Reinforcements
Know what those are? Those are reinforcements, but today I’m talking about reinforcements of a different sort. It’s week two of summer vacation, and I’ve finally caved and called in backup. Her name is Meaghan, and she lives across the street. She’s coming twice this week for a couple hours in the afternoon to give me time to write. Five to six hours total, which might not sound like a whole lot, but it’s a lot more than I’ve carved out since school finished. Don’t get me wrong–I love my kids, and I want to spend lots of time with them this summer, but I also need time to get some writing done for me to feel good about myself. The mom guilt complex is a very tricky business, and it cripples my muse.
The weasels are in swimming lessons and a morning bike camp next week, so I’ll take my computer with me and hopefully get something done while I’m waiting for them. With my other pen name dominating most of my writing time right now, I haven’t written anything for Kaylea Cross in a long, long while. This means there will most likely be a long gap between Deadly Descent and the next release, but it’s not for lack of effort in trying to get another book published!
I didn’t make it to RWA Nationals in NYC, and neither Cover of Darkness nor No Turning Back won the awards they were nominated for, but I hear my name was mentioned at least a couple times in public, so that’s pretty neat 🙂
I’ve got a blog tour set up for early September when Deadly Descent comes out, and it looks like my first release under my alter ego will be out August 26th, followed by another November 21st.
Over at Writers Gone Wild we’re having a hero party in the middle of July, and I’ll be featuring some very cool guests there as well in August/September, including Roxanne St. Claire, Anne Calhoun and Denise A. Agnew. I’ll be sure to post the dates so you can come by and say hello and ask questions.
Hope everyone is having a safe and happy summer so far!
Summer’s Here! (Save Me)
Well, the weasels are all done with school, so now I’m anticipating the usual whining of “I’m bored” will start any time now. The weather up here has been just the pits, and I’m starting to wonder if we’ll ever get a real summer, but my fingers are crossed.
Dear friends of ours are getting hitched tomorrow, and hubby’s the best man, so I’m looking forward to seeing him in his tux (yum!). After the long weekend we’ll be footloose and fancy free, with nothing but swimming lessons, bike camp and a couple road trips on the schedule.
Just got word this morning that my first release as Callie Croix (Deacon’s Touch) will be at the end of August, and another novella will be out at the end of November (No Holds Barred). I’m actually just finishing up another Callie novella right now, and since she’s been hogging all my writing time, I’m beginning to wonder if Kaylea will ever get another release! I’ll try to see if I can fix that over the summer.
What’s everyone else got planned for the summer? I know my pal Katie Reus will be busy, since she’s having a baby in the next week or two (I’m so excited!). I can’t remember if I mentioned it here before, but not only does Katie have a shifter trilogy coming out next year with NAL, she just sold two novellas to Harlequin’s Nocturne Bites as well. The woman’s on fire!
A Rose By Any Other Name
Writing has been…challenging lately, to say the least. I’ve had my confidence shaken a few times in the past couple weeks, but I’m determined to keep plugging away anyhow. I’ve been thinking a lot about how my writing career started, back when the goal was simply to GET published. As it turns out, getting a contract is still as tough as it ever was. Sometimes it feels even tougher.
If you’ve been reading my blog at all, by now you know that I’m a gardener. This picture to the left has a place of honor in my little slice of paradise. Out of Her League was the first book I ever published, and it was under the Crimson Rose imprint of The Wild Rose Press. In honor of receiving the contract, I went out and shopped around for a red rose tree, something special to commemorate my first sale. This rose is called Black Cherry, and its blooms were described as “deep crimson red”. And darned if the first blooms didn’t appear the week that Out of Her League released, in August of 2008. *cue Twilight music*
Right now I’m plugging away on another short novella requested by one of my Carina Press editors for my other pen name. And when I take a break to recharge my muse throughout the summer, you can be sure I’m going to stop and smell the roses
Cynthia Eden: Never Cry Wolf Giveaway
The awesome Cynthia Eden is over at Writers Gone Wild today, and she’s giving away a copy of her new paranormal romance, Never Cry Wolf, to a commenter. Click HERE to drop by and enter the contest.