Lia Sebastian

I've Moved!

2007-12-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

My blog has moved! Please redirect your links and visit me at http://lia-sebastian.com/blog/.

Thank you!

Driving to Work

2007-12-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Today's drive to work should be fun.

Note: I live on the unshoveled half of the townhouse. LOL!

The Greatest Gift Excerpt

2007-12-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here is an excerpt from The Greatest Gift.

After Drew left the room, Sarah sank back slowly into her chair. He seemed so formal, distant. Oh, he had smiled and laughed when required, but she knew his moods. Something troubled him.

She was a disappointment to him.

After a moment, she realized she still held the letters that had arrived in today’s post: one from her sister and one from her mother. She placed them carefully on the table, smoothing out the creases with her hands. Mama’s letter rested on top. A phrase jumped out from the page.

I considered giving the bracelet to you, but under the circumstances, I decided to give it to Grace.

Under the circumstances. It was Mama’s delicate way of pointing out that Sarah had yet to bear a child. The reminder was unnecessary; Sarah felt the lack every day. She didn’t object to losing the bracelet. Grace was a lovely girl, and Sarah had never expected the bracelet to be hers, or even thought of it. But the letter was one more reminder of all she was missing.

She’d hoped this month might be different. It was Christmas, after all, an appropriate time to conceive if not to give birth. But it was not to be. She pressed one hand to her abdomen. No child rested there—she’d received the proof of it a week ago.

She brushed aside the letter. It fluttered to the floor—a sign of her hope slipping away. Even Mama, with her optimistic nature, had given up.

So had Sarah.

Tonight she would deal with the well-meaning comments. “Soon it will be your turn to have children,” someone would say. Or, “You’ll be setting up a nursery soon, I’m sure.” They didn’t know how much she wanted the statements to be true.

Then there was Drew. During their courtship, she’d known he was kind, wealthy, and well connected. She’d discovered other qualities after they married. He’d make a wonderful father.

He hadn’t reproached her, hadn’t said a word to suggest he was unhappy. And she’d said nothing, afraid to confirm his disappointment. But she saw it in his demeanor each month she didn’t conceive. Every man wanted children. A child was her greatest desire, the finest gift she could give her husband, the man she loved more than anything in the world.

She ached to hold a baby in her arms, a son with Andrew’s light blue eyes.

She pulled back the drapes and stared outside. It was Christmas Eve. Had Mary wished for a child more than a thousand years ago? Or had she been surprised by the gift of a baby boy who would grow up to perform miracles?

Snowflakes were beginning to fall. A small miracle. Sarah wanted another miracle, a larger one. She was far from perfect, she knew, but it wasn’t too much to ask, surely? If this one wish was granted, she’d never ask for another. She saw a star sparkling in the sky, large enough to have been seen in Bethlehem, and made a wish.

Please, God. Let us have a son.

All was silent as snow descended in gentle waves. Earlier flakes had melted immediately, but this snow was starting to stick to the street. She pressed her fingers to the window, felt its chill against her fingertips, and prayed for a miracle.

The Greatest Gift Available Now

2007-12-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that The Greatest Gift is available now!

The Greatest Gift is part of Cobblestone Press's 12 Days of Christmas series.

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 situation 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.

This story developed after I read a romance where the supposedly infertile couple has a miraculous pregnancy by the end of the book. I've read a number of these books over the years, and I've always wondered about the couple who simply cannot have children. What if they lived in a time when there were no modern infertility treatments? What if they desperately wanted a child, and their situation affected their marriage? How would such a couple find a happy ending?

These questions became the basis of The Greatest Gift. It was an emotional story to write, but it was ultimately a very satisfying one.

Hope you enjoy!

Letting the Characters Lead the Way

2007-12-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.
--E.L. Doctorow

A couple of my coworkers think it's very odd when I say that my characters speak to me. They are perhaps worried that it is a sign of mental illness. (Um, I am a writer . . .) But I have to say I treasure those times. That's when I know the story is going in the right direction, or that I'm learning something important about the character.

Take my current WIP (I really should come up with a title for it). I was writing along quite nicely when I suddenly discovered that my heroine has been getting hang-up calls. I had one of those, Hmm, this is interesting, moments. I have no idea who is calling the heroine, but I'm going with it. It adds depth and complexity to the story.

And those are the times I love--when the plot I've created becomes bigger through the writing. I hope it makes things more interesting for the reader as well. Now if I could just get one of the characters to help me with the title of the book.

I wonder who's on the other side of that phone . . .

Twelve Days of Christmas

2007-12-08T23:17:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about the book trailer for Cobblestone Press's Twelve Days of Christmas stories. You can check out the trailer here:

My story, The Greatest Gift, comes out December 17. I'll post an excerpt for it in the next few days.

New Desk

2007-12-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have a new writing desk! I've nearly got it assembled. It looks bigger than I expected it would, but it has bookshelves on the side, which is nice. I'll have all my books for writing and research in one place now, which will be nice. I'll post a picture when I'm all done.

A Picture

2007-11-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but this one . . .

. . . is worth more. 51,067 words, to be exact.

Blast in the New

2007-11-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in a multi-author scavenger hunt. More than 15 authors have posted this image at their websites, and you can enter the contest by finding out where the images are hidden.

The prize: e-books from the participating authors. You can get more details here:

http://blastinthenew.blogspot.com/

You'll find this image somewhere on my site.

The contest ends December 31, 2007.

Word Count, New Writing Tools, and More

2007-11-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

At long last, I'm updating my Sven word count. Here it is.

32,094 / 70,000
(45.8%)

Writing is keeping me very busy these days. I can't believe it's already mid-November. How did that happen?

Something wonderful did happen this week. My boss's boss had a drawing to give away a laptop she no longer needed. I put my name in the drawing because I have been thinking about getting one that I use only for writing. Guess what? I won! I love the new laptop, and I've found it's very productive to write on one that doesn't have internet access. (I'm on the internet one now.)

Can I just say how much I love Shakespeare? I saw a production of King Lear this week, and it reminded me how much Shakespeare refuels me. I could watch one of his plays every week and not be tired of them.

What refuels you?

Trick or Treat

2007-10-29T23:06:00.000-06:00

So, I've been caught up in the 70 Days of Sweat. Then on Wednesday, I was writing along and I hit save. I got a message saying something like, "Some characters will be lost if you continue." That was odd, since I'd saved this file before with no problem, so I tried to get out of it. Unfortunately, MS Word shut down completely and somehow deleted the file.

I was a bit heartbroken about it. I told myself to look at it as an opportunity to rewrite the story now that I know the characters and make it better, but it still killed me to think of losing 50 pages. So, I ended up jotting down notes for another story to keep my mind occupied.

In the meantime, I had a couple of friends take a look at my computer to try and find the file. On Sunday, I was able to recover most of the text. Talk about going from trick to treat! Yes, I could have rewritten it, but I'm so glad I don't have to.

Backups. Always a good thing. I knew that, but I guess I needed the reminder.

The Greatest Gift Cover

2007-10-27T14:29:00.000-06:00

I received the cover for my next book, The Greatest Gift.

Frauke from Croco Designs made it, and I think it's beautiful! I love the sexy and festive look she's given the cover.

New covers are wonderful. :)

Sweating Update

2007-10-20T21:28:00.000-06:00

I'm having a hard time getting the word count meter to work in my sidebar, so I figure I'll do a weekly update for the 70 Days of Sweat.

5,179 / 70,000
(7.4%)

I'm working on Battle, my Vampire Chronicles story for Cobblestone Press. It's coming along quite nicely.

Get Ready to Sweat

2007-10-14T21:35:00.000-06:00

I decided to participate in the 70 Days of Sweat writing challenge. Just looking at the banner makes the sweating begin . . .

I'm sure I can do it, though. I need to write 70,000 words between October 15 and January 15 (70 days with time off allowed for the holidays). Since I need to write 50,000 for NaNaWriMo, I have faith that I'll do it. I'm going to finish my single title Vanished and my novella Battle.

Let the sweating begin . . .

Always Learning

2007-10-09T22:34:00.000-06:00

I have a release date for The Greatest Gift! It comes out December 17. I can't wait to see what they come up with for the cover.

I'm working on a new story now. With each one, I learn more about writing. I think the more you do it, the more you learn. That's the way it should be. Luckily there are good moments to offset the ones that are a struggle. The latest lesson is the importance of outlining. I do little outlining with shorter stories, so I wasn't working with one for my latest story. Then the story expanded, and I'm trying to put it all together. My next step: a new outline to get the story back on track.

In other news, I entered the Brava Novella Contest, so I will be waiting to hear the results along with more than 300 other entrants.

Should be fun.

I'm also preparing for National Novel Writing Month--I can't believe it's coming so soon! Looks like I have a lot of outlining to do this month.

Synergy

2007-09-08T18:47:00.000-06:00

Not feeling so good today, though I feel marginally better after taking a long nap. Unfortunately, I missed out on a fun concert with six bands. I'm kind of vexed about that. Why can't we get sick at convenient times? (Is there ever a convenient time to be sick?) /End Whine.

I've been listening to more RWA conference classes this week. One was on finding your writing style, and I found it quite illuminating. The speaker talked about being a left-brained writer or a right-brained writer, and on the importance of reaching a kind of synergy.

For writers like me who start a lot of stories, finding that synergy means going back to a story and finishing it. Other writers may struggle with the internal editor who keeps them from moving forward in a story until the previous chapter is perfect. Those writers somehow need to tap into whatever will allow them to get the story out.

I'm oversimplifying, but I encourage writers to listen to this presentation if they have a chance: Figuring Out Your Creative Process by Carla Neggers. You might find it as illuminating as I did.

Vampire Oracle Trailer

2007-09-04T00:04:00.000-06:00

Cobblestone Press has created a trailer for the Vampire Oracle series. It's terrific, and it offers a sneak peek of all the covers. Take a look.

Laboring

2007-09-01T13:20:00.000-06:00

It's Labor Day weekend, and in addition to getting some much needed rest and relaxation, I'm determined to get a bunch of work done on my WIP. I'm posting it publicly, so now I need to live up to it. I do have some fun things planned for the weekend, including family time and some reading, so it won't be all work.

