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News: Good and Bad

2/20/2015

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2/20/15
  • I have heard from LT3 about Dragon Deception and Thunderbird.  They accepted Deception, which means my Supernatural Consultant series is chugging along quickly.  I need to get back to working on book three, Dragon Dilemma, so I can keep up the excellent momentum.  Thunderbird received a rejection letter.  This means I will not have a story in LT3's Intertwined call.  They said a couple of things in the letter, foremost of which was that the story needs at least another 10k words for it to really work.  I'm not one hundred percent certain I agree with that, or with some of the other things LT3 said, but it's a point to build from.  I would love to try fleshing out the story a bit more and attempt at fixing some of the other issues LT3 pointed out.  Hopefully I'll have time to rework it and eventually resubmit it as a standalone story. 

  • I have gotten a preliminary report from my beta reader about Ground of Insurrection and she's pointed out something I've been worrying over.  I was planning to submit GoI to LT3's Devil's Land call and she said it fit the call, but she wondered if it might be better if I instead expanded on some of the plot points and submitted it as a standalone.  I'm honestly leaning towards doing that.  I love the story and I do think it would stand out, plus I have an idea for a sequel that I wouldn't write if the first story was stuck in an anthology.  I think I'll have to wait and see what her final recommendation is.  I have a feeling I won't have a story in any LT3 anthologies coming out this year, which would be the first time since I began submitting to LT3. 

  • On the writing front I have more bad news.  I just haven't had the will to sit down and write.  I've gotten a few hundred words written here and there this month, but nothing substantial.  It's definitely caused by a culmination of a lot of different things.  The frigid weather and gray skies, stress and worry over possibly getting a new job, and too many books I want to read instead of writing my own.  There are still a few more days in February, so there's still time to try to accomplish some of my goals for the month.  Hopefully I'll get something done before March! 
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2014 Goals Results

12/30/2014

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One of the things I started doing in 2014 was posting my monthly goals.  It's worked really well, so I figured I might try doing the same thing for the entire year.  Here is how I did in 2014.  Look for my 2015 goals to come out in a few days! 

Book Releases:
  • Paint, Guns, Money, and Love came out in February and ran as a serial story with LT3.  It came out in ebook and print few months later in June. 
  • The Oracle's Hatchling, book two in The Oracle Series, came out in ebook in March. 
  • Wings of the Stars, part of LT3's A Loose Screw collection, came out in ebook and print in April. 
  • Heart's Tournament, part of LT3's Won't Back Down anthology, came out in ebook and print in May.
  • Heartbeat, part of LT3's Satisfaction Guaranteed anthology, came out in ebook and print in September. 

Books Ready for Release:
  • Road to Home is edited and ready to to arrive in stores in January. 
  • The Oracle's Golem, book three in The Oracle series, is also ready to be released in January. 

Submitted Manuscripts:
  • The Oracle's Sprite, book four in The Oracle series, has been submitted to LT3. 
  • Dragon Consultant, book one of my new Supernatural Consultant series, was also submitted to LT3.

Completed Manuscripts:
  • Thunderbird, my submission for LT3's Intertwined collection call, is back from a beta reader and almost ready to be submitted. 
  • Ground of Insurrection, my submission for LT3's Devil's Land collection call, is in edits. 
  • Dragon Deception, book two in my Supernatural Consultant series, is completed and in need of editing. 
  • Magnified, the longest story I've ever written at 60k words, was also completed.  I want to finish writing the sequel, Justified, before getting Magnified ready to submit.

Writing Progress:
  • Dragon Detective and Dragon Spy, the next books in my Supernatural Consultant series are growing daily. 
  • The Oracle's (Water) and The Sentinel's Prophesy, the next books in The Oracle series, are also taking form. 
  • Kelpie Blue wins the award for the most progress made this year.  It's only reached 20k words, but it took the most research and planning of any of my stories to get there. 

Other Accomplishments:
  • I started posting monthly goals to keep myself on task and have had a fair amount of success with it so far. 
  • I created a monthly newsletter to help keep readers and fans informed. 


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News: Little Things, Big Progress

12/19/2014

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12/19/14
  • I feel like I haven't accomplished a whole lot over the past few days, but I have done a bunch of little things that I think add up to big progress.  Math isn't my strong point, but I feel good about what I've been able to get done.  First is the fact that the beta reader who looked over Thunderbird is amazing!  She pointed out quite a few spots for improvement and I'm really happy with the result.  I'm hoping to have Thunderbird ready to submit to LT3 next week.  Plus, she agreed to have a look at Ground of Insurrection too, which means that story will also be extra shiny when I submit it. 

