Amazon Bully?

It’s been a wild and crazy few days, err, more like a week. No one told me a puppy got sick just like kids. It’s ironic when a child is sick with the bucket handy and her dog is in the chair with her, looking just as miserable.

Meanwhile in the publishing front, the world has been a buzzing with the news Amazon is changing its policies that have been the same for as long as I’ve been in this biz going on 8 years now. I’m a “if it works don’t change it” kind of person and I really don’t see the intelligence in this decision of theirs.

It seems they are trying to get a little demanding and require any books printed by POD technology (print on demand) and sold on their site with a direct buy button, must be printed using their printer, Book Surge they purchased in 2005. Hmmm, seems a little off to me. They say this will enable them to ship books faster because they will be able to print them within a couple hours, package them with anything else the customer may have ordered and all is good.

I don’t buy it.

I have purchased things from Amazon, mostly Christmas gifts when I can’t find them anywhere else. The thing that strikes me as funny is this: I purchased a handful of things, thinking it was from Amazon because that’s where I bought it from, that’s who I paid, that’s who confirmed my order. All but two of the items were packaged and shipped from separate parts of the states with different store names on the letter inside the Amazon box. So I’m not sure I’m buying that statement in their release that if a customer buys a book and a toaster they can package them together and the customer gets exactly what they want and that is why Amazon wants to do this.

My other concern is quality. Quality is very important to me as it seems to be for Lightning Source - my current printer that also is owned by Ingram, one of the largest distributors to bookstores. The fact that BookSurge has many complaints about their lack of quality does not make me feel very confident about them keeping the standards I'm used to. And like I saw stated somewhere else, if a customer orders a title from Amazon and that title arrives to the reader with a missing page or something else wrong, it won’t be Amazon who looks bad, it will be the publisher because Amazon or BookSurge will not have their name on the product. The publisher who paid them for the service does. And this isn’t even about the double work this would cause to people who are already overworked and how about that double charge to have one book with two printers?

It doesn’t help that the very thought of being forced to have two printers if I want things to stay the same as they are with Amazon stirs my Irish blood into thinking how dare you tell me where I can or can not print my books and have them listed as they have been with Amazon since I published them (speaking of my personal titles). Oh, I know, Amazon is crying out “you don’t have to do this, you can sell as a 3rd party if I don’t print with Book Surge, and Star books will still be available on Amazon, just not with the shipping specials or any of that good stuff. Don’t get me started on that 3rd party thing. It ain’t worth it.

I’m inclined to tell them where to go, truly. Amazon has never been my most favorite place for my books, but some authors with Star Publish have had much better relations. So I suppose we’ll see how it all goes.

Myself, I’m waiting for Borders to get their new site up. I’ll jump on their bandwagon real fast.

I’m also by far not the only one a little bothered by this:
http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/004597_03272008.html

100th Interview

Quite a surprise it was when Joyce Anthony, author of Storm, told me the interview I returned to her was her 100th and a winner. In all my office work, organizing and reorganizing everything from actual papers to computer files, I had misplaced the interview after I answered her questions. It was more luck that helped me find it than any purposful action on my part. When I sent it, I was sure she had reached her 100th interview days before. She's forever adding new interviews, each wonderful reads from today's authors. But she surprised me with the news that I was the winner a few days ago. I'm just now slowing down enough to grab the moment I need to let you all in on it here.

Joyce's blog is here: http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog. Plan to stay for a while as reading the interviews is addicting. Mine is under the March 9th.

Character Curse

I'm a writer. It is the core of who I am more than anything else. Every little thought that trickles into my head becomes something, some bigger than others, some remembered more than others. I know when I'm in trouble when a character develops from these bits and pieces so strongly they will not let me alone even to sleep.

I started a new series a few months ago set thousands of years from now using some ideas spawned from "What if" after research into ancient Sumerian beliefs and the Kings List and such. The Kings List was thought fiction because the age of some of the early kings named on it was beyond possibility. Oh really? Are we sure - what if it wasn't? And Daughter of Gods began.

