At first I felt anxious because it wasn’t where I wanted to go and I couldn’t figure out where Robert (one of my characters) was leading me. But once I began to write the words as they popped into my head, I was able to relax and let my fingers fly. No staring off into space searching for the next word, phrase, or action to get the story jump started again.

Reminds me of my life. The more I try to MAKE things happen, the less anything happens. When I release the need to control, things head in a new and better direction than what I intended.

The control freak in me doesn’t much care for that.

What’s the connection between that and writing? Nothing.

‘Xept, I finally got my rump off the bench (gratuitous sports reference) and put my work on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And the Earth did not stop spinning on it’s axis. As a matter of fact, nothing changed.

But I have actually sold copies of my ebooks (and yes, the number exceeds double digits, but has not yet hit triple digits). I’m no Konrath at this point, but there’s plenty of time.

Sidenote-  if you have ever considered e-publishing, you have should definitely check out his blog. He’s not trying to get you to sign up for his tele-class for 900.00 bucks and then giving you a 10 page ebook as supplemental material. He’s just talking about the publishing industry as he sees it and how he’s chosen to manage his writing career on his own. I’ve been reading him for a couple of years now and a lot of what he has predicted has happened. Judge for yourself, and then we can discuss.

But back to me.

Consensual is coming out later this month. It will have you rethinking how well you know someone.

I’m releasing a manifesto on co-parenting. Fun, irreverent, but some kernels of truth about sharing parenting duties with an ex. It’s non-fiction, but I’ve been tossing this idea around for over a year.

And of course you guys will finally get to meet my witch. She is what I would have been like if I had a supernatural gift at the age of 23 and wasn’t married at the time. Um, anyway,  I’m sure you’ll like her, cause I love writing her.

That should get us through 2011. Then it’s on and popping for the big 2012.

You can check me out here:

Facebook

Twitter

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

Long story short, I am actually taking the plunge and putting my fiction up for public consumption in a much larger way- I’ve uploaded to amazon. That means that you’ll be able to get my stuff on your Kindle (or iPhone, iTouch, iPad, Android, or Blackberry).

Short fiction on the go!

Yay!

So here’s the deal:  if you review The Date and Late Night Caller on amazon before June 10th, you will get advanced readers copies of anything that I release between now and December 31, 2011.

That means you’ll finally know how A Complicated Matter ends.

And where the hell I was going with Riding The Wave.

And there’s stuff y’all have no idea about, like my paranormal novella The Gifted about a 20Something witch with skills. She ain’t no Sabrina, for sure.

There’s more, but I’ll preview those later in the summer.

And in case you didn’t know, The Date and Late Night Caller are in the website archives and you can re-read them until June 5th. They will be removed from DFB after that.

You can review The Date here.

And Late Night Caller here.

So what are you waiting for? Get to reviewing.

All ARCs will be delivered by email in PDF format.

I so wish that was true for me.

When I’m not staring out the window trying waiting for my mind and fingers to get it together and get some words on the screen,  I’m doing 50 million other things because I’m afraid to face the laptop that day because of self-doubt, fear, or  simply because I’m tired of watching squirrel foreplay. The squirrels in our yard are forever getting it on.

Ahem… anyway.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the story renting space in my head.

Lately, when I’m not writing, I’m thinking about my character and what she’s going to do next. She’s constantly telling me things- she wouldn’t wear that, she doesn’t talk like that, she’s a prankster, she kicks ass. Blah, blah, blah. As a matter of fact, the only time she seems to leave me alone is when I’m writing about her life. As long as I write what she tells me. If I try to write what I want, she kinda gets an attitude.

I’m finishing her book this month. She’s my first, but not my last. Apparently, there’s a line of folks waiting to tell me what to write.

They must be obeyed, or I’ll be forced to watch copulating squirrels for the rest of my days.

I’m pounding words out until my eyes cross. I have a plan, and I’m working it.

But my characters seem to be on a different page (pun intended).

