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Thursday, 28 June 2012

Taking a breath

Yes! I'm finally able to take a deep breath between projects.

I've been so busy trying to meet my goals for this month that every time I intended to pop in for an update, I'd run out of time. There aren't enough hours in the day. :/

If you've been reading my daily word/page count updates @LJ, then you know that as of yesterday... both of the things I've been working on are now DONE! Yay.

I actually got the print galley for APoD done by Monday afternoon and emailed it in. Can't wait to hold the book in my hands. Sure, I'll have to wait until next year, but it'll be worth the wait.

Then yesterday afternoon, I finished writing the first draft for Sierra Fox #3!! Double yay. The final word count ended up being 88,300. I was aiming for 90k, but this is just as good because it gives me more word room during revision. And, I'm very happy with how the novel turned out. So happy that I can't wait to get stuck into the next one. I won't be doing that for a while, but I can't believe there are only two books left to write in this series. Wow.

Anyway, getting the first draft and the galley done a few days before the end of the week/month means that today I can take care of the small to-do list I put together at the beginning of the week. There's nothing too big on there, just bits & pieces that I need to take care of. And of course, there are a bunch of notes from the first draft that need to be thrown away,filed, and/or pasted into the Sierra Fox Series Bible.

The real celebration is tomorrow. Not only does hubby have an RDO, but we're also going to go and see Prometheus. Cool!

Well, that's it for now. Hope you're having a great week. I could really use more sunny days around here and warmer temperatures, but hey it's winter.

See ya later!

Saturday, 23 June 2012

Sierra Fox #2: (Awesome) cover and (Spoilery) Blurb:

All it takes is one broken stitch for everything to come apart at the seams.

Sierra Fox, Book 2

Spook catcher Sierra Fox has paid her debt to the Spook Catcher Council. Life should be easier. Except everything is going to the dogs—or demons, as the case may be. Her boyfriend Jonathan is acting like a possessive jerk. She can’t stop drooling over Jason, her hunky, injured houseguest, who turns out to be a werewolf. To top it off, something seriously freaky is happening to spooks all over Sydney.

Prime example: a ghost who wants to hire her fades while inside her office, and soon they’re disappearing all over Sydney— sucked out of existence. When Sierra finds out who’s behind it, it’s more than just her own life at stake.

As the problems continue to mount, keeping her head above water is a daily battle. Add a stalking, feral animal who is determined to take a piece out of her hide—literally—and life is anything but a bunch of buttercups. Especially when those around her start dropping their façades.

Eventually, she knows, the dust will settle. Only this time, life as she knew it may never be the same.


Warning: Spook catching: Do not try this at home, if you’re under eighteen, or under the influence. Must be prepared to fight off ghosts, demons, weird black dogs and sexy werewolves… Okay, maybe not the werewolf.


Well, what do you think? Isn't it absolutely stunning? I love it. Kanaxa captured the feel of this book very well. And I love Sierra, she looks so kick-ass on this cover. ;)

And here's what they look like together:

 

Lovely!

Thursday, 21 June 2012

Cover Reveal at WLP...

That's right!

If you'd like to check out the cover and blurb for Sierra Fox, Book 2... you can over here:


It's so exciting!

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Trying to stay on schedule

OMG. I have set a totally crazy schedule for the next two weeks! And if I can keep to my daily goals--4k on word count + 30pgs on galley--then I will be able to get the first draft for Sierra Fox #3 finished. As well as the galley for the first book done.

Phew! Yeah, I know. Sounds tiring, huh? Well, I'll probably be exhausted by the end of it but I need to get these two projects done by the end of this month for two reasons. The first is that my daughter will be on school holidays then. The second is that I'll be getting edits for the second Sierra Fox book very soon. So I'd rather spend some of the school holidays editing than finishing up the first draft.

Yeah, it sounds a little nuts but I always find I work better when I've got a plan and daily stats. :D

I'm currently sitting at 56,121 words. And have reached page 63 on the galley.

