Monthly Archive for March, 2009

The Cave…is dark

Published on March 31, 2009 in Life, TV and Writing. 2 Comments

To those few of you who actually ready my blog (I think there is 5 LOL), sorry I haven’t been around much the past little bit. Between not feeling great, my day job, family and trying to get edits done, well…the blog has suffered.

I do try to pop on to Twitter a few times a day though, so you can see my random musings there. Most of them are coffee induced ramblings, so be warned.

I’m finding it interesting going through the edits of my current manuscript. Once I got past the “OMG this is terrible” freakout phase I normally go through, I was able to focus with the pointed direction of a few reviewers. I have to say, the end result is much stronger than I thought it would be. This makes me happy. :D

Editing at Starbucks is also working. Sunday mornings after swimming lessons is mentally a good space for me. Now, I just need to pick one or two nights though the week that I can go as well. If I do, I might be able to finish these edits up and send it off to the two requests I’ve had for it.

On the TV front, I’m finally starting to get into Dollhouse. The last two weeks were very strong on the plot, and the acting was great. I’m actually starting to like Echo a bit more than I had. Supernatural is still AWESOME! Man, I adore that show. The stories really push the actors to show a wide range of skills, and keep me wanting a whole lot more. I haven’t looked forward to Thursdays this much ever.

I hope all your lives are going well these days.

Scheduling Time

Published on March 23, 2009 in Goals and Writing. 3 Comments

I’m the first to admit, I’m not the most organized person in the world. I’m more of a whirlwind that sweeps in, gets as much done as possible, then sweeps out. I’ve been like that since I was a kid. Not saying I can’t meet a deadline, because I nail those suckers. Just means that I might terrify my family as I do it.

Recently, I’ve been finding it increasingly challenging to fit everything that I want to do in with everything that I need to do. Family and job usually come first, followed by writing. This has been increasing my frustration levels, as I really want to make my writing more of a priority. Thankfully, my husband is a wise man who has learned how to help me prioritize over the years.

Starting this week, I’ll be setting myself a writing/editing schedule, where I will actually leave my house, go to Starbucks and work. No Internet (I’m a junkie), no distractions (I will procrastinate), and most of all…lots of coffee.

I did this yesterday and managed to get through eighteen pages of editing in an hour and a half. So, I’m feeling good about this new plan and think it’s just what I needed to get through the edits of my current manuscript.

Wish me luck!

The Power of a Fresh Perspective

Published on March 16, 2009 in Writing. 6 Comments

You know the expression “can’t see the forest for the trees”? This is the world I’ve been living in recently. I’ve had my nose so close to one particular manuscript, all I could see was bark. As a writer, it can be very challenging to take a step back from your writing and see it through fresh eyes. That can be true for a lot of things in life.

As you can probably guess from some of my recent blog posts, I’ve been struggling with a manuscript. The story is done, I like the plot, love the characters, but it’s not quite right. I couldn’t see the problems, even though I knew they were there.

I put out a call for help on one of my loops and the response was amazing. Having fresh eyes read that sucker over was the best thing ever. Sometimes, all it takes is a few comments for me to slap my hand to my forehead and shout out “DUH! Of course, that’s what’s wrong.”

Do I feel like a bit of an idiot? Yup. Can I fix it? Hell yes.

This manuscript is the reason I’ve had a bit of writer’s block. I wanted to move on, but couldn’t. Now, I think I’ll be able to tighen it up, fix the issues with it, and hopefully move on.

And all this before I’ve had my second coffee of the day. :D

Oh Man…is it May yet??

Published on March 13, 2009 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments

Getting Over Myself

Published on March 12, 2009 in Writing. 6 Comments

I’m not normally one for bad moods. Most people who meet me or know me in real life (opposed to web life), tend to say I’m a rather upbeat person. But when I get in a bad mood, it is a pretty sad state of affairs. Needless to say, this week hasn’t been a great one for me.

But no more!

I’m bouncing back! Not going to let this get to me! Run the proverbial dirt in the wound, get back on the horse….fill in miscellaneous bad cliché here…and get writing!

