I'm officially the worst blogger in history . . .

Yes, I admit it.

So, it's been November since my last post. Some crazy things have happened since then.

1) I signed my first book contract with Steeple Hill. My historical Christian romance will be hitting the shelves next year!!! Squee!

2) I finished the rough draft of the sequel a week or so ago.

3) My friend Cheryl and I have begun a new women's ministry site at: Just for this Season

4) God opened more doors than I seem to be able to walk through at one time. I'm working on a series for another publisher right now as well.

There will be more updates to come. Just wanted to bring the blog up to speed.

Yes, I did just post that--

see more Lol Celebs

Things not to do when submitting a manuscript (or proposal) to an editor

**Repost: Originally from WritersPointe.blogspot.com.

But still authored by me. For whatever that's worth.**

1) Do not misspell the publishing house’s name. This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised.

2) Do not misspell the editor’s name. (See above). And to take this a step further, make sure that you get the person’s title correct. Do not assume that the person is merely an “editor” when they are the “publisher.” This may result in perpetual silence from the company. Not that I have ever done this, or experienced said silence, of course.

3) Do not forget to actually attach the attachments if sending an email submission. Having to send a follow up email apologizing for your stupidity makes you look, well, stupid. Once again, not that I know this from experience.

4) Do not hesitate to remind the person of your association. If you met at a conference and the editor requested to see your work, be sure to remind him of that in the email. Editors and agents see so many aspiring writers that it’s foolish to believe they will remember you specifically.

5)Do not send in your only copy. In today’s computer-centered society, it’s difficult to imagine that anyone would only have one copy of a manuscript, but what I mean is your only hard copy. Zip your manuscript through a Xerox machine before you mail it. If I had a dime for every flash drive that self-destructed and erased my work because it could no longer stand the honor of housing my brilliance, I’d have about $.75 (I’ve never been good at math). But you get the point. Sometimes I had hard copies to save me . . . and the other times, well, we don’t talk about those.

6) Do not include ringing endorsements in your cover/query letter unless they really matter (For example . . . "Queen Elizabeth II read my story, and she REALLY liked it). If it's not that special, leave it out. While your mother may have called your novel the “next DaVinci Code,” the sad truth is that mothers have to say that kind of stuff…even when it’s untrue. And usually, it is.

7)Do not tell the editor/agent/publisher how much he/she will love your work. For obvious reasons, presumption and arrogance is off-putting to some. Hard to fathom, I know.

8) Do not stalk the editor. Once the submission has been sent, sit back and relax (easy enough to say, I know). Understand that publishing professionals are inundated daily with stuff, and it may take them some time to get to your manuscript. Sending emails every hour on the hour, or calling the office incessantly will probably only get you a restraining order in the mail, not an acceptance letter.

My favorite time of year

Yay. Just Yay.

Working, Working, Working

So, after pushing the deadline for revisions on my first book back. And back. And back some more, I'm committing to having it done by the end of the weekend.

And in the mail by the middle of the week.

Am I crazy?

Quite possibly.

I have so much left to do and feel a bit overwhelmed. But I know unless I get this off my back, I'll keep procrastinating and delaying until it's been too long.

So wish me luck! If I survive, I'll be back Monday to post.

If you never hear from me again, it would be safe to assume I've been buried until piles of paper somewhere. And you might want to come and find me.

Here goes nothing. Literally.

My new favorite Christmas time song . . .

Yes, it's before Thanksgiving. And yes, I'm already selecting my Christmas music playlist. While this one is not precisely festive, it is a beautiful song!




Oh yeah, all those pictures are of Paul Byrom from Celtic Thunder. The guy who sings this song. Sorry, it was the only vid of him singing it I could find.

Being a Romance Writer

There truly is something magical about being a romance writer.

We get to create worlds, make people fall in love, make them fall out of love, and generally create the kind of imaginary chaos only fictional emotions can explain.

Yep. It's a great gig.

Most of the time.

But I'm finding lately, the closer I get to seeing these books sitting on the shelf (meaning the more nitpick work like revisions, and chapter word count, etc), the more stressed I become. Which makes for some difficulty fine tuning the points in the book that still need some help.

I don't want to write all lovey-dovey, everybody-is-going-to-live-happily-ever-after-garbage, when my cars acting up, the daughter has a cold, the husband has left his laundry scattered around the house one time too many, and I've got a headache the size of the gallon of ice cream I wish I could eat. Truthfully, if I had my way right about now, all of my characters would die in a horrible, totally unforeseen fire and would never again live to torment my poor, tired mind with their antics.

But nobody wants to buy romances like that. (Except maybe the Nicholas Sparks fans. Ouch. And yes, I did just say that).

So, as a writer, and a romance one in particular, I'm still trying to figure out how to leave worn, grumpy, sleepy Mandy at the door when I come to write.

But if I don't accomplish that, don't be surprised if the heroine dies in chapter 12. I'm just sayin.