Happy New Year's! - Jay Eckert

I figured I would just drop by the ol' blog and wish everyone a happy and safe New Year's. Let's look back at 2009, shall we?

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Free Books! and Studying the Industry - SM Blooding

Because I have so many books, I've been doing some research. I don't want to publish them all because my CAREER is going to be fantasy and YA fantasy even though trying to sell the fact that I can pull both off is going to be...um, fun. My research shows that most agents/publishers want an author to invest in one genre and carry that one with greatness. It is VERY likely that if I get published, I will have to choose either the paranormal adult series or the YA series and then hope that someday in the far-forever I might be able to publish the other. I knew that going in, though. This isn't my first book. It's not my first rodeo. I know that I might not make it in either genre. I may never break into print. That's something I have to prepare for. But! My plan? Write as much as I can, have tons of fun, and then keep dangling those carrots until someone bites at something. So...going back to all these friggin' books. I've written enough books to know what I like to write. This is something that very few writers actually allow themselves the opportunity to do. Yeah, you might like to read high fantasy, but you might write urban fantasy better because you hear slang when, in high fantasy, slang isn't used too often. Or maybe you like to read romance, but you couldn't write a romantic scene to save your life. When you invest so much time and energy into a book, you want it to earn you something. Well, sometimes, all it earns you is experience. I've written...um, contemporary, sci-fi, high fantasy, historical, romance, uh...a little more than romance, young adult, mystery, thriller...*thinking*...and that's it. I think. I've written dozens of books. Dozens. One year, I wrote six novellas. This year, I wrote four books. That's ten books just there. I've written an entire book, threw it away and re-wrote the entire thing. *blinking past the pain* THREE times! But now, I'm a serious writer. I know what I want to be. I've done my research/homework and I know how I want to get there. So what do I do with all these great books that I've written and cannot actually publish? No publisher is seriously going to take ALL my books. Even if I was the next Rowling. Nope. No way. Not going to happen. Well, I decided to use them to help me market myself by giving them away for free. Many of you probably do not know that I've been putting a lot of work into my site lately. I've got Group Therapies, another blog, covers of all the books I've written and am planning to write, and free reads.

• The Group Therapies are a lot of fun and help me with my character development or character plots. They're also a hoot for the reader because this is where you get that rare glimpse into the mind of me. It's a weird...like, really frelling weird place to be.

• The blog needs more attention. Honestly, because I get so few comments and so few hits on the actual website, I don't blog there too often. However, it will be the place for me to just...talk about writing and my "process" (which I do have. Kind of). Right now it's a pool of announcements. That's about it.

• I've got my covers EVERYWHERE on my site. I suck at covers. I...*shrug*...just had fun with pictures, but they're a way to keep me motivated. I see those and they just get me PUMPED! The covers on my home page are the books I've actually completed. Then when you go to my writing page and click through the series, you get to see all the covers of the books I'm planning! This page keeps me wild with excitement! I go there, click through and I can't WAIT to write some more! I don't care if I have an agent or not or if I'm published or not. That page starts me going CRAZY WILD with excitement.

• And then there's my FREE page. This is the page where you get to see how I became the writer I am today. Some of the stories aren't so great. The poetry at the bottom of the page is down right horrible, and the short stories? Well, you'll understand why I don't write short fiction. But it's my way of sharing with you my experience.

• I also put up stuff like "Author Commentary", (just wait. The link is slow) which is a lot of fun. And, OMG, the commentary is freakin' hysterical! I actually caught myself laughing out freakin' loud, like, literally, when I was checking it for typos. For The Dustman, there will be deleted scenes. That was the book that I wrote three times from scratch each time. That was also the book where the characters sat around a table talking for...five chapters at 4,000 words each...for 20,000 words! No joke. *groan* See what I mean about growing and experience?

Not everything you write needs to be published. Not all of your work will be published. Learn. Grow. Meld your craft. And then get creative on what to do with the stuff you can't sell. All's not lost. Here are the covers to the books now available for free download at http://www.smblooding.webs.com/.smblooding.webs.com/.

