Tag Archives: NaNoWriMo

May23

New Book Acceptance

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My NaNoWriMo story for 2013 was set in New Orleans, La and is called The Eisenger Element. It’s a sophisticated mystery with a couple of fun characters. I especially enjoy the heroine and her partner. They are homicide detectives and they cracked me up with their banter. She has some quirks such as giving everyone nicknames and she’s flat out sassy.

The hero is more staid as he’s a lawyer and tightly wound. He has a brother in prison in Angola, La. The brother was wrongfully convicted of murder and the hero is doing his level best to get him released.

The prison has annual rodeos in real life so I incorporated that into the story. I also set some scenes in my beloved French Quarter and the Garden District.

This was a very fun story to write and the first 50,000 words were done in 12 days. I love it when a story really speaks to me. It ended up at 64,000 words and was totally drafted in 25 days. I, of course, spent much more time polishing it!

I got the acceptance email from Black Opal Books on my way to New Orleans for the RT conference last week (how cool is that?). I don’t have a release day as yet but I’ll post more as things occur.

Oct18

Started a Crazy Story

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I’m gearing up for NaNoWriMo beginning in November and don’t really want to start anything new writing-wise until then as I don’t want to get wrapped up in characters and then change gears in two weeks.

I had nothing to read in my car yesterday so I took my alpha writer to lunch and started a short story, thinking I was going to submit it to a place looking for fantasy romances. I wrote 365 words with a plan (sort-of- not really) for a fairy to  be part of the story.

So, today, I picked it up and worked on it at lunch again and added about 700 more words. It has now turned into a sort-of-not-really Valentine’s Day story. 

I have no idea where it’s going and when the hero asked the heroine if she knew who the murder victim was, she said no and asked him to tell her.  I was just as eager as she was to know the answer. 

Hurry up, November, so I can focus. Please. 

 

Nov7

NaNoWriMo

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got to 13,697 today on my NaNoWriMo novel. It’s a romantic suspense called Obsession. I had a hard time getting a handle on my female protagonist until I changed her name. Once I got the right name for her, she came together in my head much easier. This happened on another story, too.

It’s funny how my writing process works. I get the hero first. Always. His name and his back story come easy to me. Wonder why the women are so much harder for me? Guess it’s like real life. I have  male friends and female friends and the male ones are much easier to get a handle on. Simpler needs, I guess.  Life imitates art? I think so.

Nov5

Have been in Neglect Mode

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For some reason, I’ve been neglecting this blog this week. Seems like life has just gotten away from me. I’m doing NaNoWriMo and have been focusing on word count each night when I get home from the day job.  Also got blindsided by the evil ole’ Migraine demon.  It was a doozy. 

I’ll try to do better and blog more often. I had a story come out today here: 

http://irishstoryplayhouse.com/StoryTellerTymesSample2.html

Oct6

Good News for the Alter Ego

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She sold her 1920s historical novel named Redemption for the Devil.  It will come out in July 2011. Desert Breeze Publishing.  It is a story about an Irish Catholic lass that falls for an Irish Protestant lad who happens to have a very bad past. Can her love redeem him?  Can they get past the religious issue? You’ll have to read it to find out.

Last year was the first year I’d heard of NaNoWriMo. November is National Novel Writing Month. There’s a wicked cool web site that lets you track your progress as you try to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November. This book my pen name and I sold was our NaNo book last year. We wrote it in 21 days as we had to travel down to Boca Raton for Thanksgiving and we knew there’d be no writing down there.

Recently, we added an additional 25,000 words to flesh out the story. The basic story was done November 21, 2009 but we edited in much more historical detail in the last month.  Made it much richer and it sold.  Yesterday.

Join me this November for the next round. My user name there is sfcatty. Friend me and we’ll journey together. It’s a blast.  Check out the website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Dec10

Neglect

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I’ve been neglecting this little blog a bit.  I’m sorry.  Life has gotten away from me lately.  Am in the throes of year end reporting for the day job and have had no energy for anything else.  Shamed to say that I have not gotten back to my NaNo work since I hit the word count.   I’m falling down on the job here!  My characters have probably moved across the country in a land grab and I dont even know it.   Ah.  The 1920s, so much opportunity for trouble.  Even in the midst of prohibition!

Leaving you with some eye candy for the time being-  Yes.  Liam From my NaNo book is Irish but here is a guy in a kilt for you (Still on the British Isles)  

Nov25

NaNo upload for winners

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Uploaded last night before  Leaving today for Boca Raton to spend Thanksgiving with no. 1 son.  Today, when I logged on, my counter had turned to purple and it says “winner”    How cool.  first year to participate and I DID it.  Was there ever any doubt?  I’m an overachiever and proud of it.  LOL!  

    I’m here in Boca waiting for him to get out of class.  It is a dreary rainy day but who cares?  Traffic wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, I get to see my kid and I won NaNo.   Its all good.   Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Nov19

Crawling towards 50,000

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So, I was speeding along great guns toward my 50,000 words for NaNo and after I got to 40,000, I have slowed to a crawl.  I still have great stuff in my head to put down but the back hurts and the arm hurts.  I am working too hard at the real job- on the computer all day with that so,  in the evening, I just can’t seem to get going.  I have averaged less than 1,000 a night since my big sprint on Sunday.  I still have time but I hate to watch that y axis crawl up so slowly.

Nov10

NaNoWriMo again

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So, I’m 431 words away from half way done.   Almost to 25,000 words.  I hope I have 50,000 words in this story.  I’m afraid I’ll get to 40,000 and have nothing else to say.   I’ve just passed the “Boy gets girl” part so maybe I’ll be fine.   Gotta get through the “black moment” or “Boy loses girl” part-  I’ve got a grand plan for that, by the way.   Then the “Boy wins girl back” part.  So, maybe it’ll happen.  Maybe.