  • I've written over 10k words in Dragon Deception over the last two weeks.  I've reached the halfway point in the story where all the various plot lines have been introduced.  Now I have to converge those plots into a climax battle scene.  There's approximately 15k left to write, which isn't an insurmountable task to accomplish.  I know I said this earlier about Dragon Detective before Deception took over, but I don't see why I won't have Deception completed this month.  Of course, I can't get it ready to submit until LT3 lets me know whether they've accepted Dragon Consultant, book one in the series.  Hint Hint, Nudge Nudge. ;p 

  • And that's it.  Usually I'm working on multiple stories at the same time, plus edits for one or two additional books.  It feels really odd that I've been so focused on my Supernatural Consultant Series, but at the same time I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.  If I can complete all three planned SCS books and begin planning book four and/or five while riding on this momentum, I will be in great shape.  There are other stories on my goals list that I know I'm letting down, but I also know I'll return to them soon enough.  My attention span for one story or series will not last for much longer, which is why I'm trying to get as much done in SCS as possible before I mentally wander in a different direction.  Wish me luck! 
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News: Writing Successes

12/8/2014

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12/8/14
  • So far this month has been all about writing successes.  I've been making so much progress with my goals and I really hope I don't hit a wall.  Knock on wood!  I've already submitted The Oracle's Sprite to LT3, which is one big check mark in my goal's list.  I've also spoken with my beta reader about Thunderbird and the news is still very positive.  I should have it back by the end of the week and will have it submitted to LT3 by the end of the month. 

  • I have also gotten a lot of writing done.  Dragon Detective is growing steadily.  I've almost reached 10k words, which isn't quite the halfway point.  I had to pause so I can work out how the next few scenes are going to play, but I could potentially have the story completely written this month.  That's amazing to me as it might be the shortest time it's ever taken me to put an entire story together.  It's such a fun series to write, especially since the dragons are adorably engaging.  I'm looking forward to polishing and submitting Dragon Consultant (book one) and getting it off to LT3 so all of my readers can learn to love the dragons as much as I do. 

  • I have also made a ton of progress writing Ground of Insurrection.  The entire story is planned out at this point so it's only a matter of putting it onto paper.  I just finished writing the climax of the story so all that's left is to tie it up in a pretty bow.  It's sitting at 19k words right now and I don't foresee it growing beyond another 3k.  That's how close I am to finishing and I don't see why I can't have it done by the end of this week. 

  • As you can tell, I'm already working on a lot.  Once GoI is finished I'm hoping to pick Kelpie Blue back up.  I'd like to add another 10k to that story this month as well.  I also have a lot of research for Justified that I still need to compile and I'm hoping to work on that too.  My busy month of writing will hopefully continue to grow! 

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News: Lots of Fun Things

12/2/2014

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12/2/14
  • The Oracle's Sprite has been submitted to LT3!  That's one of the three stories I have ready to submit already in the publisher's hands.  I've contacted my beta reader about Thunderbird and I'm going to wait another two weeks before touching Dragon Consultant, but I'm so excited about my progress.  I hope to hear from LT3 soon! 

  • I've been writing a lot over the past few weeks and I'm happy to say I haven't slowed down.  Both stories in my Supernatural Consultant series, Dane's Day Off and Dragon Detective, are growing steadily.  I've also begun writing Justified.  It needs a lot more research before I start making actual progress, but I'm happy with how the story is building so far. 

  • My first newsletter came out yesterday.  It had a ton of fun things inside including all the information about current deals on my books and a snippet from Dragon Consultant.  For those of you who received it, I would love to hear what you thought.  For anyone who wants to sign up for the next one, click HERE to get to the form. 
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December Goals

12/1/2014

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Winter break is on its way!  I hope everyone who celebrates Christmas is enjoying the holiday season.  Hanukkah actually overlaps with Christmas this year, so I get to feel somewhat included in the fun!  The upcoming Winter and New Years breaks mean that my job will be closed for two weeks.  That's a lot of extra writing time, so I've written a slightly larger goals list than usual in the hope that I'll have a lot of extra time to get things done. 

  1. Planning.  I would like to begin planning and plotting out some of my future books so I can start writing them next next year.  First is The Oracle's (Water) of which I only have the needs-to-be-rewritten prologue done.  The second is Justified, which I would like to begin writing soon.  There's a lot of research involved before I can start working, so this one will be a slow, but fun, start. 

  2. Writing.  There are a four stories that I would like to finish writing or at
    least start making progress on.  Ground of Insurrection, my story for LT3's
    Devil's Land call, is almost finished.  I really want it off my to-do list and
    onto my to-edit list and this month feels like a great opportunity to do that. 
    The Sentinel's Prophesy is also a story I would like to get a lot written for. 
    I have the majority of the plot already planned and just need to get it all onto paper.  Next is Dragon Detective, which I started writing last month and have made significant progress on.  And last, but certainly not least, I would like to continue working on Kelpie Blue.  I have done so much research and planning for this story and I want to get it written. 