The only bad thing about all of this work is that I don't have any time left for reading. And I'm itching to read the next Lizzy & Diesel book. Oh well, maybe it can be my reward! Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.

Okay, that's all for now. I need to get my daughter's lunch ready for school.

Catch'a next time!

Saturday, 16 June 2012

The words keep coming

So, as you can probably guess from the title, I'm still writing like a crazy person, lol. I've managed to add 23,975 words to Sierra Fox #3 this week. And I'm very excited about the progress and the way the story's moving.

There's a lot of stuff going on in Sierra's life at the moment, and it's mostly confusing, bad stuff. Although, there is some happy stuff happening to her, too. I honestly can't wait to get back to this story. Every single time I move away, I just want to go back to it. But I need to work through a few plot points before I do.

Nothing major, just getting everything straight in my head. Now that I'm on the downward end of the story, things need to happen in specific sequence and I don't want to mess that up.

I'm currently sitting at 50,015 words. Cool!

Next week is going to be a little trickier because I have to tackle the first draft writing with the galley for the first Sierra Fox book. I would love to make good progress on both and have worked out the numbers I need to add/read on each one so I can finish by the end of June.

Well, gotta go. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, 14 June 2012

I'm still here!

Wow. Has it really been a week since my last post? O_o

When I get stuck into a first draft, I pretty much spend every single available minute I have adding new words. Actually, since I finished the book I was reading on Friday night, I haven't picked up another one. I can't get the story I'm writing outta my head.

Even when I'm not actually writing, I'm thinking about it and can't concentrate on reading anything else. Oh, and since I received the A PATCH OF DARKNESS galley, it looks like that'll be the next thing I read. :)

I'm so excited about APoD coming out in print next year. I'll keep you posted on the progress and dates, etc.

So, what I've decided to do is add as many words as I can to Sierra Fox #3 for the rest of this week. I'm hoping to reach the halfway point. Then next week, I'll alternate between new words for Book #3 and reading the galley for Book #1. Phew. I'm getting tired just thinking about it. LOL. 

It'll keep me busy, but if I can get stuck into both projects for the rest of the month... I might just get them done in time for my daughter's school holidays. Yeah, she'll be on holidays during the first two weeks of July.

Oh, and in case you're interested, I've been posting my word count progress over @LJ.

As of this morning, I'm sitting on 38,418 words.

I don't know how the weather is where you live, but here in Sydney we've been having a shocking June. It's all rain and small glimpses of the sun--if we're lucky--before the rain decides to pour down again. I absolutely hate it! I miss the sun. I need the sun. This constant overcast/rainy weather is so depressing.

Anyway. Have a great day!

Friday, 8 June 2012

THE CHOSEN SEED by Sarah Pinborough

The Dog Faced Gods trilogy comes to its thrilling conclusion.

Former DI Cass Jones is on the run and moving closer to finding his nephew, as well as the truth about The Bank and the mysterious Mr Bright. But for both sides the net is closing in...

This is the final book in The Dog-Faced Gods Trilogy, and after really enjoying A MATTER OF BLOOD and THE SHADOW OF THE SOUL I was looking forward to finding out how everything would turn out for Detective Inspector Cass Jones.

The festive season is approaching, but the people of London have good reason to stay off the streets. There's a new killer on the loose, and he's infecting people with the lethal Strain II virus. Everyone's worried, paranoid, and desperate not to become another victim.

Former DI Cass Jones is on the run after he was framed for murder. But he won't be stopped from searching for his kidnapped nephew. No matter what it takes, and what he has to risk, he's determined to find the child. And if it means taking down the manipulative and mysterious Mr. Bright, that's even better.

At the same time, things within the Network are falling apart. The strong and shadowy members of this group become involved in a power struggle that will destroy the world, literally bringing Armageddon.

When Cass finds himself getting help from an unlikely source, he begins to dig deeper and deeper into The Bank and just how much they seem to control the world. As all these events quickly culminate to an explosive conclusion with some amazing answers, he also realises his family plays a big part in everything.

