Bucket list 11-20

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Silver James

notebookWelcome to the second installment of my Bucket List. I have even more to mark off on this list. I’ve visited with Nora a couple of times. She’s lovely. And if I’m every *rich*, I plan to start the Just Because Foundation. I’ll blog about it one of these days.

11. Be owned by another Newfoundland. Dog, not islander. 😉

12. Visit Mulberry at least once a year. Did this for several years but those trips are done. 😦

13. Meet Nora Roberts.

14. Trips to New Orleans. (Okay, this is sort of done, as I keep going back as often as I can. New Orleans is a favorite place.)

15. Collect and read all of the Scarlet Pimpernel novels and short stories. I’ve met the Baroness’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter. I’ve read the original novel and want to eventually get them all. Great fun! This is mostly a partial but so close, I’m marking it off. Thanks to an acquaintance in England, I have almost all of them now and slowly working my way through them. 😀

16. Get a new Highlander. (SUV not man-in-kilt, though that would be lurvely!) Though it’s not *new* any more. 😆

17. Pay off all family debts and stay that way. (headed there. House is paid off. Cars are almost paid off. That leaves just college loans and some other consumer loans.)

18. Spend at least a week in the Southwestern desert taking photographs. (Santa Fe would be nice for starts followed by Flagstaff and other places west)

19. Actually start doing photography again. (This was something else when originally written and while I didn’t cross it off, it no longer applies. Plus, I really should re-hone my photography skills!)

20. Have a million dollars to give away to “Just Because” people and causes.

Who has fun plans for the weekend? Lawyer Guy is doing Ham Radio Stuff(tm) and I think I have a dinner to attend with him tomorrow night. My lack of knowledge means I’m playing the weekend by ear. 😉 Have a great one!

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Serious Series – Part 2 (Brennan Edition)

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Silver James

Writer's MindHow many of you are familiar with Allison Brennan? I know a few of you *looks at B.E.* are. I started reading Allison’s books about the time she released her Seven Deadly Sins series and then stayed when she launched the Lucy Kincaid series. She writes dark suspense with romance and is an award-winning NYT best seller. She’s also a friend of mine and I can say without reservation one of the most awesome people I’ve met.

I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Okay, a lot slow. I didn’t realize Allison’s earlier series/trilogies were all linked. They share events and characters and keep building on the previous books. How did I not realize this until now?!!? *headdesk* Needless to say, I’m backtracking and working my way through her list because those books are damn fine examples of the genre.

As I mentioned yesterday, when I first wrote BLOOD MOON, I wasn’t anticipating the Moonstruck series. Until I started writing it. On the other hand, when I started SEASON OF THE WITCH (coming this fall), I foresaw at least four books–Sade’s, Caleb’s, Ariel’s, and Roman’s. After working with my agent, we developed the series to include at least ten titles. And I realized I needed to learn how to create a series bible ASAP! 😛 That’s another post…maybe next week.

Anyway, back to Allison. Once I realized characters, relationships, and events mentioned in the Lucy Kincaid books had their roots in previous books, I went back to catch up. Prowling around Alli’s website to find info (reading order), I came across three .pdfs. Since I don’t have her permission to put the info here, I’m sending you to check out the link: ALLISON’S CHARACTER LIST. Take a moment and go look at it. Look at the progression of the characters from book to book. Now go look at the PLOT SUMMARIES. See how the plots progress along with the introduction of the characters? Damn. It’s masterful. I bow down to Allison’s expertise. Note that she writes in threes–trilogies. Except for Lucy. There are be six Lucy books, a couple of novellas, and more books coming in that series.

All of this said, I have no idea if Allison set out do things this way. I wouldn’t be surprised because she is that organized. On the other hand, I sort of hope that as she introduced a character, something triggered in her imagination and she made note of it for use at a future date. And boy howdy did she! The integration of the books is seamless. I want to be *this* when I grow up as a writer. 😆

I don’t really have much to say in way of summation. I’m just fascinated by the whole idea. I hope to see Alli at RWA Nationals. Maybe I’ll get the chance to ask her. I can also see that this series about series needs to be a series! shifty-eyes-ani2faster I need to talk about pre-planning. And series bibles. And overlapping characters and…and…BLOG TOPICS! Speaking of which, I had the second installment of my bucket list scheduled for today. It’ll post tomorrow now, if you’re intersted. Have a great weekend, everyone! Who’s doing something fun? Me? I’ll be reading the rest of Allison’s books! (And fighting the temptation to write a bit of fanfiction about one of her characters, Kane Rogan. Oh, dude! I want your book!!! And I know just how I’d “set” you up!)