Here Comes 2010...Are you Ready? - SM Blooding

You know, every year, we all say we're going to do things different. That's why we set out a few New Year's Resolutions. But how many of us actually succeed in meeting ANY of our resolutions? 50% of them? 75% of them? 100% of them?! Anyone? Those of you who raised your hands are among the few who are self-motivated, have solid initiative and have pro-active capabilities. I hit the 99% mark on my writing goals (though technically I did better than expected and completed goals I didn't set at the beginning of 2009, I still failed to land a contract). BUT on my personal goals, I hit 25% of my goals. That means I hit 62% of my goals this year, but it feels like I only hit closer to 30% because the ones I failed to meet, I failed HARD at. People! Why do we fail? Why do we set ourselves up to fail? I keep reading, "I know better than to set up resolutions," or "This year, I'm going to start small." That's all well and good, but, guys, you're still going to fail. Why? Because we haven't learned how to make ourselves succeed. I've learned to remain focused on writing and write like a fiend this year. I learned that I'm a rockstar, that I'm really good at this thing called writing. But I also learned I say "I can't" a LOT when it comes to working out, eating right, working hard on my finances, or dealing with my family. Repeat after me. "I can't" means "I won't". "I won't" means "I don't give a fig and I'm not going to try". Which all equals to, "I'm too lazy to try." Is that the person you want to be at the end of 2010? I know I don't. Hey, guess what? You're not alone on this whole "I'm afraid to try only to fail" trip you've got running in your head. Whatever it is that you're stuck on; work, finances, family, writing, etc. We're all pretty much in the same boat. But if you want to succeed at something, you'd better figure out a way to drag your own butt over the finishing line. Because, hon, ain't no one gonna do it for you.

Best of 2009!

Going through this year's posts looking for the best ones was tough! We have so many that were GREAT! We really do have a fabulous crew and this is the perfect time to show them all off! This was the #1 most popular post of 2009 with 32 comments! Telling Stories - Kurt Chambers This was the 2nd most popular post with 24 comments. I Am a Vampire - SM "Frankie" Blooding Below are some of MY favorite posts by each of my crew! Some of them didn't get as much attention as I thought they deserved. Please view them and comment along! They are GREAT posts and should NOT be missed! Rachel Heston Davis The Essential Act of Reading Claim Your Authorship Romance in a Cemetary Kurt Chambers Getting Published Interview with Dawne Dominique Writing is a Buzz Tamara Hart Heiner Choosing the Right Publisher Deleting Scenes The Importance of Characters Mireyah Wolfe A Dose of Reality - Just What the Doctor Ordered Interview with Kiersten White NaNo Week 1 Jay Eckert Birth of a Novel Driving Your Novel - Plot vs Character Lessons in Mechanics SM "Frankie" Blooding Don't Be a Bad Query-er! Researching Your Rejection I Had a Dream I hope you enjoyed these as much as I did. Have a fabulous Holiday!

Happy Holidays and We'll See You in the New Year!

I'm not saying there won't be any blogging between now and January 1, 2010. No, no. But I'm going to let my crew take a little time off to be with friends and family. If they write, they write. If not, oh well. Me? I'm EXHAUSTED! I wrote an entire adult book (100,251 words) in the month of November and let me tell you, that's a LOT more than just 82K! I don't know what it was about the extra 18K, but it was slightly painful. While I was writing, I was in that euphoria that runners sometimes find. I remember that feeling. It's awesome. But now? Good grief! I could sleep for a week! And then I decided that because I had no money to buy gifts for my family and immediate friends, I was going to make them. *shakes head* Two Barbie dresses, one scrap angel, one Superman made out of building wire, and four snowmen later...I'm...POOPED! (I do have pictures that I will share after they've opened their gifts. Some of them do read this.) So for the next couple of weeks, I am going to be reading! I have an awesome stack of books to read. I'm very excited! Some authors that I'm just testing out for the first time. A few books that just looked kinda cool. Yes, I buy books because of the cover. And...YAY!!!! I'm excited. I've got my little reading corner in my room (on my princess-and-the-pea bed that's nearly as tall as I am) with pillows and blankets (because I get cold. It could be 80 and I can still be cold) and a reading light. *happy sigh* This is going to be GREAT!!! AND! I'll have some reviews for you after I read through these books! I love doing reviews because it means I had the opportunity to read something. So! I hope that your Holidays are great. I was going to tell a Christmas story, but chose not to because they make me cry. Don't ask me why. Happy stories make me cry. Sad stories make me giggle. I'm DEMENTED! Or I have issues. I don't know which. Anyway, Happy Holidays, and if we don't see you, have a GREAT New Year!

