This morning in addition to checking my Amazon.com sales numbers, I logged in to Bookscan. And yes, I was thrilled to see my Harlequin Romantic Suspense, The Cop's Missing Child, had made the top 100 of Adult Fiction Overall Romance! Number 94, to be exact!
Very cool news and a much needed shot in the arm after all the drama and craziness with the book I just turned in yesterday.
Especially since I have to immediately start work on my next Harlequin Nocturne The Broken Wolf.
I love the story and the synopsis has been approved, but what I really want to do is take the rest of this week off. I'd like to sit down with a book and let another author's words carry me away.
I'm reading two different books right now - the #1 NYT Bestseller Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (which is ok), and the amazing YA book AngelFall by Susan Ee. That book is one of those books that, the entire time I'm reading it, I'm wishing I'd been the one to write it! If you're a writer, you know what I mean! It is good - so good. It's really strange, but I have been finding the most groundbreaking, different, and well-written books in Young Adult these days. So many amazing finds!
So that's what I wish I could do. Sit down and read.
Instead, I'm going to be writing down scenes I need to write for The Broken Wolf. Then I plan to start using Candace Haven's Fast Draft method and see how much I can get done.
Because as I've mentioned before in this little blog, I do have an idea for my own YA.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Random Tuesday
So here it is, the day I turn in the book. Ok, I admit it - I've already sent the email. After so many mishaps starting with just getting the synopsis approved, this book is one I want gone. I worked on it Monday and planned to do so today as well, but.... Decided it was safer not to. I emailed it to my editor and then went and gave myself an at-home facial.
Now, skin taken care off, I've read all my email, checked all the blogs I read daily, and am posting on my blog. I've organized my desk, put all the papers pertaining to The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret in a file folder, printed the synopsis for the next book, The Broken Wolf, printed the senior editor's notes that she wants me to keep in mind as I write, and counted days until it's due, so I know my minimum daily word count.
Since I'm going to the Ninc Conference this year (you might remember last year I was all set to go and my Mom got diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and had to get rushed in for emergency surgery when the doctor accidently perforated her intestine). Mom is still doing chemo and as of today the cancer hasn't spread, so I'm optimistic I'll actually make the conference. Best of all, my friend Stephanie Doyle is going to room with me! I haven't seen her since 2009 at the RWA National Conference in D.C., so I'm looking forward to that greatly.
I'm trying to have a calm and restful sort of day before I dive back into the writing grind. I figure since I worked most of the three day weekend, I deserve it.
I'll probably do some pre-work, like sketching out scenes etc.
Oh, and I did put up another one of my old backlist (from 1998) on Amazon. Here is is on Amazon
Now, skin taken care off, I've read all my email, checked all the blogs I read daily, and am posting on my blog. I've organized my desk, put all the papers pertaining to The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret in a file folder, printed the synopsis for the next book, The Broken Wolf, printed the senior editor's notes that she wants me to keep in mind as I write, and counted days until it's due, so I know my minimum daily word count.
Since I'm going to the Ninc Conference this year (you might remember last year I was all set to go and my Mom got diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and had to get rushed in for emergency surgery when the doctor accidently perforated her intestine). Mom is still doing chemo and as of today the cancer hasn't spread, so I'm optimistic I'll actually make the conference. Best of all, my friend Stephanie Doyle is going to room with me! I haven't seen her since 2009 at the RWA National Conference in D.C., so I'm looking forward to that greatly.
I'm trying to have a calm and restful sort of day before I dive back into the writing grind. I figure since I worked most of the three day weekend, I deserve it.
I'll probably do some pre-work, like sketching out scenes etc.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Labor Day Labor
Well, the panic has finally subsided. I worked all day Saturday and rewrote the missing stuff - or as much of it as I could remember. I came 585 words short, I think. A couple pages. I've now decided I will continue to write in my MS Word and then save to a memory stick AND to Dropbox. I still don't trust Dropbox, but I really like the concept of stuff being there if the computer gets fried.
