October 26, 2007 

Well, well…October has certainly been an interesting month! It started out smooth then stalled in the middle. The block hit me for two whole weeks. I thought I’d pull my hair out before I finally sat down and finished chapter nine. I’m glad I’m over halfway done with the second book in the Louisiana trilogy. I bite my nails as I look over the events calendar for November.  

The owner of Red Rose Publishing has informed me I will be getting an editor next month…probably around the same time I’m due to judge a contest. It’s my first time judging so I’m thrilled about that, but that’ll be around the time I start the third book in my trilogy, too, and I want that finished by January. I need to research yet another story idea. Thank goodness I’ll be doing the research at my grandparents’ house. They are experts on steamboats and have tons of resources I can use. I’m looking forward to interviewing them—another new experience!  

My Golden Rose contest scores came back. I was a little worried because it’s strictly for unpublished writers and I received the contract from RRP for Fox & Hound, my contest entry. Thankfully, the contest coordinators of the lovely Rose City Romance Writers were very understanding, and I didn’t have to forfeit my entry fee. I didn’t final, but the judges’ comments were so wonderful and encouraging. I’ve learned from my two contest experiences that winning isn’t the objective—it’s getting the feedback that I really look forward to. Becoming a finalist and/or winning would just be icing on the cake! To see judges’ comments for Fox & Hound, see the BOOKS page and For the Love of Writing BLOG.  

One thing I have been keeping up with this month is my BLOG. We had exciting speakers at the October GCCRWA meeting early this month: the Ghost Chicks. I had to blog about them! If you aren’t yet in the mood for Halloween, check out the HeeBeeGeeBeeS article to learn more about the Ghost Chicks!  

I also signed on for a wolf-shifter anthology with RRP to support National Wolf Week and the Full Moon Farm—a wolf sanctuary you can visit virtually at www.fullmoonfarm.org. To benefit this great charity, owner Wendi Felter and several authors at RRP decided to do a wolf-shifter anthology in which all proceeds would go to the Full Moon Farm. It’s a short story that isn’t due until January, but it’s an intimidating task for me. I’ve never done a paranormal or a short. It should be fun and interesting, and I’m pleased to say I already have plenty of plot ideas but finding the time to do it will be my biggest issue.

Despite the upcoming time crunch and hefty workload, I’m looking forward to being up to my eyeballs in work! No matter how hectic it gets, I still love writing, and I’m so happy it’s officially my career. The exciting cover for Fox & Hound should be ready by December so make sure you check in soon for updates!