2014 is nearly over and I've spent the last few weeks celebrating holidays, missing Pooh, and finishing (finally) Saint. In a few days, I'll publish my 7th book of the year and the final one in the Damaged series. Candy Girl, Sally, and my beta readers saved my ass with this one.
Let me get nostalgic and look back at the year. I had planned to blog less because of time constraints. The BBA blog took a lot of my time. Making those idiots seem funny ain't easy, you know? Fortunately, the main BBA imploded, turning on her allies. In her heyday, she posted private emails and group conversations. After she pissed off enough people, her emails and group conversations were posted. She threw whiny fits and played the victim, but no one was impressed. Especially not karma who is known to be a bitch.
Miranda and I were able to put the BBA blog on vacation after posting our payback (you know, for them posting our private info). STGRB stayed around for a while longer, running with paranoid accusations. All we had to do was not refute them and the dorks lost their minds. It was pretty funny.
Other bloggers now focus on the leftover BBAs since STGRB went silent. We share our info when someone asks for help, but otherwise the entire scene is old news.
Professionally, I had a weird year. Aiming for ten books, I was lucky to publish seven. Gator and Little Memphis expanded my Bijou brand. I enjoyed a productive late spring/early summer when I published three books in three months. This year, I also had long stretches when I didn't publish anything. Saint alone took over three months to finish. Not cool.
In 2015, I'm aiming for eight books since the last three years I've published seven. I plan to focus on both series and standalone novels. I'm also expanding my brand by working on a box set with a lot of really cool authors.
I tried a few different marketing avenues with varying success. I've never requested a spot on Bookbub, so it's something I'll try next year. I know it's tough to get approved, but I should have plenty of books to submit. Fingers crossed that one of them will make the grade.
Next year, I need to stay focused and keep doing what's worked. I also plan to try new things like marketing towards non-Amazon outlets and international markets. Finally, I'd like to get a few audio books out. If I had one major publishing problem this year, it was my lack of consistency. Even with the large gaps when I didn't publish, I earned $15,000 more than in 2013. The readership is out there, despite the naysayers. I just need to keep my fanbase while reaching new readers.
My resolutions aren't so different than last year's. Write more. Expand my marketing techniques. Focus on positive people. Ignore the negative ones. This year was full of stress and sadness along with peace and joy. I have a wonderful family, a great BFF, and awesome readers. With so many blessings, can I really complain?
Christmas is nearly here. Tree is up. Cards are mailed. Presents have been bought. Normally this would be a quiet time of year, yet nothing about this year has been normal.
Pooh remains in the hospital, but this should be his final last week there. He'll be in his new home by Christmas. Once he's settled, the rest of the family can begin to relax. One of my hopes for 2015 is for tranquility.
This year, Miranda and I transitioned away from blogging. We focused less on stupid people doing stupid things and more on smart people making smart moves. Miranda learned new tricks for sexy covers. I expanded my author brand by publishing standalone romances. Despite wishing I put out more books this year, I'd say we took many positive steps. Even with the asshat movement fractured and quiet, I do have a new BBA obsession. I'll call her Glenn Close because she has a Fatal Attraction kind of "love" for a special guy. Anyway, Glenn is fascinating, but she isn't really an author. Not even an "Author."
Glenn is just a troubled young woman with delusions of grandeur. Yet whenever I need a break from RL problems, I check out her Twitter feed and blog. The way she sees the world is pretty damn interesting. Though I pity the people she targets.
For my next post, I'll do the whole New Year's resolutions. Until then, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
God never gives us more than we can bear. I believe this with all my heart, but there are moments when I doubt I'm as strong as God thinks. This year has brought many of those moments as Pooh's health deteriorated. In the last few weeks, his troubles hit a peak and only prayers kept us afloat.
Again a glimmer of hope revealed itself. Now the pressure slowly begins to lift away. God really does know how much we can bear.
As Pooh finally gets the help he needs, the rest of my family adjusts to our new reality. Things haven't settled down quite yet. However, we're making strides to get into a more relaxed groove. Roo and I are even planning to have our first visit to Denny's in over a month. He'll do schoolwork while I write Saint.
