Terrific Tuesday

There is action going on all around me at the moment. On the home front, we have two mares ready to check to see if they are in foal. Its school holidays, so I have my grandson staying with during the week. Not a great deal of writing being done, but I am having fun. We had a day at a Cutting Horse sale on Friday. Can you believe that some fool would pay $85,000 for a horse? Lord, I could pay a new car for that much. Anyway, I have been in pain since. I think I may have put my hip out again, oh the joys of old age.

Let’s move on to my writing. I’m getting organized. Yes, I’m told I need to be more organized with my writing. Well just more organized in general. So, I have set up my boards, calendars and charts to keep track of where I’m going and how I’m going to get there. The picture on the left is my monthly calendar for October. Busy, aren’t I? Most of it is an on line conference I’m doing. Muse Conference it runs all week, lots of interesting workshops and chats lined up. The down side is that most of them are run in the early hours of the morning over here, like 1am to 4am. I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep that week.

As I said not a great deal of writing on my unfinished WIP’s being done, put I am slowly getting my edits and re-write organized on ‘We Were In Love’. I have also organized charts and calendars so I can keep track of where I’m up to with my writing. Plan for the rest of this month is to get edits and re-writes finished on ‘We Were In Love’. The picture on the right is my WIP tracking board. I have this one so I know what my word count is on each WIP, which ones I’m editing and doing re-writes on and if they are ready to go to my CPs or to submit. I am slowly getting a few into the editing and re-write sections. Hehehe.

This chart is for twelve months. The plan is to work out which WIPs I’ll be working on each month whether its writing, editing or doing re-writes. Of course, most of this depends on my characters and cooperative they are feeling. It will only take one and the whole thing could go pear shape. Down the bottom of the chart, I have a list of publishers I’d like to submit my works with; I have their word count requirements so I know which novels will fit where.

As November approaches, I will have my research notes to organize, time lines to write up and character and scene charts to write up. The novel I’m writing for November is ‘Chains of Love’. This is an historical romance; I’m aiming for about 100 to 110K. I’m going to try and do my character charts and scene notes ahead of time with this one, as well as a time line. I need to make sure I have the historical facts right before I start writing.

News on my fellow writing pals. Christina Phillips novel ‘Foretaste of Forever’ is due for release in October, just in time for Halloween. How cool is that book cover? Don’t forget to go and visit Christina’s blog and get all the information. In addition, a couple of my other writing friends won runner-ups with the ‘Feel the Heat’ competition. Congratulations, Felicity Rogers and Rachael Blair, I am so proud of both girls they have worked so hard on their stories.

I’ve also had a spring clean of sorts. I made the decision to delete one of my pseudonyms, I mean, really did I need two erotic romance pen names? The short answer is NO! I’ve delete most of my profile network sites as well. I wasn’t going anywhere near them and if I did, I felt I was spending too much time away from my writing. Speaking of writing, my hubby is back at work today (we just had a long weekend) & my grandson is having the day with SIL, I have peace and quiet, what better time to write.

Catch ya next time.

Sandie

Yes I'm Still Kicking

Quick post just to let you all know I'm still a live and well. I've been writing up a storm. I decided to take the leap and send in a query for 'We Were In Love'. Guess what? Got a request for the first three chapters. I almost collapsed. You know I though it would take at least a week or two before I heard anything, but no within two days I had my request. YAYAYYAYA. First query letter and synopsis and I got a request. I was very pleased with myself.

A week later I thought I got mt first reject. But no as Natalie pointed out it was a request for a re-write. So now you know where I have been, madly doing re-writes. Adding description, removing characters (I had too many in the first few pages). Adding here, removing there. I finally have it finished I think. One of my new CPs has it at the moment and is going over it. That is scary, letting someone read my stuff and asking them to pull it to pieces. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I sent off an entry for the Modern Heat contest, that gets announced at the end of the month. Not holding my breath on that one. I have also sent an entry in for the High Five Contest with RWAustralia. Plus I'm still tossing up whether to send in one of my erotic ones for the STALI. I'm a little concerned that it may be a bit over the top.

Talking about my erotic writing, I've decided to do away with one of my pseudonyms, so Sandra Carrington will no longer exist and I'll write my erotic and paranormal under Cassandra Cornell. I've come up with an idea for a series of short stories as well as the other WIPs I have on the go for Cassandra.

So that's me for the moment. I promise not to leave it so long in between post in future. Honest Suz. LOL. Oh and I have some news to share with you on the talented Suzanne Brandyn. She has her release dates for her first novel 'Passion In Paradise' e format is the 7th/8th January 2009 (just in time for my birthday hehehe) and print format is 20th/21st February 2009. If you get a chance drop over and congratulate Suz, I know she'd appreciate it. Here's her link:

http://writerofromance.blogspot.com/

Okay that's my news for now. Catch ya soon.