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Serious Series – Part 1

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Silver James

Writer's MindI received a message on Facebook the other day asking whether ROGUE MOON was the last in the Moonstruck series. I began an answer, got distracted, and never finished. I plan on discussing the question, and others, over the course of at least two posts (maybe more if I get sidetracked. 😆 )

Moonstruck is a serialized series, even though each book has it’s own beginning, middle, and end. I’m not sure it started out to be a serial, but it evolved into one. The best laid plans and all that, you know. shifty-eyes-ani2faster Today, I’m talking about Moonstruck. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk about writing a series.

Originally, Moonstruck was one book: BLOOD MOON. But then Michael wanted his story told (BAD MOON), which led to Nate’s (HUNTER’S MOON), and then fans wanted Sean’s story (WOLF MOON). I knew Harjo needed his HEA (BRIDE’S MOON) and damn if Rudy didn’t tap me on the shoulder and explain how the story arc worked and along came ROGUE MOON.

About halfway through, I realized there was more to the story of the WOLVES and their fight with Black Root. How? By all the chapters I CUT from the books. I kept getting sidetracked with scenes and events that added to the whole story, but weren’t necessary for each individual story. If that makes sense. So…I got the bright idea that I’d create two “anthologies”–the first three books in one, the last three books in the second, with those bonus chapters I’d cut. And I’d release those books both digitally and in print. That’s still the plan, but there might be another novella out there because there was a twist at the end of ROGUE that caught me totally by surprise.

Then there’s the matter of a Navy SEAL Unit tucked away in the Florida Keys and the ultra secret Project Atlantis. Yeah, y’all thought I’d forgotten about them. I haven’t. But they’re being stubborn and say my security clearance isn’t high enough now. 🙄 That’s okay. I need to deal with Sade and the Penumbra Papers crew first.

Anyway, I don’t have hard release dates. I’m planning early in 2014, sooner if things go well. There’s something hanging out there on the edge I’m waiting to hear about that could shift timelines.

So that’s the state of the state where Moonstruck is concerned. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk about someone who knows how to plan and create a whole series of series. Seriously. I had no idea until I started reading her back list. Damn. I did it all backwards and I’m making up for lost time (and ground) now. Until tomorrow, then. In the meantime…

READERS, do you like the idea of serialized series? What about “omnibus” versions with added content?

WRITERS, do you intentionally set out to write a series that follows a pre-determined plot arc? If you do, how do you preplan?

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Nobody’s Home

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Silver James

I always go brain dead after finishing a book and seeing it go live. I also fret. A lot. Is it good? Will people like it? Did I totally screw up:
a. plot
b. characters
c. formatting
d. all of the above

Needless to say, it’s a perfect day for me to be over at MURDER SHE WRITES! I’m talking about “Extreme Adrenaline” so stop by, say hi because I’m also giving away a $10 Amazon gift card. Hopefully, whoever wins will go download some/all of the Moonstruck books. 😆

Speaking of…Rudy and Isabelle. They turned out to be quite a pair. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to get them in the same place at the same time. But I did. Here’s the cover, the blurb and the link just in case none of you have like…you know…actually bought it yet.

Rogue Moon Final 680BLURB:

Rudek Tornjak is a Wolf without a pack. A man scarred by his past, he prefers it that way. While living in the shadows of the French Quarter, whispers of treachery and betrayal reach his ears—along with accusations implicating him in unthinkable acts. He comes out of hiding to confront his accusers only to discover he’s under a death sentence. On the run, he encounters Isabelle Fontaine, a woman with a past of her own she’d rather keep hidden.

Family is everything to Izzy and she’ll do whatever it takes to keep hers safe. Crossing paths with a shadowy corporation and a rogue Wolf puts the people she cares about in jeopardy—not to mention her own life and heart.

Secrets, lies, and betrayals are more personal under the full moon, but when a betrayed Wolf fights for his honor, no one is safe—not even the woman he loves.

Warning: Doubt a Wolf’s honor and you’ll get a serving of hot blood and guts to go.