In the story, a little girl became a very small secondary character. Six years old, she did little but follow others. Then I started working on the second book in the series, still untitled and just a few chapters long. Within the first chapter, this six year old pops up, only now she is 16 and a rebellious teen. I have two of those - teens that is, not so much rebellious. But I can still remember my teen years (and I'll let that be all I say). So writing this teen wasn't hard at all. Then, after the fourth chapter and she proved to be a main point of view character, she insisted on being 23 - to heck with the back story, to heck with the second book in the series. Kira wants her own, her nickname, Starlight, to be the title and she's not taking no or wait-your-turn for an answer. She's even presented herself to me in a full fledge sketch (above) that took me just hours to do but will be her book cover. And she has a character to share her story with that caught me by surprise. A child I didn't even know existed of a character from the first book. Surprise, there Dane was, all grown up and claiming the mighty Danik as his mother and out for revenge only he's not a vigilante but a scholar who's been sheltered all his life in a space station and suddenly dropped on the surface of Earth. He somehow stumbles stupidly into pulling Kira out of a mess she's gotten into and then ropes her into helping him only he has no idea who she is or how close to a dangerous mess he is.

And there the story goes, nag nag nag - no consideration for book two at all despite the fact 2 does come before 3. Characters, I have come to understand, care very little for their creator or for numbers or how things were planned.

And then there is Among the Ancients, Bryce and Kynly waiting very patiently for me to get on with polishing their story. Something tells me they will be patient for a few more years, but Kira age 23, not a chance.

Star Publish Has A New Address

New Face, New Name

March 4, 2008

Star Publish remains outside the usual in the services it offers and its dedication to its authors with T.C. McMullen at its lead, but it now has a new website and business front at www.starpublishllc.com.

New and great things are coming to the Star website including authors’ blog listings, and a calendar of events. Visit Star and sample some of the most intriguing and fresh works available to readers today. Get to know the authors from the inside, who they are, why they wrote their books, and what those books offer to readers.

Don’t forget to check out the Star opportunities for writers as well. There is now an illustrator and artist on staff for original artwork in covers and interior images. As before, there is a full time staff including marketing director Janet Elaine Smith to help put books into public view.

For more information about all the opportunities for readers and writers, visit www.starpublishllc.com and bookmark it today!

Email contact: tcmcmullen@starpublishllc.com


# # #

Genre blending...

Way back (ok, it wasn’t that long ago) in the 1980s, I started writing stories. I suppose to one degree or another, I was always creating stories, either with little drawings or with actual words. I never gave much thought to doing anything more than doodling with it. Then I graduated and somehow found my way to a writing course. From there I wrote my first novel which landed fairly solidly into a thriller category after some changes suggested by an editor and agents but with a truly occult touch I couldn’t completely remove like advised. My second book stemmed from a nightmare I had as a young mother and grew in my crazy imagination to a horror thriller or suspense. Then came my third.

The Unseen was the first book of my Manipulated Evil trilogy and defied easy categorization. Was it a science fiction? Not exactly. Was it a romance? Not exactly. Was it fantasy or thriller or action adventure? Sort of. How about coming of age? In truth it was a little of all of the above despite being labeled a science fantasy. And I’m told I do that blending a lot. My latest release, Rise of the Arcadians is a little bit Eco Thriller, little bit future fantasy, little bit action adventure with dashes of romance and a drop of magic. In general though, such mixing doesn’t sit well with big publishers or stores because they are hard to put in their place. But how about for readers?

I know I love a story that has many elements all mixed together. For me, it becomes more interesting and it’s not just me who’s doing the mixing. Authors like Laurell K. Hamilton are running along the same path, not building stories to any box easily tagged, but creating variety and excitement with a complicated recipe of story elements. So, are the big publishers learning what the small publishers have been promoting for years?

