The dust has settled ...

... and I am back. Not back to 'normal', of course -- we're in a new house, a new town and I have new routines that haven't been developed yet. But I am back to having regular Internet access and I'm slowly getting into a schedule.

I work at home now (telecommute to my job back in Minnesota and California), so that's been an adjustment. I truly love working out of a home office. Of course, I enjoy my job, so that helps a lot, too.

My other life as a fiction writer has been slowing down. I used to try to write at least an hour or two a day, but now I'm happy if I get an hour a day of writing-related activity, whether it be writing or promo or whatever. It seems like there is always something else that requires my attention -- new house stuff, or new town stuff, or new friend stuff.

I think in the winter I'll get more of a writing routine again. That's when I get all my best writing done anyway, so I'm starting to look forward to it. Let's face it, I had 8 books release this year: 4 new books and 4 re-releases. All before June. So I'm fatigued, I guess. I'm going to spread out my releases next year. One in January, one in May, one in October.

I think that'll keep me busy enough!

Checking in!

I've had a busy spring and thus I have been absent. What's been going on?

1. We're moving. We bought a new house 250 miles away. I'm able to telecommute with my current job (which I love), so we decided to move (long story best told over a drink in a bar).
2. We sold our current house. Didn't have to put it on the market. Long story best told over ... you get the idea.
3. I self-published 3 books from my backlist, that were returned to me. Check out my progress here. I also have books on Smashwords and one in print. That has kept me busy.
4. I had 3 books release in the last 4 months. Check the Deadly Landscape Romances here.
5. An older book finally came out in print. Woo!
6. I work full-time and have had major deadlines in the Day Job.
7. My health has been shaky for the last year or so. It got very shaky this year. I'm stable now but it's been an interesting trip through Medical Land.

And, of course, I'm still writing -- I have 2 books ready to self-publish, I have one in progress, I have one to edit and get ready.

So I'm sorry I haven't been here as often as I would like, but hey -- I've got an excuse! And I apologize in advance if you comment and I don't reply. I have no idea when my Internet service will be viable again.

I hope to get back to regular postings once the dust settles in the new house. Until then -- have a happy summer and keep on reading (and writing!)

A question of balance

Like so many authors, I'm making a foray into self-publishing by uploading some old titles of mine. One book is out there -- it was called "Forgiveness" but I changed the title to "Penance" (my first choice for the book but I was overruled). I uploaded it last week. I hope to have the second book in the series uploaded soon and the third book in another month or so.

I figure this is a win-win for me. The rights were returned to me on these books, and I'm not out-of-pocket much (just the cost of cover art and formatting). I haven't done much promotion yet for the book(s). I hope to get to that once the Great House Hunt settles down.

Yes, we're hunting and we thought we had the perfect house. Sweet little layout, nice property, yada yada yada ... then we met with the owner and he gestured grandly toward the pasture in the distance. "That's where they say they might build the highway, but they've been talking about that for 30 years so ..."

SCREECH. Yep, we ground to a halt. My husband (bless him) immediately started calling the DOT, the mayor, the Planning Commission -- so small feat since we live in Minnesota and the house is in Iowa. The bottom line? The road will be built. Maybe 5 years, maybe 10. Maybe sooner. No one is sure.

So it's back to house hunting, which is a nice diversion from promotion, which is a nice diversion from house hunting. Maybe I'm finally getting this whole 'balance' thing figured out. It's just a matter of juggling the right kind of balls at the same time ....

How nice to be back

I took a month off (in a way) and just spent the time writing and doing a little bit of promo for my book(s) that released.

I also redesigned my web site, making it a web slog--web site blog combination (see it here). I hadn't planned on redesigning my web site, but hosting issue meant I lost my old site, so I had to do something, and that seemed like a good idea.

I also started a regular gig blogging at two or three different sites. I blog at Savvy Authors and at the How To Write Shop as well as From the Heart Romance Writers. Each of them, once a month. That's always fun.


