In college I had a column in the paper where I wrote reviews of books. I called the column "From the Stacks," and though the running of the column really depended on whether or not we had space to fill, I really did enjoy it. All day yesterday I kept thinking about how just posting once a week didn't seem like I was doing enough here on my blog and so I started thinking that maybe it would be cool to bring back "From the Stacks" here. Every Friday I will post a review to a book I have read, and I will try to make them books I have read recently, though with my writing schedule I may not be able to keep to that every single week.
If I was able to do a brand-new review every week then that would mean reading 52 books a year. While I admit that I have already finished that many books this year, some of them were more like novellas and others were short story collections. I also had a few books that I was re-reading and then a couple of the books were actually graphic novels.
Something that I think I will try to set up for probably the last "From the Stacks" in October and the first one in November is a guest post. I have a couple of author friends who have books coming out on November 1st. Once I have the "From the Stacks" segments a little more cemented on this blog, I am going to shoot both of them messages to see if they would be willing to write up something for the blog about their own novels.
Another occurrence that might pop up from bringing "From the Stacks" here is that I may start to post my reviews to the books being read in the two Goodreads book clubs I am in: Sword & Laser, and Vaginal Fantasy Hangout. I really try to keep up with both clubs and so it may be that either the last Friday in the month or the first in the month will have the reviews of the book read that month or the previous month.
Now, right now my only Goodreads account is my personal one so I'm not exactly going to share that with everyone so you can follow me (as much as I would appreciate that, I do need to have my private life as well). I plan on creating an author account once I start getting published, and I will definitely let you all know when that happens.
Okay, now since I have just decided to start doing the book reviews again, I don't exactly have one prepared to post today. Instead I will let you know what I am reading and should be posting about in the next couple weeks. The August Vaginal Fantasy Hangout book was Ill Wind by Rachel Caine, and while it was a re-read for me, I may still write up a post about it. The August Sword & Laser book was Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and I can admit that I haven't actually started it yet because I'm still working on a couple earlier S&L books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, and Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay. With any luck I'll have some time to read these books and I'll have a shiny new review ready for you guys next week.
In the meantime, feel free to comment on this post and let me know what sort of information you would like to see with my reviews. Would you like me to rate them on a scale of say 1-5? Would you like to have links included on where you can find the book as well as other titles by the author? I'd like my blog to become more interactive, so tell me what you'd like to see. Thanks everyone.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Final Camp NaNoWriMo post about Do Not Drink the Holy Water
Okay, so I know that earlier I posted my final Camp update, but I did a little more work on this trilogy after releasing the post to the world and I decided that it would be a good idea to update those of you who actually do follow my blog.
After writing the post I went and finished my cover design for the third book in the trilogy, Stay Away from the Altar. All three books have the same basic design, only changing the font colors and of course the front cover image. Now I want to just post a little bit about my thought process for the designs and of course I will also post the covers and the back cover blurbs as well.
All of the cover images are photos that I took myself and they were all taken at the real shrine that I have based Fairhaven Shrine on. In Do Not Drink the Holy Water I also spend a little bit of time talking about Inara's house, which actually is a real house belonging to one of my roommate's from when I was an undergraduate student at university. Through the first couple years of school I spent quite a bit of time at my friend's home and it stuck with me...not to mention the fact that it actually was right around the corner from the shrine as well. We went to the shrine a few times over the years and every time it simply captivated me. When I had an assignment for my Digital Photography class on landscapes and buildings I had to make a special trip to the shrine just to take pictures. Despite not being a Catholic, I felt comfortable and at home there.
Will I mention where this shrine is or anything? No, probably not. For one, it is a part of my private life and giving that information out would give certain clues as to the general area I live. For another, Fairhaven Shrine was based on this place and is not an exact replica so I don't want people to go on about what I altered and so on.
I enjoyed this past month working on Holy Water, but now I know that it is time to take a little break from this world and return to another. Hopefully sometime in the near future I can return and both finish the story completely as well as edit it. The funny thing with writing this was that--as usual with certain stories/characters--they don't tell me everything about their lives. I never knew Kellan's last name because he didn't see it as relevant to the story line. It wasn't until I was working on the summary for the third book that everything sort of fell into place, so I'm looking forward to moving on with this series and working on the other two books as well as the novellas I have planned.
