I love it when a plan comes together....

Exciting things are happening this week! I'm on a five day staycation, spending my time finishing up my novel. By the end of my time off on Tuesday night, I intend to have the first draft totally completed and be ready for edits.

In order to make it easier to make that happen, several things had to be in place.

On the Homefront:

After a very long wait, my new home office is completely finished and my furniture and books are all in place. No more blaming my surroundings for unproductive days. I love the colors, I love the furniture, and I love being surrounded by books. The room is comfortable and finished exactly the way I envisioned. I can't imagine a better space for writing than this, and I feel such a sense of peace knowing that now it's complete and I can focus my energies on more important things.

Layla insisted that there was not enough emphasis on dogs in the room, but now that I've added her bed to the space, she's forgiven me. She makes a good writing companion. She is quiet when I need it, reminds me when it's time to eat, and listens without interruption to my ideas. She also reminds me that sometimes you have to get up and walk around and get a little exercise too, and that helps me stay fresh and focused. Maybe someday I'll write a book about her, but she's okay with that project staying on the back burner...for now.

In my World of Pure Imagination:

I have been doing some more research and backstory creation for my characters, finding ways to flesh them out in my mind so I can do the same on paper.

• New Characters - There are a couple of new characters that I'm introducing into the text. One will be added to chapters I've already written, taking a character who was previously unnamed and barely described and giving her life. I decided that her character deserved more attention, and therefore she will be highlighted in places and given more time centerstage. She adds an element of authenticity and realism that I think enhances the storyline I've already written. The other new character is one that I initially wrote, then removed, and now have decided belongs in the story after all. It's a minor character, but still necessary for good storytelling, I think.
• Research - I've been doing some research for those characters based on historical figures, and I'm very excited with what I've found. One character in particular turned out to have a true story and myth surrounding her that almost exactly mirrors what I'd already dreamed up on my own. I love that my creative mind came up with something that is very nearly the truth, and I now feel that I have much more firm ground to stand on when filling in her backstory for my readers.
• Attention to Detail - It's important to me that I get my forensic details right. To that end, I had a long discussion with a professor of forensics who invited me to sit in on his course this fall. He also suggested some readings for me, and I'm taking his advice to heart. I hope that my story will benefit from what I learn, both in this book and in the sequel. Yep, you heard me. SEQUEL.
• Sequel - I'm certain that this book is a series now. I'd tried to talk myself out of that, but it started to feel rushed, and my characters have much more to say than one book's worth of material. This storyline is only just beginning, and I can see a lot more exciting things to come as they progress. You may as well settle in and get comfortable. Get a snack. I've got a long story to tell, and it's only getting more exciting with each chapter.

Finally, the sneak peek of Ma Chère Antoinne is on Nook!

Nook users! 

You asked for it. You got it! 

The sneak peek edition of Ma Chère Antoinne is now available! 

Only $.99!

Click through to the Barnes & Noble Nook listing!

No Vampires in Pop Culture Feature this Week

This week is hectic in the extreme, but soon the semester will be over and I'll have a little breathing room to do the things I really need to get done. In addition to finishing Ma Chère Antoinne, I have some reviews to write, my garden to get in, some doctor's appointments, and I'll be moving into my new office upstairs at last (photos to come). My Vampires in Pop Culture Feature will be delayed until next week, but I plan to make it a great one.

In the meantime, enjoy the lovely spring weather with all its radiance and splendor.

Nook and iBook and Paperback! Oh my! We're not in Kindle anymore....

I'm formatting the sneak peek for Nook and iBook as we speak.

Well, it's more like I'm waiting for them to verify my sales while I make another pot of coffee and keep hitting the refresh button, but you get the picture.

At any rate, people asked me about other formats, so I'm setting up my accounts and getting familiar with the formatting expectations and software peculiarities specific to those platforms. The learning curve is smacking me in the face right now. However, once I get through the process with this sneak peek version, it should make it much easier once I'm ready to upload the complete book since I'll know what I'm doing by then.

My CreateSpace account is set up and waiting as well, so once the book is finished, all I have to do is upload the file and paperbacks will be available too. I plan to pay the nominal fee to make them available through bookstore distributors.

The timing of all this hinges on whether I get a publisher/agent or not. I'm certainly hoping so, because I'd rather be writing than fiddling with technical issues of the uploads. However, if it doesn't happen this summer, I'll be selling the book myself while I keep sending in submissions. Either way, the book will be published, and I fully intend to keep on writing regardless.