They aren’t listening to me. They’re not following my carefully laid out plot. They aren’t saying things I want them to say.

What the hell?

I can’t even get fictional people to listen to me!

Instead of continuing to struggle with these guys, I’m going down the rabbit hole. I’ll let them have their fun for now.

And then I’ll pay their asses back when it’s time to re-write.

What?!

This is what writers do.

It’s about writing inspiration.

Stop by for a visit and leave a comment.

My new favorite thing and my new obsession.

A bit of overkill, I confess, but that is what happens when I get excited about stuff.

And I have to tell you, I have been excited about digital media for some time. I am in love with all things gadgety and portable.

Marry that with my love for the written word, and you can quickly surmise that I am now a bit giddy for e-books.

And I am. Not just reading them, but also writing them. In fact, I feel like I’m embarking on a crusade to get more folks reading on portable gadgets. Doesn’t mean they’ll read hold-in-you-hand-books less, I’m just hoping that folks will read more. Period.

But I don’t want to talk about that right now.

My first e-book came out a couple of weeks ago.  Get it here if you haven’t already. But it was my non-fiction stuff.  I’m a fiction girl at heart. And now, I’m currently working on my first fiction e-book.

Maybe I should call it an e-novella.

No matter- you’ll be able to access it just like the last one.

So, enough with the new in the post titles already. Even though I am working on some new stuff.  But since most readers want you to show them, not tell them, I’ll just show you the new piece as soon as it’s ready for online publishing.

In the  mean time, my characters might be popping in to spill some beans, introduce themselves, or simply complain about the writer.

Yes, even fictional characters get a little aggravated with me at times.  What’s up with that?

Apparently, I’m not writing fast enough for them.

The writing/editing is finished.

Just working on some formatting/appearance stuff.

Hoping to upload tomorrow.

That’ll teach me about announcing deadlines.

Sigh.

For the past year, I’ve been focused on how I can write novels and short stories and then break them down for the internet. That kinda sorta worked, but mostly it didn’t.

I kept having the feeling that I was missing something.

Once I changed my thinking from “adjusting my writing for the web” to actually “writing for the web” things fell into place.

It was my Dorothy moment- I had it in me all along, I just couldn’t see it properly.  Even though I had left myself plenty of clues along the way.

Like selecting the words “fiction bytes” for my website. Fiction on the go. My own words- mocking me.

I was writing. I just wasn’t doing it in a way that is natural for me. I was trying to write my fiction the way I write my posts. It didn’t work for me. Lesson learned.

I’ve since transitioned into ebooks. No- not the “let me show you how to make a gajillion dollars after you pay me 149.97 for 60 pages of me saying the same thing over and over” ebooks. Entertaining stuff.

The first one is all about working from home.  It’s not to long, something you can read in one sitting (which is the premise behind all of my future ebooks). And I have two works of fiction ready to go in the next couple of months.

My stuff will be longer than flash fiction and short stories (i.e., blog post length), shorter than a novel, but something you can sink your teeth into.

Formatting will be for reading on computers and smaller screens, so don’t give me any shit about traditional paragraphs and stuff.

You can give me shit if the story sucks.

So, my ebook Home Alone will be released on Wednesday. It’s free. Grab it and pass it to your friends if you like it. And don’t forget to tell me how you really feel about it.

I prefer the days where I’m fast.

On those days, everything is on autopilot.  The words flow out of me, and I am just the vessel. I’m always happy and content when I put the pen down or close the laptop.

Then there are the days when I can’t get the words to come out right.  I agonize over one word and whether or not it is actually conveying what I want to say.  I become almost obsessive about things.  My writing insecurities flare up and tie my hands.  So I usually give in to the frustration and move on to something else.

I’m in the middle of a project, and I only want speedy days.  Because the ideas are lining up like planes on a runway, and I don’t want one to take off without me.

So if you know of a way to write faster and better (without drugs or alcohol), let a sista know.  So many words, too little time.