Even as far behind as I am on my books, I feel like a few solid weeks of writing is all I need to finish Saint and complete the main edit. Once I get the book into the hands of Miranda and Sally (with Sarah, Patty, and Stacie after them), I'll be able to focus on Broken Memphis.
Next year is pretty booked. I'll attend two signings (which is nothing compared to the schedule of most midlist authors). I'm working on my first contribution to a box set. I also plan to look into audio books. My main goal for next year though is to publish a lot.
Since Broken Memphis won't be out in 2014, it'll be added to the list of books for next year. I have a ton of them. Yet even with planned series and standalone books, I plain to try my hand at erotica shorts. Why? Think of it as doinking for dummies.
I started my writing career with Christian fiction. The love scenes were all fade-to-black. In one case, Sally wasn't certain a newly married couple even had sex because of how vague the scene was written. So when I began writing urban fantasy, I needed to be more specific. With romance, the scenes became even more graphic. While I worked to be more creative, Miranda still teases me about my wording for each doinking scene.
So I've been doing research and now want to have a little fun. I've come up with a few contemporary erotica ideas along with a few paranormal ones. Clearly, I can't focus on them currently since I'm behind with my must write projects. Next year, I'll give it a try. I'm even thinking up pen names.
Next year will bring new opportunities, yet 2014 isn't quite over. In fact, Thanksgiving is only days away then Tigger's birthday and Christmas. To prepare for the holidays, I'll finish my post with a list of what I'm most thankful for:
The Lord
Sally, Tigger, Pooh, and Roo
Miranda and my warmhearted friends
My patient and loyal readers
My two kitties and Sally's stinky dog
The roof over my head, food in the fridge, money in the bank, and stories in my head.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy a lovely song from the lovely Christina Perri.
Life in limbo sucks. I like a forward momentum to my days, but for the last week especially, I feel stuck. Pooh's health remains poor and finding him the proper care has proven difficult. We can only wait to hear back from those with the power to help him.
I can't really write. Sure, I churn out a paragraph or two, but there's no flow. I'm so stalled that Sally suggested I work on editing Wounded Soul for my Dakota Shepherd pen name. Whatever I'm able to finish now will be less I'll need to work on later.
The end of the year is always a time for reflection. I look back at the books I've published and the marketing I tried. I ask myself what I want to focus on in the upcoming year. What projects do I personally love, but might not sell well? What is the market like? What's hot? What genres are saturated?
The one project I know I'll write next year is the novella for the box set. It's a lighter second chance romance. Besides Rebound Biker, I have a few darker ideas for standalone books. There are also a few spin-off series in the works.
In reality, I have too many ideas to complete in 2015. Even if I published a book a month (which I've never managed before), I wouldn't have enough time for all the books and series I have lined up. So I'll spend the rest of this year attempting to finish Damaged and the Saint and Broken Memphis while also making tough choices about which books are front burner ideas and which ones will need to wait.
Despite the stress of the last weeks, I've been blessed with very understanding readers. When I explained why Saint wasn't published and Broken Memphis might not be completed this year, their warm responses brought me to tears. One mother of a child with autism sent me a beautiful heartfelt message that improved my mood after an especially gloomy day. Candy Girl remains my sounding board. Even though she doesn't have children, she understands what I need to hear. She pushes me when I'm lazy and backs off when I'm stressed. I know Miranda won't kiss my ass if I have a bad idea. She tells me the truth because she wants me to succeed. Let's be honest, some of my ideas are f'ing stupid. If she won't tell me the truth, who will?
Right now, I'm overflowing with ideas, but lacking the attention span to make any of them come alive. So I watch crappy TV and movies with Tigger. I also spend way too much time on Listverse. Oh, and in a random thought, I love those DirecTV commercials with Rob Lowe. The Creepy Rob Lowe one makes me laugh every time.
Today's snow flurries made me realize how soon the holidays will be here. My Amazon shopping cart is full of items for Christmas and Tigger's upcoming birthday. As usual, Roo wants a million things. All I want for the holidays (besides a happy family) is to finish Saint and Broken Memphis.
In both 2012 and 2013, I published seven books. I was really hoping to beat that number this year, but seven isn't too shabby. I know a few authors who didn't published a single book this year while others managed that book a month magic trick. I hope in my next post will be less gloomy babbling and more happy babbling. I might even be all full of myself because I'm writing again and ready to publish. Yeah, that would be sweet.