So while I'm cursing the screen and searching for the last Oreo in the package out of frustration, I'm also really excited and happy. Even good change can be stressful. But this time last year, I didn't have a book at all and didn't have a thought of needing to learn this stuff. Writing was just something I did in my spare time. Publishing it was something I dreamed about but never thought I could actually do. I'm not sure what pushed me over the edge, but there was this little voice inside that said "It's time."

And so here I am, doing the thing I always wanted to do and trusting that there will be an audience who loves the story as much as I do. Trusting myself to tell it. And trusting that "someday" is almost here.

Thank you!

I am honored and thrilled that my one day only sale was such a success! Wow! Thank you to everyone who downloaded the book and to those who shared the link with others as well. By the end of the sale, the sneak peek was ranked #49 in Historical Fiction, and #1966 overall in Free Kindle books, so that makes me really excited and grateful.





I hope you all enjoy it. It's just a taste of what's to come in the full version, but I hope it's enough to whet your appetite.

The book is nearly complete. I plan to have the first draft done by the end of the month, then spend 2-4 weeks on edits. I'm still on track for a summer release, and though I don't yet have a firm date, as soon as I know when it will be available, I will let you know.

If you would like early notice, please email me at deliaremington13@gmail.com and I will add you to my mailing list.

You can also "like" my Facebook page to find out about events and giveaways I'll be doing as the time draws near.

Thank you again, and happy reading!

FREE! Cinco De Mayo Special this Sunday!

ONE DAY ONLY!

On Sunday, May 5, the Sneak Peek Edition of my upcoming novel, Ma Chère Antoinne, is free on Amazon Kindle!

If you haven't read it, there's no better time to check it out! And if you already have your copy, share it with your friends! It's free all day! 

Click here to download:
Sneak Peek Edition, Ma Chère Antoinne

Ma Chère Antoinne Novel Location Clues

My Plot is Doing Double Dutch

I'm driving myself crazy.

I have my outline. I've planned out my chapters. I know exactly what is supposed to happen. I can envision the scene in my mind like a movie. I've done my prewriting. But when I get to my computer, I find myself just staring at the screen and can't seem to start.

Somehow it feels as though I'm just waiting for something to happen. I can't tell what that thing is, unfortunately.

People have asked me if I'm afraid it won't be perfect. I don't think that's it.

My story has been in my mind for so long now, I feel as though it's already going. All the balls are in the air, I just have to jump in and juggle them.

Or to put it better, it's like my characters and my plot are doing a furious double dutch, and I have to jump in there and dance with it rather than trip over myself and mess the whole thing up.

 

SFC Double Dutch "Too Much Pressure"

Okay, so maybe it is fear of imperfection that's stopping me after all.

I'm going to take William Faulkner's advice and just write it down, even if it's bad. I can always come back and rework it, right? Right.

Just get it down.

Sneak Peek from my Work in Progress

The following is a sneak peek from the chapter I was working on yesterday in Part 2 of Ma Chère Antoinne. The narrator in this chapter is my main character, Claire Marie, speaking to Sybill:

I saw her put her elbow on the armrest and begin gnawing at her thumb nail absently, her mind obviously turning over the rapid change of events since our paths met.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I prodded.

“Hmm? I’m just wondering where Raul is and when the hell we’re going to stop long enough for you to tell me what is going on.” She didn’t look at me, but the tone of her voice let me know she was both worried and angry. “I mean, how do I know that anything you’ve told me is true? You could just be lying to me. To Raul too, for that matter.”

Her accusation made me furious, and I jerked the wheel and slammed on the brakes, pulling to a sudden stop by the side of the road, a cloud of dust rising from the gravel shoulder. “Listen to me, right now. I have had enough of you questioning my motives and my intelligence. If I’m going to keep us both safe and somehow manage to save Raul, you’re going to have to shut up and do what I tell you. I’ve been running from these monsters a long, long time. The only way I have survived is with my wits. You’re going to have to trust me or you will find yourself being tortured by them, and believe me when I tell you that the worst that you can imagine does not even begin to describe the horrors they will put you through if you’re caught by them. Am I clear?”

Eyes wide, she stared at me as though I’d slapped her in the face. I saw her gulp and then nod slowly.

“Good. And don’t ask me about what they might or might not be doing to Raul. I don’t want to think about it. If I stop for even a moment to be afraid for him, it will put us both in jeopardy. I’m going to save him. Period. And you are going to help me. Got it?”

