This is going to be a hodgepodge of announcements, but I do need to get some reminders out there, and I HAVE to talk about work or I won’t take it seriously! (New Year’s Resolution, you know— 😉 )

Strokes

First off, I should be uploading this one to Kindle today! I’ll let you know when it goes live. I’m rather proud of this collection. It’s got a little bit of everything so you are sure to find something to your taste. It’s a “naughty collection of seven bedtime stories, for a week’s worth of nighttime pleasure—a little ‘som-som’ to inspire sexy dreams or a one-handed orgasm, or to be read to a partner and enjoyed together.” Click on the cover and read more about Strokes!

The Ellora’s Cave Grab Bag Contest

Remember this?

• A signed book by Lila DiPasqua (not an EC author, but since I had a copy of The Princess in His Bed, I thought I’d add it to spice up the pot!)
• A sexy mouse pad signed by Liz Andrews
• A J.K. Coi and Christine D’Abo water bottle
• A multitude of trading cards, bookmarks, excerpt booklets, pens, Post-It pads, etc.

Well, it ends on Tuesday! See rules here. Every comment counts!

Rose’s Plotting Bootcamp

For you writers out there, my sister (Elle James/Myla Jackson) and I are leading a plotting bootcamp starting tomorrow. If you’ve never taken the class, you’re missing out on an experience. It’s a month-long class, so you can complete the exercises at your own pace. We provide feedback and support every step of the way. By the end of the class, you will have a fully fleshed outline for a novel. Besides the lessons, there are live chats where you can pick our brains for industry know-how or brainstorm your story. We’ve had folks return numerous times to plot a new book because we really do help you dig deeper. If you’re interested, click on this link: Rose’s Plotting Bootcamp

The Report Card

Even considering I returned from a vacation on Wednesday, I accomplished a lot this week.

1) I wrapped up final line edits of Lone Heart, my next Samhain book scheduled to release on January 31st. Was I cutting that a little close? The book was messier than I normally allow so it took time to read through and correct.
2) I received edits for Strokes, worked through line-by-line to clean it up, then attempted to format the thing for release at the Kindle store. However, I realize now, I haven’t the patience for that sort of thing. I shipped it to a professional formatter for her to whip it into shape. Believe me, it’ll get done faster—and it’s better for my blood pressure.
3) I put out the call for submissions for Wild at Heart. I need short stories featuring exotic animals in need of rescue and refuge. I’ve been answering questions and promoting the challenge every where I could think of. If you have ideas for where to send it, let me know. This is a really good cause.

And that’s a wrap, folks! Be looking for a brand new contest this week. Nag me to write every chance you get! And if you’re a writer, invite me to sprint with you. I could use the company.

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!

GO VOTE! As of this posting, I’m still holding the lead at Whipped Cream Reviews for Book of the Week, but the wonderful Cari Quinn is trying to kick my butt. If you haven’t voted, head on over there. I promise I’ll offer her a consolation prize. Wouldn’t you love to have her come here to play?

The big news this week was the acceptance of She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica by Cleis Press! All the authors have been notified of acceptance or rejection. I listed the names of all the authors who will have stories in the anthology, but did I also mention that Kate Douglas (you know, WOLF TALES!) is providing the foreword? More to be excited about, right?

I also completed making my initial selections and editing for Cowboy Lust for Cleis Press. I can’t let anyone know the verdict yet—Cleis has final approval—so be patient!

I finished copyedits of Five Ways ‘Til Sunday, due out November 22d!

And I’m back working on two projects now—the sequel to True Heart, which is the younger brother’s story, Lone Heart, and a short story for a collection that has something to do with lesbians in a locker room… Fun!

So, busy, busy. Not much time to chat, but I will be around. And don’t forget, I have TWO CONTESTS ongoing. Be sure to play!

Pssst! Don’t forget the Coffin Clutch & Seeing Eye Hair Clip contest ends tomorrow night! Be sure to comment for a chance to win!

Well, I’m back in business! My Internet provider still hasn’t figured out what’s up, but they did give me a work-around. I’m using Vtunnel.com to access this website, and although all the promo surrounding the page is annoying and I can’t post pictures, I’m not complainin’!