As an author, I don’t think it would be possible for me to write something that slipped easily into one cozy category. My imagination won’t hear of it and readers seem to love the mixing. As head of a publisher, it’s the stories that stretch the ordinary that stay on the desk at Star Publish and often those are the mixes.

So onward I go with Among the Ancients and Daughter of Gods, not trying to squeeze them into any category, but letting the characters do what they may for my readers.

It's good

I don’t usually complain about life. At times, stresses will get to me, but that’s when it’s time to take a day and go for a hike or in the winter, go see a movie, take a breather. Life’s been good to me, not perfect, but good enough. Then all heck broke loose the last couple weeks, stretching me to the point I thought I was like some little cartoon existing just for the piano to fall on and keg of black powder to blow up on. I literally was to the point I thought another week like the last two would send me to the funny farm. (They’re coming to take me away haahaaaa!!)

Then I got up this morning, ready for battle again with companies who can’t keep records correctly and computers that can’t cooperate with programs that like to suck up RAM and freeze and the strangest thing happened.

Now, let me explain that I’ve spent more time on the phone trying to reach billing of a few companies (I won’t name names) for services both for my company and for my household than anything else the last two weeks. I got sent in so many circles it dizzied me with frustration. It was a case of one hand not knowing anything about the other or where one should be sent with a certain question. I finally got two resolved and another accidentally billed me for something I cancelled. I tried to correct it by email but was given a phone number instead. I tried for two days and couldn’t get through. So I figured today was a battle day with more dizzying circles.

Imagine my surprise when my first attempt got through to a very polite man who knew exactly what I was talking about and how to fix it, and yep, upon checking, it’s fixed. And in less than 15 minutes on the phone. That IS possible. Then my computer decided to cooperate again. I got more work done today than I did in all of the past two weeks.

So, was my sign misaligned with the stars for the start of February or something? I don’t really care, I’m just glad it’s over. I’m ready for things to begin working again so I can get back to regular work day hours with time left over for my kids and maybe even a little for me :)

A Little Respect

I don't usual open my mouth about controversial topics unless specifically asked, but over the weekend, I saw an image that deeply disturbed me. It was an image of protestors carrying signs. I won't state what the sign specifically said, but the gist of it was a deeply hateful thing against soldiers.

I don't come from a military family although I've had relatives in the military. But still, I can deeply empathize with the families and the soldiers fighting today. All I have to do is think of the images of strong soldiers in a battlefield with tears in their eyes, a soldier holding an injured child amongst chaos, children running to a mother or father they haven't seen in many months - the list goes on.

The war in Iraq is something none of us like very much. War is ugly, terrible, full of horror, but sometimes necessary. Anyone who thinks it never is should really think hard about what this world would be like if tyrants were left to overrun without opposition. Don't judge quick by what you think you know. Truly imagine it - what if everyone refused to fight?

But, I digress, my main topic here was the pain I felt for soldiers when I saw that image a second time. As my daughter said, who would say such an awful thing about soldiers? I really don't understand it and I wonder if the person who made that sign or carried that sign ever stopped to think about the soldiers fighting overseas as human beings. And did they ever stop to think that not all of them are in Iraq?

It shames me to think people in my country can think so badly of the men and women that give up everything of themselves, sometimes even their lives to protect our country, protect the rights of people, no matter who they are. Those soldiers hurt from what they've experienced. They witness horrors most of us can't even imagine and somehow keep going on, some with hearts of gold, running to help anyone, even perfect strangers, while risking their own lives.

Sure, some of you might huff and state some of the horrible things that have been done by soldiers. I say don't judge all by a few. Nothing is fully perfect. Perfection is a myth. But stop and think about the type of person it takes to leave family, home, modern comforts and safety behind to help ensure the rest of us can enjoy all those things without worry. The least we can do is thank them and be glad for their returns.

I don't know if the war is right or wrong. It wouldn't matter to me if I did believe it was all totally wrong, I could never speak so badly of those making such sacrifices to help others and protect what they believe in even if I didn't believe in the same thing.

