Cobblestone Press Author and Publisher Blog

Hugs,

Dee

And don’t forget, if you’re signed up for my newsletter by August 31st, you are automatically entered for a chance to win a free copy of this short story. Additionally, you can head over to Cobblestone’s Chat Room tonight at 8pm EST for a chance at winning a copy there.

Y’all read it and tell me what you think, k?

Well, it just wouldn’t be a release if I didn’t hold a contest, now would it? As my newsletter subscribers already know, there are two chances to win. First, come hang out with us at 8pm EST at Cobblestone’s chat room, Friday August 22nd . Not only is there an opportunity to win my release, but also a chance at other new releases too.

Your other chance to win is to sign up for my newsletter. On August 31st, I’ll randomly choose a winner from one of my newsletter subscribers. My newsletter comes out once a month and gives you a heads up on exclusive excerpts and news about Dee Carney, Morgan Sierra and some of my favorite authors. If you subscribe, be on the look out via email and September’s edition for your name.

Good luck and hope to see you Friday night!

Cassandra Moore came up with this awesome pos t a few days ago and I begged her permission to repost it here. Graciously, she agreed. Take a gander and give her some love…

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I had this talk with my husband about a week ago, and another writer friend of mine today, so I figured I’d bring it up here, too. Seems like it’s going around.

When most people imagine a writer’s job, they imagine sitting down at a computer and pouring out the book of their heart. And sometimes, it really does happen that way. The plot and details just fall together, the words practically dump themselves onto the page from your fingers, and when you look over what you’ve done, it’s got that magic something . That’s when the work is the most satisfying and rewarding.

But sometimes, work is work.

When you take up writing for publication, there’s a lot to consider. You can’t just sit down and write any old story. Not and expect to sell it, anyway. There’s a lot to consider. That fun hobby that called to you so loudly at first suddenly takes on this new, tedious side.

Writing as a hobby is very, very different. It doesn’t matter what you put out there, even if you’re writing for a fandom or forum or collection of friends. All those fun stories with trite ideas and holey plots go away. Wild, quirky ideas turn into things you know you can’t sell. For the first time, you have to consider genre, market, promotion.

You aren’t just planning your next book. You’re planning your career. You’re making choices, accepting ideas that will make your next story less what you envisioned, and more saleable.

It’s easy to forget that writing is a job. To say, “I don’t feel like doing this today” or “I only got 500 words done, that’s good enough” or “I have this great idea, and nevermind the 40k I have in on what I’m writing now”. It takes dedication, commitment, and a thick skin. You will get frustrated, depressed, angsty, and upset. Your publisher will piss you off. Your agent will piss you off. Your editor will really piss you off. You will piss you off.

You’ll hate everything you write, at some point. Plots will refuse to come together. You’ll get halfway through something and realize it sucks. You will have to stick with and finish something that you never want to see again. You will run out of words when you’ve done 500 for the day, and grit your teeth and push to 2000.

And despite all that? Yeah, you’ll love it, and you won’t want to trade it for the world.

Sometimes work is work. And sometimes work is magic. Writing is work. Even if you do it for fun, if you’re publishing, it’s also a job. But the rewards make it absolutely worthwhile.

And in publishing information, here’s a terrific Alt Text post at Wired.com about how to keep yourself safe from predators while trying to get yourself published. These are things every aspiring writer should know!

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Visit Cassandra Moore at her web site and be on the look out for her upcoming release TAINT OF SHADOW.

Let’s start with The Vampire Oracle:Love (ISBN:978-1-60088-289-0). Y’all already know how much of a fan I am of Shannon. Yet again, she doesn’t disappoint. Jason, one of the heroes of this story is addicted to the vampire’s kiss - The Blood Kiss. When his cruel mistress gives him to another vampire - Dillon - he assumes he’ll still be able to feed the addiction. Dillon, however is a reluctant vampire who only knows how to take a human’s blood without offering pleasure in return. Jason eventually leads Dillon down a path of self-discovery where love is waiting at the end.

Shannon captures the torment of these two anguished men vividly. The comfort Jason offers his new master puts a smile on your face that doesn’t leave for almost the entire story. Once again, if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced, action-packed read, this is for you. (Let me just take a moment to say that I hope this story is true L. Shannon style and ends up as a series. I loved, loved, loved the secondary characters introduced near the end.)

When I won Reclaiming Love (ISBN:978-1-60088-293-7) I mentioned to another author that the excerpt from chapter one was heartbreaking. It was. So is the rest of the book. By page 23 (I know the number because I looked), I was mesmerized by the story of Kevin and Connor though. Kevin is a BDSM switch who is being stalked and harassed by his former lover, Josh. When they were together, Josh abused him (in the name of their lifestyle and "love") in ways that no person should have to endure . By the time Connor meets Kevin, he is a shell of his former self. Connor sticks by his side though and helps Kevin regain a lot of what he’d lost of himself.

The love story between these two men is disarmingly sweet. My heart ached for Kevin and cheered on Connor’s persistence in taking their relationship slow despite the heat between the two. I loved the circle of family and friends who supported them. One can’t help but become angry at the abuse Kevin suffered and sigh passionately at Connor’s patience. V.L. McElfresh wove a tale that kept me riveted until the very last page. I can’t recommend this story enough.

If you’re only tempted to take a look by signing up, but are afraid of a lot of extra emails, don’t be. I like my once a month rule and so far have been pretty darn good about sticking to it.

BTW, did I mention that every time I have a new release (woot woot!), my subscribers are automatically entered into a drawing to win a free copy? Well now you know.

Voting is until August 31st, so head over there now!

(Remember those Bartles and Jaymes’ commercials from the 80’s?) Thanks for your support.

As for my other writing, well, my brain is just not cooperating. I have started to write two additional stories that I’ve been toying with. If you look left, you’ll see the titles: THE FALLEN 2: NEPHILIUM and BEAUTIFUL LIAR. I’m fully plotted for both stories…have everything lined up and all I have to do is type. Why is it then, the only thing I can concentrate on is THE CRAFT OF THE WISE 3: DUELING BODIES? I awoke from a sound sleep this morning with all sorts of dialog going on in my mind as well as the beginning for TCOTW 4 going full throttle. I haven’t even heard back from the publisher on the first book! I thought it would be wise to work on something else until I heard back, but I guess no such luck. Guess I’ll take advantage of my unofficial ADD and work on all three (possibly four) over the next couple of weeks. Enh. What are you gonna do?