“Yes,” she squeaked.

Copyright © 2013, Delia Remington. All Rights Reserved.

Vampires in Pop Culture Feature: Forever Knight

IMDb's listing for Forever Knight describes the show this way:

"A drama about an 800 year old, angst ridden vampire who lives in present day Toronto as a homicide detective in an attempt to repay for his sins and regain his mortality, with the aid of Natalie Lambert, a mortal coroner, while trying to keep his secret from his partner. His quests are hindered by his tormented past and his seductive 2000 year old master, Lucien Lacroix."

I remember watching Forever Knight back in the early 90s, and it was kind of a guilty pleasure for me. During the third and final season, I was in graduate school studying English Literature, and I felt as though I was somehow sneaking around to watch it when no one else would know, as though it were my dirty little secret.

But oh, how I loved that show. How I longed for Nick Knight to be redeemed. And how I longed for him and Natalie to make things work between them. Their romance was heartbreaking, and I loved every minute of it.

Nick: Don't. Don't get too close to me.
Natalie: Why? You want to hurt me? Kill me?
Nick: No. But I might anyway.

When the show went off the air, I was so disappointed. I loved the poignant ache of Nick's character, and I suppose in some ways the way that Geraint Wyn Davies portrayed him informed the way I've written one of my novel Ma Chère Antoinne's main characters, Raul Griffin. They both share a sort of tragic desire to change what cannot be changed, to go back to being human in order to be with the women they love.

Janette, Nick's former vampire lover, struggles to understand why he doesn't appreciate the gift he's been given, and Nick's master, Lucien Lacroix, was devastatingly sinister yet alluring at the same time. Lacroix seemed to have Nick in a trap that he could never escape from, no matter how much he longed to be free. I loved his musings on the meaning of life, and while they were chilling, they also made a great deal of sense, and it was easy to understand how someone like Nick would be persuaded to follow him.

Lucien LaCroix: Life is a gift. As sweet as a ripened peach, as precious as a gilded jewel. I've never understood the logic of willfully surrendering such a treasure. And what is there to gain? How dark can your existence be when compared to an empty void? Unless of course, you have faith that there is something beyond. What do you see from where you stand? A bright light at the end of the tunnel? Is it a ray of hope? A glimmer of something better? Or will it burn you like the rising sun? Is that sound you're hearing the trumpeting of St. Peter's angels, or the screams of Memnoch's tortured souls? You can't answer that, can you, because you will never know the answer, till the deed is done. And is your faith really that strong? I understand the need to move on, it is something that happens, and your time has truly come. I also understand that with the beauty of this life there comes pain and despair. No one is immune. But consider what is in your hands. Don't trade a treasure for an empty box. 

Nick's struggle was so very painful, and yet I could not stop watching. I never let go of my hope for him, even at the last.

If you have never seen the show, I highly recommend it. It's available on DVD and can be downloaded or streamed from iTunes, Netflix, or Amazon.

Every Little Thing

When I reinvented my cover art, I didn't realize the ripple effect that change would have. Because I had new cover art, I had to:

• Prep my CreateSpace account so it is ready for the paperback version to be uploaded once I'm through writing.

• Update my Amazon cover art and the file download for the Sneak Peek.

• Update my Twitter page background.

• Update my blog background here.

• Update the images on my author website.

• Make changes to my CafePress and Zazzle shops to reflect the change.

• Update my book trailer and sneak peek review videos on YouTube and change my YouTube channel look. 

Book Trailer

Review Video

It took two days and a ton of work, but I have to say that now it's done, I'm really pleased. I think the cover art reflects much more clearly the theme and setting and characters of the novel.

New Cover Reveal!

After a lot of thought and some very slow revision, I have made a new cover that will be used for the paperback. Please tell me what you think!

Nuts and Bolts Aspects of Writing: Why Scrivener Rocks

I've been using Scrivener to write my novel, and it has proven to be not only economical, but also absolutely perfect for my needs.

Storyboarding

As a visual learner, I love the storyboarding aspect (seen below).

 

I now have the first 20 chapters written with three more chapters left to go before I begin Part II. That section has been planned now for 20 more chapters. I love the visual aspect of storyboarding, and Scrivener allows me total freedom.

Flexibility

Scrivener allows me to format and save files in a wide variety of ways. Just with ebook formats alone, I can save my book for Kindle, Nook, or iBook and can even make it a .pdf file as well. I can also easily change the format of my book from ebook to paperback. I can also create a screenplay based on my novel using Scrivener's templates.

