An Interview and a PLAN *Buwahahahahahahaha*

So Marcy over at Maine Words interviewed me and asked some GREAT questions. I think the answers weren't so shabby either... largely about my writing journey and cozy mysteries, so I'd love it if you'd come over and see us!

Also, TOMORROW is the first day of BuNoWriMo... and I have some challenges this year, so I feel the need to commit to specific goals, since they aren't the normal 50K in 30 days goals these things are.


First: The CHALLENGES

1: Daughter graduates from high school Tuesday so I have family in town most of the week.

2: On June 23 (my birthday) my family is embarking on our first ever cross-country road trip. (so I will be partially off line, though I do plan on taking a computer... but what we rent MAY not have in car charging (and I get carsick if I don't watch the road)... So I am 8 days SHORT on computer time...

My PLAN *Buwahahahahaha*

Between the two, I don't think 50K is feasible... So here is my hope:


40K before June 22. And then I will take A Shot In The Light with me (hard copy) to decide where I need to break and what needs to be added/cut to release it as a serial next fall... it won't be the actual editing, so much as a read/reminder and rethinking so I can revise efficiently when we get back mid-July.

(with the door open to keep writing this book

My BOOK

This is a brand new, less than a week old idea that was sort of a convergence of thoughts but I haven't SEEN it and I think I can tell this story well, as I LIVED pieces of it:


Title: Also Appearing...
(YA Coming of Age or Finding Self)

Leah XX feels like a bit player in her own life. A supporting actor. An 'also appearing'. She is the 'nice friend' of the popular girls who never gets the guy. The shadow of her pretty outgoing sister. And the afterthought of her parents' summer plans. But the forced summer at the lake isn't all bad. She meets Trey Schreiber, who makes her feel pretty, interesting and wanted. She feels like a new self is born in her summer romance. Sadly, back at home, her friends all see the same old her. Reliable, boring Leah.

She tries to fight her way back to the feeling of being someone special, trying all the tricks at hand: alcohol, sex, a little recklessness. But as her attempts spin out of control, she begins to wonder if it wasn't all an illusion. Maybe she just wasn't meant to stand out in the crowd.


That is what I can share... I have more figured out, but it sounds too spoilerish as I write it... it is a self-discovery of sorts...

Visiting Patricia Stoltey Today!

Halo, fine friends! This is the penultimate stop on my blog hop today... It's been a marathon, I think... Still trying to catch my head before I can find out for sure, but I sure appreciate all my fabulous friends who've had me!

So PLEASE come over and see me at Pat's place today!


And RE-heads up! BuNoWriMo! Two days!!!

Define Hawt… with Stacy Gail

So my buddy Stacy writes some of the hawtest characters I know, and I thought, here on the release of her latest novel, WOUNDED ANGEL, it would be fun to explore inside her brain a little to see what she likes, what inspires her and how exactly she goes about infusing hawtness…

Tart: So tell us about the first CELEBRITY you fell in love with and how he defined hawtness for you… or… was it foxiness back then?

Stacy: BACK THEN?!? What do you mean, BACK THEN??? *desperately covers gray hair* Though, yeah, I guess since Rob Lowe was the first dude to trip my girlish trigger (and he’s now looking like a mile of bad road), I think that’s a fair cop. ^_^ What about you, Your Tartness? Who was first to rev your motor, and does he fall into the hawtness era, or the foxiness era?


Tart: Erm... Shaun Cassidy. And no comments from the peanut gallery. But in my defense, he made a mighty fine Joe Hardy...

Say... were there early book heroes you fell for, too?

Stacy: Omigosh, I have SO MANY book-boyfriends! I think my first one ever was one of the main characters in the Trixie Belden series. Jim Frayne was a bad-boy-turned-good hero that made my grade-school heart melt. Strangely enough, though, the one that always stuck with me was Stu Redman, a hero in Stephen King’s “The Stand.” I know that Stephen King’s name doesn’t usually pop up when talking about book-boyfriends, but Stu was something else again. At least I didn’t say Tom Cullen. M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen ;)

Tart: Stu, huh? I wouldn't have pegged you for a Stu sort... or maybe that is me who he didn't quite work for. Probably because I had an actual Stu, or rather Stew, and I confounded the two... So have you analyzed a little? What are those special qualities that make your heart patter and your knees go weak?

Stacy: *snort* It’s funny how you expect me to analyze things. How long have you known me again??? But back to the question… The hottest thing in the world HAS to be the brain, since both Jim Frayne and Stu Redman used their wits when the heat was on. Sapiosexual – that’s me.

Mmmmmmmmmm, brainsssss. AMIRITE??? Sexiest organ the human body has. *nods*

Tart: Ah, yes... sexy brainy boys... I can go along with that... And how do you tap that when you’re writing characters?

Stacy: *struggles to keep straight face* Um… “tap that”, Your Tartness? Did you really just say… tap that??? 

