Posted by Christine on Jul 10, 2010 in General, Randomness |
So I have pulled out the stack of books I plan to read while away on my trip. I mean I’ll be on a farm in TN for a week with no internet and no cell phone. There are two things to do in my down time – read and write. I hope to take full advantage of the lack of technology and enjoy the chance to read some books that have been in my “to be read†pile for way to long. I would also love to get some writing done. I’ve been thinking about Red and Grey (the characters) a lot and the The Youngest Brother, I have some ideas I want to work out on paper. So what will I be reading while away on the farm? Here is my list, I’ll let you know when I get home how many I get through and what I thought. My To Be Read List: On the Edge – Ilona Andrews ( I started this one already and it’s keeping me from packing. Already on Chapter 5 so far it’s very good.) Kitty and the Midnight Hour – Carrie Vaughn Doppelganger – Marie Brennan Magic Lost Trouble Found – Lisa Shearin Three Days to Dead – Kelly Meding Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews (link to her web site above) So that’s what I’m reading on my summer vacation – no guarantee I’ll get through all six but I’ll give it my best effort. 🙂 What are you reading on your summer...
Read More »
Posted by Christine on Jul 7, 2010 in General, Updates |
Rejection Queen Status update: – Rejections to date: 13 towards the crown – Outstanding queries: 8 – Outstanding partials: 1 Other Writing news: – Cat’s Revealing is off to the Brava contest. – Red and Grey is in the submission process. – I will be working on something next but I am still not sure what yet. See my last blog if you are interested in what’s going on with that. Personal News: – Next week I leave for a two week vacation and I will be offline for the duration of that trip. I will try to post on Monday before I leave, but then I will be silence until our return from TN and FL. – When I get home from vacation I will be sending another round of query letters for Red and Grey, at least that’s the plan....
Read More »
Posted by Christine on Jul 6, 2010 in General, Randomness |
I am feeling non-directional at the moment and I don’t really like it. I have finished Cat’s Revealing and sent it off to the contest at Brava. I have a number of outstanding queries and a partial for Red and Grey. Now what? I have a sequel in mind for both Red and Grey (The Youngest Brother) and Cat’s Revealing (Cat’s Pride). But I don’t feel particularly called to work on either of them. As a matter of fact I haven’t touched The Youngest Brother in way too long. Why because I keep asking myself – is this the best way to spend my time? Should I really be working on sequels to things I haven’t sold yet? Should I dive into something new? I have an idea for a YA urban fantasy that I started a few months ago then put aside to work on Cat’s Revealing. I could work on that. I have an idea for a fantasy that I go to and play with whenever I get the urge, but it’s something I wouldn’t ever sell and I was recently given the advise not to waste time writing things you know you can’t or won’t sell. Or, I could go back to the story Coradonna Lost and rewrite that incorporating the things I have learned about writing, and rewriting. So what should I write next? Where is the best investment of my time and effort? Not just that but more importantly maybe – what do I want to write next? Where does my slightly scattered brain want to rest for the next few weeks and what story does it want to focus on? 😉 Anyone out there in the Blogverse or Facebook have a request for what you would like to see...
Read More »
Posted by Christine on Jul 1, 2010 in General |
So early this morning, I submitted a manuscript I’m calling Cat’s Revealing to the Brava Writing with the Stars writing contest. What is Cat’s Revealing? It’s a paranormal romance manuscript I’ve been working like mad on for the past month, originally I wrote it back in 2008. Even when I wrote it there was more I wanted to do with it. So I was thrilled with this opportunity to revamp it for a reason. I completely revised the story adding a new plot line, new characters, and just generally updated it. I’m very happy with the overall product, no matter what the results of the contest. Not that I would mind some positive results from the contest. 😉 after all who doesn’t want to win contests they enter. What’s the point of entering if you don’t want to win. On the other hand, this exercise of re-writing and revising was a great experience. I really like the characters in the story, and I like the theme (forgiveness) of the story. It also showed me a lot about how my writing has changed over the past two years, where I have improved and still need to improve. So there you have it. My paranormal romance is out in the contest, and I’ll have to wait for the next two months to see if I am a finalist. I’ll let everyone know when I hear. In the meantime you can read the prologue and first chapter of Cat’s Revealing...
Read More »
Posted by Christine on Jun 28, 2010 in General, Randomness |
For the past few weeks I have been madly working on rewriting and revising a novel I originally wrote back in 2008. At that point the novel was called Reunion. At the moment I am playing with new titles, two that are high on the list at the moment are Cat’s Moon, or Cat’s Reunion. However, titles are not the point of this post. I wanted to share with you an odd little fact. I started this novel in April of 2008 and finished the original draft in October of that year. In the mean time I also wrote a short story, one I have also since revised and updated. The short story is called “Braveâ€. The short story introduces a girl named Jessica and tells the reader a brief story about her life in western Pennsylvania. Now, here’s where the odd part comes in. I wrote brave to explain one line in Reunion. Yup – one line – the line… “Yeah, well, I asked Jessica out in October and she told me no. She told me, very politely, she didn’t date rich, handsome, blond guys.†Spoken by Ian, a secondary character, to Kyle, one of the the main characters. This line intrigued me – I just HAD to know WHY she said this. I mean what was it about rich, handsome, blond guys? I knew she had a reason, a good one too, for not dating guys “like that†but I wasn’t sure what it was. I also knew she came from a specific type of background. So I decided to write her story. To be fair I’m still writing her story –because I’m writing a novel about her, but it started with a short story that answered the question what is it about rich, handsome, blond guys. That turned into “Braveâ€. And the opening line of “Brave†– just to taunt you… If we hadn’t used a condom I’d be living a normal life right...
Read More »
Posted by Christine on Jun 25, 2010 in Follow Friday, General, Kudos |
Today is the BEST Follow Friday. (For me anyway 🙂 ) The man I’m following today I would follow anywhere and everywhere. In fact I have. Why? Well, there are many varied reason. I could give you some platitude like he’s the love of my life or something. But I want you to know about him, not me. So why follow Jason? Jason Douros loves people, in fact he is one of the few people I’ve met in my life who looks at the people around him with eyes of equality and love. Jason believes that there is something beautiful and lovable in everyone. Not only that but he loves to serve people. I’m not talking about waiting on people hand and foot, Jason is one of those observant people who you’ll be walking around with and will notice the woman with five kids and 8 grocery bags and just walk up and help her in the parking lot – because that’s Jason. He’s the guy who opens the door for people with their hands full, no matter what their gender or age – because that’s Jason. He’s the guy who will buy lunch for a homeless person and eat with them as often as possible just to sit and learn their story – because he’s Jason. He’s the guy who always has a compliment for everyone, and somehow it’s always exactly what that person needs to hear that day – because that’s Jason. He’s the guys who finds out the name of the hotdog vendor on the corner – Tula – by the way – and makes sure he uses it – and this makes both their days – because he’s Jason. He’s the guy who will take time out of his life to help his friends pursue their dreams, no matter what they are – because he’s Jason. I have never known a human being with a heart more called or more committed to serving people than this man. If he could do it 24/7/365 he would. Pesky day jobs. It’s funny, I believe he has the power to change the world. Not by being a politician, (Thank GOD) but because he loves people enough to inspire them to reach higher, do better, believe in themselves, and the goodness of others. Ultimately, I believe it is love that will change the world (that and forgiveness). Jason happens to be very good at both those things. So thank you Jason – for being worthy of my Follow Friday today....
Read More »
