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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Monday Running

I'd planned to spend the weekend reading the entries to the Hard Jed contest but hadn't been able to because of roofing work in Orlando. So give me a couple of days before announcing the winner, 'kay? Since they were all so good (and funny!) when I went through them the first time, I want give each of the entries proper attention!

Today is going to be filled with must-do activities. I have to rewrite some of the back blurb for Virtually Hers because I didn't quite like the second paragraph. I also have to work quickly to get the final FINAL edits for VHers back to my editor. It's mostly more a matter of making sure certain inconsistencies are corrected.

Like I mentioned on Facebook, it appeared that I've become the Hyphen Queen while working on this book. Not only that. Apparently, I also never noticed things like Super Soldier Spy or Supersoldier Spy or Super Soldier-spy or Super Soldierspy as I wrote, rewrote, revised, and edited this story a 1000 times these past years.

Copy editors are wonderful people because they notice these things, and point them out, and ask questions about connections, and make me wonder whether I even know the first book of the series ;-). Anyway, it's just startling how I just write and write and write and not care about details like...oh, SymBios 2 or SymBios II or Sym-bio Two, even during my own rereading process! I suck.

And, to make things even More Thrilling, tomorrow is the deadline for certain tax filings for my business and...oh, why bore you with details of running numbers and head-desking numerous times through the day? I just live on the edge of excitement, that's all.

So. Monday begins.

I shall breathe in. Breathe out. And get everything done!!!!!! Wish me luck. Hope your Monday is not quite so exhilarating.

Tomorrow, remind me to tell you a bit about Catch McMillan, whom the heroine calls Cat. ;-)

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And Now Something Ugly

This is the reason why I'm walking and sitting funny.

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After Soaking My Butt In The Spa Tub

WHOP! That's the sound the side of my butt/thigh made when my shoes slipped down the Polystick-applied roof and I landed on the fleshy side of leg. It was at the end of the day too, so the ride home was quite uncomfortable. I knew I had a big bruise forming and by the time my 2-plus hour commute was over, the butt was properly tender. Of course I didn't tell anyone on the truck how butt was hurting me, are you guys crazy? I'd never hear the end of the ass jokes.

It also didn't help that I had a late evening dentist appointment that I couldn't put off. So no only is my butt swollen, but my mouth is too. So y'all understand if I was disinclined for a little romance when I finally reached home and Alpha Male grabbed my ass in a welcoming embrace. Let's just say that my howl wasn't romance-inducing. Also add a very strickened man whom I've led to believe caused this very absolutely horrifying dark purple bruise on the side of my butt.

I sat in very hot water all hour, sulking. Now I'm going to finish writing about Viking Dude and his enchanted sword. Yes, I'll be mostly standing. Or sitting on one butt.

I'm okay, don't worry. I'm just working up some good apologetic massages out of the Alpha Male.

P/S Did you think His Jedness was playing you yesterday? Hmm? ;-)

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Another Episode

I had to make that two hour drive to work myself because I needed to do some paperwork at City Hall and of course, nothing's opened till 8am (the work truck starts off at 6.30am). I didn't have my work truck with me so I had to use my personal car, you know, that convertible that I heart so much.

Anyway, at 10.30am, as I entered that gazillion-dollar subdivision, I noticed the contractor right behind me. He followed me (of course) all the way in and I could see his frown from my rearview mirror as he tried to figure out who it was parking the nice car on his property, away from the work trucks (what, you think I was going to chance any injury to my pretty car?). Then I got out. You know, she of the "lowest of the totem pole." * She of the "getting away with pink sweat pants and panties" as I lay on the ground sinking into cement mix and mud*. Opened the trunk up. Took out my toolbelt and toolbox.

As I made the slow walk down the long, muddy driveway to the new mansion, he drove pass me. When I finally reached the area where I usually get ready for work, he was there.

"Hey," he greeted me.

"Morning!" I chirped.

"What's a roofer doing with a fancy car like that?" He nodded toward my very fancy convertible (for which I'd saved and saved for years, btw, and looks new because I baby it). He cocked an eyebrow at me. "It's a very expensive car, isn't it?" (meaning out-of-my-league expensive)

You know me. I had made it my quest to get him to smile. I did a few jiggly steps and then sang the first two lines of the Donna Summer song. "I work hard for my money...so work hard for my money."

Nope. Did. Not. Crack. One smile at me. One day...one day....

*earlier posted episodes

P/S I keep seeing these episodes fictionalized in a H/S series story ;-). You know, the ones with the bad-tempered hero and the mouthy and unconventional heroine.

Your exercise today: Tell me what you imagine were the various reactions from the other workers who really don't know me, when they saw me getting in and out of my shiny zoombaby. As I told you before, I mostly sit quietly in the work compound and basically get the menial jobs because you know...I'm female, not a state-licensed roofing contractor ;-P.

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Trying To Amuse Myself

You know when you have one of those days when everything goes wrong and you just can't win no matter what?

My day was like that. And it ended with me on my back, an inch deep in stucco-slippery mud from head to foot. I stared up at the bright blue sky, feeling the wet mud slowly seeping through the back of my clothes.

The sky darkened. It was the contractor. Unlike the snickerers around me, he was as solemn as a grandfather clock.

"You know," he opined, "very few roofers can get away with pink sweatpants."

I shook my head and it felt strange. Actually, it was quite a difficult thing to do when my hair is embedded with quickly hardening cement/mud. When in a bad position being snarked at, snark back.

"Very few roofers can get away with pink underwear too," I said, looking up at him.

Did. Not. Crack a smile. He walked away, leaving me to my misery. One day, I'll get a grin out of that man. It's a bet with myself.

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