Yesterday I bought the Harry Potter 5 soundtrack. The music for that is great. Anyone else a fan of soundtracks?

In Edits

2007-08-29T22:20:00.000-06:00

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.

I'm Off to Europe (I Wish)

2007-08-25T14:51:00.000-06:00

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?

Sold

2007-08-23T12:26:00.001-06:00

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.

Milestone

2007-08-19T20:13:00.000-06:00

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.

Contest

2007-08-14T22:39:00.001-06:00

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!

Selected

2007-08-14T22:19:00.000-06:00

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!

It All Depends on Your Point of View

2007-08-11T17:16:00.000-06:00

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.

Absorbed in Research

2007-08-09T21:39:00.000-06:00

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?

Puzzle

2007-08-08T23:13:00.000-06:00

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.

Secondary Romances

2007-08-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

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?

Inspiration

2007-07-31T00:41:00.000-06:00

Some subgenres are more challenging for me to write than others. At the moment, I'm writing a historical and I can politely say it is kicking my ass.

I was feeling frustrated about it until I remembered what Nora Roberts said during her RWA chat. One person asked if she'd ever written a book and set it aside because it was beyond repair. Nora's response:

No. I will win.

I like that response; it inspires me. So here's what I say to my historical: I will win.

Listen

2007-07-29T21:42:00.000-06:00

I've been desperate to listen to MP3s of the 2007 RWA conference classes. However, they aren't available at the conference; they'll be shipped later. It suddenly occurred to me that I have dozens of classes from last year's conference on MP3 that I hadn't listened to. So now I'm making up for lost time.

So far, I've listened to Writing Realistic Emotions and Screw the Muse, I'm on Deadline. Good stuff, and it makes the daily work commute more interesting. This week, I plan to listen to Write 50 Books in a Year and Plotting the Erotic Romance. And a few others that look interesting.

One More Photo

2007-07-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

Oh! I forgot to include this conference photo. It's from the St. Martin's Press publisher signing; it's me with Lisa Kleypas.

She did one of the keynote luncheon speeches at the conference, and it was terrific. It was such a treat to meet Lisa. I've been reading her books more than a decade. She was one of my first autobuy authors because her writing is so lush and emotional.

Anyway, I wanted to post this picture too.

Exciting News!

2007-07-18T22:08:00.000-06:00

More than a month ago, I decided to enter Samhain Publishing's Best First Line contest. You entered by posting the first sentence of your story; then the editors selected entries to go to the next round. Those people posted the second sentence; once again, some were selected to continue to the third round. And so on, through five rounds.

There were initially almost 300 entries; last week, these were narrowed down to 10 winners.

I was one of them. Now I'm invited to submit a synopsis and the first three chapters.

I'm very excited; so is Tony. I entered with the first five lines of his story.

Conference Report

2007-07-16T20:02:00.000-06:00

I'm back from Dallas, this year's Romance Writers of America conference. Here's a quick report.

Tuesday
I arrived in Dallas on Tuesday and took a cab to the hotel. I shared it with one of the Utah writers who was on my flight, and the trip was a little more expensive than I'd hoped. No matter; it was tax deductible.

When I arrived, I unpacked so I'd be ready to go on Wednesday. I registered for the conference on this day, and got a conference bag, which included a pin, pen, and several books. This was only the start of the free books!

Tuesday night, I ran into some readers, and we sat and chatted for a few hours. It was so fun to have faces to put with the names of bloggers I've known for a while.

Wednesday
In the morning, I went to the Goody Room and got several more books and some promo items. I grabbed the bookmarks that appealed to me, but for the most part, I took things like pens and coasters. There were many more coasters this year than last. It's always interesting to see what promo items people bring. I dropped off some CDs of my free short story, Museum Rendezvous, and some magnets. They were all taken during the conference. Yay!

Then I went to the Book Fair. I always treat myself to a writing book at conference, and this year I bought two. I also ran into Sylvia Day there, and we went for drinks in the afternoon. It was great to take time to sit and chat. Other authors joined us; soon we were a huge group.

The literacy signing was that afternoon, and I had a great time wandering around to all the authors.

Kelley Armstrong and Me

Here I am with Gena Showalter

Marjorie M. Liu and Me

Lia and Julia Quinn

Nora Roberts and Me

I saw many, many other authors. I left the signing with a cart full of books. So much fun!

After the signing, I went out to eat with Kelley Armstrong and some other readers: Sonny, Nicole, Susan, and David. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but the ribs were awesome! And I loved chatting with Kelley and everyone else.

Funny story: We passed a store called Condoms to Go. Someone in the car remarked, "I guess they don't offer condoms to stay."

Thursday
This was the first day of workshops. I attended the PRO workshop, where there were presentations about promotion, getting an agent, and more. Then came lunch. Lisa Kleypas was the keynote speaker; she was funny and inspirational.

Thursday night I went out with Kelley and the group again (Nicole couldn't make it this time). We went to a steakhouse, which was also good. Texas definitely knows how to serve red meat.

Here's Kelley in the Texas chair.

(From left to right) Kelley, Me, Sonny, Susan, David

Funny story: People from the hotel came over a couple of times to tell us that our ride was on the way. No one got Sonny's name right. The first time, he was Scott. Then he was Casey. It was hilarious! As a side note, Kelley was gracious enough to sign my books while we waited for Sonny/Scott/Casey.

Thursday night was also Midnight Madness, where people set up booths and sell lots of fun writing-related stuff. I bought a necklace and a few magnets. There were several shirts available, but I was able to resist them. Lots of other jewelry and things as well. I love seeing what's available.

Friday
More workshops. I attended the first Harlequin spotlight; it focused on Mira, HQN, Red Dress Ink, Luna, and Spice. When pitching to them, they suggested saying, "My books will appeal to readers of [name author here]. But my stories are significantly different in this way: etc."

Next was a class called Understanding Your Writing Profile the Myers-Briggs Way. I thought this was quite helpful, since it focused on the fact that there are more types of writers than linear plotters. I'm pretty sure I'm part puzzler and part plotter.

In the afternoon, I attended the Center Street and Kensington spotlights.

The publisher-hosted signings also started Friday. I have no idea how many books I ended up with, but I filled up one of three boxes I brought with me (I learned from last year) and took it to the mailing center in the hotel.

Saturday
More workshops, more publisher signings. I attended the Chat with Nora Roberts workshop and the Loose Id spotlight. I also took another box to the mailing center. This time I had to wait in line, as lots of others were also sending books.

The RITA Award ceremony was Saturday night, and I enjoyed dressing up for it. I sat with the Romance Divas, which was nice, because most of the time I saw them when I was on my way somewhere.

Sunday
This year, I was able to arrange an afternoon flight, so I didn't have to get up before dawn to leave. I'd packed most of my stuff Saturday night, so I had a pretty relaxing morning. I was also able to catch a shuttle to the airport, so I saved money that way.

I had a lot of fun, but it was nice to come home. I only put my foot in my mouth a few times, and I'm hoping next year to be a bit less of an introvert. Overall, I enjoyed it. I loved seeing people I haven't seen since last year!

Countdown

2007-07-05T20:06:00.001-06:00

The RWA conference is just days away. I've cancelled my hotel reservations (don't need them now that I'm at the conference hotel), gotten my hair cut and colored, and started to pack. The trick is packing lightly so that there's plenty of room for books on the return trip.

Trouble is I don't pack lightly. Ever. Even when I go to work, I carry a purse and a bag jammed with stuff: a book to read, game to play, notebook (you never know when a writing idea will strike), etc. Do I ever use any of these things? Well, not at work, but I take them anyway. What can I say? It's a quirk.

Knowing me, I'll be packing right to the day of the trip.

I'm also trying to get in touch with my inner extrovert. This is not an easy task, since I'm definitely an introvert. But I'm working on it.

I Am the Moon

2007-06-28T22:39:00.000-06:00

I thought this was an interesting result . . .

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Feeling Cool

2007-06-28T22:27:00.001-06:00

The air conditioning is working now--I can't tell you how nice my house feels now.

Bliss.

I'm having fun with a couple of writing projects. I'll share more when I get further along.

On a weird note, the plastic cover on my laptop keyboard for the letter "I" has fallen off. Anyone have any success putting the covers back on? I could use a tip. Right now, the key looks naked.

Countdown

2007-06-26T23:58:00.000-06:00

The RWA National Conference is a few weeks away . . . where does the time go? It amazes me that it's the last week of June already. I'm very excited--I'm ready for a break from work, and I'm looking forward to seeing friends I haven't seen since last year. I'm also beyond delighted to meet Kelley Armstrong and some of the other people I've "met" through her message board.

I did manage to get reservations at the conference hotel. I called them directly, and apparently there had been a cancellation. I'll be paying more for the room than I would have at the other hotel, but it's worth it to be right there.

I've got a lot to do before leaving for Dallas. The first item is getting my air conditioning fixed. I'm sweltering in my house, which is just plain wrong since my furnace/air conditioning unit is all of two years old. That should be fixed on Thursday.

Next week, it's time to get my hair colored. It amazes me how quickly the gray takes over.

I'm sure I'll post before I go, but I will have lots of photos and fun stuff to post when I get back!

Contest Parade: Don't Miss it!

2007-06-03T00:57:00.000-06:00

To celebrate Cobblestone Press's anniversary, many of the authors are doing a giveaway. Contests only run today, Sunday, June 3, so head over to the Contest Parade forum to check out all the contests.

The prize for my contest is a copy of my e-book The Seventh Sense.

If you sign up for my mailing list, you double your chance of winning! Plus, I often hold contests on my mailing list.

Have fun!

Pirates 3 (or, A Reminder of Why I Write Romance)

2007-06-02T15:21:00.000-06:00

Let me start with a little background. I loved the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It was vibrant and original. The fact that I love Orlando Bloom didn't hurt.

