Getting all linky with Maree... again

GETTING ALL LINKY WITH MAREE... AGAIN By Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi all,

Before I forget....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Or,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Or,

HAPPY [INSERT MEANINGFUL GREETING THAT

COULDN'T POSSIBLY OFFEND ANYONE, HERE]!

On the personal front, you know how things were basically shite in Maree-land when I last posted? Well, I'm happy to report that DD's operation went well, and she's slowly but surely recovering. The surgeon saw her again today, and we're all hopeful that the procedures have worked a treat and she'll be back to playing hockey and doing karate and going to school, and just generally hanging out without feeling sick and nauseous and in varying degrees of pain all the time.

I can't ask for a better Christmas present than that! (But damn, I'm sure gonna try my best to appreciate the heck out of the Kindle I bought for my DH to give me for Christmas *g*)

Anyhoo, I thought it was about time I shared some more of my favorite websites. Yes, my friends, it's time for Maree to get all linky again.

***

First up is Chuck Wendig's blog "terribleminds" -- specifically this post:

25 Things Writers Should Know About Rejection.

*Warning: Do not have drink in hand while reading. Especially do not risk actually drinking anything while reading.*

Here's a sample of the delights ahead should you choose to click the aforementioned link:

4. Rejection always stings. It stings me, you, everybody. Nobody likes to be rejected. A writer who likes being rejected is a writer who is secretly a robot and must be smelted down into slag before he tries to kill us all because he hates our meat. Pain is instructive. And it’s not permanent. Not if you don’t let it be. Some writers savor misery like a hard candy endlessly sucked in the pocket of one’s cheek, but fuck that.

6. It’s not about you. It’s about the work. I mean, unless it is about you. I guess it could be personal. If you send a story off to an editor, and you once shat in that editor’s fishtank, well. That might be personal.

13. Objective rejections will take you to task for two primary things: one, you didn’t follow the submission guidelines. (Can I just say: always follow the goddamn submission guidelines? Even if the submission guidelines are like, “Each corner of the manuscript must be dabbed with the urine of an incontinent civet cat and the writer must write his name backwards for the magic to take hold,” you do that shit because you’re not a pretty pretty unicorn, you’re a horse like the rest of us, goddamnit.)

***

Second up: Joe Konrath's "A Newbie's Guide to Publishing" -- specifically, this post:

Konrath's Resolutions for Writers 2012

He adds to the list every year. This one from 2008 resonated with me:

"I Will Feed My Addiction

Life is busy. There are always things you can and should be doing, and your writing career often comes second.

So make it come first.

Right now, you're reading A Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Not A Newbie's Guide to Leading a Content and Balanced Life.

You want to get published and stay published? That means making writing a priority. That means making sacrifices. A sacrifice involves choosing one thing over another.

If you can't devote the time, energy, and money it takes to pursue this career, go do something else."

And this one from 2012:

5. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You're a writer. You're in this until the day you die. As long as you continue to write good books, you'll find readers.

***

Another great blog to check out is Passive Guy's: "The Passive Voice: Writers, Writing, Publishing, Disruptive Innovation and The Universe"

PG (Passive Guy) takes relevant chunks from a huge variety of blogs--anything from The Washington Post, to Amazon, to the mega-successful indie author team of Saffina Desforges, and posts them in one handy dandy place for you to peruse. He may or may not provide a commentary on those posts--and if he does volunteer an opinion, it's always worth a read.

He provides links to the full blog posts, so you can check them out in their entirety if you like (i.e. if you have enough hours in the frickin' day!)

Here's an example: "How Not To Blog: 22 Things For New Bloggers To Avoid."

For this post, PG selected five little gems of wisdom from the list of 22. (There are full explanations of why these are big, bad, no-nos for newbie bloggers, but I'll just list the titles here):

1. Ignoring comments

4. Whining

5. White text on dark backgrounds

13. Acting like you're a rock star from Mars

21. Letting blogging take over your life

And if you have a burning desire to read the full list and explanations, the link to Anne R. Allen's blog post is provided.

I like PG's method of posting snippets, because when I'm busy, I can scan the summary post and see immediately whether the full post will interest me and it's worth clicking on the link to the full post.