Yesterday (Sunday) I worked a bit more, but had weird panic attacks everytime I saved the mss. I finally gave up and did laundry and went and got groceries, then swam, ate salmon cooked on the grill, and watched a movie.
Today Monday, I slept a little late, but the rest of the day I'm treating like a regular work day rather than a holiday. I'm rereading the book from beginning to end and fixing, tweaking, adding, etc. I plan to do this most of the day and then tomorrow as well, which is when (at the end of the day, thus not being late), I will email it to my editor.
Wish me luck. Because I sure want this book to be the best it can be, despite it's really rocky start and extremely crazy end where it almost vanished.
Yesterday (Sunday) I worked a bit more, but had weird panic attacks everytime I saved the mss. I finally gave up and did laundry and went and got groceries, then swam, ate salmon cooked on the grill, and watched a movie.
Today Monday, I slept a little late, but the rest of the day I'm treating like a regular work day rather than a holiday. I'm rereading the book from beginning to end and fixing, tweaking, adding, etc. I plan to do this most of the day and then tomorrow as well, which is when (at the end of the day, thus not being late), I will email it to my editor.
Wish me luck. Because I sure want this book to be the best it can be, despite it's really rocky start and extremely crazy end where it almost vanished.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
At Least I Know
Now at least I know what I did. It doesn't make it any easier, and the file is not recoverable, but at least I know. Note to self - NEVER try new software when finishing up a book.
So... I've learned that in order for Dropbox to save a file, you have to be working out of the Dropbox folder on your desktop. Not out of the Word folder, but the Dropbox one. I wasn't. That's why, when I emailed the file to myself, thinking I was sending the most recent file, I emailed from Dropbox and of course it sent the one I worked on there last, which was 8-29.
When I finished my book, jubilant - I shouted to my husband I was done. 72,211 words, 345 pages. I saved it, promptly emailed it to myself (not noticing I sent an old version), and emailed by BFF Anna to tell her I had finished. I then thought of something, went into Dropbox, opened the (wrong) file, and then hit save. To be fair, the warning did come up. But I, still thinking I was in the most recent version, hit save anyway.
And thus overrode (and destroyed) the old file. It's gone. Not recoverable. I have tried everything, including calling a computer repair shop.
My beautiful ending - disappeared. I have to try to recreate that, plus all the explanations and stuff that I wove back through the story. I am now at 321 pages, no last chapter yet. Very sad. Still sick. But a little bit wiser.
Oh, I wish I had waited to try Dropbox until after I'd finished the book. You lose the first chapter of a new book, no big deal. But the ending? The tying up all the threads - the suspense, the romance, the secondary character's romance. Aiiiiiyyyyyyy.
So now you know. A word to the wise. And that's how I'm spending my holiday weekend. Rewriting and praying I can remember what I did and didn't do.
So... I've learned that in order for Dropbox to save a file, you have to be working out of the Dropbox folder on your desktop. Not out of the Word folder, but the Dropbox one. I wasn't. That's why, when I emailed the file to myself, thinking I was sending the most recent file, I emailed from Dropbox and of course it sent the one I worked on there last, which was 8-29.
When I finished my book, jubilant - I shouted to my husband I was done. 72,211 words, 345 pages. I saved it, promptly emailed it to myself (not noticing I sent an old version), and emailed by BFF Anna to tell her I had finished. I then thought of something, went into Dropbox, opened the (wrong) file, and then hit save. To be fair, the warning did come up. But I, still thinking I was in the most recent version, hit save anyway.
And thus overrode (and destroyed) the old file. It's gone. Not recoverable. I have tried everything, including calling a computer repair shop.
My beautiful ending - disappeared. I have to try to recreate that, plus all the explanations and stuff that I wove back through the story. I am now at 321 pages, no last chapter yet. Very sad. Still sick. But a little bit wiser.
