Tag Archives: mermaids

Cover Reveal: Jax Cassidy’s THE MERMAID CATCHES HER MATE

The Mermaid Catches Her Mate AvatarAs some of you know, the Waterworld Mermaids were created because I desperately wanted to make friends after moving to Northern Virginia, where I knew no one. (Boy, did that work out well!) So when I moved to Florida, the first thing I did was hunt down the local Space Coast chapter of RWA to try and do the same. Happily, I discovered a ton of amazing writers!

I also discovered that the Space Coast is one long and skinny county. Most of the STAR members live on the southern end (with the fancy beaches and the shopping). I live on the very northern tip (with the rockets and the alligators). So I got to know the writers up north pretty well–even the “snowbirds” (winter-only residents). And then I found out that one of my Nocturne Falls Universe sisters was moving back to Florida…closer to Orlando than Palm Bay…well, I absolutely had to get to know her!

I’m not sure words can describe how quickly I fell in love with Jax Cassidy. Or how it feels like I’ve known her far longer than I actually have. So you can imagine how absolutely thrilled I am to reveal the cover of her new NFU title THAT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT MERMAIDS! (See? I told you we were kindred spirits!)

The Mermaid Catches Her Mate cover

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iTunes

Luna Matsya is a local celebrity as a trendsetting hairstylist, but she’d prefer to spread her fin in a nice body of water rather than make a big splash around town. She’s starting to believe that her ability to live and walk among mortals is more of a curse rather than a blessing. Especially now that the flashy tent from a touring magic show is blocking her lake. Where’s a mermaid to swim when the slightest mistake can put her in the spotlight?

Ace Conall is infamous for his daring tricks and he plans to make history with an epic illusion before taking a lengthy hiatus. This is a chance for him to finally feel at home after harboring a secret that may be the greatest magic act never revealed. What he hadn’t expected was falling for a smart-mouthed siren tangled up in his plans…

I cannot WAIT to read Jax’s spin on mermads. The book releases on May 23 — be sure to place your preorder now!

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Jax CassidyUSA Today Bestselling Author Jax Cassidy followed her dreams to Paris, then Hollywood to pursue a film career but managed to fall in love with penning sexy romances and happy endings. She is Co-Founder of Romance Divas, and award winning writer’s website and discussion forum. Jax is also known as one-half of the retired writing team of Cassidy Kent.

Jax Cassidy is represented by Roberta Brown, Brown Literary Agency.

Find her on Facebook –www.facebook.com/AuthorJaxCassidy

 

 

Mermaids Immortalized in Romance Fiction (And a giveaway to boot!)

7Hello fishy friends!

How’s everyone doing? I hope your 2016 is off to a great start. I’m humbled and honored to say January is wrapping up very nicely with the release of my eighth published novel. Let Me See (Book 2 of the These Three Words series) just came out today. I’m so very happy I get to share this story with you but guess what really has me smiling?

I’ve missed my fishy sisters so much since moving away from their area nearly two years ago. But today I get to be with them again. Sort of.

I hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from my new release in which the Waterworld Mermaids become immortalized in romance fiction. **Be sure and leave a comment below for a chance to win a free e-copy.** Let’s see if you can spot them…

Copyrighted Excerpt from Let Me See (These Three Words, 2) by Carlene Love…

Jay normally spent as much time out front chatting with the guests as he did on stage performing for them but right now he wanted a few extra quiet moments alone to let the importance of tonight sink in.

“Jay, come.”

Having thought that, Marie was rarely persistent with him like this. So he followed her out front, forgetting for the time being that he was only half-dressed for his solo. He ran his hand over his abs, rubbing away some of the sweat already sticking to his skin. He’d barely crossed paths with Julian but the bump-in had been enough and he had the man’s angel wing glitter all over his black pants. Jay dusted it off as best he could, eventually giving up. Jay hooked his thumbs in his suspenders. He left the newsboy hat that would—pardon the pun—cap off his college prep outfit in homage to Maggie, in his locker and followed Marie out front. One thing he recognized for sure was the extra pep in her step. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she was playing Cupid or something ridiculous like that. Too bad he couldn’t just tell her he’d officially taken his heart off the market, for good, two weeks ago when he’d been stood up again by the girl who had somehow taken his everything prisoner.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and followed her out, pumping himself up for the night and walking to the beat of Gabe’s solo song.

