From the Desk of a Walking NyQuill Ad

I have it all – sniffling, sneezing, stuffy head, fever… you name it, I got it. I’ve blown my nose so much today that the skin just below it is so sore I can barely touch it. And I’m just at the start of this thing.

So tonight I took a shower, took some oh-so-lovely medication that has thus far done nothing for me, and sat down to write on my blurb and tagline.

Seriously. Writing the book wasn’t this painful.

So thanks to Lani, the ever-brilliant blurb/tagline writer, I have a couple ideas to go with. Still, Another Time Around is such a conglomerate of paranormal and suspense and comedy, I have no idea how to fill in the blank for “genre.” But my editor says to emphasize the paranormal and contemporary romance elements, so what the boss wants, the boss gets.

So then I set that aside and started working again on that bonus scene I promised you all. No, I haven’t forgotten, but Kevin is being a pill and clammed up on me. But thanks to the wonder that is antihistamine, he started chatting a bit tonight and I was able to nail down his voice pretty well. This is one of those nights the husband is oh-so-glad to be legally bound to me. No make-up, my hair’s a mess, I have extra-heavy moisturizer slathered on the skin below my nose, and I am trying to write a three-page monologue from a guy’s perspective being witty, funny, and just a little bit sexist.

Yeah. He’s a lucky guy, my husband.

On bigger and better news, five weeks until Let’s Dish releases and I’m officially a published author. Okay, so I’m kinda sorta counting down. Not like I have a special counter on my sidebar or anything. I’m not that technically gifted.

Oh yeah, that bonus scene? Look for it next Tuesday. Really, I swear. It will mark one month until the Dish goes live, and will also mark the beginning of my contest to win an ARC of the book. So check back for details, folks. The countdown is about to begin!

Cheater

I have been indulging in a variety of cheater blogs this week, partly because I’m lazy, and partly because I’ve been living my life running from place to place at 50 mph. One of the things I’ve been involved with is the blurb sheet for Another Time Around. It’s due the end of the week, and I’m in trouble.

The blurb itself is okay. I am thanking God I have a specific blurb writer/editor at Samhain who will take my sad attempt and whip it into shape. She didn’t change much on the blurb for Let’s Dish, which I should apparently take as a compliment. But I am struggling for ATA. It will have many changes.

But the part I’m really struggling with is the tagline. A whole book in one sentence. Something that makes a reader want to buy the book. See? These are the dirty little secrets of the publishing biz. Not only do you have to write the book and the dreaded synopsis, but then you have to blurb the sucker and get a tagline. 300 pages becomes seven, then three paragraphs, then one sentence.

I am no good at taglines. This is what I have so far:

‘Till death us do part. Or at least until the past comes back to haunt you.

Or

When the past comes back to haunt her, will moving on cost a widow her life?

Or

Be careful what you wish for. It just may come back to haunt you.

All hideous.

What’s even worse, I need to come up with a list of comparable titles. Books that are similar to mine. I know of a movie that’s similar to mine, but books? I have found all of one, and it’s not even that similar.

So, dear readers, I come to you. Got a tagline suggestion for me? Besides burn the ones I have. How about a book that involves a widow haunted by her dead husband just when she finds the guy she could move on with. Stalkers and possible murderers optional.

I Need to Party with These Girls

Party Time – Just Click to Play!

For Whomever has the Pomeranian

Interesting search terms have led readers to my blog lately.

Let’s start with:

Dante’s Fifth Circle
Yes, this is where I live. Welcome to my personal version of hell. We have our good days, too, but lately hell has frozen over, so it’s been kinda sorta busy.

Why having a job is necessary
Wanna eat? You need a job. There you go. That’ll be ten bucks.

Ado Annie Script
Ado Annie is a character. Not a play. That I know of. I’ve been known to be wrong on occasion.

Linden Bay Romance Samhain
Yes, something I know something about! But not a lot. You should probably look to a news site or Publisher’s Lunch or something for details about the merger. Me? I just write for ’em.

Males Driving Minivans
Yeah – guys drive minivans, and my husband is one of those guys. So what? Or is there something I’m missing?