Okay, okay, I’ll behave. :P

Before I officially start writing any book, I do character outlines, including names that almost always have a hidden meaning, to hair color (which has no meaning whatsoever *snort*), to multi-layered backstories. Example: the book that’s releasing this week, WOUNDED ANGEL, is the third in a four-book miniseries called The Earth Angels (published by Carina Press). Before I wrote one word of any of these books, I spent an entire night outlining the four sets of characters that would populate these books, as well as mapping out the story arc and what would happen in each book. If memory serves, I wrote over four-thousand words that night, but ultimately I had these wily, multi-faceted characters who have vital roles to play and mysteries to solve. At least in part, their collective intellect will help bring the world back from the brink of an apocalypse.

Annnnnd now you don’t have to read the series since I just let the cat out of the bag. *facepalm*


Tart: Okay, I walked into that...  At least it's a llama... Who’s your favorite character you’ve written and why?

Stacy: *moons The Tart* Which of your children is your favorite?

Tart: The one that loves me most, so there. But that changes regularly... So you're a visual person and I know you've kept a pinterest file of images for the last several books you've written. Would you mind sharing these images for your latest book and giving a little explainer as to how the images inspired you while you were writing?

Stacy: Sure!  When I put together a storyboard, I scour Teh Interwebz for the right look/feel of the characters. In WOUNDED ANGEL this was kind of tricky, since the heroine, Ella, had once been Gabriella Littlefield, with blonde hair, blue eyes and a naïve, "soft" look.  Ella had not only changed her looks after enduring a life-changing traumatic event, she also changed her name, location and even her attitude and aspects of her personality.  Eventually I stumbled upon some great Charlize Theron photos that best depicted this profound change. These photos proved to me anew that if given enough time and motivation, a person can change their appearance to the point where they're almost unrecognizable, and that helped me define Ella.

Tart:  Oh, nice--same woman, different look.


Stacy:  Now, if you want to talk about the photo depicting how Nate and Ella get to cooking in the kitchen... well, you know what they say--one picture is worth a thousand words. :D

 

Will that do?  Also, here's the link to my Wounded Angel Pinterest board:  

http://pinterest.com/stacygailauthor/building-a-book-wounded-angel/

Tart:  *snort*

Wounded Angel Blurb: 

Book three of The Earth Angels
A descendant of the Angel of Vengeance, Nate da Luca was gifted with an uncanny ability to find things. It made his job as a detective a breeze—until he learned the hard way that some things should remain hidden. After that, his powers vanished, along with his belief in himself. Which is going to make tracking down Gabriella Littlefield for his latest client a challenge.

Personal trainer Ella Little paid a hefty price for her life—now all she wants is to live it in peace. Then a sexy hulk of a man turns up in her gym, reigniting desires she thought she'd left behind along with her real name and hair color.

Desires she can't deny even after she discovers Nate's no stranger to her dark past.
Before he can convince her the attraction is mutual, Nate's going to have to earn Ella's trust. But a demon is playing for keeps in the world of humans, using Ella as bait, and the last thing they have is time…
  

Stacy Gail – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Doin' it with HELENA!

Erm... and of course by DOING it, I mean living through our characters...

I hope everyone is having a FABULOUS long weekend, but if you need any reading... there we are! (me, visiting Helena) http://www.becominglayla.com/

(Through Tuesday, because we will be JUST as amusing then!


Things I hope you are doing this weekend...

Things I hope you are NOT doing this weekend...

Getting Fresh

Good stuff happening! Wednesday was nice. I hadn't really been getting reviews and so was feeling reasonably paranoid, but On Wednesday I got notification (Google alerts) that The Begonia Bribe had been mentioned and I went and found THIS terrific 5 apple review from Debbie's Book Bag. It made me a little teary it was so nice... she said my characters jump off the page and she'd like to be friends with them!!! (there is a giveaway, too, if you want to try to win it!)

I went to see if the review was on Amazon. It wasn't, but in addition to the 3 star review (which I appreciate, but sat there all alone for a few weeks) there was a 5-star one from blogger buddy Mason Canyon.  It was definitely encouraging!

And then this month, I am featured at Sharon's Cozy Corner, So Fresh Fiction invited me to do a guest spot... I've written it on Writer's Brain...


I wish all of you a FABULOUS long weekend, with a mix of remembering and honoring lost loved ones and time having fun with your friends and family. I just wish the nice weather would come back.

Two Places at Once!

Rob Columbus, Cam's love interest and long time boyfriend is giving himself an introduction at Dru's BookMusings, and Dru is giving away a copy of The Begonia Bribe to commenters!

And at noon today, I have a post at Writer Space about the Murderous Bystanders all around us. Would love it if people could drop by for a visit!

In the meantime... some gifts I'd like from my boyfriend... erm... husband...

He could start with this...

Because honestly, is there anything better than truffles?

Assure me this would be taken care of forevermore...

Hotness keeping house... as easy as winding him up...

And send me for this...

When I return, he'd have tickets to go here...

And then set up dinner like this...

See... I'm easy to please!

Countdown to BuNoWriMo!!!!

HALO, Peeps!!! It's that time of year again!!! Have you been thinking about it? Are you ready?

