Borders

Bites the dust. It’s a shame as this store goes out of business. I remember when I first started writing I’d drive to Borders and spend many hours scanning the shelves for books. I’d spend hours in the magazine section too. Back then I wrote more for magazines like Modern Romance and True Confessions. I didn’t begin writing longer works until years later. In those days they offered a lot more money for All Rights. I didn’t mind I loved the extra income.
I’ve been sitting on a gift card since Christmas I guess I better do some shopping today before the store is no more. I’ll also have to get a subscription to a few magazines that I occasionally pick up in the large chain because I won’t be able to just walk in and buy it any longer.
In other news I’m in self edit hell, where I’ll be the rest of the week. But if all goes well I’ll have a new release in October. :o)
Sorry this is short, but I’m under the gun on a lot of things.
Happy Tuesday!

Part I: MY SELF-PUB LIFE or How I learned to love new aspects of publishing

Stepping into self-pubbed world!

Am I ready this week finally to put up a 99-center at Kindle? As a self-published author?

Oh, dear reader and author, I AM! Do come to my blog for Part One of My Journey into digital publishing!

http://cerisedeland.blogspot.com 

My Day.

I'm back, finally. Still pretty dang tired.

But...I am in the process of publishing Incorporeal!
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/73683

No Kindle link yet, but I hope it will be available by tomorrow!

Blurb:

Sara Wise is sick of ghosts. They’ve haunted her since she was a child, destroying her family, endangering her life. When an incorporeal being appears in her shower, she curses him soundly and orders him out, but this ghost is sticky. Not only does he invade her shower, he moves into her home, invading her dreams, sharing her bed. The reluctant Sara finds herself falling in love with a dead man.

Despite Sara’s objections, Natan de Manua isn’t permitted to leave. Protecting the woman is both his penance and his means to redemption. She’s not easy to protect, she fights him nearly every step of the way, except in her bed. Nathan may have come to regain his soul, but instead he risks losing his heart.

Has it Only Been Two Weeks?

I was chatting with an author buddie recently regarding the concept of time in relation to writing.

Days zip by at lightening speed when a deadline is looming. Minutes drag on like days when waiting to hear if a manuscript has been accepted. Nights are endless when sleep won't come due to obssessing over an unresolved story issue. And of course, there never seems to be enough time to devote to blogging, emailing, and promo-ing!


Since my June 30th post, I wrote a short story, Matt's Return. It has been accepted by Resplendence Publishing (YAY!!), edits are finished, and it will release on August 10th. I have two other short stories almost ready to sub, and I am working on edits for Sensations. It was not that many months ago when the mere thought of sitting at the computer, trying to be creative, brought on waves of nausea!!


I'd like to add my thoughts to Kat's wonderful blog and the ensuing comments last week on short stories. I whole heartedly agree that it requires an author to select every word with care and to tighten the plot until it cries 'uncle'! Creating well-developed characters that the reader can believe in is quite a challenge, also, isn't it?! When writing a longer book, a couple of thousand words can seem like a million if I'm trying to meet a length requirement. When the entire thing can't exceed 5k, it seems as if 500 words hit the page in the blink of an eye - go figure?


What I find quite interesting is the perception of non-authors when it comes to the short story. The recurring comments I keep hearing from people are that less pages is synonymous with less effort! I've stopped attempting to explain the process because their eyes glaze over and I ultimatley end up sounding like a whiner!


Have a fantastic weekend~

Tessie
www.tessiebradford.com

Carmageddon here we come!

This summer is already way too busy and moving far too fast, but its about to come to a screeching halt on Los Angeles’ 405 Freeway…

This is “Carmageddon” week in Los Angeles. This is the week the City of Angels chose to shut down the city’s busiest freeway to tear out an old bridge and put up sound-walls, and no one really knows what else. It doesn’t sound like a big deal but trust me, taking the 405 Freeway away from Angelinos for even a couple of days is going to bring millions of heat-stroked drivers to their knees for 70 miles in all directions—at least that’s what we’re being warned.

I don’t live in Los Angeles anymore but I was born and raised there. My family, friends and business associates are still there. It’s an amazing city with far more depth than its critics give it credit for, but man is it hell to drive around down there! Everything you’ve heard about LA traffic is true. The only place in the world where I thought it was worse was Manila-but that’s another story…

Two weeks ago my family and I drove to the Anaheim Angels Stadium near Disneyland to see a U2 concert. I loved the concert but I didn’t love the drive. We hit a thick patch of Friday afternoon traffic that took us nearly 5 hours to drive only 70 miles. We were in second gear, bumper-to-bumper hot, smoggy traffic most of the way. We were driving so slow I was able to read trash wrappers by the side of the road. The people around us became eerily familiar faces. If I wanted to, I could have rolled down my car window and held lengthy conversations with the other drivers—traffic was that bad and it wasn’t even Carmageddon!