I broke the Top 100 list for Military Romance yesterday. 😀 So
Go buy it at AMAZON and make my numbers even better. Please? Y’all know I suck at this marketing thing, right? Oh, and check out the Heroes and Villains page. I actually got around to updating it! 🙂 Like ’em?

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Storm Warning and Weekend Update

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Silver James

full moon - tressebleue (bluebraid)Morning Update: ROGUE MOON IS LIVE. Click and see. 🙂

The roof is almost done, which is a very GOOD thing since the weather last night (when I was typing this) said we’d be having storms during morning drive time. There are two sections of the roof over the garage still to be stripped of two layers of shingles (one wood, one composite) and some rafters suffering from wood rot have to be replaced. The house, though, should be leak free!

I had an amazing time at the mini-conference this weekend. Heidi, my CP, and I shared a room at the Norman Embassy Suites hotel. VERY nice room. We had a pot-luck meet-and-greet at an OKRWA’s member’s house Friday night. Our guest speaker was having fun with the situation–one guy, ten women. His odds were even better on Saturday. There were 24 of us for the all-day seminar. 😉

William Bernhardt is a NYT best-selling author with his Ben Kincaid Series. He also knows a heckava lot about writing and teaches university classes and seminars through the Red Sneaker Writers Center. He currently has two books on writing–Story Structure and Building Characters–available and I STRONGLY recommend them. His third craft book on plotting will be out in the next month or so. I’ll definitely be adding it to my professional collection. I have pages of notes. So much of what he said resonated and put to rest some fears I’d been having about WITCH and ROGUE MOON. I’ll be sharing a few of his insights later in the week in a craft post.

As part of the class, Bill critiqued five pages each of us sent to him. He didn’t have much to say about the first five of WITCH. I’m changing a victim’s name. I’m reworking an awkwardly phrased sentence, and figuring out a way to show how much time has passed between one scene and the next. Bottom line, he enjoyed it, really liked my world-building, and asked if I would email him when WITCH releases because he’d like to read it and write me a review. How freaking awesome is that?!? I know! Right?!?

Other news. Do you like my full moon .gif? That’s to celebrate the release of ROGUE MOON. It should be live before noon today. As of last night (again, when typing and posting), it wasn’t live yet. As soon as I have a link, I’ll be all over it. 😀

Poor Lawyer Guy worked all weekend. We’re going to celebrate Father’s Day next weekend with the kids. Things won’t be so hectic. (Nothing like being awake at 6:30 because the roofers are expected at 7:00. *yawn*

Tomorrow, I’m guest blogging over at Murder She Writes. I’ll have all the info on tomorrow’s blog plus more stuff about ROGUE. Until then, what the heck did y’all do this weekend?

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Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Silver James

Lawyer Guy never quite got this desperate. He’d simply pick up The Only, get settled in his comfy chair with feet up and a ball game on TV and they were both trading ZZZZZZs before I could turn around. I wouldn’t have found time to write without those moments. 😉

Good times! Happy Father’s Day to the dads, uncles, brothers, cousins, and the single moms who provide the care and feeding of our young ones!

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The Bucket List

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Silver James

About five years ago, I did a “meme” over on my LiveJournal account. This was before Twitter and Facebook. Back then LJ was the cool place to blog and hang out. Anyway, the meme was to come up with the top 100 things you wanted to do before departing this plane of existence.

I attended a funeral yesterday, hence my absence. A close friend lost his mother. Charlie Lu was just shy of being 90. She lived a full and varied life, sharing 68 years of it with the love of her life, Roscoe. As it was out of town, I had time to reflect on the drive home and I remembered the Bucket List I’d once done. I went back (yes, I STILL have my LJ account) and I found it. Over the next ten Fridays, I’ll be sharing my list with you, for what it’s worth, ten items at a time. From my LJ post:

Caution. Meme-age ahead. From the ridiculous to the sublime, I present The List(tm). This was a tough one. I’ve led…if not exactly a charmed life, at least an interesting one. I’ve done amazing things, seen incredible sights, and lived to tell the tale. I’ve met famous people…and plain people with stories worth hearing. And actually? If I died without accomplishing any of the things on this list, while I might be wistful, I would be content with my life. I suppose when push comes to shove, that says a lot, doesn’t it?

1. Visit Ireland.

2. And Wales.

3. And Scotland.

4. And look for the Loch Ness Monster while I’m there. (My concrete Nessie in the front garden doesn’t count. 😦 )

5. Attend the Edinburgh Tattoo. No. It has nothing to do with needles and ink and everything to do with massed pipes and drums.

