2
| Mar 2014 |
To celebrate the release of Sweet in Love, I'm doing a big giveaway with sixteen romance authors. Please come join the fun. :)
2
| Mar 2014 |
To celebrate the release of Sweet in Love, I'm doing a big giveaway with sixteen romance authors. Please come join the fun. :)
1
| Aug 2013 |
It's crazy how 2013 is more than half over. It's crazy…crazy I tell you!
I've been terrible about blogging. Mostly it's due to my being busy with things that required (and drained) a lot of my energy.
Recently, I've been super stressed, and I started taking phosphatidyl serine, which supposedly helps reduce cortisol (a stress hormone). I think it's helping me stay calmer than I would otherwise. It also supposedly boosts brain function, but I haven't noticed anything. However, cognitive benefits were tested on elderly people who had trouble remembering things, and I don't fit the demographic. If you want to try it, you can get a bottle from Amazon. It's not that expensive.
In July, I finished drafting one book (contemporary romance), and I'm working on another book that's tied to it (a novella). I'm hoping to release them all either December 2013 or early in 2014. It's going to depend purely on the editorial schedule and how healthy The Boy is for the rest of the year.
And just for fun — and I haven't done any self-improvement that's mentally stimulating in a while — I've decided to study Photoshop on my own. I have a few books on it, and why the heck not? I only did one unit so far, and I've already learned so much. (BTW – one of the books was written and published by Adobe, which called Photoshop “intuitive.” *snort*)
On the reading front, I just devoured Ilona Andrews's Magic Rises. It's my favorite Kate Daniels novel now. :) Really loved it.
The plan is to finish the novella this month and start revising the novel I wrote in July.
I hope everyone's doing well, and have a great August.
26
| Nov 2012 |
This year I was able to draft and do the first major round of revision on my manuscript during NaNo. I wanted to share two books that helped me achieve that, so that you too can boost your productivity whether you're doing NaNo or not. :)
First up is 2k to 10k by Rachel Aaron. 
2k to 10k is a short ebook on how to increase word count (and hopefully your output consists mostly of the words you can keep) and revise. Her section on increasing productivity for the actual drafting phase is excellent, and many would benefit from reading it, not just for future NaNo challenges, but for general productivity. (I presume you want to write more and better all the time, not just in November.)
I personally found her advice on revision particularly helpful since I always struggle with it. I'm extremely inefficient with revision (my process is atrocious, trust me). I can spend 1-2 months on drafting a novel, then spend the next 12+ months on revision!
I usually end up feeling sick to my stomach at the idea of having to look at the book again by the time I mail my manuscript to Madam Agent. I know it's something I must correct for my own sake since it's holding my productivity back and hurts my career.
Anyway, changing something you've been doing for a long time can be difficult, but I know I can do it. I've done it before, and with the practical tips and guidelines, I know I can master the revision process.
I recommend 2k to 10k highly for not only prepping for NaNo, but for the post-NaNo months when you revise your NaNo manuscript. (And it's a steal at only $0.99.)
Be A Sex-Writing Strumpet by Stacia Kane is something I wish I'd read years ago. I always struggle with sex scenes — which is terribly frustrating for a romance writer who includes sex scenes in many of her books — and I needed to find a way to write sex scenes better and faster.
The book is actually a collection of blog posts Stacia wrote, and the organization may be less than ideal (or formatting not up to your standards for those of you who want an uber-nice ebook). But the information in the book is 100% worth the price.
Be A Sex-Writing Strumpet isn't just for romance writers, since she also talks about sex scenes for other genres.
So if you don't have a lot of confidence in writing sex scenes or want to improve your sex scenes, try Be A Sex-Writing Strumpet.
6
| Jul 2012 |
Hello, everyone. Can you believe 2012 is more than half over?
June was a super productive month. Not because it was that special (it was the same old same old), but because I read The Power of Habits, and used some of the tips and tricks mentioned in the book. I highly recommend it to anybody trying to change any bad habits they may have. Best tip for me: before going to bed each night, make a list of what you’re going to do the next day. Then do it. Works wonders.
The sequel to The Last Slayer is with two betas right now, plus I received feedback on my other novel from Agent. As usual, she had some really good comments. :)
And I'm working on the final book in The Last Slayer trilogy since the second book sort of ends in a cliff hanger. So I don't want to have a long period between the second and third book release dates.
I have three main writing-related goals for the month of July:
On more personal front, The Boy is walking a bit more now. It's kinda cute. He's not super fast or anything, and his balance is still a bit wobbly, but he’s getting there. :)
And sometime this month, Hero Material is traveling to America on business, leaving me alone with The Boy for about six days. In Japan, you traditionally bring omiyage (souvenirs) for your friends, family, etc. after a trip outside the local prefecture. What should I ask him to bring? :)
Finally, I'm trying to read some really intensely romantic romance novels. If you have any recommendations, please comment and let me know! :)
23
| Jan 2012 |
15
| Dec 2011 |
I just found a great site for Nook users looking for fun and inexpensive ebooks: Nook Lovers Daily Book Deals.
It's new, so it doesn't have lots of books displayed, but I think it's a good site to bookmark for those of you with a Nook! :)
