I can't believe 2011 is now 75% over! Wow, where did all that time go?

So let's see what I've been up to…

The Last Slayer

I got a note that Audible picked it up, so it's going to be available as an audio book. That's super-exciting: my first audio book! I'll keep you updated.

Oh and in case you haven't seen it, here's the cover from Carina Press. The Art Department and Frauke Spanuth did an amazing job. I also love how Carina Press reworked the back cover blurb, incorporating the pitch paragraph from my cover letter and adding more to it.

The Last Slayer Sequel

I've titled it Thrones of Thorns for now. I wanted to the title to refer to some kind of element in the story, and I'll leave it up to you to imagine what that might be. It may change though…

This is the project I'm doing the 500 Words a Day Challenge with, and so far it's going very well. At this rate, I'll be done with the first draft by mid-December at the latest. I'll have to do a round of revision before I can show it to anyone for feedback, but this time I'm going to try sending it before drafting it millions of times. Usually that's what I do before showing my project to anybody… I can get a weeeee bit obsessive. But recently I realized that when I do that, I usually don't want to do further rounds of revision, incorporating everyone's comments, because just the idea of looking at the project one more time makes me feel ill. Which, if you think about it, is really unproductive and silly. So it's time for a Change In Process.

The Sekrit Assassin Project

I can't believe I'm still drafting it, but I am. (Don't judge me.) Anyway, I'm going to finish this draft before the year's over and send it to Agent. I don't think there's anything else I can do to this project that I haven't thought of, and it's about time she sees it.

On to non-writing stuff…

I can't wait for Dexter to start! W00t! It's one of my favorite shows, and I'm dying to meet this season's serial killer.

And here's the Boy, 3 months old. People have asked for a picture, and I finally got around to moving photos from my digital camera to the PC. The onesie is a special gift from his honorary Auntie May. (Maybe he'll grow up to be Spiderman…)

Have a great October, everyone!

Isn't this lovely?

The Last Slayer

Ashera del Cid is a talented demon hunter, but when she kills a demigod's pet dragon, the hunter becomes the hunted. Her only potential ally is Ramiel, a sexy-as-hell demon. Now the two must work together to battle dragons and demigods…and the chemistry crackling between them.

Ramiel has his own reasons for offering Ashera his protection. He knows her true identity and the real reason the demigods want her dead. What he can't predict is how she'll react when she discovers he knew who she was all along…

Ashera is shocked to discover that she is the only daughter of the last slayer. To claim her destiny, she and Ramiel must join forces to face down danger and outwit their enemies. Only then will she be able to truly accept her legacy…

Available on December 26, 2011 from Carina Press! :)

Can you believe September is already almost half over?

I just got done with The Last Slayer edits. So now I'm waiting to get the final e-author copy to plan marketing and promotion for the book. A part of that is doing guest blog posts. Yes, I'm volunteering! If you have a topic you'd like me to cover — inspiration, world-building, the business side of writing, etc. — please leave a comment or email me. (I'm also planning to do interviews as well. :) )

Speaking of The Last Slayer, I updated my book page with a first chapter excerpt. You can read it here. :)

Also, once I get the author copy, I'll give away about ten copies to my newsletter subscribers who are willing to read and review the book. If you want to be considered, feel free to sign up for my newsletter here.

This month I'm taking a workshop on sexual tension and continuing to work on the sequel to The Last Slayer. So far I have about 30% of it written, plus the synopsis. I can't wait to get it written and share it with you.

I hope all of you have a fabulous rest-of-September!

August is probably the hottest month where I am. It's muggy and scorching. That doesn't mean I get to rest. :-)

I turned in edits on The Last Slayer on July 28th. I need to wait on my editor's feedback. I'm really hoping we get done w/ the final round (copyediting) by the end of August.

On a somewhat related note — on July 23rd I started the 500 Words a Day challenge. I have over 4,500 words written on the sequel to The Last Slayer, even though I've been writing no more than 650 words a day. As a matter of fact, my daily word count ranges between 509 and 636. Something I realized through the process is that I don't have to write a lot. I just have to write some to get the momentum going.

I plan to continue with it in August. If all goes as planned, I'll be done with the sequel by the end of the year, if not sooner.

Here's a non-Slayer related news item: Bettie Sharpe and Stella from Ex Libris gave five-star reviews to Carnal Secrets and A Happily Ever After of Her Own, respectively. Bettie's review is found here and Stella's is on her blog. :)

I also signed up for Kindlegraph. You can view my profile here and request digital inscriptions for any Nadia Lee titles you have on Kindle.

Finally, I'll leave you with the latest picture of the Boy. So many people have asked about a new picture, so here it is. (He's over 12 pounds now…!)

Hope you all have a fabulous August!

I can't believe it's already July. It feels like January was just a day or two ago.

The first half of 2011 was pretty busy but productive. In January, I walked away from an offer on Carnal Secrets. I gave away Destiny Entwined to my newsletter subscribers on Valentine's Day and published it the same day to anybody who wants to read it but aren't subscribed to my newsletter. Then I self-published Carnal Secrets later in February.

In March, I received an offer from Carina for The Last Slayer.  This time, I didn't walk. :)

In case you missed it, the Boy was born on June 18. You can read more about it and see his pictures here.

So what are my plans for the month?

1. Wrap up edits for The Last Slayer
2. Finish outlining the sequel (yes, there's probably going to be a sequel)
3. Announce the giveaway details for Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore by July 8th

I'm hoping that with some discipline and pre-planning, I can accomplish them all.  :)

I just realized that I may not write any new projects this year. The thought was rather startling because I was convinced I'd be able to start drafting another project.

But as it stands, I need to finish revisions on my WIP and send it to Agent, plus complete edits on The Last Slayer. The Unborn One is going to come out in the next few weeks, whether or not his timing is convenient. (It's not, but I can't wait to hold him in my arms. :) )

By the time the Boy's out and The Last Slayer edits are done, it's going to be the end of June, or maybe even early July. I have no idea how the newborn is going to impact my schedule or anything like that. Hopefully by the end of July, I'll be somewhat lucid enough to send WIP to Agent, start outlining the sequel to The Last Slayer, finalize promo plans for The Last Slayer and budget the time and money for it.

The last time I did a detailed outline for a book, it was for Carnal Secrets, and it took me about a month to do it. I think the sequel to The Last Slayer is going to take longer than a month to outline…probably two or three. So I'm thinking maybe around November or December, I can possibly start drafting the sequel, if everything goes as planned (the best case scenario). Or maybe everything will implode and I'll get nothing done.

Since I'm trying to be more optimistic these days, I'm guessing it's going to be somewhere in-between. And it's shocking that I may end this year without drafting anything new. (Outlines don't count.)