“So you guys had a pretty successful adoption event at the last shelter drive?”

“Yes, Marie. Why do you ask? You sure are talking to me a whole lot tonight. I mean, I love it. But, do you swear everything is okay with you?” He’d do anything he could to help her. She worked hard and he knew she had issues she kept hidden. Jay knew how that could eat at a person.

“I’m in the mood to do some good and you think there’s something wrong with me? Gee, thanks, Stud.”

He wasn’t sure exactly what to say back to her, to be honest. It was tricky with Marie because Jay knew he had to keep his flirting to a minimum, remembering how wrecked it had made him when D had gotten too loose with his flirty words for Kelley. “My apologies to the lady.”

They walked single file through the last bits of the cramped back hallways until they got to the door that led into the public portion of the club. Jay took an extra-long step to put him in front of Marie so that he could get the door for her. He ushered her through but then noted how she quickly jumped back in front of him. Guess she really wanted to be the leader.

“Accepted. And you’re right, it is odd that I’m feeling so chipper. It’s freaking me out but I’m going with it for this night only. I just feel like this burst of goodness came inside earlier. Apparently your sister’s spirit of positivity has its claws in me tonight.” She winked and smiled softly at him. “Anywho, recognize anyone?”

Marie suddenly stopped walking when they’d only made it a few feet into the club, clearly waiting for him to stop too and have a look around. Okay, he’d play along and checked out the bar area since that was where he associated Marie as being most often. “Drunk Al. Tina and her mom and her sisters. Um, Brad?” He noted the faces he could see this far in the dark.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat and pulled him around by the suspender until he was facing the stage. She let go and the elastic snapped his skin. It didn’t really hurt but he let out a yelp just to tease her. “Ouch.”

Now he did see a ton of familiar faces. “Do you really want me to start naming everyone? Cause there’s Liz, Kerri, Dana, Kim, Alethea, Pintip, Susan, Loni, Masha, and Denny, just for starters.” It gave him an immense feeling of joy that so many of the regulars were already here supporting the cause. “Oh, and let’s see … Lynne, Robin, and Avery. I can keep going—Jen, Keely, Deb, Denise, Sue, Lil. Ooo, Becky’s looking supa-hot tonight. She turned fifty in here last week, you know. Still fricking gorgeous. Did you know she’s the drummer in a band? I think I’m going to give her a late birthday lick later on. In fact, I think I’m gonna go over there with my sexy self and lick her right now.” Of course he was just teasing, watching Marie’s face get more and more perturbed with him. It was his playful payback to her for bringing him out before he’d gotten dressed and then being so secretive. But honestly, who did she want him to see?

“Ugh. You’re impossible. And you wonder why I don’t talk much to you boys. Gabe—”

But she may as well have stopped speaking.

The second he changed his line of sight to the stage where Gabe currently held court as a half-dressed military hero, he saw the one thing he never would have expected, not in a million years at this point.

She didn’t even have to turn around for him to know.

*****

Eek! I hope you liked it!

Take my friendly fishy advice. If you find yourself missing those who you care about and can’t be near, write them something. Whether it’s a letter, an email, a text, or yeah, in this case a novel. Reach out. Let them know you’re thinking of them. I call it a paper hug. xoxo

**Giveaway Info: Say hi, or better yet, say hi and leave a message for someone you’re currently missing in the comments section and I’ll enter you into the drawing for a free e-copy of Let Me See. Winner will be randomly picked on Sunday night, 1/31/2016. Good luck!

My best to you and yours!

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

Let-Me-See-evernightpublishing-JayAheer2016-3DrenderAre you sure you’re ready to see what’s inside?

Two hearts beating…      

S Club dancer and extrovert, Jay, has worked very hard for this eye-opening moment with his reluctant and shy friend, Kelley. Unfortunately, a humorous attempt to get her to open up serves to push her further away. Now it’s nearly impossible to convince her he’s not just out to play.