When writing the summaries for both Holy Water and Ritual Sacrifices it became apparent that rules are very important to both of the story lines, whereas the third book has a protagonist who has basically followed orders, which are rules but tend to have very different consequences. In Holy Water Inara had to deal with the unique ability that developed because of a rule she broke as a child, and in Ritual Sacrifices, Shiloh has to break the rules set down by her family in order to learn a great number of truths. A fun little tidbit I have already learned about book two is that Shiloh is prone to accidents; it became obvious the first time she told me her name--Shiloh Olivia Samuelson (S.O.S.).
Jennsen Alcott has been a faithful companion to The Hood for many years and must decide whether to pull together the crumbling group or strike out on her own.
Two people stand in the way of Jennsen's path: her estranged brother Kellan and her former best friend Gabriel, both of whom have pledged their service to the Resistance.
The final book in this trilogy doesn't deal with someone from our world going to the Realm, but instead someone who was born and raised there, so Jennsen sees things a little differently. It was this summary that really ended up telling me a lot about several characters. I knew from early on that Kellan had a younger sister, and here she popped in and announced that the final book was all hers and then she gave me her name. It will be interesting for me to see the dynamic between Jennsen and Kellan because at this point they really are on separate sides of this struggle for power.
Another interesting thing that came out of this story line is that I found a home for a character who I thought was going to be a big part of Holy Water initially but then it turned out that putting him in the story would have made things far too drawn out and complicated, so Gabriel found his home here and I'm really glad for it.
Now, it may be that as I write the novellas that they will end up getting their own covers but I don't quite know yet. I'm thinking that the two prequel novellas (Inara's and Kellan's) may be combined together and released as one book. Theoretically I'm thinking that these novellas will end up being about 25-30K so two of them together would be about the equivalent of one novel. I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with Shiloh's novella and Jennsen's novella, but I believe I have plenty of time to figure all of that out.
So, there's a little insight to what is going on with the series, and I still need to find a name for them. Now that the covers and summaries are posted, maybe a good idea will come from it. Again, it is something where I still have a little bit of time to figure it all out. Anyway, I'm going to get back to my edits for Project Death: Resurrection. I believe I will try to continue with my once-a-week updates on my writing progress and I will probably post information about the rest of the Project Death series as I get ready to fully focus on them (Jan/Feb 2013 for Revelation, March/April 2013 for Redemption, and May/June 2013 for Restoration). I've already created the covers complete with back cover blurbs and such for all of them so I should be ready when it is time to just sit down and write.
After writing the post I went and finished my cover design for the third book in the trilogy, Stay Away from the Altar. All three books have the same basic design, only changing the font colors and of course the front cover image. Now I want to just post a little bit about my thought process for the designs and of course I will also post the covers and the back cover blurbs as well.
All of the cover images are photos that I took myself and they were all taken at the real shrine that I have based Fairhaven Shrine on. In Do Not Drink the Holy Water I also spend a little bit of time talking about Inara's house, which actually is a real house belonging to one of my roommate's from when I was an undergraduate student at university. Through the first couple years of school I spent quite a bit of time at my friend's home and it stuck with me...not to mention the fact that it actually was right around the corner from the shrine as well. We went to the shrine a few times over the years and every time it simply captivated me. When I had an assignment for my Digital Photography class on landscapes and buildings I had to make a special trip to the shrine just to take pictures. Despite not being a Catholic, I felt comfortable and at home there.
Will I mention where this shrine is or anything? No, probably not. For one, it is a part of my private life and giving that information out would give certain clues as to the general area I live. For another, Fairhaven Shrine was based on this place and is not an exact replica so I don't want people to go on about what I altered and so on.
Inara Cooper always dreamed of going on an epic adventure, but she never dreamed that a rule she broke when she was five would be the event that would change her life forever. When the truth comes out, Inara finds that she is swept off from everything she thought she knew, and is set down right in the middle of a resistance trying to protect their realm from a dangerous man calling himself The Hood.
Now, with the help of her Guardian and mentor--a warrior monk named Calder--as well as her Protector Kellan, Inara will have to harness her new abilities and pull together the struggling resistance. If she fails then The Hood will destroy everyone she has begun to care for.
