Synopsis, the pansters worst nightmare

I've been working on Friends with Benefits to start off the Sweat70. I'd always intended it to be short, so I finished it up, and I've spent the weekend going over it, editing, polishing, then writing the dreaded synopsis.

No "Hey Ed, I've got this great story, its about this, and that, and they do this while doing that, wanna take a read?" this time around. I'm sending it somewhere new. So that means cover letters, full synopsis etc etc.

Do you know how hard it is to write a synopsis when you totally pantsed the whole manuscript? Crap (amongst other bad words) was heard quite a bit around our house yesterday. I've never quite known if what I'm doing is right when it comes to a synopsis. Am I not being exact enough, do I need to be more blow-by-blow, am I being too blow-by-blow? It's as confusing as hell because everyone has a different opinion on it -- who's advice do you take?

Hopefully I've been doing something right -- after all I've managed to sell 3 books thus far -- surely someone would have said your synopsis suck arse by now ... wouldn't they?

So it's done, the emails sent, and tomorrow I have to start on something new for the Sweat70 while I wait, chewing my non-existent nails till I hear back on the new sub. Wish me luck!

Counting down, and a giveway. . .

Final proofreader edits went back early this morning (in ePublishing deadlines tend to be a lot closer to publication than in print), so I can put the cap back on the Tums and party like it's my Birthday ... oh, wait! It is! Well, on Friday that is. I'll be the ripe old age of 34.

So in honor of my birthday I'm giving away Tea for Three mouse pad and some goodies of the chocolaty persuasion. Perfect for sitting down and reading your favorite eBooks with!

Email me, using the address in my profile, with the names of the names of the three lead characters of Tea for Three (hint: you don't have to look far, or hit my main website) by Sunday 27th May, midday, and my 7yr old will scientifically choose a winner from the entrants.

World Domination!

So I'm a Pinky and the Brain fan gurl - I'll happily admit it. So when I found myself making a Pinky and Brain quote to Racy in an email, I had to share...

"What'd you do last night, Brain?"
"Plotted to take over the world one erotic book publisher at a time, Pinky!"
"That sounds like a good plan, Brain...SNARF!"

Alrighty then...my geekness assured, I'm off to hit the send button on that sub I have been moaning about for the last week. It's done, its edited (Racy kindly gave me a couple of things to think about with it), there's a synopsis and blurb, now just to suck it up and hit the send button.

Anyone else second guess themselves right at that moment?

Tidings of the season...

It's Christmas Eve for thsoe of us on this side of the date line, and I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, Cheery Kawaanza, and hope that next year brings you good things.

Looking back over this year, some big things happened. A surprise trip home to NZ, writing my first story, then having it and my second manuscript published, some front teeth missing (well that was the kiddo, not me), starting home renovations (never, never again - getting the professionals in from now on!), and many other good, and of course some not so good things that make the world go around.

Thank you if you are a reader or a publisher, or indeed family or friends for putting up with me over the last year, I promise I will be just as fun next year!

Give me some ideas

I was checking out publisher submission requests this morning (I have been caught up with these house renovations and haven't done so for a while), and spied the Midsummer Night's Steam submission requests -

They want Red Hot, steamy, sexy, erotic, girls , boys (and any combo thereof), sun sand, surf...sex.

What would you like to see in a short story read thats summer themed?

Finally!

FB was convinced to read something for me.

Now he has been adamantly refusing to read any of my writing until such time as I could provide him with a lesbian work - just for his reading pleasure (Of course that got my back up, so see if I offer him that manuscript to read if it ever gets written!). So I was most surprised when I asked him to read over a current WIP (no gay sex in this one, he wouldn't touch that with a barge pole), he actually did. Then came back to me and said, "hey, this isn't half bad!". The surprise in his voice was most uncomplimentary, but I decided to be the better person and gracefully said thank you.

I will say that FB does put up with a hell of a lot of my burbling about writing, publishing, and general smack talk about things I want to do, but haven't quite got there yet with. Usually with the same aplomb as I deal with music talk...ahum, yeah, really? wow! that's interesting...so it was quite surprising when FB then says "so now that they have got together, what is going to happen? That is only the start of the story...right?"