Holiday Wishes - Jay Eckert

I love this time of year. Well, except for the fact that traffic in and around the nearby mall is just ridiculous. But when you get past that, yes, I love this time of year. Driving around at night is that much more mesmerizing with the mostly tasteful lights and decorations. In this part of New Jersey there are quite a few hills and lakes, and there's this one smallish lake around which a walking path snakes. The lake is at the foot of two opposing hills, and if you train your eyes upward at night, you can see some of the larger homes decorated for the holidays. As you head down one hill, the view on the opposing crest is breathtaking.

Apart from the vistas, I find that people are in better moods, easier to laugh, easier to smile. Works quiets down too. Even with the horrid economy, coworkers get together for lunches and other gatherings. The load lessens a bit. I look forward to the films opening around this time of year. We've already seen A Christmas Carol in 3d, so now we're probably going to catch Avatar and Sherlock Holmes during Christmas. And don't forget what's on TV.

It's a Wonderful Life. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, A Christmas Story, Laurel & Hardy in Babes in Toyland and on and on.

The week between Christmas and New Year's might as well be a vacation. We spent last year in Walt Disney World. Holy moly, I've never seen anything so zoo-ey. And I live around NYC.

To my pals here on SM Blooding and Crew and everyone who drops by, I wish you everything your good hearts desire. Some of these are writer specific, dont'cha know.

• An agent. 
• A publishing contract. 
• All your books in Borders and Barnes & Noble and every independent bookstore. 
• Nationwide book signings. 
• Repeated success. 
• Happiness and fulfillment.
• Good health.
• Family.
• An appreciation of everything you have.

Happy Holidays!

The World Between the Pages - Tamara Hart Heiner

I used to read a lot. I mean, a lot. I was that teenager who had her nose in the book up until the moment when her mom snapped at her to put the book down for prayer. I was the one walking back to my college apartment, one eye on the street, the other one in the book. When I start a book, I can't stop. Unless the book is absolutely horrible. Any other kind of book sucks me in. I might roll my eyes a bit, laugh, or even dislike it, but I can't put it down. Not until I'm done. That explains why I quit reading for several years. Wife and motherhood ran away with me. I got caught off my guard when I started blogging and meeting other authors. All of the sudden I'm reading book reviews, talking to authors about their books, and it starts. One snippet of a novel, and I'm crazy, wanting to read the whole thing. I can't stop. And lately I have found two very awesome reviewing sites. They review the kinds of novels I like to read and do it bluntly. One is the Scathing Reviewer and another is Chantele. They read tons of books, and that alone leaves me in awe. Oh, I hope they'll be reviewing my book favorably sometime soon! I have two books on my couch, waiting to be read, one under the tree, and two I've ordered from the library. How on earth am I supposed to write more novels with all these reading that needs to get done? Sheesh, peoples. What am I doing writing a blog? I have a list of books I want to read. Books I'm going to buy, because if I can get it from a bookstore, I refuse to buy it from Amazon. Inconvenient, yes. But I want to support my local bookstores. There's always a new world out there, waiting to be explored.

Dear Santa, I won't lie... ~ Mireyah Wolfe

Dear Santa,

I know a lot of people might say I haven't been very good this year. *glares at Kurt* But despite the overusage of cuss words, and losing my temper with various (*cough* stupid *cough*) people....you have to take one thing into account.

I haven't killed anyone yet.

*nods wisely* And we both know I have justifiability as long as I live in this house. That said, here are the tiny little things I want for Christmas...

• I want my parents to get our own house. Seriously, dude...we've been here more than long enough. It wasn't too bad three years ago....now it's just annoying. So, yeah...let's get on that!

• I would like some of the drama (both on WDC and in real life) to die down for a few months. It doesn't have to be forever...just until I'm in a more secure position to ignore it all. Right now? Kinda stressful. Just a hint.