I enjoyed this past month working on Holy Water, but now I know that it is time to take a little break from this world and return to another. Hopefully sometime in the near future I can return and both finish the story completely as well as edit it. The funny thing with writing this was that--as usual with certain stories/characters--they don't tell me everything about their lives. I never knew Kellan's last name because he didn't see it as relevant to the story line. It wasn't until I was working on the summary for the third book that everything sort of fell into place, so I'm looking forward to moving on with this series and working on the other two books as well as the novellas I have planned.
Do not go outside alone after dark. Stay with friends or family as often as possible. Some things should not be discussed with anyone. These are just a few of the rules that dictate Shiloh Samuelson's life.
Her family does not discuss a number of things, including the disappearance of her father when she was a child, but Shiloh knows there has to be something to it, something that may be connected to her birth in the Realm.
To learn the truth, this shy and often clumsy girl must first visit Fairhaven Shrine. From there Shiloh starts on a journey to discover the truth of her father, her own abilities, and possibly what it takes to save those she cares about.
When writing the summaries for both Holy Water and Ritual Sacrifices it became apparent that rules are very important to both of the story lines, whereas the third book has a protagonist who has basically followed orders, which are rules but tend to have very different consequences. In Holy Water Inara had to deal with the unique ability that developed because of a rule she broke as a child, and in Ritual Sacrifices, Shiloh has to break the rules set down by her family in order to learn a great number of truths. A fun little tidbit I have already learned about book two is that Shiloh is prone to accidents; it became obvious the first time she told me her name--Shiloh Olivia Samuelson (S.O.S.).
With the disappearance of The Hood, things appear to be crumbling at the camp. A struggle for power seems apparent but not many of The Hood's followers wish to step forward.
Jennsen Alcott has been a faithful companion to The Hood for many years and must decide whether to pull together the crumbling group or strike out on her own.
Two people stand in the way of Jennsen's path: her estranged brother Kellan and her former best friend Gabriel, both of whom have pledged their service to the Resistance.
The final book in this trilogy doesn't deal with someone from our world going to the Realm, but instead someone who was born and raised there, so Jennsen sees things a little differently. It was this summary that really ended up telling me a lot about several characters. I knew from early on that Kellan had a younger sister, and here she popped in and announced that the final book was all hers and then she gave me her name. It will be interesting for me to see the dynamic between Jennsen and Kellan because at this point they really are on separate sides of this struggle for power.
Another interesting thing that came out of this story line is that I found a home for a character who I thought was going to be a big part of Holy Water initially but then it turned out that putting him in the story would have made things far too drawn out and complicated, so Gabriel found his home here and I'm really glad for it.
Now, it may be that as I write the novellas that they will end up getting their own covers but I don't quite know yet. I'm thinking that the two prequel novellas (Inara's and Kellan's) may be combined together and released as one book. Theoretically I'm thinking that these novellas will end up being about 25-30K so two of them together would be about the equivalent of one novel. I still need to figure out what I'm going to do with Shiloh's novella and Jennsen's novella, but I believe I have plenty of time to figure all of that out.
So, there's a little insight to what is going on with the series, and I still need to find a name for them. Now that the covers and summaries are posted, maybe a good idea will come from it. Again, it is something where I still have a little bit of time to figure it all out. Anyway, I'm going to get back to my edits for Project Death: Resurrection. I believe I will try to continue with my once-a-week updates on my writing progress and I will probably post information about the rest of the Project Death series as I get ready to fully focus on them (Jan/Feb 2013 for Revelation, March/April 2013 for Redemption, and May/June 2013 for Restoration). I've already created the covers complete with back cover blurbs and such for all of them so I should be ready when it is time to just sit down and write.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo August Session - Week Four AKA The Finish Line
Final Word Count: 51,063 on Day 27. So I get this cool little icon to post places:
Camp NaNoWriMo doesn't have the same winner goodies as NaNoWriMo, but it still feels to good knowing that I wrote 50K on a novel in a month. Since I am looking towards publication, even self-publication, the CreateSpace coupon I get from winning NaNoWriMo is extremely helpful.
