloaded Microsoft Word onto my computer and... BOOM! 130,000 words later I have a completed full length novel. A novel that took me three months to write. A novel that took me five more months to edit. I literally just ran my hand through my hair like some love drunk teen that doesn't know what to do next. Really, what am I doing?

Everyone tells me it's great and that kind of pisses me off. I want you to tell me it sucks. I want you to tell me what's wrong with it. I want to know what I can do to improve it. Nothing is that easy; nothing is that cut and dried. You know what they told me? Get it published--get it published and send me a signed copy.

I wrote my query letter. It's been sitting on my desktop for about two months. It's a good letter too. I had it all set to send off to Curtis Brown, but then I didn't. I wrote an urban fantasy. It's a genre already far too saturated and I have NO credentials. At least there's not any vampires, but still. I decided to self-publish. Really, what am I doing?

I'm 30,000 words into the second book of the series... Yup, it's going to be a series.

I've done my research. I spent three weeks alone teaching myself how to properly format a Word document into an html. I cringe just thinking about how close my head came to exploding, but hey... now I can link a TOC all by myself. Did I mention that I wanted to self-publish via Amazon and Barnes and Nobles for the Kindle and the Nook? I'd never venture off into the silly realm of paperbacks and hard covers. I told you: I've done my research.

I plan on selling the first book of the series for 99 cents and the ones that follow for no more than $4. I've never spent more than $4 on an ebook and I don't expect anyone else to either. I will publish once the first three books are complete. I'm hoping to hook the readers for the long haul. The long haul? Really, what am I doing?

I'm reaching for a dream... however outrageous it may be. It's been sliding all over the place like a slippery fish, but eventually it's going in the bucket because I'm not putting this one back. That's what I'm doing. :)