For example, PG posted this one: "How much should an ebook cost?" The article was by Seth Godin and it began like this:

"This is the wrong question.

The right question is: How much will an ebook cost?

Because the answer isn’t up to one author or one publisher or even a price-fixing cartel. It’s up to the market, which is a far more complicated entity. There are no shoulds in the market, just reality."

And although a few more paragraphs were quoted, that intro was enough for me to click through to The Domino Project, and read the full article by Mr. Godin.

***

Last on today's list is Joel Friedlander's "The Book Designer".

Joel's blog is a Mecca of excellent advice from anything from Getting Ready To Publish, Understanding Fonts & Typography, Self-Publishing Basics, EBooks & EReaders, to his weekly This Week in the Blogs summaries.

For those dipping their toes in the wonderful world of blogging or designing covers, here's a good one:

Finding Photographs for a Book or Blog Gets Better, where he talks about a couple of little interface enhancements that have made shopping for royalty-free photos on stock photo sites a whole heap easier.

I also learn a lot from checking out his monthly e-Book Cover Design Awards. What I especially like about this site is that Joel will generally only comment on covers that he really likes, or feels could be improved with some practical advice. They're not open to commenters, so that cover you've slaved over won't be ripped to shreds by a bunch of people who don't "get" the genre.

Here's the link to his November e-Book Cover Design Awards & October eBook Cover Design Awards. (Pssst. If you scroll through October's, you might see a couple of covers submitted by a Wild Writer *g*)

And last but not least, a word of wisdom from an unknown dog... who doesn't seem to mind his owner doing weird-ass things to his face while someone takes a photo which goes viral.

Smile while you still have teeth :)

See you next year!

Hugs,

Maree

More Hot Ex-Military Cowboys

Just in time for the holidays, Callie Croix's last erotic romance novella in the Dumen Ranch series is out. This time it's big brother Dillon's story, and he's quite the delicious alpha male.

In keeping with the season of giving, Callie would like to give away a copy of Dillon's Claim to a commenter here on WGW. She's always on the lookout for a hot new hero to read about, so if you have any recommendations, fire away!

Blurb: Charissa Myers attends a bachelorette weekend at a Texas guest ranch, knowing she’ll have to confront Dillon Dumen. The sexy cowboy is everything she’s ever wanted in a man but, gun-shy after a previous BDSM encounter gone bad, she denied her need to submit to the irresistible Dom. She expects his anger, but what she doesn’t expect is Dillon’s determination to finish what they started all those months ago.

Dillon doesn’t understand what spooked Charissa in the first place, but now that she’s on his turf, he wants a hell of a lot more from her than answers. He’s got two days to weaken her resistance and stake his claim once and for all. And this time, he’s not letting her go without a fight.

Excerpt:
Shock rippled through her at the sensual feel of his mouth on hers. Her hands immediately went to his shoulders, palms pressing against the contours of solid muscle. He didn’t let go, the gentle pressure of his hand at her nape reinforcing his control and heightening all her senses. The kiss was hard, possessive, but his lips were soft and warm on hers. A startled moan escaped, her body tingling with a rush of pleasure.

She wanted this. Had craved it for so long. God help her, her fingers curled around his shoulders instead of pushing him away. Her lips softened and parted beneath his, the tender stroke of his tongue making her sex clench in anguish. He kissed her like he’d been dying to taste her, licking and caressing all the sensitive places inside her mouth, that strong hand cradling the back of her neck.

All too soon, he pulled back, leaving her hot, confused. Wanting more.

Dillon raised a hand and trailed a questioning fingertip over her cheekbone, holding her spellbound.

“Something spooked you the last time I did that,” he said in a low voice, his eyes far too knowing. “What was it? This?”

Before she could pull away, he threaded his other hand into her hair and held her head still. Letting her feel a taste of his authority, making her even wetter at the thought of exactly how it would translate into the bedroom. The dominant side of him frightened her as much as it aroused her. She swallowed, hating the betraying stillness in her body as she softened, wordlessly affirming her desire to give up control. His steely eyes pinned her mercilessly, gauging her reaction, watching for any sign of vulnerability. This was the predator she’d sensed lurking inside him, and this time there was no escape. She closed her eyes to block out his scrutiny.