• I want a puppy. In my entire life, I've never not had a dog of my own, and I'm not liking it. I don't want to replace Baby, but I need my own dog. Noelle is sweet but she's really my mom's. So yeah....husky pup would be awesome. Female, preferably.

• I want to get some major headway on this book. Like, major headway. By "headway" I mean, finished first draft.

• I want Frankie to get an Agent and then a book deal so that I can buy her books and lurk in the bookstores and tell people that they should buy her books because she's a total rockstar and if they don't I shall totally stalk them until they do!

• Money from the relatives would be great--please, oh please, do not inspire my Grammy to send me anything but money. We both remember the last time she decided to send me clothes. *shudder*

• 50 Followers on my blog so I can open the Q&A I promised so I can send someone 4 books (1 complete trilogy and 1 mystery book) for asking the most interesting question.

Now, those are pretty darn easy, wouldn't you say? *smiling nod* Remember, I might not have been exactly good this year, but I haven't killed anyone. So, I think it all evens out.

Okay. We good? Okay.

Love,

Mireyah

Dear Santa, I've Been Good - SM Blooding

Dear Santa, I've been a very good girl this year.

• I quit smoking (without killing anyone).
• I finished four books this year (without maiming anyone, though it was close). *whispers* Hey, go check out the FREE book on my site, Cowboy Christmas! See? Charity! That's good. Right?
• I've sent both series out for query (without stalking anyone).
• I'm getting my boss caught up at work (without biting his head off permanently).
• I've attempted to smile more and snarl less. See?
• I've kept my homicidal tendancies to a minimum. (Example, I killed no one in the actions stated above.)
• I only yell at people while driving when my windows are rolled up. *eyebrow raised nod*
• I save my honking for when I'm about to be creamed by some freakin' idiot, out-of-state driver who doesn't have a flipping CLUE how to drive on the snow. And what is the issue with RAIN?! For crying out freakin' loud! It's WET not ice. There's a DIFFERENCE!!!
• I only flip people off who really deserve it. *angelic smile and batting of lashes*
• And I haven't turned anyone into a vampire this year.

Now, here's what I'd like. A contract. A great big, gold plated, lots-of-zeros-after-the-dollar-sign contract for one or both series. I want to sell these darned books. They're good and my characters are nicer than I am. These books need to be shared. And I want to make millions of bucks!

I want to buy a house in the middle of No Where, Montana where I can have a garden and where the sink leaks and I've gotta replace the third stair from the bottom because it's going to kill someone. Hey, right now, I'd even accept a ghost.

I want to get my family back together and be a family. I mean, hello! My daughters are going to be deranged lunatics if I can't pester them into submission. Think of the world service you'd be providing.

I want to have a car that doesn't smell like burnt oil. Heck, I'd like to have a car with four non-dented doors. (Yes. I bought my car that way.) No, wait. I'd love to have a car with a stereo. Or a car with electronic windows. OR this one! A car with air conditioning. Holy COW! However, I'll stick with a car that works.

Santa, I can do all the hard work on my own. I just need a little help with the contract part. I wrote the books. You help me with the contract and the money, and I'll do the rest of the hard work on my own.

Love always,

Frankie

Computer Blues - SM Blooding

George IX died last weekend. Jack I (my Netbook) is just fine.

Kurt's laptop died as well.

This was not a great weekend for laptops.

As writers, most of us have graduated from the typewriter. Most of us have elevated our writing state of being from the pen and paper to something a little faster. However, as writers, we have become dependant on our computers, laptops, or netbooks.

We go through a lot of computers and I think I've figured out WHY. The only people who are on the computers, slaving away as hard or as long as we do are on-line gamers. On-line gamers have to purchase the top of the line computers because of the nature of the games they play. As writers, we only require the basics. I mean, how much power does a computer need to open up a Word document and store it? Right? I mean, come on!

But because of the number of hours we put on our computers (which were cheap, usually on a really great sale at the end of the year, were a great bargain on E-Bay, were "refurbished", and are the base-est of base models), they fall apart. The screens eventually stop coming on (George VIII and IX), the mother board fries because the fan doesn't work correctly (George I, IV, V, VI, VII, and IX), there's a virus that just completely kills the darned thing and even re-wiping doesn't work (George II), or it just plain gives up the ghost and there is absolutely no help for it but to play Taps and bury your dead (George III).

