Category Archives: Twilight

MGR: Mid-Year Check-In

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Welcome to the heat of summer, MGRers. It sounds like an excellent time to stay inside and review where I stand in achieving my goals for the year as stated back in January. I already am cringing, because I am far, far from the planned route for the year. But you’ll come along for the ride and can laugh at my embarrassment.

Let’s start with the good news. Blackbirds Second Flight is published. That’s the Kindle link, but you can find it in paperback at major on-line retailers as well.

That was the good news. I was not learning cover creation techniques fast enough to suit me, but I discovered Amazon has a Cover Creator Wizard that will create a passable cover. By uploading a .doc file, Amazon will convert a manuscript to Kindle format. For simple short stories, this works well, so I found cover art and converted my short story and poems from Blackbirds First Flight and my two short stories from Blackbirds Second Flight and offered them for sale on line. Both are available for 99 cents. Quin and bonus poems can be found here. Glaring Upheaval and bonus story, Malone’s Way, can be found here.

quinglaring upheaval

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quin is science fiction and explores one creepy solution to finding workers to work on dangerous jobs. Glaring Upheaval and Malone’s Way are written from their feline main character’s points of view.

That was the unexpected news, and I think it falls to the good side of the tally sheet. On the more disappointing side, Polar Bear on the Loose will NOT be published by August 4. It will not be published this year. I’m just too slow at revising, and it needs far too much rewriting to make it suitable for your eyes. Additionally, I have not begun the revision of Twilight (new Working Title: Geeks), because I do not want to descend into whatever level of Hell revising two novels simultaneously would send me to.

I’ve been stalled since my knee replacement surgery in late April. I had carpal tunnel release surgery last Thursday. My energy levels are returning from the knee surgery, and after my hand heals enough to be productive again (I’m a lefty, and the surgery was on my left hand), I’m anxious to resume work. I’m just not certain what that work will consist of.

Wednesday Wanderings

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I’m pulling some writing-related things together for the end of the year.  My writing plate is overflowing now.  This is largely a good thing — several projects are gaining momentum.

I just finished the revision of Polar Bear on the Loose. It’s out with beta readers now. While I would dearly love to say Inuit (pronounced Eye-Knew-It, by the way) could be on your e-readers very soon, the truth is the word I’m hearing back from my wonderful, adventurous beta readers is she’s not ready for prime time yet. I have one and a half to hear from, and those are going to be even more helpful replies than the two and a half I’ve heard from already.  Once I hear back from the last one, I’ll evaluate their recommendations and come up with a plan.  I used Holly Lisle’s “How to Revise Your Novel” for this first round of revisions. I plan to use Holly Lisle’s “7 Day Crash Revision” course for this next iteration. It will take me more than 7 days, because I’m just that slow, but it better not take another six years!

Twilight, which will have to be renamed, is up next on the revision block. I’m preparing to work through “How to Revise Your Novel” again with this.  The process worked for me. I plan to finish in 22 months in this iteration. I may have to adjust for reality, but that’s my goal.

I’m also working on compiling some blog posts into a couple of ebooks.  Some for gifts to subscribers and one for sale.

That’s what’s on my mind on this Christmas Eve 2014.

MGR: Protagonists

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Protagonists.  Specifically, my protagonists.  What to say about them?

I have a few I like.  Let me introduce you.

  • Inuit (pronounced Eye-knew-it).  Inuit is my female polar bear character, and she’s telling her first person account of what her life was like as she transitioned from a wild polar bear to a polar bear living the American human lifestyle.  Inuit has learned a lot during her journey, and she taught her author a few things as well. Her story is nearing completion, and I hope you’ll find her journey as interesting as I have when she’s finally ready to share with the world.
  • Jeff Forrester.  Jeff impregnates his high school sweetheart during their first year at college.  He successfully convinces her to have the baby she does not want and turn the baby over to him. They break up, and Jeff raises the baby.  They meet again years later.  Can they resume the relationship they both wish had never ended, or is there too much baggage?
  • Harold, Charlie, and the Freakin’ Geeks: This elite cyber team searches and destroys cyber criminals determined to wreak havoc upon the nation. They’re also a bowling team.

Those are the protagonists from my first three draft novels.  They are likely to be the first three novels I revise for publication — Polar Bear on the Loose, Inuit’s story, is nearly complete.

This post is part of Forward Motion’s Merry Go Round Blog Tour.  Find other author’s participating in the tour here.

A Decade of National Novel Writing Month

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In November, I completed a decade of participation in National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known at NaNo. In my first attempt, in 2003, I wrote my first novel, Polar Bear on the Loose. I finished the first draft while deployed to Bahrain in the summer of 2004.

Here’s a brief summary of my subsequent NaNo efforts:

2004: Twilight. A secret computer network defense team defends against a cyberterrorist.

2005: Threads and Ties. An unplanned pregnancy breaks up a high school sweetheart couple with the girl leaving their daughter with the boy to raise. After twenty years, can they pick up where they left off?

2006: 30 Days to Regularity. This was a non-fiction effort.

2007: Hot Coffee. A hipster attempts to revitalize her grandparent’s 60’s activism.

2008: Parallels. Trying an alternate reality story.

2009: Something’s Fishy. My first attempt at a category romance.

2010: Fooling Mother Nature. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.

2011: Granite Hill. An entitled son of an influential family and his buddies impact their small town.

2012: Reunion. Six high school friends who have lost touch reunite at their 35th high school reunion.

2013: Flash for 100, Please. The plan was to do 100 flash fiction stories. I may have gotten two. It wound up being a potpourri of writing.

NaNo has been great for generating first draft material. I’ve proven I can write a first draft. I’ve not done so well at getting those drafts revised and publishable. Because of that, I believe my time for participating in NaNo may be through. I need to focus on revision and polishing. That will be a significant part of my writing plans for the foreseeable future.

I haven’t mentioned this for a little while, but have you signed up to join The RandR Fiction Club? Just add your email to the sign up form either on the top bar ribbon or the sign up box in the upper right sidebar. If you sign up before the end of January 1, 2014, you’ll be eligible for a drawing for Stephen Bagley’s Murder by Dewey Decimal, among other things.

Interview with Me

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This month’s Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour topic is a self interview.  Right.  I’ve browsed Google* and have come up with a few completely unanswerable questions, and I will attempt, before your very eyes, to answer them.  You will think they are simple, but the words are deceptive. How long does it … Continue reading →

Reflecting on 2009

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2009 has been an interesting year.  It’s my first full year of retirement.  There’s still no time for boredom. We experienced some sadness.  My paternal grandmother died in February — complications of old age.  She was my favorite grandmother when I was younger — she was a kid’s grandmother.  She … Continue reading →

What’s Next?

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I knew you were wondering.  You weren’t?  Then I know you’re not reading this, so I’m going to tell you anyway. NaNo 2009 is done and won.  Check.  (It doesn’t matter that I produced the singularly worst writing I think I’ve ever done.  I may have gotten enough character development … Continue reading →

What Gets Posted Where

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I’m posting Twilight revision updates here.  I’m posting political thought and other concerns for the world we live in here.  And here?  I’m just rambling around, ranting and raving.  You know, whatever comes to mind.  I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with my PolarBear60 site.  … Continue reading →

Sloth

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My husband has long been jealous of my relationship with the computer.  Lately, I think he’s justified.  I’d love to say I was using the computer to write riveting lines of fiction.  Or even revising klutzy lines of prose into interesting fiction.  Alas.  If only. I have been playing Mafia … Continue reading →