Hugs

Sandie

Clayton's Conference and Other Things

Heaven’s has it been that long since I did a post. What a slack butt I am. I’ve been busy with writing, editing and family. Plus RC and I ran this year’s Clayton’s Conference. That was a lot of fun we had some great workshops and chats. The feedback was positive which was a relief; it’s always hard to take on a project someone else has worked on for a number of years. So when Julie-Ann asked if I would be willing to run this years Clayton's I was a little nervous, but thought "If I don't give it a go I'd kick myself." Of course then I asked RC if she wanted to come play as well. Thank you Julie-Ann for allowing us to watch over your baby this year.

We had a ‘Novella Workshops’ by Shiloh Walker, ‘Ask the Author Anything’ with the talented Allison Rushby very interesting. It was wonderful of Allison to take time away from her family to chat with us. RC did a workshop on ‘Sensory Overload’, that had us all thinking and was a great lead into Sunday evening. Laney Cairo’s “Mechanical Sex’ was fantastic; we had a great time over all.

I’d like to take the time to thank all our sponsors for donation of their time and prizes, without these people the weekend would not have been such a great success. I hope you’ll go and visit their sites (just click on their names) and learn a little about these talented women. Allison Rushby, multi-published author of Adult and Young Adult. Anna Campbell , author of dark, sexy regency historical romance. Anne Whitfield, multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance. Annie West, Annie writes, Presents and Modern romance. Elisabeth Rose, has her second novel with Avalon due for release in October. Janet Woods, Janet’s 22nd novel will be published in 2009. Laney Cairo, is a multi-published author of erotic romance. N.J. Walters, has over 30 novels published in romance and erotic romance. Rhian Cahill, now this is an author’s name to remember, Rhian writes erotic romance and it is only a matter of time before she hits it big. Shiloh Walker, Shiloh is a multi-published author with Berkley, Ellora's Cave and Samhain Publishing.


I have some great news from the Melbourne conference. Diane Curran got a request for a partial how cool is that? Go over to Diane’s blog and have a look. There were a few girls that got ‘The Call’ or request for partial’s or full manuscripts. Congratulations to all.


My writing is coming along slowly at the moment. Had four more ideas jump into my head the other day. I’ve jotted them down and I’m trying very hard to stop them from moving into the ‘Head City Motel’ I really need to empty some rooms up there.


I also did a couple of on line workshops, they were fun. One was about time management. Let’s face it; I need to get into a route. The fact that I haven’t posted here for so long is a sure sign of that let alone my other blogs. As for Facebook, well lord only knows how many applications I’ll have over there. But now I have my trusty time manage techniques and I’ll be able to do all the things I need to do and a well organised manner. (She’s says crossing her fingers).


I have a new challenge coming up soon. ‘From Start to Published’ yep, this is a big one. Twelve months, twelve months to write edit and submit a novel. Okay I have a few I’m working on now to get ready to submit and enter a few contests. But the one for FSTP is my historical novel. The research that I’ve been doing, oh and the cool sites I’ve been playing at, I’ve had a blast. Come November 1, I’ll be ready to rock and roll with my novel, I hope.


Alright I need to go and get some housework done so I can get back into my writing. I have contests to enter, query letters to send off and manuscripts to research, start, finish or edit. The life or a writer is never done. When one motel door closes another opens.

Hugs
Sandie

I've Been Busy, Honest

Now I don’t want you thinking I haven’t been busy. I have, I’ve been very busy writing, editing, doing a few critiques and that has all been in the last two days. Yes, up until two days ago I’d been plodding along, coasting in a world of my own. Just doing a little writing here, a little editing there, but nothing solid, nothing in the volume that I needed to doing. Yesterday I did some word sprints with a few girls for the US and I have to say it was just the kick in the pants that I needed. I wrote over 3,000 words on one novel and edited a few pages of another.

Today I’ve edited a full chapter of one novel, critiqued two chapters for other people and written 1,500 words. I’m hoping to add to that later tonight.

Last weekend I went to a horse show with my hubby. It wasn’t a bad weekend; the horses settled in okay to their stables, ate and drank well which is always a bonus when you go away from home. Hubby won a couple of events and placed in others, so over all he was happy. The only down side was that I’d signed on to do a challenge to write 2,000 words in a genre I don’t normally write. Thinking I’d have heaps of time while hubby was off riding or chatting I was sure I’d shoe it in. Wrong, time got away from me; because, of course I had to go and watch him ride, take a few photos and video a couple of events. So instead of writing 2,000 words I came home with 100 and something. I decided I’d write in first person, an interesting exercise. This also caught me up a bit. But never the less Sunday night I sat down and wrote the rest of my story finishing at 10.45pm. I was quite pleased with myself. Sure that my slump had passed and I would be once again on a roll, I woke Monday morning feeling like I’d been tackled by a forward pack. Every bone in my body ached, I had headaches, earaches you name it I had it. But that is now all behind me. I’m back in my groove, ready to take on the world. Write up a storm. Blaze my way to publication.