Dream Interpretation Script
There’s a script for dream interpretation? Really?

Script Shopoholic
Why does everyone find me through script? Post script does not mean I’m a scriptwriter, folks. I would be the worst scriptwriter ever. Sorry, we have no scripts.

Breaking Birthday Curse
If you figure that one out, let me know. 37 years of hell and counting.

How Long Should I Keep My Pomeranian Dog
If you have to ask, take the dog back right now because you don’t have the stuff to be a pet parent. The answer, in case you’re curious, is forever. You adopt a pet, it’s a part of your family. Trust me. I have four of the little suckers. Pets, not Poms.

If I’m a Freelance Writer, What is My Tit(le)
I am assuming (and hoping) my parenthetical addition is what the person was looking for. The answer is “Psychiatric Patient.” Just so you know.

Frozen

It’s cold here. As I type, it is 14 degrees below zero with a windchill of about 40 below. And it’s warmer than it was an hour ago. Frozen describes everything here – the roads, the cars – my brain. Seriously, I don’t function well when it’s this chilly.

To add to the cold, we have several feet of snow just standing everywhere.  I haven’t taken down my outside Christmas ornaments yet, mostly because I can’t get to them. Somewhere under a couple feet of snow an inflatable polar bear is hibernating. I’ll find him in the spring. I have three-foot tall candy canes buried under there somewhere, too. That drift is a little higher, because that’s where we put the snow we shovel off the driveway.  At this point, though, I don’t know where we’re going to put the next batch. The pile is getting to be over my head.

So as I drive the kids to school and I drive in to work, I look around and am amazed that life can go on in this. My reaction is to huddle under the blankets never to be seen nor heard from again. At least until we start to thaw. But go on we do. Something about sturdy Northern stock should come in here, I suppose, but I don’t feel so sturdy. I feel cold. And freaking tired of snow.

As I mentioned, my brain is frozen, too. Writing has been pretty much impossible lately. I just can’t get the words out. Heck, I can’t even manage to read through Courting Kismet without my mind drifting off to something else. Hope that’s not an indication of how bad the book is. Of course the idea is to read it so I can re-write it and make it better. Still, I have to be able to concentrate. Which ain’t easy.

So my brain is frozen, my creativity is frozen, and my progress is…frozen.  Anybody have any good tricks to help me thaw?

Updates Galore

My mother looked at my website a while ago and told me how bare it looked. And she was right. But there’s lots going on over  there now, including new quotes, links to excerpts and an upcomming contest announcement. Go on over and check it out.

We Have A Cover!!

And I am loving it!!

I’m Supposed to be Writing

It’s a familiar lament among writers, I think. We’re all geared up to go, ready to work our little fingers to the bone, and then we just… don’t. Or can’t. Heck, maybe won’t. I was all set to work on Courting Kismet tonight and haven’t even cracked the file. I am such a loser.

So let me tell you a little bit about Courting Kismet. It started out life as a NaNo novel in 2002. It was the first serious book I ever wrote, and I was aiming it at the old Harlequin Flipside market. It’s never been submitted, and is in the middle of a major overhaul.

But that’s the boring writer stuff.

The fun, who-the-heck-are-these-people stuff goes something like this: Serena Harrick is an uptight college drama professor who doesn’t think she’s uptight. Butch Callahan is a tough contractor with no intention of helping out some college geek, even if she is kinda cute. Add in amazingly bad timing, a stuffy ex-fiancee, and Serena’s inexplicable need to prove she’s moved on, and the wilds of Minnesota have never seemed so wild.

Someone on Twitter tonight told me I have wonderful titles. I’m glad she thinks so, because most of them I think suck like Hoovers. In fact, if anyone has a better idea for Courting, let me know. Follow the link to my website, and then click the Contact button.

On bigger and better news, the cover for Let’s Dish should be coming soon, and it really is spectacular. I can’t wait to be able to share it with you. I have a lot of upcomming blogs and chats scheduled in the next couple months, so be sure to check in regularly for updates.

So now I should go write. Right? Sigh… yeah. Time to crack the file.

Hehehe

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