We Have a Bear

I’m not sure what it is about our little farm that drives us to add another animal to the menagerie, but we keep succumbing to the magic. We discussed getting another canine companion for our farm dog. The incessant feline intrusion to his feeding bowl leaves the poor guy all frustrated and living in a large run all by himself gives us guilt pangs. He is such a great part of our family we want him to have a friend of his own.

Sooooo….. We found Bear.

He is about eight weeks old and is a Labrador Retriever mix. Judging from his bulk the mix is pretty hefty. The little guy is the same size as our Shitzu, but he has about 5 more pounds on him. I rate his weight at about twenty pounds easily. You almost can’t lift him. He’s a big sack of potatoes.

Just look at those shoulders and take a close gander at those paws! This little guy is going to be a bear. No doubt in my mind.

I just want to know what possessed us to do this again? A puppy? Really? He barks half the night, he is another mouth to feed, and this fellow chows it down, mind you. And he’s one more thing for me to worry about when I’m at home. I have little enough time to write as it is without interrupting those precious, cherished moments with checks on ole Bear.

He is too cute. The natural loyalty he displays is endearing. My kids love the way he keeps at their heels, following them all over the farm. One trek out to the horses is enough to do him in, though. His little legs will only move so fast and being a baby he tires out fairly fast. The cats haven’t taken to him very well. They don’t enjoy one of those over sized paws swatting them. They have figured out he gets fed frequently and, of course, they swarm his bowl. A fast learner, Bear effectively keeps the cats at bay while he inhales his food.

I know we all have cats and dogs as writers that fuel our finicky muse. Some of you may not find feline or canine especially inspiring. I’d love to hear about your favorite pet. Just leave a quick comment to fill us in.

And happy writing.

Nena

E-Reader Dilemma

For the past five years, I’ve been reading digital books on my computer. Not perfect but I made it work for me. In 2009 I got a netbook. Nice for travel and pretty good for reading, so I got into digital books in a big way. Then two years ago, I got a Motorola Droid phone. Loved it. I could read books on it using the various apps (Kindle, Nook, Adobe, etc.) So for two years, I’ve been reading on either a computer screen or my phone but I wanted something different…something more.

This week I bought the Kindle Touch. I gave away my netbook, so using it for reading was done. My computer is great but with it’s 17″ screen, it’s a tad heavy in the bed. I wanted a “real” e-reader, so I marched over to Walmart and bought the Kindle Touch.

But, I have to be honest…I didn’t love my new Kindle. Why? Because I’ve been reading on back-lit screens my entire digital reading life. I didn’t like having to position a light to read my Kindle. Yes, I realize I could have bought a Kindle cover with a built-in light but I’d just spent $149 for the Kindle Touch with 3-G & wi-fi. The thought that I should have to spend another $50+ to make it “work” for me just didn’t set well. And I could have bought a Kindle Fire, but I have an ASUS Transformer Prime Table on order, so the Fire seemed to much like duplication.

Bottom line…I want my back-lit reader. So yesterday it was back to Walmart for the return. No problems returning it (one of the main reasons I love Walmart and will continue to shop there.) I didn’t bother looking at the Kindle Fire while I was there (see ASUS explanation above) but I confess…I am still considering it, duplication of programs or not. The Fire is smaller than the tablet I have ordered, so maybe. I don’t know.

As we sit here in 2012, I STILL do not own an e-reader.  So do I re-consider my decision to by-pass the Kindle Fire and just use the Kindle and Nook apps on my tablet when it arrives or should I just go ahead and buy a Fire?

Need some advice here, gang!

AND since you were so kind to read this far today, I’ll let you in on something else…I have FINALLY posted all the prizes for my Texas Two Step Blog Tour. Click HERE for a listing of stop on the tour. Click HERE to see all the awesome prizes.

Thanks for coming by. Looking for e-reader advice!

The Learning Curve

This is the time of year when I like to stop and tale a look back at my writing journey. I’ve had a lot of fits and starts along the way. I was always a good writer, but I’ve learned there is a lot more that goes into writing than the words I put on the page.  There has been an evolution in how I get those words there.

When I started, I had a bazillion ideas. My head was jumbled with scenes, images, general concepts, and I had no idea what to do with them. I had two or three or ten stories going at a time and when something struck me, I went with it. There was no planning, I just wrote.

It was a glorious mess.

Through this process, I was able to start eliminating things that didn’t work for me. Outlines, character sheets, plotting charts…all of them were out the window. I found out I do better when I focus on the story and get the whole thing in my head, then write.