I saw the second movie once. I had problems with it for a couple of reasons: first, I didn't love the direction they took with Elizabeth. Second, I thought it tried to do too much. It was packed with plot lines. Don't get me wrong--I enjoyed the movie and found it entertaining. But it lost some of the wonder I'd had in the first movie.

I went to the third movie last weekend. I liked it, thought it was much better than the second movie. It was entertaining, I liked Elizabeth's journey, and Orlando was great. But I don't know if I'll see it again.

Why?

Spoilers ahead . . .

. . . so be prepared . . .

Two words: the ending.

For me, part of the pleasure of the first movie was its feel-good ending. That's not evident in the second or third movies. With At World's End, I found myself thinking about the ending for days afterward. On one level, that makes it a success. But it disturbed me.

Not every movie or book has a happy ending, and that's fine with me. But I'd hoped Pirates 3 would provide a feel-good ending just like Pirates 1.

I write romance for many reasons. One of them is because I love feel-good endings. Life is a cycle, full of ups and downs. Writing romance helps me remember those good times, even when work is hard, health issues are pressing, gas prices are going up, etc.

I won't argue that the ending isn't original. It is. I can't help but admire it on that level. But on a gut level, the movie let me down. It didn't live up to the promise it made--albeit implicitly--in the first movie.

You may disagree, and that's fine. For me, I needed that movie to have a happy ending, and I got bittersweet instead.

It reminded me why I write romance--I love happy endings.

Happy Anniversary

2007-06-01T23:43:00.000-06:00

I learned about Cobblestone Press in March of last year. I kept my eye on their site, because the professional site impressed me, and I was more than impressed with the covers they created.

When I learned that they would look at short stories, I sent Office Relations. Cobblestone sent me a contract, and Office Relations became my first published story.

It was released the second week of June 2006, the week after Cobblestone Press opened.

Since then, I've released two additional books with Cobblestone and I plan to submit more.

Happy anniversary to all the people behind the scenes who make Cobblestone Press a success! Thank you for helping make my dreams of publishing come true.

Realizations

2007-05-28T18:04:00.000-06:00

I've had a nice, long weekend, and I've spent much of today thinking. I kept running into a wall when I worked on a certain project, and I think I've figured out why. It's long, convoluted, and personal, so I won't go into it here. I reached a bit of a painful realization, but I do feel like I have some direction again. Ah, the joys of self-analysis.

I'm back to working on Legacy, and I'm going to finish it.

Not Sure This Describes Me

2007-05-14T18:45:00.000-06:00

Here's my meme for the week. As I mention above, I'm not sure if this really describes me, but I like the picture.

Which Ultimate Beautiful Woman are You?

You are a true nature girl!
Take this quiz!

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At Work

2007-05-13T23:44:00.000-06:00

I'm writing the first draft of a new story. First drafts work best for me when I plow through them. I had been working on Tony's story, but it just wasn't gelling. The story I've switched to is moving along nicely--it's unfolding as I go, even faster than I can write. It's a good sign.

Scrapbooking

2007-04-28T17:30:00.000-06:00

Scrapbooking is something I really enjoy, and I've been doing some pages lately. Here's one about last year's RWA book signing.

I Hope So

2007-04-28T17:14:00.000-06:00

I can't help but do memes like this on occasion . . .

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

A Talk with Tony

2007-04-23T23:37:00.000-06:00

Dear Tony,

I'm sorry I haven't talked to you in a while. I'm working on your story now (I've even started a love scene), and I'm hoping you'll come back and talk to me the way you did before. I'd love to find out more about you and get your input. I enjoyed our earlier conversation.

Lia

P.S. I'm open to any title ideas you have.

* * * * *

Lia,

Finish the love scene. Then we'll talk.

Tony

P.S. Worry about the title later.

RWA Conference: Coming Soon

2007-04-21T19:41:00.000-06:00

This year's Romance Writers of America conference is in Dallas, Texas. I registered when I got my tax return. Unfortunately, I didn't register soon enough to get a spot in the conference hotel. I tried to register at the alternate hotel, and it's full on two of the days. So, I did my own searching and I'm in another hotel about a mile away. Kind of sad about that, but I'm looking for a roommate, and if I don't find one, I still have a hotel. So that's something.

I'm looking forward to it. I enjoy the RWA conference. It's great to hang out with other writers, and to meet people I only interact with online. I like the inspiration I get in the classes. And I love all the freebies. :) Yes, conference is fun.

Defining Lia

2007-04-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

Ha!

Lia --

[adjective]:

Like in nature to a banana peel

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

All New

2007-04-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

I've switched over to the new Blogger system. Hopefully nothing broke in the transition. I can only hope.

The Seventh Sense is now available! I'm excited about the release of this novella! In fact, I'm having a contest to celebrate. You can check it out on my website.

After a long getting-my-appendix-out hiatus, I'm working on another story. I'm pretty excited about it; I've had the story idea for a while, and had even started writing it, but an element of the plot recently came to me. I think it will bring the story together. I love those moments of inspiration.

Back to it . . .

Time Flies

2007-04-04T21:45:00.000-06:00

My next book, The Seventh Sense, comes out on Friday. Yay! You can get it at Cobblestone Press.

When Erin Andrews buys an antique ring, her practical world turns upside-down. First, she hears a disembodied voice. Then, she receives a series of threatening notes. In her search for answers, Erin seeks advice from antiquities expert Luke Hunter, a man who's deeply interested in the ring.

Luke has been researching the secrets of Erin's ring for more than a decade. His help--and protection--proves invaluable, but can Erin trust that he wants her . . . and not her antique ring?

The Seventh Sense is my first paranormal, and it was a lot of fun to write. I'm excited to have a new book out, although I don't know where March went.

Actually, I do know. I spent the last part of it having my appendix out. Life is much better without it, although I'm still recovering my strength after surgery. I'm back at work, though, and feeling better every day.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from The Seventh Sense:

"Can you teach me to do it?"

He looked confused. "Do what?"

"Fight. You teach karate, right?"

"Karate isn't about fighting."

"I want to learn," I persisted.

"I'll teach you. But we'll start with something else and work up to karate." He stood up, turning off the TV with the remote before pulling me down the hallway. He led me to a makeshift gym with standard equipment, weights, and a wide area I guessed was where he practiced karate. Blue mats covered the floor. "Let's get started."

Something else turned out to be instruction in balance and lessons in escaping from different holds.

I wiggled against him. "I . . . want to . . . do karate."

"You just can't remember how to get out of this hold," he said near my ear.

He was right. I couldn't remember, and the proximity of our bodies wasn't helping matters. I stood in front of him, arms at my side, while his arms wrapped around me and rested directly under my breasts. My struggling wasn't getting me out of his arms-it was only pushing my breasts against his forearms and making me feel out of breath.

"You're wrong. I do remember." I didn't, but I didn't want him to know it.

"So?" I felt his chest move as if he were trying not to laugh. "What's your next move?"

Hell. I wasn't sure what the move was supposed to be, but I wanted to turn around and push him against the wall. With only a few short tugs, I could get his pants off and my pants off and then I'd wrap my legs around him and sink onto his cock . . .

His arms tightened a fraction. "You sure you know what to do?"

Oh, yeah. I knew what to do, and the dampness of my panties signaled how ready I was to do it.
"Are you hoping I'll get bored and let you go?"

No, not even close. "Yes, it's part of my plan to distract you from whatever you're planning to do."

"It's not working," he muttered, and I felt his dick swell against me.

Maybe I could use this. He had my upper body immobilized. Now I'd see what I could do with the rest. I wiggled again, this time doing my best to press against him.

"Nice try." He tightened his arms again.

Okay, that hadn't worked. I tried to ease my arms out of reach and realized it was hopeless. Use your head. But I was so distracted by Luke that I couldn't have located my head if I had a map and directions.

"Think about it, Erin. If my arms are around you, what does that mean?"

I was pretty sure I knew what it meant. That was the problem.

Hope you enjoy The Seventh Sense! The book is part of the In the Runes series at Cobblestone Press. Here's a trailer created for the series.

Long Time

2007-03-13T01:50:00.000-06:00

Long time no write. It's funny how life knocks you for a loop sometimes. A few weeks ago, my dad had a very mild stroke. He's doing a lot better now, but it really shook me. I'm spending more time with my family these days, and I'm finding a lot of comfort in reading and scrapbooking.

The day job is squeezing me a bit right now. Alison Kent wrote a blog entry about being able to write at her job. She links to another writer's blog entry (excerpt below):

If you keep using the same creative muscle over and over and over at your job, my personal experience indicates that doing the same type of activity is probably not gonna happen in your spare time.

As someone who is a full-time writer and editor at my day job, I can say that some days it is hard to come home and write. Right now it's not happening at all, because it is a very busy time at work.

The good news is I have several stories in various states of completion--I just have to pick the one I want to go with. Once work eases up a bit, I'll get back to it.

In writing news, I've finished the third round of edits to The Seventh Sense. I'll post the official release date soon.

Found

2007-02-05T00:40:00.000-07:00

I found my jump drive! It was in a compartment of my purse that I never check. Isn't that typical?

The Mystery of Suspense Conference

2007-02-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the Utah RWA's Mystery of Suspense conference. It was quite good--I filled an entire notepad with notes I took during the classes. The conference started on Friday. Registration was first, and there I received a bag with four or five books and dozens of bookmarks and other author promo items. Getting the goodie bag is always one of my favorite parts. :)

Next came a luncheon, and it was nice to chat with people. I sat by Ravyn Wilde, and we caught up a little. I hadn't seen her in several months.

I quickly realized that the conference rooms were going to be cold, so I went out to buy a jacket since I hadn't brought a sweater. It ended up being my best purchase.

After lunch, I went to the afternoon classes. There were two classes at each time, so I had to choose. I decided to go to the presentations by a probation officer, DEA agent, ATF agent, and medical examiner. I was sorry to miss RaeAnne Thayne's presentation about taming your internal writing demons (I could sure use that one), but I got some terrific information I'm excited to put to use. I have some new ideas for Tony's story, which has been simmering on the back burner for a while.

