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I was tagged by Steven Savage for this blog hop with these questions:
1. What am I working on?
2. How does it differ from others of its genre?
3. Why do I write what I do?
4. How does my writing process work?
What am I working on?
I work on several projects at a time and which gets preference is based on which deadline is soonest in conjunction to the amount of words due. Usually have a number of editing gigs going on at the same time as my writing gigs. Currently, as an author, I am working on the following:
Unnamed short story – due at the end of the month for an invitation-only anthology. It is urban fantasy.
The Last Days of the Salton Academy 3: Plan for Success – the third in a trilogy of novelettes. This is a near future, post apocalyptic zombie tales. Due in June.
Chimera Incarnate – Book four of the Karen Wilson Chronicles. Urban fantasy due at the end of the year.
How does it differ from others of its genre?
Unnamed short story – I don’t know if it does. I just know it is relevant to today and I haven’t read a story like it yet.
Salton Academy – I don’t particularly like zombies and I think the genre is getting stale. For the most part, I’m not writing about the zombies. I’m writing about the survivors and how they handle the stress of the apocalypse. I thought it would be interesting to set the story in a boarding school in-between quarters.
Chimera Incarnate – This is the last in the urban fantasy series and, really, it is classic urban fantasy: a hidden supernatural world set next to our reality. I’m not trying to stretch the genre. I’m writing within it. Only the details differ.
Why do I write what I do?
I write the stories I do because it is what I like to read. I have stories to tell—to myself, to my fans, to anyone who wants to read them. I would write whether or not I was getting paid for it. I really do live to write and write to live. It is my passion.
How Does My Writing Process Work?
Once I have an idea, I let it sit for a week or so. Ideas are easy. Writing/execution is hard. If the idea is still shiny in a week, then I work on it.
First, I outline. My idea of outlining is deciding if it has a 3 or 5 act structure and then bullet pointing the main thing per act. That’s it for a short story. For a long work, I break each act out into 3 or 5 scenes and bullet point the main thought per scene. That’s it. I know where I start, where I believe I’m going, and where I will end up.
Then I write. Write. Write. Write. Splat it to the page. Get the whole of it down. Never mind the mistakes. I don’t look back until it’s complete. Unless I figure out a giant plot hole as I’m going. Then I stop. Re-outline to fix the hole. Then I write again.
After it is complete, I give it a single edit pass to smooth out the edges.
Once I’m satisfied, I put it away to stew and work on something else. If it’s a short story, a week. If it’s longer, a couple of weeks.
After stewing, I take it out and look at it with fresh eyes and fix everything I couldn’t see before. When I’m not ashamed of it, I send it to my 1st round readers. That gives me more time and distance and people outside my head a chance to tell me where I messed up.
Then I fix those mistakes. I polish the manuscript. I read it out loud away from wherever I wrote it.
When I’m finally happy with it, I send it to my editor and pray they like it, too.
Tagged
After chatting with them, I am tagging: Lucy Snyder, Nate Crowder, Minerva Zimmerman, and M Todd Gallowglas.
Ever wonder what a freelance author/editor does? Each month of 2014, I’m going to list my daily notes on what I do. As I always say, being your own boss means you choose with 70 hours of the week you work. None of this talks about the random pub IMs, time doing research, time reading books for blurbs, introductions, and reviews, or short author questions. It doesn’t cover my pays-the-bills work either. This is just publishing industry stuff. “Answered pub industry email” can be anything from a request for an interview, to contract queries, to reading anthology invites, to answering questions about dates… and the list goes on.