I thank each and every man and woman out there who have put defending our country and the people before anything else. I thank their families too. I deeply respect them and wish them all the best for what they've given of themselves and hope they never once have to feel unappreciated or let down by anyone they've fought for. I can only hope others do the same for them, or at least don't do anything to disrespect them.

It's Official!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Star Publish
tcmcmullen@starpublish.com
www.starpublish.com

After Global Warming!

January 28, 2008

Can you survive? This is asked of you when you turn to the back of T.C. McMullen’s new Thriller, Rise of he Arcadians.

It’s 2122, seventy-two years after the Upheaval changed the world. Continents, world-communication, and modern technology are no longer what they once were. Society struggles to reestablish behind walls along what’s left of the Eastern United States. Darvid Squire, the leader of the citadel protecting the wall, relies on a rogue woman, Desire, for information and supplies. She knows all about the wild outer lands thought too harsh to support human life, yet Desire knows the wild lands hold secrets of old, secrets of hope.

One common enemy has risen to threaten both the civilized and the wild lands – Oceaners, a race of cannibals who swarm the continents, stripping from it resources and people. Desire must turn to her past to help her allies. Secrets of her ancestors mix with the future, creating a family saga and coming of age tale inside a thriller.

It’s been over two years since McMullen’s last release, Scorching Eden, but Rise of the Arcadians and the characters it introduces are well worth the wait. McMullen resides in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and three children. She is currently writing her next novel, Daughter of Gods, with more in a series to come soon.

For more information about this novel and McMullen’s other titles, visit the author's website at www.tcmcmullen.com.
Email contact: tcmcauthor@hotmail.com


# # #

Media support kits available electronically or by mail upon request.

Release distributed by Star Publish, an elite publisher dedicated to giving authors the best services while upholding only the highest quality for readers.

Shared Mind Conspiracy?

Last night, I settled down in front of the television under my afghan, not tired enough to sleep, so I turned to the sci-fi channel. The new Flash Gordon was on. I say "was on" because even when I'm in front of the television, I have a magazine, book, laptop, or sketch pad in front of me so I rarely just watch something.

Anyway, there's a new character in that show and when I heard his name, I slapped my forehead and thought "You HAVE to be kidding me!" Is nothing from my mind original? Is it all subconsciously known and just spit out when I think I'm being new?

Why? His name was Tarek. How they spell it, I don't know, but that's how I spell my Tarek. I assure you, "my" Tarek was born a few months ago, long before I heard the name on Flash Gordon. And it was a blend of his parents's names (I won't share yet, don't want to spoil the plot of Daughter of Gods.) This same thing happened when I was writing my Manipulated Evil Trilogy and gave the character Rania her name. I thought it sounded unique enough but within a few short months, I saw it in a few books and heard it on television at least once.

So I have to wonder, is there some thought-string we all share, the information tagging along through everyone's subconscious to spill out in clusters?

It doesn't really matter, I suppose. My Rania is still Rania and my Tarek will remain. Took me forever to come up with that combination of letters and actually like it, so I'm not going to chuck it just because the writers of the Flash Gordon series thought of it too. Though I do have to wonder if their Tarek is new or if I missed something about the original Flash Gordon because I really am not familiar with that one.

Ok, so maybe my characters' names aren't as original as I once thought and hoped they were, but hopefully they keep their individual identities just the same.

The Old and the Scary

Every once in a while to make sure things are as they should be with my listings and where my name and books are found, I run a quick search through Google or one of the other popular search engines. I also keep an eye on where my website hits are coming from to see what's working and what's not. Today, I stumbled on a few things in my search - things from a year ago, things from several years ago and EEEK. Scary to say the least. I have things at places I don't even remember being a member of. What it would take to get back in those sites and de-amateur-ize my pages, I don't know.