Dinner came after the classes, and it was a Murder Mystery Dinner presented by Hunt Mysteries. I thought it was cute and entertaining, even though I didn't correctly guess the killer. After dinner, the first day of the conference concluded.

I had to get up bright and early on Saturday to make sure I arrived for Karen Robards's presentation at 8:30. Wow, is she terrific. I loved hearing how she got started in the business and getting her tips. It was even more a treat for me because she is one of the first romance authors I ever read and loved. I took pages and pages of notes. Some of her comments:

Never start or end a chapter at a boring point.
Use white space to speed up the action.
The hero/heroine are like yin and yang. Each needs something the other has.
Mystery presents the reader with a puzzle. Suspense plunges your reader into a nightmare.
There is always a motivation that fuels a character's every move.

Her presentation lasted most of the morning (with a break), and then it was time for lunch.

At lunch, we received another six or seven books. The authors and publishers who contributed to the conference were incredibly generous. During lunch, award winners were announced and Christina Skye gave the keynote speech about life lessons. Here were some of my favorite lessons:

Write from the heart and gut, not from the head.
It's supposed to be fun. Only the joy will help you get through the things you face as a writer.
A good writer touches hearts and changes lives.

The editor/publisher panel was next. The participants: Victoria Curran from Harlequin; Debbie Malone from Triskelion; Barbara Collins Rosenberg from The Rosenberg Group; Elaine Spencer from The Knight Agency. I got lots of little tidbits from this panel:

Nephele Tempest is looking for science fiction/fantasy. (I wish I'd asked about futuristics, since I have two manuscripts in various states of completion.)
Silhouette Nocturne is actively acquiring.
When one person asked about chick lit, Rosenberg said that the market for it "has bottomed out." Elaine added that "people are running from it" and it therefore needs to be packaged another way for it to get anywhere.

Next, Karen Robards and Christina Skye did an author's panel.

The final event of the conference was a book signing. I bought a few books, but I also signed CDs of Office Relations and Between Floors. It was great fun. I went into it with low expectations about how many copies I would sell, and I ended up selling more than I thought I would. So I would describe my first signing as a success.

I also had Museum Rendezvous on small CDs that I gave out free. I think they turned out pretty cute--you can see them in the picture above directly to the right of my name card. I even gave one to Karen Robards, which seems kind of surreal since I've loved so many of her books. Hopefully she'll enjoy the story. :)

So, that's the conference. It was a lot of fun, but I've enjoyed staying home and relaxing today. Being an extrovert is exhausting.

The Case of the Missing

2007-01-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days and I'm trying not to panic, but I can't find my jump drive. I had it on Friday--I remember grabbing it and leaving the house. I don't know where it went after that, but when I went to pull it out at work, I couldn't find it.

Why am I almost panicking? Well, it's got a bunch of photos on it. Those I can replace; they're on my hard drive and I can get others from friends. The big problem, of course, is the writing. I've got a lot of writing on it that I don't have anywhere else. Story ideas, partially written manuscripts, and more.

Guess I need to be more vigilant about having backup. In the meantime, send some good thoughts my way so I can find it. I need all the help I can get.

Book Signing

2007-01-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm participating in a multi-author book signing next weekend. Here are the details.

Date: February 3, 2007

Time: 5:00 to 6:00 PM (mountain time)

Where: Heart of the West Utah Romance Writers of America
The Mystery of Suspense Conference
Salt Lake City Airport Hilton
5151 Wiley Post Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Who:
New York Times Best Selling Authors: Karen Robards and Christina Skye

Local Authors: Ann Chamberlin
RaeAnne Thayne
Lisa Dawn MacDonald
Phyllis Campbell
Ravyn Wilde
Sara Fitzgerald
Lia Sebastian

More information: http://www.utahrwa.com/2007Conference.html
Or e-mail mary@marymartinez.com

If you can make it, I'd love to see you!

Visit My Chateau

2007-01-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Cobblestone Press? They've set up a messageboard called Cobblestone Main Street, and I have my own forum there. It's called Lia Sebastian's Chateau, and I'll post there about my releases, interviews, appearances, and more. I'll still post here, of course, and at my website. But this is very fun. I'd love to see you there!

Cover

2007-01-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about the publishing process is getting a cover. Today I received the cover for The Seventh Sense. I have to admit I wasn't sure what I would think of it. I'm very fond of the photo covers (see Office Relations at left), and this one is a very different style.

Once I saw it, though, I loved it. I think it really captures Erin's striking (but not conventionally beautiful) looks. And I like the way the ring is incorporated as well.

I'll let you know when I get an official release date.

Rendezvous

2007-01-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

And since I'm logged in, I thought I'd mention a free short story I've posted at my website. It's called Museum Rendezvous, and you can download it here. Please note that it is in PDF format and is intended for adults only. Now, a super quick blurb.

When Olivia attends a museum opening, she isn't expecting to meet a man . . . or to enjoy an evening rendezvous.

Hope you enjoy!

Focus

2007-01-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged last. Long enough, in fact, that I wasn't sure I remembered my password. As you can see, I managed it and here I am.

It's a new year. Amazing, really. So much happened last year--good and bad.

The good: I was published! I'm endlessly grateful to Cobblestone Press for buying my work. I couldn't have asked for a more positive first publishing experience. And I've met so many wonderful people through Cobblestone and through writing.

The bad: I've lost focus. Part of this is because of the day job. There have been a number of shake-ups there lately. Plus, since I write and edit eight hours a day, sometimes writing is the last thing I want to do when I get home. I've also let some things become distractions unnecessarily.

My goal for the year is simply this: focus on the writing. I'm going to do my best to shut out the static, the distractions.

I wrote today and it felt wonderful.

In other news, I'm attending the upcoming Utah RWA conference next month. I'm excited about all the speakers and hope to get a lot of good information I can use in my writing.

NaNoWriMo 2006

2006-11-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is my second year participating in National Novel Writing Month, and it's been an interesting experience. It was initially daunting, I admit. There is some truth to NaNoWriMo's contention that the second year of participating is harder than the first. It was that way for me.

I took a week off work earlier this month and ended up taking time off writing as well. So I had to revise my daily word count. I'm at a little more than 35,000 words right now, and I'm on track to make 50,000 if I keep up my current pace. I'm working on my second futuristic.

One of my favorite things about writing are the unexpected turns the story takes. This one has some character developments that surprised me. I do love that feeling. Anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? If so, how are you doing?

The Seventh Sense

2006-11-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

November has been a very busy month for me. I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month, and I also took a week off to go to California with a friend. While I was gone, I received some news. Cobblestone Press sent me a contract for The Seventh Sense. Here's a blurb for the story.

When Erin Andrews buys an antique ring, her practical world turns upside-down. First, she hears a disembodied voice. Then, she receives a series of threatening notes. In her search for answers, Erin seeks advice from antiquities expert Luke Hunter, a man who's deeply interested in the ring.

Luke has been researching the secrets of Erin's ring for more than a decade. His help--and protection--proves invaluable, but can Erin trust that he wants her . . . and not her antique ring?

No firm release date yet, but it looks like it will come out in April. This will be my first paranormal.

And It's Off

2006-10-23T22:33:00.000-06:00

I've just submitted The Seventh Sense, Erin and Luke's story. I hope it finds a home with my first choice. If not, I have a few backup ideas.

While I wait to hear the news, I'm busy plotting my story for NaNoWriMo. I've got a good start, but still a ways to go. The story needs more action . . . in both regards. LOL!

Update

2006-10-05T22:04:00.000-06:00

My latest Avon Fan Lit entry didn't make the top 10. I was pretty disappointed, but I rebounded quickly. I'll wait until seeing the requirements for the next chapter before I decide whether to try again.

In the meantime, I'm focusing my energy on revising The Seventh Sense and on plotting my NaNoWriMo story. The Seventh Sense is with two test readers, and I'm planning to submit it to Cobblestone Press by the end of the month. It will be my first paranormal, although the paranormal aspect is a bit unusual. If CP accepts the story, I'll post a blurb so you can see what it's about.

I've been listening to the latest Evanescence CD. I love that group--their music is amazing.

Write It Again

2006-09-30T08:02:00.000-06:00

Amazingly enough, I've gathered the courage to enter another round of the Avon Fan Lit chapter. My first entry was for chapter 1, and it ranked 61 out of 513. I opted out of the second round. My new chapter is for the third round, and I think it's quite a bit stronger than the first one.

Here's something that puzzles me. When you enter a chapter, there is a place to see the latest rating your chapter has received. Ratings run from 0 to 5, and apparently I give higher scores than other people do. If the writing is good, I give nothing lower than a 3. I'm fairly certain my writing is solid and in some cases (I hope) funny, so it confuses me to see scores of 1, 1.5, and 2.

There's a place for people to comment, but my comments are largely positive, so I don't know why some people score it low.

Oh, well. I'm going to try and be less obsessive about checking scores this time around. Wish me luck!

Being Brave

2006-09-16T20:00:00.000-06:00

After a lot of internal debate, I decided to enter the Avon Fan Lit contest. I just uploaded my chapter and it's ready for rating. Putting your work out there is always a bit anxiety-inducing. In this case, it's more so because of the sheer number of people who can read and rate it. It's gotten a couple of comments so far, both more positive than negative. We'll see how this goes.

I was feeling a bit awkward about whether to let people know about it. I've never been fond of the "click here and vote for me" approach to things because it feels too much like a popularity contest. But once I finalized my entry, I ended up at a page allowing me to invite 25 friends to read and rate it. This levels the playing field somewhat, so I decided to announce it. I've invited about 10 people so far, so if you're interested in taking a look, send me a message with your e-mail address and I'll send one of the remaining invitations to you.

The subject line of this blog comes from my niece, who more than once has said, "Be brave." I think she got it from Scooby-Doo. It was pretty cute when she said it, and it's good advice too.

Two Weeks

2006-09-10T00:11:00.000-06:00

It's been nearly two weeks since my doctor visit and a little more than two weeks since I started exercising again. I started out by walking, but now that it's getting dark earlier, I've been doing exercise videos. So far, I'm enjoying the cardio dance ones. From past experience, I know that kick boxing ones get my heart rate a bit too high. (And that's a serious understatement.) If you know of any good dance cardio videos, feel free to suggest them.