Oh, I wish I had waited to try Dropbox until after I'd finished the book. You lose the first chapter of a new book, no big deal. But the ending? The tying up all the threads - the suspense, the romance, the secondary character's romance. Aiiiiiyyyyyyy.
So now you know. A word to the wise. And that's how I'm spending my holiday weekend. Rewriting and praying I can remember what I did and didn't do.
Friday, August 31, 2012
A Lament and a Prayer
Today, I finished my book. Wrote over 3000 words. Yesterday over 2000. That's 30 pages or so.
I busted my ass. Played romantic, sappy music for the wedding scene. Sighed, got a tear in my eye, and was thrilled with the way it turned out.
I yelled downstairs to my husband that I. Had. Finished. And to break out the celebratory beer, because I would be right down to have a toast.
Then I clicked the wrong button and deleted everything I'd done in the last two days.
Yes.
I wept, I screamed, I knashed my teeth. I cursed, I drank, I locked myself in my office and pounded my head against my desk.
I searched the internet, emailed friends, called PCWebdoc.com (awesome service). To no avail. The file was GONE.
Gone. As if it never existed. As if I hadn't opened my veins on paper.
I prayed. Made promises to God. And emailed the people at Dropbox, the online backup service I used that was supposed to have saved all files, but didn't appear to have anything since Wednesday.
I am praying, hoping, oh my GOD, praying they have my file and it's somehow not showing.
Because otherwise, I have to start all over. All the emotions, the words, the lovely beautiful wedding scene, I will have to rewrite. And hope can find the magic.
I promise you this. If Dropbox lets me down, I will tweet and FB and blog to everyone - never use that service. Because I foolishly put my trust in it.
I should have simply inserted a memory stick into my computer and backed up that way. Then I'd be able to enjoy this three day weekend. I'd be DONE.
Pray for me. Please.
I busted my ass. Played romantic, sappy music for the wedding scene. Sighed, got a tear in my eye, and was thrilled with the way it turned out.
I yelled downstairs to my husband that I. Had. Finished. And to break out the celebratory beer, because I would be right down to have a toast.
Then I clicked the wrong button and deleted everything I'd done in the last two days.
Yes.
I wept, I screamed, I knashed my teeth. I cursed, I drank, I locked myself in my office and pounded my head against my desk.
I searched the internet, emailed friends, called PCWebdoc.com (awesome service). To no avail. The file was GONE.
Gone. As if it never existed. As if I hadn't opened my veins on paper.
I prayed. Made promises to God. And emailed the people at Dropbox, the online backup service I used that was supposed to have saved all files, but didn't appear to have anything since Wednesday.
I am praying, hoping, oh my GOD, praying they have my file and it's somehow not showing.
Because otherwise, I have to start all over. All the emotions, the words, the lovely beautiful wedding scene, I will have to rewrite. And hope can find the magic.
I promise you this. If Dropbox lets me down, I will tweet and FB and blog to everyone - never use that service. Because I foolishly put my trust in it.
I should have simply inserted a memory stick into my computer and backed up that way. Then I'd be able to enjoy this three day weekend. I'd be DONE.
Pray for me. Please.
Friday and - hopefully - THE END!!!
Today is THE day that I will finish writing The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Yay - Happy dancing here! I'll use the three day weekend to re-read it, fix any problems (hopefully) and then on Tuesday, I'll email it off to my editor.
I'm having problems all of a sudden with Blogger and it won't let me put up any pictures. I had taken some photos of the Crepe Myrtles blooming in my backyard, and the Texas Sage in all its purple flowered glory, but Blogger won't accept any photos. Not sure why and I don't have time to deal with it.
My editor just let me know she approved my next Pack book for Harlequin Nocturne. It's called The Broken Wolf (they always let me keep my titles ). I've got to start that right away because it's due 12-1 and there will probably be revisions on The Millionaire Cowboy. I also have two more Precious Gem backlist books I need to put up as ebooks - this month alone Want You Back and Desert Fire have each sold over 600 copies! Each! So I'm losing significant income by not putting the other two up.
