Congrats lady, keep it up.

I had to borrow from Eric B. and Rakim to properly set the tone for this post. I’ve been past swamped the past month or so, and I’ve not updated my blog here, or at my personal blog since then.  I’m not upset with myself though, mainly because I made a promise to myself to properly balance all of my writing related activities with those of my personal and professional lives.

But that said, I really want to update my blog at least once a week.  So I’ve decided to commit to updating my blog more often.  While I don’t think have much going on right now that’s really exciting, I have a couple ideas I want to run with.  Namely, doing a series of editorials and some craft related articles.  I’ve not nailed anything down 100%, but I will continue to  brainstorm on it.

I do have a bit of news (not good or bad) to share.  I was asked to re-submit my submission package to an editor that requested it at the Moonlight & Magnolias conference I attended in 2009.  The good news is that I’ve made some major changes in the heroine’s GMC.  While this means quite a significant amount of revisions to the 40,000+ words I’ve already written, I believe the story flows better and I know longer feel like I am trapped with a plot element I just don’t like and connect with.

Anywho, I sent the editor my submission package (which consists of a totally rewritten first 3 chapters).  I’m nervous about her reaction/decision, but I feel MUCH better about the content I sent.

Okay, off to produce some words, I’m out–but it will not be as long in between my posts again.

And oddly enough, it made me feel better.  Yes, I have been accused  of being strange (in fact I was told to my face quite emphatically this very thing yesterday by a friend  ), but it my mood actually improved after I read it. 

Yes, I’m disappointed that the very first agent I pitched to, and sent my very first submission packet  to, didn’t connect with my writing as I’d hoped.  But this is more than a simple “Thanks, but no thanks”, it’s  badge of courage, as well as part of the progress.  Several of my writing buddies were very supportive of me in accomplishing this milestone and have the courage to “put myself out there” as they put it.

Rejections are par the course for writers.  Success in the publishing game is all relative.  You can be hot today and not two weeks from now.   Many authors, after selling one, or several, books  find themselves in a position where they’re having a tough time selling  their new book(s).

So cheers to me on my very first, and probably not last , rejection letter and to me accomplishing one of my writing goals for this year. Woohoo!   So in the spirit of true perseverance, I will carry on with my wip, polish it up til it shines, and shop it around again.  Who knows, I still have one more submission package out there so there’s hope I may get a request for a full.

Once I got these 4 things done, I had the foundation I needed to do my synopsis.  The synopsis took a lot of work, even though I told myself to keep it high level and to concentrate on just moving the story from beginning to middle to end.  So 4 hours and 7 pages later I had the complete synopsis in my hand.  (And yes, it took me 2 hrs longer than I’d planned to finish it).

So today, I woke up with a plan.  A plan to get through at least the prologue and first chapter of the new & improved draft.  Silly me, I went into this little challenge  thinking this would be a breeze since I already had (in theory) the prologue through chapters 7 already done (from the previous draft).  Let me tell you, small changes to an outline can have a huge impact to the actual chapters.  So about 6 hrs later (probably more, but I refuse to acknowledge that I have now been sitting on my butt in one spot for over 6 hrs), I have my new prologue and chapter 1 down in the books.

CHA-CHING!!

I had to do a fair amount of deleting (painful), re-writing & tweaking of old words (time consuming) and addition (which was flowed much better than I’d thought).  I produced 4.895 words today, a personal best for me; yet one I don’t think I will ever try to do again.

WOOHOO!! Congrats lady

And not only did she sell her book, but she got a 3 book deal in the process.  So big shout out to Mynfel, you go girl.

Congrats Suzanne!!  

 So I asked Suzanne to share a little about the book  with me & she sent me over the book trailer and a blurb:

     Alexandria Montgomery doesn’t like or trust adventurer, Quinn Rafferty, but needs him to guide her through the jungles of Guatemala in search of her thieving ex-boyfriend who has stolen a priceless treasure map.     

    Deep in the jungle, Alex learns love can strike at any time with the least likely of men, and Quinn comes to the realization an uptight antique store owner, who upon their first meeting shot him, just might be the woman of his dreams.     

    But what will happen when Quinn discovers Alex has lied, and the treasure, earmarked as a way to provide for his mother and grandmother, doesn’t exist? Can he forgive her betrayal, or will he just walk away?  

If you like what you’ve seen and read so far about Along Came Quinn, please visit Wild Rose Press and pick up a copy.  Available in both ebook format and print.  I’ve already ordered mine, I’m getting a sexy “Indiana Jones in the Jungle” type vibe from the trailer and the blurb.  Now come on, what not to like about that combo?

So last week while chatting with my CP, I told her of an earlier version on my story and something clicked.   I turned away from an idea in favor of what I thought was a better plot point.  Now, 12 months later, I’m going back to my original idea because apparently that new idea was NOT the way to go.

So I’ve started over by rethinking the plot and doing some indepth character development.  I must say, I am really feeling a better energy surrounding this project now so I am beginning Worth Fighting For anew.  My goal is to complete my first draft within the next 4 to 5 weeks.  I know I can do it, I have fresh energy & motivation on my side, plus I have close to 50,000 words from the first draft that can be salvaged in some way, shape or form. 

I’ve reset my word counter, untied myself from the current draft (which was much harder than I thought) and now it’s time for me to get busy.  Today is Day 1 on my new journey with this project.

1. Mystery/Romantic Suspense
2. Historical
3. Contemporary
4. Mainstream/Single Title
5. Young Adult
6. Inspirational
7. Paranormal

New this year, the submission process is 100% electronic.  So polish up your first 15 pages and enter.  For complete contest & submission details click here.

For those of you unfamiliar with this contest, weekly winners are chosen from the pool of submissions for that week.  At the end, all of the weekly finalist will be review by the panel of final judges and they will choose a winner.

So if you have a killer first 1,000 words, stop by and enter.  I’ve already submitted my entry for the first week of consideration.

And in strangely beautiful news,  author Leanna Renne Hieber has posted the official book trailer and 3 excerpts from “The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker” on her blog.  Darkly Luminous is the much anticipated (at least by me   ) follow up to her best selling gothic Victorian fantasy “The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker”.  For those interested, you can find my review of Strangely Beautiful here.