Hundreds of scars in need of hiding…       

For good reason, Kelley has yet to let Jay see all of her whereas he takes his clothes off nightly for a living. Her respect for him runs unmatched because she sees who he is inside. There’s just no way to ever reciprocate and that’s not fair to him. His interest in her has never made sense. The best option is convincing Jay there really is nothing to see.

One dark night to shine some light on their healing…

Sometimes, it just takes one very patient man, one dimly lit room and one safe set of arms.

Check out more from Let Me See HERE at the Evernight site or HERE at Amazon. xoxo

Immortal Heat is Hot and Historical

I am excited to finally have the very first book I started writing five years ago (when I decided to go professional as a writer) ready for release!Loni Lynne 5 p12756ta105474_25

Immortal Heat was so much fun to write. It started out when I began researching my family heritage. My paternal grandfather was actually Romanian by birth. For years I couldn’t find out much on Romania due to the fact it was a communist country and at the time, the Internet wasn’t even around. Now with the handy little tool you can not only research a place you’ve never been but virtually go there via Google Maps.

The more I delved into the history of Romania I found some fascinating story lines. I didn’t want to do Vlad Dracul since he’d been done so many times so I delved deeper–all the way back to Pre-Roman conquest when Romania was known as Dacia.

What I found out about Dacia was that the Dacians were a mystical people. Their clans went into battle carrying flags and banners in the shape of dragons to scare off their enemies. Until the Romans second conquer–(the first attempt failed)–they were protected by the dark, mysterious forests that surrounded them. Other countries refused to cross the Danube because they were afraid. Even the god they worshiped, Zamoxlis considered his warriors ‘Immortal’.

What great fodder for a paranormal novel, right?!  I was so excited!

As I worked and researched further, I read about their folklore and found an interesting creature known as the Zmeu. A shapeshifter who would turn into smoke, sneak into a woman’s bedroom and seduce her, take her to his lair only to have the handsome warrior come slay the Zmeu and rescue the fair maiden. The Zmeu could shift into any form, but he was known for his human abilities and those of a Balour or Dragon. He was the equivalent of the ‘boogeyman’ to children in folklore.

But I didn’t see the Zmeu as evil. I figured if he was ‘Dragon’ then he might have been a gift from the gods to go into battle with the Dacian warriors. His kind might have even been sacred. So I created him as my ‘hero’ and Draylon Conier (pronounced Con-yea) came to life. Think of raven black hair with electric blue eyes and just enough shadow of scruf to make you think of waking up to just a touch of whisker burn– 😉 .  There are some pretty serious scenes that my beta readers think are pretty smokin’. So yes, there is HEAT in this book–more ways than just the title.

Immortal Heat is the first book in my new series, The Guardians of Dacia and also my first attempt at self-publishing. I had so much wonderful help in creating this book, a little secret, my daughter Jengi created the cover and my good friend, Magda Alexander helped me with formating and self-publishing support. I have a wonderful editor, Judy who worked diligently with me to make sure all the loopholes were covered–not easy in a paranormal where you create the world to work for you.

So without further ado–I present Immortal Heat, Book 1 in The Guardians of Dacia series!

ImmortalHeat-bookcover2 (VTCSwitchbladeRomance)2 copy revised

The Guardians of Dacia Series

Romania has been called the mystical land of paranormal beings and creatures of the night. Before the Romans conquered their land, Dacia was a mystical land of magic and folk-lore until one man and his army destroyed the closely woven fabric set by the gods between man and beast. Now, cursed by their gods over two thousand years ago, one immortal clan struggles to maintain their private world while still learning to live and protect their human brethren while their enemy seeks power to destroy the new world.  But as the clans face extinction, a new generation of Dacian blood emerges to unite the clans once more. The world as they know it may never be the same.

 

  Immortal Heat

Dacian Historian…

Determined to study ancient Dacian folk lore abroad, Marilyn Reddlin’s plans are cut short when she is abducted by a dark haired stranger who insists she’s in danger. The only danger she’s in is losing herself to her abductor’s inexplicable seductive energy. Draylon Conier teaches her there is more to Romania than myth and fairy tales while sweeping her into a wild adventure of paranormal mystery and intrigue.

