Pesky characters

I'll be wrestling the characters of the newest book this week, so may not be around too much. I've got them in a pickle, but the trouble is they are still hiding information from me so I don't quite know what they're going to do. This situation cannot continue. I, as the writer, MUST know what's what. Until I do, they aren't getting out of the difficult place I've stuck them in. I'm pretty sure I'm going to win, though not sure how long it'll take....

Proofing the proofs

Not in my book! Or at least I don't think so, which is why I'm carefully reading my proofs that came on Wednesday for CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR and making sure everything still says what I want it to say. Which is also why I failed to write a blog post for Thursday, and why this one is so short. :)

The best news that happened around here in the last two days was finding out about all my friends who finaled in the Golden Heart and RITA contests! Thirteen of my 2008 Pixie sisters went on to the class of 2009 in the GH, and my dear friend and chapter mate from Heart of Dixie, Danniele Worsham, also finaled in the Short Contemporary category. Yay!!!!

You can read about Danniele's call at the Writing Playground. The party was yesterday, but I'm sure she won't get tired of reading all the congratulatory notes flowing in. :)

Hope you have a great weekend! Any big plans? Mine involve the wine bar tonight, something to do with yachts tomorrow (not on a Presents scale, alas), and maybe a movie at the fancy theater where they serve alcohol and food during the flick. :)

The big day: Golden Heart calls

Today, RITA and Golden Heart calls go out. I am almost as excited as I was last year when I was hoping to get that call for the GH. Except this year, there's no pressure for me! I'm in transition. Not eligible for the GH because I sold, and not RITA eligible because I didn't have a book in print in 2008.

But I'm so excited and hopeful for friends, both published and unpublished. I'll be following the news on the various loops and screaming for excitement when someone I know gets the call.

However, there are inevitably going to be disappointments. And, speaking solely about the Golden Heart, please remember there is always next year, another book, etc. Or, you may sell and be ineligible. You do NOT have to final in the GH to sell. And many finalists are still waiting for their first sale. So don't put all your hopes in this one contest, please.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I entered 4 times before I finaled. And the book I sold to Harlequin was not my finalist. So don't get depressed, and don't give up. You can indulge in a few tears, eat some chocolate, and kick the couch. But only for a day, okay? On Thursday, get back to work. :)

And if you DO final? Honey, get busy making sure that manuscript is revised and ready in case you get a request from a finals judge. And enjoy the pageantry of it all. You're gonna have a lot of fun, and you're going to bond with your fellow finalists in ways you won't believe. They'll be with you forever. :)

Good luck!

A rant, and then winners :)

Nothing frosts me more than watching someone who looks perfectly healthy, and who does NOT have a handicapped sticker, pull into a reserved parking spot. I know that people can look fine and yet have a legitimate reason to use that parking -- typically, they have a sticker or something to hang from their rearview mirror. I don't automatically assume that someone who looks healthy is taking advantage. I know better because I've had family in that position.

But I still think it happens. And I think the lady who pulled into the handicapped spot at Starbucks the other day was doing just that. She had no sticker, no plate, and no placard.

She sat there for twenty minutes and talked on the phone the entire time. Not only did she talk on the phone, gesticulating and yelling, but she popped her visor down and proceeded to squeeze pimples on her face. No, I am not kidding. Unfortunately, my table was facing that spot, and each time I looked up, there she was, hollering into her phone and picking her face. It was awful.

And what did she do after she'd sat there for twenty minutes while other people had to drive around to find parking? She left and used the drive-thru. Never even came into Starbucks.

People like that give me ideas for characters, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. But I was angry for anyone who legitimately needed that spot while she hogged it (there is only one). And absolutely stunned that someone would sit in full view of a cafe in which they could see people sitting and pick their skin. Hell, I think at one point she pulled out some tweezers and plucked hair. I'm not certain, but I think so. All while talking on her phone. Amazing, huh?

And now for much more pleasant tidings! I've employed a scientific method (scrambling names and taking mine from the mix) to arrive at my two winners: Rachael Johns and Patricia!! Please email me at contact @ lynnrayeharris dot com with addresses and your choice of prize.

$10 gift card to bookstore (Amazon, BAM, B&N),
OR
Presents trio, selected by moi from my stash,
OR
My debut book when it comes out, signed, along with two other Presents novels (unfortunately, you will have to wait until mid-July or so, but I'm good with that if you are!)

