Jaci Burton’s Muse

Dear Author has a great topic going about authors blogging at reader blogs. I posted my .02 but wanted to bring some dialogue over here, where I could expand my thought process a bit (i.e. foam at the mouth more, because this is my blog and I can ramble nonsensically here.) Okay, so I ramble other places too. Whatever.

When I go blog hopping, it makes no difference to me where I am, whether it’s a reader or an author blog. If the topic is interesting and I have something to say, I’ll leave a comment. Or I might just read and move on, depending on how much time I have. I never really notice authors only blogging at author blogs instead of at both author and reader blogs. BAM gets both authors and readers, so does Sybil and May. And I’m very lucky to have a balance of both authors and readers who post here. (and thank you for hanging with me. Wonder what I’d have to do to get Nora to visit. :giggle:).

I never really noticed a line separating readers from authors, but maybe it’s my head that’s in the sand. What do y’all think?

And yes, this was a rambling post. Surely you didn’t come here looking for coherence, did you? Let’s call it unedited and undercaffeinated. I need a Diet Dr. Pepper. :sasmokin:

Yikes. Busy week.

Thanks so much for the congrats on the sale, everyone! I’m wicked thrilled to be writing more Demon Hunter books! :hips:

I didn’t even do a To Do list this week, because all I’m doing is editing Riding Wild. And the editing is actually going really well. I should have this book out the door by the end of the week.

During my downtime (downtime = brain too fried to edit anymore) I finished a book that I was reading for a quote. Omg. It was the followup book to a recent release. An urban fantasy/paranormal romance. The author’s debut book was funny, first person kickass fun. The second? Just wait til you read it. It’s incredible. Smokin’ hot. Riveting. You’re dying to know what I read, aren’t you?

The secret is out!! (And damn, is it hard holding secrets in when I have great news to share!)

Through my fabulous agent, Deidre Knight, I just sold two more Demon Hunter books to Bantam Dell!

I’m soooo excited to be able to continue the Demon Hunter series!

And if you haven’t read Surviving Demon Island yet, you’d better get started, because Hunting the Demon releases September 1st, and now there’ll be two more!!!! (And you know you wanna, dontcha? :giggle:)

Squeeeee!!!!!!

Woke up to stormy weather….nice. We need the rain. Sadly, it’s already moving out. The rest of the day will be very high winds. Ick. Oklahoma, ya know, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain…or so the song says. And man, does it ever.

Today is laundry day. Then again, every day is :laundry:, so that’s not really news, is it?

So…started working on editing my book yesterday. So far so good, but the first half has mostly been bitch slapped into some working order already. I don’t expect to run into any roadblocks until I get to the crap that is the last half of the book, the one I just vomited down on paper to get the book done. That part should be…interesting.

But I’m plugging along and all goes well. Kind of reacquainting myself with my characters and their journey again. Making sure the character ARC makes sense and flows like it should. And hopefully the plot flies along in some semblance of order.

Does anyone watch Grey’s Anatomy? Omg, this week’s show made me sob. Biker Dude was sitting in the living room with me and said…are you getting all sniffly over there? Of course my answer was yes. I was a mess. Love, love love that show. It really hit my emotional buttons this week.

And on a final note….I’ve got a secret. Hope to be able to share next week

The book is done!!!!

Wooo hoo! Finished it last night!

Kicked its ass. Or maybe it kicked mine.

Either way, it’s done. The draft, anyway.

Now..let the editing begin, because I have six days to whip it into shape so I can send it off to my editor.

But at least…THE BOOK IS DONE!!!!! :hips:

THIRTEEN REASONS I SHOULDN’T BE DOING THIS WEEK’S THURSDAY THIRTEEN

1. I have a book that’s due in exactly S-E-V-E-N days.

2. Said book isn’t finished yet.

3. Nor is it edited.

4. So I really shouldn’t be doing Thursday Thirteen this week.

5. But I didn’t do TT last week, and I missed everyone

6. Plus, I just finished copyedits on another book, and I’m so far behind on everything else.

7. Did I mention the book that’s due in S-E-V-E-N days?

8. The one that isn’t done yet?

9. The one that, once finished, I’ll have to read through and revise before I send to my editor?

10. Maybe I’ll write drunk.

11. Really bad idea. Then again, maybe not.

12. Anyway, that’s why I shouldn’t be doing this week’s TT.

13. But screw it. I’m doing it anyway. Even though I have a book due in S-E-V-E-N days.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Biker Dude decided I needed to wake up before 5 a.m., just because I was going to work with him today. He’s insane. And I’m tired.

Copyedits for Hunting the Demon are finished and will be shipped back to Bantam today!
Yesterday I also managed 5 pages on Riding Wild. Not much, but at least the copyedits are done. Now I can get back to finishing the book.

