Silk & Shadows

Technically, the Frostbound release was yesterday, but since today is my blogging day, I’m going to have another release mania moment. Unleash the hounds! Bring on the chorus line of dancing vampires! It’s here! It’s here!

I’ve already posted the book trailer, but here is the link again

For anyone who has escaped the cover copy thus far, here we go:

Every dog might have his day, but the hellhound guards the night . . .
As a snowstorm locks down the city, more than the roads are getting iced. Someone’s beheaded the wrong girl, and vampire-on-the-lam Talia Rostova thinks it was meant to be her. Now she’s the prime suspect in her own botched murder—and the prisoner of her smoking-hot neighbor.

Lore is a hellhound, bred to serve and protect, so he’s not freeing Talia until he’s sure that she’s the prey and not the hunter. You’d think a beautiful woman in his bedroom would be a good thing, but trouble-prone Talia has run afoul of someone more sinister than your average lunatic killer. An ancient Undead is wreaking vengeance on the city—and on her—and Lore will have to go far beyond a stake to put him back in his grave . . .

And that Lore is one naughty puppy.

To celebrate this big moment, I have ONE ARC left and I will autograph it and send it to some lucky person who comments on Silk and Shadows between NOW and NEXT Wednesday (June 15th). I will mail internationally and your comment can be in response to any post that is put up during that time period. Comment every day and multiply your chances to win.

One of the truly wonderful things about the internet is the volume of information available to anyone who surfs. Gone are the days when you had to trudge down to the library for everything. If you’re a fiction writer, you can benefit from the wisdom of others with a simple click of your mouse. You’ll still need to visit the library occasionally, but you can learn a lot about your craft just sitting in your computer chair.

There are many, many resources out there. Preditors & Editors, itself a fabulous resource, lists a few of them.

Here are five that you may or may not have stumbled upon in your internet travels:

1. Forward Motion for Writers – Holly Lisle has an article on almost every topic imaginable, and since she’s a published author herself, she knows her stuff.

2. Resources for Romance Writers – Charlotte Dillon put this site together for romance writers, but many of the resources are helpful for anyone making their way in the publishing world.

3. Write it Sideways – Susannah Windsor Freeman posts several articles each month on a variety of writing topics. As a former teacher, she provides information in an easy-to-absorb and interesting way.

4. StoryFix – Larry Brooks has published books on how to write and publish, plus his site made the top ten list of blogs for writers composed by Write to Done. Hint: if you click on the icon for his award, you’ll see the entire top ten list.

5. Nathan Bransford’s Writer Forums – Nathan Bransford was an agent with Curtis Brown until he left the publishing field for a job at CNET. But he’s a writer himself, and he started these forums when he was an agent, so there’s a wealth of great info here.

Happy exploring!

Currently working on: Listening to the thunder of an approaching storm (literally and figuratively)
Mood: Antsy

I recently read an article about the regrets of the dying. The article was in response to a blog post by a palliative care worker who compiled a top five regrets list from her conversations with the dying. Both articles — and several more I found on the web after a search; the topic apparently captured the blogosphere’s imagination — were interesting and thoughtful. And all seemed to miss a crucial point:

Everybody will have some regrets.

It’s inevitable, I think. Even for someone with all the opportunities in the world, there isn’t enough time to explore every option. And for every option chosen, another option is left behind. Anyone with even a little curiosity is going to wonder about the roads not taken, and at least occasionally that wondering will be tinged with regret.

The top regret listed was not having “the courage to live a life true to myself” and not “honour[ing] even a half of their dreams.”

Sounds so easy to follow your dreams. Like the only reason those dying people hadn’t followed their dreams was because nobody had showed them a top five list of things they were going to kick themselves for later if only they had the strength and flexibility.

Maybe it will be that easy for some. Maybe they’ll read that list and say, I won’t let that happen to me. But dreams don’t come cheap.

Which is kind of funny when you consider that dreams are free every night when you sleep.

Dreams (at least the kind that cause deathbed maunderings of regret) are demanding. They take time — and, as mentioned earlier, there is never enough of that. They take resources, focus, effort. They take from other dreams. And they may or may not reward all that time and effort. The potential of the dream may be the only reward for the pursuit. And the pursuit of one dream — by its nature — will likely negate the possibility of pursuing something else.

I am so glad I’ve had the chance to pursue my dreams. I’ve even captured a few of them. But they came at a price, and I think rather than hoping for a life with no regrets at all, I will just find regrets I can live with. And die with.

But boo hoo! Not for me! I work full time, so I’m only able to take days off here and there. But I am taking a few trips this summer.

I’m leaving tomorrow for Virginia to visit family, and we’ll be heading to Washington DC to see the sights as well! I’ve never been to DC, so I’m really excited.

In addition to my clothes, shoes and camera, what do I have packed in my travel bag that I, as a writer, feel I can’t do without?

1. My netbook, for whenever I have spare time to write on my current project.

2. My Blackberry, for checking emails. I’m hoping to hear from my agent on my current project.

3. My NookColor, loaded with an assortment of books to read. (I’ve already set it to airplane mode!)

4. Note cards and a small journal, for scribbling out ideas.

5. The latest RWR, which is the Romance Writers of America magazine, that came in today. It’s got a couple of articles I’d like to read.

Do you have any plans to travel this summer? If so, where are you headed?

One of the recommended activities for writers is to “refill the well.” Cryptic, but I think that means “have fun every so often.” As a working adult with writing ambitions, time is scarce and usually fun gets left till last. Trying to co-ordinate with friends in a similar situation is almost laughable.

However, after a year and a half of stalling around, it happened. A friend and I had a weekend excursion away. I wanted to visit Granville Island in Vancouver, which I envisioned as a setting for a story. As I am a crappy photographer, I cleverly put my friend in charge of the camera.

What I like about the location is the mix of industrial, artistic, and natural scenery. It has a bit of a carnival atmosphere. There’s an arts school, a farmer’s market, many restaurants ranging from funky to upscale, and a lot of interesting boutiques. What it doesn’t have is enough parking, but that’s another story.

After a miserable spring, the weather turned warmish for the day. Although the area isn’t actually that big, there was enough to see to keep us walking for hours.

What I picked up for the story wasn’t everything I needed. In some ways, it was too cheerful—I do better atmosphere with fall weather. But it was what I needed as a human being—a couple of days without responsibility.