Okay, and now that I've reached my goal for Camp, I can focus on my next project for my writing goals, which is finishing up the edits for Project Death: Resurrection. I have 16 chapters to edit and then a final read-through to make sure there aren't any hugely glaring mistakes. Once I have done all that then I will set it aside until I have completed my NaNovel in November. I think one more read-through of Resurrection in December and everything will be copacetic.
I realize that this is a rather short post but I'm going to get back to writing.
Oh, I almost forgot...the other day I went on a cover creating binge and made 12 different covers, most of them for novels I have mentioned in the past few posts. I'll be posting those up when I get back to working on those stories.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo August Session - Week Three
Okay, so I admit it; I get distracted quite easily, both with books, TV shows, movies, and of course, some of my other novels. I am proud to say that I've continued to work on Holy Water but I do wish that I had more time so I could work on other projects. I dream of the day when I might be able to support myself off of my writing so I can spend all the time I wish every day working on novels and polishing them, instead of trying to squeeze writing time in before or after work and whenever I am able to on my days off.
Today I was trying to organize my writing desk area a little and I pulled out a book series I started back in 2007. Projected as a seven book series, I wrote all of the first book and then threw well over half of it away, and I wrote the first few chapters of the second book. It would be really great to get back to the series and finish it.
So, I figure while I'm taking a little break from Holy Water to write up this post, I might as well write up a brief summary of the series. I don't like the series title I created so I'm trying to figure out a new one, but I do know the titles for all seven books, and I do have little one sentence summaries of each book. More fleshing out is needed for most of the novels but I know that this world is one that interests me. I just need to figure out when I have the time to work on these.
1) Bounty: A Hunter's Tale - A bounty hunter is forced to kill the man she loves and two years later it all comes back to haunt her.
2) Landlocked: A Merman's Voyage - A merman trying to run from his heritage and what he is finds more than he expects in a small college town.
3) Eternity: An Immortal's Curse - Discovering that she isn't quite like other people, one young woman attempts to change her fate.
4) Revenge: A Witch's Struggle - One witch tries to stick to his upbringing of not harming another being, which becomes more difficult when his loved ones are threatened.
5) Vision: A Psychic's Journey - After closing herself off from her abilities, a young woman finds that she is in danger from her lover's family.
6) Luck: A Leprechaun's Search - A leprechaun tries to turn away from the greed of his people and find luck all on his own.
7) Truth: An Interrogator's Quest - After many years in training to become a highly skilled interrogator, the friend of a bounty hunter encounters someone she cannot crack.
I know the main characters of each story, as well as the supporting characters who help to tie one book to the next. Perhaps I will set this series aside and use it whenever I need a break from the novels I have on my to-do list from now until the end of 2013. That way I can always be certain that I am being productive with one novel or more and perhaps I can even accomplish more than I originally planned.
Current word count: 37,259 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
Right now things still seem to be on track for a slightly early completion of my Camp NaNoWriMo project, with my stats page saying that I will finish on August 28th.
Today I was trying to organize my writing desk area a little and I pulled out a book series I started back in 2007. Projected as a seven book series, I wrote all of the first book and then threw well over half of it away, and I wrote the first few chapters of the second book. It would be really great to get back to the series and finish it.
So, I figure while I'm taking a little break from Holy Water to write up this post, I might as well write up a brief summary of the series. I don't like the series title I created so I'm trying to figure out a new one, but I do know the titles for all seven books, and I do have little one sentence summaries of each book. More fleshing out is needed for most of the novels but I know that this world is one that interests me. I just need to figure out when I have the time to work on these.
1) Bounty: A Hunter's Tale - A bounty hunter is forced to kill the man she loves and two years later it all comes back to haunt her.
2) Landlocked: A Merman's Voyage - A merman trying to run from his heritage and what he is finds more than he expects in a small college town.
3) Eternity: An Immortal's Curse - Discovering that she isn't quite like other people, one young woman attempts to change her fate.
4) Revenge: A Witch's Struggle - One witch tries to stick to his upbringing of not harming another being, which becomes more difficult when his loved ones are threatened.
5) Vision: A Psychic's Journey - After closing herself off from her abilities, a young woman finds that she is in danger from her lover's family.
6) Luck: A Leprechaun's Search - A leprechaun tries to turn away from the greed of his people and find luck all on his own.
