by Sarah | Sep 19, 2012 | 45 before 45, All About Family, All About Me, Changing Tracks, Writing, writing tips
[flickr id=”7809492264″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]We all have dreams.
Some dreams are big – bigger than what our logical minds tell us we can accomplish.
Some dreams are more practical – but still mean something to us.
Growing up I had many dreams. I wanted to be a dance teacher. I wanted to perform on stage in musicals. I wanted to be a vet. I wanted to be a mom.
I was blessed to accomplish some dreams early. At 10 my dance studio let me become an ‘assistant’. Me and my co-advanced-class dancers would help the teachers with the young ones. By 11 we were teaching the classes ourselves for the most part. By 13 we were allowed to choreograph.
When I was in my 20’s I was able to take some courses and training and became a vet assistant. For about six months I worked in a vets office and still think of that time with fond memories.
I became a mom at 21, and again at 29 & 30.
Right after I got married I performed in a series of musicals over the course of the year. On stage. Singing and dancing under the lights.
Then I got wrapped up in real life. I had a husband, kids, bills, work and a home. Dreams went by the wayside as our girls were born and their development took up every spare second of breath and thought in my head. In the moments of quiet when everyone went to bed and I could unleash the stresses, I chose to do them with words.
Writing.
It had never been a dream, but as worlds formed under my fingertips, stories unfolded on the page, and characters breathed life into my soul a new dream formed.
Wrapped up in the realities of life I’d forgotten about me. About how important even the smallest dreams could be.
They give you life, hope, something to look forward to and achieve.
Dreams are life.
Since then I have created a 45X45 list and begun to tackle things on it. Some are small, others seem impossible.
Still, every time I cross something off of that list I feel a sense of elation, I smile for days. I have accomplished something.
It’s not just good for me. It’s not selfish.
My children need to see it. See me achieving goals and dreams. The little ones, and the big ones.
Within 6 months I’ll have proof of one of my biggest dreams on my Nook (and Kindle). Within a year I’ll have physical proof sitting on my bookshelf. Published.
It wasn’t a dream I had growing up. It’s new. Formed just 7 years ago. When I thought it was unattainable, outlandish and crazy.
I’ll never stop having dreams. Achieving this one I’ve formed new ones.
New ones will follow behind.
Never let go of dreams. Always have two – one practical & achievable, and another completely outlandish.
Never give up hope.
Let your children see the hope, and the accomplishment. It’s a prize that lasts for a very long time – and it helps them set their sights on the biggest dreams.
by Sarah | Sep 1, 2012 | Books, Changing Tracks, Children of Gaia, Hex Ranch, Writing
[flickr id=”6367108607″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]It starts with a spark.
One small idea.
It can happen anywhere.
In the car.
While surfing the web.
In the shower.
No matter how it happens, it happens.
Sometimes after that the facts dribble in slowly.
Others it’s a mad rush.
Everything falls into place. Ideas gel. Facts line up.
And then…
The glorious moment you have a story.
Characters introduce themselves. Plots weave their tangled web.
That’s where I am. On the cusp of turning in Changing Tracks to my editor and starting revisions on book 2 (Derailed) a new story has come into mind. It breaks down genre barriers, mixing at least 4 together into one novel.
My fingers itch to pull the trigger and start. The world is almost built. My hero and heroine are being friendly and chatty and letting me know their personalities.
It’s a good feeling, that Mad Rush.
by Sarah | Aug 25, 2012 | Books, Changing Tracks, Children of Gaia, Writing
[flickr id=”5585130717″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]In the middle of edits, both for Changing Tracks, which I need to turn in for final edits; and for Masked Hearts, which I need to prepare for submission. I’m also critiquing words for Mary and Fi in my spare time, and even occasionally Jenn (who is crazy-busy with all of her new releases).
This all leads to a ton of editing.
I’m cross-eyed and confused half the time.
I needed an escape and it came in the form of a submission call at a small pub (Das Krakenhaus) for an anthology they’re doing. The small pub is run by an old high school friend of mine, and they are awesome, so I thought I’d take a look. After seeing what they were looking for, I thought the apocalyptic would be perfect as a prequel to another series I’d been thinking about.
Over the next couple of days the idea solidified and I started writing it last night.
I’m uncomfortable and feeling stretched beyond my limits.
1 – it’s SHORT. I’ve written a flash piece (500 words) that got pubbed in Siren’s Call. But I’ve never written anything with significance that would be bigger than that, but shorter than 12k. I’m so verbose this is a challenge.
2 – it’s not romance. While not my soul focus (that flash piece was horror, after all) – romance is mostly what I’ve done, what I do. The closest I’ve come to stepping out of that comfort zone was to write a paranormal rom over a historical western rom. This? It’s a contemporary, destruction of the world type of piece. No romance.
