Getting Close!

I'm almost finished with BTPM. After sort of dragging my feet these past couple of days, I finally seem to be on a roll with it. I basically have the last 12K to pull into chapters -- filling in any small gaps that might still be there. In that, I need to write a little over 4K...so not bad (most of that is the ending). I'm going to keep pushing tonight to see how far I get. If I can get within a day's worth of work, I'll be doing good. (g) Then perhaps I can knock out the rest tomorrow.

I've been getting very positive feedback at the kidcrit forum--and that's all I could really hope for. The great thing is that they're really helping me to tighten these chaps. Plus I have one critter demanding chapters as fast as I can put them up. (g) I love that it's caught her attention that way. My only problem is keeping up with the crits at this point. I feel like I've crit everything in sight already. (g)

Anyway, when I finish this book, I will be shouting from the hilltops! (g) I don't know why the last few thousand words are the hardest for me. Maybe I'm just not ready to let go of this one. It has been SO much fun to write -- gah, I love it more than I can say. It will be a joyous/sad occasion when I lay it to bed. I guess there's always book 2 to concentrate on -- boy is that one going to be a challenge. I will say that NOW. (g)

My biggest decision will probably be whether to work on book 2, or Narc 2. Oh..did I share this? I think I have a tentative title for book 2 (the BTPM series) -- WALKING IN SHADOW. (Close to Shadow Walker, eh? Well, I'm not changing this one -- it will be this, or some other variation. Shadow Walker will have to change if it becomes an issue. Simple as that. (g))

Anyway -- that's where I'm at. Back to work, I go.

Status of Faking It

I really don't have much to report these days. School is keeping me extremely busy and I haven't had much time to do anything other than an occasional crit.

I'm glad to report that I just sent out another partial for FAKING IT. Current count stands at one full and three partials out. Truth be told, the waiting and not knowing is KILLING me. (g) Oh well, I'm trying not to think about it when at all possible.

Things are going well with BTPM -- everything should be pulled completely together by this weekend.

I'm upset to report that soon all writing endeavors will have to take a serious backseat to schoolwork. I have finals looming in less than _four_ weeks. GAK! I also need to doubletime it with my research paper for my copyright seminar. Double Gak! (Although, this week was our last meeting -- so I'm still celebrating that. Don't get me wrong -- loved the class, but free time is _wonderful_ and hard to come by these days. It will save me two hours of class time, not to mention 2-3 hours of prep time. That's a lot of time, people! (g))

Other than that, I'm sad to say I have nothing much to report. Ohh! Ruby Luebe is doing okay. She's back at home and is sort of maintaining her prior level of alertness and activity, etc. She's celebrating her 80th birthday in May, so we look forward to that. My nutty sister is actually flying in for the event. LOL. That'll probably be a good time to slip her a copy of BTPM -- yup, best to get her when she can't get away. (g)

Not Quite There

Well, I haven't finished yet. LOL. Okay, so I'm human. I fell prey to procrastination and life. Truth be told, I got a bit carried away with writing a hook. I don't really know what it is about those things, but they give me such trouble. It's probably the single most frustrating thing for me (headache and curse-inducing misery) -- I'd rather write 10 non-fiction books about Blackacre and property rights. (g)

Anyway -- I'm up to chapter 13, and I'm currently working on the ending. There's really only a few things I need to do to help tie everything together, but I'm finding the small tweaks I need to make to be downright frustrating. My problem is that I rarely make changes to my first draft -- usually only do some clean-up and copyediting stuff. So, when I have to actually sit down and figure a way to add things in, I get fed-up quickly and my mind tends to wander. I always feel things are interrupting the flow or sound forced. Blah. Be that as it may, I am _determined_ to finish before the end of March. I will, I must, YES. LOL. I need to be able to go into finals knowing it's complete.

