Jordan Summers

This was put together by Cheyenne McCray and Erin Quinn:

Last week I received  horrible news. My friend (and brainstorming buddy), Tina Gerow/Cassie Ryan collapsed at a book signing. According to her family, she has something called Arteriovenous malformation or AVM in her brain. (It’s when the veins in your brain get twisted up and one or more burst.) She’s already had two major brain surgeries with more in her future. The doctors are saying that she will be in intensive care for at least a month.  To add insult to injury, Tina was in the middle of a major house move. As you can imagine, she and her family will need major assistance. Prayer circles have been set in motion. (Any extras are surely welcome.) The family has also set up a site for DONATIONS. Again, any amount given would be appreciated. Please keep them in your thoughts during this trying time.
Thanks,

J

The weekend was spent cleaning house and organizing living space. Tomorrow the Salvation Army is stopping by to pickup our donations. Once that’s done, I think I may take a run to the library. I have a gorgeous encyclopedia set to donate and about three or four boxes of CD’s. We’ll be cleaning out the DVD’s next. I cannot believe how much stuff we have. At least it’s now sorted, so we know exactly what needs to go to the storage unit and what needs to stay. (Hint: Not much is staying.)

Today we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1.  Quite enjoyed it. Lots of things hitting the proverbial fan. Definitely left off in a good spot, but I really wish the next half was premiering before next summer. Don’t know if we’ll go see it again. It wasn’t really that type of movie. Very dark, quite sad. Afterwards, I headed off to the coffee shop to write. I’m beginning to think that they’ve added days to November. Well, not really. The time is flying by and I’m only about to reach the halfway point in my book. I knew going into this one that I wouldn’t be done by the end of November. Middle of December maybe, but November, not a chance. I’m attending a Screenwriter’s Summit in L.A. taught by Chris Vogler and Michael Hague the weekend of December 12th. Should be interesting. At present, I have no wish to write screenplays (dh is actually a terrific screenwriter), but I expect to get a tremendous amount out of it that will help my novel writing. (Especially if it’s anything like the CD’s that I own by them.) I haven’t made a tremendous amount of progress with NaNo since my last update, a few thousand words is about it. I’m in the second act and have had to rewrite a few chapters due to the Fey surprise that popped up. I think I’ve fixed everything now. As long as there are no more surprises, I should be able to make steady progress. My guess is by the end of the week, I’ll be at the halfway point in the book. That should ultimately put the book around 75-80K before first round edits. All bets on word count are off once the edits start.

I’m already starting to think about what project I’m going to work on next. I cannot decide if I should do the Middle Grade story or start the dark paranormal urban fantasy romance. Of course, I also have to take some time and get the ebooks up on Kindle and try to write a short story for consideration for Blood Lite 3. So very much to do. Should keep me busy through the holidays.

I read that my friend, Jeaniene Frost landed a whopper book deal the other day. WAY TO GO, J!!! Keep Bones and the gang coming. Also on the good news front, my friend, Charlene Teglia is expecting to hear the pitter patter of little feet in the future. Congrats Charli!!! I loved hearing good news. I really needed it this week.

Well I passed the 30K mark in NaNo today. Everything was running along smoothly. I was following my outline, and then BAM! My damn Fey character hijacked the scene by kidnapping my heroine. Okay, he didn’t really kidnap her, but he did take her out of the scene I’d started to write and put her in an entirely different location. I had no idea he was going to do it and I’m not really sure why he did it. All I know is that he did and now I’m scrambling to catch up. I finished the chapter, but it doesn’t ‘feel’ like it’s the end of their interaction. No idea what’s going to happen next. I’m actually surprised my heroine is going along with him. She doesn’t trust him and barely likes him. Teenagers!  Sigh.

I have taken a good look at my outline. I don’t think I’ll hit 50K by the end of this month, unless I get this mess straightened out quickly and have several VERY productive days. I only have 13 days left to do it. Of course, even if I do hit 50K, the book won’t be finished. I still have a LOT more story to get down. The detour just makes it harder. I should however make my original goal, which was to finish a rough draft of this YA by the end of this year. I think I can do that.  I have to because I’m itching to work on other projects.

For those participating, are you making progress? Have you had any sudden changes in direction occur? Have you reached 50K? If you have reached that number, then know now that I’m extremely jealous.

