How's everyone doing? It's Saturday, time to check in and report progress or just what you're up to. Traffic on the blog has fallen off lately, it seems to me. Is everyone grabbing the last bit of summer fun?
Paty is normally an early blogger like I am, so I assume she's off setting sprinklers or herding grandchildren, so I'll go first. I'm on page 220, Chapter Ten. Don't know if I'll get much writing done today -- hope to. My goal is to finish the book in August so I have the first two weeks of September to get it to make sense.
How are you doing?
13 comments:
Hi, Alice!
You are making fantastic progress! Congratulations!
I finished the final edits to my February release this past week and sent them to my publisher. In the next few days, I still need to do the author questionnaire for that book and finish up the cover, which needs "something" more.
On my list of writing projects today is a final read-through for my December release. Shouldn't be any changes at this point, just nit-picky stuff.
I've been gathering up freebies for booksignings and have found a pair of fake leather pants for my Elvis impersonator costume. Disappointing as it may be for some of you, I decided against the rhinestone spandex. LOL!
I've been spending a lot of time with doggies lately. One of my former foster doggies was in crisis, and one of my older dogs had a stroke or seizure last Saturday, probably related to the heat. She is pretty much back to normal now, except she has decided that she really likes to be hand-fed. So her loyal servant (me!) is doing that several times a day. :)
With everything going on, working on house and yard projects so I can sell this house and find some property has fallen mostly to my son. He is wrapping up work on the stairway, which now has beautifully finished wood steps. Looks fantastic!
I was really pleased that we had a couple days of rain and love that the sun is back, but hope it stays at about 75-80 degrees for the rest of the summer.
I've been catching bits and pieces of blog entries, but haven't had time to respond. I'll really need a writers' fix by the time the September meeting rolls around!
Sounds like your plate is not only full, Genene, but over flowing.
Good grief I'm glad I don't have to come up with covers for my books. That would just about kill me. What do you mean by "something more?"
Boohoo about the rhinestone spandex. You're going to regret it, girlie!
Hope the dogs continue to improve. Mine fell n the stairs the other day and I thought that was the end of her. The end of her (as in hind end) is going to be the end of her someday, but not today!
Thanks for checking in.
I'm at my daughter's house in Eugene and she has wireless, so that's nice. Though I haven't been on the computer much since I got here day before yesterday. We went to Eugene's Saturday Market today, which was bustling with activity, and a bit too much for my 7 mo old grandson. He got over-tired and screamed the entire drive back. Everyone's exhausted.
I didn't do much writing last week, just plotting. I'll do more this upcoming week as I prepare for the Colorado Gold conference.
Sorry to hear about your doggies, Genene. I have a geriatric pooch who's not doing so well and my husband is struggling with a decision. It's very sad.
Gosh, Alice and Karen, sounds like several senior doggies in our group. Each time something happens--like a fall down the stairs--there's a hitch in my heart that my time with them might be near the end. The loss is heartrending even believing as I do that the cycle of life never ends. Cyberhugs to both you and your senior fur babies.
Ah, Alice, my plate is overflowing with wonderful things though--all delicious, tasty morsels of life! :) Figured with all the good stuff going on I could get by without rhinestone spandex. I found a glittery blouse today. Now I can choose between glam or jungle print to go with my fake leather pants. LOL!
What do I mean by "something more" for the cover? Good question! It feels like the cover is too plain and doesn't convey the concept of the story well enough. As with writing, sometimes I have to turn off the internal editor and just toss graphic elements onto the page until I find one that clicks. In fact, something just occurred to me as a possibility as I tried to explain what that "something" was. So thank you!
Karen, glad you got to spend time with your daughters, even though your grandson made his displeasure known on the way back. I really enjoyed your blog about cliches--or not--the other day. Is the Colorado Gold conference in October?