  3. Editing, Formatting, and Submitting.  I have three stories that are completed and need me to run them through a final edit, get them properly formatted, and to submit them.  I'm waiting on Thunderbird to come back from my beta reader, but it's first on my list.  Second is The Oracle's Sprite which has been waiting patiently for a month.  The third, Dragon Consultant, needs to wait at least two more weeks before I can begin editing, but I would also like to have it ready to submit this month.  Hopefully LT3 won't yell at me for sending them too many emails at the same time.  ;p 
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News: Lots of Writing

10/28/2014

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10/28/14
  • I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  The Oracle's Sprite is coming to an end.  As you're reading this, I am probably putting the finishing touches on the final scene of the book.  I still have to go back and add two more small scenes that I skipped in order to keep up the flow of my writing, but those shouldn't be hard to write.  I don't see any reason why I won't have Sprite completely written by the end of October or the very beginning of November.  I'll do a quick edit when it's completed in order to catch the glaringly obvious errors and then put it aside until the end of December at which point I'll do a more thorough edit and get it properly formatted for submission. 
        Next on my list for this series is The Oracle's (Water), the fifth and final book of the series, and The Sentinel's Prophesy, the first book of the side series.  I hope to have one of those ready to submit by July 2015. 

  • I have also been continuing to write my still untitled story for LT3's Devil's Land call.  I need to come up with a title for it, so if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to offer them.  I also need to put together a working summary.  I think I should have the story completed soon, but without a title and summary I can't submit it!  I'll have to really sit down and figure these important details out, but luckily the writing itself is going well. 

  • I have received a first reaction email from my beta reader about Thunderbird, and it's good!  My beta reader seems to like it!  I am so very excited.  She's giving it another once-over before sending it back to me, but I'm really looking forward to what she has to say.  There is still plenty of time to edit and format Thunderbird and I should have it ready to finally submit soon! 
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September Goals: Results

9/29/2014

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  • Here are the results for my September Goals.  I was fairly successful, but I forgot to take into account the arrival of the High Holidays taking up a full week of my writing time.  Overall, I did get a lot done:
  1. Work on the Oracle's Sprite.  I wrote approximately 5k in this story during September.  The original plan was to write 10k, so I did reach the halfway mark.  I got everything I had already laid out for the story written, but then I hit the stumbling block of not knowing what I wanted to happen next.  There is a big action and romance scene in between what I currently have written and the ending I already have planned out.  I don't know what that missing scene is comprised of just yet and until I do Sprite will unfortunately have to sit and wait. 

  2. Finish Magnified.  The goal was to write the final 10k in
    the story and bring it to a close so I could start working
    on Justified, part two.  I finished this goal early!  I had the
    final action scene written by the middle of September with only
    the last romance scenes to flesh out as well as the ending and the tie-in to Justified to put together, which I finished within the next week.  Magnified tapped out at 63k.  It's the longest story I've ever written and I'm so happy with what I was able to accomplish.

  3. Write, Plan, or Submit Three Anthologies.  This was my loftiest goal because it entailed the most work.  First on the list was getting Thunderbird ready for submission.  I contacted a wonderful beta reader, but I probably won't actually submit Thunderbird until much closer to the due date.  Second was Riptide Publishing's Sweet Romance call.  I utterly failed at this one.  The goal was to figure out what I wanted to write for the call and I still have no idea.  Third was to begin work on LT3's Devil's Land call.  I did much better at this one.  I've written almost 3k in the story, which is a good beginning because it forced me to flesh out the setting and the characters.  I still need to work on the plot (and come up with a title), but overall I'm pleased with where the story is now. 

  • Like I said, September was a pretty good writing month.  I would have liked to get more done in the anthologies goals, but mitigating circumstances interfered.  October is mostly comprised of various big holidays, so I already know it's not going to be a great writing month, but it'll give me a good chance to get ahead for November!  I'll post my October goals soon. 
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News: Writing Progress

9/10/2014

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9/10/14
  • I have so much free time for writing now, I almost don't know what to do with myself!  It's amazing!  After six weeks of zero free time to even run the most necessary errands, I'm suddenly able to take my time through my day.  I can eat a leisurely breakfast and read the paper.  I can run my errands and make my phone calls without watching the clock every rushing second.  And, best of all, I can sit in front of my computer writing for hours!  The mere five minutes snatched between getting out of the shower and having to get dressed to run to my crazy job was awful.  I cannot stress enough just how happy I am that my summer job is over. 