It's funny to look back now on where I started - an uncertain youngster not at all certain my writing was good. How I managed to stumble along, tripping over my own feet with my lack of knowledge, I'll never know for sure, except that my writing is really good, good enough quite a few people took notice along the way and lifted me up when I needed it most.

What's even scarier is to think just how amateurish what I post on the web today will be next year or five years from now. But the lesson is this - be careful what you put on the web. You never know when it will creep back out from the crevasse of time and scream at you.

Another Goodbye

Day by day, do any of us have any clue to how we are affecting the people around us - even those who don't interact with us one on one?

We've lived at our current address for ten years. From the time we moved in, I knew how lucky we were to have such wonderful neighbors. Our road is full of younger families and many kids grouped around the same ages. And right across the road was the dear couple we purchased our home from. Older, we viewed them as the road grandparents. We would wave at each other, stop to chat when we could, and watch out for each other. George was always busy taking care of his yard, his garden, or just enjoying the view. He offered yard care advice to me through the years and helped me several times in tackling things too large for me to handle alone.

I noticed recently that George's truck wasn't moving at all. This couple isn't a sedimentary couple, so this stood out to me. During the cold months, he usually drove, either their car or their truck, but I'd been missing seeing him. I'm not one to pry into the affairs of others, so I didn't ask, I just kept an eye out, hoping to see him wave again one day. Yesterday, we discovered he passed on after a stay in the hospital. Silly as it may sound my oldest daughter stood still when I told her and then said "who's going to tell my dog to be quiet?" Yes, George helped out more than we realized. He was a part of our lives even from across the road. We're really going to miss him.

Rise of the Arcadians Review

Coming Late January 2008
Rise of the Arcadians
T.C. McMullen
ISBN 978-0-9754372-8-5
Published by
Open Reign Publishing,
a division of Star Publish

She's called Scout by the men of the Citadel, where no other woman is allowed except for the few who cook and clean. In a not-so-far-future world where the earth's very surface has changed, and civilization as we know it today is only a memory, Scout mysteriously comes and goes and carries out her self-assigned mission: to keep the Citadel's fighters supplied, so they can defend the remnants of what used to be the eastern United States against invasion by the cannibalistic Oceaners. Scout has a real name, though, and a home unknown to the Citadel although it's not that far away. A home from which she has all but exiled herself, and a destiny that calls her back just when her chosen allies need her most.

Once again T.C. McMullen blends speculative fiction elements with some of Humankind's most universal and potent myths, and peoples the resulting universe with characters whose flaws make them all the easier to care about. In Desire (otherwise known as Scout), she's created a memorable yet believable action heroine on whose coming of age struggle a continent's fate depends. The people surrounding her are just as real, and the best thing about Desire - in this reader's opinion - is how her developing relationship with one special man enhances instead of changes her. There's warning here, of what our own world's future may hold if we continue on our current pathway; but there's also hope.

I do hope this apparent standalone book is really the first volume in a new McMullen series, because I definitely want to read more about Desire and her people!

--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of the Farthinghome series from eBooksOnThe.Net (first volume now available in paperback from Cambridge Books)

Star Publish Changes Ownership

After almost four years as Owner & Director of Star Publish LLC
(http://starpublish.com), Kristie Leigh Maguire is retiring from the
publishing business.

Effective January 1, 2008, the new Owner & Director of Operations for
Star Publish is T.C. McMullen. Maguire will remain with Star Publish
as Publishing Consultant and an author.

A woman of all trades, T.C. McMullen has delved into areas of book
creation from authoring, editing, designing, illustrating,
publishing, marketing and teaching. She began writing professionally
in the mid 1990s after receiving her diploma from Long Ridge Writers
Group in Connecticut for completing the "Breaking Into Print" course.
Her first novel, a psychological thriller Whispers of Insanity, was
published in 2002. Shortly after, T.C. joined Global Authors
Publications as Senior Editor and Artistic Development Editor. In the
following years, she chose to go freelance with her services, working
for Global Authors Publications, Jada Press, and Star Publish as well
as providing services for individual authors for dozens of titles,
many award winning. At the start of 2008, T.C. steps into
leadership of Star Publish. To date, she has seen five of her own
titles in print including the reader acclaimed Manipulated Evil
Trilogy with two more titles soon to be released. She also offers
three writing courses at Long Story Short School of Writing. She
resides in rural Pennsylvania with her three daughters, husband of
seventeen years, and two canines to keep everything a bit more
exciting.