Dacian History…

Thousands of years trying to pay back a debt, Draylon Conier is finally able to do so. Sent to capture a young, American student who is in danger while in Romania, he just has to send her back home. Easy enough for him. Unfortunately, Marilyn Reddlin is determined to thwart his every attempt—even telepathy. But there is more to her than meets the eye and the closer he gets to her, the more danger she is in, not only from the ancient immortal Dacian clans he’s trying to protect her from, but also his own sexual need.

History just got a lot harder.

They must find out what connection Marilyn has to Dacian history before Draylon destroys her when she succumbs to Immortal Heat.

Immortal Heat is available for Pre-Order on Amazon. The release date is October 6, 2014!

To read an excerpt click here: Immortal Heat and The Guardians of Dacia

 

Why We Write Romance

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Ever curious about why the Mermaids write romance novels? Today we decided to share our answers to the question: What made you start writing romance?

Come back tomorrow when we turn the tables on industry professionals with their very own question. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment today and tomorrow for extra chances to be entered in the giveaway on Thursday.

Enjoy and smoochies!

What made you start writing romance?

Alethea

This should come as no surprise to anyone: Fairy Tales are the reason I started writing romance. Fairy tales are full of fantasy, adventure, magic, mystery, blood, and death…but the tales I always found most interesting were the ones that involved true love. This love might end tragically (The Little Mermaid) or wonderfully (Rapunzel) or coincidentally (Briar Rose) or with a heaping spoonful of vengeance (Snow White/The Goose Girl), but the meeting of two soul mates in these unlikely settings gave me hope that I was not destined to be alone in this lonely world.

Carlene

So the story goes that it was 2008 and I was knee deep into my brand new fascination with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the romance genre. I think it was around her thirteenth or fourteenth Dark Hunter book I’d read when I realized no matter how horrifying or dark the stories became, the couples always clawed their way back out to a happy ending. The stories were so compelling that it honestly took me that many reads to finally figure out that they would all end on a happy note. It also struck a deep chord with me that many of her characters needed redemption and how their path to that came by way of new-found responsibilities toward the person they now loved. I thought about several real-life people I knew and cared about, people with good hearts but who had missed out on that perfect happy ending. I figured out that I could give them that through my stories. I love reading and writing romance! Wishing you all the best on this Valentine’s Day! Fishy Kisses, Carlene Mermaid

Dana

Once upon a time, I was on a preschool board and I became friends with another board member, Anita Clenney. Anita is one of the nicest people on the planet and we kept in contact for years after our preschool days were over. One day we were talking and she said something along the lines of, “Oh I have so much to do. I really need to get back to my manuscript.” Intrigued, I asked loads of questions about her manuscript and discovered that Anita was an up and coming romance writer. As an avid reader with an eye for detail, I was thrilled when she asked me to be a beta reader. What she got back was way more than what I think she was expecting – actually closer to line edits than your typical overall impressions.

I have been working with Anita ever since. I can’t express how excited and proud I was when Anita signed a three book contract later that year. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled for my friend when her first book made the USA Today and New York Times bestseller’s lists.

Being a good friend, it didn’t take long until Anita suggested I put some of my great ideas into a manuscript of my very own. It took several months of her prodding, but now I’m so happy she did. I love the outlet writing gives me and I now understand why I’ve had this constantly running loop of ideas and images floating through my brain all of these years… Writing was what I was meant to do.

Denny

My journey to writing romance started because of a television show. Yep. I fell in love with an old show named Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and no, not Buffy), but the character Spike—but not because of what he was on screen as much as what was missing from Spike’s tortured existence—romance. At the time, I read horror, mostly, and lots of paranormal, but not necessarily romance, except maybe gothic romance and tragic love stories (always liked to sob with my heroines:). But then I discovered fan fiction (which since 50 Shades of Grey, I no longer need to explain:). Fanfiction writers in the Buffy fandom wore obsessive romantics. I read thousands of pages of fan fiction, and wrote 500,000 words of fan fiction myself (and no it wasn’t all one book:). And through fan fiction, I met a writer named Alicia Rasley (I won’t share her Live Journal name here though:), and she introduced me to RWA, and the idea of writing original romantic fiction. That was quite a few years ago, and I had SO much to learn (which I’m still learning), but that’s who and what started my journey in romance. Buffy, Spike, and Alicia Rasley (http://www.aliciarasley.com/).