6. See the Snowy River and mountains in Australia (and Ayers Rock, too, I suppose).

7. See New Zealand – all of it.

8. Have one (or more) of my novels published.
8a. Sell a book to be published.

9. Attend The Only’s wedding and be a grandmother. (Should that be two items?)

10. Cruise up the west coast to Alaska and take the train back across Canada.
10a. Cruise period. (We took a Caribbean cruise a couple of years ago.)

See? I got to mark some off since I originally wrote this. What about y’all? What’s the number one thing on your bucket list? I’m off this weekend for a writing mini-conference with the very talented and interesting William Bernhardt. He’s teaching his short course on writing and then will meet with each participant individually to go over pages. He has the first five pages of SEASON OF THE WITCH. I’ll be interested to see what he has to say about it! 😉

Have a great weekend. See y’all Monday!

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Universal Dreams

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Silver James

Dreams There seems to be something in the air affecting a lot of people I know, including myself. Self-doubt. Malaise. Laziness. Frustration. Put your on label on it. I’m right there with you–or I was until this popped up in the inbox.

It’s not the dazzling voice that makes a singer, Silver. Or clever stories that make a writer. And it’s not piles of money that make a tycoon.

It’s having a dream and wanting to live it so greatly that one would rather move with it and “fail” than succeed in another realm.

You so have what it takes,
~~The Universe

At which point, of course, Silver, failure becomes impossible, joy becomes the measure of success, and fitting into the jeans you wore back-in-the-day, inevitable. Hubba, hubba.

The Universe has been busy lately, which is good for me since my brain seems to be on vacation as far as writing and blogging goes. All I can say is, take this to heart, my friends. I am. Now go find your dream! 🙂

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Universal Thanks

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Silver James

universeAs I looked back through my drafts (usually tidbits from the Universe that I’ve tucked back for eventual use), this one popped out at me. I have a lot to say thanks for–the new roof that will be over my head by the end of this week. A group of loyal fans, friends, and readers (who helped me PAY for that roof by buying my books). A family that believes in and responds to “All for one and one for all!” A Muse who runs with scissors.

Two of the most powerful words in the English language for bringing about change, Silver, are “thank you.” Especially when offered before the change even occurs and everything still looks pretty much like it did yesterday.

You’ll have to think of something to say afterwards on your own.

Hubba, hubba –
~~The Universe

Thank you, Silver.

So thank you, Universe and friends. Here’s to change! Hubba, hubba. 😉

What are you thankful for today?

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The Trashman Cometh

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Silver James

poutingIt’s Monday. All day. So *phthhhhh*!

Who had a good weekend? Raise your hands… Mine wasn’t horrible, but… We spent Saturday cleaning out the library to make room to stack stuff from Sunday, when we cleared the attic. Looks like the roofers are coming on Wednesday and since they are taking the whole roof off, we figured we’d better get stuff out.

We sorted, shifted, cleaned, and tossed a bunch of stuff. Some things went to the local thrift shop that supports abused women. Some things went to the curb where the “pickers” have already snagged anything remotely reusable or recyclable. And we threw out a shit-ton of paper and stuff. The trash guys are absolutely going to hate my guts come Tuesday. I think I’ll keep the regular trash bins by the house and put them out on Friday. And only put out ONE!

I was hoping to have the final edits back on ROGUE MOON so I could get it formatted and uploaded. My editor had some computer issues so with luck, it’ll be back this week and I can have it ready to go ASAP. In the meantime, I’m getting reacquainted with Sade and her .5 novella is coming along nicely. I admit I didn’t spend much computer time this weekend because…well…cleaning. 😛

Reading…I finished THE SHAMBLING GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY by Mur Lafferty. This is an odd little book. Not a paranormal romance, though there is the beginning of a romance in it. It’s not an urban fantasy but it is. It’s quirky and entertaining and I enjoyed it. Click the link to check it out. Next up is Allison Brennan’s STOLEN, the current release in her Lucy Kincaid series. At the time I was setting up this post, I hadn’t started it. By the time you’re reading this, I hope I have. I’ve been waiting for Sean’s story, and this is told from his POV. See me happy dancing?!?!!

So how was your weekend? Wild weather? Good books? Good times? Inquiring minds want to know! (And nosy ones, like mine! 😉 )

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