A Weekend Present For My Readers
I am currently engaged in edits for Eddie’s Prize. They are pretty intense but I think it’s going very well. I am sometimes swamped in embarrassment when my editor gently points out the third (or tenth) time I have made the same poor word choice. Thank goodness for editors! Any author who thinks they don’t need one is an idiot.
To celebrate, here is another short teaser from Eddie’s Prize:
Eddie woke suddenly, shocked it was broad daylight. He flung the covers back and lunged up in bed. A voice said “Oof!” as his elbow landed in a soft stomach. What—? Lisa! He had been well and thoroughly loved last night by his bride. He had loved her thoroughly, too. Their first time together had been a blur of desperate urgency. The second time …What a delight it was to be married to such a beautiful and creative woman. This was their honeymoon. They had no chores to get up for, nothing to do but get to know each other. He grinned down at her startled expression and watched it melt into a satisfied smile. They could stay in bed all day with no one to complain over their laziness. The thought had its appeal. He kissed her flat tummy in apology, and let his lips travel gradually north.
“Good morning, Mrs. Edward Madison,” he murmured against her throat. “Can you think of any reason we need to get out of bed today?”
Lisa stretched and rubbed against him. “Why?” she teased. “Was there something you needed to do in bed today? Catch up on your sleep? Or—” She dissolved in giggles when he fluttered his fingertips over her ribs. “Hey! Stop! I’m ticklish!”
Do I Look Innocent?
Do I Look Innocent?
This afternoon I spent a half hour in the billing office of the local mega-hospital/clinic conglomerate explaining to the woman (who was extremely unhelpful in the politest possible way) why I believe I had over-paid my bill by several hundred dollars and should have a refund. After about twenty minutes of going over all my receipts with them and showing them my itemized Health Spending Account (HSA) expenditures, I finally got the woman to admit, that, yes, I had over paid. The issue stemmed from the fact that they switched billing software in June. No, I couldn’t have a refund. Their policy was that they would apply any excess funds to my next bill.
Does she realize that I plan to NEVER see any doctor at their facility again? My regular doctor had left the clinic to move to a distant city and their billing practices have convinced me that I don’t want to use their services again.
Grrr! See the image above? Yeah, lady, you are about to become a minor character in Wolf’s Prize, and you are going down. Buh-bye.
No, I never did get my money, but I’m not giving up. I don’t know what i’ll do yet, but I have a bottle of wine and a pound of fudge. Soemthing will come to me.
Tuesday Truth: the Giveaway is Coming!
I am going to be having a set of giveaways to celebrate the release of Eddie’s Prize!
What am I giving away? Well, for starters, an afghan (made by me. See on the left? It’s almost done!) based on the one Lisa crochets in Eddie’s Prize, a sterling silver skeleton key on a fine chain (because my tagline is “Unlock Your Imagination”) coffee and mugs, chocolate delicacies locally made right here in Fargo ND, and, of course, an ARC of Eddie’s Prize. Actually, I’ll be giving away a couple of ARCs.
When will this be? It will start on or around February 28, 2013
How do you enter? These giveaways will be through my newsletter only. I send out a newsletter only about every other month. At the end of February I will send out an e-form you can use to enter the giveaway. If you’re not a member of my newsletter and you’d like to sign up you can click here.
The Lady Lorri Hat
A few years ago I designed a handful of knitted hats and posted the patterns on Ravelry. Well, here’s one more: The Lady Lorri Hat, named for my good friend Lorri. It’s a very quick knit. Took me only three hours to design and knit. I think one of my characters will have a hat like this. Maybe Carla? Maybe Rose. Yeah, this will be the first thing Rose will knit with the yarn she spun herself.
Click the link below for the free pattern.
The Lady Lorri Hat
Tuesday Teaser, January 15, 2013
I’ve been hard at work on edits for Eddie’s Prize. I’ve turned in the first round, but they aren’t done yet. Here is a little snip of the first time Lisa and Eddie go to visit Carla and Taye at the den.
Those guards sauntered over to meet them at the gate. One had short dark brown hair and a thick muscular wrestler’s build. The other was young, with a slight limp.
Eddie looked at the men behind the gate. “I’m Eddie Madison.”
“We know who you are.”
The younger guard sounded almost insolent. Lisa could feel Eddie’s annoyance in the way his hand tightened on her arm. “Taye Wolfe told me I could bring my wife to visit Mrs. Wolfe.”
“The Chief ain’t here.”
The burlier of the two guards elbowed the younger one. “Pipe down, Chad. Taye told us Mrs. Madison was welcome anytime.” He raised his voice to say, “Hey, Snake! Come here. Walk Mrs. Madison into the den. She’s here to visit the Lupa.”