“Look at me,” he commanded softly.

Fighting with herself, she drew a deep breath and forced herself to meet his gaze. She swallowed again as his long fingers rubbed against her scalp, his grip commanding, yet so tender it tied her in knots. For the life of her, she couldn’t make herself pull away.

“What were you so scared of, Charissa? Maybe this?” He bent and brushed his mouth over hers. Gently this time, a beguiling caress of lips and tongue that made her catch her breath, press closer to him. Tempting her in ways a more forceful touch never could have. The man was lethal with his mouth. She could just imagine how well he’d use the rest of his body.

 *end excerpt*

 

Hope that helps stave off the winter chill! Happy holidays, everyone. 

Callie Croix (Kaylea's evil twin) 

www.calliecroix.com

What I want for Christmas

Jenn Hart for writers gone wild.

Winner of the autographed ARC of NO Limits, Ranae Rose!
Ranae, send your mailing address to me at jlhart79 at gmail dot com and I'll send you your book!

I've started a trend of being greedy this year. Not so much with money or buying stuff for myself but, I'm becoming more greedy with my time. There never seem to be enough hours in the day to do what has to be done what should get done and what I want to do. So the shoulds, like folding the clothes immediately when they come out of the dryer, the floor getting swiffered every day or inviting the relatives over for a meal, falling by the wayside.

In essence my family is walking around wrinkled and a little bit less stressed because I am less stressed, at least in my personal life. I've even had time to be a little bit bored. ;-)

So, in the greedy spirit, I have to say what I want for Christmas more than anything else is a DOOR! Specifically an office door with an office behind it. I have office stuff but it's scattered throughout the house. Desk is covered with kiddie flotsam, mail in the deal with later pile, receipts for personal AND business taxes and just crap that I don't know what to do with but haven't gotten up the wherewithal to pitch yet.

The computer on the desk is majorly jacked up; spyware, adware AND a Trojon horse. Never let it be said that when I set out to snarl something up I give it less than my all. But I still have stuff on there that I need to extract, specifically pictures of my kids from the last decade so it sits there, waiting to explode.

My laptop, when not on my lap sits on my end table which also holds out compressor for my son's nebulizer, remote controls, tissues, pens, my glasses case and whatever hasn't been dumped on my desk but the menfolk think needs to be dumped somewhere where I will eventually deal with it.

And this space which has over the last year since the downfall of the old PC, has become my writing zone of sorts. Problem is, it's in the living room, i.e. the hub of activity in our house. Front door is five feet away. Christmas tree blocking my view of the outside. T.V right in my line of sight and often there's a husband or son wanting to watch it.

I was supposed to have an office. Back in 2006, when we moved to this house I mentally claimed one of the upstairs bedrooms for my office. But in the midst of moving a bed got parked in there and it became the guest room. And then, when we needed to split up the boys who were sharing what is now the playroom, it became my oldest son's room. Best view in the house and he keeps the blinds closed. Breaks my heart.

Sure I have a bedroom, which I share with a husband and a neurotic beagle. I also share the living room, the kitchen and the den/junk storage area with them. How the hell in a 2,400 square foot house do I not have even a closet of space to call my own?

So yeah, I want a fricking door for Christmas, something I can symbolically use to shut out the world, or more realistically, I can use it to shut out some of the noise so I can hold a thought.

How about you? What are you wishing for this holiday season?

See you next year!

HOLIDAY CHEER

I've always thought of myself as having a little Grinch in me. I'm not the holly jolly sort and usually don't go in for a lot of sappiness. But the last week or so the spirit of the season has caught up with me big time!

It started on Friday when I read this link Kaylea posted on Facebook to a news report about good Samaritans anonymously paying off the Kmart layaway accounts of struggling families with young children. By the time I was halfway through the article I was all choked up and close to honest-to-God tears.

Then Saturday night I caught a re-run of CNN's Heroes of 2011 broadcast (originally aired last Monday) honoring 10 adults and several teenagers for their selfless giving to others. These are people who aren't famous and don't grandstand, just quietly go about their good deeds. The Hero of the Year, midwife Robin Lim, runs a clinic offering free prenatal care, birthing services and medical aid to poor women in Bali. Then there was the teenager who built 18 homes for poor families in Mexico by this 18th birthday, and the world class chef who cooks pasta dinners seven days a week at the Boys & Girls Club in Anaheim, California, and on and on. Again I felt myself misting up at the thought of how good people can be.