Congratulations to the winners! Keep checking back, because I plan to have more giveaways, especially as we get closer to my new site launch!

Is it Monday already?!

Don't forget to comment on the one year anniversary post below for a chance to win a prize!

Okay, so I can't believe it's Monday already. Probably because I blogged on Saturday (see post immediately beneath this one for link). And I have nothing new to talk about! I'm still so excited about my fab cover, and yes I will be putting it in the sidebar very soon and on my website.

I could just stare at it all day! I love my Alejandro. So sexy. Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, nothing to talk about. The weekend raced by. Hubby and I went out to do errands on Saturday, then went to my parents' house for dinner yesterday. Suddenly, it's Monday. Hubby is back at work and I'm staring at the WIP. Characters are stuck in a house together, alone, and sparks are flying. I suppose I should really be listening in and typing, come to think of it.

One of my friends went to Costa Rica to finish her book before deadline. I'm wishing I could do that. Instead, I'll have to pretend. *sigh* Time to whip out the tropical poster and play island music, I guess.....

If you could go anywhere to finish your book, where would it be? Or where have you gone that was good for the muse? (When I lived in Hawaii, I didn't write nearly as much as I should have -- found the beaches and lifestyle distracting, in fact. LOL!)

I have a rare Saturday post at Romance Magicians today. But keep commenting on the previous post from yesterday to get a chance for a prize!!! Pop over to RM for some thoughts about contests and persevering.....

One year anniversary party!

Today is the one year anniversary of the call that I'd won the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest. Much has changed in the past year! Come on one over to I Heart Presents and see what I have to say about the journey. :) (And get the inside scoop on the genesis of my second book.)

Leave me a comment here and I'll put you in for a drawing. Not sure what I'm giving away yet, but I promise it will be good! Perhaps I will let the winner choose.... $10 gift card to bookstore of choice? Scrumptious bath set? A trio of brand new Harlequin Presents? What would you like? (No, not a winning lottery ticket!) ;-)

You have until Monday at midnight CDT to enter. :)

Breaking News: my RED-HOT cover is up over at IHP!!!! In celebration, I'll pick TWO winners instead of one. :)

Lemonade Award Winner!

It's amazing how forgetful I can be sometimes! A couple of weeks ago or so, the lovely writers over at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales gave me a blog award. And I promptly forgot to post it! So, without further ado, here it is:

The Lemonade Award

This is for sites that show great attitude and/or gratitude! Rules for the award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

And then they were nice enough to include THIS blog along with the likes of Paperback Writer and Murder She Writes. Wow, I am definitely honored!

So, I will nominate, in no particular order:

1. Lucy King

2. The Writing Playground

3. The Soapbox Queens

4. C.J. Redwine

5. Romance Writers on the Journey

6. Courtney Milan

7. Romance Bandits

8. Wet Noodle Posse

9. Tess Gerritsen

10. The Family Letter (not a writer, but a friend with a great attitude)

****

Tomorrow, I'm blogging at I Heart Presents about my one year anniversary of the winning Instant Seduction call! And Saturday I'll be blogging at the Romance Magicians site where I will begin to blog approximately every two weeks or so for the next few months. Hey, it gets lonely here all alone!

And please go check out the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog. My friend Carol Burnside is a member, and I'll be a Guest Chef at the end of July right before my book comes out. It's a great blog!

Games

Because I can't think of anything intelligent to post today, I give you this picture that totally cracked me up. I laughed so hard that Hubby stared at me and asked what the heck was so funny about it. I dunno, guess it was all those hours and hours of Clue when I was a kid. It was my favorite game for a while.

There was also this one:


I looooved my Bionic Woman game. Can't remember the point, or how you played, but I played it a lot as well. And it had a kitty on the cover, which I loved. :) Jamie is about to throw a big net over the cat. Hmm, okay. Why is Jamie Sommers, a woman with a million or so dollars worth of bionics implanted in her, battling big cats and not bad guys?

**Too bad they screwed up the new Jamie Sommers series last year. I thought it was HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact that I did something I have never ever done in the history of television: I wrote to the network and complained about a specific episode that irritated me.**

Do you like board games? I never play anymore, but I used to love Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble too. What vintage games do you recall? There was a Charlie's Angels game in the late 70s as well, but I didn't have that one. If you play games now, what are some good ones? Sometimes I think it'd be fun, but there are so many now it's hard to know where to start.

