December??! But I'm Not Done With November Yet!

Last night, I loaded up a formatted file of SLEEPER onto my Kindle Author Bookshelf and promptly fell asleep to dream about...hard returns, tabs, and backspace, backspace, backspace. Ugh. Formatting kills creativity :P. And then I woke up and found that it's December already! WTH?!

I'm nowhere near done with the writing goals I told you about a month or two ago. I have this month to finish writing DANGEROUSLY HOT, edit and format PROTECTOR and edit and format Grace's story, which I've re-titled Danger spells T.R.O.U.B.L.E (still might change that). So far, I've accomplished only three of my writing projects--the short story in SEAL of my Dreams, editing Hunter and Sleeper and getting the latter ready for different e-formats. Actually, I'm not even completed the Sleeper formatting yet because there are still Nook, Smashwords and Print formats waiting. Oh yeah, every one of these have different stuff needed done to the manuscript and it all takes time. Which I don't have. Gah.

I'm doing Kindle first because it beats my Nook sales 4-1. Smashwords represents a miniscule of my sales, so that's last. Anyway, did that last night, and I'm going to take a break and go back to writing because it's eating up my whole month. The other formats will have to wait a bit. It's all a learning process for me because I'm computer challenged. At first I had someone doing that for me but she's very busy with her clients and so I thought I'd learn as I go, hoping not to make too many mistakes.

It's a good thing to learn these days because formatting service packages cost about $500 or more, depending on how much work they have to do. My friend charges me a lot less but even that, with the cost of covers, can be expensive for a project. Getting a book ready for different e-formats (different format, cover art, edits) could cost $800. And that's why I can't sell it for 99cts like some people ask me to. It'll take me forever to make back the money I sank into the production, even though I paid less. When the production costs have been taken care of, I'll lower the price, like I did with Big Bad Wolf ebook and print.

So anyway, I was complaining about time. I might not get Grace's book done by the end of the year. It's written but needs a bit of revision and of course, the above formatting pain. I've also been entertaining the thought of creating my own cover, like I did with Big Bad Wolf, to save money. AHAHAHAHA. Maybe not. Looking at thousands of stock photos is fun but damn time-consuming. So's playing with Photoshop!

Dangerously Hot is coming along slowly but I need to speed up. 30 days or less, man! Sylvia Day is a fantastically fast writer and I don't want to disappoint her. We wanted this project done and out around Christmas/New Year to get the new Kindle owners' attention :). At least, for that one, the cover is ready. Did you guys see it?

And here's my new cover for Sleeper:

For those who asked: "why is the book renamed Sleeper? Why didn't I use the original Sleeping With The Agent?" Well, Sleeper was the original title, to go with the one-word "hunter" and "protector" theme, but the Avon marketing department wanted to change the style to use the now prevalent "active title theme." You can see it on the covers of a slew of romantic suspense the last few years (Take Me Tonight, Standing In The Shadows, Show No Mercy, etc.) but back then, it was just* starting to get hot. So I gave the marketing people at least fifty titles like that and they rejected every. single. one. and came up with...Sleeping With The Agent. My readers and friends, at the time, were astounded at how horrifying it was, LOL. I hated it when someone casually asks me about my writing and to give her the title of my newest book. Umm...Sleeping...withtheagent (yes, I said it just like that, heh).

So, now that I'm back in control of my SEAL series, I get to decide whether to abandon the original titles or not. I chose to drop the article in the title, thus "PROTECTOR," "HUNTER," and "SLEEPER." This is so that I can use "WARRIOR" for Cucumber's book (ahhhh...perked your attention, eh?).

Enough about boring production stuff. I'm sure you're all snoring away. I'll post the winner of the Thanksgiving giveaway soon (have to collect all the names from here and Facebook). And will give you another sneak peek excerpt from Dangerously Hot.

Plans, I got plans. Just slow down a bit, December!

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I'm Giving Up Dinner For Lent

I've given up coffee and milkshakes for a month before. They're my weakness and it was tough waking up in the morning and going for juice or something else.

This year, after much mulling, I've decided to give up dinners. I eat horrendously late at night; it's been a habit for years now, so there's no reforming me. This will be a tough test of my willpower!

Notice, though, that I didn't say I was cutting off the late night munchies, which I take ALONG with the late dinner (yes, I'm a glutton at after 9pm). This is because I suffer from acid reflux and need something in my tummy at odd hours of the day and night or suffer the consequences, which is, for those who don't know gastric pain, is me curled up in a ball while something puts my tummy insides through a meat grinder. I do, however, intend to eat more fruits than the regularly scheduled KitKat and cookie breaks ;-). And, in case of emergency, there's always MikiSquirrel's stash of nuts.

