Roll with the Changes

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.

Only Human

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, McCormick Sisters, 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...

Gimme Gimme

Delays and dynamite news!

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.