2015: From squealy to terrifying - a newbie author's year

Welcome, 2016.

This New Year’s Day I’m not gleefully kicking the prior year to the curb. 2014 was a dick but 2015 was more like your emotional, somewhat unstable friend that drags you into giddy highs and crushing lows.  You know, the one you sometimes think could be helped with some meds.

EXCITING:                          It was a big year for me, starting with a brand new job in January 2015. My very first 15 mile drive to work was through a snow storm followed by Mr. Polar Vortex. Remember that guy? That guy was 20 below zero ACTUAL TEMPERATURE, like we were living in the freaking North Pole. GTFO.

HEARTBREAKING:            I also lost my beloved Tink, the sweetest, gentlest dog I’ve ever met. 

SUPER SQUEALY:              I experienced the heady joy of signing my first publishing contract with World Weaver Press imprint Red Moon Romance in January.  Holy crap talk about giddy!

REALITY CHECK #1:                        Spring of 2015 was all about the business of getting SKYE FALLING ready for publication. I lucked out with an awesome editor (shout out to Cori!) who guided me to make the book the shiniest it could be. *bows down to o mighty editor* There were editorial letters, suggested revisions, deadlines, rewrites,  cover copy, bio, line edits, more deadlines and edits and Track Changes. Gotta be honest, it was overwhelming at times but still super-exciting.

OMG-PINCH-ME EXCITING:        Summer of 2015 SKYE FALLING debuts – with that gorgeous purple cover – and people like Lake and Skye’s story! The reviews are good! *squeals and dances* I’M AN AUTHOR, GUYS!

REALITY CHECK #2:                        Very little time to bask in the glow because now it’s onto getting the word out by guest posting/doing interviews on different blogs. That’s also the business of writing. I wanted to be amusing, original, and entertaining on each site. I hope I succeeded.  Also at this time I’m starting the process all over again with the second novel of the series, OMEGA RISING, to be published this spring.

TERRIFYING:                                     This past summer also started a scary five months of chemotherapy for my sister which she handled like a goddamn rock star.  Seriously, like one sick day used. The surgery in December went great with the magical words of “clean margins” and “no lymph node involvement” making Christmas extra special. 

REALITY CHECK #3:                        My sister is a superhero. Seriously. ONE sick day!

EXHILARATING/EXHAUSTING:      Deadlines galore this fall. From mid-October to mid-December I ran around like a horde of bees (flock? herd? Idk) was chasing me, stingers at the ready. NaNoWriMo, day job, revisions on my cowboy romance short story (which very nearly kicked my ass), final edits on OMEGA RISING.  Yeah, I lived on caffeine and stress for a couple months but I got through it.

I’ve rested and recharged these last two weeks. It’s been glorious. And essential.

Welcome 2016            

OMEGA RISING comes out this spring

COMING UP ROSES short story will be out this year in a cowboy romance anthology

Book 3 of the Wolf King series will be finished this year

THE FOURTH LAND OF SOULS, my urban fantasy, might be ready this year’s end

Now where's my Scotch?

WRITE ON;

4 Reasons To Fail and LOVE it #NaNoWriMo

Yeah, okay I’m failing at NaNoWriMo. Last year on this date I crossed the 50,000 mark, validated, then passed out on the floor. Yes. EARLY. Today my word count is less than 25,000.

Why am I smiling? Well, I’ll tell you.

1          Because I’m failing like a rock star and by that I mean I’m lovin’ every minute of it. That’s a Loverboy reference to those unschooled in cheesy 80s rock. There were commitments and deadlines that kept me freakishly busy up until the 15^th or so, but I managed to eke out a few thousand words here and there – after work, before work, at work (shhhhh). From the start I gave myself permission to fail, NOT permission to stop.

It’s only been for the past week or so that I’ve been able to submerge myself and wallow in my Nano story and I LOVE it. That brings me to #2.

2          Because my Nano book keeps surprising me. What I thought should happen in my hastily scribbled outlines haven’t worked that well. I haven’t deleted those busted scenes because hello this is NaNoWriMo after all and THERE IS NO DELETING IN NANOWRIMO. But because those scenes didn’t work I’ve been forced to crack open and tickle that writing center of What If. And I love to play that game. It’s daydreaming with a purpose made possible by Nano. I LOVE it.

3          Because everyone else is doing it. At least it seems that way. Who doesn’t like to be part of a massive Vowel Movement (coincidentally that’s also the name of my brother’s band back in the day – I’m totally not lying, that was the name), seeing inspiring emails from authors and tweets from coaches and joining in on impromptu word sprints? I’m Twitter friends with a lot of writers participating this year and my TL is filled with their successes and failures. I can applaud their successes instead of feeling a bit sick with envy and I can empathize with their failures because oh look I’m there, too! Welcome! Have a seat! I LOVE it.

4          Because it's your novel that's important, not the word count. Over this past weekend the Midwest had its first snowstorm and it was a big ‘un. Three inches of wet, thick, mutant sized flakes splashed down followed by plunging temperatures and another three inches of the non-mutant variety. I had to cancel plans to see Planet Groove downtown because of it. What? Yes, you heard me. I actually had plans during November. And I’ve ridden my horse and socialized IRL during the month, too.  Blasphemy? No. Balancing my life. By not being consumed with reaching 50K, I’m loving the hell out of Nano this year and everything it has to offer. And my book, and life, is the better for it. What's NOT to love?