One of the dogs loped over. Lisa blinked, realizing that it wasn’t a dog when a weird shimmer went over its fur and the fur … disappeared. A man stood in the dog’s place, a handsome man with long, dark curly hair whose muscular physique was completely bare. Lisa jolted in shock, but couldn’t help but run her gaze approvingly over his naked body.
Tuesday Truth: Edits
I received my edits for Eddie’s Prize last night, so I’ll be busy editing rather than writing for the next week.
Some of my author friends tell me editing can be the hardest part of writing. A lot of writers dread doing edits. Personally, I love edits. Edits correct my punctuation and grammar. (Seems like no matter how hard I try, I always need a ton of corrections when it comes to punctuation) Edits help me see what I can improve. Edits make my story better.
That’s not to say that I don’t quail when I open the file and see all the red. And that’s not to say that I agree with every suggestion my editor makes. I suspect that most writers are a little sensitive when it comes to our “babies”. These stories are part of us, pieces of our hearts, so it’s natural to be defensive when an editor tells us that something needs to be changed. But before we get upset when we first open our edits, we need to step back and see the big picture. Editors are not enemies. They want our book to be as good as it can be. Trust them to do their job.
When working on edits I suggest doing to easy things first. Accept a comma insertion, delete a redundant word, re-phrase an awkward sentence, etc. Wait and really think about the things that you want to argue about. If you still feel strongly after honest consideration, then go ahead and email your editor. Tell him politely why you disagree with his suggested change. Try to work out an acceptable solution. A few authors I know on Romance Divas have had to ask for a change in editor. Sometimes an editor and author just don’t mesh. That should be a last resort.
So, I’m off to see what changes my editor has suggested to make Eddie’s Prize the best it can be. Happy Tuesday!
Reading Weekend
I’m re-reading Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series. Just finished Regin and Declan’s story and am about to plunge into Lothaire. I inhaled it when it first came out. Now I want to savor it. I should be writing or knitting or doing something productive, but you know how it is when you are into a series? Everything else can go hang. So I’m sitting here, sipping tea and reading.
Anyone else ever get like that?
Happy New Year!
First, let me start off by saying the winner of the $10.00 Amazon gift card for the Naughty New Year bog hop was Jackie from TN. Jackie has received her gift card and is hopefully finding some good reading material. 🙂
2012 wasn’t too kind to me in some ways. I started the year at a job I really hated, and then in July was able to return to a team I knew and enjoyed, although at a major pay cut, like a 32% pay cut. I was sick a lot (pneumonia in May, strep throat in December and assorted other colds and flu and asthma troubles the rest of the year), and it affected my writing. Eddie’s Prize is quite a long book, and it took me literally more than a year to write.
However, 2013 is a completely different animal. I started writing Wolf’s Prize in October, and although I’m still not a terribly speeding writer, I feel good about the story. I’m at 20,900 words of a guesstimated 50,000. I really hope I can finish it by Feb 20, get it sent off to the beta readers by March 1, and have it submitted to the publisher by March 20. Then, at last, I get to dive into Sky and Rose’s story. Whoo-hoo!
I also plan to be more active in the SCA (my medieval history group). This weekend I’m going to 12th Night and even made a new
outfit to wear. This is a very generic version of what might have been worn in the eastern Roman Empire around 900 AD. It’s pretty barebones now, but later I can pretty it up with pearls and gems and some embroidery. The colors of the pic (the before pic) on the left are accurate.
I wish you all a wonderful, productive and joyful 2013.
Naughty New Year with Sky
Welcome to Maddy Barone’s stop on the Naughty New Years blog hop! If you fall off, you can Click Here to jump back on.
My current series is a futuristic paranormal with werewolves, but there are no cool futuristic weapons or technology. Nuclear war decimated the population and sent people back to living like it’s the American frontier all over again, and the only government is run by strong, ruthless men.
I decided to give you a teaser about Sky and Quill, two minor characters in a previous book who leave the werewolf den to live in Omaha since their chosen mates have been denied to them.
Good luck in the prize drawings. I will be drawing a name from those who leave a comment on my blog for a $10 gift card to Amazon. Members of my newsletter are automatically entered twice. That is in addition to the drawings for ebooks by the Just Romance Me folks. So, Enjoy and good luck!
The new year was only fifteen minutes away when the mayor of Omaha was admitted to Ms. Julia’s House of Joy. As host, Sky went to the entry to greet the latecomer to the New Year’s Eve party.
“Welcome,” he said with a cordial smile which hid dark and bitter things. Did McGrath have any idea Sky considered him his greatest enemy? Mayor McGrath handed his luxuriously warm overcoat to a fifteen-year-old girl who, until a month ago, had been picking up johns on the icy streets of Omaha. Mayor McGrath gave her a patronizing smile and a pinch on the ass as she took his coat. Though his wolf yearned to tear out the mayor’s throat, Sky maintained his friendly expression through years of practice.