Needless to say, I didn’t get a whole lot of writing done this week. I felt like I was cut adrift without being able to bounce here at will to see what was happening. I did manage to wrap up the introduction and the last edits on stories I submitted for Beastly Babes, which is being renamed to She-Shifters—yeah, I liked the orginal title so much better. Still, the stories are awesome. And no, I’m not making any announcements just yet about who made it into the anthology because nothing’s set in stone until Cleis blesses the choices. So, don’t ask!

I began work on a new sexy Western. I have just a few pages written. I really wanted to be farther along, but ah well. I’ve begun culling The Cowboy anthology entries. I have a ton of very strong stories, so it’s going to be rough choosing.

And that’s where I am with work. This week a lot of my time will be spent packing for Romanticon in Akron. If you live in the area, be sure to check it out. It’s an Ellora’s Cave event and the booksigning will be open to the public. I’d love to meet some of you face-to-face. 🙂

Oh! And thanks so much for keeping A Four-Gone Conclusion #1 at Samhain for the second week in a row!

Where to begin?! I’ve just come off the most unproductive three months I’ve had in forever! My ability to shut out “the noise” around me has been compromised. Until this week, I seriously considered renting a cabin somewhere away from family and the Internet to get some work done. But things do change.

This week, I received acceptance for a short story I wrote entitled Drive Me Crazy for Cleis Press’s Best Erotic Romance of 2012.

I put together the After Midnight Authors Fantasies newsletter and published that.

I completed the draft of a new lesbian vampire story that will accompany a story by Paisley Smith for a two book anthology that Ellora’s Cave will publish! (Long enough sentence for you?!) I’ll be sending it to the editor today!

What else? My daughter was married in the swimming pool on a day where the weather crested 100 degrees. Most fun I’ve had in a while!

The Six-Year-Old turned seven, so she had her choice of favorite things to do that day. McDonald’s was part of the list. Bleh.

I spent a day painting a room for my grandmother’s newly converted garage suite.

And there you go—my week in a nut shell. I’m hoping things will continue to hum along this next week, writing-wise. I have a new book and a new short story to start. Do y’all have any ideas for a 1500-word lesbian short story? Yeah, I can’t come up with anything other than a coffee break in that short a space.

Report Card

Although real life sank two days like a torpedo (Wednesday’s trip to the Wax Museum and the medical drama with my daughter on Thursday), I still managed to get some stuff done.

* On Monday, I did a marathon and wrapped up my BDSM story, and then revised and shipped the sucker to my editor. By Friday, I had a contract and a title: Begging For It.

* On Friday, I shipped a partial (three chapters and a synopsis) to an editor I had chatted with regarding my medieval fantasy. I am hoping for feedback. He did say to send it “raw” and he would offer suggestions for what needs to happen with the story to make it saleable. We’ll see. I’ve been stuck on the project for a while.

* Yesterday, I completed a revision of a previously published short story I plan to include in a Kindle anthology. I added 19 pages (mostly sex and angst), and shipped it for critique.

Not shabby for the week, huh? And I got a lovely bit of news, via surfing the EC site last night—Handy Men will release on April 6th!

Special Events

I do have some things happening this week if you just want to hang out and maybe win something…

Tonight at 8 PM EST, I’ll be live at the Writerspace chatroom. I’m giving away a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate and a signed copy of Ravished by a Viking to two lucky winners!

Tomorrow night, I have two back-to-back events:
* Night Owl Romance, live chat with Lorie O’Clare at 8 PM EST!
* After Midnight Fantasy authors’ chat at Writerspace at 9 PM EST!

I hope you’ll join me. We always have fun!

I’m a slug. I’m hovering at the end of this BDSM story. I’ve wanted to be done with it for two weeks now, but I keep letting life get in the way. Someone, please nag me. Tell me I’m worthless—no, don’t do that, I might start to wonder if you were someone who read their first DD book and thought it sucked, then I’d suffer all kinds of new issues and NEVER write another word. Maybe if you beg me, very nicely, or tell me your dying sister doesn’t have long to live but wants to read THAT book before she does… You get the picture. I need a kick in the ass.

This week, I worked on taxes and things like release planning and promo spending. I also got my copyedits back for Handy Men. It shouldn’t be long before you see it on the Coming Soon page on Ellora’s Cave’s site.

This next week, with your well-placed boot, I hope to finish the BDSM story and revise the heck out of a short story, expanding it to novella length. I plan to release that novella in a volume with my sister in a straight-to-kindle project. Oh, and I should start today by finishing the copyedits for HM! Yeah, lots on my plate. I have to stay focused. Now, do your part!