What a week....

It's been a week of ups and downs. Having gone a million miles an hour for the last month, it took me most of the week to settle down and get into a groove. Things finally starting clicking on the new book yesterday and now I'm on a roll.

Hey, I also did an interview this week at Luree & Tracy's blog: On The Road To Publication A blog dedicated to aspiring authors and the journey 'On the Road to Publication.' The blog link is
http://tagates-lureevanderpool.com/blog/

Stop by and say hi. I'd love to hear your comments.

Erin

Coffee, quiet, candles and ADD

So my official first Monday of sabbatical. Kids are at school, husband away on a business trip, dogs sleeping at my feet. The only thing that could make it better is rain. :-)

Free...for a few weeks

I am officially on sabbatical. I've been off since Wednesday but the last few days have been spent running all the errand I'd been putting off for months. Today the real deal starts. Yeah!

I have a set goal of finishing IOL (Isle of Lore) by the end of March, so I better get busy.

Hope life is good for you.

Remember to count your blessings!
Erin

Introspection...

I'm on the count down until my sabbatical begins. 2 1/2 weeks. Woo woo.

I have great things planned. I will be writing my next book and I can't wait for the opportunity to completly focus on my story and not have the J-O-B to pull me in other directions. It will be a great test for me to see if I could ever just write full time. I don't mean if I am able--I know I am capable of it. I want to see if I'd be happy without the interaction of an office.

I've had my thoughts turned inward this year and it's been a good thing for me. Sometimes slowing down enough to define what you want is as important as driving to get those things. Last weekend I was at the SDSU writers conference and it was a wonderful--exhausting--weekend.

I'm going to go see my friend Lynn again when I start my sabbatical. The last weekend we spent together we had intense INTENSE brainstorming. It was grueling but wonderful. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Lynn is an amazing writer. I've never met anyone who has such great instincts about a story. (Remember to comment on her Amazon Breakthrough Novel Shattered REmains. She has about 40+ 5 star reviews so far.)

Speaking of great friends. I want to send a thanks out to Kallie Owens and Calista Fox. They are two of the most amazing women I've ever met and they've been so supportive. Calista has books coming out every other minute and they are all terrific. Kallie is cooking several stories that are going to be sensational--DaVinci Code sensational--when she pulls them out of the oven.

Hope you all have as much to be thankful for.

Erin

Good news in the air?

I recieved an email that made me jump for joy today. I can't say too much about it because I'm just superstitious enough not to want to jinx myself, but in my heart I feel like things are about to turn around for me and head in the right direction. I've been on an emotional high of late, and I just know everything is going to work out like it should.

Hope the new year is treating you just as good. :-)

It's not to late....

Hey, if you haven't already checked out Lynn Coulter's SHATTERED REMAINS on Amazon.com, stop by and give it a read. It's free. If you like it, write a review. :-) Just click on the title or here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00122GTQE

Where is my head?

I almost forgot some really important news! One of my bestest best friends and also my CP, Lynn Coulter, made the semi-finals in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest. BIG Deal. Way to go Lynn. Check out here entry here. Her hero, Nick, is one of the sexiest men I've ever met. :-) I've read the whole book and it's wonderful. If you like what you read, be sure to post a comment on Amazon.

Sad, but it is what it is

One of my optimistic New Year's resolutions was to blog on more frequent and regular basis. I made it with the idea that it would be no problem to do. But lately my life is just spiraling out of control. My day Jay Oh Bee is sucking the life out of me--in a good way, if there is such a thing as a good way to have the life sucked out of you. I'm working on a huge and exciting project. If you know me, you know I work at Intel--probably the most competitive environment in the world. Competitive in that it's filled with over achievers and we're all trying to do something amazing and competing for our personal best.

Now the following may sound like an Intel plug, but it's not intended to. The group I work for manages the part of Intel that most people don't know about--the Corporate Social Responsibility part. Intel gives a ton of money away each year to help communities around the world--which is great, but there's so much more than just writing a check. This year Intel will be 40 and as part of the celebration, we are driving a volunteer program with a goal of 1 million community service hours by our employees to our world wide communities. So we'll all be out in droves in our Intel Involved t-shirts helping charitable organizations with our time AND for every hour we work, Intel will pay that non-profit charity some bucks. Cool, huh?

