Added one p.m.:
I meant to link up to the new excerpts on my webpage! Silly me. HERE is the first chapter to KILLING FEAR, and HERE is the first chapter to “Deliver Us From Evil.”
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Today is a clean-up day for me, and I don’t mean the house (though it needs it!) There comes a time when I just have to put the book aside and spend the day catching up on all the little things I’ve put aside.
First, I wanted to share my UK cover. I love it. It’s very subtle but suspenseful at the same time.
Then there are some bills I need to pay, books I need to send out–apparently, the post office damaged my box for my Rita entries and I need to resend a couple books. Water damage. Makes you wonder how four of fifteen books were water damaged . . . but I’ll leave that up to my imagination another day.
And then there’s the copy I need to write for the AuthorBuzz I’m doing for KILLING FEAR. Below is what I wrote for WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE:
But it’s not just the SA ad, it’s a librarian letter and a reader letter, the latter of which is sent out the week the book comes out.
And . . . I have the ad for the RWR for WYCS. I waited too long to order (story of my life) for both the antho and my single title, so I didn’t get an cover page (inside back or front cover), but I’m doing a full-page in B&W. Better than nothing, though I’ll admit I’m bummed that I forgot. The RWR is, I think, one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising a romance author can do. It’s not expensive, and the magazine goes to over 9,000 readers. Because what are writers first and foremost? Readers.
And then the reviews I’m writing for a new site called (I think) “Writers Are Readers Too” (or something like that.) I’m reviewing three books–all books I’ve read and loved (two fiction, one non-fiction). More later–I’ll be linking to the site when it goes live. But I want to do this not only because I like the concept of the site (which will be very positive, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it at all), but because I really loved these three books, all debuts.
And finally . . . I’m getting my hair cut and colored. My gray is so widespread I feel much older than 38. I might be struggling to lose weight (really, though, I’m not suffering. I’ve given up a lot of high-fat foods, but I haven’t given up my margaritas . . . ) but hair is SOOO easy to fix. I may even do something different with the color–my daughter thinks I need to go lighter and redder. I usually get my hair dyed my natural color and then add in a couple lighter highlights. We’ll see–I’ll ask my hairdresser. I trust her 🙂
Then there are a few other little things–emails to answer and delete, books to ship out, sending my new bookmarks to the printer. All those things that I keep pushing back until I “have time.” But the truth is, I have to make the time.
I’m working on the revisions for TEMPTING EVIL (oh, did I tell you? They changed the title of SILENT SCREAM to TEMPTING EVIL, which I love. Much stronger, I think.) The story is sound, the pacing is off in the first third of the book. I’m starting at a different place and changing some of the backstory to make the characters stronger overall. I’m excited about the revisions. I love this part of the process, almost as much as the original creation. I’ve already written a completely new beginning, and I’m letting it sit today because I want to make sure I’m starting right. I’ll re-read the first fifty pages again tomorrow morning and edit them, then I’ll be good to go, I think, and hopefully knock out the rest of the revisions in 7-10 days.
Tomorrow I’m also having lunch with Karin, and I’m excited about that. I’m going to pick her brain on something. This is NOT plotting for DYING BREATH. It’s mostly a major plot point that I need the answer to before I can write, one of those research points that the book hinges on. Basically, I just need someone to talk through my ideas with. And Gary will be there to help with the cop stuff. As soon as the revisions for TE are done, it’s off to the next book.
Because writing is like walking–one word in front of the other. Keep going. And when you get to THE END, it’s the end of one book . . . and the beginning of the next.