7) Truth: An Interrogator's Quest - After many years in training to become a highly skilled interrogator, the friend of a bounty hunter encounters someone she cannot crack.
I know the main characters of each story, as well as the supporting characters who help to tie one book to the next. Perhaps I will set this series aside and use it whenever I need a break from the novels I have on my to-do list from now until the end of 2013. That way I can always be certain that I am being productive with one novel or more and perhaps I can even accomplish more than I originally planned.
Current word count: 37,259 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
Right now things still seem to be on track for a slightly early completion of my Camp NaNoWriMo project, with my stats page saying that I will finish on August 28th.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo August Session - Week Two
And here we go with update #2 for Camp NaNoWriMo. It has been an interesting and fairly busy week. My boss scheduled me for a 40 hour work week, with most of it being a the "maintenance person," aka I do most of the cleaning and stocking. This meant that most days I was just really tired, but I knew that I needed to force myself to keep writing so I wouldn't fall behind on my word count. I have managed to continue with Holy Water.
A number of people who participate in NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo will say that week two is when the inspiration goes from a stream to just a trickle. It is when the storm clouds roll in and your story goes from a novelty to something that more resembles work. Well, in most cases that is the truth, and I did find that this past week I really had to tell myself just to sit down and write.
It was a little easier to focus on other ideas I had, which was why I was able to write up those synopses for the stories I plan to work on for the next year. Another way I found to keep myself on schedule was being in a word war with a friend of mine who is also participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. If either of us is struggling then we talk out our issues and it really does help. Of course a lot of our talk also includes other writing projects we would like to work on in the near future, which leads me back to thinking about the Project Death series.
Thinking to my whole plans with the Project Death series, if I can keep up with it then I have created a tentative publication schedule, using the awesome CreateSpace coupons the winners get from NaNoWriMo in November. If I can finish editing Resurrection before the start of NaNoWriMo this year, then it should be ready for publication by the end of 2012.
My plan is to write Revelation in January and February 2013, Redemption in March and April 2013, and then Restoration in May and June 2013. Those will be the rough drafts and will need edited. If I can edit Revelation fairly quickly then I could have it published probably in spring or summer 2014 with my CreateSpace coupon from NaNoWriMo 2013. After that I can try for Redemption at the end of 2014 with my coupon from NaNoWriMo 2014, and then finish everything up with Restoration in spring or summer 2015.
So that is my tentative schedule and I'm really hoping that I can keep to that. Depending on the success of the Project Death series, I may continue to self-publish other novels after that fact, but I'll just have to see what happens.
Current word count: 25,819 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
Right now the stats page on my Camp NaNoWriMo profile says that if I continue with my pace that I will finish on August 27th.
A number of people who participate in NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo will say that week two is when the inspiration goes from a stream to just a trickle. It is when the storm clouds roll in and your story goes from a novelty to something that more resembles work. Well, in most cases that is the truth, and I did find that this past week I really had to tell myself just to sit down and write.
It was a little easier to focus on other ideas I had, which was why I was able to write up those synopses for the stories I plan to work on for the next year. Another way I found to keep myself on schedule was being in a word war with a friend of mine who is also participating in Camp NaNoWriMo. If either of us is struggling then we talk out our issues and it really does help. Of course a lot of our talk also includes other writing projects we would like to work on in the near future, which leads me back to thinking about the Project Death series.
Thinking to my whole plans with the Project Death series, if I can keep up with it then I have created a tentative publication schedule, using the awesome CreateSpace coupons the winners get from NaNoWriMo in November. If I can finish editing Resurrection before the start of NaNoWriMo this year, then it should be ready for publication by the end of 2012.
My plan is to write Revelation in January and February 2013, Redemption in March and April 2013, and then Restoration in May and June 2013. Those will be the rough drafts and will need edited. If I can edit Revelation fairly quickly then I could have it published probably in spring or summer 2014 with my CreateSpace coupon from NaNoWriMo 2013. After that I can try for Redemption at the end of 2014 with my coupon from NaNoWriMo 2014, and then finish everything up with Restoration in spring or summer 2015.
So that is my tentative schedule and I'm really hoping that I can keep to that. Depending on the success of the Project Death series, I may continue to self-publish other novels after that fact, but I'll just have to see what happens.