The year of 2008 promises to bring exciting challenges and changes
for both Star Publish under the leadership of T.C. McMullen, and for
Kristie Leigh Maguire. As Maguire stated, "I am looking forward to
getting back to my own personal writing career. However, I am so use
to multi-tasking that I created a new company geared toward authors.
If you are an author and need a customized cover for your book, a
professionally written press release, or a video book trailer
customized to your book and posted to YouTube.com, then check out my
new company, Book Covers and More!"
(http://bookcoversandmore.tripod.com/)

Where does time go....

A new year. That's what it says when I scroll my mouse over the time bar on the computer so it must be so. As I sit here typing, I can remember back to when the roll from one year to the next meant little to me, yet I can't remember what food in the fridge is from the meal we cooked three days ago or three weeks ago.

I also didn't think it's been so long since I last posted to this blog. Shame on me.

A lot has happened since October after the fun I had at the conference. First, I was offered the lead of Star Publish. I've worked with Star Publish since its creation in 2004. When I was offered the reigns, it wasn't a simple thing at all. On one hand, it was a tremendous responsibility I was asked to take on for a wonderfully set up company. On the other, Star was my main source of employment. Freelance, I do much work for others, but Star was the most consistent and yes, sometimes easiest to work for because Kristie Leigh Maguire and I knew what to expect from each other. I debated for many weeks, then decided this is what I do - publishing, writing, books - all of that is my life second only to my children.

So onward and forward I go, taking the head of a fantastic company, trusting my skills and knowledge and ready to help others not only in the designs of books but in presenting it to the world as well.

The second thing that happened is I finished RISE OF THE ARCADIANS and it is ready for release any day now. I'll let you all know when and where it can be purchased. I have my next series begun with DAUGHTER OF GODS ready for editing and the asked about AMONG THE ANCIENTS is again in motion. I apologize to all those I've spoken to recently who asked of it. I didn't realize how much attention it gained when I announced I was working on it. I jumped the announcement of it a little early and hit a few snags in its plot but have worked through those and am now well on the way to "the end" hopefully before the finish of this new year 2008.

So I welcome the new year and new opportunities and hope all of you do as well.

Conference was Phenomenal

I had very little idea of what to expect from the conference. I was pleasantly surprised when so many participated in the challenges and introduced themselves. Thank you. It was a joy to meet everyone who stopped by my board and all those who joined me at chat. It got a little sticky at times with my daughters not realizing mom was actually busy when chat time came around - alright, truth be told, that night cemented my determination to have an office and has me thinking a deadbolt, chains, and a locking doorknob will be necessary also.

I'll be back next year for the 2008 Muse Writers Conference, that's for sure. And hopefully I'll have an office I can close off to the rest of my hectic household :) If you are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, do visit my site and check out the Author Appearances page where the link is listed so you can read all about it for yourself :)

Just for fun...

Monday mornings are never the fastest moving days around my house. This morning, being so chilly when we've been used to some heat, well, it isn't helping. I'm here, all wrapped up in blankets and flannel, and found an occupier for a few minutes. http://LinkTiles.com/concentration.php For this day, September 17th, my tile is included in the puzzle, but so are many others. Just in case you're between books, taking a break, or just browsing, take a gander at it.

And now that I've let you in on it and the clock hands have swept past 9 a.m. I'm going to get to my official work and see if I can't get Rise of the Arcadians out before Halloween.

The conference is nearing!