Diana

I write what I love, and I also write the books I cannot find and would like to see on shelves. The inspiration of strong women who find more than love — they find love with the right guy — proves such men are out there. When they find their happily ever after, it makes me happy. I guess I write because I’d like to spread the happiness around.

Kerri

The summer before my senior year of college, my mom handed me Nora Roberts’ Sea Swept to read. A couple pages in, I was hooked. That summer I read all about the Quinn’s, the Calhoun sisters and the MacGregor’s, and I haven’t stopped reading romance since. I’d always been a writer but I guess I had never found my niche. What really struck me about romance novels was that everyone got a happy ending. For a twenty-one year old about to enter the very scary and unsure “real world,” nothing sounded better than escaping to a place where dreams come true.

Kim

I write young adult romances because I want girls to read about boys who treat them with respect.  I want them to EXPECT that.  To have those high expectations of boys who will grow into men of good character.  To hold out for love.

It’s not that I ever expected my relationships in high school to pan out into a golden anniversary, but those innocent romances helped me discover what I expected from an adult relationship.  And really, when you come to think of it, they’re the same.  I think the only difference is that we become more jaded and insecure as adults, so teen romances are probably the most pure and real ones out there.  When everything is fresh and new and even heartbreakingly real.  I write teen romances because I still remember those feelings quite vividly.  It’s the promise of something special…something magical…something unforgettable.

Pintip

I cannot imagine writing a young adult novel without including some element of romance. I believe first love is integral to the teenage experience. An essential part of understanding who we are is discovering who we can be as a result of another person — a person who brings out the best in us, a person who inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. That, to me, is the definition of true love.

Susan

I’ve loved reading romance since my early teens, when my family made its annual trek to Georgia and visited family. My grandmother lived with two sisters and me-oh-my, they had half a garage PACKED with grocery bags full of Harlequin books from their shared subscription. Unlimited access to these tiny miracles not only kept me quiet, it gave me my early training. Since I never really stopped reading them, I’ve also never stopped wanting to tell my own stories.

 

Your turn. Tell us in the comments why you *read* romance novels?

What I Did on My Summer Vacation


Susan MermaidThe joy of being a school librarian:  I’ve made it all the way to summer!  Yippee!  Twelve weeks of nothing!  No commute, no kids, no bells, no bag lunches!  Nothing! What could be better?

What could be worse?  I have twelve weeks of nothing, and I know exactly what can go wrong:

  • Summer  can be wasted.  On Twitter, Facebook, shopping (especially shopping!), lazing by the pool, etc. Friends call it “the time to relax that you need/want/yearn for.”  I call it “time wasted.”
  • Time can be stolen, even though I agreed to the theft.  I will fly to Saint Louis next week and listen to several days of educational conference material.  But I want to learn something, so that’s good.  And I am happy for the bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, and other celebrations.  Still, it is theft.
  • I will need additional time, once I return, to recover my writing mojo.  So far, I’ve started well, but I’m aware that all interruptions have an additional price.
  • I work better wclutterith deadlines.  In fact, I’m missing two at this moment:  getting my Mermaid post up in a timely manner, when I should have drafted it last night, or even last week. And sending my WRW retreat prize submission to Gail Barrett, who kindly agreed to look at my synopsis and chapter today.
  • A house filled with clutter is a time thief.  I spend precious time looking at and worrying about the clutter on my dining room table.  Why don’t I just clear it off, you ask?  Because I might need that!  (Case in point:  I suddenly feel compelled to take a particular basket and stow it in another room, so I don’t have to look at it.).

Clutter = Thief!

Aware of these pitfalls, I also know that I write more efficiently when I am sequestered.  I’ve posted before about how I enjoy working on my writing when riding to work on the train.  Peter and I drove to Philadelphia over the weekend to a niece’s bridal shower.

notebook

I brought writing tools with me and spent the time – three hours back and forth – planning the synopsis that is now late.  But I used the six hours (well, four of them, probably)!  I thought, wrote, planned, talked and told my story to my captive audience as we rode along the New Jersey Turnpike.  It was productive in very much the same way as my train rides to the Bronx.