One great thing -- I posted my "sex scene" for comments. I wanted to know if it was too graphic, pushed the envelope a little too far, etc. Anyway, the head of kidcrit gave it a big thumbs up and said I could do one of two things. (1) Go ahead and send it as is, and see whether the agent asks me to tone it down or (2) Tone it down now and, should an agent pick me up, ask if they'd like to see the amped up version. I'm leaning toward the latter, although I _really_ love my scene as is. I just don't want to harm my chances with an agent if they have a firm line on how far they'll allow their authors to go. Better to play it safe, I guess. I'm happy that people seemed to think it was well-written, though. YAY. (g)

Anyway -- looks like I have a final hook. What do y'all think?

**

Makenna Reed knows all of her friends have their quirks, but when Ty shows up naked in her yard one morning, she finds it beyond weird. Stranger still are the deep gashes across Ty’s chest and his sudden ability to hear and smell things that no human should.

When her boyfriend tries to take advantage of her during a moonlit night, Ty’s secret is revealed when he comes to her rescue. He’s no longer the boy she’s crushed on forever, but rather a werewolf with one serious aversion for all things silver. Makenna is left wondering if he’s to blame for the recent death of one of their classmates, the apparent victim of an animal attack.

With the help of Melanie, the dead girl’s friend, they manage to prove Ty’s innocence, only to discover Makenna was the intended prey. Even worse, she’s still a target. In a race against the full moon, the trio struggles to find who murdered the young woman. However, without a way to cure Ty, they have no way of knowing who poses the greater threat: Ty or the unknown enemy.

BY THE PALE MOONLIGHT is an edgy young adult novel of 60,000 words and the first in a series.

**

Two days of work and there it is. LOL. I swear, there has to be an easier way. Don't even get me started on synopses... which is something I'll try to tackle AFTER the book is completed. LOL. I don't think my brain or mood could handle it right now. Don't hold me to that. (g)

Anyway -- other than that, I'm still waiting to hear back on two partials and the full for FAKING IT. That's something I've been wondering about. If I don't manage to attract an agent by time BTPM is ready, is it OKAY to query BTPM at the same time -- best book wins? LOL. That sounds so nutty to me, but I would think it's _possible_. Gah, too much to think about this late at night. I'm off to work on the ending of BTPM.

Whew!

I had a very productive day. I managed to finish 7 chapters -- piecing them all together and into what will _probably_ be their final arrangement. It was so much fun--I love watching this book take shape. One of my friends kindly read the chapters as I went, and seemed very pleased with how things were looking. YAY. (g)

Anyway -- I did a running word count and I've now pulled about 36K together -- not much more to go, and I must say that ain't bad for a day's work. (Well, I did three chapters before today, but you know what I mean.) So, ten chapters completed -- not sure how many more to go, but I really hope to finish this weekend.

I may have to start calling for beta readers soon -- anyone want to volunteer? (g) I'm so thrilled to be _this_ close to the end. Then on to book 2.

BTPM Passes

Well, I've officially received 5 or so crits on the first chapter of By The Pale Moonlight. So far, the response has been very good. I think the main crit I've received is that there are too many character names given in the first chapter. I'm on the fence on whether or not I agree--I think 2 of the 5 mentioned this concern. So, we'll see. I could conceivably cut out one...maybe two, but most are important for later in the book. But, I guess I'll wait until I finish posting the whole thing to make a final decision. I think I introduced 6-7 characters. For a scene that's taking place at a football game, I didn't think that was too many. LOL.

Anyway, I'm encouraged by these first positive crits -- chapter 2 is probably one of the roughest of the book. So, if that passes muster, hopefully it will be smooth sailing through the rest of it. One great thing is that after one woman read the first chapter, she PM'd me her email address so I can send the whole thing to her. LOL. That's very flattering and had the book been finished, I would've been more than willing. This weekend perhaps.