Current word count: 25,819 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
Right now the stats page on my Camp NaNoWriMo profile says that if I continue with my pace that I will finish on August 27th.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A Peek into the Future
I have made a plan for my novels through 2013, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to keep to it. If so then I will be able to get the rough drafts completed for 11 novels. Below are the rough synopses of these novels, except for my November 2012 NaNoWriMo Novel Battle of Dreams and my project for December 2012, Bound. I am still figuring those out and will update this as soon as I do.
August 2012: Do
Not Drink the Holy Water (Camp NaNoWriMo 2012)
v
Inara Cooper always dreamed of
going on an epic adventure, but she never dreamed that a rule she broke when
she was five would be the event that would change her life forever. When the
truth comes out, Inara finds that she is swept off from everything she thought
she knew, and is set down right in the middle of a resistance trying to protect
their realm from a dangerous man calling himself The Hood. Now, with the
help of her Guardian and mentor--a warrior monk named Calder--as well as her
Protector Kellan, Inara will have to harness her new abilities and pull
together the struggling resistance. If she fails then The Hood will destroy
everyone she has begun to care for.
September/October
2012: Project Death: Resurrection EDITS
v
Tamesis always thought that she
knew her destiny and was determined to be the absolute best Resurrector there
was. But, Fate had different plans. On her first heal, Tamesis runs into two
mysterious men, and one of them changes everything for her. Tamesis cannot stop
thinking about him and dreaming about him. Then, when the work of the
Resurrectors is threatened, the man returns and sets Tamesis on a path that
opposes everything she was raised to believe. Instead of preserving life, Tamesis must
accept that something has twisted the beliefs of the Resurrectors. The war
between Resurrectors and those who protect the Balance is heating up.
November
2012: Battle
v
December
2012: Bound
v
January/February
2013: Project Death: Revelation
v
Thanos, also known as Death, used to be a
Resurrector, but a chance meeting with a woman as well as the discovery of an
old book hidden in the Leader’s private library changed how he perceived those
he worked for and with. With the help of
his new ally Adrienne, Thanos decides to take the book and sever all ties to
his friends and family. Then Adrienne offers Thanos a job, filling a position
she has just created—Death.
March/April
2013: Project Death: Redemption
v
In the war for balance between the Resurrectors
and Death there are consequences. Sometimes a Resurrector can fix it, but other
times a Reaper comes to claim the soul. Very rarely a soul isn’t claimed and is
left to wander aimlessly. Such is the case with Julianne Mason and it is after
death that she finally learns what she had been missing in life.
May/June
2013: Project Death: Restoration (Camp NaNoWriMo 2013)
v
The war for balance has reached a boiling point
and everyone has to choose a side. For Pax and Treasa, the twin daughters of
Tamesis and Thanos, that decision signals a huge power shift. With one twin
siding with the Resurrectors and one with Death, one thing is entirely certain:
not everyone will have a happy ending.
August
2013: Kiss of Death (Camp NaNoWriMo 2013)
v
In Liatos giving into the physical urges of love
is forbidden to those who have yet to reach their full maturity. To prove they
are mature, young women must fulfill a challenge, while young men are eligible
after their first solo hunt. Electra has
been planning for the challenge for years, and she is especially eager after
her parents decide she is to marry Damen after the challenge. Iris has been
content to wait until her parents decide the time is right, at least until she
meets Zale. Myra
September
2013: All My Love
v
Sierra Allen has always seen the world differently
from most people, mostly because she was raised in a mixed species community,
but she has now settled into a relatively normal life. Then Keir comes for her,
wanting her to return to the responsibilities she left behind, but Sierra is happy
where she is and is content with Auggie, the man she has fallen for. Taking
drastic measures, Keir kidnaps Sierra and then the community elders bind Sierra
so she cannot go see Auggie. So begins a forbidden relationship where the only
contact is via written letter, but how long can that last when everyone seems
to be against them?