I haven't weighed myself and don't plan to. First of all, I don't have a scale. Second, my doctor asked me to avoid the self-weighing thing. We'll see how it's going at my next appointment at the end of October.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is coming up in November. The goal is to write 50,000 words that month. I'm planning to do it again this year. I've joined Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld Writing Group (OWG), and she's got several helpful outlining exercises I want to do. My outline saved me last year, so I've got to get going on one for this year's story. Several people at the OWG are participating in NaNoWriMo, so that will help with the motivation. We'll be the NaNoWriMo Pack. :)

Ideas

2006-09-05T23:55:00.000-06:00

Writers are often asked where they get their ideas. I had an interesting experience with this on Sunday, when I was talking to my nieces and nephew, who are 8, 11, and 15. They know I'm a writer, and although we don't talk in extensive detail about my books--I certainly wouldn't let the kiddos read my very adult stories--they do ask what I'm writing. It's kind of cute.

Anyway, I was talking with my 11-year-old niece about the story I want to write for NaNoWriMo this year in November. I was speaking about it in very general terms, as I always do with the kids: it's a futuristic about a heroine who is a former criminal and wants to turn her life around, etc. So she pipes up with, "I have an idea." I was expecting to hear one of her more fantastic ideas, such as the ones she's given me in the past. Instead, she says, "Why don't you have her sister be a criminal still so they have to fight?"

Huh, I thought. Why not, indeed?

It's a simplistic concept, as one might expect from an 11-year-old, and it may turn out to be another family member rather than a sister, but still . . . it's got definite possibilities.

Writers get ideas from everything around them, even from 11-year-old nieces.

Laboring Away

2006-09-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's Labor Day, and I'm laboring away! It's been almost a week since my doctor appointment, and I'm more than a week into my exercise routine. I'm starting small, with 15-20 minutes a day, which is basically what the doctor recommended. Oh, he did say not to drink alcohol, but that's not a problem, since I don't anyway. One less thing to worry about quitting.

I'm making small progress on the writing front. I've finally sent The Seventh Sense off to my critiquer. I was hoping to revise it a little first, but I've passed the point of objectivity, and I can trust Jana to tell me what more the story needs.

I'm now working on Tony's story, and have set a personal goal to finish it by September 15.

Also, after a great deal of resistance, I decided to join MySpace! Visit my page at http://www.myspace.com/liasebastian. And feel free to add me as a friend.

Changes

2006-08-27T21:17:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to give a quick update. This has been a tough month. First, there have been some shake-ups at work. No layoffs, but some restructuring. I have to make some decisions about what I want to do. I also have to hang in there for the next few months while everything is sorted out.

And if that weren't enough, I received the results from a medical test last week. I've been feeling very tired lately, something I've noticed for a while, but had reinforced when I was writing my RWA conference report (I'll still write about Saturday, I promise) and realized that a nice, long nap was a big part of every day. I'm going to talk to the doctor on Tuesday, and that's when I'll get the complete details, but my internet research has turned up some information. More changes there, starting with exercise and a better diet. I've already started on both, but feel free to send good thoughts my way for Tuesday's doctor visit.

These days I'm trying to take things easy. I'm still writing, but nothing new is contracted as yet. In the meantime, Office Relations and Between Floors has been getting some terrific reviews. You can see some review excerpts here.

Thanks for visiting. Hope you have a great week!

RWA: Friday

2006-08-13T15:12:00.000-06:00

On Friday, I hoped I'd get up early to attend an 8:30 AM class. That didn't happen. I slept in and started my day with the Avon/Ballantine publisher-hosted signing. I had my rolling cart with me to hold the books, and it was very helpful. I also had the fan I picked up in the Goody Room. I made good use of it while I stood in line.

The signing rooms were pretty small this year. Last year's format was better, where the authors were lined up in a large room with one publisher on each side. This time around, they were squashed into smaller rooms with tables along the wall. This added a homey element, but some of the lines spilled into each other, making them tough to negotiate.

I hit the Avon room first, getting books from Kim Harrison and Laura Lee Guhrke, among others. Only when I got home did I realize I already had an autographed copy of Guhrke's book. Oops. I'm looking forward to Kim Harrison's Dead Witch Walking, though. I was hoping to run into Lisa Kleypas, but I didn't see her.

I picked up several more books in the Ballantine room, including Raven Hart's The Vampire's Seduction, Linda Howard's Killing Time, and Allison Brennan's The Kill. It was nice to say hello to Linda Howard. I told her that I love To Die For, and she said the sequel is coming out sometime in November.

After the signing, I attended my first class: Theme - Taking an Old Fashioned Concept and Turning It into an Effective Way to Market Your Voice. It was pretty good, although I had to leave early to make it to lunch. I did get some ideas I think will help me finish The Seventh Sense.

Next came the Passionate Ink luncheon at the Atlanta Aquarium. It was just far enough that walking would not have been fun, so I took a cab. I still got there a little too late to sit with any of my fellow Romance Divas, so I sat in a corner table. There were little goody bags that contained two print books, two e-books, and lots of promo items such as pens and bookmarks. Very fun!

There were a number of speakers at the luncheon, including one of the reviewers at Joyfully Reviewed, editor Raelene Gorlinski, and an agent. When it comes to erotic romance, many editors are looking for menage, male/male romance, and alpha males. Not good news for someone who writes heterosexual and monogamous romance, often with beta heroes. LOL! But there's room for me, too, I'm sure. :) It's good for readers to have many choices.

The next two pictures are of the beluga whales and fish at the aquarium.

After the luncheon, I took a cab back to the hotel and attended a class called Writing with Magic (for Muggles). I knew it would be about J.K. Rowling's books, but I hadn't expected it to be the main focus of the class. I haven't read book six, but I know a lot about what happens now . . . I should have anticipated that.

After the class, it was time for another publisher signing. This time around was Berkley and St. Martin's Press. While waiting in line, I ran into author Jill Shalvis and we chatted for a few minutes. It was nice to see her. Before she left, she told me that the wait for the Berkley room was worth it, and she was right. I got a bunch of books there from authors I really like, such as Gena Showalter.

Lia and Gena

I'm a member of MaryJanice Davidson's Yahoogroup, and I remembered she said she wasn't a member of RWA. So I was pretty surprised to see her at the signing. Once I did, though, I was quick to get in line. When I got to the front of the line, I told her I was in her group, so she gave me an "Official MaryJanice Davidson Stalker" pin (LOL!), and I had her sign my copy of Mysteria. I also got a copy of Unwed & Undead. Left to my own devices, I would have loved a copy of all the books she had available, but courtesy kicked in and I showed a little restraint.

Before I left, I convinced Gena Showalter to take this picture of us.

Lia and MaryJanice Davidson

After this signing, I wandered up in time to catch 10 minutes of the Publisher Spotlight on Pocket. I stayed for the Publisher Spotlight on Kensington. HelenKay Dimon gives a good run down of it at her blog. One thing to note: Kate Duffy is not interested in erotica, so that should be submitted to one of the other editors, such as Hillary Sares. They had a couple of books as giveaways, including an ARC for Jacquelyn Frank's Nightwalkers: Jacob, which Kate Duffy says is a series she is extremely excited about. Should be fun to give this a try.

After the spotlight, I took a quick nap, then headed off to dinner with some of the Cobblestone Press authors. We went to a place called The Varsity. Our shoes stuck to the floor as we walked in, but the food was good and the company was terrific. After dinner, we hung out with a few Romance Divas. I left early to get some sleep before the next day's events.

Number of Books Acquired on Thursday: 44
Total Books Acquired through Thursday: 104

Between Floors Available Now!

2006-08-02T10:29:00.000-06:00

Between Floors came out while I was in Atlanta for RWA.

Between Floors
ISBN 1-60088-026-6

When Chloe Wilson enters her apartment building, she doesn't expect to see ex-lover Sean Harris, the man who left her six months before. She doesn't know why he's back, and she doesn't waste time wondering--until they get stuck in a malfunctioning elevator. Suddenly Chloe has nothing but time.

Sean didn't plan for the elevator to break down, but he's not going to waste time wondering what happened. He'll take advantage of it, because his return is no coincidence. He wants Chloe back and will do whatever it takes to convince her to let him back in her life.

Click here or on the cover to purchase it.

August at Romance Divas

2006-08-02T10:23:00.000-06:00

Don't worry, I'll get back to my day-by-day summary of RWA. To break things up a little, though, I'm posting about some great events going on at Romance Divas this month. Romance Divas is a terrific resource for authors, and they also offer interviews, chats, and things readers may also enjoy.

Author of the Month: Gemma Halliday - Contests workshop from the Golden Heart winner

Aug 5-7 :: Paranormal Event with Carrie Vaughn, LA Banks, CT Adams/Cathy Clamp, Gena Showalter, and Kelley Armstrong.

Aug 11 :: Jessica Faust: Bookends-inc agent in the Chatroom. 9 Eastern

August 8-18 :: Getting To Know The Voices in Your Head Workshop with Jo Ann Ferguson/Jocelyn Kelley

Aug 18 :: Theresa Meyers: PR/Promo in the Chatroom.

August 25 :: Ann Christopher, Patricia Sargeant, Maureen Smith and Sophia Shaw Multi-cultural Authors Chat

Hope you can attend at least one of these events!

RWA: Thursday

2006-08-01T23:05:00.000-06:00

Thursday's events started off bright and early with the PRO Retreat at 8:00 AM. Honestly, I have no idea how I managed to get up in time for this, since I am not a morning person and I'm even less a morning person in Eastern Time. LOL! Anyway, I made it to the retreat and sat with fellow Cobblestone Press authors Mia Romano and Shelli Stevens.

Left to right: Mia, Me, Shelli

There were several speakers, including Lani Diane Rich and Susan Crandall, who talked about the myths about what it's like to be a published author. Editors Raelene Gorlinsky (Ellora's Cave), Tracy Farrell (Harlequin) and Cindy Hwang (Berkley) talked about what's hot and what they are looking for. I thought it was pretty interesting that Cindy Hwang found a few authors by reading their fan fiction, which led her to their original fiction.

