Today the world lost two icons.

Michael Joseph Jackson - August 28, 1958 to June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums — including “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” — and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed.

Farrah Leni Fawcett - February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009

Farrah Fawcett, the blonde-maned actress whose best-selling poster and “Charlie’s Angels” stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62. CNN Article

Tags: Celebrity News, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, RIP // Add Comment »

Agent extraordinaire and author, Deirdre Knight who is published both in New York (print) and with Samhain (e-publishing) has written a fantastic response to RWAs latest position in regards to e-publishing on the ESPAN blog today.

Please spread the word and let people know about her terrific post.

It’s past time that RWA caught up with what’s happening in publishing.

Read her fabulous post.

Oh and if you’re wondering what ESPAN is, it’s the The Electronic and Small Press Authors Network (ESPAN) special interest chapter of RWA. Find out more about ESPAN.

Tags: Deirdre Knight, E-Publishing, E-books, ESPAN, News, RWA, call for a change, digital age // 1 Comment »

cross posted from my livejournal

Well MayNoWriMo was not as successful as I hoped. I did get some pages in. But I had to stop and do a lot of plotting, outlining and worldbuilding.

So I made progress, in a way, just not word count progress.

I think that’s one of the hazards from starting MayNoWriMo so late. DTAL is an urban fantasy story. I got some good pages in and started in the write place. But it requires a lot of worldbuilding (most will not or may not make it in the pages) but it’s essential for a successful story.

I don’t feel like I let my team (Yay Team Post-It Note) or myself down though. As my former RD mentor grace_draven has told me it’s quality not quantity that matters. If I make progress and it helps me with my writing process (I am working on learning and embracing my progress. And trying to plot more too). So MayNoWriMo was great because it helped me learn and grow as a writer. And isn’t that one of the goals of authors?

Tags: Death Takes A Lover, MayNoWriMo, Romance Divas, Writing Life, crossposted, livejournal, writing habits // Add Comment »

Samhain is open to submissions.

In the most recent issue of the RWA’s Pro newsletter (Prospects) it was reported that Samhain is closed to submissions. We’re unsure where the erroneous information came from, but we are not closed to submissions and have no plans to be. We continue to accept submissions in all genres of romance, as well as science fiction/fantasy/urban fantasy all with romantic elements. Submissions guidelines can be found http://samhainpublishing.com/submissions. All questions and submissions can be directed to editor@samhainpublishing.com

We hope you’ll help us out by posting this correction on your local and specialty chapter loops.

Thank you!

Angela James, Executive Editor

**permission to forward granted**

Tags: E-Publishing, Samhain Publishing, Submission Info // Add Comment »

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney

Tags: Fun, Quotes, dreams, mini-post // Add Comment »

I’m still working on the synopsis. I’ll be done with it tonight. So here’s more videos to songs from the playlist.

We Can’t Be Friends by Deborah Cox with R.L.

Happily Ever After by Case

You by Raheem DeVaughn

Tags: Case, Deborah Cox, Happily Ever After, Music, Raheem Devaughn, Romance, mini-post, playlist, synopsis, writing habits // Add Comment »

Here is a list of 13 basic things I’ve learned from writing synopsis. For a list of synopsis resources please refer to my previous post - 13 Writing Resources - Synopsis.