BACK UP!

There are websites out there that allow you to store stuff on-line and the security is as good as your password. Though if you honestly think that someone's going to break your password and steal a book they haven't even heard of yet, you're a conspiracy theorist and it'd be nice conversing with you. Entertaining at the very least.

There are these little things called thumb drives, or jump drives, or flip drives. They generally come in 1G or 2G (that's the cheaper end) and you can get them from $4-$20. They fit in your pocket and can go with you EVERYwhere!

There's email. Though this isn't the best way to back up your work, it is functional. Kinda. I mean, if you're without a computer and you're borrowing, chances are you're at a desktop that's hooked up to the Internet, so this would work as a last ditch effort.

There's WDC (writing.com) where you can upload your latest version of your work and save it. The only thing is, you lose the formatting, but that's an easy fix. There are other writing websites out there, too, I just don't know them. There are NO excuses. Do NOT procrastinate! Do it now. Develop a habit of backing up every time. I have a thumb drive that is ALWAYS in my pocket. I can store 12 books and all the old versions of them and I constantly have all my files updated. IF I don't have my thumbdrive, I use email. That's my habit. When George IX died, I lost a few pictures of Dexx's car, but that's about it.

And trust me when I say that your laptop WILL choose the WORST time possible to die. It ALWAYS does.

And when your computer dies - not IF, but definitely WHEN - you'll have your back up and can travel to the following locations:

There's computers at the library.

There's computers at work (on lunch hour ONLY).

There's computers at your friend's house.

There's computers at your family's house.

And there's always that one person who has a computer that just doesn't work anymore and who would let you borrow it, but be careful because it IS on it's last legs and it IS about to die.

This is an inevitable event, people. I know a lot of writers and every single one of them has gone through this at least once. There was one writer who lost his entire book after he'd completely trashed the one copy I had, and he just gave up up. It killed him. He's back to writing, but it's a very painful process for him. It's taken him YEARS to get over.

Guys, this IS going to happen. So plan for it. Do NOT lose all your hard work because you said to yourself, "That won't happen to me," or "My laptop's working fine now. I'll back it up later."

And, guys, when you DO lose some of your work, just remember that it is most definately not the end of the world. When you re-do your latest revisions, or re-write that scene, it will work better.

*sigh* Take it from someone who knows!

Blog Awards

I've been a little remiss. Me and my glorious crew have received several awards for our work on the blog. I think the Crew portion of the blog is much better than the Me portion. LOL! But that's just me. Anyway! We've recieved the following awards of the last...oh, uh, little while and here is a list of great Blogs that I'd like to award them to!

The Character Therapist - This is a great blog that helps many authors with their characters and with the real people in their lives! You really must read her blog! J.Q. Starmer - She's a great gal. She talks about her dog, about her need for hair cuts, about the weather, about writing! I want this woman's life. It's awesome! She's a great gal and I love reading her blog! Adam Heine - He's just very cool and reading his blog is a lot of fun! Steph In the City - Oh, good grief! If you haven't read her blog, you seriously need to! She's a freakin' HOOT! Megan Rebekah Blogs - This is another great blog that I absolutely love to read! I've also got to answer a few questions. Go figure. Hmm... My answers (It's supposed to be 1 word answers but...well, you know me! *lol*) 1. Where is your cell phone? In my pocket. 2. Your hair? In a ponytail. 3. Your mother? Uh....Next question? 4. Your father? Hmm...Next! 5. Your favorite food? STEAK and loaded baked potato!!!! Oh Gooooooooood! 6. Your dream last night? It was another book dream, seeing my books published and on the shelves. I think I've decided that a glass of red wine right before bed is a GOOD idea. 7. Your favorite drink? Coffee. Duh. 8. Your dream/goal? To be a published mother. I might succeed at one, but probably not both.

9. What room are you in? Office trailer on site.

10. Your hobby? Which one? I crochet...Barbie dresses. 11. Your fear? Failing 12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I want to own a house in Montana with my girls, be rich and semi famous, live in a small town with a big house, have (2) big dogs that don't drool, but that do shed. *sigh* Maybe own the local coffee/bookshop. 13. Where were you last night? Home working on Barbie Dresses. 14. Something that you aren't? A forgiver.