WRITE ON;

All aboard the NaNo Train

LET’S GET READY TO NANOOOOOOOOO.

It’s nearly mid-October and NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is less than three weeks away. What? How did that happen?!  The fake spider webs in bushes and tombstones in front yards and good Lord the pumpkins, well now they're everywhere. Turns out those are the reminders of NaNo AND Halloween.  

The occasional tweets and emails are increasing daily (much like pumpkins on porches) as people are committing, plotting, outlining.  Or saying ohhellno and slamming the door.

Crunch time.  Do you plunge into the frenzied, mad dash to 50,000 words or continue your life as is?  Because Nano isn’t a toe-dipping-to-test-the-water kind of endeavor. No one can “sort of” Nano. Once the calendar crosses into November 1st, half a million people across the globe will fling themselves into the month-long endurance test to churn out their novels.

I gotta say, that’s the draw for me. No one writes alone. I participated last year for the first time, crossing the finish line with a few days to spare.  I know back then that I blogged about my love/hate relationship with Nano but that was last year. (here's the link for that post) 

All the anxiety and swearing and staring at the blinking cursor with dull, bloodshot eyes because omg I need to catch up because I only got 1000 words yesterday; all that is just a distant memory today.

What I remember most is the camaraderie and the fun. The pep talks from authors, conversations at the write-ins, kick-off and Thank God It’s Over parties, the word sprints and hashtags, the glowing satisfaction of a plot twist pulled out of your...head that not only works but also changes the direction of the book, a 180 wheelie. What a rush! A caffeine and adrenaline fueled rush to 50,000 words.

To know that at any time during November, day or night, someone somewhere was out there writing, ready to whip out a #1K1hr (1000 words in one hour hahahaha I know right? But it’s oddly doable) or frowny-face their word count or wail about their story losing steam. Even epic stuckiness is more bearable when others are sharing your misery.  

There are a million reasons NOT to get your Nano on.  Responsibilities! Commitments! Exhaustion! My feet hurt! All valid, probably. And don’t forget these beauties -  Headache! Don’t FEEL like it! So busy! The house is FILTHY! Shopping! THANKSGIVING!

*takes a deep breath, puts Pepto and Cheetos on the shopping list*

I’m jumping aboard the NaNoWriMo train again, guys. If I cross the finish line, awesome, Go Me. If I don’t, I’ll have a head start on either the next book in my paranormal romance series or a less sucky version of last year’s urban fantasy or the bones of a completely new book. Awesome, Go Me. Downside - uh, not that much.

I know I’m deciding late – the last prep meeting in my area is this weekend – and that I have a sh*t ton of work to do (a sh*t ton is nine...teen...thousand times larger than a metric ton for you curious types) between now and then but I’ll be armed and dangerous (armed with my pen and Pepto and dangerous to those around me because I’m tired and my back probably hurts) and ready to play come November 1^st.  But it's never too late, as long as it's still October. And we have *counts squares on calendar* 19 days to go. Gird your loins and let the prep work begin!

Because NaNoWriMo is all about shiny possibilities and none of those million reasons can trump that. ALL ABOARD!

WRITE ON;

TJ Dodd rocks the 7-7-7-7

Yesterday I completed the dare/gauntlet/challenge thrown at me by Laura Harvey. Today, one of the 7 writers I challenged, the lovely TJ Dodd (whose Twitter avi made me laugh so loud I scared my dogs), is borrowing Meanders and Muses to complete her challenge. Whee!  Take it away, TJ.

7-7-7-7 challenge accepted.

7th page of my work in progress, 7 lines down, post the next 7 lines, challenge 7 more writers.

I was challenged by Anna Kyle, who kindly loaned me the use of her blog to post my response, because I don’t have a blog of my own. I don’t have a published book of my own yet, either. Yet.

I’ve been a writer since forever, but have only published professionally as a journalist and have spent most of my energy teaching others to write. I’ve shared some of my fiction with family and friends privately, and in recent years, through free online sites. Only this year, with much encouragement of my fellow writers, have I seriously considered making the leap from writer to published author of fiction.

So when an author whose book I love, and whose next book I’m eagerly anticipating, included me in a writer’s challenge I was thrilled. I even squeaked out loud. (I don’t squeak. Seriously, I’m more likely to growl or curse.)

I’m not an author. But this is a writer’s challenge, and from my first conscious breath in the morning until my last conscious breath at night, and even in my dreams, I’m a writer.

So here it is, my 7 lines from the current iteration of the novel my high school English teacher told me I’d write someday. It’s done and in the editing stage, so who knows what it may look by the time I can call it complete?

     “The High Guard is here, in the open. You can destroy the vampire command in one move.”

    

     “In the open and guarded by that.” Lettie nodded toward the swirling cloud of hell-spawned wings, claws, 

talons, and fangs outside the windows. Every color of the human complexion was represented in that cloud. Evil  

has always been colorblind, she thought.

    “If I move fast I can kill the vampires and still have time to dust some of those demons before they run for 

cover.” She was thinking strategy. Her heartbeat quickened as her thoughts turned to the battle ahead. Five 

centuries of retirement had been far too long. Gods, she missed this!

Thanks again to my lovely hostess, Anna Kyle, for including me in this challenge. P.S. If you haven’t read her book, Skye Falling, why the heck not? Skye is adorable, Lake is (oooh baby!) dreamy, and their story sings along the pages. There are plenty of hints of things to come in The Wolf King series. I can’t wait!