What else have I been up to of late? Oh RC and I are running this year’s Clayton’s Conference for RWAustraila. That should be interesting. They have no idea what they have let themselves in for, Hehehe. We also have our own group at yahoo Romance In All Its Flavors here’s the link;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Romance_In_All_Its_Flavors/
It’s a jointly owned group between Rhian Cahill, Diane Curran, Rachel Charlton, Mari Carr and me. We are just in our early stages at the moment. RC is flat out in edit mode and you already know what I’ve been up to. Diane is off at Byron Bay this weekend; she has just finished her novel she was working on during the 50/30. Mari has a few excerpts of her writing up on the site, if you’re interested in having a read.

Okay I need to go if I am going to get some writing done. I’ll catch up with you all later. I really need to do an interview with a couple of my heroes and post on my Hero Blog, or find some more yummy pictures. LOL. May be I’ll do both. So I couldn't wait, he is yummy, isn't he.

See ya

Sandie

Hit A Brick Wall

Here I was writing away, enjoying my stories, jumping from one to another everyone doing what they were suppose to do. Well everyone except their pair on the kitchen table (but that story really belongs to Sandra Carrington). So I’m writing, getting the words on paper or computer or both when WHAM BAM I hit the wall, SPLAT I hit the ground, and that is where I have been for the last couple of days. Yesterday I read over some of my work and decided I hated it all. So I shut the file down and ignored the urge to re-open it and write something, anything. No that would be a mistake.

So I’m taking a week off, well five days really. It’s school holidays here in NSW, I have my grandson for a few days again this week so I think I’ll spend the time with him, painting, walking and cooking. We can make a lot of mess cooking and painting for that matter. Then come the weekend I’ll write again, I’ve entered another challenge over at Kiwi Writers, this is 2,000 in two or three days and you have to write about something you don’t normally write about. If I can get over, through or around this brick wall, I’m going to write my opening to a book I want to write about my Mum and Auntie Mary.

They are writing down their memories about their childhood. It was an exercise I set my Mum to keep her thinking and give her something to do with her time other than just watch the television. I told her if she wrote down all she could remember about her childhood I’d write a book about it. I love listening to the pair of them talking about their lives, the hardship they went through, yet they had a great family life. They were close, and still are today. Two grey haired old ladies who are thankful they have each other still and can share so much. I’ll keep you posted on my story about them.

The end is here, yes 50ks In 30 Days has come to an end. What a wonderful month with have had. We started with the month with 51 challengers and ended with 46 either completing the challenge or at least getting some great word totals. Everyone has said that they have enjoyed the month and have never written so many words in a month before.

RC, you know Rachel C/Rhian is hoping to reach 100k. I’ve decided to call her Queen of the Bionic Fingers. She has had an amazing month. The last couple of days we have seen a lot of the girls make the sprint home, a few had not been sure at the start of the month if they would make it to the 50k, but true to the Aussie sprite they continued on. Other just had the whole universe fighting against them and no matter what they did event from the real world just would not leave them alone. Yet they continued, continued writing determined to at least work towards a personal best.

So what was my final total? Well that would be 75,080. I now have three novels of 50k to edit as well as two of 15k. So July is looking at being another busy month, I’m thinking this editing may roll over into August which is fine, as long as at the end I have something that will be worthwhile submitting.

Well that’s me for another challenge. I have a few BIAW coming up, but other than that life may be a little slower. WOOHOO won’t that be nice.

Hugs
Sandie

I've Been Slack Again

I've been so slack this week, it's as if I reached my target and that's it. I really wanted to have at least one more of my WIP's finished, but my hero and heroine have gone off to places unknown. They were last noted as having sex on her kitchen table. I guess this is what happens when you leave your character doing the horizontal tango for too long. Anyway I have found a couple of other willing couples ready to play.

One is a new work altogether, yeah I know like I NEED A NEW WIP. It's like got two finished and move out (or at least into a new area of the Brain Motel) and more move in to take their place. The second one I'm working on is one I've done a little bit with and they shouted the loudest so got moved up a couple of spots. I'm hoping against hope that I may be able to make these two novellas rather than novels. I'd like to have a go at writing a 'Spice Briefs',so I'll see how I go word wise, I tend to go waaaaaaaaaay over.

I've also been trying to organize my work area, you know try and keep it in some sort of order. At least I can now sit at my computer and not have piles of folders and books falling all over me.

I'm off to write some more.

Hugs

Sandie