Huge Update!

Huge update!

It's had at least three rounds of edits and rewrites, and it's almost ready to go. All that I'm waiting on now is a final read-through by my spouse to make sure there are no real continuity errors. I'm really proud of how well this book has turned out.

I am also currently about 99 pages into the next book and working at getting it completed relatively quickly. I really feel like the sequel could blow the first book out of the water, and I'm even more proud of this one than the last one.

More Updates

So, it's been a little while, and I realize this is my first post of 2012, but I thought I would update everybody that reads this on the status of the book.

*The title is now Bloodlust. This is going to be known as the Blood Saga. The second title will be Bloodletting, the third title is Bloodbath, the fourth is untitled and the fifth is Bloodshed. I find these titles to be shorter and concise, and probably looks better on a book cover than the aforementioned Blood From A Locket.

* I am working on rewrites and currently 69 pages into rewrites. Not bad considering I started two days ago. I have changed some last names, like Mirella and Brie's, to Caputo and Waters, respectively. Most of the basic stuff is still in there.

*Reena should have the new cover to me pretty soon. She sent it to me over my phone, but I couldn't see it very well. Hopefully she'll send me the pictures soon. She is a tremendous artist and I am honored to have her work on my covers.

*Editors are starting to get back to me. Quin's going to take a look at this once the rewrites are done, as is Sheila. Abby's been really busy, so I haven't received anything from her past the prologue. Nothing from my new editor, Kelly, though he told me that the prologue is already done.

A Quick Update

Hello, hello to anyone out there to anyone who actually reads this blog!

I wanted to post a quick update about the status of the book. So, here goes nothing:

* The working title as of this point is Blood From A Locket. The book is completed and undergoing some edits. From there I will make some changes, have it undergo some more edits and then I should be able to start shopping it around.

* Book 2, tentatively titled Bloodletting at this point, is three quarters done. I personally love the direction that book 2 takes the series after setting the ground rules in book 1.

Some Updates

So, I'm not sure how many people read this blog -- I know I have at least three followers, and I think I know them, but here are some updates about the book.

I'm still drawing a blank with the title, but I'm thinking it's going to have the word "blood" in it. I'm just unsure of what would fit with the book.

Reena Bains made me a terrific cover. Very beautiful. She has agreed to do covers for the entire five book series. Well, five book for now -- it did start as a trilogy. It's going to be wonderful to see her cover on my first book.

I'm still unsure of the route to take the book. First round edits are finished and I'm working on second round. Quin still hasn't looked at the book and Sheila only sent me the first few chapters edited. So I'm not too sure what's happening there. If I'm really lucky I can start getting things together by Christmas, but I feel that time frame slowly closing in...

Status Update!

Wow, so I really, really need to start updating this just a touch more, don't I?

A couple weeks ago, Quin and I went to a wedding for his good friends. There, I met an older couple who sat with us during the reception. Not knowing me very well, the woman became fairly excited when I told her what I was doing, and even went so far as to offer her services in editing my first draft.

My good friend Reena is working on covers for me as we speak. She sent me a rough idea of what she wants to do today and it looks beautiful. The color scheme is just incredible! So very exciting to see that dream coming together. Still having issues with a title, but that's going to come to me soon, I can feel it.

Currently, I'm sitting with the laptop in front of me, working on an author's note for the opening pages of the book. My draft is in the hands of the woman from the wedding and I am still waiting on her. Hopefully I'll get it back soon.

Pet Peeves

So, I was sitting in my Transitions Workshop today, and we were all talking about things that push your buttons. And I thought -- I read a lot. And there are a lot of things that push my buttons in literature. So...I thought I would share a few, and maybe -- if anyone actually reads this blog -- maybe people will tell me in the comments section what sort of things in books push their buttons.

1. The Attitude Towards Death In Novels

If any author wants to kill off one of their characters, fine. If an author wants to kill its lead character, that's fine too -- after all, that was one of the bigger elements in 1940s cinema and it worked -- but whatever you do, don't write your main character's death in the first person. A finishing epilogue in the third person isn't such that bad of an idea, but it drives me bonkers to read a character writing their life's story all the way up until their final breath. In one book I read, the lead character wrote her story all the way up until her death -- in the water. VC Andrews' ghostwriters, I'm looking at you here -- you all are the worst for it.

2. Lack of Depth To A Character

I've always looked at creating a character like they're Michael Corleone from the Godfather. That, to me, is one of the most well-crafted characters of all time. The change, the depth, the range; it's what I strive my characters to be like, and I think it's what other authors should do with their characters. I feel that EVERY writer should know their characters like the back of their hand and should be able to tell you EVERYTHING about them. I also feel every good writer has an attachment to their protagonists in some way. If you can't feel attached, then why should your readers be attached? If you don't care about the characters, it shows to the readers.

3. Spelling Errors

Believe it or not, I've seen these in books. I read one book, an adaptation of The Burning Bed case, and it was just rife with spelling errors. I've also read a few with a couple of errors. It makes me want to throttle their editors. Spelling errors is one of my biggest pet peeves, and it just rips me completely out of the book.

More News!

Wow...it finally feels like things are getting rolling.

So, where am I standing at the moment? Between workshop seminars, bedrooms flooding and the otherworldly chaos that life can throw at us sometimes, I've managed to get at least six chapters edited. I've added a few more scenes and a few more things to give the characters a more unique voice.

I have also managed to get in touch with my good friend Reena Bains, the basis for my character of Grace Heartilly, to do a cover for my book, which she should hopefully have done for December. Thankfully for me, she's agreed to do my cover, which is a huge honor and a privilege. Reena is an incredibly talented artist and the only person that I could think of to ask. The fact that she's agreed has made me happier than words can ever express.

I am also in the process of trying to think of a title for this saga. It's hard, I have to confess, trying to find something that will suit the story but pack a punch. There's such a rich tapestry I have here with Mirella, and I am really very thankful for everybody's support during this incredibly rewarding process. Somewhere along the way, Mirella became something of my vicarious daughter, a character that I relate and am attached to. It's a great feeling.

Mirella's saga is now going to span into five books, detailing her struggles and the decline of her world. It's a bold statement, but I'd like to think she's something of a Michael Corleone character, someone who is always changing, always torn between that side of trying to do right and the other side of being sucked into their environment. It's a difficult dichotomy, but I think it's a great way to look at character development.

Also, I'm starting to draft up the thank yous and acknowledgements for the beginning of the book. I have a lot of people to thank for their patience, their love and their support. I've also got a lot of bands to thank, as giving the characters specific musicians to listen to helped me develop them into different characters.

More updates are on the way, but at the moment, I'm just adding new scenes and editing. I'm also contemplating putting up another preview, but I'm unsure of what passage.