One especially promising moment during this discussion was the statement that a lot of e-book authors are making the jump into print. These authors are often prolific and are accustomed to deadlines, two definite points in their favor.

Jennifer Crusie, Bob Mayer, and Mollie Smith talked about the benefits of a website and blog. The goal of a blog is first to entertain, than to inform. I'm not sure how good a job I do with either, actually. LOL! They did recommend group blogs, which offer more variety for blog readers and put less pressure on authors.

Nora Roberts was the keynote speaker, and she was awesome. I loved her topic and found it very motivating. She talked about the importance of focusing on the story instead of getting bogged down by centering on your career. The story is what you can control. She also emphasized that there is no right way to write--one author's magic may not work for you.

After the PRO Retreat came the luncheon with Meg Cabot as the keynote speaker. Lunch was OK; I especially loved the cheesecake dessert. Ha! Meg was hilarious, and I enjoyed hearing her talk about her experience attending the movie premiere of The Princess Diaries. Two free books by her were waiting on the chairs when we entered the luncheon area to sit down. I now have three copies of Size 12 Is Not Fat, one of them autographed. I might need one or two more. What do you think? Ha!

After lunch, I went upstairs to my hotel room to take a nap. It was so nice to sleep for a while. When I got up again, I went downstairs and ordered MP3 of the complete conference classes. I knew I wouldn't be able to attend all the ones that interested me, so I ordered a set. They should arrive in about six weeks.

That night was a dinner at Azio's with the Romance Divas. More than 40 of us were there, and I didn't get any pictures of the table. I did manage to get pictures of all the Cobblestone Press authors who attended the dinner.

Back row, left to right: Eden Bradley, Loribelle Hunt, Me, Emma Peterson, Crystal Jordan; front row, left to right: Stella Price, Audra Price, Shelli Stevens

After dinner was the Midnight Madness Bazaar, where RWA chapters and other groups sold T-shirts, jewelry, bookmarks, lanyards, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I bought a T-shirt, handmade card, and a ribbon asking "Anyone seen my muse?" Sasha White had a table with twisted glass jewelry and book thongs. If you bought $20 worth, you got a free book. I bought a necklace, three book thongs, and got her book, Gypsy Heart, free.

Later a group of us went to Champion's once again. Tonight there was a lot of dancing. I consider myself a decent dancer, but some of these women can move, let me tell you. :) A few people also did karaoke. Here are some pictures.

Left to right: Eden, Jax, Kristen

Left to right: Lacey, Loribelle, Shelli

Shelli sings I Will Survive

Michelle and Amanda sing Like a Virgin

My smart roommate went to bed before midnight; I stayed for a while longer to dance. I did get to meet another Cobblestone author, Susan Greene. I went back to the hotel room before 1:00 AM to try and get some sleep before the next day.

Number of Books Acquired on Thursday: 4
Total Books Acquired through Thursday: 60

RWA: Wednesday

2006-07-31T22:18:00.000-06:00

On to my report of Wednesday. This was the one day I slept in, since there were no classes being offered this day and I didn't need to check out of the hotel until 11:00 AM. So I had a relaxing morning and checked out right around 11:00. Then, I headed over to the Marriott Marquis hotel, which was (thankfully) right across the street from the Hilton. I was a little concerned that they wouldn't let me check in until 3:00 PM, but I checked in early with no problem.

The hotel was amazing--very large and elegant. I wish I had pictures to show you, but I kept putting it off, thinking I would take photos later. Sorry. :( In any case, I shared a room with Ember Case, who is just fabulous, the best roommate I could have had.

After settling into the room, I went down to the conference registration desk and got my name tag. A good reminder that I needed to learn to answer to Lia. LOL! Then I wandered over to get my conference bag, which was offered by William Morrow. It was filled with books: 18, to be exact. And this was only the beginning of the book pile I managed to accumulate.

In the afternoon, I wandered over to the Goody Room, where authors leave goodies such as bookmarks, pins, pens, cover flats, postcards, etc., for conference registrants to take. There was no limit to the number of times you could go into the room, so I made sure to visit it Thursday and Friday as well, since more authors would come and set out new items. I came home with a bag of goodies, including a few books. The most practical item I picked up was a fan, which came in handy later (more about that later).

I also dropped off my goodies, which were magnets for my two books to date: Office Relations and Between Floors. I spread them out over several tables so that someone who might miss them on one table would notice them on another. I also stopped by the Bookfair and bought two books about writing.

That afternoon, I took a nap before getting ready for the RWA literacy signing. I didn't have books to sell, but I've been limiting my book purchases for months and was ready to spend. That's exactly what I did. After waiting outside the ballroom for half an hour, the doors opened and I walked up and down the aisles collecting books I wanted to buy. I had a cart with me, so I wasn't limited to what I could carry.

The result? I left with 34 books, many of them trade paperbacks. It turned out that quite a few of them were books that weren't available at the publisher signings (where attendees could get books free as long as they were willing to wait in line for them). Can you tell I'm trying to justify the amount I spent? OK, I'll tell you, but remember, I saved up several months for this. (Yep, still rationalizing the fact that I spent almost $400.)

Here's the full cart, though you can't see all the books I bought.

The signing was a lot of fun. I ran into several Romance Divas, including my roommate. It was so great to finally put faces to some of the names I've seen so often.

After the signing, I took the books back to my room and went with several Divas to a restaurant named Ruth's Chris. Their specialty is steak, and it was pretty good.

Clockwise starting from front left: Shelli Stevens, me, Ember, Emma Peterson, Jax, Kristen, Sherice

We returned to the hotel after dinner and went to Champion's, a bar and grill. A certain Diva (not me!) showed off her corset, which earned free drinks for her table and ours! LOL! I stayed and socialized for a while, then went back to the hotel room to get some sleep before the next day.

Number of Books Acquired on Wednesday: 56

Atlanta

2006-07-31T21:08:00.000-06:00

I'm back from Atlanta! What a thrilling and amazing time it was! Now I'm ready for a vacation. LOL! Unfortunately, I head back to work tomorrow. I took today off, knowing that I would need at least a day before jumping back into the fray.

I thought it would be fun to do a day by day account of the conference. It's all starting to blur together, but I'll do my best. I flew into Atlanta on Tuesday. I'm not the most comfortable traveler, and I wanted to be in the hotel and settled, especially before the literacy signing on Wednesday. I arrived at the Hilton about 6:00 PM, ordered a room service dinner, and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Here's the view from the hotel window.

This day was pretty uneventful, which was nice since there was much to come in the next several days.

Packing to Commence

2006-07-23T13:46:00.000-06:00

It's a bit mind-boggling to realize that I'm leaving for the RWA conference in two days. Eeek! I must start packing today. Within the hour, actually. Tomorrow I'll go buy anything I've forgotten. Right now that list consists of nylons. LOL! I don't like dresses, and when I do wear skirts, I usually wear knee-highs or sandals, neither of which would be appropriate with the black dress I bought for awards night.

Dress is listed as business casual, but I'm still going to wear jeans a couple of days. Business casual is what I wear to work, and this won't feel like a vacation if I wear work outfits every day. So I'm going casual on Wednesday and maybe Friday too.

Anyway, this is likely to be my last post before leaving. I'll see many of you at the conference (safe travels, if you're coming), and the rest of you I'll "see" again in August.

Taking July Off

2006-07-19T11:24:00.000-06:00

I've decided it's better for me to just accept that I'm taking July off writing. I did a little writing the first week, did none last week, as I attended a work convention. This week, I'm doing a few more things for convention and getting ready for next week's Romance Writers of America conference. I'm hoping to write a little the end of this week, but I'm going to stop pressuring myself. I think I'm trying to juggle a little too much just now.

Anyway, I've found a dress and am going shopping at lunch today for shoes to go with it. Then I will be quite happy if I never see a shopping center again for a while. LOL! Internet shopping is my friend, definitely my preferred mode of shopping.

Challenge

2006-07-08T22:23:00.000-06:00

This week I am confronting one of the biggest challenges I've had in months. I'm trying to find a dress.

I'm going to the Romance Writers of America conference later this month, and I want a nice dress for the award ceremony. Doesn't sound too difficult, right? But I spent several hours shopping without success. Why do so many dresses have an empire waist (or something similar)? Looks great on some women. On me, it just looks like I have miles of legs and nothing on top. Not an attractive look.

And here's another thing. I'm overweight, not inches away from the grave. Surely there are dresses out there that are somewhere between teeny-bopper and matronly dignified.

I found a couple on the internet (via a catalog that arrived in today's mail, yay!), and I'm now debating whether I should give one of them a try. You never can tell how it will look until you have it on, though, so I'm a tiny bit reluctant. Ah, well. I can always send it back if it doesn't work.

I'm not even up for any awards. I don't know why I'm so concerned about my outfit. Sigh.

Rising from the Dead

2006-07-02T21:08:00.000-06:00

The title of this blog entry sounds like a good book title, doesn't it? But actually, it's a pretty good description of me. I've had a stomach bug for about a week now, and after spending a few days wishing I were dead, and consuming an insane amount of Sprite, I'm finally starting to feel almost normal. I'm hoping it lasts, since I've written less than 1,000 words all week.

Speaking of writing, I've decided it's time to buckle down. I have two stories close to completed and one halfway finished, and I need to finish and submit them all. My goal is to submit at least two of them this month, which would be easier to do if I wasn't going to be working insane hours at the day job during week 2 of July. I'll also be out of town during week 4. But I still think two is achievable, so I'm going to get on task and do it.

How is everyone else doing?

Staying Busy

2006-06-25T15:50:00.000-06:00

I can't seem to stay focused on one project, and it's becoming a little discouraging. This weekend I've been working on The Seventh Sense, and I've been making changes on a printed version. Here's one page with my edits.