April |
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2014.04.01 | Answered pub industry email. Tell Me blog post. Wrote 1000 words on Salton Academy 2. Updated AIP website. |
2014.04.02 | Answered pub industry email. Googlegroup posts. Wrote 2200 words on Salton Academy 2. Updated personal website. |
2014.04.03 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 2200 words on Salton Academy 2. |
2014.04.04 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 2100 words on Salton Academy 2, finishing the first draft at 14,100 words. |
2014.04.05 | Answered pub industry email. Polish edited Salton Academy 2, added 150 words, and sent it to alpha reader. Re-outlined Salton Academy 3. |
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Sunday 2014.04.06 | Answered pub industry email. Updated personal website. |
2014.04.07 | Answered pub industry email. Tell Me blog post. Editorial read of Famished: The Commons, Chapter 1. Sent in playtest feedback on a game in development. |
2014.04.08 | Answered pub industry email. Final proof of “Janera” for Athena’s Daughters I. Posted AIP blog post. Editorial read of 3 chapters for Famished: The Commons. |
2014.04.09 | Answered pub industry email. Editorial read of 9 chapters for Famished: The Commons. |
2014.04.10 | Answered pub industry email. Editorial read of 7 chapters for Famished: The Commons and emailed notes to the author. Contract negotiations for an RPG gig. |
2014.04.11 | Answered pub industry email. Signed the contract for the RPG gig. Editorial read of 9 chapters for Exile novella. Updated my deadlines calendar for the next 6 months. |
2014.04.12 | Answered pub industry email. Editorial read of 8 chapters for Exile novella and emailed notes to the author. |
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Sunday 2014.04.13 | Went to Norwescon Stuffing Party to put AIP bookmarks in the swag bags. AIP blog post. Personal blog post. |
2014.04.14 | Answered pub industry email. A whole lot of Norwescon prep. Signed short story contract. Created my convention autograph card. AIP blog post. |
2014.04.15 | Answered pub industry email. AIP blog post. Personal blog post. Packed for Norwescon. Updated AIP website sidebar. AIP googlegroup post about book releases. |
2014.04.16 | Norwescon. 1700 words on Salton Academy 3. |
2014.04.17 | Norwescon. AIP Booth. Panels. Answered pub industry email. Meeting with EGM. |
2014.04.18 | Norwescon. AIP Booth. Panels. BLESS YOUR MECHANICAL HEART and KEYSTONES release party. |
2014.04.19 | Norwescon. AIP Booth. Answered pub industry email. Meeting with Vorpol Games. |
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Sunday 2014.04.20 | Norwescon. AIP Booth. Home. Keel over. |
2014.04.21 | Answered pub industry email. So much email. Posted a new “Tell Me” guest blog. Outlined Red Aegis RPG assignment. |
2014.04.22 | Answered pub industry email. Posted a blog post. 300 words on Salton Academy 3. |
2014.04.23 | Answered pub industry email. Signed gig contract. Norwescon follow-up activites. |
2014.04.24 | Answered pub industry email. Answered an SF Signal mind meld. Read Red Aegis updates. 160 words on Red Aegis assignment. |
2014.04.25 | Answered pub industry email. 200 words on Red Aegis assignment. |
2014.04.26 | Answered pub industry email. Had to remind the internet not to send me unsolicited novels to my personal email account. |
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Sunday 2014.04.27 | Answered pub industry email. Playtested Red Aegis. Re-outlined Red Aegis assignment. |
2014.04.28 | Answered pub industry email. Posted Tell Me post. 1400 words on Red Aegis assignment. Edited 50 pages of Gaming anthology. |
2014.04.29 | Answered pub industry email. Posted convention blog post. 1500 words on Red Aegis assignment. Edited 52 pages of Gaming anthology. |
2014.04.30 | Answered pub industry email. 800 words on Red Aegis assignment. Edited 55 pages of Gaming anthology. Created the convention card for VikingCon. |
Ever wonder what a freelance author/editor does? Each month of 2014, I’m going to list my daily notes on what I do. As I always say, being your own boss means you choose with 70 hours of the week you work. None of this talks about the random pub IMs, time doing research, time reading books for blurbs, introductions, and reviews, or short author questions. It doesn’t cover my pays-the-bills work either. This is just publishing industry stuff. “Answered pub industry email” can be anything from a request for an interview, to contract queries, to reading anthology invites, to answering questions about dates… and the list goes on.