Promo stuff

One of the things I've had to begin considering as my book gets closer to publication is promo. Specifically, I mean those items that one gives away -- bookmarks, notepads, potholders, etc. And I am NOT having fun. I don't like these kinds of decisions.

Order 500 pens with my name and web addy? Or go for the sticky notes? What about the potholders? Lip gloss? Personalized mugs? Drink holders? Backpacks? Notebooks?

ARGH!

Obviously, cost is a factor. So is space and tote-ability. And, after visiting the Goody Room at the National Conference, I have very specific ideas about what I like and what I don't. Truthfully, I wonder how much of that stuff makes a difference or an impact. I get bags full of stuff at the Reader's Luncheons I've attended, and I toss most of it. Except for bookmarks. I figure you can never have too many bookmarks. :)

What kind of stuff do you like to get in your goody bags? Do you keep potholders and luggage tags? Or do you prefer bookmarks (I know there are TONS at these things, and yet I keep nearly all of them I get). Or do you consider all of it a waste of time and money?

P.S. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Beware

A recent incident shocked me enough to realize that I need to remind any aspiring authors reading this to make SURE you vet the information you're getting before launching into a plan of action for conferences and/or submissions. Sometimes we accept the advice of well-meaning but misinformed people without knowing they are misinformed. It always pays to check for yourself.

While you'd think it wouldn't need to be said, here are some things you do NOT want to do:

1. Do NOT stalk editors and/or agents. Planning your time so you can "bump" into someone, and then refusing to go away, is not the correct course of action. Of course you need to be prepared, because there will be those elevator meetings sometimes, but don't haunt the restroom door in the hopes of running into someone. Or the buffet line.

2. Do NOT misspell names on your query. Names are kind of unforgivable since you should be able to check and double check the correct spelling -- especially if you've gotten a business card from the individual. I once got a letter from a utility company that referred to me as Mrs. Barris. Jarring. And if you want to compare yourself to another author, use caution -- don't say J.R. Rawling when you mean J.K. Rowling.

(Seriously, this should be obvious, but you'd be surprised.)

3. Do NOT take as gospel every word said by the woman sitting next to you at your RWA chapter meeting -- even if she does seem to know a lot. If you're a PRO member, download those PRO booklets and read, read, read. Then ask questions of published authors (or experienced PROs) you TRUST to give you good advice. Check and double check, because if someone tells you to stand outside the restroom door or linger in the buffet line looking for a publishing professional, it's probably not the best advice.

(I did once listen to something someone told me when I was very green, even though my gut told me otherwise. The result was a rejection, of course. This was a long time ago, and believe me I learned.)

4. Do NOT send the same query for the same book to the same agent who just rejected it. Rework the query or submit somewhere else. Wish I could find the link, but I read a post last week about someone who kept submitting a query for an adult novel (not that kind of adult!) to a children's book agent. She finally got frustrated and wrote back telling him to stop because she didn't represent that type of book, which she had politely tried to tell him over the last several months. His reply? That she was an agent and therefore he would keep querying her because it was his job to query agents about his book. Talk about clueless! And, oh yeah, agents know each other. You can bet his name is now making a viral loop through Agentland as we speak. And not in a positive way.

5. Do NOT think you know it all. I've met these people and it's frustrating as heck. I know I don't know everything, but I'm pretty sure this stuff I just said is true. But you be sure and double check it before listening to me, you hear?

What kind of crazy advice have you ever gotten? Good advice? What sort of horrible hi-jinks have you seen at conferences? We've all heard the manuscript under the door story, but have you ever seen its equivalent? Thankfully, I haven't, but I know at least one person who I think would do it. Sadly, some people don't listen.

Interesting news about ebooks

From Publisher's Lunch:

Reporting that ebook sales in the US rose 5.5 times during 2008, the company [Lagardere] declared revenues--yes, actual revenues--of $4.7 million. Based on our rough estimate of Hachette Book Group's total US sales for the year, that means that even with the exponential growth, ebooks comprised less than 0.75 percent of sales.

[...]

We appreciate having an actual fact to reaffirm our continuing contention that mainstream media and Wall Street analysts alike have vastly overcovered and over-responded to the near-term impact of the Kindle and other consumer ereading devices and platforms. The growth rates are quite high and clearly the expansion of players and consumer options will fuel this market further, but it is currently tiny.

