A quick hello and a Realms Faire reminder

Happy Friday!
I hope you all had a good week.
We've been having lots of fun with my mom.
Busy, busy, busy!

Did I mention I visited Milo James Fowler's blog this week? Click on over and tell us what you think about hybrid authors. No, we're not some weird science experiment.

Don't forget Realms Faire is next week.
 Join me for the Drench-a-wench and Soak-a-bloke event
and win really awesome prizes.
I kid you not. Some wonderfully generous folks donated a lot to the Faire this year. Have some medieval fun and win yourself something fantastic!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Cuteness

No Friday Five this week as I'm away visiting family.

Just a cute picture of my boy!

Have a great weekend.

I'll be back on Monday!

Friday Five for May 3, 2013

1) I haven't done a Friday Five in so long. I still have a bit of an A to Z hangover. It was a great month, but boy, does that take a lot out of you. My A to Z Challenge Reflections post will be on Monday.

2) I've been working very hard on my revisions for THE ORACLE & THE VAMPIRE. This book has been a roller coaster ride. I didn't think I'd have it done on time, but don't worry! Thanks to my fabulous CPs and beta readers, I will have it ready for the 13th. My blog tour schedule is set. The cover reveal for the final book in the series will be on May 17th. Be prepared for a big surprise!

3) May is going to be a tremendously busy month for me. I have something going on every weekend and way too much during the weeks. I'll be easing back on the blogging except during the tour. Once the tour is over, I need to find a good balance between writing and networking. I'm losing an hour or two a day since my son only naps two or three times a week now. It's time I set a schedule that allows me to do everything I need to do even if it isn't as much as I want to. Not only must I find the balance, I need to allow myself to feel okay about it.

4) My son only has three more weeks of preschool left before his summer break. It was looming over me, wondering what to do with him, but I've planned several activities. At least one a week. Then there are play dates and lounging in his new big pool at home.  Plus we'll be visiting my family in Canada for a week in June. It'll go quickly. I need to get as organized with my writing time as I am for stuff with my kid!

5) I'm still thinking on what I'll do after I finish the 13th Floor series. There are a lot of possibilities. I'm still giving serious consideration to revising an old manuscript and querying it. Yet more and more, it seems self-publishing is what is still best for me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Five

1. I finished my first round of revisions with my WIP. Three chapters deleted and several other pages. One chapter added. I need more words now.

2. I tried to start my second draft yesterday, but I stared at the screen for an hour. I couldn't get out the first line of the new first chapter. I know exactly what I want to do with the chapter, but I can't get over that first line hump. I think I'm worrying too much about it being perfect. I need to forget that and leave it to be changed in the next revision.

3. My son will be two in three weeks. How can I be the mother of a two-year-old? Has he gone off to college yet?

4. I'm all prepared for the A to Z Challenge. I have a fear that Blogger will change everything over to the new look and I'll lose all my pre-scheduled posts for the challenge. Please Blogger, don't mess any of us up.

5. Finally watched the first season of Sherlock. Awesome. The second season will air on PBS starting in May. I still prefer Doctor Who, but Sherlock is pretty dang cool.

A quick Friday update

It's Friday! Woo-hoo!

I've had a productive week. I edited and submitted my newest short story, "George and the Dragon." My writers' group liked it and my critique partners helped iron out the rough edges.

I only have four chapters left in my first round of revisions of my WIP. I can't wait for the torture to end. Of course, once the first round is done, there's the second and third and fourth to how many it takes to get it right. I'll be rewriting the first chapter again. This was inspired by Les Edgerton's Hooked. It's a fantastic book on beginnings. It's now my top book on the craft that I recommend to other writers. It makes everything so clear.

I'm reading Laura Jospehsen's Rising Book 1: Resistance. Intriguing story. I don't know who to trust or what's coming. And the quality of her writing is phenomenal.

I'm also reading Cherie Reich's Fighting Gravity, the second novella in her Gravity series. This one is packed with action and edge-of-your-seat tension.

I'll be reviewing both books next week.

Just over a week until April and The A to Z Challenge! I hope you're getting a head start on your posts if you're participating. Have you seen the linky list? Over 1100 participants! It's going to be an awesome month.

Enjoy your weekend.

Finally Friday update

It's been a busy week. The Origins blogfest was so much fun. We need to start our own League of Justice Writers. I'm following a bunch of a new blogs. Welcome to my new followers too!

In case you missed the post yesterday, I'm celebrating reaching 200 followers with the Learn Your Craft Giveaway! Free books. I don't care where you live in the world. Free books because I adore you all.

I revised two and a half chapters of my current WIP this week. I'm at the point that I need to rewrite a foretelling/prophecy. I'm horrible at doing those things. Why can't mystics or oracles just bluntly say what they mean? I feel my protagonist's frustration in trying to figure out what the vague references and strange symbolism mean.

I critiqued three stories for my writers' group. We meet tomorrow. I submitted my Steampunk Cthulhu story to be critiqued. I wonder if any of them are familiar with the Cthulhu Mythos. Once I have their critiques, I will edit and revise again, send to my CPs, and then revise again before submitting it to the anthology.

I also revised a short noir story I wrote a while ago and submitted it to a site that features stories of that flavor. One extra submission for me this month!

I cut my son's bangs today. Toddlers don't sit still. You can imagine what it looks like. I think I ought to consider not cutting his bangs myself any more. At least he's happy not to have his bangs in his pretty long eyelashes any more.

Have a wonderful weekend!