 

I’m also reminded of sister Mermaid Pintip’s recent post on making her own home-based retreat.  I need to find that RWR article, and Pin’s Mermaid follow-up, and craft my own ongoing retreat.  The public library is only a mile from home, and it does NOT have books and papers and outdated statements littering a dining room table.

Once upon a time, I got up and dressed and sat down at my computer (an Osborne!) at 9 a.m. every weekday.   This was in the early 1980s, when Peter and I planned our lives so we could afford my career as a full-time writer.  I worked three hours, broke for lunch, then allowed myself to do housework, groceries, whatever was needed to keep the house and our married life comfortable.

Those were good years… can I find that discipline again?  Or have the years of child-rearing, illness, graduate school and career stolen that urge?  Can I get it back?  And can I forgive myself if the quest proves impossible?

Reflecting on all of these ideas, I want to do certain things this summer in order to hit my own expectations for a successful vacation:

  • Schedule my writing sessions as I used to, once upon a time
  • Claim my space
  • Celebrate the milestones
  • Forgive the rough patches that slow or stop me.

What rough patches do you anticipate this summer?  Will you celebrate when September comes?

SusanMermaid

 

Zoraida Cordova Swims with the Mermaids

Zoraida, Queen of the MermaidsGood morning, everyone!

I hope you’ve all had as remarkable a month as I have. (And gods willing, a more relaxing one.) Are you ready for summer?

I thought I’d honor this fabulously scorching-hot day by sharing with you a really fun interview I did with my dear friend Zoraida Cordova. You’ll love her–not only because she is INCREDIBLY GORGEOUS, but because she also WRITES BOOKS ABOUT MERMAIDS.

That’s right — you heard me! Zoraida’s debut novel The Vicious Deep and its follow up, the recently-released The Savage Blue, are young adult novels that follow the adventures of Tristan: a young lifeguard on Coney Island who discovers that his father is…well…the Sea King.

I’ll let Zoraida tell you more in her own words! She and I recorded this interview while having a blast at MISTI-Con, a fantastic Harry Potter themed convention held in Laconia, New Hampshire just a few weeks ago.

Enjoy!

To find out more about Zoraida and her work, please visit her official website at: http://www.zoraidacordova.com/

The Savage Blue by Zoraida Cordova

 

Productive? Prolific? Sign Me Up!

I am so happy to bring my first book review to the Waterworld Mermaids’ lagoon immediately after posting on the problem of Fear.  Being a writer who spends way too much time worrying about not writing, I am always hoping to find words of wisdom that might help me embrace my craft.

       The Productive Writer, by Sage Cohen, is one book in my arsenal.  Ms Cohen writes as both a business professional and a poet.  She believes, as she states early in her introduction, that productivity is a lifestyle choice.  I used this book extensively last winter, carrying it in my satchel and dipping into it for reading on my train rides to and from the Bronx each weekday morning.  I could dip into a chapter (“Transforming Your Realtionship with Time,” or “Writing in the Margins of a Full-Time Life”, among others) and meditate on ten or so pages.  Even if I only scanned the headings of part of a chapter, I felt comforted and reinvigorated, ready to face the task ahead.  Productive Writer remains at my elbow here at home most days.  After Thursday’s post and responses, I think it needs to go back in my satchel.

Last Saturday, I was the lucky winner of Hillary Rettig’s The 7 Secrets of the Prolific.  I’d just been treated to a presentation from this speaker at a CTRWA monthly meeting, and was thrilled to know that I would be taking her wisdom home with me.  Ms. Rettig writes that, yes, writers procrastinate for many reasons.  She takes time to examine perfectionism, resource constraints, time constraints, bias, internalized oppression and exploitation, just to scratch the surface.  In discussing these, she seeks to help us change our inner dialogue and unsnarl the spaghetti that keeps us blocked from fully embracing our mission to be productive. 

I know that these two books, alone, won’t make me the writer I dream of becoming.  They are tools.  But the wisdom and insight contained in each helps provide a re-dedication to my talent and goals.  Suddenly, I’m looking forward to all those train rides this winter…

 

The Productive Writer is available in print and as an ebook at both amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com

The 7 Secrets of the Prolific is available as an ebook at amazon.com. Print copies can be purchased at http://hillaryrettig.com.