One reason I love Halloween isn't simply because I’m a horror movie fanatic. It's also the start of the holiday season and I love this time of year.
Sure the weather gives me constant sinus headaches. On the plus side, we experienced a really wet spring and summer, so the trees in the yard and neighborhood grew tall and healthy this year. All of those changing colors have never looked as lovely as they do right now. I don’t know if I’ll actually move to Texas before the next autumn (seems unlikely), but I’m feeling nostalgic the last few weeks. Autumn around here is rather picturesque even on gloomy days such as this one.
Overall, the month's had its share of ups and downs. Tigger and Pooh are still adjusting to their med changes, so they've had good and bad days. My allergies have been smacking me around a whole lot which slowed me down with writing. It’s difficult to concentrate when you’re sporting a headache or doped up on sinus meds.
I was hoping to have Saint done by now. I think on a deep level my fears of ending the series has held me back. True, I've found success with non-Damaged books. My readers are hella loyal too, yet I've dealt with a lot of uncertainties regarding Saint that I’m only now getting over. Saying goodbye is tough to do especially for a long series. I’ll avoid such closure issues in the future since I’m planning to keep upcoming series to three books tops.
October a great month income-wise which is a good thing since I have a new obsession. It started innocently when I bought a Halloween Hello Kitty at CVS. I normally buy a new Beanie Boo when I pick up the kids’ prescriptions. This time, I also bought the Hello Kitty doll and my obsession began. It’s in the early stages, but I’m already eyeing a few super cute Christmas dolls.
I completed the redo of the Whisperer website, but still have work to do on the Bijou one. Mainly, setting up the store. I also want to change up the template once I have a cover reveal for Saint and can add a new banner. I’m not a super visual person and usually leave the design stuff to Miranda. Since Candy Girl is iffy about messing with the websites, I do my best with my limited artistic talents.
Halloween is so much more relaxed now that my boys are older. Roo is only eleven, but this is the second year he's decided not to go trick or treating. He’d much rather kill zombies on the computer than dress up like one. Pooh has never really understood Halloween, doesn't enjoy candy, and isn't a horror movie buff. He’d prefer to stay safe and warm in the house. Tigger and I do love horror movies, so we’re spending Halloween watching a few. I’m typing this while we watch Sinister and it’s a creepy gem. We plan to finish off the night with one of my new favorite movies This Is The End.
I’ll finish up this post with a song that always reminds me of one of my best days as a sub teacher. It was just before Halloween and I took over in a music class. The assignment was listening to popular Halloween songs. The kids danced (even the too cool 5th graders). It was a fun day especially when this song played.
Springtime is when most people do their cleaning. Since I was busy in the spring and summer, I'm finally getting organized now in the autumn.
One of things I've finally gotten around to doing was creating a specific Bijou website where I can sell books and swag. In the past money was tight, so I shoved all of my pen names along with my BBA forum onto the single bbawhisperer.com site. Finally, I accepted I have the money to create a second website specifically for Bijou. I’m still designing BijouHunterBooks.com while also setting up the Whisperer site with only BBA info.
Now I admit I haven’t been paying much attention to the BBA stuff lately. Miranda and I stopped posting on the Whisperer blog back in Feb. We had a few posts on secondary blogs, detailing private information we received from inside sources.
Yet back in early summer, STGRB went quiet and we saw no need to blog at all anymore. There are plenty of talented bloggers who can handle people like Kathleen Hale. Back in the day, few were willing to challenge STGRB directly, instead pretending to ignore the hate site. You know, except when they were babbling about it in private groups.
Miranda and I don’t hear much about BBA anymore unless it’s a big deal like the Maggie Spence clusterfuck over the summer. Otherwise, we’re focused on books and covers. Miranda spends a lot of time designing teasers for me. She’s also given advice to a few other indie authors. Agent M isn't officially retired from tracking asshats, but she rarely gives them much attention these days.
As for our other blogs like Indie Angie and Where Zombies Come to Read, they’ve run out of steam. I post about new releases and book sales on BookLikes. I reallydon’t need to duplicate the info on the Indie Angie blog. I’m also not currently working on my Angela books, so there’s nothing really to post.
