I just received fabulous news: Dance With Deception is a double finalist in the Anne-Bonney Readers’ Choice Award! Yep, Dance With Deception is a finalist in both the Most Emotional and the Favorite Hero categories. Woo-hoo!
About the contest:
“Some call her a feminist who chose piracy as way of rebelling against a male-dominated world; others portray her as a tomboy who never grew up. Whatever her motives, in deed and daring Anne Bonney, history’s most infamous woman pirate, was a plunderer, cutthroat, sailor, ransomer, raider, and general menace to maritime commerce in the Caribbean. In short, most pirates probably would have considered her an asset to their trade.
That is the reason we’ve named our contest after her. We’re looking for the best books the industry has to offer, books that stand out, books that are an asset to our trade.”
I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled I am about this! Thank you to the wonderful Anne-Bonney contest coordinators for their time and efforts. I am truly honored to be a finalist.
Winners will be announced at the end of February … keep your fingers crossed.
Well, I am working on finishing my next two and have been trying to figure out why I’ve had so much difficulty remaining focused. I mean, sure life can derail us. But still, I wrote Dance With Deception in less than a year. It should be easy to complete the next two, right? Well, no, not really.
Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I am writing my next two, Enticing Eve and The Skilled Seduction, simultaneously. Both are sequels to Dance With Deception and it just made sense that I would flesh out the characters through both novels, jumping back and forth between the books as inspiration strikes. There in lies my problem, you see. When I’ve planned on working on my second novel, the third starts calling to me. The hero and heroine from my third are truly tenacious and they just will not be silenced. So, Colin and Eve’s story has taken longer than I anticipated.
Last night, I worked on Tristan and Victoria’s story. Tonight, I am working on Colin and Eve’s tale. No phones, no TV, interruptions. Just me, sitting in my office, clacking away on my keyboard while my eldest feline prince snores on the floor (yes, all three of our kitty sons snore).
With about 80,000+ words completed on each so far, I’m optimistic that at my present pace, I will finish soon. Especially with the help of and motivation from my husband and from my critique partner, fellow Author Emma Sanders. It is the first time I’ve had a critique partner and it is fabulous! She’s such a strong support system for me, especially when I’m in my edit mode (aka: my “everything I’ve written is !*&^” and “no one will like this” mode).
I am focused on finishing my next two (along with reading Emma’s work in progress which I am loving, BTW). Through it all, I vow to remember that I write because of my love for the craft and my characters. I write because of the stories that move me. I also vow not to let life derail me. Easier said than done sometimes but where there’s a will, there’s a way.
So, what do you love to do? What do you want to make time to focus upon? I want to hear all then I want you to make time to do what you love. You can do it. You deserve to do it!
Now, I’m going back to writing …
2009 has arrived. And with it, comes so much promise. And some TV shows I have truly missed. One such show is One Tree Hill. I am so excited it is back! Last night’s episode didn’t disappoint, instead delivering more of the Brooke/Julian storyline and a kick a$$ scene between Brooke and her attacker. Welcome back, One Tree Hill … you’re better than ever!
Two other returns I’m looking forward to are Lost and American Idol. The commercials for Lost look fantastic and, as for Idol, I’m still addicted. How can I not be with my favorite from last year, David Cook, winning the prize and delivering a great CD?
So, what are you looking forward to on the small screen?