My New Snoopy Lunchbox

For a week now I have been in limboland – in between writing projects and recharging my battery.  I’ve caught up on some TV (Royal Pains and Rizzoli & Isles), read some great books (“Plus Ones” by Hank Edwards and “Everyone Loves a Hero” by Marie Force), studied some craft (Save the Cat!) and indulged in a little Jake Gyllenhall nudity in “Love and Other Drugs”. (and, in answer to my Main Man – no you cannot wear out a DVD by watching it constantly – I think.)

But now I’m ready to start on the new book targeted for Harlequin Blaze and while I’m not going to go too crazy – I’m going to do things a little differently this time. While I usually create a loose outline (I’m a plotser), I’m going to write my synopsis first.  Now, I hear the groans out there, but I don’t mind writing a synopsis but I usually leave it to the end. I just want to see how it works for me this way.

The second thing is that I am going to try and write this book in the Scrivener for Windows writing tool.  My friend, Gwen Hernandez, challenged me and so I’m going to venture out of Word and take the plunge. And I’ll admit something here but only to you  . . .  so . . .  lean in closer while I whisper . . .

*it’s kind of freaking me out*

But, not in a I-need-to-call-Dr.Phil kind way.

It’s kind of exciting and edgy and  . . .  yes, I need to get out more . . . it’s really getting my creative juices flowing and my fingers itching to hit the keyboards. It’s similar to the thrill I got with my new school supplies. I  just KNEW that the Wonder Woman folders, new pencils and Snoopy lunch box were going to make school so fun and easy.

It’s THAT kind of exciting.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

What writing methods do you have and do you ever shake them up?

Robin Mermaid

 

 

 

 

 

#amwriting Word Metrics

Project: Exposure

Deadline: Oct. 31, 2011

New Words Written: None. Pre-plotting.

Present Total Word Count: zippo.

A Place To Write

You may remember that back on June 6  I posted about my task to get back on track with my writing and to start putting together a do-able schedule to ensure that I could have time to write and to balance my other duties as a wife, mother, attorney and friend.  So, I read this book:

It was enlightening and helped me focus on my writing style and a realistic set of goals for myself.  I’m an “after-hours/any time opportunity” writer – meaning that I write when everyone else is down for the night and also when I can snatch time during the day. So, I’ve a whole new set of goals and a schedule posted on the fridge and it appears to be working. I’ve met and exceeded my daily word count of 1000 words for the past two weeks and it feels great!

So, the next thing I need to tackle is where I write. Right now it is anywhere I can grab a quiet place and take the laptop.  Usually that’s the sofa in the sitting area in my master suite or down in the “grown-up” living room. But, my husband pointed out that I need a dedicated space where I can go and know that it’s “writing time” – what a guy, right? (Actually, he said, “I’m tired of watching you wander around the house like a homeless Stephen King.”)

So, we have new project – Operation Bestseller (catchy, huh?).  We’ve identified the location and what we need to do get there.  Here’s the location:

That’s my closet. It is 19 feet long –  yep, you read that right. It is the result of adding a third bay to the garage when we built the house and the last 8 feet is going to my new writing space. It will have a small lounge chair, bookshelves and PRIVACY. Aaahhh . . .

And – here is the change:

A closer view. I opted not to have a desk – it felt too much like being on the day job.

I track contests, deadlines and plots on this board:

My wall of inspiration:

Inspiration up close:

I made this – isn’t it cute?

I already need another bookshelf. These are black cubicles from Target.

Part of my Harlequin Blaze collection:

I can feel the creative juices flowing just thinking about it! It so quiet and secluded and I can go in there and focus – What. A. Concept.

Where do you write? Do you have a special place?

Robin

Enter the Mermaids

In the Spring of 2011, thirteen women met at the historic Carradoc Hall in Leesburg, Virginia. All wide-eyed first-timers at the Washington Romance Writers retreat, their diverse interests complemented each other in such a way that they decided to combine their forces and use their powers for good. And so from these inspirational waters sprang…

…The Waterworld Mermaids.