A funny thing happened on the next book. I sat down and wrote it straight through, beginning to end, with no scene hopping. Once I knew exactly how it would all happen, I was able to sit down and get out just one story in just a few weeks.

Then I hit editing, and I discovered that whole “turn your internal editor off and just write” thing wasn’t for me. I went back to editing as I wrote. While my next project took longer, the editing was done in a fraction of the time.

For close to two years, this is how I’ve worked. I have a single project at a time, I have the story planned and I edit as I go.

But now it’s time to learn another new skill. I have to once again learn to juggle multiple projects and write out of order. It seemed like a step backward at first. Wasn’t this where I started, writing any old thing that popped into my mind?

But in the past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize it’s not moving back at all. Learning to focus on one book was more of a back-to-basics for me. I had to cut the clutter and focus on the process, and now that I have, I can start layering in more stories.

So, this year is all about organizing multiple projects and learning to be more productive overall.

It’s been an interesting journey. I cant’ wait to see where the rest of it takes me.

Photo 123rf.com

The Future is Bright (for the Resilient Author)

By Elle James

Now more than ever authors are being faced by a multitude of challenges and opportunities. The book market has contracted in some areas and expanded in others. With the upset in the economy NY publishing houses are trimming staff, closing lines, reorganizing and some are facing potential bankruptcy. All that gloom and doom in the traditional markets is contrasted sharply by the hope and opportunity in the e-publishing and self-publishing markets exploding with the introduction of the Kindle, Nook and IPad to name a few of the e-reader platforms available.

Couple the publishing market changes with the economic downturn and the fact that consumers are spending less on big-ticket items and looking for ways to cut down, books are a generally a good entertainment investment. Cheaper than a trip to Disney, that’s for sure.

Given the volatile market, authors have to be resilient, flexible and innovative. How can you as an author be resilient?

1. Reinvent yourself – known for romantic comedy and romantic comedy is no longer the “in thing”? Publishing houses aren’t buying your historicals anymore, preferring to concentrate on the NYT best selling authors? Now’s the time to look at other genres. Give them a try and see how you like writing them. Not only does it give you another avenue for sales, it will give you a fresh outlet for your creative juices.

2. Diversify – If you’ve had your eggs all in one basket and you’re afraid that basket is going to overturn and break all your eggs, go out and find different baskets to put some of your eggs in. If you keep your same writing name, it will help to cross-sell and might increase your sales at your original publishing house. The more the consumer sees your name, the more likely they will be to pick up your book based on name recognition.

3. Explore new platforms – Don’t be afraid or too judgmental about different platforms for book sales. In the past, e-publishers were the taboo of the print published authors. Now the NY print publishers are scrambling to unlock the key to the e-pub market and tap into the millions of dollars of sales that can be generated. With e-readers becoming easier to attain and more multi-purpose, many consumers are finally making the switch to e-readers abandoning the print books for the convenience of one reader with multiple-book storage. Again, e-publishers give you the opportunity to cross-sell between platforms. The e-reading consumer may look for your print books and vice versa. You’re building your name and your reputation across multiple platforms, appealing to different reading populations, it can only help your sales on both platforms.

4. Be prolific – not everyone is going hit the NYT Best Selling list at the beginning of their career. Some authors build to that point, but it’s really hard to build a name for yourself unless you can get your name out there often enough to become recognizable. In order to do that, you have to be prolific. Write. Write. Write. The more books, the more series, the more, more, more you write, the more your name will be on the shelves, online and in front of the purchasing reader. You also have to promote your work, build a blog/facebook/twitter following, build an appealing website, sponsor contests, tweet…Do whatever it takes to keep your name fresh in the consumer’s mind.
Many authors are preaching gloom and doom about the market, but the reality is that the market is exploding in new directions, giving authors opportunities that can launch their careers. Being flexible, being willing to try something new and diversifying will make you a resilient author, one who will continue to sell the books you love to write.

Evernote is My New Best Friend

I can always count on my fellow authors to point me in the right direction when I have a problem. During our recent Christmas party, several authors let me in on a valuable secret. Okay…it’s not really a secret. It was only a secret because I didn’t know about it. I thought I knew about all the best software tools for writing. I didn’t know about Evernote and now I’ve found a new best friend.

Evernote is an organizational tool that allows you to create notebooks and store your typed notes, photos, voice memos, and web clippings. Not only is it available in a web version, I’m able to use it in a desktop version, an iPad app, and an iPhone app.  Then all these notes are synced and I have the same notes everywhere.

