Jordan Summers

Heads up! Anna is on the lookout for this.

Okay, I know I can’t be the only one excited that the Ghost Hunters return tonight for a new season. I can’t wait! If you didn’t see last season’s big ghost surprise, then you really missed out. I get chills just thinking about what they captured on film. :-O

The editing is still coming along. I wish it would go a bit faster, but I’m adding stuff and it takes a while. Grr… This book MUST be finished by the end of next month.

In other book news, Christine Feehan’s Dark Demon was just released and Angela Knight’s new book comes out on Sat. I plan to order them both. A dear friend gave me a gift certificate.

Tomorrow night I think we’re going out to dinner with friends. I’m not sure yet, since dh is setting the whole thing up. It should be fun. What are you all doing this week? Looking forward to anything in particular?

Dh and I went out to do our normal weekend browse. It’s a bit of a ritual for us. We just stroll the shops and grab some lunch or breakfast, depending on the time.

Today our jaunt out actually had a purpose. We’re looking at computers for me. My current machine still works fine, it’s just a little slow. (Okay, perhaps I’ve installed a few too many items on it.:) Yes, I need them all. Really. (wg)

Anyway, I’m considering a big change. I think I may buy a Mac instead of a PC this time around. I’ve never owned a Mac. I do not buy into the Mac zombie philosophy, BUT I must say that the machine I looked at today has some pretty groovy things on it. Things that would make ‘writing life’ much easier. I haven’t made any hard and fast decisions, but I am seriously considering it.

After our computer safari, we ended up at a sushi joint…which happens to be next to a Barnes and Noble. Can I help it they’re so close? (Looks around innocently, while hiding evil grin.) I was actually looking for Vivi Anna’s new book, Hell Kat, but it wasn’t out yet. Sigh. I had to appease my book lust with Nightlife by Rob Thurman. No, I’d never heard of him before buying the book. I actually read the first two pages and it grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. Guess how I plan to spend the rest of my evening…grin.

Tomorrow after the gym I’m meeting a friend for coffee, then I plan to come back and type. I still haven’t finished typing in the changes I made on hardcopy. Tuesday, I have a local RWA meeting. Trying to decide if I’m going to go or not. I plan to work outside of the house this next week, so the blog will probably drop to every couple of days. Sorry, but it can’t be helped. Hope everyone has a fab week. See you on Tues. or Wed. In the meantime, here’s a great link from Vanessa, who swiped it from Anna Genoese.

I’m currently getting my normal intake of coffee (must function) and having my breakfast. I’ll be off to the gym afterwards and then onto the grocery store. Exciting, I know. I have this deal with my body. I don’t force it to go to the gym until I’ve given it the appropriate amount of coffee. Sure, it sounds like a bribe, but it’s the only thing that gets me there three days a week.

I’m getting a Tarot reading when I return home, so I’m kind of excited. It’s been a while since I’ve had one and I believe with all that’s happening I’m due. Hopefully my friend doing the reading will have some insight. I’m actually extremely hard to read. I tend to be ’stronger’ than the reader nine times out of ten. Make of that what you will. (wg) Going to get to work in the afternoon no matter how painful the prospect. *g* Have a great weekend everyone.

Patrice has been discussing her writing process over the last few weeks. Answering a question she posed on her blog got me thinking about what I require in order to write a book. An idea for a story is a given, but I actually need much more than that before I can write. I tend to come up with the opening scene fairly quickly or at least a scene close to the opening, and then I build from there. Here’s where the writing process gets weird for me. I HAVE to know how the book ends before I can dive in and start writing past that opening scene.

Now I know a lot of writers out there want the book to come as a surprise to them as they’re working. For me, the middle section is a complete and total surprise. *g* BUT, in order for me to weave the tale, I must know my final destination. Which means I have to know how the book will end. I kind of equate the whole process to following a trail. What can I say? I’m weird and it works for me.

Onto the internet diet…I’m not getting as much done as I would like. I know my biggest time suck comes from fiddle-farting online. So with that in mind, I plan to put myself on an internet diet starting next week. I HAVE to get this book done ASAP. I’m not strong enough to sit at my desk and not surf or play games or read blogs, etc. You get the picture. Which means, I’m going to check my emails in the morning, maybe make a blog entry, then stay away from the computer until I have my daily word count in. I expect that the first few days of this will be ‘difficult’ (Kind of like trying to wean yourself off chocolate.), but it’s necessary. I am becoming far too much of an internet writer and not enough of a novel writer. Can’t finish books that way. It’s time to reorganize and refocus. I’m sure you all understand. Let the withdrawals begin. *ggg*

My dh went out of town to a conference on Sun. and I don’t tend to sleep while he’s gone. So by yesterday, I was darn near hallucinating I was so tired. I’m a power sleeper, so I don’t do well on 6 hours in 2 days. *ggg*

Last night, I broke down and took a couple of Tylenol vanilla sleepy thingies. ( I don’t know what they’re called.) Anyway, they knocked me out. I didn’t wake up until 11:15 in the morning. I’ve been scrambling ever since. LOL!