Reading Repetition - Jay Eckert

I am listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows unabridged on CD ... in my car ... for the fourth time.

---

Wait - Total Recall is on TV and I've decided the best line ever in an Arnold movie is not "I'll be back." It's actually, "He's got a hologram!!!!" I mean, COME ON! In general, what kind of line is that?

---

Where was I? Darn it, I've got a lousy attention span. Harry Potter. I'm listening to this book on CD for the fourth time. That's on top of reading the book itself cover to cover a couple of times. Actually, if I'm being completely honest, I've read all seven books numerous times and listened to the CD's and/or cassettes dozens more times. What's wrong with me? I'll tell you what's wrong with me. Not a darn thing. I simply love the books. I adore the characters. I'm happy when they're happy, sad when they're sad. I feel every moment I'm reading. In Deathly Hallows, there's a scene in which Harry bemoans and doubts the love Hermione believes Dumbledore had for him. And with a single touch, with Hermione simply brushing the top of his head lightly with her hand, and with Harry shutting his eyes and wishing her faith in Dumbledore's love for him was deserved, well.... J.K. Rowling had me at hello. It's rare that I've felt the same exhilaration as when Mrs. Weasley roars onto the scene to take on the over-the-top evil that is Bellatrix Lestrange. And these are but a few examples. I've read just a few other books repeatedly. Both The Stand and It, by Stephen King come to mind, as does the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams. I have a friend who has also read the full Harry Potter series over and over. But she's also dug into the Twilight series several times. What books can't you get enough of?

I'm Still a Writer - SM Blooding

I'm in one of those funny spots. I've written four books this year. I've got two books that need revised. I've got one book I think I might WANT to revise, but am still undecided. But I'm not writing. I'm not revising. I'm not brainstorming. I kinda think about my books for a bit, but for the most part I'm concentrating on other non-writing things. Like, oh, making Christmas gifts with only 14 days left. Or, catching up on my reading--which I seriously need to start doing. Or...hey! I know, catching up on my TV. LOL! I'm doing a whole lot of nothing about writing. Just chilling, but... I'm still a writer, dang it! I am!

Beauty -- Mireyah Wolfe

Beauty is in the

eye of the beholder.

We, as writers, can appreciate different forms of beauty. From the obscure to the obvious. And each person's definition of beauty is unique to them, even if several people agree with it, simply by virtue of being their opinion.

Part of our job, as writers, is to show a reader the beauty in an object or a person or a place that they might not have seen otherwise. We're supposed to show them the beauty that the darkness can bring, or how something unseen can be beautiful.

From the scarred heroine to the flawless pearl, we explore so many different areas of life that we're forever trying to find a new corner we haven't yet shed light upon.

But it's hard to find the light in life when all you can see is darkness. In a world where the ugliness is made more available with a few taps of the keyboard or clicks of a mouse, we sometimes tend to become stuck and begin obsessing over it, rather than trying to find the beauty in this world. And when we do find it, we frantically search for the flaws in it.

We live in a world of perfectionism, and perfection is...ultimately unattainable. So, my suggestion to you writers is, when you find the beauty, don't obsess over the flaws.

Admire the character of it, smooth out the rough edges, and be proud that you found a pearl among the gravel.

~Mires

(PS: This made sense, right?)

