I'm blogging today over at Sweet'n'Sexy Divas and I'm talking about writing series, and the two new series I have started this year. Stop on by find out the differences between my Bound By Fairytales series and Snowedin Fantasies and my thoughts for their futures.

http://sweetnsexydivas.blogspot.com/2013/04/writing-series.html

Wandering Off the Path is now officially released. It will be coming shortly to all your favorite retailers.

As you all know, this book has a special place in my heart, and to finally see it released gives me a huge sense of pride.

I can't wait to hear what you all think of this story. I hope you love the characters as much as I do.

I'm so ecstatic to announce that Wandering Off the Path is officially available for preorder. This story is my baby and has been such a labor of love. To see it now available for others to purchase is amazing and overwhelming to me. I hope you all will take a look at this story and the gorgeous cover Total-e-Bound created for this book.

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1990

I’m back at the Evil Day Job again, and that means my December Close Out plan is over. Just like every year I don’t feel like I did nearly enough, this break slipped by even faster than last years. But I did complete the major items on my wish list. I finished the first draft of Dirty Work and revised, and with only a few hours left in the year, I submitted Reunion Makes Three.  I’ll keep you in the loop when it gets picked up and when it will be out.

Not a bad amount of work for two weeks, but I always feel like I could do more. I always wish I could write more, faster, better. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over that. If I do it will probably be the end of my writing career :)

When I look back on 2012 I feel the same way. I feel like I could have done more, but I’m proud of what I did do. I had six releases this year, if you count my self-publish work and free read (which followed essentially the same process as any other work I’ve released). And I have two more under contract, Wandering Off the Path which goes on preorder next week (January 7th to be exact), and Jack the Bodice Ripper that should be releasing soon.

Also this year I’ve done a lot to learn about my writing. I took a dip into self-publishing. I attended The Romance Convention and learned a lot about the industry, some great tips on writing and meet some awesome people. I plan to use everything I've gathered from these experiences in the year ahead to improve my writing and be more effective with my time.

Unfortunately I didn’t make my reading goal this year, which makes me a little sad (I hate not meeting any goal, even if it’s one I’ve set myself). But according to my goodreads statistics I did real more pages than I did last year. When I look over some of the books I’ve read this year, it makes sense. I did read a lot more novels than novellas, especially from my fellow Siren sisters. So maybe it all evens out in the end. But with all I had going on this year something had to give, and apparently it was reading.

And not completing Nanowrimo, while understandable, still bothers me a little. Its rare for me not to complete that goal, though I have yet to sell an Nanowrimo work (though Wandering was a Maynowrimo project).

All in All 2012 was a pretty good year for my writing, despite the craziness and distraction of my everyday life, and I think I’m set up for an even better 2013.

I've already received the cover art for Wandering Off the Path, even though its not going to be out until February.

I have to say, I love it. It perfectly fits the story and I can't think of a sexier looking Wolf than this.

It certainly helped me get threw my edits to stare at this and keep remembering that some day it will be a complete book with this beautiful cover. And its really motivating me to write the next book in the series, so I can get another pretty cover like this. I'll take any motivation I can get these days, especially in the middle of Nano.

I'll give you a hint of what the next book will be. I imagine the cover will be rather golden :D Looks like Regan's going to be peeking out, or busting in as is her habi

There’s been a lot going on in my writing life over the last few weeks. Since a writer can’t stay still for any time (ask my mother, it drives her crazy, she says I’m always going a mile a minute but guess who I got it from :D), while attending the romance convention I’ve also been submitting and revising a few works. And of course, as is always in life, all the news converged together in one glorious week. So here are a few announcements of things to come for the next few months.

For starters, I submitted Foolish Desire to Siren Publishing. After The Romance Convention I was so motivated to work with them again, I came home and revised Foolish one more time and sent it off to them a day after the conference. I heard today that they have accepted the work. Foolish Desire will be out sometime in November, so look for it then. 

I also received a contract for a short story I wrote inspired by one of my favorite places in the world, London. The short story is called Jack the Bodice Ripper. The story takes place in London and does include some ripped clothing. It is set to appear in an anthology called, Sex in London (fitting right). I’ll keep you all posted as soon as I know when that will be releasing.