At home, I’m organizing my office and looking to declutter. I have a lot of books from the Damaged series sitting around which sounds great except next year will bring new books and series. Until we move, I need to make room, so I plan to do several paperback giveaways during the holidays.
Next year will be crazy busy. I only have two signings on the schedule, but lots of books to publish. I honestly can’t say which ones will be written in 2015. I do have the novella for the box set and the new Bad Men Rising series. Spin-offs from Damaged and Little Memphis MC might happen, but only time will tell. Poor Miranda deals with me telling and retelling her about all of my ideas. She never knows if I’ll actually produce the books I’m bugging her about either.
The last six months or so, I've become spoiled with an income I didn't enjoy even as an IT specialist at a California beach city. However, I’m not at Aurora Rose Reynolds level of successful. No legion of fans or best seller lists. For a midlist author, the way to keep a steady income is to publish, publish, and publish again. No more six month lags like I had between Outlaw and Dragon. Even my holidays will be spent writing. Good thing I love it.
For November, I’m hoping to publish Saint the same week I have a FB blog page takeover along with a sale for Gator. Speaking of my standalone books, Kindle Unlimited has been a boon for both novellas. They get hundreds of borrows each month, keeping their rankings strong.
The rest of October should continue to be drama filled. Both Tigger and Pooh are switching medications. Meanwhile, Roo is “enjoying” that big push students get before the holidays when they learn a lot of new concepts. After Thanksgiving, we review those concepts and things will settle down.
I really should post this message and get back to writing. Yeah, being organized isn’t my favorite thing, but I’m on my way.
Oh, how I love October! Sure, the weather can be a pain and I remain defiant towards wearing a jacket even when it's raining. Yet, it's still a lovely time of year.
Two birthdays in my family land this month. My youngest boy Roo turned eleven. Today is Sally's birthday. She likes the simple things ~ the first draft of what I've completed with Damaged and the Saint, books from the library, and takeout from the Chinese buffet.
Saint was slow going, but I finally have a groove going. I figure I can finish the main draft by Halloween. Then it's editing before the book is handed off to my beta readers. While they're fixing my goofs with Saint, I'll work on Broken Memphis.
After the success of Little Memphis, I thought about turning the series into a trilogy, but the tone of the third book wouldn't fit. I've decided to use the third book idea for a spin-off trilogy with a darker tone. Of course, this throws off my plans for 2015.
My main series ideas were the Bad Men Rising trilogy and a trilogy following Saint and Harlow in their new life (the books will focus on their colleagues finding love). Now I'm uncertain what second series I'll write next year. Rising is definitely on my schedule. Miranda even has the covers sketched up. The three Rising men are introduced in Damaged and the Saint. They don't play big roles, but I'm ready to write their books.
Besides writing and enjoying birthdays, I've been gorging myself on horror movies. Most suck balls, but a girl can dream of finding a solid mix of intelligent heroes and menacing monsters. Here Comes the Devil was creepy, though Tigger wasn't a fan. He prefers the found footage sub-genre. Most of those movies are crap, but he loves them anyway.
This month has been really cool with new readers friending me on FB and I even got a shout-out in an article about romances based in Kentucky. I've also signed up for a second signing for 2015. This one is in Alabama with another great lineup of authors. 2015 will be busy, but I'm excited about more new adventures.
What a wild week! When I last posted on the blog, I'd just published Little Memphis. I was really worried many of my readers wouldn't be interested in LM because they were focused on the final Damaged book. I was thrilled to have so many tell me they enjoyed the new series and looked forward to more. That was Friday the 19th.
The next morning, my son Pooh was taken to the hospital. We waited in the ER for nearly twelve hours before he was released. Fortunately, he's shown improvements over the week. With Pooh, life is always a struggle.
Once my boy was home and safe, I was able to work on Damaged and the Saint. I expected LM to perform like the last few Damaged books with a strong few days before tapering off over the week. At first, the sales were on par for what I expected. Then I ran a promo on Sunday. Within days, I reached the highest ranking of my writing career.
What's exciting is how many new readers have been introduced to my books. They're also itching for the next Memphis book. The feedback has been so positive that I decided to make Little Memphis MC a trilogy. This will add a new book to my already booked 2015 scheduled.