Rutt Ro! Only the start of the story? Shit...this was supposed to be halfway through the story. (The original aim had been to submit it for the Amber Heatwave contest, then I thought maybe instead I would submit it for the Elloras 2008 Quickies since the heroine is named Pearl, and wears pearls as she is supposed to be a prissy preppy prude) "Half way through? Oh no, definitely not, there's way more story you can add after this. You need to find a bad guy, or maybe you can give this Grand Dame lady some evil plot - that shes manipulating The Magic somehow because she has secret plans for their offspring or something."

Bloody hell...not only have I got to come up with another 30k+ words I need to figure out a sneaky plot when this was supposed to be a short and sweet story? Did we just jump from lesbian porn to legitimate suggestions in one giant, big leap?

Oh, we didn't...FB is still waiting on the lesbian porn...

OUT!

And proud of it, I guess is supposed to be what comes next. But no, no closet hopping for me, instead Position Vacant is available, OUT you might say, today, right now, like you could click this link and go buy it CLICK ME (doesn't that sound slightly Alice in Wonderland'esque).

I have been furiously emailing, posting, sending to mailing lists last night and tonight. You would be surprised where my name might be popping up today!

If your one of the guys and girls from Borsboards.com (aka GoFistYourself.com - got to love that name Smalto), please, make yourself at home, I have cookies and pie!

Squeeeeeee!!

I got an email late last night - my Position Vacant author copies. WaHoo!

It all seems so real once I get those in my hot little hand. It is also a bit of a relief. Persuading Jo went right to the wire with edits, and because I was in New Zealand on a surprise Holiday at the time (and away from an internet connection) and things got a little pie shaped at the last minute.

This time around, though, everything has been like clockwork. Thank goodness, I was getting a bit paranoid :)

Christmas Ornament Contest

Position Vacant, my new Christmas themed novella is due out next week. Since it's all about Santa and the Elves, I am running a Christmas themed contest for everyone who is on my mailing list. Look to the side and you can see where you can join up, to join in.

On the 12th of Dec I will make a random drawing from the list for a variety of Santa / Elf themed tree ornaments (approx value $25). I might even be convinced to throw in a free copy of Position Vacant for the winner! I will get everything off via priority mail so it arrives in plenty of time for Christmas.

I'll add in a photo of the ornaments once I get the battery charged up for the camera. Murphys Law, when ever I want to use it, it's deader than a doornail :(

Trying something different

So the first version of Position Vacant sucked, right?
But I really want to attempt something a little more sarcastically whitty, something a little more...like me, I guess. So I am trying my hand at another short story about a Miss Priss, who has a first of a lifetime one night stand, and instead of being left with a hickey gets a love-bite of the Were-folk kind.
Of course she doesn't know that yet - despite the legions of stray dogs following her around.

So how does this catch you?

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“Come on, Shaun, let me in!” Pearl banged harder on her girlfriends front door. “Wake up you lazy cow and let me in before they eat me…” She turned around to look at the yard full of adoring canines. “…or something…”

She refused to look down to find out if it was something more than slobber on her shoe. Too many of the dogs looked too happy by far. La la la laaaa…don’t think about it, Pearl, just don’t think about it.

“God damn it, Shaun, Let. Me. In!” The door swung open and a short, petite sprite like creature stood in the doorway. Black as coal hair in disarray and raccoon eyes from smearing last nights eye makeup around with her fist as she tried to wake up.

“All right all right all ready. Keep your pants on.”

“Too bloody late for that now, isn’t it.” She shouldered her way past her kooky best friend and into the hallway, shaking off an eager paw so she could cross the threshold. “Hurry up, shut the door!”

Shaun had managed to clear her vision up enough to take in her front lawn. “Hey…what’s with all the dogs?” She took a closer look at Pearls disheveled state and gasped. “What the hell happened to you?”

Usually primly proper and schoolmarm like, she dressed in skirts, blouses and her namesake pearls. But today she had on a ratty old pair of jeans, a T-shirt on backwards, and her jacket was on inside out. Then Shaun spied the big hickey just down from her neck and tried very hard not to giggle. Going so far as to stuff her little fist in her little mouth; but she couldn’t contain her very big roar of laughter.

“Ohmigod! Miss. Prissy got laid last night!”

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Or is it just the farmers daughter in me that thinks this is funny?