  • I have gotten a lot done in the past ten days.  I put together my goals for September and have been doing my best to stick to them, but before I could get started on those I had to finish some major editing.  I finally got through all the edits for Road to Home, then I put it aside for a brief day and went through the second round of edits for The Oracle's Golem.  Once Golem was done, I sent it back to LT3 and did one final read through of RtH.  That story is now also back with LT3 where the editor will take another look at it.  I got a rather grumpy message about how RtH was very late (even though I told them I wouldn't finish the edits until the end of August and got it back to them only a few days after that), so the release date might have to be changed again.  I'll keep everyone updated when I know more. 

  • With all the editing on my plate finally done, I moved on to my September goals.  I have written 7k in Magnified so far.  If I keep up with the pace I've been writing, I'll have the story done by this weekend.  It needs some major editing, of course, but with the first part done I can start writing part two.  Justified has been distracting me for over a month now with ideas and plans, so I am very eager to start putting it all onto paper.  I have also been working on The Oracle's Sprite.  I promised myself that I would have it submitted to LT3 by the end of the year, which gives me plenty of time.  I've written approximately 2k.  In a story as short as Sprite, that's significant progress!  I'm still on track for my goal of reaching 15k words in Sprite. 

  • I haven't had time to work on any of the anthologies on my list.  Thunderbird just needs editing, so I'm probably going to put it off to the end of the month.  I do need to start working on my story for the Devil's Land call.  With the High Holidays coming up, I'm not going to have a lot of writing time and that story has a concrete due date.  I do know how the story starts and can start writing.  I've been working on my other stories instead, but I'll switch my focus soon. 
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My Anthology To-Do List

9/8/2014

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  • I have been busy rearranging many of my current projects, mostly in my anthology/collection section.  I took on too much and my writing was suffering for it.  I ultimately had to make a decision on what was actually feasible given due dates and the need to work on other stories as well.  Here's the basic run-down: 
  1. LT3 has so many interesting calls out, but I had to decide which ones I simply could not write something for.  The due dates for their calls are all really close together and I lost half my summer due to that crazy job, which is why I've been forced to pick and choose.  I've had to drop my idea for their Lovely, Dark, and Deep call I was so interested in (and which closed last month), and Villains Inc., which sounds amazing, will probably be too much of a stretch for me to write by the due date. 
    Instead, I'm going to finish the edits for Thunderbird, the story I wrote for LT3's Intertwined call.  I am also hoping that the basic story idea I had in my head for their Villains Inc. call can be altered for their Devil's Land one instead.  I'm not sure if there's even enough time to write my Devil's Land idea before that due date, but I'm going to try! 

  2. I was hoping to write for a few of Riptide Publishing's calls.  They didn't accept my story, Knoty Love, for their BDSM call and I ran out of time for their Sports Romance one.  I missed the due date while I was working my butt off elsewhere.  Maybe one day I'll write the idea I had fleshed out for that story, about a soccer player with a broken leg and his oh-so-helpful "nurse", but it won't be any time soon. 
    My story, Dragon Consultant, was supposed to be for their Shifters and Weres call.  A recent reread of that story told me what I had already suspected: there is no way I could write the entire story by the due date.  It's too large and complicated for the quickly nearing date and I have too many other things I also want to get done during that time.  I love the dragons and the world I created, so instead of abandoning the story I'm hoping to eventually finish it as a stand alone instead. 
    After carefully looking through their open call list, I realized that the only one I had a chance of finishing on time was their Sweet Romance call.  It's a fun call and something I haven't tried to write in a long time.  I think I'll enjoy the challenge! 

  3. I was also going to try writing a very short New Year's call for Dreamspinner Press.  For some reason I thought I could put together 5k within a few weeks.  I didn't take into account my real life or the fact that I had so much else to write.  That story has been moved to my "I'll write it when I have free time again" pile with the goal of it being a free short story.  I may re-appropriate it for the Sweet Romance call, but I'm not sure just yet.  At the moment I have zero plans of writing for a different Dreamspinner call, simply because I have too much on my to-do list already.  Maybe in 2015 I'll take another look. 
  • I'm hoping that by reducing my to-do list I'll be able to put more focus and love into what's left.  Of all the anthologies I was planning to write in 2014, I'm sad that there are only three left on this list.  When I keep in mind all of the other stories I'm currently working on--including two books in The Oracle series, two books in the Out of Underhill series, and three stand alone books--I know that my writing list isn't nearly short enough.  Luckily, unlike these anthologies, none of my other stories have due dates.  They'll still be waiting patiently for me when the anthologies are submitted. 
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    Mell Eight is an author writing with LT3.  For more information about Mell and her writing, please visit her website: http://melleightfiction.
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