And yet I still want a Kindle. :) But, yes, I'm not an ebook connoisseur at all. I don't like reading on my computer. I have to read my drafts that way, and friends' drafts that way, so I don't want to read a book for leisure. The Kindle, OTOH, I thought might help me branch into ebooks a bit. Hmm, still very interesting that this technology isn't spreading the way people once declared it would. As I saw on a Tweet from Stephen Fry recently, (paraphrasing) Kindles and ebooks won't replace real books any more than elevators replaced stairs. It's simply another tool to use, that's all.

What are your thoughts?

Pressure versus leisure

I can't think of a single thing to post today. I've not been doing much, just reading for friends, thinking about where my story is going, cleaning out the refrigerator, grocery shopping -- you know, mundane stuff. I think I need to be going 90 miles a minute to have any focus, you know? Isn't that weird?

But I think it's true. I always do my best work under the metaphorical gun. Give me pressure, and I'm off to the races. Tell me I have all the time in the world, and I'm lollygagging along on a pleasure cruise. I need deadlines and structure to succeed. I think many of us do.

So, yeah, I have some tasks that need done, but I also need to set myself a deadline while I wait for my editor to tell me if my latest proposal would be better served as firestarter. Best to work forward steadily and maybe get more accomplished than all this thumb twiddling is doing.

But, good news, my chapter meeting is the weekend! That always motivates me.

What motivates you? Do you need pressure? Or do you accomplish just as much when you have a lot of leisure time?

The exotic life of writers

So did you watch Castle last night? It's about a best-selling bad boy mystery writer who ends up partnering with a female detective to solve a case. Someone is murdering people based on his books, so this is how he gets involved. And when they solve that case, he gets himself a position accompanying the detective for research purposes because he killed off his fictional detective and she's the inspiration for a new one (so the series can continue, of course). (If you missed the episode and want to watch, you can do so for free here.)

Frankly, though it was over the top, I liked it. And I think it has potential. But what's totally hilarious to me, and to all the writers I know, is the portrayal of the writing life. Nathan Fillion, aka Richard Castle, is a bad boy rock star kind of writer. He's got book launch parties in swanky places, lots of money, a pen with which he signs bimbos' chests (do they really read?), and a bad attitude about his fame. He's friends with the mayor, and he sits around playing cards with Stephen J. Cannell and James Patterson. (And someone said the woman at the table was Faye Kellerman.)

He's so well connected he can get anything done, even leapfrog the slow and frustrating process of getting CSI results from the lab. Which of course pisses off the detective. He has money to burn and enough self-love to make him charming in spite of himself. (And, we suspect, a core of misery.) Somehow, in between all this partying and fun, he's managed to write a whole lot of bestselling mysteries that are known for their attention to detail. Even the medical examiner is a fan.

But what I really love is the writing = glamour aspect. The portrayal of Castle's life just reinforces what the public already believes about writers. Rich, connected, got it made. I ROFL, of course, because I am none of these things. People at my husband's work actually thought he was going to retire now that I've sold a book. Excuse me while I roll around on the floor in hysterics.

MOST writers don't live this charming, exotic life. We are ordinary people with ordinary incomes. Being a published writer doesn't make you rich. It makes you like everyone else out there, worrying about expenses and hoping to make enough to cover them. Or, in my case since I have a wonderfully supportive hubby with a good job, making enough to cover my writing expenses, save for our retirement, and take some lovely vacations.

Even if I had Castle's money and connections, I doubt I'd want to do any of that stuff he does. I'd much rather be holed up in my office, working on my next book, than chasing criminals or attending ritzy parties.

Did you watch Castle? What did you think? Do you like shows about writers? My mom loves Murder She Wrote. Jessica seems to have a more ordinary life by contrast, and yet everyone the poor woman knows always gets killed. The shows are campy, but fun. Castle was a bit campy too, but I think it can get better. (My first choice, of course, would be to have Fillion back on the set of Firefly, but I don't think that will ever happen now. Darn TV execs. They'll probably cancel this one too, just as soon as people fall in love with it.)

Four things

I'm still feeling at loose ends, and in spite of the good advice to relax and fill the well, I find it difficult to do so. So is it any wonder I'm working on Chapter 4 even before I hear from my editor? *g*

In honor of the number four, I'm sharing four things with you. :)

1) A FABULOUS post from Presents author Penny Jordan on an article she read that validated many of her feelings about the stories she writes. And all I can say, having read the article and her post, is YES. This is exactly what I feel about my heroes and the stories I create (and it's as true for the romantic suspense I was writing as it is for my Presents stories).

