Lia Sebastian: August 2007

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

In Edits

The Greatest Gift is in the second round of edits. (Cobblestones Press's standard practice is three rounds.) Waiting for edits is a nervous thing. I always wonder how the editor will like the book, what they will suggest. With all my Cobblestone stories, it's been a wonderfully positive experience.

It's important to remember that your editor is also a reader. For this reason, she's providing invaluable feedback. I'm always amazed by how much better my story is after editing, even though most of the changes have been minor.

This editor is fast! At this rate, edits will be finished by the weekend. Then I get to look forward to the cover.

Labels: The Greatest Gift, writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 10:20 PM | Comments 3

Saturday, August 25, 2007

I'm Off to Europe (I Wish)

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam.
Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

Labels: memes

# Posted by Lia @ | 2:51 PM | Comments 2

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Sold

I'm thrilled to announce that I sold The Greatest Gift to Cobblestone Press! This is my first historical. Here's a blurb.

Andrew and Sarah have almost everything they could want after four years of marriage--wealth, companionship, and love. What they don't have is a child. Sarah fears that the one thing she cannot give her husband may destroy their marriage.

The conflict escalates at their annual Christmas Eve party, where Andrew sees that Sarah is pulling away. Together, they must decide whether to bridge the gap that divides them . . . or lose the greatest gift of all.

The Greatest Gift is part of Cobblestone Press's 12 Days of Christmas series, so I expect it will be available in December. No cover or specific release date yet, but of course I'll post them once I know.

Labels: Cobblestone Press, The Greatest Gift

# Posted by Lia @ | 12:26 PM | Comments 2

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Milestone

I finished and submitted the historical story I was working on. It's such a relief to have it done. It's called The Greatest Gift and is set in the early Victorian period. I'll post more about it once I hear back.

I don't usually listen to music when I write, but this story takes place at Christmas, so I often listened to this CD (usually before writing) to get in the right frame of mind.

I sang in choir during high school and college, so I love choral music. Two songs in particular have a haunting tone that worked beautifully with the story: "Gabriel's Message" and "Nativity Tale."

Today I'm going to savor the fact that this story is finished. Tomorrow I'll get to work on something else.

Labels: The Greatest Gift, writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 8:13 PM | Comments 0

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Contest

In other news, I've entered the Romance Junkies Writing Contest 2007. I'm not allowed to tell you which entry is mine (it's not listed under my name), but if you have a minute, take a look at the entries and go vote!

Labels: writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 10:39 PM | Comments 0

Selected

I'm thrilled to announce I've been selected to write one of the stories in Cobblestone Press's Vampire Oracle series, which will debut in 2008. Here's the lineup.

The Moon by Michelle Hasker
Birth by Diana Bold
Innocence by Lia Morgan
Life by AL Debran
Hunger by Sophie Athens
Chalice by Ericka Scott
Power by Ava Rose Johnson
Battle by Lia Sebastian
Fever by Sapphire Blue
Lust by Jade James
Sin by Antonia Pearce
Sacrifice by Leila Brown
Love by L. Shannon
Harmony by MG Braden
Shadow by Karen Erickson
Sunlight by Moira Reid
Ashes by Contessica Ryans
Death by Yolanda Sfetsos
Sleep by Eugenia O'Neal
Tomb by Rebecca Goings
Awaken by Eliza Gayle
Rebirth by Lyric James
New Life by Emma Petersen
Wisdom by Sable Grey
Circle of Life by Deanna Lee

The covers are terrific. I'm thrilled to be part of this wonderful project!

Labels: Battle, Cobblestone Press

# Posted by Lia @ | 10:19 PM | Comments 0

Saturday, August 11, 2007

It All Depends on Your Point of View

Last night I worked on one of the scenes I've been struggling with in the WIP. I added details, dialogue, but the scene just felt . . . flat. So I took a close look at the scene to try and figure out what was wrong. I figured it out almost immediately: the point of view.

The scene is from the heroine's point of view. So I considered what the scene reveals, why telling it from her POV is important. Then it hit me; the scene doesn't reveal anything new, not from her point of view. So I switched it. Now it's from the hero's POV, and suddenly the scene is infused with emotion. It's no longer two people having a conversation. It's a conversation with underlying hope and longing.

One of those moments when the story clicks into place.

Labels: writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 5:16 PM | Comments 1

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Absorbed in Research

Research is fun. It can also be distracting, but at the moment I'm devouring a couple of books that will help with the current WIP. I'm particularly enjoying the one about 19th century women's clothing. Fascinating stuff, and I think it's helped me pin down the setting.

Here's the thing about research. If I do too much of it before I start writing, I get so caught up in it that I put off the actual writing. This is probably because I don't always know exactly what information I need until I've written a draft.

So now I've written enough that I can do some research. I just keep trying to remind myself that I don't need to read the books cover to cover right now to get the specific information I need. Researching just to learn more can be so tempting . . .

Anyone else feel that way?

Labels: writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 9:39 PM | Comments 0

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Puzzle

I'm still working on my historical. I've got the basic story down; now I'm filling it in and working on the transitions that will put the puzzle of my manuscript together. Am I winning? It doesn't feel like it yet. Ask me again in another week.

The good news is I'm pretty motivated to finish. I have several novellas and other projects I want to work on the rest of the year.

Two of my coworkers and I are encouraging each other to write. We bring a little something to share with each other every day. This is nice. I'm the only romance writer; the others are writing historical fiction and fantasy. Still, sharing our work keeps us writing.

Labels: writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 11:13 PM | Comments 0

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Secondary Romances

I continue to listen to 2006 RWA classes--too many to list. A few of the classes have mentioned using secondary romances to create single titles. This isn't something I typically do, although I haven't written that many single titles. (In fact, I have two WIP that will be single titles . . . eventually.)

Still, writing secondary romances is an idea I resist, I think because I tend not to enjoy them as a reader. Actually, that's putting it too strongly. I prefer not to have them. I've certainly read lots of books where I've enjoyed the secondary romance, sometimes as much as the primary romance. In one or two cases, I've enjoyed the secondary romance more.

But even as I'm reading and enjoying, I sigh inwardly as I get caught up in one story then get jerked to a halt as the next subplot begins. And it happens again each time the story shifts.

What this means is that I'm not likely to include secondary romances in my books. Just a personal choice.

Readers and writers: what's your opinion about secondary romances?

Labels: writing

# Posted by Lia @ | 1:58 PM | Comments 2



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