3 – it’s in 1st person POV. Not sure why, just know that it is. To the point that we never know the name of the person who we’re living the story through.
4 – it’s a male POV. While I’ve done male POV before, it always freaks me out.
All of this is good. It’s stretching my limits, stretching my capabilities. That is always good.
It’s giving me a break from the mind-numbing endless edits. That is a huge relief and breath of fresh air.
But it’s slow going. I only have under 12k to learn this guys voice to figure him out and let all of the action happen that should happen. I have very clear and gorgeous pictures in my head about what will happen and those must get on the page in a male’s POV.
So I’m learning as I go, but it’s an uncomfortable stretch. One that will improve as I work – I hope.
by Sarah | Aug 16, 2012 | Books, Changing Tracks, Critters, Writing, writing tips
While I’m blissed out at having an empty house during the days now (post on that soon)…it’s also leaving me to face everything I need to do all at once. That often leads to me getting overwhelmed when face with sheer numbers of responsibilities.
Key among all my ‘to-do’s these days, layered in with cleaning and sewing and shopping and blogging and fixing my social media outlets and more cleaning, is editing.
Editing Changing Tracks to make it shiney before it goes to my editor who will help make it bright as the sun.
Editing and Critiquing my crit-groups work.
Writing my short(er) novel.
Reading/using/doing-more-editing-based-on notes from those critting my stuff.
Did I mention I’m overwhelmed?
And a little buried under?
Thankfully I’ve found EditMinion that helps me do side by side with my chapters. It’s in beta version, but if he adds some more areas to the editor it’ll be just about perfect. The other online-editor I’d been using you had to click for each area and it didn’t let you do side by side, just pulled out the relevant sentences. With the minion I can get on my hubby’s computer and split screen minion vs. manuscript and just hit everything that needs hit.
Talk about a time saver. I have a wonderful critter helping me out with line edits – but this gives me one more layer to tackle before I send my baby off.
Now if I could just find those extra 10 hours in the day to get everything else I need to do.
Do you know where those hours can be found?
by Sarah | Aug 10, 2012 | Guest Authors, Writing
Today I’m beyond thrilled to have my friend (and critique partner) Jennifer James at the blog to throw a party in honor of her new book Long Time Coming. Please give her a warm welcome…and make sure you enter the giveaway – some hot prizes to win here. Side note – the excerpt is racy, so make sure you don’t have curious eyes nearby 😉
Welcome to the LONG TIME COMING Release Day Party!
LONG TIME COMING is my new book from Etopia Press. It’s written from the male point of view, and is full of fun, exhibitionist, naughty sex between two people who’ve had the hots for each other for years. And they’re finally in a *cough* position to act on their desires.
Rob Williams grew up fantasizing about his older sister’s best friend Joey Sanchez. His desire for her has never diminished. In fact, it’s grown to downright painful proportions. Now a young workaholic attorney married to his job, he finds being home and confronted with the one woman he’s always wanted and never gotten to have damned annoying. It’s making him quite grumpy.
Joey Sanchez spent many hours hanging out at the Williams’s place. A successful pharmaceutical rep, she’s independent, vivacious, and has no qualms about going after what she wants. She’s watched Rob grow from a gawky teenager to high school and college soccer star with no shortage of girlfriends. Her ties to Rob’s older sister Marcie always kept her from making a move. But Marcie’s getting married and Joey’s still single. And she’s tired of keeping her desires to herself.
BLURB:
His dreams have become reality,
Going home for his older sister’s wedding has been a real pain in the ass – and cock – for Rob. Unable to get a room at a local hotel, he’s stuck in the spare bedroom on a tiny twin size, fantasizing about Joey, the woman he’s had a crush on for over ten years. She’s still best friends with his sister and staying at his parent’s place too.
but instead of quenching his thirst,
Lucky for him, Joey knows what she wants. In the pool, a storage closet, the movie theater, with some very hot text messages, and finally in a hotel room. With the weekend coming to a close, Rob realizes he’d really like another no strings attached weekend of hot sex with Joey. She’s the woman of his dreams, with both feet firmly in reality.
he only wants more…
The weekend will end with his sister’s wedding, and they’ll both be heading back to busy lives filled with work – and little else. With neither of them interested in a committed relationship beyond the ones they have with their careers, how can he persuade her to see him again? There’s nothing he wants more than another sheet scorching weekend with Joey.
Will she agree, or will he be stuck fantasizing about her for another ten years?
EXCERPT:
After one last press against his crotch, she dropped her foot. “Sorry.”
“No you’re not.”