I also need to put the Magic backlist books up on Kobo. Another time consuming thing that I don't have time for because of deadlines.
And of course there is the YA. This time I won't let that one slide, I promise myself.
I have also been reading when I can. I just finished an interesting YA called The Raft by S.A. Bodeen. Before that, I finished Pukka, The Pup after Merle by Ted Kerasote, and one of Kristin Higgans backlist books that I'd somehow missed. I'm now reading Shadown Lake by Lisa Kleypas and have that NYT Bestseller Gone Girl next up on the TBR list, along with a YA called Easy (a self published book that hit the NYT and I want to read it to see why ).
Anyway, I've procrastinated long enouogh. Got to get to work so I can finally put my two star-crossed lovers together.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Inspiration
It's midweek and yesterday when I was taking a break from the grueling rush to finish my next Harlequin Romantic Suspense book, I read my "Work Out Horoscope" It made me laugh because it was so startlingly accurate. To paraphrase " Taurus, you're not a big fan of movement - any movement. To you, the best exercise is reclining on a chaise lounge chair on the beach with an umbrella drink." Yep. That's me. It went on to say "Hire a personal trainer. That's the only way you'll ever get motivated."
So true. In part. Because I DID hire a personal trainer - several of them, in fact. I worked out with one off and on for almost three years. Now I know what I have to do and can no longer afford to shell out that kind of money (No more day job), and yep - I'm not nearly as faithful to my workouts.
But I did find another source of motivation. My pedometer. $22 at Amazon. Made my Omron. Love that thing. Love it, love it, love it.
My goal is 10,000 steps a day. I really have to push myself to make it. I walk 1,000 steps right after breakfast (circling the pool), 1,000 at lunch, and 1,000 after dinner. Sometimes I bump it up to 1500. Adventurous, that's me. When I do make 10,000, I'm SO happy. Ridiculously happy.
Oh, and I'm almost done the book. I'm hoping to finish by Friday so I can read it over the weekend and tweak it. My lovely editor just let me know that my proposal for the next Pack Harlequin Nocturne looks like a go, so I'll have to slide right into that.
But... but... I have another book I want to write. A YA (Young Adult). I have the concept and all. Finally. So I'm going to try and Fast Draft the Nocturne AND the YA. We'll see. I've been promising my agent for YEARS now that I would send her something else to sell beside my catergory novels. She started out representing me on Single Titles, and she's really good. So I hope to get this YA book secretly written by the end of the year.
Oh M Gee! I said it out loud. There. A new goal.
Better get back to it.
So true. In part. Because I DID hire a personal trainer - several of them, in fact. I worked out with one off and on for almost three years. Now I know what I have to do and can no longer afford to shell out that kind of money (No more day job), and yep - I'm not nearly as faithful to my workouts.
But I did find another source of motivation. My pedometer. $22 at Amazon. Made my Omron. Love that thing. Love it, love it, love it.
My goal is 10,000 steps a day. I really have to push myself to make it. I walk 1,000 steps right after breakfast (circling the pool), 1,000 at lunch, and 1,000 after dinner. Sometimes I bump it up to 1500. Adventurous, that's me. When I do make 10,000, I'm SO happy. Ridiculously happy.
Oh, and I'm almost done the book. I'm hoping to finish by Friday so I can read it over the weekend and tweak it. My lovely editor just let me know that my proposal for the next Pack Harlequin Nocturne looks like a go, so I'll have to slide right into that.
But... but... I have another book I want to write. A YA (Young Adult). I have the concept and all. Finally. So I'm going to try and Fast Draft the Nocturne AND the YA. We'll see. I've been promising my agent for YEARS now that I would send her something else to sell beside my catergory novels. She started out representing me on Single Titles, and she's really good. So I hope to get this YA book secretly written by the end of the year.
Oh M Gee! I said it out loud. There. A new goal.
Better get back to it.
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