NaNo Day 7:
LH—2169 words

The winner of the Autographed Book Contest is named at the bottom of this post!

I have three things to talk about today. Bear with me—you might like something I have to say. 😀

The “I’ll Change My Name to Wendy or Tammy” Contest
First, I am starting a new contest today, and it will end next Tuesday, November 15th! There will be more than one winner—but only if you are willing to be Wendy or Tammy for a day. Scratching your head? I have this stack of autographed books that I made out to the wrong person. It has grown to four. There’s a copy of Girls Who Bite, Veiled Alliance, Un, Deux, Trois, Ménage!, and Darkness Captured. So I will give away four books to four people—if those four are willing to be Tammy or Wendy (the names I put in those books by accident!) for a day! Okay, so I’ll scratch through those ladies’ names and add yours, before I send, but it’s more fun the way I put it. Or maybe just more confusing. Anyway, I will be rid of the stack, and four lucky people will have a signed book!

What do you have to do to win one of these four books?
Post a comment—here or on my Facebook page.

And remember, the Promo Ho Contest is ongoing! Check the Contest page for details!

While I’m Away…
This week I’ve given over control of my blog to a great list of guests! On Thursday, I’ll be heading to Altus, Oklahoma where my sister, Elle James/Myla Jackson, and I will be conducting a workshop for writers. Friday night is a booksigning, so if you’re in the area and want to know how you can meet us, just drop me a line! Anyway, I have guests lined up starting tomorrow. Take a look at the lineup!

Tuesday — Myla Jackson
Wednesday — Dani Worth
Thursday — Mahalia Levey
Friday — Sharon Hamilton
Saturday — Me, with a Saturday Snippet
Sunday — Cerise Deland
Monday — Jasmine Haynes

The Question…

If you were on an African safari, what would you absolutely
have to see for the trip to be complete?

The winner of the Autographed Book Contest is…Ilona! Ilona, congrats! Send me an email to arrange delivery of your prize!

The week started off gangbusters. I wrote a short story in a day, then I went back to work on the Western that’s very, very late to Samhain. I already have a release date—January 31st—so I really do have to get that one finished very shortly. I also began work on the novella for the new Alluring Tales effort. It’s got a dragon, a knight, and a virgin. Yum!

The week started well, but by Thursday, I was covered up with family things. We’ve added to the household in the past few months. I’m sandwiched by elderly and very young people, and although I’m usually terrific at tuning it all out, it’s been kind of impossible to do that lately. Can I say that I never really knew my family was certifiably insane? Yup, a big ole blue streak of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, a variety of personality disorders and depression. I could literally write a book about this odd, dysfunctional family. It would be a true “dramedy”. Naturally, I’m the most normal person here.

Yeah, I know. All I can say is it’s a good thing I have a sense of humor. Now I just need to find that door I thought I didn’t need for my office and re-install that sucker.

And at last, after many years of dragging my feet, I’m going to divorce my Irish man. It’s sad, but we have been living apart for quite some time. Our relationship, actually, has never been better, because we only speak occasionally to talk about all our nutty relatives—he has plenty on his side too. He thinks I’m disconnected from reality (Duh! Writer!?), but I know he’s a narcissist. It’s a friendly divorce. No dogs to cut in half. He has all the dogs; I have my Betta fish, Drago, and the feral cat that adopted me when I stood outside under a full moon. I figured it was a sign I should keep her.

Anyway, I’m rambling. It’s NaNoWriMo month and I have tons of words to write to catch up. These ones don’t count!

Today’s the last day to enter the Autographed Book Contest! Be sure to post a comment to enter. Muah!

Don’t forget! There are two contest currently running on this website.
See my contest page for details!

Ready to be swept away by a sexy story? You’re the one who has to write it. 😯

Check out Wild & Wicked Cowboys. The picture says it all!

A couple of quick notes first!

Goodreads is giving away a copy of Girls Who Bite! It’s easy to enter, just follow this link: Girls Who Bite Giveaway

Five Ways ’til Sunday is available for pre-order! Save yourself some cash and buy it while the price is only $2.45! You know you want it!

Contains five men on a mission to break down the resistance of one determined woman, using everything in their arsenal from BDSM accoutrements to roleplay of non-consensual situations.

As the Christmas season approaches,
what song is it that you just can’t wait to hear?

NaNo Day 2:
LR—13 words—edited and shipped to editor!
LH—1733 words

The winner of yesterday’s free download is at the bottom of this post!
Also, tonight I’ll be chatting live at Romance Reviews Today chat room.
Join me if you can! ~DD

NaNoWhat-Oh?

or “How to Write a Novel In One Easy Step”

Today is Day 2 of the National Nuttiness that is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of writers across the globe band together to write novels. The objective is simple: write 50,000 words, and write them during the month of November: from Midnight-Oh-One on the first through Eleven-Fifty-Nine on the thirtieth, write and write and write. And write.

And write.

How is this useful? Or sane? And is 50,000 words of quickly-written stream-of-consciousness any good?

That’s not the point. The point is, to write the first draft of a novel. It’s a helluva lot easier to edit a novel if it’s written, and you can’t sell it if yeh ain’t written it!

The thinking behind it is sound – most of us have extremely well-developed Critics that love to ding us for grammar, spelling, turns of phrase, plotlines (or lack thereof), and anything else we might be daft enough to set fingers to keyboard. The point of NaNoWriMo, therefore, is to develop a good head of steam and let the momentum take you through (or around, under, over, or whatever) the Critic so that you can actually get through to the end: and, in the process, write a novel.

After all, ask any marathoner: it doesn’t matter if you win. It matters if you finish.

So, how do you start? Visit the website above, and sign up for an account. See if you can find others you know who are NaNo-ing (I’m a.catherine.noon), and add them to your friends list. Write a blurb for your baby novel, and maybe even share an excerpt – no, it doesn’t matter if the excerpt makes it into the final draft. The point is to have fun!

Next, find your home region. (If you don’t have one, use mine – ChiWriMo!) The regions host all sorts of events, including “write-ins” – events where writers gather to write together! It’s loads of fun, and nice to be around people who don’t glaze over when you start talking about the writing process. Then, write. Track your progress daily on the NaNo site, and git goin’!

Talk to you in December! I’ve gotta get my word count in!

A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder
Blog Website
Watch for BURNING BRIGHT, coming from Samhain Publishing September, 2011!

The winner of a free download of Stone’s Embrace is…Becky Ward! Becky, congratulations, and email me to arrange delivery of your prize.

October was an uneven, but still productive, month!

The high points were:

* ROMANTICON! Mainly because I got to take my daughter along with me. We had a blast!

* I received acceptance for SHE-SHIFTERS from Cleis!

In November, I hope to accomplish the following:

* Write the sequel to TRUE HEART for Samhain.

* Write the sequel to BITTEN IN THE BIG EASY.

Thanks to everyone who voted for A Four-Gone Conclusion over at Whipped Cream Reviews. It won Book of the Week! Whee! I have to take the victories where I can. The writing end of this gig can be dreary.

Okay, this is the third or fourth year in a row I’ve used this image on Halloween, but nothing makes me cringe and smile more! Enjoy!