Fun times!

On the writing front, I am pleased to let you all know that Letter of Marque, the sequel to No Quarter, is done! I’m just going back now to tweak a few things, then it’s off to my critique partners and then my editor. I am soooo happy to have this one done. I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

A note to those of you who entered the Name That Ship contest. I will be picking a winner this weekend. Stay tuned!

Next on my plate is a m/m novella I’m writing as part of a multiy author EC series. I have to say I’m super excited to be a part of this and can’t wait to get the story done. I’m traveling for business soon which means I’ll have time to write waiting at the airport. Have to look at the positive side of these things. hehee! Once I’m done that story, I’ve decided to do a very short Quickie as part of the EC Merry Kinkmas theme. Fingers crossed it gets accepted.

You might have noticed the lack of banner on my blog. My wonderful web guy is in the process of updating WordPress for me. He’ll have the pretty back soon.

Finally, I’m thrilled to let everyone know that my EC editor has finally joined Twitter! You can follow her at @BriannaStJames if you want to see the craziness I put her through.

Be safe and have a great rest of your week everyone!

And while I do have a laptop, I have the attention span of a crow and wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I was outside writing.

That said, I’ve been making steady progress on Letter of Marque, the sequel to No Quarter. I also have another BDSM novella in the works, and while I can’t give you any of the details yet, I am sooooo excited about that project. It will be big! Epic! Involves more than me!!

Letters is turning out to be an interesting story from my perspective. I have one character who I know very well – Mace for those of you who’ve read No Quarter. The other two men have been interesting to learn about. The little buggers have also changed on me! Alec is becoming much more analytical and yet passionate than I’d expected. Byron is still a smart ass, but he’s developing more protective qualities than I’d first intended. I like them! There will be some tweaking to do, but I think they have finally come into their own.

With luck, I’ll have the first draft finished in two weeks. If things go well, then I’ll have the final version off to my editor by the end of June! *does a snoopy dance*

I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather where you are.

Seeing as I loved FR with all my heart as a kid, it is fascinating as an adult and a writer to get a glimpse into how they constructed each episode. I hope you enjoy.

You can read the post here.

This has been brought even more to light for me as I’ve been rewatching some movies with my kids. At Christmas, my oldest daughter bought the Superman movie four pack. We’d been watching Smallville and she wanted to see the original movies. Great! I remember seeing number three as a kid in the movie theatre and thought what a great chance to relive my youth.

PAINFUL!!

I was shocked to see how thin the characters were, their motivation and the large, GLARING plot holes in the story. Yes, they are old, but it was more than them not standing the test of time. Color me more surprised when I realized it was written by Mario Puzo. The Godfather this isn’t. The writers didn’t draw on the rich history of the Superman world, leaving us with only the vaguest of charactures.

I’ve also been watching some of Jim Henson’s older movies with my kids. The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth are AMAZING movies. Like some of the better kids movies out there today, Henson knew that you don’t have to dumb the characters down in order for kids to be engaged. They understand the complexities of adult behavior more than we parents would like to admit. The characters are flawed, make bad decisions, make mistakes, but in the end they realize their errors and come out on top.

Pixar does much the same thing with their movies. My youngest put on Monsters Inc the other day. I was upstairs but could hear the story. There was so much spoken between the lines, the characters were complex and flawed.Finding Nemo is another example. The plots are basic, but the characters are complex landscapes where the writers can build a reaction in the viewed and steadily pull on our emotions.

Building a good character means digging down into their guts and understanding what drives them. Yes, this is very basic, but it shocks me how many people forget this. Jack Bauer and Jack Sparrow will react differently to the same situation (and wouldn’t that be a great movie LOL!) I know myself, I sometimes don’t dig down deep enough to find the core of who my characters are. When I do, I find so much more satisfaction in the resulting story.

This shouldn’t be a problem.

I haven’t been able to write anything since this mess started. Understandably, my creativity has been sapped a bit. But what it has done, is given me time to think. Its helped me focus on what I want my year to be like going forward.

First off, I’m going to start taking care of myself better. That means listening to my body and not ignoring things when they’re not right. Yes, women tend to do this a lot, but I won’t anymore. I’ve also learned that bad things can happen to me. It’s funny, I never considered before that something could. I know that sounds naive, but really, who does. I’m not old, I thought I was healthy, why would I think bad things were about to happen. I now know that I’m not invincible and need to put myself first so I can be there for my family.

On the writing front, I’ve learned that if I want things to move forward, I need to make them happen. No more sitting around thinking I can’t get an agent, or a bigger contract, or write the book I always wanted, just because it’s hard. Of course its hard, and I might even fail. But one thing I know for certain, it will never happen if I don’t try.

So, I’ve decided to start 2010 over. I go back to my day job on Monday after having been on sick leave for a month. I’m also going to start writing again and get those queries out to agents. No, I won’t giver up after getting five rejections and think I’m a sucky writer.