One of my friends reminded me that soon I'll have to write a query and synopsis for this book. Can I just say, UGH? (g) Don't get me wrong -- I _cannot_ wait to start the query process with this book. I think it has a great shot at being picked up. I just _really_ hate writing these things. (g) Especially the one page synopsis -- goodness, those are hard. (G) Oh well -- I'll think of them in a positive light. If I need to write one, then that means I'm able to send the book out. YES. Can't wait for that. I know I have a long time to go before I reach that point, but I'm feeling good about the prospect.

I haven't achieved much writing -- but I do have the first three chapters ready for posting -- and will probably get the next 3 (at least) tomorrow. I think I'm just going to slowly make my way through the book and fill in any holes I come across as I go. The final scene is sort of marinating right now -- but soon I'll finish that up, too.

Anyway -- a busy week with all of the additional crits I've been doing, but hopefully it will all be worth it. I've enjoyed a lot of the stories in kidcrit -- it's fun to focus on children's books, to see the creativity of some of the writers involved. Nice, happy writing. (g) Of course, I have to go and get all dark on them. LOL. But, I'm really enjoying it -- it's almost hard to stop critting the chaps posted. (g)

Okay--I'm off to read. Did I mention I picked up the sequel to TWILIGHT the other day? Yeah, I'm a sucker. I even splurged on the hard cover. LOL. Oh well -- I'm all about supporting fellow authors. :)

Car Crash in Progress

I haven't done much writing since Saturday. I think I got a bit caught up with school starting back up -- not doing homework, mind you. Just fretting about it. (g) I really enjoyed this last week -- I have such a passion for writing, and to have a little taste of what it would be like to devote all my time to it was just good/horrible. Good because I LOVED it... Horrible because it reminds me how much I really despise school. (G)

Anyway, I've joined that kidcrit forum I mentioned. It's always hard being new on one of those things -- I felt the need to crit like mad, just so people know I Mean Business. So, my own writing has suffered a bit. Oh well, back on track on Wednesday. Getting over the hurdle of Mon/Tues is always a challenge -- clear sailing after I clear hump day, though. Can't wait. I _will_ finish BTPM this weekend...100% guarantee it. I was flipping through TV this afternoon (setting my naptime ambiance (g)) when I ran across that wonderful scene from ROMANCING THE STONE -- you know the one...the Joan Wilder moment. (g) It got me _totally_ geared up for finishing BTPM. I can't wait. Wonder if I'll throw a Joan Wilder with this book...

Oh -- and I posted a chapter at the forum.. SCARY sending my baby off to school. (g) I've only received one crit so far (new kid on the block thing again), but the one I got was very positive. So, HAPPY DANCE. I'm sure more will come soon -- just gotta get my name out there. I'm itching to post another chapter...but I think it might be a little too soon. (g) They have no idea what they've gotten with me. LOL. When I posted FAKING IT, I blitzed the boards with 5-7 chapters at a time. (g) Gotta remind myself that others don't work at my pace.

Oh well..

One last bit -- I wanna ask everyone to pray for my Grandmother. She had two mini-strokes today. Last February, she had a pretty major one that sent her into rehab for a couple of months. She hasn't been the same since, and well, it's just really scary to have her experiencing these things when she seemed to be really on the mend. So, prayers...pink lights...whatever...please. For Ruby Luebe. Love ya, Grandma.

Revelations

I'm probably within a few days of finishing BTPM. I'm so excited by the amount of progress I've made over this past week. Total written is over 25K at this point -- how cool is that?

One thing about this book is that I've pretty much known how I _thought_ it would end for quite a while now -- barring a few variations on the same idea. (g) Anyway, even knowing the end result I wanted, I had no idea how I would get there. I've never had such a blank ending. LOL. Usually when I start out, that's just about the only thing I really know about a book. I mean, heavens, I've known my ending for COTM for a LONG time -- way before I knew what the guts of the book would be.

Tonight I _finally_ broke through that barrier and can now see what will happen pretty clearly. I wrote a good chunk of the big finale, and will try to finish it up tomorrow. YAY on finally getting it going. I was really starting to worry. LOL. And it's a perfect set up for the sequel. I'm so eager to begin that book (though school may disagree about where I've prioritized it (g)).