So what's been keeping me busy is I am working to get the database which will track all this volunteering in place. Not an easy task. to complicate matters, I'm scheduled for a sabbatical -- which means I get 8 weeks off work -- starting in February. So I've got so much to get done before, it's crazy.

Thus, my lack of posting. I've been doing Intel stuff Monday thru Sunday of late, but today I had to stop the bus and get back to my writing--and part of that means finally posting here to my blog. :-)

Next week I'll be in San Diego helping with the SDSU Writers Conference. I'm meeting with editors and agents while I'm there and hoping something good will come of it. Wish me luck!

Hope the new year has been good to all of you so far.

Erin

New year, new goals, new possibilities

Like everyone else in the world, I'm reflecting on the past year, what I did write, what I did absolutely wrong, what I will do differently. It was a tough year for me in a lot of ways. I made some major changes in my life. I'm one of those people who hate conflict and will generally take the path of least resistance when given a choice. I used to be the girl that would stay with her boyfriend until he dumped her because I was more afraid of what life "without" would be than I was of how miserable life "with" was.

This year I had to face conflict head on and rethink who I am and what I want. From that came some difficult decisions and some positive moves forward in the evolution of Erin. My goals for next year are much different than they were last year and I feel like there is more balance and reality in them.

Hope your reflections and aspirations are in balance as well.

Happy New Year!
Erin

The final hours...

Wow--I just can't believe the year has come to an end. It has been a roller coaster ride for me and a year of soul searching and discovery. I've learned that I have a lot more grit than I ever thought I did and that I can bend...and bend...and bend without snapping. I've learned that I've been burning the candle at both ends for too long and that I need a break. I desperately need a break. Lucky for me one is coming. I'll be on sabbatical beginning in late February for 8 weeks. I've learned that sooner or later, you just gotta take that nap. :-)

Next month is the sdsu writers conference. It's always an exciting time for me and I'm looking forward to it this year more than I have in a long time.

One of my new year's resolutions it to be more regular with my blog. I hope to have more time for all of the little things in 2008.

Hope the holidays were grand and the new year even grander. :-)

Erin

Yarg!

So I spent the ENTIRE weekend stressing over a rewrite I wanted to do before I ship my manuscript off to another agent who has asked for it. I wanted to get out asap, but I also want it to be so amazing that there's no choice in the matter but to love it.

So what do I do? I start ripping the damned thing apart, burned up 30 hours rewriting something only to decide it was better the first way. Now I have to put it back together again. Yes, I am an idiot sometimes. sigh.

Well actually, I did discover one thing that I needed to be fixed and I so it is better for the effort.
Anyway, kids are saying, MOM, c'mon!

Gotta run.

endings and beginnings

As I think I've mentioned before, I've been in a really good place mentally of late. It's not that anything great has been happening for me, but I think I've finally stepped beyond what ever negative funk has been hanging over me for the past year. I feel like good things are in store and I feel positive that I'm ready for them. :-)

Last night Deidre Knight spoke to our local chapter and she was just amazing. I felt like she was talking to me personally instead of a room full of people. Everything she had to say, all of the questions she answered, were all exactly what I wanted to hear. She comes across not only as a smart business woman but a very sensitive person. I was so impressed.

I'm counting the days until my sabbatical when I can have the time to write full time. I've never done that before and I'm excited to embrace the opportunity.

Until next time...

Post holiday blahs...

I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner and I love having company to the house. What I hate is the day after when I feel like I've been through a battle. I was exhausted the entire day and didn't do anything but lay around. Not that it's such a bad thing. I'm usually so busy that I meet myself coming and going, so laying around is a nice change of pace. Still, I actually had some time alone yesterday--which is rare--and instead of using it to some productive purpose, I sat like a lump in front of the TV and watched a 90s movie that I'd already seen three times and didn't like in the first place. Go figure.

On another note, I've been stewing over the book I just finished. I've had that "something still isn't' right" feeling about the story and I finally had my aha moment. I knew it was coming--just didn't know how long I'd have to wait for it. That said, I now have to work up some enthusiasm to get in there and get to work.

BTW, just finished CC Harrison's new book "Running From Strangers." I had the honor of blurbing for it. It's a great story and I'll keep you posted when it's out.

Now...to work.