March |
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2014.03.01 | Answered pub industry email. |
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Sunday 2014.03.02 | Answered pub industry email. Dealt with an issue of miscommunication via email and phone. Edited 40 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
2014.03.03 | Answered pub industry email. Juggled AIP release schedule. AIP Googlegroup post. Jennifer Brozek Googlegroup post. Blog post. Edited 41 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
2014.03.04 | Answered pub industry email. Edited 37 pages of Sheynan novel #1 and returned it to the author. |
2014.03.05 | Answered pub industry email. Submitted a query to an agent. Voted for the Stokers. Voted for the Nebulas. Voted for SFWA board. |
2014.03.06 | Answered pub industry email. Processed all of the publisher copy edits for BLESS YOUR MECHANICAL HEART. Received publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. |
2014.03.07 | Answered pub industry email. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. Edited and wrote 500 words on the Bear Cult story I’m co-writing. |
2014.03.08 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote back cover copy for BYMH and for KEYSTONES. Final proof of my story in a forthcoming anthology. |
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Sunday 2014.03.09 | A whole lot of PR stuff for AIP, including approval of new book covers and bookmarks. |
2014.03.10 | Answered pub industry email. Posted cover art for BYMH. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. |
2014.03.11 | Taxes. Feel like I’ve been beaten with sticks by them. Agreed to go to VikingCon in Bellingham, WA on May 3. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. |
2014.03.12 | Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. |
2014.03.13 | Answered pub industry email. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. Proofed “Janera” for Athena’s Daughters. |
2014.03.14 | Answered pub industry email. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. Proofed “Ley of the Land” for Time-Traveled Tales 2. |
2014.03.15 | Answered pub industry email. Approved the final covers of the Sheynan trilogy for AIP. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. Updated AIP store with forthcoming book covers. |
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Sunday 2014.03.16 | Answered pub industry email. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS. |
2014.03.17 | Answered pub industry email. Processed publisher copy edits for SHATTERED SHIELDS and turned the manuscript in. Posted AIP blog of cover of Sheynan #1. Wrote tax checks (OW). Wrote 700 words on Chimera Incarnate. Invoiced a client. |
2014.03.18 | Answered pub industry email. Mail SHATTERED SHIELDS manuscript back to Baen. Redlined 3 chapters of Sheynan #1. Wrote 86 words on Chimera Incarnate. |
2014.03.19 | Answered pub industry email. Invoiced a client. Read AIP submissions. Redlined 6 chapters of Sheynan #1. Wrote 300 words on Chimera Incarnate. |
2014.03.20 | Wrote 1000 words on Chimera Incarnate. Redlined 4 chapters of Sheynan #1. |
2014.03.21 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1200 words on Chimera Incarnate. Redlined 6 chapters of Sheynan #1. |
2014.03.22 | Wrote 1000 words on Chimera Incarnate. Redlined 7 chapters of Sheynan #1. |
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Sunday 2014.03.23 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1200 words on Chimera Incarnate. Final proof polish of KEYSTONES. |
2014.03.24 | Answered pub industry email. Blog post. AIP blog post. Processed the redline edits for Sheynan #1and turned it in. Wrote 400 words on Chimera Incarnate. |
2014.03.25 | Answered pub industry email. Revisions to Salton Academy 1. |
2014.03.26 | Answered pub industry email. Added 830 words to Salton Academy 1. Outlined Salton Academy 2. |
2014.03.27 | Wrote 1700 words on Salton Academy 2. |
2014.03.28 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1800 words on Salton Academy 2. Turned in edit requests on the Valdemar story. |
2014.03.29 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 700 words on Salton Academy 2. Got contracts back for cover art. |
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Sunday 2014.03.30 | Wrote 1000 words on Salton Academy 2. Paid PA. |
2014.03.31 | Answered pub industry email. Read AIP submissions. Wrote 1500 words on Salton Academy 2. AIP website work. Tell Me blog post. |
Writers, by and large, are mildly crazy. We have voices in our heads. We see stories everywhere. We are affected by both. Case in point. After my shower, I was standing naked in the bathroom, combing out my hair. I heard a noise. I walked out of my bathroom to look down the stairs to see what I could see. Nothing but cats. Probably a cat making noise.