The Chosen Seed turned out to be an amazing conclusion to this dark and gritty trilogy. I absolutely loved every second of it. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat as bit by bit, the truth behind the mystery Cass has been chasing for so long was slowly revealed.

BTW, I loved the outstanding revelation. Wow.

The Chosen Seed, April 2012, ISBN 9780575089549, Gollancz

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Starting a New Book

This week, I started writing the third book in my Sierra Fox UF series. I started on Monday and have been squeezing in as much writing as I can every single day.

I've just hit 14k. I've gone past my word count goal for today, which is always an awesome thing. Getting back into Sierra's world doesn't take much for me. It's like slipping on some very comfy shoes that I haven't worn in a while. I really like where the book is going. I might be at the beginning, but I'm already thinking about it all the time, and have snippets appearing inside my head constantly.

I'm really losing myself in this first draft.

It feels really good to get back into some new writing. This year has been so full of rewrites and edits that I'd forgotten how much fun this stage of the process is. :D

Well, gotta get back to it!

Saturday, 2 June 2012

BLOOD AND BULLETS by James R. Tuck

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights. . .

Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him--and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him. . .


OMG. This book was excellent. It hooked me in from the very beginning and I enjoyed the violent, intense roller-coaster ride it turned out to be. A lot.

Deacon Chalk lost his family five years ago, but he's still haunted by their deaths. After losing them he started hunting down monsters, and will do whatever it takes to save their victims. He's an occult bounty hunter, and a strip club owner. He's got some help though. There's the tough as nails Catholic priest, Father Mulcahy. And Kat, who happens to be a tech wiz with a deep hatred for vampires. Together, they keep the business going and gather all the info they need to hunt down these monsters.

However, the night a young vampire wants to hire him to keep her safe from some character called Nyteblade, everything goes to hell. All of a sudden, Deacon realises that someone's trying to hunt him down. On his pursuit to find out what the hell is really going on, he'll pick up a few new allies and find himself going up against one of the oldest and deadliest vampires around.

Yeah, this was a total kick-ass book. I loved Deacon's determination to get the job done, and how nothing deterred him from his goal. He's an honorable man willing to save innocents and do whatever it takes to keep the victims alive--even if it puts his life on the line. See, not only is he a little more than human, but he doesn't care if he dies.

Also, Father Mulcahy is one of the coolest priests I've ever read about. He was super cool. Oh, and this world features one of the best vampire origin stories yet! Seriously, it's awesome.

I can't wait to read more of this fantastic series. Actually, I've already pre-ordered the second book and the second novella. :)

BTW: If you want a sample of Deacon Chalk, check out James R. Tuck's website. He has links to a few free short stories. I've already read--and really enjoyed--them!        

Friday, 1 June 2012

A New Month!

I seriously can't believe that we've already hit June! My gosh. This means that winter's pretty much here. (Boo!) It also means that the financial year is almost over. (Yikes!) And of course, we've hit the halfway mark for this year. (WTF?)

It really doesn't feel like this year's being that productive. I mean, I know I've done a lot of revision, editing, and rewriting... but I haven't written anything new. Not really. And certainly not like I had planned at the beginning of the year. O_o

Oh well. Maybe the next half of the year will be a different story. Looks like I need to shuffle my 2012 goals around a little...

I spent most of yesterday on the couch with all of my Sierra Fox notes, series Bible, and research. I started putting the plot together into something that actually makes sense. I also switched the title with Book #4, and I'm generally getting super excited about getting stuck into the next book in Sierra's world. I always love spending time with her and the gang.

I have five books planned for this series, so that means there are three more to write... and I intend to have fun getting to the end of her story. :)

Anyway. Asides from that, this week has been another restful one. I've gotten some reading done, and had hubby home sick for a few days. It's not nice that he was sick and we had to visit the doctor, but I sure like spending time with him. Yeah, it's selfish, I know.

Well, that's it for now! I'm going to get lost in Sierra's world some more today, while also reading more of this awesome, kick-ass book!

Have a great weekend!
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