Busy Apparently Doesn't Include Blogging

Long time, no post.

Sometimes I go in and out of phases in my writing. High productivity for a couple of months, and then a huge crash. The crash, unfortunately, tries to last forever. I think, at its worse, I went a year without writing a single word, which I justified by being mega busy and in college at the time.

Well, I'm no longer in college and I shouldn't be justifying that sort of thing anyway.

So, for the month and a half while I was in NJ, I didn't write much. Maybe about 4000 words, which is just sad. I read quite a bit, which was fun and useful, but visiting NJ means high-stress, and I'm still working on managing that too. Thankfully, I have been doing a much better job combatting the crash since I've gotten back home. I've been fairly steady with my newest project - a YA comedic ghost-hunting romp - and hammering out a query for my second novel, KNIGHT.

The query writing it touch-and-go. It's on about stage ten or eleven now, at least three weeks of major obsession, haha, and I think it's finally getting close to completion. The synopsis needs some touch-up, but it's stronger than any versions of my query so far, and I'm hoping to have edits on the actual novel complete by the end of August. Basically, I want to be hunting for an agent starting September. *Fingers crossed*

Maybe I'll do a query update post, and show then and now. Any helpful critiques would be appreciated.

Another thing I've been working on is a cover update for my self-published novel, THE ETERNAL QUEEN. I really like the cover I was able to produce for EQ (you can see it on the sidebar). But I do think it could be better. Now, wiser to the ways of book cover production (and still a little too poor to immediately seek out an actual design professional - design is sometimes a part of my job, but I wouldn't call myself an artist), I've been having... fun... testing out new ideas.

Maybe fun isn't the right word.

It's been an... experience.

So, that's my news for the past few weeks. I've also heard very exciting news from all the bloggers I follow. I generally read them all in my Google Reader, which isn't really conducive to commenting (oops). At the very least, though late to the game (ho-hum, word choice ^_~), I know Kyra Lennon's book GAME ON (#1) has hit the digital shelves. I'm looking forward to checking it out - I love soccer and have been craving some contemporary YA. Seems like a perfect fit, ^_^.

How long have you let yourself be unproductive? How do you combat the great writing crashes?

Week in Review, and Flash Fiction Friday: #3

Why did I wake up at 7:30am on a Saturday? And sometimes I have the most random dreams. I was a waterbender (like from Avatar: The Last Airbender), and I was running from some firebenders on these train tracks (but think cyberpunk-ish, weird train tracks/trains) that circled a big waterfall gorge (being a waterbender, this was rather fortuitous). I ran into these twin ninja assassins that were also hunting me, but a tall, muscular old knight helped me out... and I woke up while in the process of trying to buy a horse called SweetSugar - the horse was not sweet by the way, but insane. The hermit selling him in the middle of nowhere told me so.

Wah? That was an odd one.

Anyway...

1. The WiP Movie Blogfest was awesome. I'm still jumping around to other blogs to see the entries, because I'm slow about these things, haha.

2. I received my proof copy of the EQ from CreateSpace! (print-to-order book seller, if you didn't know) It looks amazing! I'd have flagged is as good-to-go if I hadn't found one chapter - one chapter! - where I accidentally forgot to delete some header content. So, it's not up for general sale that way yet.

I apologize for the dopey look on my face. And my crazy hair. Except not really because eeeeeeee PROOF COPY! I love eBooks, but I'm always going to love print copies more.

For those who don't know, which is probably most of you, haha, I'm interested in both sides of the publishing field - self-published and traditional. The Eternal Queen is a weird book (though I think it's great and a lot of fun, as did my beta readers), but weird from a traditional published/marketed type of book pov, so it didn't seem like I'd have a better reason to jump into the self-published world then with EQ.

3. Speaking of EQ - Today is the last day of Read an eBook Week! You can still find The Eternal Queen for free on Smashwords (coupon RE100).

4. Do any of you watch Awake? It's a snazzy new show on NBC. It has a) Jason Isaacs, b) weird 'which world is a dream-world' or 'are they both dream worlds?' concept, and c) the acting is quite top-notch. Apparently, I heard the ratings aren't that great, which baffles me. It's only the second episode, so I hope they don't think of shutting it down before it has a chance to start.

5. And since I got on the topic of TV - Who else is super excited for the Red Riding Hood story on Once Upon a Time? Since Red Riding Hood fractured tales hold a dear place in my heart (EQ is heavily inspired by RRH), I cannot even begin to tell you how patiently I've been waiting for Ruby's story. ^_^

I think that's all the exciting news from the past week. I'll leave you now with the delayed Flash Fiction Friday! Happy writing everyone!

FLASH FICTION FRIDAY: #3

     The first time she sees Marla trapped in a vision it's a Friday-night-that's-really-Saturday-morning-damn-it-to-hell-it's-so-early-it's-still-late and she's just managed to slip into the strange floating realm of exhausted almost-dreams. A blood-curling scream rings throughout the house, ignoring the boundaries of doors and walls like they're not built for the purpose of keeping unwanted things out.

     Like the rest of her dorm-mates, she stumbles from her room into the hallway, feet slapping the hardwood without care, eyes wide, a half-formed spell caught between upper teeth and bottom lip. Once they realize they're not in danger or under attack or about to be pulled into one of Gregor's mad drills, they focus on the important thing – Marla.

Marla's mouth is opened wide, but the shadows from the dim lighting make it look like a black hole, an abyss, a gateway to hell – that's the only explanation for the inhuman screech. Her lips are red and wet in the flickering candlelight. Gregor's thick arms are encircling her bird-like body, cradling her.

     She thinks, later, when she's nestled back under her covers and the adrenaline of surprise has faded completely, that it wasn't that impressive. The terrifying scream had only lasted a second, and then the only sounds escaping Marla had been strange, low whimpers, like a begging dog. Her body hadn't convulsed in a seizure. She'd just lair there like a limp doll and then suddenly closed her eyes and gone to sleep, mouth clicking shut with a loud snap.

     'In fact,' she scowls into her pillow. 'It was barely nothing. But she'll get all the attention for months after this. Just what she'll want.'

The Eternal Queen is Live!

So, I've done it. I've dived into self-publishing. The Eternal Queen, my debut novel, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.

You'll start to notice some changes here on the blog as I whip it into shape.

If you like dark, fractured fairy tales, magical realism, and quirky characters, I highly suggest you check it out. Just saying.

^_^