I thought I had recovered enough to blog about TusCon 37, but I’m still wiped.  This was my first sci-fi/fantasy/horror con and I must say I had a really good time. I sat on several panels and discussed everything from genre blending to the business of publishing. I was reminded that despite some issues I have with RWA (Romance Writer’s of America) on occasion they really are organized well to get information to new writers. This realization came about when I talked to the sci-fi/fantasy writers in the audience. Most really weren’t sure how to get started and where to find information on publishing. Shannon Butcher and I suggested that they join RWA, even if they have no intention of ever writing a romance. They could at least get the information they need to get started. Shannon was also kind enough to show me how to set up my iPad to show my book covers during a panel. Thank you, Shannon!!! She was a very cool lady. Her and her famous husband, Jim Butcher were the guests of honor at the convention. I was stopped by several people and thanked for my participation. It felt really good that I was able to help people out.

I’d like to send out special thanks to Frances, who invited me to the con. I’ve met her on several occasions at RWA events, but never had the opportunity to really sit down and chat. It made for a very pleasant weekend. I really enjoyed our talks. I’d also like to thank Maryelizabeth from Mysterious Galaxy Books. She and her son make quite a team. Maryelizabeth was kind enough to order copies of Red, Scarlet, Crimson, and Blood Lite 2 for me. There was a small signing and I managed to sell a few, which was terrific since I don’t think most  I know most  people had no idea who I was. Mary was also instrumental in introducing me to the folks who organize Coppercon 31 and the Phoenix Comic Con. I’m going to do my level best to attend both next year. Thinking about it, I probably owe Maryelizabeth some chocolate.

The con covered everything from the Mayan Calendar, which the logical scientific minds soundly dismissed as hokum, to Steampunk clothing. Since I can’t sew to save my life, I skipped the latter. (There were some amazing costumes there and a coat that had my name on it.) I just wasn’t sure how to explain to dh that I’d spent six hundred dollars on a Steampunk coat that I’d rarely get to wear. Excuse my Southern California for a moment. The coat was totally rad. It hurt, but I put it back.

There wasn’t a lot of information bantered about that I haven’t already covered here for my Novelist Inc. summaries. More and more authors are looking into going Indie. I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with that as long as they take the time to get their work critiqued numerous times and put together professional covers. Oh and most important of all, write a damn good book. That should go without saying.

Today I’m off to Tucson to attend my first Sci-fi, Fantasy, and Horror Conference. I’ve never been to a Sci-fi, Fantasy, or Horror conference, so I’m not quite sure what to expect. This one is smaller, so I’m thinking that’s a good thing. I’m going in with an open mind and a sense of adventure. Never give up. Never surrender.  *g* I’ll be sitting on a few panels with Jim Butcher, so I will definitely be in good company.  Wish me luck! See you on Monday.

As an aside, I’m taking my Neo and iPad with me so I can continue with NaNo. Yep, I’m the picture of dedication. *ggg*

I’ve passed the 25000 word mark today on the book. The next bit is going to go slower because I’m free writing from here on out. I hope everyone participating in NaNo is making progress. That’s the most important thing to aim for this month.

Now to something far more important. Today is Veteran’s Day. I never met my ‘real’ grandfather. I grew up with a man I loved and who was very real to me. He was my world. In my mind, he’ll always be my grandpa. That doesn’t change the fact that my ‘real’ grandfather rests in Hawaii at the Punchbowl cemetery. He died in WWII, when my mom was very little. I don’t know how much action he saw in Japan and ultimately it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that he served. And in the end, he gave everything to make sure that my mom and grandma would live free and safe from the horrors of war. I honor him and the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve this nation. Thank you! May you come home safe.

I’ve been waiting and waiting to see a review or three done on Blood Lite 2, but there’s been nothing. We’re talking crickets people. I don’t expect everyone to love it or my story in general, but you would’ve thought that someone, someplace would’ve reviewed it by now. I finally found a review on Critical Mass. They had the following thing to say about the anthology:

Blood Lite 2: Overbite edited by Kevin J. Anderson, Gallery, 2010, $16, ISBN 978-1-4391-8765-4