Back in the bathroom, this conversation ensued. It lasted all of 10 seconds. Maybe.
“You know, people in horror movies do stupid shit because they don’t know they’re in a horror movie. Like you just did… walking naked to the top of the stairs to investigate a strange noise.”
“Not in a horror movie.”
“Naked girls get killed first.”
“Not a girl. Not nubile. Not in a horror movie. I have 4 cats. They make noise.”
“The cat is always the ruse.”
I was starting to freak myself out. “Not. In. A. Horror. Movie.”
“That you know of.”
The strange sound of an unfamiliar truck* drives by in my quiet neighborhood. It is loud and weirdly menacing. Quick assessment. Garbage truck? No. Delivery truck? No. Neighbor’s truck? No. Assessment: possible danger.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“Fine. I’ll get dressed. I’m not going to die naked. Sneakers today, I think, too. Never know what you’ll need to run from.”
And thus, I quickly got dressed in jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. Because, you never know when your life is going to shift from the everyman story into a horror story. I’m just lucky, this time, I didn’t have a conversation like this at midnight and need to sleep with the light on.
*Saw the offending truck later. It was one of those big dump trucks for leaves, branches, and tree trunks. Guess a neighbor is getting a tree cut down. It was empty, thus echoing and strange.
Ever wonder what a freelance author/editor does? Each month, I’m going to list my daily notes on what I do. As I always say, being your own boss means you choose with 70 hours of the week you work. None of this talks about the random pub IMs, time doing research, time reading books for blurbs, introductions, and reviews, or short author questions. “Answered pub industry email” can be anything from a request for an interview, to contract queries, to reading anthology invites, to answering questions about dates… and the list goes on.
February |
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2014.02.01 | Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Weekly planning with the Shadow Minion. AIP Googlegroup post. Jennifer Brozek Googlegroup post. Wrote 250 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. |
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Sunday 2014.02.02 | Answered a questionnaire. Filled out information for a press release. Mapped out anthology invites. |
2014.02.03 | Answered pub industry email. Tell Me blog post. Wrote Introduction to BYMH. Wrote 1177 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Blog post. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. |
2014.02.04 | Answered pub industry email. Proofed an RPG supplement. Wrote 1108 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. |
2014.02.05 | Answered pub industry email. Proofed 3 new essays for CDG anthology. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Wrote 1482 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. |
2014.02.06 | Final edit polish on BLESS YOU MECHANICAL HEART full manuscript and turned in. Wrote 1630 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. |
2014.02.07 | Answered pub industry email. Approved cover art. Wrote 1370 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Signed 200 signature sheets for a book. Applied to become a Gen Con Industry Insider. |
2014.02.08 | Answered pub industry email. Outlined the rest of Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Wrote 102 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. |
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Sunday 2014.02.09 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1700 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.10 | Answered pub industry email. Tell Me blog post. Wrote 1650 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Answered an interview. |
2014.02.11 | Answered pub industry email. Approved cover art. Wrote 1800 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Rough draft of Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony done! Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.12 | Answered pub industry email. Paid all of my BLESS YOUR MECHANICAL HEART payments. Sent out the 2nd wave of SHATTERED SHIELD payments. Edited 16 pages of KEYSTONES. Scheduled out the AIP 2014 book release schedule. |
2014.02.13 | Answered pub industry email. Final polish and turned in Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony, complete at 20,350 words. Consulted on cover art. Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.14 | Edited and revised 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. |
2014.02.15 | Answered pub industry email. Edited and revised 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. |
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Sunday 2014.02.16 | Edited and revised 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. |