My company is leaving today, so I won’t feel bad about wanting to write at night anymore. And I’m going to try and new plan of attack with my completed manuscript that is causing me grief. Once I get it figured out, I think I’ll be able to focus on other stories.

So this is me, refocusing and getting on with my writing career. :D

Writing…

Published on March 10, 2009 in Writing. 1 Comment

Last night I sat down at my computer and managed to pound out a bunch of words on my next book. Were those words any good? Not sure yet. I’m trying not to worry too much about the crap that I tend to put in, all those annoying phrases that make me want to gouge my eyes out once I’ve started editing. Instead, I really want to focus on getting into this story, beefing up the plot and making my characters really fun.

It takes me some time to get to know the characters in any book. If I’m really lucky, I’m able to speed this process along. If I’m not, then it can take up to about half a book before I feel things clicking. I try to plot my characters as much as possible, more so than the actual external story.

This current book isn’t too bad. I know both the characters a little bit from the book before. The challenge when you flip a secondary character to the main come around those known quantities. I have to make sure I weave all those elements in, but also want to give you a stronger view of their inside world. I usually love this, one of the reasons I enjoy writing series so much.

Right now, I have company staying with us, and this is throwing me off. I hope I’ll be able to get into the groove with Grace and Jack soon. Like today…at lunch…

Twitter

Published on March 9, 2009 in Twitter. 2 Comments

I’m totally blaming Amy for this one. I’ve recently discovered the fun and insanity that is Twitter. Yes, now you get to hear my random thoughts as they pop into my head all day long! Not really, but close.

I have to admit, it is a lot of fun and kind of a twisted version of instant messaging. I’ve now put on the side of my blog a Twitter updater. You can follow along here, or even better, on the Twitter site itself. There are a lot of authors, editors and agents on updating, and some of the conversations can be a lot of fun.

Just do a search for Christine d’Abo, or click on the add me link on the side of my blog!

Stand By Me

Published on March 6, 2009 in Fun. 1 Comment

It’s Friday and I’m feeling mellow…

Happy weekend!

Sherrill Quinn’s Angel and the Duke of Sex

Published on March 6, 2009 in Deliciously Naughty Writers and Promotion. 1 Comment

What a fantastic week for book releases!! Not only did I have the pleasure of reading Anna’s new book (OMG AWESOME!!!), but now I get to read the latest from Sherrill. :D

angel

Angelique had been trapped for ten years in a loveless marriage. Now, in 1888—two years after his murder—she has ended her period of mourning and is ready to live again. And a big part of that is learning what passion is all about. For that, she needs Harry Atherton, the Duke of Sex.

 

Harry has always had his eye on Angel, thinking her to be the perfect woman. She’s beautiful, gracious and intelligent. To find out she also has hidden passions she wishes to pursue is the sugar in his tea. He’s never been one to let an opportunity pass him by, and he’s not about to start now.

 

Oral sex, anal sex and a ménage a trois round out Angel’s education, but there’s evil threatening her. Jack the Ripper is in their midst and it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again.

 

Man, I can’t wait to get home to get this one. :D You can buy Angel and the Duke of Sex here.

 

And on another note, I’m not sure what I did to my blog to screw it up, but I plan on getting it fixed this weekend. Sorry for the weirdness in the display.

Ink Me – Anna J Evans

Published on March 4, 2009 in Deliciously Naughty Writers and Promotion. 2 Comments

I’m still recovering from the flu. I’ve managed to get some coffee into me this morning, so things are looking up! The other thing that is making me feel better, is the release of Anna’s Ink Me. :D

Ink Me

Summer Wakayama owns Vegas’ hottest tattoo parlor, but lately her love life has been anything but hot. With the help of some hemp rope and a few lessons in Japanese rope bondage, she’s determined to change all that and teach her longtime steady, Aidan, that what they have is worth fighting for.

 

Unfortunately, their night of experimentation is violently interrupted by two criminals with love life problems of their own. Now Summer and Aidan must save each other’s lives in order to win the chance to revive their passion.

 

I’ll be picking this one up as soon as I get home tonight. Congratulations Anna!

*does a snoopy dance*