Somehting to think about . . .

Hunger and the fear of failure . . . when you hit the wall, the only way left is up.

~Lorelei Bell

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Looking Back... Looking Forward

I keep a journal--have bins filled with them--and once in a while I do like to look back to see where I've been, and how things have progressed. It's to help me see how I was, back, say five or ten years ago. It helps ground myself so that I'm not getting myself crazy about how I want things to go along more swiftly and be more successful than I am.

In 2007 I was getting small things published in a small quarterly called "Weeds Corner". Ruth Brookshire was the editor and owner of the little magazine out of Indiana. She accepted my very first poem which saw the light of printing ink. After that, she accepted everything I sent her, and I was paid a few dollars for it. It wasn't much, but my words were getting out there and being read.

I was working on my (eventually self-published), book Spell of the Black Unicorn. I didn't know what I would do with it, since I was getting rejection letters from everyone I sent it out to. I did what I swore I would not do. I self-published it. I didn't want to do this, but I had turned 50 and by God or high water I was going to damn well have a book published before I got too old to enjoy the thrill of doing so. I found a relatively cheep deal for this and I had to do all the formatting, but they were very helpful. I chose to go with Infinity Publishers. I payed my $400. and within a few short months I had a solid paperback book with my own designed cover and my own words inside and out. I sold a few dozen copies, had two book signings and had a ball. I still have about a dozen copies left in a box...

And here I am, 2011, my second in the series vampire novel is out now. I'm not exactly rolling in dough. Not rolling very much, actually, but it takes time to get the word out to people who don't know about your book. Promoting a book is not easy. Especially when you have no money to help things along the way. But, at least I didn't have to self-publish these last two books. And I'm not saying I may not ever try to do something in Smashwords, or some such. I'm just saying right now I'm okay with doing things this way.

The thing about getting the second book out is that you've made contacts with people on the first book, and now--because they loved the first one--they are willing to help promote it on their sites and with their efforts and so forth, other people eventually learn about both. It's like a tiny snowball, rolling down a hill. I think.

And I've also published an older short story--which never saw printers ink back about 9-10 years ago when I tried to get it into the pages of a magazine. But I re-wrote it and it was taken and now it is out there with a bunch of other writer's works.

I'm now working on a novella, and hope to get it written by spring and see if I can't send it to the same publishers (Dark Moon), as they take the shorter works. They only take horror fiction.

After that I hope to get the third book in the Sabrina Strong Series into the capable hands of my editor at Copperhill Media, and meanwhile I hope to begin a mystery series. I don't want to lean on just the one sort of genre. I'd like to stretch my writing abilities. I know I have a couple of stories in me and they have to be told in their specific genre.

I write this with the realization that only a few short years ago I had no book published, and now I have 3. I have to pat myself on the back, but I also have to kick myself and work on those things I hope to publish next year.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

First book in the Sabrina Strong Series

Second book in the Sabrina Strong Series--soon to be released!
This blog was started by me early in 2010, and it was before I knew I was going to get Vampire Ascending published. I had tried with one publisher, but the editor seemed to be wanting to push a romance angle. I didn't write the book as a romance. Fortunately, I had another publisher who was interested in my book, and I had to wait until I was finished wrangling with the first publisher, before I could go with Copperhill Media.

Well, here I am, another year is nearly gone by. I'm about to get the second book in the series out and I'm being told this book is even better. I'm encouraged by this, because I felt it was my best work. I'm hopeful that once I get this thing out there you--readers/fans--will have read the first book, Vampire Ascending, because you'll want to start with the first book, as the second one follows it close behind, and lots of things happen and you really don't want to miss any of it.

For those of you who don't know, I've struggled with sending my book manuscripts out for years. More than three decades have passed since I've begun writing. And I was never able to get even a toe into a door. I was so desperate that I self-published my first fantasy book, "Spell of the Black Unicorn", as I felt that this would be my only way to see anything of mine in print. It wasn't something I wanted to do, at first, but after getting rejections for it, time and time again, and seeing that many authors were being admitted into this exclusive club, plus I had turned 50, all weighted in on my decision.
Spell of the Black Unicorn, my self-published light fantasy
I even did the front cover, since I am an artist as well. I thought it came out rather nicely. My aim was to make it look whimsical. It is a light fantasy for adults. If you are interested you might check it out at Amazon. Both books can be found there. Also, you may click the covers on the right side of my post to go to either book's site.

Anyway, I'm looking back on a year that had some excitement in it, and I've made lots of friends here on the blogs and I'm still learning things. I'm attempting to get my name/works out into anthologies. I'm hoping to gain new readers, of course.

It all takes time, and I get a little frustrated at how much work it is and I feel it's still too much of an up-hill battle.