This is one of the more heavily edited pages of the manuscript. I know it will make the book better, but it's a bit slow-going at the moment. At this rate, it will easily be more than 40,000 words, so I'll have to make sure that's OK. I'll probably switch back to the Halloween story soon to save my sanity.

Speaking of the Halloween story, I've figured out some important elements of my fictional paranormal world, so I'm ready to get back to it. Should be fun.

Surprise

2006-06-17T22:58:00.000-06:00

On Friday, the coworkers in my department surprised me with a celebratory lunch in honor of my first book. They pulled off a good surprise--I had no clue. I was told that it was our quarterly lunch. Then we get to the restaurant, and surprise!

They gave me a card and a basket full of notepads, pens, pencils, and Diet Coke. All the tools that a writer needs. :) After dinner, they brought out a cake for me. The party was a lot of fun! I have terrific coworkers.

Last week, I heard the results of the query contest. I placed third out of five, and I'm pleased with that. No request for a partial, but I wasn't expecting one--primarily because Kensington isn't known for publishing futuristics. Participating in the contest was a positive experience. I only wish I'd had time last week to write and submit a synopsis to the contest they are doing now, but I didn't make the deadline. Maybe next time.

I'm working on a Halloween-themed story. It's interesting to play with paranormal a little bit. We'll see how it turns out.

Courage

2006-06-10T22:22:00.000-06:00

If we had to say what writing is, we would define it essentially as an act of courage.
--Cynthia Ozick

This has been an amazing and nervewracking week. As you may know, Office Relations is my first book. It's been exciting to know that it would finally be for sale, but since I've never gone through a book release before, I wasn't sure what to expect. It turns out that I've written maybe 1,000 words all week, which is not a typical number for me.

As for what I've been doing instead: worrying and promoting. I'm much too good at worrying, not as good at promoting. Not self-promoting, anyway. I wonder how common this is for writers. In any case, it will be interesting to see if I go through this process with each release. I hope I can stick with promoting and leave the worrying undone.

The good news is that today I woke up with a desire to write. My courage has returned. :) So I'll be back at it, once I figure out which story to work on.

Chatting

2006-06-10T15:54:00.000-06:00

I want to let you know about two upcoming chats. The first is tonight at Romance Divas. You will need to sign up as a member of the forum (it's free and doesn't take long to register), and Java is required. It starts at 9:00 PM Eastern, and many of Cobblestone's authors will be there.

The second chat is next Tuesday in the Cobblestone Press chatroom. You need Java for this chat as well. It begins at 9:00 PM Eastern. I'll have prizes people can win.

I hope you can make it to one of the chats!

Office Relations Available Now!

2006-06-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

It's out!

Office Relations
ISBN: 1-60088-008-8

Click here or on the cover to purchase it.

Interviewing Peter

2006-06-08T19:45:00.000-06:00

Today I'm interviewing Peter Merrill, the hero of Office Relations, which is available for purchase tomorrow at Cobblestone Press. Peter works at Stanwood Enter--

Peter: {Holds up a hand} Stop.

Lia: What? Why?

Peter: Readers don't need all that boring introduction stuff.

Lia: But--

Peter: They know I'm the hero of Office Relations. That's enough for now.

Lia: All right. Let's get started. First, are you nervous about the book's release tomorrow?

Peter: No. As far as I'm concerned, the story's the story. {Pauses} You're the one who's nervous.

Lia: You're right. Okay, let's move on to the story. Do you want to explain how it got started or should I?

Peter: Go ahead.

Lia: I work in an office with dozens of conference rooms, and I thought it made a good setting for a story. So I visualized a man and a woman who had to work together in a conference room on a project, and from there, Peter was born.

Peter: That's right. I showed up first.

Lia: Yes. Your voice came through quite clearly, even before I knew what you looked like. You were pretty frustrated being in a room with Sabrina and not being able to--

Peter: Can you blame me? Sabrina's beautiful, and her beauty is only one of the things I like about her.

Lia: Peter, that's sweet.

Peter: {Rolls eyes} I have my moments.

Lia: Let's talk about Sabrina.

Peter: No problem for me. What do you want to know?

Lia: As I mentioned, I heard your voice almost immediately, but the story actually starts in her point of view. Tell readers how she developed as a character.

Peter: Okay. Lia asked me to talk about the woman I was so interested in, so I told her about Sabrina. Pretty simple.

Lia: You're not the one who had to write it.

Peter: Hey. Living it wasn't any easier.

Lia: Point taken. I'm sorry. Please continue.

Peter: That's it. I talked, and you listened. Something you don't always do.

Lia: {Considers how to change the subject} Back to Sabrina--

Peter: Nice try.

Lia: {Gives up} All right. Readers, Peter is referring to a recent shopping trip--

Peter: I'll tell this one. First of all, Lia's doing a contest to celebrate the release of Office Relations, so she came up with this idea to give away office supplies--

Lia: I call it an office survival kit.

Peter: Whatever. Anyway, while she was out shopping, I mentioned a must-have item. She ignored me.

Lia: I didn't ignore you.

Peter: You didn't buy what I suggested.

Lia: You suggested condoms. I decided against including condoms in the kit.

Peter: You said it's an office survival kit, right? I wouldn't have survived that conference room without a condom. It came in handy.

Lia: Yes, it did. But I'm not including them in the office survival kits.

Peter: {Sighs} The kits don't include condoms, but they are pretty cool. Sign up for Lia's newsletter and you'll be entered for the contest as well as any other contests she does. Just put your e-mail address in the box in the left column of this blog. She'll draw two winners for this contest on July 1.

Lia: {Mutters} You're better at promo than I am.

Peter: Yeah, because I'm used to it. It's a big part of my job.

Lia: Well, thanks.

Peter: No problem. We done here? I want to take Sabrina out to dinner to celebrate the release of our story.

Lia: Aren't you forgetting someone?

Peter: Three's a crowd. Besides, two of your coworkers are taking you out to lunch tomorrow.

Lia: Right. But--

Peter: See you. {Leaves}

So, that was Peter Merrill. I hope you enjoy the interview. His and Sabrina's story, Office Relations, comes out tomorrow.

Office Relations Excerpt

2006-06-07T23:25:00.000-06:00

As promised, here's an excerpt from Office Relations, which will be available Friday at Cobblestone Press. In this scene, Peter has just told Sabrina that he's as interested in her as she is in him.

He hadn't meant to hurt her--hell, he hadn't known he could. He'd obviously given her the wrong impression, but he was more than happy to enlighten her. Her reaction should be interesting--once she got her voice back. Any second now.

"You do?"

"Yes." He strode toward her. "But you had a few other questions. I sit across the room while we work so I don't smell your perfume."

"I thought you liked my perfume."

"I do. But smelling it for too long makes me want to toss you on the table and see if I can find all the places you wear it by licking your entire body."

"Oh." Her mouth stayed open in surprise.

"I hurry out of here at the end of the day to hide my hard-on from you," Peter finished. "Any other questions?"

She smiled. "Only one. Do you have any condoms?"

* * * * *

Today was one surprise after another. She had barely asked the question before he was moving across the room, pulling her into his arms, and devouring her mouth.

"You're shaking," he said against her lips.

"I can't help it." It was all she managed before he groaned and sucked her lower lip between his. Kissing him was hot and wet, like he was making love to her with his tongue. She wrapped herself around him, smiling when he groaned and thrust his hips against hers. Only an hour ago she thought Peter didn't want her. Now she moaned in delight when she felt the evidence of his desire, his hard c--- against her. But she wanted more.

Want to read another excerpt? Visit my website. :)

Tomorrow, Peter has agreed to stop by for a visit. Watch for an interview with him.

Three Days and Counting

2006-06-06T22:20:00.000-06:00

Office Relations comes out in three days!

Office Relations
ISBN 1-60088-008-8

What does a man do when a work project puts him in a conference room with Sabrina Moore, the sexy woman of his dreams? If the man is Peter Merrill, he's got three choices: (1) Fantasize about her; (2) Notice how sweet she is; or (3) Find out what she's wearing under her suit jacket…

Sabrina hasn't stopped thinking about Peter since they started working on the project together. When they realize their desire is mutual, suit jackets aren't the only thing to come off. But Sabrina's keeping a secret that may interfere with their relationship.

Tomorrow I'll post an excerpt.

What the Hell Is Up with That?

2006-06-05T22:56:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in a previous blog entry that I am going back through The Seventh Sense to cut out junk words. The biggest offender?

That.

I use "that" 450 times, which wouldn't be so bad in a 300-400 page manuscript. Since it's a little over 100 pages, the number of incidents seems a bit excessive. I've brought it down to 175, but I'd still like to cut ~~that~~ this number in half. Looks like I'll be doing that for the next few days . . .

Five Questions

2006-06-04T19:55:00.000-06:00

I'm finally completing a fun meme where I answer five questions from someone else, then ask five questions of the first five people who post in the comments. So, here are my answers to Jenna Petersen's questions.

What kind of books do you write?
The two books I've contracted are short stories--contemporary romance. This subgenre is the most comfortable one for me, and I enjoy writing shorts. I have a full-length futuristic romance as well, with two more books planned in that world. And finally, I have two historical romances in the works. This subgenre is the most challenging for me to write, so once these are finished, I'm making no promises about more historicals.

Can you tell us more about Cobblestone Press (recently I've been hearing quite a bit about them)?
Happy to. In fact, I'll share the whole story, beginning with how I learned about them. I've been reading e-books for about a year, and I initially read books by both Deanna Lee and Sable Grey last fall. One day I saw a notice on Deanna's blog about Cobblestone Press.

I checked out the website and had two main thoughts: (1) that it looked very professional, and (2) that it might be a good choice for me because it was a publisher dedicated to romance, not just erotic romance. Since I rate my stories on the hot side--leaning toward erotic but not quite there--this made Cobblestone an interesting possibility.

At the time, I had one short story and the futuristic; the former was too short for consideration and the latter is targeted for print publishers. So I bookmarked the site and made a note to come back to it.

Cobblestone began accepting submissions in March. By that time, they had lowered their minimum word count so my short story qualified. I sent it for submission on a Friday and got a contract the following Monday.