2014.02.17 | Answered pub industry email. Poked a publisher about a contract update. Edited and revised 4 chapters of KEYSTONES. Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.18 | Answered pub industry email. Blog post. Writing list for Rainforest Writers Retreat. Invoiced a client. Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.19 | Rainforest Writers Retreat. Answered pub industry email. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts—got the last contract back in. Wrote 600 words on Valdemar story. |
2014.02.20 | Rainforest Writers Retreat. Wrote 3400 words on Valdemar story. Rough draft done. Outlined 3 Salton Academy novelettes for Outbreak: Undead. |
2014.02.21 | Rainforest Writers Retreat. Wrote 4500 words on Salton Academy novelette 1. |
2014.02.22 | Rainforest Writers Retreat. Wrote 4030 words on Salton Academy novelette 1. |
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Sunday 2014.02.23 | Rainforest Writers Retreat. Wrote 4060 words on Salton Academy novelette 1. |
2014.02.24 | Answered pub industry email. Tell Me blog post. Polish edit 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. Final edit of Valdemar story and turned it in. Edited 47 pages of Sheynan novel #1. Read AIP submissions. |
2014.02.25 | Answered pub industry email. Blog post. Polish edit 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. Wrote 500 words on Salton Academy novelette 1. Phone call with publisher. Edited 21 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
2014.02.26 | Answered pub industry email. Blog post. Polish edit 3 chapters of KEYSTONES. Edited 54 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
2014.02.27 | Answered pub industry email. Proofed an anthology story. Polish edit 4 chapters of KEYSTONES. Edited 52 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
2014.02.28 | Entered in all of the polish edits of KEYSTONES and turned in the novel manuscript. Fought with my down website for hours. Edited 33 pages of Sheynan novel #1. |
One of the things that people tell me when they quit their day job to write (or shift to working at home) is that they spin their wheels and they don’t seem to do enough (or anything) done. They’ve had a structured day job for so long that they don’t know how to structure themselves. This happens to remote workers, to full-time freelancers, and to people who temporarily stuck at home for whatever reason.
1. Dress for Work.
You are working even if you can do it in your underwear. Until you have come to a workable system, I recommend getting “dressed for work” every workday. This doesn’t mean a suit and tie unless you need to have a Skype meeting with someone who expects you in a suit and tie. It does mean getting up, putting on (relatively) clean clothes, and grooming yourself. It does mean getting out of the kind of clothes you like to relax in. Dressing for work (even if is comfortable) puts you in the correct mindset to sit down and work.
2. Daily Schedules.
I keep a number of schedules to keep me on track. The most important is the Daily Schedule. What do you have planned for every single day this week? What is a priority? What can slip? What has an immediate due date? What is a huge project that you have to get a little done each day to succeed? Daily schedules allow you to be productive and to feel productive. They also get you back on track when you come back from playing with the cat or come back from a doctor’s appointment. It tells you what you need to get done. It also tells you how much you can get done on an average week. And once you’re done with your daily task list, you can walk away and go do whatever.
3. Monthly and Yearly Goals.
The only way you can get Daily Schedules written is if you know what you want to accomplish that month. Monthly Schedules are created out of Yearly Goals. Yearly Goals gives you a starting point to break down into Monthly Schedules. These are living documents. As new projects are added, you need to adjust your Monthly Schedule. I keep a running 6-9 month Monthly Schedule with due dates. My Daily Schedule comes out of the Monthly Schedule I’m in. I always know what is due went and who it is due to. This way, you won’t over schedule yourself
4. Get a Timer.
There will be times where you just don’t wanna. Don’t wanna write or edit or do anything you need to do. I have a 15 minute, a 30 minute, a 45 minute, and a 60 minute timer. Depending on what project needs doing, I set my timer and focus on just that one project for the amount of time I’ve bargained with myself. “All I have to do is 30 minutes. Anything else is extra.” Usually, I will do my set time and then continue on. I’ve gotten over the hump of “Don’t wanna.” and can get on with the rest of my day.
Conversely, I will give myself recess. 30 minutes to read. 60 minutes to crochet. 45 minutes to go walking. The timer allows me to set an amount of time to play hooky. But when that timer bings, I know I need to get back to work.