But I have to remind myself where I was two years ago. I've got a second book in a series coming out. I hope to work on a new mystery series, as my next two books for the Sabrina Strong series are written. They are nearly finished, and I just feel that I need to do something different.

I'd also like to try to get a faster Internet and try my hand at placing a few works as an Indie. But, again, I'm thinking too far ahead. I feel like a racehorse waiting for the gate to kick open. I want to go!

Well, thanks for stopping in on my little chat. I hope it wasn't too boring. I simply wanted to look back and think about how far I've come, and remind many of you that you can get published, somehow, now. Back in the day, there was no such thing as Smashwords or other ways of getting your books published other than going through the grueling task of contacting an agent and waiting forever for a rejection letter. I'm done with those. I know of a couple of people who were going that route and now have self-published, because they want control over their work. It's a thought, isn't it?

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Writing In The Crosshairs: MARK TWAIN DOES BATTLE WITH NaNoWriMo!

Writing In The Crosshairs: MARK TWAIN DOES BATTLE WITH NaNoWriMo!: Children, I just passed old Hemingway. He was cussing up a storm. I asked why. He told me of NaNoWriMo or NoNoNanettes as he called it. ...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

I'm Still Here

I've got so many blogs, it's a little difficult to keep up. But hey, I'm here now, and for those of you who do not check out my other blogs, this is the cover for my new book about to come out.

I know. Creepy. Right?

My publisher tells me that they are going to send me the edits this week. Hope so. I so want to get things going here. I've already been contacting other blogs for host spots. And if you follow Lorelei's Muse, you'll be better able to learn when these events/interviews take place and might be able to win a book.

And on Tuesdays at Lorelei's Muse, I have been putting up "Teaser Tuesdays" portions of the book, to give you little tastes of what you can find inside.

As I write this today, I've been getting caught up on my blogger buds, and I've been working on the third book, as well as a short story. The short story I've taken a scene from my third book and written a short story and hope to send it off soon to (also hopefully) be published. I have not tried to publish anything short in a long while. And definitely have not had anything that would fit the bill (these places are often themed), and so I never considered it. But we shall see if I can find publication in an ezine.

Now that Halloween is over with, and a lot of people out there are doing the NaNo thing, I've got a relaxing time to concentrate on what I need to. Soon, it will be the edits. As soon as these are done, the eBook will come out shortly there after. It might be a spell before the paperback is out as well.

Last year at about this time, the first book was about to come out. Vampire Ascending arrived on Dec.3rd. I was so ecstatic about it. I'm equally excited about my second book. I've been told by my publisher that as good as they thought the first one was, this one is even better. But it should be. Or at least you hope as an author that you've become a better writer and each book does become a little better.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Lorelei's Muse: COFFIN HOP!

Lorelei's Muse: COFFIN HOP!: I'm very excited about the Coffin Hop! It's the first blog hop I have ever been a part of. A bunch of horror fiction writers are particip...

Friday, October 7, 2011

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lorelei's Muse: Interview with Heather McCorkle, Author of Secrets...

Lorelei's Muse: Interview with Heather McCorkle, Author of Secrets...:  Heather McCorkle  Heather and I met on Author Nation blogsite, and we sort of meandered away and I followed Heather here t...

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Sabrina and Vasyl answer the UNDERWEAR CHALLENGE!

The vampire appeared in my dining room, looking like something out of a virgin girl's dream. Long wavy black hair draped down his bare shoulders, down past the band of his tight, faded bluejeans. Large violet eyes going half lidded, he breathed, “Mon cher,”

Of course he startled me. “Vasyl!” I put a hand to my chest. I hadn't expected him to pop in tonight. “Leave it to you to scare the pee out of me!”

“Pardon, mon cherie, but I whished to visit.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay. I just wish you'd come to the front door like everyone else.”

“Why?”

“It's polite.”

“Very well, from now on I shall rap on the front door.” He paused to study me as I looked over a sheet of paper.

“What are you doing, Cherie? What is that you have there?”

“It appears to be a questionnaire,” I said frowning at the page.

“What is it for?”

“Lorelei sent it to me to answer for her blog.”

“Who is this Lorelei, and what is a blog?” He sounded half-way peeved that something would take attention off of him.

“Lorelei is the woman who writes about my adventures—or mis-adventures—and a blog is something she writes on the Internet.”

“I do not know this Internet.” He gave the French shrug.

“That's right you shun the modern world. Anyway, I have to answer these questions. They look hard.”

“Ah. I shall help you, no?”

“You want to help?” I gave him a look as he moved closer to me. As he did the rich aroma of earth and horse blankets and straw distracted me.