I do lots of online research while writing. In the past, I would have spiral notebooks,  Word files, index cards, and tiny slips of paper in various places with my notes.  Now, I have a notebook set up for my current manuscript with all the organized notes (mine and well as webpages I  ”clipped”) together.  Did you hear me sigh in relief from way over there? I thought so.

I even got a little sidetracked one day and looked for a holiday recipe online. When I found it, I clipped it and started a new notebook in Evernote called recipes.  I started taking a writing class this week and created a new notebook just for that.

This software is very user friendly, free, and highly recommended. If you’ve been looking for a way in 2012  to become organized, here’s a great solution.  There’s even a section called Evernote Trunk where you can add on more apps/software that will work with Evernote.  Ah, Evernote, I love you.

Bunnies!

As many of you know, I am a fan of bunnies. I have a house rabbit—a spoiled rotten lop named Tim who is the love of my life. I also have a head full of plot bunnies. And while bunnies, real or imaginary, can be terribly cute, they can also be…terrors.

So many stories, so little time. What a problem for a writer to have. But it can be a problem when Peter Plot Bunny wants to horn in on the time you’re spending with Petunia Plot Bunny. And what about Penelope, Paul, and Paco? They all want attention too. When Tim Bunny has needs, he bumps our ankles and does little bunny herkies. So cute. When the plot bunnies want a little lovin’ they run rampant in my head, hopping from one story to another with complete disregard for the document open on my desktop. Not so cute.

The moment I finished the first draft of my June release, I was besieged by plot bunnies. I may have gone a little wild. I’m talking Jenny Craig survivor at the Old Country Buffet—nothing is safe. My files are littered with plot outlines, snippets of random dialogue, and pictures of things that are supposed to remind me of things I’m supposed to use in a story. I probably should have noted the train of thought on some of those…

Talk about an embarrassment of riches. I’m almost to the point where these bunnies are becoming a nuisance.

Almost, but not quite.

Call me greedy, but I’d rather have too many ideas than not enough. I figure if the story is one that needs to be told, it’ll hang on until I get around to it. After all, if Patty Plot Bunny doesn’t have the legs to hang on for just a few more months, she probably wouldn’t have a very good shelf life, either. So I let them run and hop and do the things that bunnies do (wink-wink). The more the merrier, right?

What do you do when the plot bunnies attack?

ETA: I forgot to upload a picture of Tim! Here he is, the love of my life:

DSRA Releases

Look for these new books by DSRA members in December and January.

Mr. Fix-It by Debbie Vaughan
From Siren Bookstrand
Paperback release, December, 2011

Tropical nights, salsa rhythms, and Latin hunks fill Beverly Miller’s fitful dreams. Mounting bills, hungry four-legged friends, and a farm in desperate need of repair are her reality. Her worthless ex-husband made sure she’d have plenty to keep her busy, off the market, and regretting every moment spent with him.

Handyman Chad Brewster’s life was shattered with his wife’s tragic death five years ago. As he replaces Bev’s heat pump and mends fences, both literally and figuratively, he can’t deny the feisty and beautiful Beverly awakens desires and emotions he never expected to feel again.

Chad’s charms don’t go unnoticed by Beverly. When they succumb, their passions burn away any doubt, past pain, or failure, if only for the moment.

Beverly’s loathsome ex and his sadistic partner each have their own agenda for her, which doesn’t include her muscled boyfriend. Jealousy and revenge battle love and compassion. Winner takes all.

A Siren Erotic Romance

 

Commitment by Margaret Ethridge

From Turquoise Morning Press

Available in trade paperback and all digital formats January 23, 2012

Tom Sullivan wants a woman who is willing to accept him as he is. The successful divorce attorney has seen enough of the flip-side of love to know better than to promise forever. Women have tried to pin him down, but none have managed to make it stick.

Until Maggie McCann.

Maggie is only interested in one thing. Her fortieth birthday is looming and the tick-tock-tick-tock in her head means her biological clock is about to strike midnight on her dreams of finding Prince Charming. Armed with a new plan for her happily ever, she foregoes the Fairy Godmother routine and makes an appointment with a fertility clinic for a rendezvous with a sperm donor.

The last thing Maggie needs is to get mixed up with a player like Tom Sullivan.

A chance encounter and the opportunity to scratch a decade-long itch prove irresistible, and what starts as a one night stand turns into a game of cat and mouse when Tom learns of Maggie’s plan to start a family on her own.

To Maggie, messing with a player like Tom Sullivan is the single-girl equivalent of playing with fire, but she convinces herself to take what she can get for as long as she can and expect nothing more. But Tom falls hard and fast for Maggie, and now that they’re planning to have a baby together he starts banking on his own happily ever after.

If only he can get her to commit…