Anyway -- thought I'd share my late night good news.

Progress on By The Pale Moonlight

I did my thing today. Printed the whole wip out and reordered the scenes--scissors, paperclips, and slips of paper abounded. I have it all pretty much laid out the way I think it will go -- and let me tell you, it ain't half bad. (g) I'm actually pleasantly surprised how the story really sucked me in, and it read quite well. Sure, due to the chunk method, there are some things that will need to be moved around and such, but all in all, I think I did a pretty good job of roadmapping this sucker in my head. So, YAY.

I'm at 47K, just 13K to go -- max, I hope. I should be able to cut that in half (at least) by Sunday night. I hope to join kidcrit by the beginning of April so I can start posting this for crits. I know that's fast, but I believe in jumping in head first. (g) Hopefully, it will go over well and won't be a complete bloodbath, leaving me to rethink the whole book. LOL. Being as this is my first shot at YA, and only my second novel, you never know. But, I'd say about the beginning 3/5ths of the book is _almost_ complete. I just have to basically concentrate on the big finish now. It's so exciting.

Crit Groups

I've been part of a crit forum for a little over a year now. I remember very well what it felt like to join it. After all, it was really the first time I dipped my big toe into the murky waters of public criticism. (g) Although I'm a little battle worn, I have come out the other side relatively unscathed. Plus, I'm still writing. LOL. Guess they didn't deter me, no matter how hard it seemed some tried at times.

I learned a lot in the past year, and hopefully, it shows in my writing. I look back at some of my earliest chapters posted for critique and I CRINGE. LOL. Not to say it's completely horrible, but back then I didn't know the simplest of rules about how to format a book (Gah, I couldn't punctuate dialog correctly to save my life!). If that original book ever sees the light of day, it will require a major overhaul. Of course, even though it's very cringe worthy, I see its potential. So, perhaps all is not lost with it.

Anyway, I've given it some thought, and I think it might be time for me to pull up stakes and move on. I'm really not enjoying the general tone I see on this particular board right now. I'm all about having confidence in your work...and I agree with the adage that you shouldn't write by committee... but the lack of humility as of late is a bit tough to stomach. It seems the general attitude lately is "If you don't like my work, you just don't _get_ it" and "If you do like my work, you're obviously an intelligent reader who's on my level." *blinks*

I actually read someone compare their own work to a full course meal with a glass of sherry and a cigar after -- while simultaneously saying that a lot of the other members liked happy meals. Being as I'm just about the only person to recommend this particular writer make big cuts to her wip, I can only assume this is directed at me. My knee-jerk response is that verbal diarrhea with no direction is not the same as a full course meal... but, I digress.

Anyway -- yeah, I think it's time to move on. Perhaps someday I'll go back. We'll see. Right now I'm very excited at the prospect of joining the kidcrit group linked to this same forum. I know of some really awesome writers in this particular section, and I can't wait to have them take a whack at BTPM.

I guess if my gut is telling me to leave, it's probably the right decision. Nevertheless, it does make me sad to go.

Re: Chunk Writing

I've been writing my tail off the past few days and have managed 15K on BTPM. I'm getting so close, I can taste it. By the end of this week, I should be within 5-8K of my final goal wordcount. *Yay* As I draw closer to the end, I've been thinking about taking some time to order the scenes in my book - see how that puppy reads.

I write in chunks. I write randomly, without an outline. It's quite an adventure not knowing what to write each time I pull up my wip. When I first start writing a book, I usually have a general idea of what I think the story will be -- whether it's specific scenes I see playing out in my mind, or more of an emotional arc I feel. But as I move forward, it usually mutates into something else, which is much better than what I imagined. BTPM is getting to the point where I can see the layout and will be able to spot what is missing to flesh out the story. So, yeah, it's probably time to sequence that sucker.