I must say though that I do feel MUCH better today. Just got back from the gym and plan to start typing in the changes I made to my manuscript. I hope everyone is having a good week.

I’ve managed to finish my 121 pages of edits. One of my dear critique partners came up with a solution to a problem I was having with the manuscript. Bless her heart. I owe her SO many drinks. *g*

I picked up a book while I was at the bookstore the other day. Shocker, I know. I swear I’m like a kleptomaniac, except I pay for my purchases and the books don’t have to be shiny to catch my attention. (Shaking head) Anyhoo, I brought home ‘Working for the Devil’ by Lilith Saintcrow. I’m only on page 41, but I am enjoying the book so far. The more I read these types of books, the more I want to write them. They combine everything I love in a single story, action/adventure, a kick-ass heroine, a paranormal world, and a hot guy. (wg) What more could you ask for?

Yesterday we went to see V for Vendetta. We’ve really been looking forward to this movie. Although different than we expected, we weren’t disappointed. It brought up a LOT to think about.

Natalie and Hugo did a great job in their roles. The premise of the movie for those unfamiliar with the preview is that war, terror, and disease have frightened people so much that they’ve given all their power to the government and in the process lost their basic freedoms. The film is based in a post-apocalyptic London. The US is in a civil war and has returned to London’s fold. The powers-that-be have banned certain art, music, books, etc. They monitor everyone’s communication by the use of spying devices. If you’re different (ie homosexual, a protester, an artist), they arrest you and take you to the equivalent of a concentration camp. It’s quite frightening given how much it parallels some of the things happening in the world today. So be prepared to be jolted out of your comfort zone.

The next thing I’d like to mention is an artist that I have to admit when I first saw him I thought his performance was a gag. Why? Because he’s a Hasidic Jew REGGAE star. Yes, you read that right. A Hasidic Jew REGGAE star. Blink. Oh, did I forget to mention the dreadlocks? I was watching one of the Hi-Def video channels the other day when this artist popped up. I turned to my dh and said, “That guy looks Hasidic.”

Now I realize that Hasidic Jews can and do listen to music. They also dance and behave basically like everyone else. It wasn’t his religion as much as the musical choice that shocked me. It’s not everyday you see a devout practioner of Judaism rap and sing reggae songs. I’m personally not a big fan of reggae, but I have to say that Matisyahu’s (yes, that’s his Hebrew name) music was catchy. I’ve been thinking about the tune ever since I heard it. If you haven’t heard of him, you definitely have to check him out and give him a listen.

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For those of you not on the Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal RWA chat loop, there is a fascinating conversation taking place. Or should I say debate. According to a business report called the Chesley Report, the youth of America aren’t interested in reading, watching television, or going to the movies. They don’t believe in HEA, since most are children of divorce. Women aren’t interested in marriage, since they make more money than their male counterpoints. They don’t believe in staying at a job for more than two years. And they want to be rewarded quickly (ie they show up ontime for a week and they want a bonus).

Supposedly, this report (along with others) is what the publishing houses are looking at to determine market projections. Why am I bringing this up? Because the debate on the list is whether it’s financially smart to invest your work at Harlequin, if you can sell it somewhere else. The opinions are split and both sides have produced good arguments to support their reasoning. Half the people believe you should bypass Harlequin and wait for a ST house, even if you’ve never sold. While the other half talk about getting a break, and then moving on once you’ve built a name.

This in turn got me thinking about the MANY ways you can break into publishing. (It’s hard no matter what route you choose.) I’ve been asked on numerous occasions why I chose to go the ebook route. Prior to submitting to Ellora’s Cave, I’d never queried N.Y. I did enter a few contests and did well right out of the gate. For a newbie, it was a terrifying experience. Afterwards, I started researching ebook publishers. EC came up time and again. I followed their progress for a year before ever submitting a manuscript. I wasn’t sure I could write hot enough for them. (wg)

I figured that writing for them was a way to experiment without the Petri dishes. *g* I could try different genres to see what I enjoyed without the pressure of N.Y. looming over me. I had no idea EC would take off the way they did. They’ve helped launch a lot of careers (Chey McCray, Christine Warren, Lora Leigh, Shiloh Walker, Julia Templeton, Kate Douglas, etc.), including my own.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is no ONE way to approach this business. If Harlequin phones and says, hey, we want to buy your books, then take the opportunity–unless it goes against your long-term goals. Your writing goals are something only you can decide on, so do your homework, know what you want, and then pursue it anyway you choose.