In the spirit of the season, I've decided to up my game by making additional contributions to a couple of organizations I've supported this year:

This weekend the news reports told of the last U.S. combat troops leaving Iraq for good, but we're still bogged down in Afghanistan. There, medical personnel with the Army's 10th Mountain Division have launched Operation Spartan Stork, dedicated to winning the hearts and minds of the local population--not as that phrase was used in Viet Nam, by bombing the living crap out of everything that moved, but by truly helping. Operation Spartan Stork is trying to reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in Afghanistan--the second highest in the world--by distributing birthing kits designed to minimize the risk of infection in home deliveries, and by training local women how to use the kits. The Operation Spartan Stork facebook page has information on how to help by sending supplies so they can assemble more birthing kits.

Also in Afghanistan, the Afghan Women's Writing Project (AWWP) is helping that country's women writers share their voices with the world. The AWWP operates two "writing huts" in secret locations--secret because some Afghan men don't think women should be empowered to express themselves. The writing huts are sanctuaries where women can transmit their work to the outside world through the internet, receive mentoring from American women authors and professors, and participate in writing workshops and reading salons.

Happy holidays to all of you, and may you find joy in giving, whether of your money, your time or your talent, at home or abroad.

Something's Gotta Give

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE By Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi y'all,

Has it been two weeks already since I last posted? *checks and counts the Thursdays on her calendar* Uh. Yeah. It has. Crikey.

In my defense I've had a heap on, both professionally and personally. So I guess it's little wonder the days are getting away from me. So far this week I've had a junior prizegiving for DD, two trips to the chiropracter--also for DD, one trip to the hospital for an ultrasound and another round of blood tests (DD), one trip to the hairdresser (me), one hurried round of Christmas shopping, and by the time tomorrow comes around, I'll have had four--make that five, counting this one!--guest blog posts go live.

Yikes. Maybe if I say it all really quickly it won't seem so much?

I get to chill a bit over the weekend--as much as a parent whose kid is going into hospital for an exploratory op on Monday can chill--and then it's all on again.

Plus, there's the added worry of finding out yesterday that my mum is going in for an op on her hands next week.

My head is spinning. I've had my gym membership on hold and that's now been lifted, but I can't bring myself to get there. Even getting into my workout gear and driving 10 minutes to the gym to do an hour-and-a-half workout seems like an almost insurmountable task. We're supposed to go to karate tonight, but DD is not up to it, DH is nursing a chronic head cold, DS is bone-tired and just hanging in until school ends for him next week. And me? I reckon I need a night to chillaxe and make like a couch-potato. I suspect if I did summon the energy to go to karate, my brain is so overloaded right now I'd forget everything I'd been taught and the yellow belts would laugh at me. So this is me, crying "Uncle!"

Something's gotta give, I tell you.

And that "something" might well be Christmas cards this year. I'm usually done with them by now, but somehow I just can't even bring myself to start them. Right now, it's all I can do to make sure I've remembered to buy everyone a present and get them all off in the post so they arrive on time. So apologies in advance to all my friends and rellies. It's not that I've forgotten to send you a card, or you've been crossed off my list. It's just....

It's just that writing out a whole heap of Christmas cards is one thing I can choose not to do right now, I guess. (Sorry, guys.)

On a happier note, I've just remembered one thing I can tell you that might be fun for y'all to know.

A group of indie authors have gotten together to organize a holiday treat for anyone who loves buying eBooks.

BOOK LOVERS' BUFFET "HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA"!

From December 1st through to January 15th, all eBooks listed on this website are US$0.99c at a variety of etailers.

The Book Lovers' Buffet is an all-you-can-eat 99c eBook treat!

There's around 140 eBooks to choose from, in a variety of genres--something for everyone!

Here's the direct links to the individual Book Lovers’ Buffet website pages:

contemporary

erotica

fantasy/horror/sci-fi/time-travel

historical

inspirational

mystery/suspense/rom-suspense

non-fiction

paranormal

romance

women’s fiction

young adult

Load up!