And, of course, there are the books to talk about. It seems like there are always books to talk about. Leap of Faith is the 3rd book in my New Human series (and it got a 4-star RT review, which thrilled me)!

Lie to Me is the 4th book in my RS series that started with Brilliant Disguise, a few years back.

And I have 3 more books (at least 3) releasing this year: they start in April then there's one in May, and one in June. Plus, if I get organized, I'll have 3 more old books (whose rights reverted to me) releasing in digital and print on Kindle, etc.

So much for time off!

Getting back to normal (what is normal?)

I was scheduled to blog last month but I just couldn't -- a first for me. I normally can blog at the drop of a hat. But my blog days came on the heels of my mother's death, and I didn't have the energy to come up with a topic while my mind was wrapped around her passing.

She had been ill for several months, but she wasn't in pain, so at least we didn't have to help her through that. And I was with her when she died, something I wanted to do for her at the end. I was able to hold her as she died and be with her at the end. So all in all: it worked out okay.

The death of a parent (or anyone close to you) really inspires reflection, I think. Two days before Mom died, I had a book release. I was scheduled to blog and chat about the book and I just canceled it all. Now here I am, a month later, and I'm ready to consider that kind of activity again. And you know what? That book is still waiting for me to promote it. I am SO glad I'm with a small publisher. That book will be out there, waiting for purchase, waiting for download, for MONTHS to come. There is no rush for me to promote it or push it or worry about it leaving the shelves. It's there and will be there for a long time to come, giving me the time to deal with it.

November was the month of Marge Wilson. Now it's December and I'll start to focus on the future. And it's so nice knowing that I don't have to rush, or worry about any deadlines or disappearing books. My Mom is still there for me, in my memory, and my book is still there, waiting for me to promote it. That sound you hear? It's me, sighing and relaxing after a stressful end of the year...

Here's the book, by the way. Just a random promo op:

Please allow me to rant

My aunt lives in Iowa, near my mother, so I see both of them regularly. One cousin lives near me in Minnesota, another in town near my aunt. My cousins talked my aunt into getting a cat two years ago, and she (my aunt) is just not happy with him (Sam, the kitty).

Let me hasten to say that Sam is just being a cat. Sometimes nosy, sometimes demanding, sometimes stand-offish. I have 4 cats of my own and have owned a LOT of cats in my day. Sam is just a cat.

Now my aunt is moving into assisted living and while she can have a pet (the AL folks are pretty hip that way), she doesn't want to move Sam. So she's asked me to help find him a home.

Why me? you ask. Why not her own kids?

Here's why: because I care. Because I will make the phone calls, post the pictures, shake the trees to find this sweet cat a home. The shelters here are overcrowded because of floods that displaced a lot of people, so there's just no place for him. To be honest, I don't know what his fate will be. My cousins may press her to have him put down.

A lovable, neutered, ready-to-play cat.

I've had to endure the euthanasia of a pet because of old age or illness. I can't fathom doing that because an animal is inconvenient.

So I'll keep making phone calls and post pictures and hope for the best. It's really all I can do because those who can -- do. Those who can and don't -- are assholes.

End rant. Thank you for letting me vent.

Blogs, time management, and life

For some reason, the way it worked out, I blogged three times last week and a couple of times this week, at various spots. I either set up blogs somewhere to be released, I blogged that day, or I had a scheduled blog release.

I was at a writer's meeting and we were talking about social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and I mentioned scheduling blogs and tweets. Most folks hadn't heard about that, so I told them how it works and many folks had a "wow" moment -- you can blog when YOU feel like it about something that you're curious about, schedule it, and let it go when you need a blog. What a great convenience!

I think people often feel tied to their computers because they "should" do something at a certain time, but scheduling makes life so much easier. In fact, I'm off to schedule some blogs right now!