Along with the final Memphis book, I plan to start a biker trilogy next year. What's funny is how the series started as my subject line in an email to Miranda. I wrote how a bad mood was rising. She responded that Bad Men Rising would make a cool title for a book or series. Next thing we knew, ideas were brewing and an entire new world was born.
So it was a wild week because of Pooh's health, but can I really complain? As a midlist author, I'm blessed to hit such a ranking and sell thousands of books in the first week. Whether I do as well in the future is always up in the air, but writing books rather than this blog would probably help. :P
I'll leave you with one of my favorite country songs ever...
High five for book six in 2014! Little Memphis went live yesterday as scheduled. So far, feedback is positive, sales are solid, and I'm already focused on my next project ~ Damaged and the Saint. As a midlist author, I can never slows down. Certainly not in the competitive indie market.
Once again, Candy Girl helped me put together the book. She designed the cover and teasers too. For the first time, she read the book in parts while I wrote it. Her feedback was helpful especially for the character of Bebe.
I'm excited to have a signing on the schedule for 2015. There's an incredible amount of competition in the romance world, so grabbing a spot at a cool signing is always a boon. I've never been to Savannah, Georgia. Neither have my boys and the signing will be on Roo's 12th birthday. Talk about a fun trip.
I'd love to travel more and my family's rather bohemian lifestyle allows for trips. Unfortunately, Pooh's chronic health issues make leaving often difficult. We're currently looking for additional help, so Sally won't be on her own when I'm out of town.
October is one of my favorite months. Both Roo and Sally have birthdays. It's Fall Break, so we have two weeks off from school. Plus Halloween is fun. My boys are no longer interested in trick or treating, so we watch horror comedies (Scary Movie or This Is the End) and order pizza.
Well it's been a weird month. Better than August, but still a lot of ups and downs. Things are beginning to settle and I'm looking forward to writing Saint. I'm adding a little color to the lily-white town of Ellsberg. I'll also introduce characters from future series.
Well I should probably get back to writing since my next deadline is right around the corner. I'll end with a little more Melissa Etheridge.
It's been awhile since I blogged. August is always a funky month for me. Roo starts school, meaning I need to create his coursework. Tigger and I had dental issues last month. He bounced back faster than I did. Ah, to be young.
This month is already proving to be better. I finished writing Little Memphis. The first book in my new romance series is now in the hands of my beta readers. No doubt it'll need tweaking and proofing, but the toughest part is over. Best of all, I'm not scrambling at the very last minute as usual.
In September 2013, I gave up my teaching work to write full-time. I can't believe I'm able to pay my bills doing what I love. Professionally writing is a dream I've had since I was a kid, but I'd nearly given up on it until the indie publishing revolution.
There's no rest for the wickedly happy. As soon as Little Memphis is published, I'll start on the final Damagedbook. Saintmight prove to be a starting point for a spin-off series. As Candy Girl pointed out though, I have so many projects lined up that I'll probably publish the books in 2020.
For this year, the plan is to publish the two Little Memphisbooks and Saint. I've also been invited to contribute to a box set coming out next year. I can't get into the details, but I'm psyched for my novella to be sold alongside those by such cool authors.
I hoped to attend a few signings in Houston in November. Unfortunately, those opportunities fell through. While I love traveling and meeting readers, focusing on writing and family in November makes sense. I also want a little time to edit the next Dakota book.
Before I sign off, I'm sending praying to all those lost in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
What was I saying a week ago about my plans? Oh well, I'm rolling with the changes now. Blue (oh, poor sweet sacrificial Blue) is again on the back burner. I am focusing on Bijou books again. Little Memphis to be specific with Saint as my backup. What changed?
Pooh's health continues to improve, so I plan to travel to Houston for a book signing. Possibly two, if all goes well with the organizer. Assuming everything comes together, November will be a wild month. Two weeks away from Pooh and Sally will be emotionally tough, but I'm looking forward to the trip.
Ideally, I would love to promote both the Damaged and Memphis series at the signings. To make that happen, I need to finish them both. Three books in three months. It'll be tricky, but a girl's gotta dream.
So Blue waits again for her HEA. Gigi's final book will also be an end of the year project. I have too many ideas. Standalone books for Bijou plus I'm beginning two (possibly three) series next year. I need to write faster, dammit!!!