1. A synopsis is not an outline. It is an overview of your plot.
2. A synopsis should be able to tell if you have a strong enough plot to sustain your novel.
3. A synopsis should not be crammed full of every detail, description and character.
4. A synopsis should be concise. It should be focused, tight and open with a strong hook.
5. Don’t describe characters physical appearance. It’s not relevant because it doesn’t tell if you have a story.
6. Tip: When writing your synopsis, if you get stuck ask your questions. Why? What if? Because? And?
7. A synopsis is more than a back cover blurb. A back cover blurb is missing the ending of the story. With a synopsis you have to tell how the story ends.
8. Don’t over explain or over tell. You want to tell the story so the editor gets an idea of the flow and plot of your story. You want your synopsis to be interesting so the editor wants to read your story.
9. Showcase the major plot and turning points without being boring or bogging down the synopsis.
10. A synopsis tells what the story is about not how it happens so it is okay to eliminate minor elements such as secondary characters and subplots unless essential to the story.
11. Proofread  your synopsis before submitting to eliminate passive voice, redundant sentences, telling, adverbs as well as spelling and grammar errors.
12. Tip: List scene ideas and arrange in chronological order.
13. Tip: Practice writing a synopsis for a book you already own. This can help your figure out what elements, plot points and subplots are important.
14. Bonus: Focus on the what not the how of the story.

Tags: Advice, Craft of Writing, Thursday, Thursday 13, Thursday Meme, Thursday Thirteen, Writing, synopsis // 7 Comments »

I have a small confession to make. I actually don’t mind writing synopsis (yes I know that’s strange). And most of the time I write them before the story. And often the story strays from the original synopsis. But when I type “the end” I just go in and tweak or adjust. It’s a great tool for helping me stay on track or if I get lost or frustrated. When I haven’t started with a synopsis, I usually go back and write one if I find myself getting stalled. So I figured I’d put together a list of resources for writing synopsis as well as links to winning synopsis examples.

1. Lisa Gardner’s - Conquering the Dreaded Synopsis
2. Kathy Carmichael - 11 Basic Synopsis Tips (aka Kathy’s Cheat Sheet)
3. Linda Neeham - Synopsis Worksheet
4. eHarlequin - Sample Synopsis (PDF)
5. The Synopsis Project
6. Beth Anderson - Writing the Tight Synopsis
7. Charlotte Dillon - Winning Synopsis Samples
8. Stella Cameron - The Synopsis
9. The Blood-Red Pencil - Shorten Your Synopsis Using Word
10. Agent Kristin Nelson - The Art of the Synop?
11.  Charlotte Dillon - Synopsis Links
12. The Blood-Red Pencil - The Do’s & Don’ts of Synopsis Writing
13. Writing World - Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up

ETA: 13th resource

Tags: Research, Resources, synopsis, writng resources // 3 Comments »

It’s known I love Prince. I just got the newest cd which is a three disk set of three albums - Lotusflow3r, MPLSound, Elixir by Bria Valente (a protege of Prince). I’ve already fell in love with several of the tracks. This is one of my faves.

Chocolate Box featuring Q-Tip

Tags: Chocolate Box, Lotusflow3r, Mplsound, Prince, Q-Tip // Add Comment »

This list is thirteen books that are currently by my bed. Some have been read and enjoyed. Others are on the “to be read” or “currently reading” list.

1. Blair Underwood presents Casanegra by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes

2. If You Just Say Yes by Reon Laudat

3. The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

4. 21st Century Courtesan by Eden Bradley

5. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

6. Looker by Stanley Bennett Clay

7. Red Light Special by Risque

8. Sexy Devil by Sasha White

9. Red by Jordan Summers

10. No More Playas by Brenda Jackson

11. Purple Panties by Zane

12. Gimme an O by Kayla Perrin

13. Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton

Honorable Mention: Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts - This is a comfort read for me. Well the series is so it’s always within reach.

I am a book addict. I fully admit it. I love books. I love to read. Be it audio, ebook (preferred) or print. I have hundreds of books by my bed and in the basement. I blame my love of books and reading on my sister, my dad and my 2nd grade teacher. I mean, I’m a writer, so it stands to reason that I’d love books. Right?

Plus, there were so many that didn’t make the list. I’ll be doing lists in coming weeks of ebooks, recently read, young adult, non-fiction, audio books comfort reads and craft/research/reference books. And sadly (maybe/maybe not) I could probably break that down by genre and hard cover vs paperback.

Tags: Books, Frivolity, Fun, Thursday 13, Thursday Meme, Thursday Thirteen, book addict, mini confession // 21 Comments »