As we rolled slowly across Los Angeles, I saw mile after mile of heavy equipment and materials assembled along the 405 waiting to snap into action.  All I can say is, I hope the new bridge does these folks some good. There is no wiggle room on these crowded roads.

Since I don’t live in LA anymore why am I complaining? I’ll tell you. Two different sets of friends and family from out of state have chosen this week to fly into LAX and visit. One on July 15^th the day before Carmageddon and one set of friends on July 17^th right in the thick of the mess. They all need a ride from the LAX airport… They want to visit the Los Angeles cathedral and take the kids to Disneyland too. One group even wants to drive the 405 to San Diego, stopping to do fun things along the way. (I don’t think so, unless you think camping beside the freeway is fun…)

I had to break the bad news to everybody that we would be changing our plans and heading out of LA as quickly as possible by train…

Today is my anniversary. I wish I could celebrate quietly with my husband, but we have yet another set of friends coming to visit from Texas tonight… No private, romantic anniversary dinner for me. Oh well, there’s no rest for the wicked. It’s almost time to get in the car and start rolling slowly toward LAX.

XXOO Kat

Busy, Busy, Busy

Sorry I wasn’t here last week. I was in the hospital and learned the hard way that my mini laptop wouldn’t allow me to post any blogs. It was a bit frustrating, but I’ll know for when I go in that I’ll have to pre-post or not blog at all. I spent three days in the hospital for pre-term labor. Luckily the doctors were able to get it under control. They sent me home with no real restrictions, but I am taking it easy.
Well I was until yesterday when I returned to work. I spent over 10 hours on a conference call, on top of dealing with little kids, big kids, family who were leaving to head back to NY and dogs who wanted to go to the park to run, but it was too hot. Why is it when it rains it pours?
The stress settled somewhere around 8pm when the DH and I crashed to watch some television.
The only positive to the day was I added words to my wip. It was the first time in a long time. I did this before all hell broke loose, so that was a plus. Only 14 workdays before I take my leave of absence, unless the doctor pulls me before that. Even though I’m just coming back from vacation, I’m really looking forward to the longer leave. LOL

Summer is not going the way I planned, but it seems I’m not alone. I hope you are all enjoying the warm temperatures and beautiful days.

In other news I found I have a new print book out. It’s currently only available on Barnes and Noble, but you can check it out here - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cougarlicious-cerise-deland/1104199317?ean=9781419964800&itm=12&usri=amber%2bskyze

Flash Fiction

(This is a Damien Hirst butterfly painting. I posted it just because I think it's a thing of beauty. The original is huge 84" X 210")

After an unending, cool, damp spring, I know summer is finally here because I have the concentration abilities of a startled rabbit. I’m can’t sit still. Everything distracts me. At the slightest hint of something fun, off I go mentally or physically into some new thing at least three times an hour.

Is all this activity good for the writing? Not really but I am collecting a lot of interesting ideas and enjoying myself and my family along the way, so I can’t say it’s all bad—it’s just not very productive. I haven’t even touched my older WIPs since mid-June.

In June, I did manage to complete and submit a 13k short story for possible inclusion in an anthology. No word yet on the status of that one. I also decided to break my own rule about entering my work in contests and started writing a 3k paranormal short story.

I have to admit I took on both “short” projects thinking they would be a refreshing walk in the park and path to instant gratification. Instead these shorties are kicking my ass! I had no idea writing “shorter” was so difficult. There’s no room to ramble or get off target. I discovered the painful way shorties are concise, hardboiled little bits of fiction that require a lot of skill and planning. I’m on version six of my tiny 3K and I’m still not finished…

I deeply admire any author who can write flash and short fiction well. I’ll compare writing a short piece of fiction to cutting a very small but valuable gemstone. One must be cautious, go slowly and plan the angle of attack carefully because there’s no room for mistakes.

I’m wondering, does a background in poetry make writing short fiction easier? I have no poetic talent but I know many of you do. What do think? Do poets and authors of short fiction work from the same tool kit?

XXOO Kat