Following the success of the first volume, the Horror Writers Association provides its second selection of humorous horror.  Truth in advertising – I have a story in this one.  Humor is a peculiar thing varying from person to person, so what I might find hilariously funny might strike someone else as leaden or just silly, and humor mixed with horror is even trickier.  Not surprisingly that means that I didn’t find that all of the entries here tickled my funny bone, but there were no real clunkers either.  A few were quite effective, however, and I think on balance this is a better collection than the first.  Lucien Soulban has an absolutely hysterical sendup of the Cthulhu Mythos, a subject I would have thought long exhausted of new potential.  Jeff Ryan provides the funniest grossout story I’ve ever read.  Jordan Summers introduces us to the ghoul police.  Sharyn Crumb describes the consequences of appointing a Native American god as a college department head. Jeff Strand’s tale of a plan of revenge gone hysterically awry is also excellent.  Very good stories as well from Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Steve Rasnic Tem, Nancy Kilpatrick, and Edward Bryant.  The balance are all pretty good as well.  A couple of them did not seem to me to have any humorous content, but they were entertaining anyway.  10/6/10

I’m tickled that my story was considered one of the standouts. Now back to work on NaNo. Sigh.

So today I passed the hundred page mark. This should be cause for celebration, but there’s only one problem–I still haven’t reached the first major turning point. As some of you might recall, I wrote a partial draft of this book a while back and knew something was off with the pacing. (I have issues with many writing aspects, but pacing is not one of them.) I thought taking the time to re-chart the book would solve the hundred and something page turning point problem. Sigh. It hasn’t. I know I’ll reach the first turning point soon…I’d say in another thirty pages, but (and that’s a big BUT) I’m right back where I started with the turning point problem. And I honestly don’t know how to fix it.  Today, I considered killing my heroine off for fun. Yeah, I went there. If I could’ve figured out how to tell the rest of the story without her, then she’d be pushing daisies right now.

I’m still in the beginning stages of NaNo and I’m seeing problems that are going to be a pain in the ass to tackle later. I don’t want to stop because I have momentum going and I really, REALLY want a first draft of this book done. But, if I don’t fix this, then this book is going to be monstrously long–not in word count, but in page count. (I tend to write slim with LOTS of dialogue. I shudder to think what’s going to happen to the length when I go back and start filling in the description.) I’m currently eating Belgium dark chocolate and it’s not helping.

Time for a distraction…

Tonight I watched a Behind the Music special on Pink. I am so inspired by her fearlessness and her ability to get excited about potential failure. She loves having the opportunity to fail. It is an enviable trait that I’d like to cultivate. The woman may be tough and an in-your-face punk on occasion, but you have to respect her directness and tenacity. She values loyalty and honesty. Nothing wrong with that. Oh, and she’s shit hot talented to boot. Watching her motivates me to strive to be a better writer, a better artist. I wish she’d been around when I was singing in cover bands.  I would’ve been all over her music.

As an aside, I picked up a new book (no comments from the peanut gallery please). The book is called Afterlight: The Dark Ink Chronicles and is set in Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is one of the prettiest towns I’ve ever visited. (The residents joke that the reason why it’s stayed so pretty is because they’re really good at surrendering. *ggg*) It’s a little weird vibe-wise because it has a mix of artistic young people (cool), southern food (yum), voodoo (strange), and ‘white’s only’ clubs–where Jews and people of color need not apply (creepy). I suppose the odd mix adds to its flavor. I know the author of Afterlight has done a fabulous job of capturing the feel of the city. If you’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Savannah, you’ll feel like you have once you read the first few chapters of Afterlight. Anyway, I’m not too far into the book, but I am really enjoying it. It’s labeled as a vampire romance, but it reads more like a hybrid urban fantasy. I know a lot of you are burnt out on that genre, but if you are one of the people still enjoying UF/R (like me) then check it out.

Well NaNo is well underway. It’s day four and I’ve already managed to miss one day. (No, I’m not done beating myself up over it yet. Maybe next week.) Other than the miss, it seems to be chugging along. I do admit it’s a little rougher than the last time I attempted it. I wasn’t altogether ready, but I refuse to let that stop me. I managed to vomit out 1500 words today. Not a lot, but more than I did the day before. You have to take the wins where you can. Other than going out writing or doing timed writing, I haven’t been up to much. There are a few movies that I’m interested in seeing this weekend. Not sure if I’ll make it. It depends on if I get my word count in.  I would be supremely happy if I could hit 50K at the end of this month. I have 39K to go, since I’m currently sitting at 11K.
If you are participating in NaNo, how is it going? If you’re not, what are you up to? Anything special?