And in exciting news, the little story that could, Wandering Off the Path received a contract last. After many revisions and rejections, Wandering has finally found a home with a great publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing. It is scheduled to release early February 2013, and be available for preorder in January. I’m so thrilled to finally have a place for this story in the world. This work has truly been a labor of love. It was only through sheer determination that Wolf and Abigail managed to keep moving forward in the world.

Wandering is the first story in a new series I’ll be starting called Bound by Fairytales, which are historical versions of our favorite fairytales with a little bondage thrown in. I hope to start working on a few more stories for this series soon. We’ll see, with all the other stories in my head, it might be a little while before I can get around to them. I already have ideas brewing for remaking Goldie Locks and the three bears (yup, I’m going exactly where you’re thinking) and Beauty and the Beast. But I have a few more kernels for some other fairytales I’m hoping will sprout into something great.
 
As you can see, the next few months will be a little crazy with edits but I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m thrilled that these great stories have found so fantastic homes, and I’m excited to keep working.

Now back to writing, I’ve got a few more revisions and submissions to make before my inbox fills up with edits ;)

It’s been a crazy few weeks (hence the radio silence on the blog). Last week I was finally able to resubmit Wandering Off the Path. I love this story, it’s like my first child (it was originally submitted in 2010 and was the first erotic romance I ever wrote), so I really wanted to do it justice and give it the time and work it needed. Which is why the revisions on it, that were supposed to take two weeks, ended up taking a very hard six. It would have helped if I didn’t break a zip drive and lose several weeks’ worth of work all at once. But regardless, I think the revisions really improved the work and I’m very hopeful about its prospects of being picked up by a publisher. The advice I got from an amazing editor really helped to improve this work, and I believe will help to improve all my works to come.

But now I’m feeling like I’m trailing behind my goal for the year of getting to ten total published works (with the release of Serving Madame I’m currently at six). So I really want to get my butt moving.  I hope to get Foolish Desire in soon, and I’m planning to get my current work done by the end of the month (only two days left…yikes). This work is my first stab at a MMF ménage, and from how much fun I’m having with my guys and all the different positions I can put them in with my leading lady ;D I think there will definitely be more to come from me in this genre. But since this is my first try I went with a shorter story. It was a great little palette cleanser after the intensive revisions of Wandering.

I can’t speak for all authors on this, but I can’t go from revisions straight into more revisions. I need to spend some time writing and creating in between, getting my energy back and remembering why I put myself through the late nights and frustrating revisions I do (if you can’t tell I’m not a huge fan of revisions, but they are a necessary evil, and are getting better the more I write).

After I’m done with this story, its focus time to get revisions done on Foolish Desire and send it in to Siren. My goal is to get it to Siren by the end of June, if not earlier. I’m hoping they’ll like it and publish it quickly. I also have a few ideas in the works I hope to get out this year, including another lesbian romance set around Christmas. But you’ll have to stay tuned to hear more about that (since I don’t even know that much about it yet, it’s still a very new idea). It will be close, but I think I can still hit that ten work mark.

Writing is an amazing addiction. Even though it’s only been a few months since my last release I’m already hungry for another one. I love all aspects of the writing process, but the validation that comes with getting a work published is definitely a high for me. If I had my choice I’d always have something in the coming soon pile.

If you’re hungry for another snippet of my work, here’s a short section from my so far unnamed MMF ménage. I hope you like it.

***Unedited excerpt – subject to change***

He cupped his hand around her jaw, directing her gaze up to him from the floor, where it had been permanently stationed. “This is your fantasy, baby,” Dell eyes stared into hers, so dark and intense she shivered. “What do you want to see? Marcos blowing me? Me fucking Marcos?”

“Yes.” She released on a breath, her chest suddenly tight. Her breath rough and forced.

From across the room she heard Marcos laugh, and heat filled her cheeks, but Dell only continued to stare at her, his fingers shaking around her face, his lips curled up in a decadent smile. “You’re wish, is our command.”