The 2007 online writer's conference is nearing. This will be the first year I'm participating, but many of my fellow writers have presented before and are back this year. I'm really looking forward to joining them to meet new people and share what I know about the art of novel writing.

The Muse Online Writers Conference is exciting for its convenience and availability. Participants won't need to travel anywhere or shell out hundreds of dollars. I know I've gotten things in the mail about conferences I would have loved to attend, but with three kids and a skinny checkbook, it was never possible. What the Muse has done to make this available to anyone is phenomenal.

I invite you to check it out if you've ever had any interest in writing. You never know where the road may lead you.

http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/

A new perspective

Accidents happen every day. Cars are smashed, sometimes people hurt. Yesterday, on a road not far from here, one I drive at least once a week, three cousins were on their way to the county fair. They never got there. Two were killed. A 13 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. My daughter was classmates with the boy. The whole of our small community is shaken.

As hard as it is to lose someone, it's harder when it's someone young. I can't help but worry and pray for the one survivor, the driver of the car yesterday. We've all done tremendously stupid things in our lives. Most of us live on to laugh about them without being haunted by them. Just this summer at a family get together, my aunts, uncles and cousins all stood around talking about some of the truly brainless things we did. One involved fire and gasoline, another an old gun found in a barn, another the pool out by the springhouse. Truly, a few of us shouldn't have survived. We did lose a teen in our family to a car accident many years ago. My uncle was the youngest brother. He wasn't one of the lucky ones to live through something stupid. Neither was the driver yesterday. I only hope she is able to get through so the family doesn't lose all three from that car crash yesterday.

Is it good luck for some of us, bad for others, or something else? I've seen very interesting and mind teasing things in my life, put with the skills of a writer, and it seems so designed, like a plot of a book. Seemingly stupid things, totally unrelated can create a reaction or action that causes something else, something that in hindsight just had to happen, even if it was horrible. So I'm reminded of a little card I found in a book given to me by my dad. Simply: There is a reason. Some people refuse to believe it, some hang onto it for all their sanity. Myself, I'm just here for the experiences, for whatever reason.

So today my girls got extra big hugs, and I truly hope my middle daughter meant it when she said "you just have to get a perspective on death" - I always thought she was an old-soul, wise beyond her years. Or maybe my trilogy really made an impression on her because, as she says, they were needed somewhere else, they learned and did what they needed to do here. It was time to go.

A day in the life...

Rise of the Arcadians is back from edit. Now I just need to find the time to apply the edits and get all the artword ready for the cover. This year yet? Being that July 25th just hit (and that just hit me today) I really do not know. I want for it to happen this year. It just depends how much time I can scrape together for myself.

Add that into the super-productive garden this year and freezing all the veggies coming off of it despite lack of rainfall. Add to that three kids, two dogs, and one bunny coming for the daughter who felt left out with the dogs and one nagging need to write the next book and I'm spinning in my chair here. 173 single spaced pages are typed to (tentative title) Daughter Of Gods and last night it hit me, it won't be all one book. So help me, it won't be like my trilogy either, but more like a series. Yes, the very thing I swore I would never do a few years ago, somewhere around where I swore I would never write more than one book for a set of characters (hmmm, what was the three book trilogy?).

I really do need to stop saying "never."

And now I'm going to get back to work.... Until next time :)

Off to edit

I've finally called one of the three latest projects I've been working on finished and wrote "the end" on Rise of the Arcadians.

I actually finished it a month or two ago, but at the time, it just felt a bit fizzled to me, like it needed more. The ending, that is. It wasn't until I opened the file and read the last chapter again while out camping that I thought it wasn't so fizzled at all. So today I transferred the file into my desktop, skimmed through to adjust some formatting, and clicked to print. Amazingly my printer gave no protest. And now off to editing it goes just to see if I'm the only one who thought at first it didn't work. I'm also including a preview of my next book. Hopefully by the time Rise of the Arcadians goes to print I'll have a title for the next :)