So, my process for this? Oh, man. I'm a disaster. I hear people talk about their intricate filing systems on their harddrives... how they develop spreadsheets to track what they have... I ENVY them for their organization. Such things DO NOT work for me. LOL. If I tried doing things that way, I'd inevitably screw something up and spend more time trying to organize my files than actually writing. So, I use my tried and true method -- despite the complete insanity of it all.

I write in one document the entire time, simply tacking on the new stuff at the end each time. So, I basically have this big ole' document (right now it's running about 105 pages, single spaced) with everything in the order I wrote it -- all kinds of willy nilly happening there. With Narc, I printed the sucker out and took a pair of scissors to it...chopping it up, matching up the scenes I thought went together -- putting the whole thing in the correct sequence. When I didn't know for sure where something went in the storyline, I pulled it aside until I could figure it out. Nutty, eh? But, it worked for me, so I ain't gonna fix what isn't broken. Perhaps someday I'll come up with something better. LOL. But for now -- tried and true.

So, my point? Well, I don't really have one. (g) I just thought I would share my completely random methods for anyone who cares to listen. I guess I'm a testament to NOT needing an intricate program or software to write. Pen and paper, baby. It works. You just have to find the method that works for you.

TWILIGHT

As I posted a few days ago, I'm delving into the unknown world of the YA. More importantly, I'm trying to research Urban Fantasy YA's so I can get a feel for what's out there -- how they're written -- what types of plotlines are working, how complicated they are, how they handle sex, the list goes on and on. I simply want to _know_.

Anyway, first on the block is TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer. It's a bestseller, so I figured I'd start right at the top. The question in my mind -- what made this book sell so many dang copies -- and how can I do it _better_? (Yeah, goodluck, right? lol) Verdict: LOVED the beginning, hated the middle...ambivalent about the ending... and ABSOLUTELY want to read the next book.

Brief Synopsis: Isabella Swan, a seventeen-year old high school student, moves to a small town in Oregon to live with her father. Once there, she discovers this mysterious family--the Cullens--and finds herself strangely attracted to the youngest of the clan: Edward Cullen, who just so happens to be a hundred-year old vampire. Mayhem and hormonal urges ensue.

Let me first say that I loved Isabella (Bella) right from the get-go. She was intelligent, independent, and she wasn't down with the superficial BS that so many kids are caught up with today. I found her completely intriguing. Then she met the vamp. Hmm, how do I put this? She met this vampire and became a complete idjit. All of a sudden she's pouting a lot, whining, and constantly begging him to stay with her. Talk about co-dependent. Now, I know vampires are supposed to have a certain mojo they use on people, but the sudden switch didn't make sense to me. I want the old Bella back!

Then there's the vamp. He's hot, he's pale, and he has an unrelenting attraction for Bella. You gotta admit -- whether you like vampire stories or not, there's something very seductive about them. In the beginning, I couldn't wait for them to get together. You could see him fighting his attraction and it made it so yummy waiting for them to give in. Then they did and cute vamp turned into a jerk. He had more mood swings than a menopausal woman. Good. God. One second he's happy...the next he's angry...back and forth, back and forth. Good grief, give the boy a Midol. Worse even is the fact that Bella would apologize when he became angry -- and worry she was doing something wrong. HELLO -- NO..

And of course, within a week they're hopelessly in love. *sigh* I dunno...I like romance just as much as the next person, but love in a week -- with a complete stranger -- doesn't strike me as plausible, even if there's vampire mojo involved. Call me old-fashioned, but I like a relationship to be based on _something_ other than hormones.

All that, and you're probably wondering why I want to read the next book. My answer? I have no idea. I think it's the vampires. LOL. I mean, they're sexy -- they have these amazing abilities that make them super-human and they're always saving the damsel from the clutches of death. What more could you want?

I will say in this book's favor -- the plotting was good and fast-paced. Meyer added her own flourishes to the whole "vampire" thing -- some rather unique. (I won't spoil them for you.) She had some really genuinely laugh out loud moments in there. I loved that Bella is an absolute klutz (something I was planning on working into Shadow Walker -- so please don't think I got it from this book when I actually write it. (g)) There were also some really great moments that made me say "Dang, I wish I thought of that!" The ending "uh-oh" moment kept me turning the pages in a need to know what would happen... so, yeah, I guess you could say I liked the book despite the characters. LOL.