 

Portability

My favorite aspect of Scrivener is the portability of the content. I can back up my entire project to Dropbox and then work on each individual chapter file on my iPad. I use the Notebook app for iPad, though other writing apps would be fine as long as they will synch with Dropbox. It's easy to import the files to my iPad, work, then save those iPad changes to Dropbox and import them right into Scrivener when I get home. That means I can write wherever I am and not risk compatibility issues changing from one machine to the next. I can also then share those files with editors.

Make the Switch

I had previously always worked in Word, but Scrivener is so powerful, I will never go back. It's quite honestly the best software I can imagine for what I do. I cannot recommend it highly enough for writers, no matter what genre or medium.

Big Decision!

After much deliberation, I've made a huge decision. Rather than break up my work into three smaller books, I'm going to write on through to the end and publish it as one long novel.

There are several reasons, but my biggest concern is with making sure I'm happy with it, and as I reached the end of the first part, I had real reservations that without the rest of the story ready RIGHT NOW, people will feel that it's too short and complain about that fact. That won't make anyone happy. Therefore, even though I absolutely hate changing what I've promised, I feel I really must. The book is telling me it wants to be a complete whole, and I won't be pleased with myself or the end result if I don't listen to what it's telling me.

I know there are people who will complain and feel like they want Part 1 now, but I promise you, I will make it worth the wait. Rather than three separate short novels of approximately 180 pages each, I'll be able to give you one book that's nearly 550 pages.

In addition, because I am writing it as one book, rather than three separate parts, I'll be able to bring you the whole story sooner because I'll be able to focus on my writing and not be distracted with three separate publications. As three books, I'd have to have three different covers, do all the marketing and promotion separately, and all that takes time away from me being able to complete the story. Rather than make you wait until next year as I publish each part separately, my plan is to have it ready for publication in it's entirety this summer.

New Preview Video!

Book Playlist

Book Tease

My iPad is often my favorite way to write. I can carry it anywhere (in this case, my living room), and with my wireless keyboard and the Notebooks app synched with Dropbox, I can easily upload and save files that I can then transfer to Scrivener on my desktop machine for formatting. I've written several chapters this way, and I absolutely love it.

There are some clues in this post about my novel, plus, you'll see the title of Chapter 12.

Shaking things up, making plans, plus some shameless self-promotion

I made the decision to switch my blog over to Blogger rather than keeping it on Wix where it has been housed. I was just not as happy with some of the functionality of Wix's blog (though I do love, love, love my author website there). In addition, it's not as easy to network with other authors on Wix as it is on Blogger or Wordpress, and that's something I definitely intend to do more of in the coming months.

Also today, I purchased my tickets for the World Horror Convention 2013 in New Orleans and reserved my hotel room. It's official. I'm attending. If you're also going to be going to this event, let me know in the comments below. I'll also be taking a few days of vacation time then to see the sights and wander the city with my very best friend in the whole world.

I'm making plans for a release party for the complete novel at the end of this month. Details will be posted soon!

And now some totally shameless self-promotion, as promised:
It's all five stars for the sneak peek of Ma Cheré Antoinne! Check it out on Amazon for only $.99! 

Getting it in Gear

I'm nearly at the halfway point with my novel. I'm determined to finish in the next two weeks, and that means a lot of work on my part. I can do it.

Wrote 4,259 words between yesterday and today, in spite of being in bed with my crushing headache for part of it. Even if I end up editing it to bits, I'm still proud. And still writing. :D I didn't think I'd done so much till I just stopped to calculate it up. Gives me confidence. I worked in 5-10 minute bursts with breaks inbetween, but it all adds up. Even if I can't get long stretches of quiet time, if I can get a break without interruptions, even if it's just ten minutes, then it's still moving the story forward.

I've also figured out how to use my iPad to write without having so many errors that autocorrect creates for me, and that is a HUGE relief. That means I can write in bed or during my dinner break or while I'm in a waiting room...the possibilities are endless, so long as I can keep my head in the story.
In addition, I've set myself a schedule and I'm determined to stick to it come hell or high water. I'm using the time I would have been teaching or grading or holding office hours as writing time. It adds up to a lot of time.

It's been a pretty lousy few days for me personally, but I'm happy with my writing and I've decided that when all else fails, Nutella is still awesome.