Why do I just not eat earlier dinners, you ask.  Well, actually, I do have a good answer. Or, at least, a somewhat logical one. I work till dark most of the time. Tearing off roofs (reroofing) has taken its toll on my available time. Before, with new roofs, I could just up and leave the house whenever and I wouldn't need to worry. But with reroofing, I've to make sure everything is properly covered up because it's a lived-in home and we can't afford any water damage from a sudden rain at night. When the day is over, tired and VERY dirty, I usually drive straight home and the period between my coming in the house and sitting in front of puter is very crucial.

I CANNOT sit down. Or the whole night is done for. So, I use the next hour doing all the chores--let the dogs out, play with MikiSquirrel and clean her cage, run the vacuum or wash, depending on which needs the most attention, or pay attention to any home things that need to be fixed.  Sometimes I've to run to the store if there's a shortage in dog food or stuff, so that's the end of house chores.

When those things are done, I either take a shower or sit down for some relaxation in front of the TV. The mutant poms are happily munching on bones and MikiSquirrel is happily playing with my hair. I use the time to catch up on email and Facebook while taking in the show.  Sometimes, if the roof was particularly difficult, I'd just vegetate with a glass of wine.

After putting MikiSquirrel to bed after the show, I get ready to write. Sometimes I struggle. Okay, lately, A LOT, because of the traveling around looking for roofing work (my mind seems to get tired from all the haggling and questioning and price bidding), and when I struggle, my tummy starts to rumble and it's by now, as you guess, pretty late, and yeah, I'd start thinking, "Wow, I'm hungry.  Maybe if I eat, I'll be able to write better."

So off I to the kitchen and get myself a real meal, the kind you guys eat between 5-7pm, and I'd eat and write at the same time (or get distracted by email and other stuff). After that, if I'm lucky, words start coming and I'd take advantage of that hour or two. Other times, nothing. Then I'd use the time to look at bills and figure out how to pay them :-P.

Anyway, that's my reason for eating so late and yes, I've existed like even before hard roofing days. It's just the way my internal clock goes. Hungry late at night. I think it all started in my youth in Malaysia, when my grandma would take me to the night bazaars to watch Chinese opera and eat delicious food. I grew up doing that till I moved here, and then, in college, PIZZA RUNS at midnight reinforced this habit.

So this is going to be a difficult month for me. Snacks will help but heck, the first week, expect a very bad-tempered Gennita at night. Heh. My poor Facebook friends are going to see more of that side, I suspect.

What about you? Are you into giving something up for Lent or for a month?

As for writing tonight (first night of no dinner), I actually did quite well.  I edited ten pages of my novella, The Game, that was published in The Mammoth Book of Spec Ops Romance anthology, added a bit more heat to the sexy scene, and only felt had a cookie and a mango in between. I'm still hungry, but not ravenous. Maybe one more cookie would help.

For those who didn't know, yes, I'm intending to release The Game as an ebook, with edited and added paragraphs (not many) through Kindle, the Nook, and Smashwords for $2.00.  I sold it when I fell off the roof and landed on my head a while back, and I couldn't find the brain cells to rewrite it properly. Anyhow, it'll be a start of getting more of my work available for those who are looking for them as ebooks. I'm working on this while trying to finish VOne, so don't worry, I'm not ignoring my priorities, but sometimes I feel I need to take my mind off of forcing that so, as a compromise, I'll get The Game out, and then The Protector will be my next tackle.

So, that's my Day One of giving up dinner news. Not bad, huh?

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Prayers For Robin Schone

One of my favorite books is by Robin Schone.  I just received news that she is waiting for a heart transplant.  Here is what she wrote on her board:

Dear Clubbers, although I still think of all of you as Retreaters.
I have bad news, and I have good news. The bad news is that my heart has deteriorated to the point I have to have a heart transplant. The good news: I will be getting a heart very soon. I go into the hospital this coming Tuesday and will be put on a special IV that will relieve the pressure in my lungs and heart while I wait for the transplant. Because I have a rather uncommon blood type - and because I need a small heart - my doctors believe the wait will be relatively short. Maybe as soon as two weeks!

A heart transplant has a tremendous success rate these days: 90%. So - as Arnold Schwarzenegger said in The Terminator - "I'll be back." 'Cause I have a whole lot more books to write! Meanwhile, I'll be thinking of all of you and the fun you'll be having without me.

