What Am I Up To? #DeathMask #Darksoul #amediting

What am I doing? Writing guest posts for the Death Mask blog tour that will begin November 14th. There will be at least two (2) rather long flash fiction pieces (2k each). I'm thinking about writing one or two more but it depends on time. 

I got lucky. I completely spaced that I should set something up for Death Mask's release. When I asked on Facebook if anyone minded hosting me, I received several replies back. The tour is one week and my hope was for five volunteers. I received eleven (11) which was completely awesome. So there are three interviews, two flash fictions, and five guest posts that I'm going to be putting together. The guest posts are the hardest, in my opinion, because I have to make sure that I don't give away spoilers while talking about elements of the story. 

The flash fiction never stays below 1k or less for me, which shouldn't surprise me because I can't write the short stuff. Flash fiction isn't any different. But while writing the first one, Opium and Lung, I suddenly wanted to drop everything and write another installment of Black Harbingers. The story that came to mind wasn't even one I've been considering writing for the MC. 

This is me throwing a fit because I just can't right now. I have to finish this stuff for the blog tour and then move back to the edits for Darksoul--which are taking forever.

You don't even know how much I want this story off my plate. I'm so tired of looking at it. If I don't hurry up I'll end up commissioning a new cover which would make the money I spent on it earlier this year a waste. I should just quit complaining and get back to work because it will be finished soon. I am considering turning this one into an audiobook... maybe... perhaps... it just all depends on the sales. 

But once I get this off my desk then I can truly start on Bespoken. Freaking finally. With the exception of the flash fictions and I haven't worked on a new story, put down new words since I finished Releasing Chaos in July. That's a freaking long ass time to be doing edits. Since then, I've worked on edits for Werewolf's Tale, Death Mask, Darksoul, Devil's Heart, and organized and wrote materials for two blog tours. (And there was the week-long Birthday Bash.) Here in the next couple of weeks I'm expecting the galley for Death Mask, so there will be a additional round there, too. 

Of those projects listed above, Werewolf's Tale is released. Death Mask will be released soon. I'm hoping Devil's Heart will be good enough to send out to beta readers (I just might torch that ms if I have to do anymore edits on it). And that leaves Darksoul currently on my desk. 

I'm so tired of edits that last night I dreamed of spending the next year writing stories in a house out in the middle of nowhere. All I did was write. If I'm dreaming about it, I'm in agony. Something's gotta give.

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Birthday Bash: Sneak Peek at the WIP Devil's Heart #giveaway

Welcome back to the birthday bash!!

Today, I'm reading from a work-in-progress called Devil's Heart. During the recording, I give out a lot of information for the series. So I'm going to leave you to listen to first. When you're finished, I'll give more information about the series Kenzie and I have planned.

Devil's Heart is my first collaboration with another author. Kenzie Cade is the expert. She and Piper Vaughn wrote the Prickly Business books together, so she and old hate. I admit I was nervous because my drafts are crap and I've seen Piper's and Kenzie's when they were writing together and I geeze, their WIP was so clean all of the time. By comparison, my was chopped liver. So I was self-conscious of revealing to someone how messed up my first draft (and second and third) really was. :)

On the video, I gave a pretty good background on the futuristic world. One of the things that I didn't talk about was the cyberpunk element of the series. We really should say cyberpunk-ish because the plot doesn't center around conflict among artificial intelligences, hackers, or among megacorporations.

For the record, cyberpunk is (from Wiki) "a subgenre of science fiction in a future setting that tends to focus on the society of the proverbial "high tech low life" featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as information technology and cybernetics, juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order."

In Devil's Dawn, the humans could stand on equal footing with the fae because most humans incorporated cybernetics into their bodies, making themselves safe from fae manipulation because of the metal. The nations' armies had soldiers replace an arm or both of their legs to keep their fighters from being taken over by the fae.

The first book in the series takes place about 15 years after the war (If I remember correctly) and the humans are still incorporating cybernetics into their bodies. The plot of the 3rd book in the series will more closely follow the cyberpunk side of this series than the other books will, so therefore--cyberpunk-ish... :D

I hope something about this book/series has whet your appetite! We are having a bit of fun mixing the fae magick with this kind of setting, and Kenzie and I are excited to hear what people think. <3

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** Note: Participants will be required  to comment (at least once)the list from most to least which series--Sumeria's Sons, Valespian Pact, and I.O.N.--they'd like to win. (The rafflecopter widget will have this.) Entries will remain open until October 1st.

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Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

What's Happening In My Neck Of The Woods

Many different things are going on this week. Ruby Red releases on March 2nd (this coming Wednesday) and I turned in the galley.

There will be two giveaways. A publisher giveaway hosted by Hearts On Fire Reviews starting February 28th. (I'll post the link here on the blog for easy access, as well as Tweet and FaceBook the links.)