Joey laughed, low and under her breath. “You’re right. Just wondering if you’re still interested now that you’d gotten to have sex with me once.”
“Damn right I’m still interested. If we were alone, I’d pull your shorts and panties off, bury my face in your pussy, and eat you until you came. I’d turn you around and fuck you on this table until you screamed from it. Come all over your breasts. Maybe all over your lips.”
Joey’s pupils expanded while he talked, and her breath puffed in shorter and shorter gasps. The peaks of her nipples tented the tank top. Rob reached over and traced one with his fingertip, moved up to her mouth and slid the finger through the seam of her lips. He exhaled when she sucked on it and bit down. She liked being dominated, and he liked telling her the things he planned to do to her. Win-win.
That’s right. She’d be wrapped around his dick before the day ended.
The warm wetness of her mouth made him harder. Rob swallowed, trying to think of something else, anything else but the moist cavern suckling his finger.
HOW TO WIN!
I’m giving away a copy of LONG TIME COMING and a set of Romance Trading Cards. (First prize gets the book, second prize gets the cards.)
Anyone who enters the Rafflecopter will also be eligible to win the Grand Prize bag of Naughty Smex Beam Supplies. What’s in the bag? Oh, you know, just a whole bunch of stuff you need to get your weekend off to a right and tight start. 😉
Book & Trading cards are international, Grand prize of toy box is for US only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
ABOUT JENNIFER JAMES:
For a girl whose first book was called “The Scariest Forest Ever,” the jump to romance may seem to be a far one. But a love of happy endings and the stories she kept making up in her head for strangers on the street lead to an unhealthy amount of time spent behind the keyboard typing away and giggling mischievously over sassy heroines,
sexy heroes, and healthy sprinklings of geek humor.
With time split between a day job staring at teeth, two little girls, college courses, workaholic husband, and too many voices in her head, Jennifer still finds time to sneak off and devour all the books she can find – even if it means hiding in the closet to read them.
She insists on her jokes being dirty, drinks spiked, and tattoos placed in intriguing, muscular places you can only find when the clothes come off.
Links:
Website: http://www.authorjenniferjames.com/
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-James/212335188856799?ref=hl
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/644267.Jennifer_James
Twitter: @JenniferJames34
Blogs I contribute to: Paranormalists http://paranormalists.blogspot.com/
Love Scenes and Wet Dreams: http://lovescenesandwetdreams.wordpress.com/
by Sarah | Aug 7, 2012 | 45 before 45, All About Me, Books, Changing Tracks, Publishing Credits, Writing
My contract has been signed, my cover art questionnaire has been filled out, my blurb has been hacked down to size and all my ducks are in a row. I’ve been bursting with this news for well over a week now and I’m so glad to be able to finally share it!
Seven years ago I set out to get published – back before ebooks were in and before I knew what an adverb whore was or how to stop myself from being one.
Three years ago I abandoned my first novel and started on this one, on this series. Changing Tracks and its main characters, Jane & Cole have come to mean so much to me. All I have wanted for them is to give them the story they deserve and to see it published in print.
I have just signed with Secret Cravings Publishing to make that dream a reality. Even better they are using the cover art I made for the book three years ago.
In February 2013* Changing Tracks will be published in ebook format. Six months later, in August of 2013* it will go to print.
Now I’m setting out on the crazy ride of getting the book into print and I’m bringing you all along with me. For now, I’ll leave you with the (long version) of my back cover blurb.
*~*
There is nothing simple about forgetting your past.
Cole Mitchell runs the busiest saloon and brothel in Dominion Falls. He makes time with his women, makes a killing gambling, and exerts his power how he pleases. One thing he never does is let anyone in.
Until the day she falls into his saloon bleeding and near death. He saves her from the pine box, and finds he can’t walk away. The problem is, if he lets her get close he could relive his past – and he worked too hard to forget it.
She wakes with no memory, only the firm belief that someone wanted her dead. With no name she keeps ‘Jane Doe’ and tries to carve out a life. She finds herself drawn to Cole, and they start a fiery relationship that sets the whole town talking. Their pasts – her lack of, and his buried – keep them from admitting the depth of their feelings, but they find they only trust each other.
Through the chaos of renegade Indian raids, an abandoned husband and her recurring nightmares they fight to find the truth of what happened to her. She soon learns that sometimes the truth is the last thing you want to learn, and she starts to think it may be best to leave the past where it is.
That past isn’t that willing to let go. A stranger proves that he’s willing to kill to keep his secrets safe. If Jane doesn’t remember soon, everyone she loves will be in danger.
*~*
*Publishing dates are estimates and subject to change. Once I receive more exact dates I’ll share that news.