Positive side of life. It’s a nice place to be.

Personally, I love it!

So, I’ve jumped head first into my urban paranormal and have really connected with the plot and characters. For me, NaNo helps me get that first draft out of my head and onto the paper as quickly as possible. I know I will have to go back and add to the scenes, but the fundamentals will be there, ready and waiting.

In order to achieve the goal of hitting 50k in 30 days, you need to write 1,667 words a day. For some of you, this sounds like an awful lot. For others, a more than doable goal. For me, I’ve upped that goal to 3,000 words a day in the hopes I’ll get closer to finishing the first draft.

Today marks day six of NaNo, and I’m thrilled to say I’ve crossed the 15,000 word mark already. There is still another day and a half to go before week one is officially done. I’m going to try and push myself to cross 20,000 by end of day Saturday.

Crazy? I didn’t think there was any question of that.

If you are on Twitter, you can follow other NaNo folks by the #NaNoWriMo and #nanocout hash tags. Lots of fantastic people to keep your motivation going. Of course, there is also the official site at www.nanowrimo.org. If you’re interested, you can follow me there by searching for Christine99.

Who else is doing NaNo this year? How are you making out?

How to Protect Yourself

1. Wear Protective Clothing – The plot bunny is especially fond of comfort clothing. Avoid sweat pants, t-shirts and fuzzy socks at all costs. Yes, I know this will come as heart-ache to many of you. I myself mourned the loss of my green fuzzy socks, but trust me, you’re life is worth it!

2. Don’t Be Alone - It has been my experience that the plot bunny picks on solitary figures. Whether you are walking the dog, getting groceries, or doing the laundry, if you are on your own your mind will wander. Once distracted, the plot bunny will see this weakness and will pounce! My advice…don’t do laundry!

3. Watch What You Eat – The plot bunny is an addict. Chocolate, chips, coffee, mint Girl Guide Cookies (I’m selling them btw if you want any), are all favourites of the plot bunny. As these are staples for most writers, a decoy is necessary. Have carrots, beets and other “healthy foods” on hand. If you spot a plot bunny, THROW THIS AT THEM! They will flee in terror, leaving your cookies alone.

What To Do If You Are Attacked
Don’t Panic! If there are a group of plot bunnies, the most important thing you can do is not move. Many of them will lose interest and wander off. If you have a persistent attacker, the best thing you can do is try to distract it. Sacrifice the cookies if you have to!

If it is a single plot bunny attacking, you may have the opportunity to capture the creature. I will not tell you how to do this (safety protocols prevent me from doing so), but if you manage it, do your best to domesticate the creature. You never know what the end result will be.

*This post is the result of too much cold medication*

I have this tendency to drift off some days. I can be sitting there, working away on something, or doing the laundry and my mind drifts off. I’m choosing to believe there isn’t something wrong with me, but rather I’m getting into that spot where my characters start talking to me.

Wow, that really does make me sound a bit off my rocker LOL!

I really enjoy finding that writer’s head space. Sometimes its hard to get to if things around me are a bit insane, but most of the time it just happens. I think some of my best ideas have popped out when I’m drifting along. I’ve fixed plot issues when I’ve been doing the dishes thinking about nothing in particular.

It’s also interesting how I find myself working on new plots more in the fall than in the summer or spring. I’m not sure if it’s my way of dealing with the winter, or if I’m simply more introspective this time of year.

How about you? Do you find fall makes you more introspective? Do you read more, do more quite activities? Or are you one of those brilliant people who explode with energy and ideas this time of year?

Well, I’m sorry for the absence recently. Things are crazy as always in the household, but moving along nicely. I’ve recently finished edits on a book that I’ll be sending over to my Samhain editor (cross fingers that she likes it), and am at the halfway mark on a new erotic futuristic. The few people who have read the chapters I’ve done so far really like it. I’m going to push to have it finished and off to my EC editor by the end of the month.

Speaking of EC…

I just received my first review for The Bond That Saves Us!! It received 4.5 / 5 Nymphs from Literary Nymphs Reviews.

*does a snoopy dance*

Here’s a small peek…

The sexual tension between Amy and Sean starts off hot and only gets hotter, as these two lovers spend more time together, until their desire is molten hot and almost out of control. Both are afraid of admitting their need for the other, and the author does a wonderful job describing their unease, fear and confusion. Ms. d’Abo’s integration of old and new characters…friends was seamless, lending the story a sense of depth, caring and family.

You can check out the entire review here.

And on a side note. There was a problem with the contact form on my website. It’s been fixed by my wonderful web guy, so feel free to email me any questions or comments you may have.

*does a snoopy dance*

I so wasn’t expecting this to come out as soon as it is, but I have to say I’m tickled pink!! Over the next week, I’ll be posting some excerpts to tickle your fancy and get you all excited about the final Eternal Bond book.