In case you're curious, here's where I blogged last week:

http://tinyurl.com/2bxowh4: I had a Tarot card reading for one of my characters. This is SO cool.

http://tinyurl.com/3xe7de7: I blogged at Savvy Authors about the changes in publishing, at Dorchester, etc., and what I thought it meant to readers (probably nothing).

http://tinyurl.com/296uphyI blogged at Star-Crossed Romance about why I write paranormal fiction (because I'm sick of politics).

I scheduled all of those ahead of time, in some cases weeks in advance. I take advantage of any time saver I can. There's a lot of them out there -- find them an use it to help you manage your precious free time!

It's just one of those days...

I have been struggling with my current WIP for a month. I know -- doesn't sound like too long, does it? Keep in mind I normally write a book in 8 weeks so a month -- wasted -- is a lot of time for me.

But has it been wasted? I'm one of those writers who can't proceed on a book unless the first 3 chapters are right. I've written chapter 2 and 3 several times, and I think I've finally gotten the characters figured out. I think I have a good idea of what will be happening (but I'm vague on some of it. That's okay, though. It's how I work).

Yet, for some reason, I just can't get my HEAD into this story. Whenever I write I have to willingly enter the world and allow it to share space with my "real world." And I just haven't been able to do that lately. Not sure why. It's a story that intrigues me, but...

Perhaps it's part of my general malaise about publishing, etc. (the old "Why do I bother doing this?" blues). Maybe I'm asking too much of myself. I've had 3 books release already this year, 2 more to go, and that means promo, etc.. I've been to conferences, I've had big deadlines at my Paycheck Job...

I'm going to give it another week to really get my head THERE and if it doesn't work, I'll put it aside. I hate to do it. I always try to finish what I start, as soon as I can. But if the story isn't there, it just isn't.

Sigh. Sometimes it's just one of those...months.

Free time, hmm. What is it good for?

I had some free time today.

This is very unusual for me. I work full-time outside the home. I write (I've got 6 books out this year). I'm working on edits for 3 books for next year, my WIP is a 6-book series, and I've got 2 other books waiting for me to write them.

Through an odd quirk of fate, I had a few hours of free time. I thought about how to spend it -- do some gardening? Nope, still too soggy from a week of rain. Pack for my trip tomorrow? Mostly done. Just a few last things to do. Read a book?

That stopped me in my tracks. I don't read any more. Since I started publishing, I very, very seldom read a fiction book. I do read non-fiction now and again, and I read the occasional book from friends who are publishing and I read (now and again) someone that I'm curious about, but I seldom read start-to-finish, "I want to read this" any more.

I've lost the reading bug.

Let me hasten to say I don't miss it -- reading (like needlework and gardening and wycinanki) are activities I do to relax me and have fun at the same time. I never classed reading as 'entertainment' (like I would a movie). It was a hobby, a "thing" I did. Now I don't do it any more, just like I don't do much needlework or wycinanki (aging eyes make those hobbies a chore now, not fun). And I have to admit, I don't miss reading fiction. I was skimming most of the books I read anyway except for a few from authors I really cherished (and they are few, believe me).

Nope, I'm going to have to find something else to fill those rare few hours of 'free' time. I could do the obligatory piece of promo: NEW BOOK OUT. FUN READ. FUNNY HEROINE. CLASSY HERO. All about a college professor who writes erotic romances and gets outed just when she's up for a promotion. There's a murder (at the State Fair, no less), a stalker, a boorish fellow professor, and a fan who is in love with the heroine's erotic alter ego...

Or I can take a nap, or lay on the couch and watch a bit of TV, or ...

Get caught up on my blog reading!

I didn't know I knew that ....

I'm co-teaching a Community Education class on writing for publication, and our final session is this coming Tuesday.

It's been a very good experience for me. I had to prepare a lot of notes for the class, come up with an outline and syllabus, gather research material, review materials ... in short, it was a chance for me to revisit my whole publishing journey and see what worked and what didn't, what continues to work, etc.

