Wednesday, July 27, 2011

"I've Got Company!" The Summer Guest Blog Series

Just a quick note to tell you that I'm lining up guests to visit my blog on Fridays from August 5th to 26th.
I'm calling these guest blogs: "I've Got Company!" The Summer Guest Blog Series

I promise to introduce you to some interesting people who are in some way connected to writing and the book biz.

I'm keeping the names of my guests a secret for now, but stayed tuned, I'll be posting the calendar very soon.

I hope you drop by every Friday in August, cuz I'll be having company and I'd love for you to be there, too!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Another step in the editing of Deathly Quiet

Line edits done and now Deathly Quiet is on its way to be formatted. Thanks to Christine Speakman and Ellee Braun, both wonderful MuseItUp editors, who helped me take my gothic-style, dark piece of fiction to another level.

When I joined the online writing group at Kelley Armstrong's website, I never knew just how much I'd learn there. Honestly, I was nervous when I offered up my first monthly piece for critiquing but I'm happy I overcame my anxiety to participate because it was the beginning of an invaluable experience.

Thanks to other writers reading and critiquing my pieces it was less of a shock when Christine and Ellee began editing my work. Although, the process was different - with comment bubbles and tracking notes - having seen my work "red-penned" by OWG members,I felt more confident in my communications with my editors. It made the process easier for this "newbie".

Every day I learn something new in this business of telling stories. I'm happy to absorb all I can to better hone my skills. As a singer, I vocalize and interpret new songs to stretch those musical muscles, as a writer, I read and write, and read some more.

The next book I plan to read is entitled "Sin and Syntax" by Constance Hale. Ellee suggested it. I'll be sure to pick it up on my next visit to Chapters.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Update on Deathly Quiet edits....

Well, I survived the weekend in North Hatley. We tweaked the show, worked in our new cast member (who is perfect in the role of Fifi) and I now have the French script by my bedside table. I'll be going over it every night until we perform in New York City in October!

Right after I got back from the Piggery, I began my first round of edits for Deathly Quiet, my short-story being published November 1st 2011 with MuseItUp.

My content editor is Christine I. Speakman and she's wonderful! With her guidance, she's helping me take Moira's story to another level. I couldn't be more pleased! Every comment she made, every suggestion she offered and every bit of advice she shared was right on the money. Applying the edits was a wonderful exercise that had me revisiting my research notes and referring to online sources to ensure all the details were correct for the time period. I'm loving how things are going!

After this next round, the story is sent to the Line editor. I have yet to meet her but I'm looking forward to working with her as well.

I wonder which artist MuseItUp will assign to design the cover art? I guess I'll know soon enough.

Right now, I'm in the mood for a little paranormal romance, so I'm be dusting off a file on my laptop entitled "The Guardian of Secrets". I've just submitted the first chapter to my online writing group. I'm looking forward to their critiques, they're always so helpful and a great way to kick-start my muse!

Hopefully, I'll have a novel-length story ready to submit in September!