Wow, busy month...

It's been a little crazy and only 7 days have passed! I went to Utah to see my friend Lynn for the weekend. She has an incredible place in Park City and visiting is like going to a resort. We spent about 8 hours of the weekend in the hot tub brainstorming our books, 8 hours drinking way more than anyone should, and 8 hours sitting in front of a toasty fire...still brainstorming our books. It was an intense weekend but when it was all said and done, we both have a lot of the plotting nailed down. It's a good feeling.

I got back form Utah and had to turn around and leave the next day for San Francisco for a work meeting. It was a quick trip, but very interesting. Of course being in San Francisco alone wasn't that much fun. I'm not one of those people who can just take myself down to the bar or a restaurant and not feel awkward. Thank God for room service.

Hey, if anyone lives in Southeast Arizona and is available on Saturday afternoon, please come visit the library:

Maricopa County Library District
Southeast Regional Library
775 North Greenfield Road
Gilbert, AZ 85234
602. 652.3000
www.mcldaz.org


On Saturday, November 10, 2007, the Southeast Regional Library’ will be hosting a Romance Panel event. The event is scheduled from 1-4pm on Saturday, November 10th in the Assembly Room.

They will be serving refreshments during the breaks in-between the panel discussions. Their Friends group will have a volunteer at the event to run a cash till for selling books.

Here are the directions to the library:

Take the 60 East and exit on Greenfield Road. Make a right onto Greenfield Road (heading south) and drive until you get to Guadalupe Road. Make a left onto Guadalupe (east). Turn right into the library parking lot. The library is on the southeast corner of Greenfield and Guadalupe, set back a little from the road.

The Assembly Room is located in the lobby of the library. When you come in through the main doors of the building, turn to your left and head all the way down the hallway to the large room at the end.

Hope to see you there!

Research...

I love to research...and I hate to research. It's incredibly fascinating and the feeling I get when I unearth some new fact that hasn't been written into a thousand other novels is amazing. I love having my facts straight--of knowing that if some expert somewhere down the road picks up my book and reads it, s/he will know at the end that I did my homework. I may not know everything about my subject matter, but what makes it into my books I have researched.

So where does the hate come in? When you write on a tight schedule--as I do--every hour is precious and when Sunday morning is suddenly gone because I got to a sentence where I didn't know whether to say tunic, kirtle or cotehardie and it's frustrating. In the end, I'll probably know more about all of them then I'll ever need to know, but that's the nature of the game I suppose.

My kids are pestering me to get off the computer and take them to Target. Ah the woes of a working mother.

What am I reading? The Last Kingdom, Bernard Cromwell, Pre-Christian Ireland from First Settlers to Early Celts, Peter Harbison and The Witchcraft Sourcebook, Brian P. Levak. In the CD player, The Book of Fate, Brian Meltzer. Still thinking about The Kite Runner.

How do I keep them all straight? Dunno.

Okay, off to do the Mommy Thing. :-)

How cool is that?

I got a package in the mail yesterday when I was home sick, feeling like crapola. Guess what it was? The Korean version of Echoes! Check it out:

I'm thinking, very cool.

So the week has been busy. Got my A list of queries out to new agents and had several bites. Yay! I'd forgotten how much "fun" it is to go through this. Ah well, for every career step forward there is fear and pain, right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained?

Okay, very trite but I'm only on coffee cup @2.

The disappearing blog

Well, I just discovered that my last two posts never actually posted--make that three. That makes me a little nuts. I'm sure I said something incredibly witty in both, but couldn't tell you what it was now. Sheesh.

Ah well, I know I probably yammered about being busy. (yada yada yada) Aren't we all busy? I'm thinking, yes.

I thought things would slow down once I got Beneath the Ruins out to my pre-readers, but guess what? No such luck. I'm just as busy now as I was then. I'm looking for a new agent, which is hard work, but exciting at the same time.

Also setting up my new identity--Roxanne Alcaraz (that's Alcatraz without the "t"). Roxanne is actually my middle name and Alcaraz my married name. (Erin Grady is my maiden name). But what's in a name, right?

Anyway, had a wonderful note from a reader (and future published author) Debra Maher. She launched her new website and as an author she's likes, has added my site to her links. Thank you Debra. You made my day. Check out her site: http://www.debramaher.com/ It's very nice.