5. Isolate Yourself.
Sometimes, your biggest problem is all the shiny things around you. You need to shut your door, close the curtains, and turn off all your chat programs. Sometimes, all you really need to is hunker down and get to work. A lot of times, this works best in conjunction with a timer. Put away all (or most of) the distractions and work.
Ever wonder what a freelance author/editor does? Each month, I’m going to list my daily notes on what I do. As I always say, being your own boss means you choose with 70 hours of the week you work. None of this talks about the random pub IMs, time doing research, time reading books for blurbs, introductions, and reviews, or short author questions. “Answered pub industry email” can be anything from a request for an interview, to contract queries, to reading anthology invites, to answering questions about dates… and the list goes on.
January |
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2014.01.01 | Emailed 3 authors about final edits for BYMH. Set up in-person meeting with Intern for 2014.01.10. |
2014.01.02 | Wrote 2000 words on “Kelpie Storm” for Origins “monsters” anthology. Finished rough draft. |
2014.01.03 | Answered 2 BYMH emails. Consulted on KEYSTONES cover art. Answered email on BYMH cover art. Wrote 1000 words on “Janera” for Athena’s Daughters anthology. |
2014.01.04 | Interview for Reading Recommendations. Editor meeting with AIP author Dylan about The Shadow Chaser. Answered email for BYMH. |
2014.01.05 | Answered email for BYMH and for Norwescon and for AIP. |
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Sunday 2014.01.06
| Posted Tell Me, email about THE NELLUS ACADEMY INCIDENT, email about an unsolicited novel editorial review request. TOC of BYMH to publisher. Phone call about Gen Con. Edited “Kelpie Storm” and sent it to editor. Edited 3 stories for BYMH. |
2014.01.07 | Submitted a story. Edited 3 BYMH stories. Blog post about THE NELLUS ACADEMY INCIDENT. Wrote 101 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.08 | Dealt with artwork for BYMH. Answered AIP call for submissions questions. Passed on the editorial novel review to Lily. Task list for PA. Edited 7 BYMH stories. Wrote 252 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.09 | Edited 4 BYMH stories. Wrote 227 words on “Janera.” Eligible awards blog post. Post to FB about AIP being open for query subs. Answered questions about AIP’s call. |
2014.01.10 | In person meeting with Intern. Interviewed for new PR person. Wrote 616 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.11 | Hosted a SFWA meet-and-greet at the house. |
2014.01.12 | Reviewed cover art for a novel. Answered pub industry email. |
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Sunday 2014.01.13
| Answered pub industry email. Created contracts for Shattered Shields anthology – Mailed 15/17. Posted a “Tell Me” blog post. Contract negotiations for a novella. Wrote 124 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.14 | Blog post. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Hired a new PA/PR person for me and AIP. Wrote 11 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.15 | Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Approved 3 “Tell Me” posts. Answered pub industry email. Bookkeeping / bio collecting on BYMH. Wrote 2004 words on “Janera.” |
2014.01.16 | Wrote 875 words on “Janera.” Answered pub industry email. Finished contract negotiations for a novella. Checked on novella and book release dates. |
2014.01.17 | Answered pub industry email. Contract modifications for one anthology contract. Wrote 1630 words on “Janera,” finishing the rough draft. Poked a cover artist to sign his contract. Sent out Shattered Shields for blurbs. |
2014.01.18 | Polish and edit on “Janera” and turned it in. Signed and returned Athena’s Daughters contract. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. |
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Sunday 2014.01.19
| Answered pub industry email. Pinged a cover artist on an ETA on a cover modification. Pinged straggling BYMH authors for bios, addresses, photos. |
2014.01.20 | Answered pub industry email. SEGA-16 interview. Collected blubs for THE NELLUS ACADEMY INCIDENT. Posted a “Tell Me” blog post. Mailed first round of payments for Shattered Shields authors. Created and emailed all of the BYMH contracts. Publisher call on new tie-in contract. |
2014.01.21 | Blog post. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Invoice for payment. Answered pub industry email. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. |
2014.01.22 | Answered pub industry email. Skype call with PA, planning out PR events. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Wrote 555 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. |