Ready for WHAT you say? Have you been ASLEEP!?

BuNoWriMo is FOUR this year, if you can believe that. We began it BEFORE they began the summer Camp WriMo, and even during NaNoWriMo, we are a fabulous SUPPORTIVE writing group. During NaNoWriMo in November, it is just a place to talk with people you know better. So you can do this INSTEAD of Camp NaNoWriMo or you can do this on TOP OF Camp NaNoWriMo...

What do you DO? Why write a 50K book in 30 days! (the 30 days of June)  What else.

But we are super bendy and if you want to shake up that goal, that's cool with us. Just look at your MONTH and what needs DOING and set a goal that is a little ambitious... that will get you writing more than you normally do. If you only have part of the month, then only DO part of the month.

What you REALLY need to know is WHERE.

BuNoWriMo is hosted by The Burrow, which is my writing group (made up of 4 score blondes and brunettes between sixteen and nineteen and a half...)

And we host it on Facebook HERE:

There are over a hundred of us there, so it is much larger than just the Burrow—has been from the beginning... and ALL of you are WELCOME!


First year I wrote Kahlotus Disposal Site (currently going through big eval, but this was an ABNA semi-finalist, so it will eventually get out there.

Second year wrote What Ales Me (my current editing project)

Last year I wrote Shot in the Light (or half of it... it is at 120K now and not quite done...)

Not sure what this year's project will be... I may do an evaluation of endangered, restructured as a serial, and try to jam out the rest of that. I am going to miss the last week, as my family is traveling, so I may put a 40K goal instead of 50K... Still thinking... but see... we are flexible that way...

So who's in!?

Over at Johanna's Blog!

Halo fine friends!!! I hope you had a spectacular weekend. I'm over visiting Johanna today, talking about whether we really love our second babies the same way we love our first... book babies, I mean, but MAN the metaphor works...

And since Johanna lives in my very favorite place, I'm going to leave you with some pics of amazing Oregon... Stop over and visit us over there, eh?

Multnomah Falls

Note:  Crater Lake was a volcano that blew and created an inversion that filled with snow... that peak in the middle is still growing--which means at some point, this could blow, though it's considered dormant.

Crater Lake

Nice view of several of Portland's bridges (there are 11)

Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon

And a view of Portland with Mt. Hood in the background (also a dormant volcano)

Visiting Tote Bags and Blogs

And feeling insecure about it.  See... it's a site for REAL authors... you know... famous people... *cough*

This blogosphere is so completely fabulous, and I LOVE all of you guys. But when I see names on a roster that I knew before I was even paying attention and mine is included... well I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about...

Anyway, I'd LOVE it if all of you could pop over THERE so I at least have some friends around me as I fumble...  And in the meantime... some monsters...

Man being absorbed by The Blob

Badass Alien

An OTHER among the Whitewalkers

Nazgul

Cthulu

And the scariest of all... a self-righteous hypocrite

Visiting Diana Wilder Today

So today I have an author interview of a little more serious nature than the one I barely survived Tuesday... Although I had a BLAST.  Still, it's a relief to be able to relax a bit and have a great conversation with the lovely Diana Wilder.  Come by and see us!

In the meantime... I showed up last night to my author chat with Writer Space... that actually occurred on Tuesday.  GAH!  I had it on my calendar, but the reminder came to me AFTER I was off the computer for the night, so I missed it completely!

Any of you make any bonehead moves like that?

In the meantime, I will leave you with tattoos for some of my favorite books, inspired by a FB share I saw yesterday.

Tart Attempts to Survive Mistress Snark

Hey there! Just dropping by quickly for some survival gear. I'm over having Tea Tuesday with Mistress Snark today.

I will confess, this interview is probably the most entertaining I've ever done, but the jury is still out on whether I will survive it. Why don't you drop over an cheer me on!?

And in the meantime... some survival gear!

So I've been working on building my immunity to iocane powder...

And though it's unattractive, I will bring a bezoar just in case...

And I probably ought to bring a couple weapons...

My personal favorite

Though this one looks scarier...

Got some of these in case I need to throw messages toward Alex...

Because this is what I'm really scared of...

Visiting L. Diane Wolfe Today!!!

Halo, fine friends!  I hope all of you had a FABULOUS weekend and that those of you who are or have mothers celebrated accordingly!!!

I'm over visiting L. Diane Wolfe today at Spunk on a Stick's Tips sharing the kind of promotion that a shy retiring sort like me can manage...

Don't laugh... seriously. I'm awkward... but I DO think I have some things that work.

In the meantime... some mama pics...

At Alex's Today!!!

Halo, fine friends! I'm really over visiting Alex Cavanaugh today... You all know where that is—he's friends with EVERYBODY, but just in case, here's the link: http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

For HERE, I just wanted to share a few pics from my event at Aunt Agatha's last night...

(also got to meet local blogger buddy J. Weller! Love that!)

Accentuating the highlights, though the base color is redder than this looks.

And officially my first author photo I really LIKE...

So now go to Alex's and see us for real!