2) Agent Nathan Bransford had a wonderful post on Thursday about the Ten Commandments for a Happy Writer. I really loved this and wanted to share!

3) The Guess the Bookshelf contest is still going on! My shelves are there, so come on over and see if you can figure it out. There are prizes!

4) Presents author Trish Morey has a free read on eHarlequin! Come read The Italian Billionaire's Bride.

Now what?

I just finished the proposal for Book 3 and sent it to my agent. And now I'm at loose ends. Not entirely at loose ends, since I need to write the rest of the book, but loose enough for a couple of days while I think about what comes next. It's an odd and happy feeling. Odd because I've been non-stop for awhile now. Happy because I have some time to breathe. I told the hubby last night that I could actually cook a real dinner for us now!

We've been having expedient things, like crock pot items, Lean Cuisines, and soup. I could make something -- spaghetti and meatballs? Jambalaya? Meatloaf? The possibilities are endless.

I can also go to the store and buy groceries. I've been putting that off for a while. And then there are the dreaded taxes that still need to be done, and doctors appointments I need to make. There's also that little matter of weight loss I was working on and got side-tracked with when I had to plant my butt in the chair day after day. It's seriously time to get back onto the treadmill.

Oh, and television! I haven't watched anything in forever, it seems. But I feel guilty, really, because I feel like I'm supposed to be working. And I know I will be again very soon, so I guess I should try and enjoy myself while I have a few moments.

Do you feel lost at the end of projects? When you finish a writing project, do you dive into the next one or take a break?

PS I'm participating in another eHarlequin guessing game! Guess the Bookshelf is going on right now! Pop over and see if you can figure out which bookshelves belongs to which author....(it's kind of hard, I think!).

Things I hate

1. Synopsis writing. Seriously, it sucks.

2. Why? Because I don't KNOW what happens yet, darn it!

3. Wrote a synopsis for new book. Hate it. Book will not even remotely resemble synopsis. I know this from two books written for an editor now. Thankfully, she didn't freak out either time.

4. Writing a synopsis, even when I won't follow it, crushes down on my enthusiasm for the story like Dorothy's house on the wicked witch.

5. Must get over this and write story anyway.

6. Proposal nearly done, in spite of traumatic encounter with evil synopsisaurus.

Got any tricks for the synopsis? Any tricks for tricking yourself while writing it? Do you follow it once you've slaved over it? I used to try, but that only made things worse, so now I figure it's kind of like Captain Barbossa and the pirate code -- guidelines to be followed when convenient or expedient. Or to be tossed aside when something better comes along. :)

New books and proposals

I got the news on Friday that my second book was accepted! CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR will be a Dec 09 release in the UK; US still to be determined. I'm so thrilled! The first book is the most special, of course, but to get past those sophomore fears and actually turn in something coherent and decent -- and have my editor like it -- is amazingly gratifying. I really thought I'd written the worst book ever when I sent that baby off. I'd been trying so hard and staring at it forever that I couldn't see the forest for the trees anymore.

(Though part of me optimistically kept insisting that it was good. And, while writing it, I DID love it. It was after, when I thought that what I saw in my head and what I got on paper were two different things that I went a little nutty.)

Writers, this is a lesson. It really is true that you are often a poor judge of your work -- or a harsh judge, perhaps. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else is. We'll take praise, be happy over it, and brush it off while remembering every single word of a rejection or a contest judge's negative comments. You simply must get past those and press on if you are to get anywhere in this business. (Remind me I said this when I get my first negative review.)

Now, I'm working on a proposal for Book 3, and hoping to get that done today or tomorrow and off to my agent. CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR had a princess as a secondary character who I just fell in love with. She is the heroine in the proposal, so hopefully I'll get to tell her story. Naturally, she's getting her very own prince -- and he is delicious! Prince Nico Cavelli was a bad boy -- but I think my new prince is even badder. I do love a bad boy, especially when he's being reformed. ;-)

Do you like bad boys? Princes? What are your favorite kind of themes or plots when reading?

PS Soon, my new website should be launching! I'm so excited about it! Keep visiting me because I'll start giving away goodies soon to celebrate. And thanks for sticking with me thus far. :)