Last weekend, I ran a promotion for Damaged and the Beast which is permafree. I saw a big increase in free downloads and the book was ranked in the 50's in Amazon's free store. Of course, the hope is a large number of the readers who download Beast for free will enjoy it enough to buy Knight, Cobra, etc. There's already been an uptick in sales for the follow-up books along with several positive reviews for Beast. Once again, Miranda found me a marketing avenue that paid off. Would it be a blog post without a shout out for Candy Girl?
Writing Bulldog was tricky for me. There's no loser parent to show up and create tension at the end. Winnie and Dylan aren't the most dramatic or funniest characters in the series. The book simply comes down to a damaged girl, a man struggling to be worthy, and how they build a life together. I admit I was nervous readers wouldn't click with the book, but all the feedback has been positive so far. Now I need to give the series a strong send off with Saint. However it looks like I'll also write one more Damaged book next year for Sawyer and Jace.
In personal news, school just began around here. Not for Roo, but the kids in the neighborhood are already up early to catch the buses. Roo starts Monday since I saw no reason for his first day to be on a Wednesday. Homeschooling definitely has its perks.
I really enjoyed my summer break. Pooh's health improved. Roo and Tigger were my assistants, always running errands with me. We got a Netflix subscription and watched movies for the first time in years. Our favorites so far have been comedies like "This Is The End" and "Heat."
The only downside is I haven't been visiting Denny's often. I miss Zaby ~ my favorite waitress. She's kinda like a muse since I always do solid writing when she's around. My new plan is to take Roo to Denny's a few days a week. I'll work while he does school assignments. Changing the location can make a kid more excited about learning. I know it makes me happier.
This week's songs are by REO Speedwagon. Yeah, they're classics for a reason.
Ahhh...feels good to publish another book. Three Bijou books in three months. I never could have done it without the help of Sally, Candy Girl, and Sarah. I can't seem to get organized this year, so every book is a last minute scramble to make my publishing deadline. Despite a lazy July, I am thrilled Damaged and the Bulldog is completed. High five for book five in 2014.
While I won't hit my "publish 20 books in 2 years" goal like I hoped, nineteen books ain't so shabby. Indie publishing isn't like the traditional big guys. Someone like Karen Marie Moning took two years between Iced and Burned in her super popular Fever series. TWO YEARS!!! That's an eternity in indie publishing. Even a book a year won't cut it. Successful indies churn out several books a year. Some manage a book or two a month! No way am I organized enough for that level, but I'm working on it.
I'm already focusing on Blue Awakening. I need to finish it quickly, so I can get back to my Bijou books. You know, the novels that feed my family. However I'm itching to start the Memphis series. The idea came to me during my drive to Texas in January. Now I need to bring the idea alive.
Finally, I sometimes feel like I've betrayed my Angela books. A few of the potential series have been dropped. Shadow Sisters,McCormickSisters, and Sub Sami will never enjoy their followups. Or at least not anytime soon. Even though I've abandoned them in many ways, I dedicate this song to them...
Let's start with the good stuff. As I've written in the past, Pooh is showing improvement on his new meds. I am thrilled to share he's back to the sweetheart we all know and love. It's like a switch was flipped back on and our Pooh returned. He's even eating solids again. We'll never likely know why he stopped, but it's great to see him trying his old favorite foods. Plus, eating solids means we'll worry less about counting calories to ensure he's getting enough from liquids alone.
Though Pooh is doing great, I won't be attending the book signing in Houston next month. We really wanted to visit Texas during the summer and face the heat everyone warns us about, but things are only now settling down at home. Leaving Sally and Pooh to drive to Houston for a week doesn't make sense.
I'm hoping to attend a signing in November if spots remain open. It'll be nice to see my cousin and her family again. Also Stephanie who is preparing to publish her next book.
Speaking of publishing, I had to push back Bulldog's release date by a week. The book wasn't strong enough especially the first part. I'm working with Candy Girl and Sally to improve the book. As much as I hate missing deadlines, I couldn't shortchange readers simply to make an arbitrary date.
