How gorgeous is this?!

'Nuff said.

(Edited to add:) There was a last minute artist switch and this one is by Dan Skinner. Awesome!

There's nothing like being published to make your self-esteem take a nose dive. Think about it. Before, I wrote for the fun of it. Now, I still write for the fun of it, but now I also have a purpose. I'm trying to get published again.

When I start to write there are these voices, see? They say things like "you suck!" or "go back to your day job!" or "even a broken clock is right twice a day!". *sigh* Nor does it help when you join a critique group. Don't get me wrong. I love the ladies with whom I'm trusting my work. It's just that after critiquing their stuff, I realize how much better theirs is! lol. (Did I mention those nagging voices?)

Fortunately, I don't seem to be alone in my self-doubt. Over on the Cobblestone Press forums and on the Romance Divas forums, there are threads dedicated to just such things. And I don't feel so lonely anymore.

If I can just find the volume control to the voices, I'll be all right.

REJECTED. Great comments given to me about The Voice, but the publisher chose not to go with it at this time. I'm ok with that. It wasn't as well written as it could have been.

But today, I did finish Trial of the Guardian. I brought it down to 25,000 words instead of my intended 35K. I just didn't have much more to say. The ending is abrupt, but the story itself is incredibly sweet. I've submitted it to a critique group and hope to get some feedback on it before the weekend is out. If they give me the nod, I'll sub it.

This, of course, gives me time to think about Primal. I only have an inkling of an idea, but I'm sure if I keep that picture in front of me, I'll come up with more! *wink*

I'm stuck. 19,000 words into Trial of the Guardian and I'm bloody stuck. Unlike a lot of writers out there I don't plan what's going to happen in a story before I write it. Usually the characters let me know what's going to happen next by what they do in the previous scene. Right now though, I've given my hero, Hero (gawd, I love that name!), a dilemma without knowing why it's there; let's not even talk about how he's going to solve it. Any ideas for why a guardian angel would be permitted to fall in love with this charge? (And for you former Charmed fans out there, thanks, but no thanks. This is not fan fic.)

I have not forgotten about the picture entitled Primal down below. I mean, look at him - how could I forget that? I just need to get back on track with TOTG first. Then, I'm thinking three part series potentially called Primal. Still thinking about it.

My poor brain is going to start smoking from all of the plotting it needs to do!

Just when I thought the hard part is over - I finished the revisions to Soldier a few days ago - I'm working with an artist for the cover. Leita Stevens is doing the cover art for Soldier. So far, she is capturing what I've imagined so well! As I emailed her tonight, I can't hardly wait to see the final product. In my writing, I try to allow the reader some room for their own imagination by choosing not to detail every little thing about my characters or their settings. Some people have liked that. I can say that it has done me a disservice when it comes to trying to describe to Leita what the cover should look like. I have so few details that she and I are making things up as we go along.

And I couldn't be happier.

O. M. G.

I saw this picture over on the The Erotic Woman and haven't been able to get the image out of my mind. Hee hee. Actually, mostly I'm thinking about a great story to go with the tribal tat. In fact, it's one that I've already started and didn't know where to take it. It's 4:15 in the morning and ideas for this story keep running through my head. Thoughts of SERIES keep looping through my poor, sleep-deprived brain.

Damn. If this guy doesn't make you want to do something naughty, I don't know what will. Yum.

Slacker. Yes. I'll admit it. I've been slacking. For three nights in a row, I have done ZERO writing. (In defense of myself, two nights ago I did some last minute edits of my latest WIP.) On the CP forum, I'm reading about people who are doing 15K - 30K in a week. Ha! I've done 200 words, maybe, this week....

No. More.

Tonight, I begin writing again on Trial of the Guardian. It's a great story with no ending yet, but one that will find me sooner or later. Feel free to send me good vibes or cheer me on!

Whew! I've been a story-telling fool. Tonight I will finish my third Wicked story. I had promised to go back to working on TOTG, but got side-tracked by a story I just had to tell! Submissions open up in two days and I can't wait to send all three in. I never did finish A Beautiful Death and may perhaps come back to it later.

The cover for Soldier is coming along swimmingly. I can't wait to see the final in full color. We've also gone through the second round of edits for this story and after this, I have to tell you that I have mad respect for editors. I'm 'bout sick of Nicholas at this point. lol. Just kidding. He's too hot to be sick of!

I did decide to send out a newsletter with updates on my newest releases and contests. Use Yahoo groups on the panel to the left to join.