June Winner

The Random Number Generator says Robinky is the winner for June--she'll receive a $25 gift certificate to Amazon or another online bookstore. Congrats, Robinky! Email me with your shipping address.

Taking a Break

Yesterday, I didn't write at all. I loafed all day, read a book, and completely cleared my mind. Wow. Did it ever feel good.

I love to write and don't resent a single moment I spend working on my manuscripts, but taking a day off can be wonderfully energizing. I feel relaxed and renewed. Ready to take on the world. Okay, maybe not the whole world--but certainly my revisions, LOL.

I'm not going to write today either--just read and think. Thinking is a highly under-rated process. And reading? Well, being an avid reader is how I got started in this biz.

If you want to chat, I'm over at Cynthia Eden's blog later today.

Demons and Excerpts and ARCs

Next Monday, Jun 29th, I'll be blogging over at Cynthia Eden's website. In honor of her June 30th release, Midnight's Master, she's hosting a blogfest called 30 Days of Demons.

Since demons play an integral part in my Soul Gatherer series, I thought it fitting to join the fun. I'll be talking about my take on demons, showing off a never-before-released excerpt, and giving away an ARC of DRAWN INTO DARKNESS.

Yes, that's right--I'll be giving away an Advance Reader Copy.

You won't want to miss it. To make sure you don't, here's the info on where to find us:

Writing Short Stories

I'm blogging over at Silk and Shadows today about the art of writing short stories. I'm looking for recommendations on great short reads, so if you have any, drop by and let me know.

Of course, when it comes to romance shorts, I personally recommend Sylvia Day, who has had two novellas nominated for the Rita. Fantastic reads, both of them.

What Is A Story?

Over at the Silk and Shadows site today, Jessa Slade challenged readers to write a story in 140 characters--the maximum length of a Twitter tweet. She suggested that it was possible to present character, plot, conflict, and resolution in that short a space.

Would you agree?

I found the notion really intriguing. And unfortunately, very distracting. I should have been focused on my book; instead I found myself enamored with fragments and snippets that might constitute a very, very short story. I came up with a couple of quick ideas, then fearful I wasn't 'getting' the genre, I put them aside to stew.

I still don't know if my examples are any good--but I came away convinced that 140 characters was plenty of space to work with.

Here's the story I posted over at S&S:

It no longer fit. Megan slowly hung up the $500 silk dress she’d worn to every fancy party since high school. Then she grinned.

What do you think? Did I tell a story?

It no longer fit. Well, there's the conflict.

Megan slowly hung up the $500 silk dress she’d worn to every fancy party since high school. Here you learn several things:

1) The character is a woman named Megan.
2) At some point in the past she spent $500 on a silk dress.
3) Either the money didn't last or she really, really loved the dress. She's worn it to every fancy party since high school.
4) Extrapolating from the previous info, we can safely guess that the current lack of fit is significant.

Then she grinned. Conflict resolved! She lost weight, not gained it--and that clearly makes her happy. We also learn she's been heavy since high school and the lost weight is a big deal. Certainly, in her mind, worth a $500 silk dress.

It may not be poetic or full of subtlety, but it's definitely a story. And I had a blast writing it.

Just for fun, here are the other two stories I came up with:

The pink pumps were perfect. Just her size. Jen counted her money again, then put the shoes back on the Goodwill shelf. Maybe next time.

Three. That's how many times he'd hugged her yesterday. He stared at the empty hospital bed. Not enough.

Like? Don't like?