November
2013: The Graveyard Shift (NaNoWriMo 2013)
v
A vampire, a ghost, and a human have to work
together as the graveyard shift of a cemetery, which sounds like the start of a
bad joke until you meet Mackenzie Franklin, Jeremiah Robbins, and Nikki
Hartman. Mack has found a home at the cemetery, trading his unique night skills
for a share of human blood removed during the embalming process. Jeremiah has
been dead for 70 years and the only way to fight the boredom is to unofficially
work as security at the cemetery. Nikki’s fascination with genealogy led her to
the cemetery, but it is the uniqueness of her co-workers that may just turn it
into the job of a lifetime.
December
2013: Dare to Touch
v
Sammi
Parker has been forbidden to touch anyone with her bare hands. Everyone—including
Sammi—believes it is due to a serious illness. Only her parents know the truth:
Sammi has the rare gift of tactile hypnosis. With a simple touch she can
manipulate anyone. When a romance blooms with Eli Bartholomew, the Parkers’
worst fear is realized: Sammi’s gift is not unleashed by the touch of her
hands, but by any skin-on-skin contact. Is the mysterious Brennan Marshall the
only one who can help with Sammi’s problems?
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Camp NaNoWriMo August Session - Week One
It has been a pretty good week so far. August 1st marked not only the start of Camp NaNoWriMo but also my birthday. This has been a rather up and down year so far and I have spent a great deal of time talking with a good friend of mine about our novel writing. We encourage each other and, of course, challenge each other to word wars, which is usually highly productive.
During one Skype conversation with her I ended up planning out my writing schedule for the remainder of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. If I can keep up with my schedule then I will be able to make a lot of progress with my novels and get just a step closer to publication. Anyway, for the month of August I am working on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel: Do Not Drink the Holy Water. For September and October I will be finishing up my edits for Project Death: Resurrection and then if I have some spare time in October I will work on planning my NaNovel for November: Battle of Dreams. In December I plan on finishing the first draft of Bound and if all goes well I will start 2013 by working on Project Death: Revelation in January.
My hopes for editing Resurrection is that it will be finished in time to use the CreateSpace coupon I receive from completing NaNoWriMo to publish before the end of 2012. It was one of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year, to have a book published in 2012 and I plan to stick to it.
Of course, I need to figure out my plan for 2013. In a world where I could focus on just one series until it reached completion, I would be able to write Project Death: Revelation in January and February, Project Death: Redemption in March and April, and Project Death: Restoration in May and June (aka Camp NaNoWriMo). Then I would probably take July off so I could plan for my August Camp NaNoWriMo novel. Still, I think I can probably wait until 2012 is almost over before I need to worry about 2013.
But things are going rather well with Holy Water. I am about a day and a half ahead of par for Camp NaNoWriMo. By the end of Day 7, writers should be at 11,290 words. I am enjoying the story so far and it will be fun to finish it and then start on the sequels.
Current word count: 13,592 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
If I can keep up with my goal then I should finish around August 25th.
During one Skype conversation with her I ended up planning out my writing schedule for the remainder of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. If I can keep up with my schedule then I will be able to make a lot of progress with my novels and get just a step closer to publication. Anyway, for the month of August I am working on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel: Do Not Drink the Holy Water. For September and October I will be finishing up my edits for Project Death: Resurrection and then if I have some spare time in October I will work on planning my NaNovel for November: Battle of Dreams. In December I plan on finishing the first draft of Bound and if all goes well I will start 2013 by working on Project Death: Revelation in January.
My hopes for editing Resurrection is that it will be finished in time to use the CreateSpace coupon I receive from completing NaNoWriMo to publish before the end of 2012. It was one of the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year, to have a book published in 2012 and I plan to stick to it.
Of course, I need to figure out my plan for 2013. In a world where I could focus on just one series until it reached completion, I would be able to write Project Death: Revelation in January and February, Project Death: Redemption in March and April, and Project Death: Restoration in May and June (aka Camp NaNoWriMo). Then I would probably take July off so I could plan for my August Camp NaNoWriMo novel. Still, I think I can probably wait until 2012 is almost over before I need to worry about 2013.
But things are going rather well with Holy Water. I am about a day and a half ahead of par for Camp NaNoWriMo. By the end of Day 7, writers should be at 11,290 words. I am enjoying the story so far and it will be fun to finish it and then start on the sequels.
Current word count: 13,592 words
Goal: ~2,000 words per day
If I can keep up with my goal then I should finish around August 25th.
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