“Tim, I’m glad you could stop in.” Sky shook the mayor’s hand and drew him into the reception room. “I’m sure you have several stops to make tonight.”
The mayor accepted a glass of champagne from a server. “Naturally, I want celebrate with as many of my people as possible, but I wouldn’t miss your party. Where better to ring in the New Year than at one of the fastest growing businesses in town? You’ve done a lot with the place in the past few years.”
Sky smoothed his sapphire blue silk tie with a self-satisfied smirk. At least, he hoped it looked self-satisfied. “Thanks, Tim. We’re managing to turn a nice profit, as I’m sure you’ve noticed by our taxes.”
“Yes.”
Tim McGrath’s tone was distracted. His gaze was fixed on LaToya, the newest lady in the house. He waved her eagerly over. LaToya shot a pleading look at Sky. He nodded at her and she came over, reluctance showing in her stiff steps. Sky looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to his side.
“This is LaToya James,” he said. “LaToya, say hello to Mayor McGrath.”
“H-h-hello,” she whispered.
“Hello, young lady. Aren’t you a pretty little thing. I want you to join me after midnight.”
Sky produced a smile intended to convey regret. “LaToya is new. She just turned eighteen on Christmas Eve. I’m not ready to share her yet.” Without giving the mayor a chance to respond, he brushed his lips over LaToya’s hair. “Help Patricia in the kitchen, baby, and send Aimee over to us.”
The mayor chuckled while he watched LaToya hurry away. “One of the perks of being the owner of a whorehouse is sampling the employees?”
Sky shrugged enigmatically.
“I heard you’re engaged to a girl back home.” McGrath sipped his champagne with a raised brow.
And you’ve been married to a good woman for nearly thirty years, Sky inwardly sneered. Doesn’t stop you from humping any girl you can get your hands on. He nodded at Aimee as she joined them. She was beautiful and young enough to interest McGrath, and fully aware what she could expect from the mayor. “Tim, this is Aimee Chambord. I don’t think you’ve met her before?”
The mayor smiled widely at Aimee’s gaping décolletage. “Why no, I don’t believe I’ve met Ms. Chambord. Can I get you a glass of champagne, my dear? Will you excuse us, Sky?”
Sky waved them off with hidden relief. He circulated through the large set of reception rooms, checking to see that the bouncers were alert and none of his ladies was being mistreated. He was an Alpha wolf, and the men and women who worked in this house were his Pack, to protect and provide for. And —his eyes went cold when they found McGrath— kill for.
He glanced at his reflection as he passed a mirror on the landing of the main staircase. His black hair was neatly cut, his black silk suit was expensively elegant, his tie the same vivid blue as his eyes. A wave of weary disgust passed over him. No one in the Clan would recognize him. Even he didn’t recognize himself some days. There were times he doubted his wolf approved of him.
Quill, his cousin and beta, joined him, handing him a glass of champagne. Ms. Julia, the lady who had saved them when they’d first come to Omaha years ago, came with him and stood between them at the fancy carved railing. The three of them looked down over the dozens of people coming together to watch the clock count down the last few minutes of the year 2069.
“I’m leaving in the spring,” Quill said quietly.
Sky knew the day was coming when Quill wouldn’t be able to bear the vice and intrigue of Omaha, but he flinched anyway. “I understand, but I’m going to miss you.”
“Come with me,” Quill urged.
Sky watched McGrath as the man sipped champagne from Aimee’s cleavage. “I can’t. I have to finish what I’ve started.”
Ms. Julia, aging but not stupid, patted his arm. “What about your fiancée, honey? You let everyone think the wrong thing, but you can’t fool me. You love that girl. Go get her and bring her home.”
Rose. The mate his wolf had chosen for him five years ago. Longing so deep and sharp it was painful cramped Sky’s belly. He wrapped one hand over the bannister to brace himself. He could almost feel her blond hair under his fingers, the trembling warmth of her mouth under his. “I can‘t bring her here.”
Ms. Julia pursed her lips. “No girl is going to wait forever, you know, not even for a handsome young devil like you.”
“She’ll wait.” Grim certainty rang in Sky’s voice. Taye would see to it. But, oh, God, how he wanted to see her.
Quill met his eyes over the top of Ms. Julia’s silvering head and Sky knew that Quill understood. The two of them, deprived of their mates for over five years, understood each other’s pain all too well.
“Five!” shouted the crowd. “Four! Three! Two! ONE! Happy New Year!”
As horns blared and confetti swirled, Sky lifted his glass. “To Rose,” he whispered, and drank.
Don’t Forget the Bloghop!
Would you like to win a Kindle Fire HD? How about lots of free books? Then be sure to hop on the train that will take you on a journey. And don’t think you have to visit every single blog to be eligible to enter. Just go to www.justromance.me
to get started!