It's helped me put my entire writing career in perspective & see my accomplishments & those spots where I could probably put forth a bit more effort.

We're offering the class 3 times a year, so I expect this kind of introspection will continue -- at least I hope it does! I'm finding it very energizing for my writing and for my career planning.

New year, new book

Yep, I like to kick the New Year off right. My 14th (yes, you read that right, "14") book is out.

"Hot Rods" is the story of what happens when you take a chance. The heroine, Threemie (so nicknamed because her name is Mary Margaret Madison, a.k.a. "3M"), met a guy one night outside a bar and she took a chance on him. She gave him her email address & he got in touch with her.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

I wrote this book when I was unemployed. I had been laid off from my job and I decided to use the time to get some writing done. I wrote five books in the six months I was laid off and I've had three of them published (Forgiveness and Brilliant Disguise and If Not For You) and I took the characters from one of the other ones and used them in another story. The fifth book is waiting to be submitted.

Not a bad way to spend my 'down time', hmm?

In a way, Hot Rods mirrors what I've done with my writing career. I took a chance on publishing with small presses & it's paid off for me. I've had some bumps and bruises along the way, just like Threemie has in Hot Rod, but overall it has turned out well. Hey, maybe life does imitate art after all?

Kittens and plotting

All things are possible toys to a kitten. The crinkly paper flowers come wrapped in. The flowers. The leaves. The vase.

Yes, we've had a couple of accidents already this morning. I'm going to lunch with friends, so bought a hostess gift (flowers) along with my potluck offering (fruit). Within 10 minutes of turning my back, the grapes had become soccer balls and the flowers were spilled on the floor. No vase breakage, thank goodness. The Paw of Destruction (a.k.a. Pandora the kitten) just looked at me like I was insane to yell at her. "Toys! Shiny, noisy toys! And small round objects just MADE for play!"

I believe that animals do know right from wrong in the sense that they know what displeases us humans. But kittens don't care yet what pleases or displeases us. Unlike puppies, who are social, kittens really don't care what their humans think. The only time it matters is when what the humans wants coincide with what the kitten wants. Then it's important.

I'm reminded of this while I write, too (yes, you knew this would come around to writing, didn't you?) I've been making good progress on my current W.I.P. but lately I got a bit bogged down (my current W.I.P is the prequel to the book shown here). I was trying to move the characters around on the stage, making sure they got to Point A by a certain time in the plot. It just didn't feel right. They felt wooden, recalcitrant, like they were resisting. Sort of like a kitten when ...

Yep. I was trying to impose my idea of what was correct behavior on the characters I created. And what I thought was right (for the plot) was totally out of character for the character.

Scrap that chapter (oh, I'll save it for later cannibalism) and back to the drawing board. Like kittens, I have to let my characters grow and develop. Maybe at some point our ideas will intersect.

Until then...oops. I hear a noise. I think I may need to clean up some more flower spillage.

Ah, the drama, the excitement, the kerfluffle!

Kerfuffle has become one of my favorite words lately because it just sums up the nonsense swirling around RWA, Harlequin, Harlequin Ho (their "Horizon" brand) and publishing in general.

Brief summary: Harlequin decided to create a vanity 'arm' (HarHo), RWA & other professional writing organizations slapped 'em for it, Har is now whining and authors are in angst.

I think this fuss has perhaps finally driven home some of the realities of the marketplace -- publishing is a losing business. Publishing can't continue under the old consignment model. It's a lose-lose for all involved. Har came up with a new model for one of its branches, one that will probably make money hand over fist. Gee, I wonder if they'll do whatever they have to do to keep it and satisfy the professional groups?

I agree with RWA that authors should be making money. I disagree about the 'an advance means you're a professional' but I am glad they took a stand on this. It proved they are willing to follow their own rules, something that frankly, I wasn't sure they'd do.

What does this mean for authors? Not sure yet. How abour readers? They probably won't notice -- HarHo books will not be shelved, so unless they're sought out, they can't be found.