To my disappointment -- No SEX. Okay, I'm not a perv or something, but I really wanted to see how she would handle it so I know where the bar is set. LOL. Trust me, after all the whining and mood swings, I didn't want to see them take to the sack. (Okay, maybe a little ;))

Buy or Rent? Buy -- what the heck -- it's a 500 page book, probably worth the 9 buck cover price. You can always pass it off to a teenager you know.
(Of course, this is only if you want to actually read YA (g))

Diaster Films

I don't really have much to report. Well, I've been writing my butt off. I've managed about 7K of new words on BTPM in the past 3 days -- and I'm extremely pleased with the results. All of the little details seem to be tying up very well -- connections being made, chunks linking together. I may actually be able to order this book pretty soon. It seems like I'm filling in areas nicely and mainly have the ending of the book to work on. That works. That means I _could_ start posting for critiques soon. We'll see. I do think it's better to enter that step with a completed manuscript. Otherwise, it's a little too distracting to the creative process. I waited with Narc 1 and it worked out very well.

Anyway, I want to take a moment to talk about one of my favorite genres of film -- The disaster movie. (g) I know this is completely random, but The Towering Inferno was on tonight and I'd never seen it before. Gah, what a great movie.

And yes, I know the disaster movies of that era -- The Posiedon Adventure, When Time Ran Out, The Towering Inferno, The Titanic -- are all from the same cookie cutter. But man, you gotta love them. You have the rich benefactor who owns an establishment -- the best, the brightest, the indestructible [insert building, hotel, ship, whatever] that he has unwavering faith in. There's the bad guy who somehow misleads said benefactor into believing he can trust his pride and joy. There's the hero (remarkably played by Paul Newman most times) who sees the disaster coming and NO ONE will listen to him. Except his hot woman, of course.

Speaking of Paul Newman, why is it that in every disaster movie he ends up carrying someone on his back to safety? There's always your token kid or two for said rescue (in this particular movie, Bobby Brady made an appearance in a stunning pair of red jeans -- harkens me back to the days I had a pair of green cords. What were our parents thinking?), and he just plops them on his back and scales whatever obstacle is in his way. I guess he must've looked good that way. But I digress.

These movies are almost stupidly predictable. Seriously, if you can't guess what's coming next, I don't know what to do for you. (g) The basic gist -- indestructable [something] -- where there are lots of rich, stupid people hanging out. Some disaster they say COULDN'T happen, does... they refuse to believe it... The hero (who saw it coming) runs around like Chicken Little yelling "The Sky Is Falling!!" and only a said few will actually believe him. By time most realize he was right, it's TOO LATE. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

The only truly unpredictable thing about these movies is there are NO RULES regarding who they'll kill off. Big, big stars have been offed in these movies -- just cuz their name is on the marquee doesn't mean they'll survive. Of course, Paul always makes it, cuz who could kill off Chicken Little? Oh wait, guess that doesn't quite work for Gene Hackman in The Poseidon Adventure. (g) But generally speaking.

While there have been some interesting modern movies of this ilk -- Dante's Peak, Posiedon, The Day After Tomorrow, to name a few -- the oldies are truly the goodies in this genre. The special effects suck -- really badly, actually... but man, where else are you going to see such a fine collection of actors? TTI had Paul Newman, Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Steve McQueen...the dude from the Thornbirds. Hell, even O.J. made an appearance to save a kitten from the blaze (heh, talk about ironic). And Robert Wagner, who had a truly valiant run through a burning corridor before going pop, sizzle.

You know the ending before you begin the movie, but you're still on the edge of your seat the entire time. That's good filmmaking.

All I can say -- WANT MORE.