I Had a Dream - SM Blooding

But it was nothing like Martin Luther King's dream which was frelling awesome and inspired individual awesomeness from those around him. No. This is a Frankie Dream of inner-head-dom greatness. I saw my books on the shelves! They were shiny and pretty and had cooler names than they have now. I mean, really. The Key? For real? And that's supposed to sell? Yeah. I saw my books in Fantasy and I giggled and bounced on the balls of my feet. I had, like, I don't know, five books of Paige's and Dexx's story? And there was a mini poster sign of "Coming Soon, A Rebel Yell". Okay, so I do have a couple of cool titles in that series. I went to Young Adult and I squealed seeing Riley and Kat's series on the shelves larger than life. Riley's series was finished and I was two books into Kat's. And the titles were WICKED cool! But then, I'm sitting there and say to myself, "I need to look at the Young Readers (MG) section for Demon Child (that would be my youngest)." So I go there and.... ...There I am AGAIN! I have a completely new series that starts off with a book called 1-800-LUVtheDEAD. And I had TWO books in that series. So I pick up the book and I'm reading the blurb on the back and I'm like, "Wow, this sounds really cool. Leah has her own series now. That's great." And there's this voice in the back of my head screaming at me, "Hello, you TWIT, it has your NAME on it! You don't remember WRITING it?!" And I set the first book down and pick up the second book, Drop Dead Lovely. OMG! Like, seriously, these books sounded crazy good! And THEN!!!! I have this girl come up to me and she sees the book in my hands--she's, like, eleven maybe?--and she just starts prattling on about these books and that her mom is reading The Demon Talker Series and that's how she got hooked onto this book and she can't wait to read book 3 which isn't coming out until 2015 and OMG! Can I believe she has to wait an entire YEAR to read book 3? Can't I write any freakin' faster? I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock before I could tell this young woman that she was talking to the author and that she was in the presence of a rock star. But, dang it! I woke up in one HECK of a great mood! Ooooohhhh! You should have seen my books! They were so...so...SHINY!

The Real Santa--Kurt Chambers

Christmas will soon be upon us for another year. I don't know what it's like for you guys in America, but here in England it means everyone turns temporarily insane. The town centre becomes out of bounds as crazy shoppers take over the entire country. Why are they so crazy? Because nobody can find a parking space. England is tiny, and it has far too many people living in it. It's hard enough as it is to find somewhere to park on a normal day, assuming you can actually make it through the traffic to the town centre in the first place, but during the Christmas period, forget it! Once the madness and the preparations are over, we get to enjoy the good bits. Spending quality time with the family and being nice to each other. The all important presents. The kids having the time of their lives. Eating and drinking more than is humanly possible, and watching Christmas movies. Christmas movies are awesome to me as a writer of children's stories. They all have one major theme, the spirit of Christmas. This is by far the most important part. The true meaning of Christmas. This is the part I try to capture in every story I write, because it's just so awesome. It's almost magical in a world of cruel reality. On Christmas day during the war, soldiers on both sides stopped fighting and played football together in no man's land. The spirit of Christmas was the one thing in the whole world that could do that. I have a confession to make. I've never admitted this to anyone, and the only reason I'm saying it now is because I know there are no children reading this blog. If you're a child that has stumbled across this post by accident then you should stop reading immediately. Don't say you weren't warned! It's me! Yep, you may find it hard to believe being adults and all that, but I'm the one. I am Father Christmas, Santa himself....*long silence*.....It all started over twenty years ago when my first child was born . And if you think that's amazing you haven't heard nothing yet. This is going to make me sound a bit gay, but I don't care. I'm also the tooth fairy. Yep! It's a massive responsibility, and one I take very seriously. I laugh in the face of children who tell me Santa doesn't exist. That's like telling a horse that horses aren't real. How stupid children can be :) So, where am I going with this you may wonder. Well, my message is clear. Be good to each other, not just on Christmas day, but on every day. Be kind and thoughtful. Enjoy the simple things in your life like good food and the company of people that love you, and never take that for granted. And be aware, now you know who I really am, remember, I'm watching each and every one of you. If you don't play ball, I'm going to give you crap presents! haha!! Merry Christmas everyone :)