Sending you all a big hug and many, many besos, baci, baisers, küsse, or, in English, kisses.
Robin Schone

In the letter from Kathryn Falk (RT Reviews, Dec. 2010, p. 4), it mentions keeping Robin Schone in our thoughts as she is awaiting a heart transplant. Doctors expect a full recovery once she gets a new heart. It also says that RS wants her fans to know her spirits are great and she is looking forward to working on her next book.

This address was included for well wishers.

Robin Schone
P.O. Box 721036
Roselle, IL 60172

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Dear readers and friends, please include Robin in your prayers for a speedy recovery.

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Of Puppies and Books

It's been a long, long week. Next week, I'll be at RWA, Orlando, and it'll be another kind of long, long week (this time, with me having fun with my writing buddies!). I hope to have more news by then, or at least, pretend to have a more interesting life, heh.

For those who don't follow me on Facebook and have been writing emails, Demon Dog, aka Pepe Le Pom, is doing well. Why am I not surprised he's getting more fan mail than me? I guess that video I made of him "being bored" made him lovable, huh?

He's going through an ugly stage of puppyhood--hair falling, all teeth, unimaginable destruction. Fortunately for him, he's loved. Not all day long, but he's loved. One day, the sweet dog inside him will emerge and he'll be the most obedientest, most quietest, mostest everything goodest dog evah. I live in hope.

But for now, I live to come home hoping the book collection is still intact; only one magazine has been snagged and munched; no electrical cords have been dragged; and nothing more than hairballs have been puked out. Yes, it's always neat and tidy in the Low Home ;-). My dogsitter thinks he's the cutest fluffball ever too, and spoil, spoil, SPOIL him.

*****

It's strange to watch a small 20-inch TV again. My big screen TV went kaput and it'll cost more than it's worth to fix it, and since I need the $$$ to pay for my hotel room at RWA, it's back to Old Faithful, the 30 year old little Sony, who's still chugging along. But whoever said, once you've tried bigger, you can't go smaller, is right ;-). It is indeed a shock to the system to watch a show and can't see the pores in the actors' faces. Also, the TV is in the bedroom, so I've to actually sit down on the bed and watch the whole segment, instead of running around the room doing chores. Just not the same, you know?

*****

Many authors are now uploading e-files of their older books (whose rights have been reverted back to them) onto Smashwords and other online places. I think this is pretty cool. It means writers have more avenues to make money AND they can get a bigger percentage than the old 5-10 percent from their New York publishers.

This also means that authors are getting used to ebooks being part of their sales options. Five years ago, many would tell you that their electronic sales numbers weren't substantial enough for them to worry about. That was before Kindle, Ipad, and the Nook, though. Suddenly, everyone is yakking about putting up ebooks for sale. It's pretty amazing how a few good sales can attract writers' interest, yes?

*****

Finally, and as a good segue on the craziness of puppies of the human form, Youtube is/was running a Cutest Boy Contest. No, I wasn't paying attention, but I happened to come across this entry because it had had over 15 million viewers and Youtube kept asking me to check it out. The two kids = Adorable Puppies. They were just lip-synching and fooling around, but their little brotherly antics and one-upmanship of each other cracked me up. Also, Mommy/Sis walking by in the background between 2:00 and 3:00, totally ignoring their antics in front of the camera, took the cake. It reminded me, years ago, of my own brothers and sisters screaming and generally "killing" each other ten feet away from me while I sat there reading my book.

Yes, when I'm ignoring them, below is what Jiggle Low and Pepe Demon Dog do ;-):

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Orlando Area Science Fiction Society Convention

The OASFIS is holding its annual convention this weekend. It's a fun gathering, with lots of interesting workshops and gaming.

Here is the the SCHEDULE.

I'll be on two panels, discussing about romance in SF, UF, cross-genres, etc. It's a very relax affair, so I hope you can make it!

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Other news, thank you for the feedback about the Mammoth Book novella, The Game. I appreciate the kind comments, especially since there are so many wonderful authors in that anthology. I admit I was a tad nervous to be with those excellent writers, this being my first novella.

I'm working on making the novella available as a download on Kindle. Just a quick survey--would you download it for a couple of bucks?

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The half-year mark is almost here and the annual tradition of compiling the Best of for the first half of 2010 is on. What great books have you read these past six months that you'd nominate for your Keeper shelf? My list is going to be pretty short because I haven't done as much reading as I wanted, what with trying to finish VOne, getting proposal ready, signings, and roofing non-stop seven days a week the last couple of months. Very exhausted by evening, and veging out seems to be the agenda.

So, come on, give me your list. You have no excuse!

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