Market Research

I recently vowed to myself that I would become more attuned to the YA market. I mean, if I want to write for young adults, I need to know what they want. Right? Granted, I'm not starting completely clueless. I was an _avid_ reader when I was a kid -- I loved (heck, LOVE -- because I still do) Christopher Pike books. Man, there's nothing better than CHAIN LETTER, FINAL FRIENDS, WEEKEND...I mean, come on. That's some good stuff! Heck, I even got into R.L. Stine's Fear Street series.

Anyway, with this vow in mind, I headed on over to my friendly B&N today. (Quick sidenote -- The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson was finally taking up some space on the shelves. Did you hear it made the USA Today Bestseller list, debuting at #82?? Go Vicki! I'm about halfway through it, and will post a review when I finish.) I (much to my surprise) couldn't find any YA about werewolves.. I found that interesting. Maybe I missed them? LOL. Or maybe they're waiting for MY book. Okay, so I probably missed 'em.

I perused, I hemmed and hawed... yeah, there are _a lot_ of YA's on the market. Unfortunately, some of the books I was interested in getting weren't in stock. They'd have book 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. but they wouldn't have the first. I simply can't start in the middle of something that way. I'll have to see if I can order them online.

I ended up with two books I'm excited to read. Neither deal with werewolves, but they're definitely on the darker side of things, seem to have older MC's, and are geared toward older teens.

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer -- which is about vampires and involves the words "deeply seductive" and "a love story with bite" as described on the back cover. Yowsa. Sounds good.

WICKED by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie -- About witches (if the title didn't give it away). Oh...too cool. I just realized it's a double book. Heh. It's the first two books in a 4 part series -- WITCH and CURSE. How's that for a double whammy? Love that. Looks to be about three friends who find themselves thrown into a circle of witchcrafty intrigue. (g) I made that word up -- witchcrafty.

For good measure, I picked up an adult mystery:

CANDY APPLE RED by Nancy Bush -- About a private investigator. Looks fun and light -- and since it was finally in paperback, I figured, why not?

OKAY...she STOLE my cover blurb. It reads -- "Move over Stephanie Plum, Jane Kelly has arrived!" (per Lisa Jackson)

HELLO...MY book is supposed to read, "Move over Stephanie Plum, Madison Krauss has arrived!" Hrm. (And if you haven't suspected yet, YES... I'm currently sipping on a venti (large) caramel frappaccino with extra whipped cream. I'm a tad bit caffeinated right now.)

Distractions

It's been a nutty week. First, I was a bit disappointed because my partial was rejected...then I was up again because I received _another_ partial request. This constant roller coaster ride can be a bit tiring. I'll be honest. I haven't accomplished much in the past few days. Not only have my emotions been all over the place, but school is interrupting. Mondays and Tuesdays are always rough, but I think my batteries are worn down, period. I'm really looking forward to springbreak, which starts at 11:45am This Friday. Can you tell I'm excited?

My main goal for the time off is to get a good chunk of BTPM written. I _hope_ to finish the first book by the end of March. I spent last night and part of the morning reading through what I have, and you know, it's Good. Sure, there are rough patches, but I found myself really pulled in by the story. It inspired me to finish the book. I think I'm going to snoop around the YA section at B&N one day this week. I need to start getting a _real_ feel for what's out there and who The Agent to query is. It's never too early to get started on that stuff, I guess. Of course, I could get lucky and land an agent with Narc -- one that also handles YA would be nice. LOL. It would be _too_ weird to be shopping two novels at the same time. Oh goodness. (g) I don't know if I could handle all that stress. But you do what you gotta do.

Oh to have an agent so I wouldn't have to constantly worry about queries AND writing my next book. I envy those agented folks. (g) We agent-challenged people are a sad lot.

Guess I better stop jabbering and start writing. I have _a lot_ of words to get down.

The Scent of Shadows

In case you haven't checked it out yet, I wanted to remind everyone to go pick up Vicki Pettersson's debut novel, The Scent of Shadows.