Though today I probably won’t get much done since I’m stuck at the office. Bleh.

Gina’s blogging about the celebrity phenomenon over at Magical Minxes today, so go visit her and your .02. Remember, Gina is the heroine in Surviving Demon Island, and if you don’t know Gina, then you haven’t read my book. And if you haven’t read my book….why the hell not?

I have less than 50 pages in copyedits left, so I’ll finish those today. Actually I have to finish those today because that baby is going back to Bantam tomorrow.

I did manage to sneak in some writing yesterday too. Got 10 pages in because I couldn’t not write something. Progress is progress, ya know, and the deadline is breathing down my neck.

For those who asked about Fast Draft, it’s the creation of author Candace Havens. She gives workshops on how to do it, but basically it’s write a book in two weeks. Here’s the link to her site and workshop loop. I’m just using what I learned, which is basically write the damn book, turn off the internal editor and get the pages down. Trust me, it works. If I hadn’t been slammed with copyedits last week I’d have done a lot more, but I still managed a crapload of pages last week while juggling copyedits on top of that.

Vivi Anna writes fantastic, action packed books. This is her Nocturne debut and I can’t wait to read this!

BLOOD SECRETS by Vivi Anna
Silhouette Nocturne

A young human woman is found ritualistically murdered in a downtown Necropolis hotel. It is up to Caine Valorian, a 200-year-old vampire, and his Otherworld Crime Unit to solve the unusual crime, and quickly before the human press can jump onto the story and cause a panic. To add to their already tough case, a new member, Eve Grant, transfers to their lab at the request of the mayor. Not only is she green and eager to impress the boss, but she’s human. The first human ever to work in an Otherworld unit. The mayor thought it would be great press especially now with the strange human murder.

Caine has his work cut out for him, especially with his unruly team who don’t appreciate any help from a human. Not only is this the toughest case of his career, but he’s unusually attracted to the new girl, which can only cause trouble for them all. However, as they sink deeper and deeper into the workings of the case, Caine and Eve become closer and closer. So close that neither of them can see past each other and at the real happenings behind the scenes. The more they poke and prod at the case, the more they realize that something is going on, that this murder is only one step toward a greater purpose. Someone in the Otherworld community is calling on dark forces, in a plot to wipe out the entire human population.

Excerpt here:

ABOUT VIVI ANNA

A bad girl at heart, Vivi Anna likes to burn up the pages with her original unique brand of fantasy fiction. Whether it’s in ancient Egypt, or in an apocalyptic future, Vivi always writes fast paced action-adventure with strong independent women that can kick some butt, and dark delicious heroes to kill for.

Once shot at while repossessing a car, Vivi decided that maybe her life needed a change. The first time she picked up a pen and put words to paper, she knew she had found her heart. Within two paragraphs, she realized she could write about getting into all sorts of trouble without suffering the consequences.

When Vivi isn’t writing, you can find her causing a ruckus at downtown bistros, flea markets, or playgrounds.

REVIEWS

If you like CSI, you’ll love this smart, sexy and suspenseful trip through Necropolis where the villains are vamps, werewolves and witches–and so are the good guys. Strong, sexy Caine Valorian is a vampire to die for. He’s also the head of the crime unit that cracks the supernatural cases no human is brave enough to tackle. Except beautiful but businesslike Eve Grant. Sparks fly - in and out of bed - when Caine and Eve pool their talents to fight unspeakable evil. – USA Today best selling author, Rebecca York

A new series begins on a strong note with compelling characters that draw you into their world, showing it to you in a way that explains without bogging down the narrative. This is a solid mystery that is enhanced by the romantic and paranormal elements. I look forward to seeing more from this author – Eternal Night Review

Valorian Chronicicles Site
Vivi Anna’s Website

My birthday yesterday was great. The milestone passed without too much pain (other than snarky phone calls from one of my sons, my older brother and a lot of ribbing from Biker Dude, but that was expected ). I had a wonderful day, got some great pressies, didn’t do a damn thing work related, watched the Daytona 500, went out to dinner and now it’s over, thankfully. Back to work.

I didn’t do any writing this weekend, because these copyedits for Hunting the Demon are due back to Bantam this week, so I want to get that finished first. I’m hoping to rip through those and get them done, then jump back on the Fast Draft train as soon as I get copyedits out of the way. I don’t want to stall my writing progress, though, which means I have to hustle through the copyedit process and get those done without stopping. I made a lot of progress this weekend, so maybe I can finish those up today. Hopefully.

So this week’s list:

1. Finish copyedits for Hunting the Demon

2. Jump back into Fast Draft for Riding Wild, and hopefully get that book finished (ha. We’ll see)

That’s it and all I’m doing this week.

What’s on your agenda? Anyone else starting Fast Draft to get those mega daily pages? I can always use company, ya know.