On March 2nd, Queer Sci-Fi is hosting me and there will a different giveaway happening (choice of my backlist. I'll also post the link here).

Yesterday, I signed a contract with Less Than Three Press for Death Mask, my submission to their Roughhouse Raiders call. Totally stoked about that. I really loved Death Mask but I was a bit apprehensive at first, but the beta feedback was awesome. Can't wait until it comes out!

I'm commissioning a map for Darksoul. I'm really excited to see the end result. :) (Note: I don't have release info for Darksoul yet. >.< Several things happened to push the editing process back. I'll post updates as they come.) I am also thinking about commissioning Darksoul into audio. I'm still researching the possibility. To be honest, it will depend on cost and whether or not I can afford it. But I'm hopeful. :)

With the exception of four or five days, February has been the month of edits. Yesterday, I received the 2nd round for Werewolf's Tale. I've also seen edits on Darksoul, Ruby Red, Fate & Destinies, Devil's Heart (editing and writing), and pre-sub editing for Death Mask.

I've also been reviewing Releasing Chaos, the last book in the Sumeria's Sons series. I ran into several stumbling blocks last year and I'm hoping the fixes I have in mind will push the project forward to completion. Reviewing has flipped over to editing as I cut out the parts that caused the problems and rewrite them. I'm linear and so I can't start where I stopped without fixing what came before. It helps to rearrange my thoughts and put me on the right path the story needs to go in. A pain in the ass, I assure you, but it's how my brain works.

Oh! I almost forgot. LT3 will be translating both Ruby Red and Werewolf's Tale later this year. That's pretty awesome. They will be the first of my work that's translated and I'm excited to see how the outcome. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!

Next!! Out With The Old, In With The New #ReleasingChaos

For a good portion of January, I was deep in  first round of edits for the second book of my ION series, Werewolf's Tale and a Druid Sword. The first book in that series, Ruby Red Booty Shorts and a Louisville Slugger will be released this coming March. Whoot! 

So working on the second book (Werewolf's Tale for short because I detest using the initials WTaaDS) was a bit of an eye opener. Between the time submitted and when the ms came back to me, I'd grown--I know this happens. Over time, my writing will improve and will probably change and sometimes it's really evident, to me at least. When I return the manuscript it looks like the scene of a murder. Not that this is a bad thing, just frustrating. Honestly, I think I was spoiled with the ease of all the re-releases last year because the prose had already been picked over with a fine-tooth comb.

The funny thing was that even while I was strangling Werewolf's Tale, I was all like, "Oh, I'd forgotten how much I liked this ION world. I have a partially written standalone in this world that would be a piece of cake to finish in no time. Hot Damn!" BUT I couldn't do anything until I finished Death Mask for the Roughhouse Raiders submission call.

Imagine my excitement when I sent Death Mask out for beta review! Whoot! NEW PROJECT! I love starting new projects. It's almost as fun as going to the book store. Since I'm switching gears, I gather up all my world notes and the binders I hand wrote the majority of the story in, bind them together and put them away. 

Then I pulled out the notes for the ION standalone. I don't have a name yet that I like. I've called it The Soul of an Animal Like Me and Soulless, but I don't like either one. Any way, the manuscript sits at 25k and I recall stopping at the halfway point, so piece of ca... Ugh, really?

I began the story 3-4 years ago and it shows. Odd starting point, terrible opening chapter, telling-telling-telling--where-the-hell-is-the showing...

Okay. So that was a no-go because I would basically be rewriting everything. A quicky it would not be. Since it wouldn't be fast and easy, then I pulled out Releasing Chaos, the last book for Sumeria's Sons. I winced when I looked at the date of the last change. I hadn't worked on it since June of last year--with good reason. Something(s) wasn't working and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. But fresh eyes are always good. Time and distance does wonders when figuring out the issues of a manuscript.

Right off the bat, I know I'm going to rewrite the intro scene. I'm hoping that I don't end up chucking all of the 31k, but I did do that with Dragon's Eye... 3 times. So we'll see. With this being the last book of the series, I want it to be the best one of the whole series. When you read  that last page, I want you to think, "Wow! That was so awesome!" Maybe even, "Holy crap, that was messed up!" Or "Why am I crying over an urban fantasy?" With what I have in mind, I think I can accomplish that but the issue is getting what is in my head onto paper--and to stop biting my nails to the quick over something I haven't written yet... LOL!

So Releasing Chaos is officially on the agenda. I'm also working on the first book of a series with Kenzie Cade, Devil's Heart. Sometime or another, I'm expecting edits for Darksoul (Yay!) Between those three February will be full and I'm not complaining. Wish me luck!

Thank you for stopping by and reading!!