Anyway, hopefully this post willl actually post.

Back to work with me...

It hurts to be beautiful

Did anyone else ever hear their mom say this one? Mine would throw it out when she was brushing my hair (translate--releasing her frustrations by ripping my hair out at the roots with a comb that was never meant for hair under the age of 10).

I've been thinking having my manuscript critiqued is a lot like the hair experience. My CP is wonderful--she always manages to get to the core of what is right--and what is wrong. I just got back a stack of bleeding pages and I'm thinking, I don't care if I'm beautiful. I'm just tired of the pain. But in truth, I do care and it's totally worth the pain.

I'm one of those writers that gets too close to my story and I often can't see the pages for the paragraphs...or is that the paragraphs for the words? I'm always a little stunned when my CP points out something that should have been obvious...but wasn't until she put up the flashing red light for me.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my pain. :-)

A month...gone in a snap

Well at least I can say I've been busy. I've gotten my final edits (except for last 50 pages) back from my CP and am almost through them. Yay! And the next book is forming up in my head so fast that I have to open a screen and speed-type to get it out. Can't wait to put this book to bed and start my affair with the next one. :-0

BTW, did you get a notice from Amazon.com about my new release--well if you did, don't. The book is In the Chill of the Night and it's an anthology that I was invited to do with 3 other terrific authors. Unfortunately, the publisher went belly up before the book could be released. Now all the rights are tied up in bankruptcy court so it will be awhile before the dust settles on that. I'll keep you posted.

Now that the first of my trilogy is finished, I'll be posting more regularly. The psychics say I'm moving into an exciting and positive trend of the future. Let's hope they're right. :-)

The process

My friend asked me how I go about writing/finishing a book (after the first draft is complete). I think the question was, do you do it all at once or a go through it a stage at a time and concentrate on dialog, and then prose, and then characters, etc. My first answer was no, I just go through it and do it all.

But now that I'm going through it and doing it all, I've changed my answer. The first draft is a dump of my ideas, arranged in the order I think they should happen--written toward a goal I hope to achieve. (ie, happily ever after, good triumphing evil, only the good die young)

The second draft (for me) is more "connect the dots" than anything. During the download of ideas I often (translate ALWAYS) stumble on other ideas that I'd never dreamed of in my original plan. Most of the time, I have to really adjust the beginning to match the end and foreshadow some of those ideas earlier in the story so it flows from one scene (dot) to the next.

The third draft I do in hard copy because it reads different. It always has, it always will. End of story. Something about the relationship between black words on white paper transforms the story. In this draft I'm looking for holes, weak areas and things that don't add up. I'm also flipping back and forth between scenes adding one sentence clues or thoughts to scenes either before or after. These are those little details that take it from ordinary to Ooh. I'm also looking at my prose, my settings and my characters and especially the continuity of my story. Is it Monday on one page and Saturday on the next? Raining and then sunny? Morning and then night?

By the end of the fourth draft, I'm ready to send it out to readers. I pick two or three, and ask them to read it for enjoyment--not for mistakes or typos. I don't want them to be editors because I've already done that work. I wanted them to be readers. I ask them to give feedback on a select number of things that are above and beyond the "is it good?" question.

I want to know if they were confused at any part of the story? Did they find themselves skimming anywhere? At any time while they were reading did they catch themselves "checking out" to think about what they needed at the grocery? Did anything make them mad? (we've all read books we want to launch across the room because the characters or premise is so inane.) Does it pass the "would she really" test? (You know this one, heroine in the dark house all alone because everyone else has disappeared or been found dead. She hears a sound. It's coming from the basement. She thinks, I should take this butter knife and go investigate.... And in the audience we are shouting, YOU IDIOT. Come on...would she really?)

The last, and one of the most important questions I ask is, did you want another outcome? Did you think I was leading you to one ending only to find yourself at another? This one always brings a jackpot. If the answer is no, the ending was satisfying and I loved how it wrapped up--ah, it's a wonderful thing. But if the answer is yes, I wanted it to end like... Well, sometimes you discover that you've laid the groundwork for something even better than you'd imagined. It's also a wonderful thing.

This is how I do it, anyway. It's a lot of drafts, but when I'm striving for the best book I can write, that's what I need to do. :-)