I think the most profound impact will be on the hidebound organizations such as MWA, SFWA, and RWA. This has to make them rethink some of their core values because I firmly believe other publishing houses are going to take this route at some point.

Interesting times ahead....

Beyond busy ...

Every time I'm scheduled to post here, I'm either out of town or going out of town. Yep, I'm leaving town in a few minutes to go to see my Mom, who's in the hospital. It's pneumonia and she's 90, so this is a non-trivial illness.

I've been getting my affairs in order (so to speak) so I can stay with her as long as needed. Got ample clothing packed, bags of Stuff to work on, 2 computers, chargers ... it looks like a trek across the country not a 4-hour jaunt to a civilized place (yes, Iowa is civilized, no matter what those Left Coasters think!)

Along with all of this are deadlines at the Paycheck Job. I have an exceptional boss, and she's told me just 'go, do whatever you need to do, check in when you.' Thank you, Lord, for good bosses. That being said, I still put in a few extra hours to wrap up some things so others on my project won't be behind the 8-ball because I'm gone.

I've had 5 books release this year, and I'm trying to be a good soldier and do promo for those. Tricky when you're juggling so much else, but I dip in now and then and promo. Not enough, but it'll have to do.

And I had edits for a book which were, thankfully, amazingly light. Done in an hour and out the door. I have a request from an agent for more info about me, my marketing strategy, my books, my sell-through -- all good and all stuff I can put together while sitting in the hospital room with the drone of machines beeping nearby.

As I did all these chores this week, I thought about the old Need vs. Want vs. Should triangle we often find ourselves trapped in. As I did things, I thought, "I should do this, then that'll be finished and I can get on the road" or "I need to get that done so..." or "I want to check that, if I do...."

I finally realized that when Need, Want, and Should all come together it's the right thing to do.

I need to be with Mom. I want to be with her. And I should be with her.

So I'm on the road again...

a learning plateau

I'm at a conference this weekend and it's proving to be a good learning experience, not because of what I'm learning from the presenters but because of what I'm learning about me and conferences.

I need to re-think why I'm coming to them and what I want from them. I'm a published author and my needs are different than a lot of the people here. I haven't really thought seriously about that in a few months, but it came home to me last night when I looked at the schedule and realized I wasn't sure which sessions might be of use... if any? I'm not sure.

It is fun to be in a different place & be among people who care about writing, but many folks herehaven't written a ms yet so there's a real variety of questions in the workshops. And somehow I got scheduled into a pitch session which I didn't plan on -- with an agent. I have nothing prepared so I'll just chat with her and see how it goes. Not a big deal...

All in all, an unusual weekend. I have to admit, it's making me rethink what cons I'll attend in the future. I need to take a serious look at my career plans and decide where they fit. All part of my learning process for publishing.

Our dreams tell us what to do ...

I decided to run for a national office (RWA, not 'real' politics), and last night I dreamed about being at a board meeting and talking to people there. I didn't really see the faces in my dream, but I remember thinking, "gee, if these are the Real Published People, then I'm okay, because I can understand what they're saying and I feel good being here' or feelings to that effect.

There was a bit of stress in the dream: I was supposed to fill out some forms or something, and I did but wasn't sure I did them right (I think this was crossover from entering an online contest earlier and waiting to see if my entry was received).

Anyway, I woke this morning and decided that maybe my dream was saying "go for it". I can still back out before 'officially' filing my papers. Or maybe it's saying I need to sleep on it some more. I'll let it percolate in the back of my brain for a few days and see if other thoughts come to me in dreamland. I've got a bunch of back-to-back travel planned from now until the end of August, so I won't have much time to contemplate, agonize, or reconsider. I'll decide, move ahead, and not look back.

Hmm. Not a bad plan ....

A fun event NOT sponsored by RWA

I had a book signing on Saturday in a flower shop.