The last book in the series will be tricky. While the heroine was introduced in book four, the hero is an enigma. A badass assassin known only as Saint, he took out most of the Devils MC in Damaged and the Outlaw. Otherwise, he's an unknown. This could be a great thing or a disappointment if readers don't warm up to him. Only time will tell.
I'm currently sketching out the final plot for Blue Awakening. After Bulldog is out, I'll spend the rest of July finishing the YA paranormal book for my Angela series. I also have Cooper's POV on the agenda.
August will bring Little Memphis to the forefront while I also work on Saint. Likely Memphis#1 will be released first with Broken Memphis after Saint. I don't know how long the three books will take to complete. It's my hope to work on the final Gigi Monroe book after Memphis#2. If so, I'll finish two Angela and two Bijou series in 2014.
So that's my work schedule for the rest of the year. Besides writing, I'm enjoying the summer with my boys. Tigger is obsessed with a Chinese buffet close to our house, so we're there a couple times a week. Roo spends most of his time on the computer (like his mom) and is not looking forward to starting school in a few weeks.
This week should be busy with Bulldog and family errands, but the weather is expected to be lovely. I look forward to both productivity and playing. I hope everyone else enjoys a pretty July.
This week's great songs are made better by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes.
The summer is here. The bugs are out. The yard needs love (to the tune of 2 grand). The new romance releases are arriving fast and furious. June is turning out to be quite a boon for readers.
In personal news, Pooh continues to show improvement on his medication. He smiles easier and is more alert. We're seeing more of the child he was before his troubles began in March.
Pooh and I had the flu last week, though I was much whinier about this fact. Finally I was writing Bulldog again. As I type this post, I have less than a month until the book's release. Eek!!! While I'm behind again (shock), these characters are super easy to write. So much dysfunction and angst. Plus, I have a whole new family to focus on.
Candy Girl redesigned the cover for The Bite. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much to design for me this summer. The Bulldog cover has been in the bag since winter and Blue is pretty much set. Once I work on Little Memphis, Miranda can get creative again.
Roo is loving his summer break while Tigger enjoys the warmer weather. Tinker doesn't love the season though. All the thunderstorms terrify the little furball and she hides under the couch most of the time.
Well that's a quick update until I have something more concrete to share. Enjoy your weekend plus two great songs by Pat Benatar.
Today is a very special day. No, not because of the high five for book four in 2014. Even better! Candy Girl a.k.a Agent M a.k.a Thunderkitten a.k.a Marvelous Miranda is celebrating her birthday!!!! We "met" a little over a year ago and have never spoken except online, but she's still my BFF. After Sally, Miranda is the first person to know what's happening in my RL. She's always willing to give me pep talks (even the tough love ones). Creative and quirky, Candy Girl shows me things I would never see on my own. There's no way to express how blessed I feel to know her.
Used is her "baby" too because she found the guy's picture and took it in a completely different direction than I would have. The consensus is the cover is smoking hot. Aces, CG!!!
More proof of Miranda's awesomeness is the thank you she got in Emilia Winters's new romance Electric. Yep, everyone cool loves Candy Girl.
This week has been great and it's only Tuesday! Used is out. Miranda is celebrating her sweet birthday. Pooh is showing real signs of improvement after only a week on the new medicine. Roo is out of school. With the little man on summer break, I'm also on vacation since I'm his teacher. More time to write!
With Sally and Miranda's help, I made my deadlines for both Damaged and the Dragon and Used. Planning to stay in my writing groove, I've already begun working on Damaged and the Bulldog and my side project of Blue Awakening (yes, I've said that before). My goal is to release twenty books by the two-year anniversary of the first book I published. I seriously doubt I'll make two more books before the end of July, but one can dream.
With so many great books coming out in June, Miranda will keep her Kindle busy. Just this week, there are new books from Emilia, S.N. Garza (my girl Stephanie), Amity Cross, and Jo Wylde.
Speaking of awesome authors, I will publish the interview with Sera Bright this week. Yep, I'm finally getting caught up. I do think there's a Deadly Dee review I need to post too, but that's for another day. Candy Girl deserves the best birthday imaginable. She's a great friend, co-blogger, beta reader, illustrator, BBA Whisperer (makes those whiners wet themselves), and all around awesome chick. I hope everyone enjoys the songs on this week's post. They're two of Miranda's favorites. :)