“Oui.” He moved in closer, looking over my left shoulder a strand of his black hair snaked over my neck. His hair was possibly possessive as well.

“Well, okay, if you want.”

“What is the first question there?”

    What do you call your underwear/undergarments? Do you have any commonly used nicknames for them?

Vasyl straightened and looked puzzled. “You have to name undergarments?”

“It's for fun.”

“But they already have a name.”

“What?”

“Undergarments.”

“I think they're looking for a common name. Like a person's name.”

“Ah. Then do you have a name for them?”

“No.”

“Let us call them Debbie,” he said.

“Debbie?” I looked back at him. “You mean, as a thousand year-old Frenchman, you could be that blasé?”

He shrugged. “I like the name Debbie for your undergarments.”

“Okay.”

“That was simple. What is this next question?”

Have you ever had that supposedly common dream of being in a crowded place in only your underwear?

Vasyl straightened. “I do not dream. Usually. And when I do, mon cher it is only of you.”

I snorted. “Yeah right.” I looked at the paper in my hands. “I'm going to go with no. I may have had visions while in a crowded place, but I had clothes on. So, I don't think it counts”

“I agree. Next question.”

What is the worst thing you can think of to make underwear out of?

“Wool,” he said.

“I agree. That was simple.”

If you were a pair of panties what color would you be?

Vasyl threw back his head and laughed. “These are silly questions cherie!”

“I'm going to go with white.”

“No-no-no! Black. If you were undergarment I would want you to be black silk.”

“Oo-la-la,” I sang. His hands slid up my arms. He pulled me close, my back against his bare chest. This was actually the vampire feeding pose. With any other vampire, I would have been under his thrall, by now, except for one thing--I wore the mystic ring, which prevents vampire thrall completely. But also, Vasyl did not feed from me. He had sworn human blood off centuries ago. I'm not at liberty to tell you what animal blood he feeds on almost exclusively.

“And I have yet to see your undergarments--please tell me you will wear only black and that they are silk,” he said low in my ear.

“Vasyl!” I turned my head to look at him, unable to help a silly smile. “You'll just have to wait to see,”

“It makes me tingle with anticipation to see your Debies.”

“I think we'd better continue with these or we'll never finish,” I said.

Have you ever thrown your underwear at a rock star or celebrity? If so, which ones? If not, which ones?

“I do not understand,” Vasyl said. “What is rock star?”

“Uh, they play music. Rock and roll, or other kinds of music. They play on a stage. Sometimes women throw underwear at the stage.”

“Why? Do they need underwear?”

“No, silly, they throw them their underwear.”

“Ah. Then it is to suggest they want to—” he made a suggestive noise in the back of his throat and encircled me with his arms. “This is giving me ideas, mon cher. Let me take you into the bed room, I will lick my bite, as you like that so much.” Vasyl had bitten me when I was young and any time he licked his bite it gave me a powerful orgasm.

I squealed with delight as he kissed along my neck. “Wait,” I panted, turned and pressed my hand to his creamy chest. My eyes fell to the black hair that arrowed down to the waistband. I pinched the hair between my fingers. “We have a few more questions to do.”

“They can wait.” He pulled me close and kissed me. My knees went first, and then my stomach did flip-flops. He may not be able to thrall me, vampire-wise, but man-wise it was no contest.

“There's only a few more. . .” I spoke through our kisses.

“Hurry then.”

You're out of underwear, what do you do?

“Oh, bien.”

I chuckled. “Since you don't wear shoes or socks, you probably don't wear underwear.”

“Why should I?”

“Of course.”

Are you old enough to remember Underoos? If so, did you have any? Which ones?

“I am old enough to remember the Bubonic Plague. And nearly all of the churches of Europe were built in my time as a human and then a vampire.”

“Right. Next question.”

If you could have any message printed on your underwear,what would it be?

“These questions are silly.”

“Play along—what are you doing?”

“Kissing your palm.” His lips trailed up my inner wrist, working toward his bite.

I yanked my hand out of his and gave him a stern look.

“What?”

“We're not done yet!”

“I have told you, these are silly questions.”

“Nevertheless I have to answer them!”

“When you are through, then we shall retire to the bedroom.”

I licked my lips. “Okay!”

How many bloggers does it take to put panties on a goat?

“What are these people?Greek? Who would put panties on a goat?”

“I think it's a joke.”

“This whole questionnaire is a joke! But I'm not joking when I tell you I need to address this question of what color your underwear is.” He lifted me up into his arms and I squelched a screech. The paper with the questions went fluttering to the floor.

Wait! We have to pass this on to a couple of people!

Let's pass this on to the men:


Roland Yeomans of Writing In The Crosshairs
James Garcia Jr. of Dancing On Fire