It's been a great company for me as a first-time author. Each book went through three rounds of editing, and the editors pointed out things and made suggestions that made the story stronger.

Cobblestone also sends out its releases to dozens of review sites. I've heard from other authors that not all e-publishers do that. I believe the fact that Deanna and Sable are authors themselves helps them know how to make things easier for their authors. And they encourage us to submit to other e-publishers to get our names out there; they even sent a PDF with things to look for as we review contracts from other companies. As a publishing newbie, I found the comments very helpful.

Oh, and I can't talk about Cobblestone without mentioning the covers! They offer consistently good covers. I couldn't be happier with mine.

Cobblestone opened last Friday, and my first book isn't out yet (that's this Friday, only five days away!), so I can't speak to royalties, but I've been pleased with the company in every other area, and I'm convinced they will continue to grow and do well.

If you couldn't be a writer, what profession would you want to pursue?
A professional paid romance reviewer. Or a scrapbooking instructor.

What profession would you avoid at all costs?
Anything related to math.

What's your favorite ice cream?
Bubble gum. I know, everyone looks at me strangely when I say it, but it's true. Throwback to when my mom would take me to get a shake after surviving a trip to the dentist.

That was fun! If you want me to visit your blog and customize five questions to you, just post in the comments.

Finaling and Other Stuff

2006-05-31T00:12:00.000-06:00

I entered a query letter contest at Romance Divas. Tonight, I learned I am one of the finalists! I have a day or two to revise my query before it will be sent to Kate Duffy at Kensington for final judging.

The funny thing is I had put the contest out of my mind. I scored low in one particular area, so I figured I was out of the running. I'm glad I was wrong! I'm also glad I can revise that section before sending the final query.

In other news, I finished The Seventh Sense. Now I'm in the process of cutting out junk words (that, then, just, so). Once that's done, it's off to the test readers. I'm excited to see this story a step closer to submission.

The Pink Posse chat on Monday went quite well, I thought. I did go overboard when it came to prizes, but that's not a huge surprise. I tend to be excessive. I was hoping to make it to the group to chat more today, but things were flowing with The Seventh Sense, so I stayed with it and finished.

Slow Learner

2006-05-27T14:30:00.000-06:00

After hitting a wall with The Seventh Sense (TSS), I started a new project. Yes, it's Tony's as-yet-untitled story. He's pleased I've started working on it.

Here's what I forgot while racing to the finish of TSS. Writing goes more smoothly for me when I switch back and forth between projects. Apparently that didn't sink in the last time. There's always a primary project, but I need to get better at realizing when I run out of steam so I can switch.

So, I've been working on Tony's story for the past few days. I think I might be ready to return to TSS.

In other news, I've been bad at keeping track of my word count for the Write-Ons. I will add a new graph to my sidebar to help me keep track. Right now, I'm at 42,672 words. I'm not sure if I'll make the goal, since I don't expect to do much writing in July between my day job (which will require scads of overtime hours that month) and RWA's conference. Still, I forge onward. Don't count me out yet!

Countdown: 14 Days

2006-05-26T00:27:00.000-06:00

It blew me away to realize that Office Relations will be released in 14 days. There's so much to do before then, including pray for good reviews. LOL! One of the things I need to do is make a few announcements.

First, I will be participating in the Pink Posse yahoo group next week. May 29 is the day I'll be sure to be there, and I'll pop in and out of the group all day. Consider joining the group to get announcements, hear about contests, and enjoy chatting with others who love romance.
Tomorrow is an official chat at Cobblestone Press. You can find out about upcoming releases, chat with authors and publishers, and more! Stop by between 8:00 and 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Consider signing up for the The Cobblestone Press Chronicle, the publisher newsletter that will keep you informed about official chats and releases. If you're interested in Cobblestone, this announcement-only newsletter is a great way to stay updated. All you need to do is put your e-mail address in the form, and you'll be signed up! There are some yahoogroups you can join there as well if you're interested in chatting, but I recommend The CP Chronicle if you just want to get information.

I have an author chat coming up, but I'll post more about that next week. Don't worry--I'll be sure to provide advance notice.

Back into the Story

2006-05-18T23:22:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to take Laura Kinsale's words (see the previous post) to heart. I hadn't realized how much an internet junkie I've become until now, but the past few days I've written 1,000 to 1,200 words before even thinking about going online. There are a few sites I'm avoiding completely. This will be better for me as a writer.

It looks like The Seventh Sense will be longer than I anticipated, and that's OK. As long as it's within 40,000 words, it will be fine for this project. At this point, I'm estimating it will end up being about 35,000 words. I hope to finish this week or early next week, so I can send it to my readers/critiquer, get some feedback, and move ahead.

Two other stories are waiting for this one to be finished.

Connecting with the Story

2006-05-16T22:25:00.000-06:00

I found a fascinating and beautifully written post from Laura Kinsale about the relationship of author to book, author to reader, and book to reader. The entire post is wonderful, but I was particularly struck by this section:

A book is a magic thing. It has a life of its own. Do you doubt it, in the small hours of the night when you sit up in bed reading and reading, living in a world you never made, unable to bear to leave it until the last page closes and it vanishes into thin air?

Do you think it is any different for me when I write it? It is magic, but so fragile. So hard to find and easy to lose.

Now there's this internet, another magic thing with a life of its own, a million voices roaring whispering screaming over your shoulder into the quiet place where the stories come from. You can either shut it out entirely or try to open one tiny window and hope you aren't washed away in the flood. It's foolish to open the window, frankly. You do that when you're stuck with no magic at hand, and you're bored and discouraged and fretful but you have to stay at the computer just-in-case. It's like having a bottle of liquor in the drawer.

The entire post is insightful, but this particular section was a lightbulb moment. I've been feeling off my game for a few weeks--the writing has slowed tremendously.

Now I realize one reason why. I've been listening to the million voices until my own voice is lost under the sound. Even before my first book has come out. It's so easy to hop on the internet and see what everyone is up to, find out what everyone is talking about, follow the latest hot topic.

That's going to change. I need to focus on the writing and use the internet as a tool or when needed to refuel me.

Erin and Luke (The Seventh Sense) have been waiting, but they have a story to tell. I'm going to listen.

Mom, Reader and Writer

2006-05-14T23:25:00.000-06:00

I blogged at Cobblestone Press' blog today, but I wanted to post something a little more personal here.

I learned my love of reading from my mom, who read to us children often. When I started reading books of my own, I would curl up with her on the couch and we'd read together, even when we read separate books. She drove me to the library to get more books, and she was always willing to talk about whatever I was reading.

I grew up watching her write as well as read. She wrote poetry and essays, and has won statewide contests for her poetry. When I wrote my first suspense story as a kid (maybe 11 or 12) and wanted to enter it in a contest, she didn't discouraged me from entering, even though she must have known I had no chance of winning. I treasure that memory now--I didn't win, but it meant so much that she was willing to let me try. I only wish I still had that story. Maybe I'll find it someday in a box somewhere.

My mom is on a trip to England, and the one thing I asked her to get me was a nice bookmark. Reading is still something we share. Thank you, Mom, for sharing your love of reading, writing, and for so much more!

Between Floors Release Date

2006-05-11T10:03:00.000-06:00

The edits for Between Floors were finished this week, and I've learned the release date:

July 28, 2006.

Yay!

Happily Ever After

2006-05-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

I'm linking to an interesting discussion about what makes a happily-ever-after for readers. Some want exchanged I-love-yous, marriage, and kids in the epilogue. Others are content with a committed couple.

I'm in the committed couple category. If it works for the story, then I love yous are terrific. Sometimes, though, "I love you" doesn't seem realistic.

I'm revising The Seventh Sense now, but it currently ends with the hero/heroine as a committed couple rather than more. It's clear this couple belongs together, but they've known each other less than a week by the end of the story, so a marriage proposal didn't seem appropriate. I think it's the best, most realistic end to the story.

Milestone

2006-05-08T22:33:00.000-06:00

I just sent my first query to an agent. I am both excited and nervous, of course, but I've already picked out my consolation prize. LOL! The site says I'll hear back in about four weeks, although I hope it will take less time. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I must get back to work on The Seventh Sense.

Brain Pattern

2006-05-07T13:09:00.000-06:00

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is a multi dimensional wonderland, with many layers.
You're the type that always has multiple streams of though going.
And you can keep these thoughts going at any time.
You're very likely to be engaged in deep thought - and deep conversation.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Next week I will return to my regular blogging. I promise.

Lia Sebastian

I've Moved!

Driving to Work

The Greatest Gift Excerpt

The Greatest Gift Available Now

Letting the Characters Lead the Way

Twelve Days of Christmas

New Desk

A Picture

Recommended Read

Blast in the New

Word Count, New Writing Tools, and More

Trick or Treat

The Greatest Gift Cover

Sweating Update

Get Ready to Sweat

Always Learning

Synergy

Vampire Oracle Trailer

Laboring

In Edits

I'm Off to Europe (I Wish)

Sold

Milestone

Contest

Selected

It All Depends on Your Point of View

Absorbed in Research

Puzzle

Secondary Romances

Inspiration

Listen

One More Photo

Exciting News!

Conference Report

Countdown

I Am the Moon

You are The Moon

Feeling Cool

Countdown

Contest Parade: Don't Miss it!

Pirates 3 (or, A Reminder of Why I Write Romance)

Happy Anniversary

Realizations

Not Sure This Describes Me

At Work

Scrapbooking

I Hope So

A Talk with Tony

RWA Conference: Coming Soon

Defining Lia

All New

Time Flies

Long Time

Found

The Mystery of Suspense Conference

The Case of the Missing

Book Signing

Visit My Chateau

Cover

Rendezvous

Focus

NaNoWriMo 2006

The Seventh Sense

And It's Off

Update

Write It Again

Being Brave

Two Weeks

Ideas

Laboring Away

Changes

RWA: Friday

Between Floors Available Now!

August at Romance Divas

RWA: Thursday

RWA: Wednesday

Atlanta

Packing to Commence

Taking July Off