Gone writing... - Jay Eckert

I want to be a writer. Alright, hang on. I am a writer. I write, therefore I am a writer. I'm also a software development manager. That's the day job. That's what puts food on the table, pays the mortgage, and so forth. I've made loads of friends over the years in the software development field. It's a good job and quite challenging and often stressful, but what job isn't? But... Have you seen those bumper stickers that say, I'd rather be fishing? Writing. That's what I'd rather be doing. That's the job I want. That's what I would do all day long -- write -- maybe taking a break to walk the pug and eat lunch. I would love to get up in the morning, make sure the kids get off to school, then head to my writing office. I'd have a great big wood desk, good lighting, a nice sound system for the music I need in the background. It would be semi-private, with a door that closes, but near the bathroom. I might even have a sign on the door that says, "Author at work". There would definitely be a coffee maker and a small fridge with bottles of water. I'd have a bookshelf with Elements of Style and Roget's Thesaurus handy. Beside the shelf wood be a small, comfy couch and a squishy, reclining chair. You need these things for reading and naps, you see. I think I might like a big ol' whiteboard for story-boarding - I am a tech-weenie at heart, you see. I don't presently have one of these rooms. You can find me writing on whatever computer I can lay my hands on. Writing is a nocturnal activity for me. If I can spare some weekend time (rare, what with having a family and all), I get some writing done. But, Jay, you say, it sounds like you're more in love with the idea of being a writer than writing. I suppose there is some truth to that. I do love the idea of being a writer and doing that as a full time job. But I enjoy writing more. I like it so much that I wish I could do it all the time. Think of all the people you meet, and yes, I'm referring to the fictional ones. To me, writing is about sharing your imagination and sharing your dreams. And I need to dream.

The Sludge of Ugh! - SM Blooding

Right now, I'm in the Sludge of Ugh. NaNoWriMo was phenomenal! Our group on WDC wrote over 4 MILLION words and we had a 54% win rate! We ROCKED! I, personally, wrote 100,251 in 30 days. Demon's Pawn draft 1 is complete. It's good. The story itself - the plot line, the character lines, the scenes, everything - is bordering on FREAKIN' AWESOME! There are some issues that need to be worked out. Jack needs to go away until Book 3. Tabby needs to be a little more center stage, but just a tad. Dexx could use a few more scenes. Roxxie! Oh, dang! Roxxie's character plot needs developed a little more. I mean, what happens happened, but I would like to sidestep for one page, maybe only half, and see what's going on with her just a little. Just a smidge. But right now, I'm exhausted! Checking my email is work! GADS! I pushed hard last month and I overcame my old limits. I've created new rock star boundaries for myself, but I hope to never write that many words in 30 days ever again. However, knowing me, I probably will. LOL! The great part about last month was that I was able to write as fast as my mind works. I mean, there were times when it felt like I was going entirely too slow--well, because my lunch hour is rarely an hour, for one thing, or my 9-10 hour work day means that's 9-10 hours I'm not writing for another. The other thing that worked out really well was the fact that I was allowed to let the plot/character plots flow like it was a living, breathing object. My characters got to act like real people. They're dialogue was so quick, it flowed like a real conversation. Bad grammar, mis-used words, silent dialogue (I love that), and interruptions. Lots and lots of interruptions. Oh, and curse words. *wince* I'm going to have to clean that up a bit. There was a lot of, uh, cussing going on. *angelic shrug* For 30 days, my characters and my "inner" world had a chance to feel real to me. It took me 4 weeks to write the book and the book spanned a total of 4 weeks. It was real time. It was AWESOME! But now? I'm ready for a nap!

Keeping Momentum--Mireyah Wolfe

You know that feeling when you run, full speed, down a big hill?

That's how I feel right now writing my book. NaNoWriMo is over, but my book isn't done...at least, it doesn't feel like it's done. I hit all my big plot stuff, but it feels like there's so much more I need to do with this.

I thought after NaNo, I'd want to sleep for weeks--I told my friends, "Wake me when it's 2010."--but instead, I'm wanting to keep working on it!

A friend of mine said, "Keep going! You've gained momentum, if you stop now, it'll die and it'll be that much harder to keep it up."

And he is absolutely right. So, this is my advice for all of you NaNo'ers who didn't quite finish:

Keep Going. Don't let yourself think, "Oh, NaNo's over...I can take a break!" Don't let yourself stop now when it's starting to get good! Yeah, it'll still be there when you finally decide to come back to it...but will you still have that push to finish? That spark that keeps your fingers flying across the keyboard?

I know from experience that I certainly wouldn't. So, I'm not stopping. I'm going to keep running down this hill, because I know that when I reach the bottom, even though I'll be exhausted, it'll have been worth every second.

So, NaNo is over? So what? The book isn't finished, now is it?

Stop reading this and Get back to work!!

Or I'll come through the computer screen and **disconnect your internet! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

NaNo Winner Not So Finished,

~Mireyah

(**Nah, I'm not so cruel as that. But I will come and kick you in the butt.)