You won't gain a pound ;-)

Cheers,

Maree

2012: What's in Store for the Wild Writers?

With the holidays rapidly approaching, I've been wondering what surprises the Wild Writers have in store for us next year. I've got several Callie Croix releases coming out over the next few months, and one Kaylea release in April (um, gotta get my butt in gear and get the next military book done!). What about the rest of you?

Tell us what forthcoming releases we can expect, and I know a couple of you have books coming out with big NY publishers, which is really exciting to those of us that dream of accomplishing that someday.

In 2012 I've decided I have to be more accountable for my writing. When things get hard in a WIP, I've been really struggling to get through and finish. Something's gotta give, man! 2012's my year.

Please share your writing resolutions and releases for the New Year. It's going to be a great one.

It's December already?

Jennifer L Hart for Writers Gone Wild
Where did this year go? Seriously, it's December, and the clock on 2011 is almost out!
December is always a crazy busy month around the Hart household and this year is no exception. My oldest turns ten on Saturday. As my Nana used to say, Holy Crow McIntyre, I have been a mother for almost a decade! Exactly two weeks after his birthday is Christmas Day, which is a big event around here (whether I want it to be or not.) I plan on foisting the wrapping for the majority of gifts onto DH's shoulders because I am head over heels IN LOVE with my current WIP and can't stand to leave it for very long. Plus, I stink at wrapping. We're talking open sewer kind of stink. My creativity does not translate to manual dexterity. And it would be awesome to finish the rough draft this year, no matter how unrealistic that may be, since I'm only on chapter four.

Then my husband's birthday is New Year's Eve. More shopping, more wrapping, more cake. Plus this year the release of Jenna's No Limits is January 1 so I need to think about promotion and blogs and giveaways, oh my!

The extended family has a habit of stressing me out, asking about cookie baking, holiday lights sightseeing, presents ect. Why are they asking me? Did I somehow sign up to be Grand Miester Christmas Coordinator?

During the holiday season it is way too easy to get overwhelmed, to forget stuff, sometimes important stuff. I missed pastry with parents for my son's fourth grade class yesterday. Totally spaced out. But my terrific easy going kid shrugged it off. This is why I spent my hard earned royalties to buy him a Kindle Fire for his birthday. Because he is just that cool, so sweet, so forgiving. In the midst of all this craziness, he's just happy. It makes me want to reward him.

Other relatives are getting big old lumps of coal. You stress me out, you are getting coal. The end.

So who is your guiding star during the holiday season, who makes all the work worth it for you? I'll pick a winner and send you an advanced copy of No Limits, signed my my sultry alter ego, Jenna McCormick.

Happy Holidays!

The perfect house aka my new home.

Well I did it. I moved. Packed everything I owned into assorted boxes,threw out more stuff than I thought I owned, took load after load to the second hand store. Now I remember why I don't do this very often. It's alot of work. Hard work! Actually, this is only the third time in my adult life that I've moved, and it's the first time I did all by my lonesome.

Well, not really all by my lonesome. I may be the only one who lives there but I have an awesome bunch of friends, and they all showed up to help. I was truly touched by the amount of help I got. I rented a great big cube van (well it looked big when I tried backing it into the parking space!) and my girlfriend and I loaded it full of boxes and all the awkward breakable stuff on the Friday and took them over to the new place. We unpacked all the kitchen stuff and got that load sorted out so that the next morning, when all the big strong guys showed up, we didn't have to worry about them breaking anything labelled fragile.

By noon on Saturday all the furniture was in place, and by three in the afternoon my bedroom, kitchen and living room were all in a liveable state. Nothing got broken and even the pets love the new place. The cats love all of the windows with the big, wide, sit-on-me window sills. My terrier loves the huge workshop out back with all the interesting smells as well as the huge yard. It is completly fenced so I don't have to worry about her.

The grandkids are delighted with the backyard, which came with a huge sandbox full of Tonka Toys! (All my grandkids are boys) They also love the fact that I now live in town, so they get to drop in lots when Mum and Dad are in town. And this weekend, they are coming to sleep over because the Santa Clause parade is on, and guess who's new house is right on the parade route!

Did I mention this really is a perfect house?

Anne Kane

http://www.annekane.com/