As an aside, I usually check e-mail while I eat breakfast or lunch or whatever meal. However, last week when my e-mail and Internet were down, I read a book while eating meals. How nice that was! And doubly nice because it was BODYGUARD FATHER. Thanks, Alice, for writing another book I thoroughly enjoyed!
Well, the line edits for my December release are done and sent to the publisher, so I think I'll call it a day. Hope next week is a productive one for everyone!
Genene, thank you for telling me you enjoyed the book. I appreciate it so much. And yes, there are several of us with aged dogs. Ack!
Hi Alice and all!
Yes, grandkids have kept me from blogging and this past weekend we attended a wedding Friday in Eugene, then 17 family members went to a house at the coast and spent Friday night and Saturday night before attending a wedding today in Mt. Angel.
Returned home to find my son and his two here. The next couple of weeks I'll be scarce.
Little writing got done this week. My oldest daughter read the first three pages of the book I plan to send to the agent and I'm rethinking the first chapter. So that's what I'll work on when I get snatches of time. I also received validation for the way the heroine acts in the contemporary from a specialist in sex abuse cases. So that made me feel good.
Congrats, Alice on plugging along!
Genene, wow you are busy and your dogs keep you so busy and on your toes!
Karen, you have it lucky, you can walk away when you want from our daughter's. LOL- I'm stuck with grandkids for another two weeks at least!
I feel like I did everything BUT write this week!
I finished my page proofs for STOLEN FURY and got those sent off. Finished my revisions on STOLEN HEAT (book 2) and got that off to my editor. I also updated my website (added pics from national if anyone's interested....go to www.elisabethnaughton.com, click on the "extras" page, then scroll down to the 2008 RWA thumbnail), set up my myspace page (www.myspace.com/elisabethnaughton - please friend me!!) and put together my facebook page. I did manage to edit a bit in the WIP, and I brainstormed where I'm going next, so when I sit to write this week, at least I'll know the direction.
Genene, add me in with the aging dog. Ours isn't doing well.:) She's lost about 24 lbs in the last month and isn't eating. We're doing everything we can, had her to the vet, running tests, etc. This is a dog who has never passed up food, so it's not looking good. :( She's 13. The daughter is having a really hard time with the idea this might be it for our pooch.
Seventeen family members in one house, Paty? You are a brave woman! Hope you get some stretches of time to write. Glad you are making progress on your contemporary story.
So sorry to hear about your dog not doing well, Eli. And it can be especially hard on kids.
But congrats on getting revisions done to books 1 and 2. That's great! And also on getting MySpace and FaceBook pages set up. That's still on my list of things to do. My son said he would help, and I'm counting on Lisa's presentation giving me lots of tips. So when I get everything set up, yes, I'll friend you! Nice photos from National, by the way.
I also finished up my author's questionnaire for my February release this afternoon. Hooray! And finished that cover and sent it off. Double hooray. Alice, you questioning me about what "something" was missing triggered the idea that finished it up. Thank you!
Hope you all get some writing done this week!
Genene, I am hopelessly curious. Can you be more specific about what the extra element was or does it need to remain a secret???
Sorry, Alice, I wasn't trying to be mysterious. I was going to post the revised cover with my comment, but didn't know how to do that. I also thought it might be a good idea to wait to hear back from my publisher to be sure they didn't think the cover sucked. :)
I posted the new cover on my Web site **www.genenevalleau.com**. The "something" that was missing is the silhouette of the guitar. Seems like a simple thing, doesn't it? My publisher also suggested that the title be larger and I also made it darker so it would stand out from the background more. Again, simple changes that make a big difference, especially when this will be seen mostly at about an inch wide and an inch and a half wide.
No big secret, just nit-picky details that usually bore everyone but graphic designers. I appreciate your interest!
Sorry, I meant an inch wide and an inch and a half tall.
Genene, I absolutely love your new cover -- very, very classy. Thanks for telling me, I don't find this boring in the least, I find it fascinating.
Alice, thank you for your kind words. The last few days have been productive ones by finishing up several projects that have in process for awhile--including this cover.
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