Werk Werk Werk

Hey peeps! This week was crazy busy. It was my first full week back to work after being unplugged for two weeks. I definitely was not ready lol. I may have even cried about it for a bit (my husband was very amused). 

That being said, I’m pretty recharged and ready to jump back into the swing of things. On the writing front, I sent out my first newsletter of the year with some pretty exciting announcements for upcoming projects and a sneak peak into my next book, Taming the Succubus. 

I’ve been fleshing out the story’s outline and I have to admit I’m excited to write this book simply because the main character is so fun! Discovering characters is one of my favorite parts of being a writer.

I’ve also been filling my Pinterest board with inspiration pins. I find that plus listening to my favorite musicians really helps my creative muse. I have to be careful though. I can spend hours on Pinterest because it feels like a fantasy land full of fantastical images and portals to information. It’s truly a playground for the visual geeks like myself. :)

For next week, I’ll be focusing on continuing to draft Taming the Succubus and working on the next few episodes of my newest project. Stay tuned!

May Updates

Hi there! I figured it was definitely time to update my fellow fans and authors on what I've been up to these past five months. :)

On New Year's Eve, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and then proceeded to be kicked into the deep end of the parenting pool. It's been a crazy wonderful experience and my husband and I are completely in love with our daughter. That being said, for the first three months I had no time to properly shower let alone write and so I was forced to take a break from writing.

In late March I returned back to work and a some what normal schedule. I completed the mystery novella I was working on before giving birth and began the first draft of the sequel to The Two Worlds. I also had to rework my production schedule for the rest of 2015.

Late last year I mentioned how I was fatigued of Kay and crew while writing The Two Worlds. Turns out, being on maternity leave was just what the doctor ordered! Now that I'm back at work, I find that I can't wait to tell more of their story. I've decided to keep them on my production schedule and finish up their tale this year. Here's what the rest of the year will look like:

July: The Two Worlds (revised and re-released)

July: The Two Worlds: On the Run 

August: The Two Worlds  #3

September: The Two Worlds #4

October: The Two Worlds #5

It's a lot of writing, but I'm determined to wrap up this series by the end of the year. And I think it will be a fun challenge.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for updates on my progress!

What Should an Author Blog About?

I've been absent since my last post because I've been struggling. Struggling with what to write about on this blog. You know, I've been blogging on and off since 2006. I originally started a blog because I was being tormented by my college roommates and wanted an outlet. It turned into a gossip blog and I had a great time logging in every day to update my fellow bloggy friends. It was also very therapeutic. I found my voice and a 'niche' before I even knew what that meant without realizing it.

When I first decided that I was going to take my writing seriously, I began to research. Everyone said that authors (especially indie/self-published authors) should have a blog. But no one could really answer the question of what to blog about. "Find your niche," they said. "Be unique." But what did that mean?

For the last week, I've been looking at my 'to-do' list, my eyes skittering past the Add a post on blog in shame. My mind was blank. Because I'm new, I don't have a ton of stuff to say about the world of self-publishing. And I definitely don't have a lot to say about the mechanics of writing. I'm not formally educated enough to explain to you the structure of a sentence.

I write because I love to tell a story that the common person can understand and enjoy.

While still researching on what to blog about, I came across a guest post on Jane Friedman's blog entitled 'It’s Time for (Many) Experienced Writers to Stop Blogging'.  The post was engaging, but the comments were even more captivating.  I encourage you guys to check it out.

As I read, I realized that I didn't want to blog solely about how to be a better writer from a mechanical standpoint or how to get a book published. Are these things important to me? Yep. Are they all that I have to offer? Nope.

I have a new puppy. And a new husband. And coincidentally a new car. I work a job in the entertainment industry full of wonderful yet quirky people. What I'm trying to say is I have a LIFE. A life that I constantly drawn upon for my writing. So why can't I do the same for blogging?

From this point forward, I give myself permission to write about anything I want on my 'author's blog'.

And I encourage all you newbie writers out there to do the same.

Coming Back to the Writing World

These months since my wedding have flown by! We are now settled in and have adopted a puppy since then. We now have two cats and a dog, so my life has been very interesting! I can never say that I don't have any inspiration. ;)

I've started working on my new paranormal romance book and I'm very excited. I've also pulled The Two Worlds and have decided that I am going to have a professional editor look at the ms, revise and then republish. I'll also have a professional graphic designer work on the cover for me. I love my readers and want only the very best versions of my work out there for their enjoyment.

I hope to be done with the romance book by the end of this year. I'm rejoining my year round NaNoWriMo writing group that meets on Sundays in hopes of blocking off chunks of time to crank it out. I've updated the bar on the right so you guys can track my progress.

 That's all for now! I can't tell you how happy I am to have a fresh story to write!

Checking In!

Phew! It's been almost a month since my pre-holiday post and life has not slowed down. I've given in to the fact that I will probably not be working on any manuscript until after my wedding.

I've been reading lots, though and still writing for UrbanGirlReader.com (fabulous site if you haven't checked it out yet).  You can't be a successful writer if you're not an avid reader, so I still consider this part of my 'craft'. Hopefully post wedding I can put some new skills that I've learned from other authors to use.

In the meanwhile, here's some of the books that I've been reading or that are queued on my 'To Be Read' list (in no particular order):

Jeaniene Frost Halfway to the Grave
Jeaniene Frost One Foot in the Grave
Jeaniene Frost At Grave's End
Mindy Klasky Magic and the Modern Girl
Roxanne Rhoads Hex and the Single Witch
Mindy Klasky How Not to Make a Wish
Sofie Kelly Copycat Killing: A Magical Cats Mystery
Heather Blake It Takes a Witch: A Wishcraft Mystery
Heather Blake A Witch Before Dying
Melissa Bourbon A Fitting End: A Magical Dressmaking Mystery
Melissa Bourbon Pleating for Mercy
Juliet Blackwell  Dead Bolt
Rose Pressey No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells
Juliet Blackwell Hexes and Hemlines
Juliet Blackwell A Cast-Off Coven

....to name a few. ;)

What about you? What on your 2013 reading list?