No, I didn’t drop off the face of the earth. I’ve been busy doing edits on My Sweet Thief, and it’s coming along really well. Actually I wasn’t sure but Amy and Karin assure me it’s good, so I’ll take their word for it. Which of course is a huge relief since I have to hand this over to my editor the end of the month.

I also was able to get down the gist of a secondary’s big problem so I could write his story, should my publisher want another story. Yes, I’m being optomistic so I don’t go totally crazy.

And under the heading “what good friends are for–”

Sharon, incredibly prolific author, friend and cp, drops me an email last week and asks if I can get a short story written for a Christmas anthology to be published by Samhain. This Christmas.

It’s very tempting. The market for short western anthologies with romance are virtually non existant. And as Sharon reminded me, having this come out before my first novel could garner more readers. Always a good thing.

All Samhain wants at this point is a proposal–synopsis and first chapter. Note, Sharon can be extremely persuasive.

I let the idea cook and voila, my characters pop into my head, both carrying enough baggage. Then I started writing. First chapter is done, and I have a synopsis that doesn’t suck too badly. At least I know where the story is going. 🙂

So after I polish it one more time, I’ll pop it off to the editor, and get back to the edits on MST. If I’m really lucky, both editors will like my stuff. 🙂

I’ll let you all know…

My editor sent me the cover for ONE REAL COWBOY. Woohoo, I love it!!!

And, I have a nice quote from fabu NYT bestselling author Linda Lael Miller. “With a cowboy like this, you can’t lose!” –Linda Lael Miller

I’m doing the happy dance. 🙂

I’m back from the conference–tired but enthused about this publishing business I love. Pre con I’d been inundated with the downside of the book industry: death of chicklit, tight market getting tighter in general, branding of authors, blurring of lines. Scuttlebutt ran high with midlist authors being dropped, editors switching housing or hanging out an agency shingle, agents firing authors or shutting their doors to all but referred clients.

It’s enough to drive a person to drink.

All the Pens and Needles business cards I left in the goodie room vanished the first day, so if you are interested in joining the discussion group but didn’t get a card, just send a blank email to pensandneedles-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

We handed out over 200 Writeminded magnets, and I gave away a lot of my business cards as well. Check the Writeminded blog often as we’ll be giving away a lot of books and goodies.

Though there is truth that this business is a fickle bitch, it’s by no means dead or open to only the chosen few. All the genres are alive and well, though some have seriously reduced numbers. But other sub genres have increased in number, and there are always the blended genres to blaze new trails. Find a nitch that works for you and run with it.

I went in to this conference not truly knowing what to expect. Though good friend Karin had assured me I’d love my editor, I admit to being nervous. I met Hilary Sares at the Kensington breakfast–sat across from her in fact. As usual Karin was right, but don’t tell her. 🙂

My agent has a wicked laugh that I love. It’s no secret that Miriam Kriss is savvy about this industry. I appreciated her insight on my proposal, and blushed at her compliments on my soon to be published western historical.

For the most part the conference attendees were friendly. The Marriott Marquis staff was terrific and oozed with southern hospitality. The food was too good.

It was fun and exhausting and so informative. I feel renewed, and once my batteries recharge I’ll tackle the rewrites.

Until next time…

I’m heading out today to Atlanta for the RWA National Conference. To say I’m excited would be a huge understatement. 🙂 I’m going to meet cyber friends, my editor and my agent for the first time, as well as make new acquaintances and hang with friends I haven’t seen in too long.

If you’re going, please look me up to say, “hey!” Oh, and hit me up for a Write Minded magnet. 😉

Adios!

There are just so many hours in the day and I need more in order to get through my revisions this week. I’ll come really close, like maybe a hundred pages left to do.

I could have finished MST if I’d have A) locked myself in my office, pulled my modem connection and did nothing but write, write, write, B) not gone shopping for appliances that decided to die off one by one, gone shopping for clothes for conference, and shoes, shoes, shoes, C) not required sleep.

But what’s the fun in that? I’ll take close to done right now, and it’s not as if I’m not thinking about the story and jotting down notes on how to change/improve things. (That’d be easier if new stories weren’t nagging to be written–in due time, characters.)

Seven days before I leave for National. *gulp*