2014.01.23 | Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Answered pub industry email. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Wrote 1007 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Sent in information on a sold short story. |
2014.01.24 | Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Discussion with/task list for new PA. Wrote 579 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Rough draft on a long blog. Updated task list for next week. Edits/revisions on “Kelpie Storm” and turned it in. |
2014.01.25 | Successful search for new artist on AIP book series. Wrote 542 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Book review written. Answered pub industry email. |
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Sunday 2014.01.26
| Answered pub industry email. AIP interview answered. Filled out HWA Library Committee form. |
2014.01.27 | Happy book release day to me, THE NELLUS ACADEMY INCIDENT is live. Lots of social media and email about it. Posted a “Tell Me” blog post. Consulted on novel cover art. Wrote 1708 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. |
2014.01.28 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1202 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Made a blog post. Booked hotel room for Gen Con. |
2014.01.29 | Answered pub industry email. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. Posted a book review. Wrote 1310 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. PR discussion with publisher. Contract discussion with publisher. |
2014.01.30 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 1047 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Booked room for Origins. Blog posts for AIP. Bookkeeping on Shattered Shields contracts. Bookkeeping on BYMH contracts. |
2014.01.31 | Answered pub industry email. Wrote 755 words on Colonial Gothic: Roanoke Colony. Half-day meeting with publisher. Contract negotiations. New book contract signed. |
And now you know.
If you would like to write to me for A Month of Letters, here’s my address. Everyone who writes me will get a letter back. If you want, you can write to one of my characters. That character will answer.
Jennifer Brozek
6830 NE Bothell Way, STE C #404
Kenmore, WA 98028
My ebooks from Apocalypse Ink Productions are on sale for $0.99. If you get the physical copies, all domestic shipping is free. It’s a pretty good deal.
If you prefer Amazon:
Caller Unknown, Karen Wilson Chronicles, Book 1
Children of Anu, Karen Wilson Chronicles, Book 2
Industry Talk: : An Insider’s Look at Writing RPGs and Editing Anthologies, non-fiction
I finally have the title of the Karen Wilson Chronicles, Book 4. It took a bit of doing and digging and thinking and playing with words.
Originally, I wanted to call it something like “Dreamstalker” or “Dreamstalkers” because it’s about nightmares becoming real. But, frankly, that’s a boring name and doesn’t really tell you what I want you to know about the book. Thus, I have a new title: CHIMERA INCARNATE.
Chimera is a mythical monster. But it is also a “an illusion or fabrication of the mind; especially : an unrealizable dream.”
Incarnate means “invested with bodily and especially human nature and form.”
CHIMERA INCARNATE is perfect for a novel about nightmares that can both kill you while you sleep or enter this reality through the unprotected mind.
I am beyond happy. This is the exact right novel title. It was part of the reason I was doing so much fighting with the outline. Now that I have the title, the words are flowing.
Jennifer Brozek is a multi-talented, award-winning author, editor, and media tie-in writer. She is the author of Never Let Me Sleep and The Last Days of Salton Academy, both of which were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award. Her YA tie-in novels, BattleTech: The Nellus Academy Incident and Shadowrun: Auditions, have both won Scribe Awards. Her editing work has earned her nominations for the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and multiple Hugo Awards. She won the Australian Shadows Award for the Grants Pass anthology, co-edited with Amanda Pillar. Jennifer’s short form work has appeared in Apex Publications, Uncanny Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, and in anthologies set in the worlds of Valdemar, Shadowrun, V-Wars, Masters of Orion, Well World, and Predator.
Jennifer has been a full-time freelance author and editor for over seventeen years, and she has never been happier. She keeps a tight schedule on her writing and editing projects and somehow manages to find time to teach writing classes and volunteer for several professional writing organizations such as SFWA, HWA, and IAMTW. She shares her husband, Jeff, with several cats and often uses him as a sounding board for her story ideas. Visit Jennifer’s worlds at jenniferbrozek.com or her social media accounts on LinkTree.