I grew up in a small town with no bookstore so the flower shop stocks my books. Because I'm with a small press (I don't call them an e-pub) I'm able to work with my publisher to get the books in unusual locations like gift shops, etc.

I sold a few dozen books, had press interviews with local papers and had a great time.

If I followed RWA guidelines I'd be poorer financially and in terms of experience. Thank heavens I started ignoring them years ago!

New Release Wednesday

My latest romantic suspense book is out with Resplendence. As with most of mine, it features an older hero (50s) and heroine (50) and a great cover. Okay, not all of mine feature great covers, but this one is. It's got all of the elements: the stalker, the frozen lake, the pine trees ....

Yea! It's here!

Here's a blurb to whet the appetite:

Have you ever made a mistake in love? Did that mistake almost kill you?

M.C. ('Mac') Shefflington thought she finally escaped Tom Donaldson and her terrible past. She started to relax at her new home in Minnesota when the hang-up calls and tailgating started again, the same things that Tom used to do. Mac knows he's come back into her life.

Retired Sheriff Harry Mortonson is willing to help her because that might alleviate the guilt he feels about his own past and a woman he didn’t help, years ago. But when he meets Mac, he gets far more than he bargained for, including falling in love with her and protecting her from the crazy man who's stalking her.

In the end, it's up to Mac to lure Tom into a trap on one of Minnesota's frozen lakes where she, Harry, and Tom have one final confrontation. If she can succeed, she’ll save Harry and they’ll have a chance for a new life together. But if she fails, Tom wins and Mac will have to live her past—again.

--------------------

I think you'll like Harry (a retired sheriff with a dog named Law and a cat named Order) and Mac (the woman who won't buy snow boots because she's afraid it'll jinx her hiding out in Minnesota). And like all my books, one of the animals helps save the day, this time a gerbil.

Yep. A gerbil. You have to read the book to find out how!

Spring cleaning (no, not that kind)

I've been updating a new Itouch calendar app, transferring info from my Palm to it. What a pain -- no easy way to do it, so I'm doing it manually. This is a Good Thing, though (as Martha Stewart would say), because I'm weeding out as I do so.

But boy, does it bring back some memories! A concert here and there, a death, a funeral, a wedding ... all are noted in my auxiliary brain, my PDA. I've used a PDA for almost 10 years now, since before they were really small, and I have a ton of info on it. I've waded through old appointments and am now on "Milestones".

One thing this has done is make me appreciate a publisher who releases ebooks and print books on the same day. The amount of 'double promo' I had to do for books is amazing -- every month I'd have a book 'release' because I have 3 publishers. No wonder it felt like all I do was promo-promo-promo! My schedule has gotten so much less hectic since then.

So I highly recommend spring cleaning -- it can give you a new perspective on things you're taking for granted. Of course, CLOSET spring cleaning .... now that can give you an unpleasant perspective as you realize some of those summer clothes don't fit.

Off to the gym!

And more purdy covers ....

Yeah, I know -- mine don't have nekkid people. But I still love it! Here's where it's available in download. And here's where it's available in print.

The cover has all the elements of the book: the sandy beach, the rope used to kill the male model, the glass of wine (from the bottle that almost killed the heroine), the feral cat found on the beach.

When I put in a cover request, I always say "no people, especially no naked people." I don't write R-rated books. Mine are what I call "sexy cozy" mysteries, or, as my tag line says, "Mystery with a touch of romance; romance with a touch of gray."

This book is the second in my Fatal Writers' Conference series and takes place at ClueCon, a fictional mystery conference I created. It's loosely based on a combination of RT and Sleuthfest -- and I mean LOOSE. ClueCon is all about the Clue board game, so the writing awards are the Miss Scarlett (best erotic mystery), the Professor Plum, etc.

I had such a blast devising this conference and all that goes with it, not to mention having a blast killing off a publisher, an author and a few other folks. You see, that's why I like to write mysteries. I get to do in anybody who annoys me.

My list is long and I plan to keep writing for a long, long time....