Update Day (Leap Year Edition)

I can’t believe that yet another month has passed for this year. It’s a bit shocking to think, but we’re going into the last month of the first quarter. Today is the last Friday of the month, which means it’s time for another Update Day.

For those of you who don’t know, Beth Fred and I host a monthly bloghop. We’re currently fourteen writers who set big/crazy/important goals and then update once a month on our progress toward those goals.

You can click here for more information and more detail on the rules. As for the rest of the people taking part in the bloghop…

So… let’s see how I did on my goals for last month:

Writing: 

1) 60k written, 60 hours edited or a combination of the two.

I’m REALLY close at the moment. Between rewrites and edits, I racked up 59k words. I want to write some more before the end of the month, but we’ll see. Since I’m moving house at the moment.

2) Finish Wo6C3 rewrites.

Funny story. The rewrites have been finished for months now without me realizing it.

3) Finish Endless edits and formatting. 

Done.

4) Revise ES1

Didn’t get to this, but all my critiques are in.

5) Resume writing BvB2

Didn’t get to this either.

6) Start rough revisions to O1

Nor this.

7) Prep DM1 rewrite

*Cough* I uh… *cough cough* Wrote 37k words for the rewrite. *Cough hack cough*

8) Work on CdW concept.

Didn’t get to this.

9) Rough draft StW.

Didn’t get to this.

Reading:

Read 6 books.

Not a single book this month. Work, writing and life conspired to make reading impossible to me.

Networking & Marketing:

1) Finish arranging blog tour. 

Pretty much done.

2) Send out e-arcs to reviewers. 

Not yet, but I’m basically just waiting for a reliable internet connection so I can send the books out.

3) Start A to Z Challenge Posts.

Nope.

4) Start prepping for blog tour.

I’ve started here and there, but I’ll make more progress this month.

5) Finish Endless paperback cover.

Done. And I love it.

6) Maintain current blogging activity.

Meh… I had to pull back this week because I just didn’t have the time I wanted to use on social networking.

7) Become more active on one more social network. 

This neither. I’m hoping things will be settling down this month so I can get stuck in properly.

Life: 

1) Get into a regular work/life/writing schedule.

This month was taken over by work and all other available time went into writing and publishing.

2) Maintain diet change.

I did this as far as possible, but with moving house, healthy eating has pretty much become impossible for the short term.

3) Keep singing.

Done.

4) Find new exercise/sport activity.

Not done.

Overall, I think I actually did pretty well on the important stuff, but my work schedule and life at the moment has basically made it impossible for me to achieve more, no matter how much I’d wanted it.

Now…

My goals for March:

Writing:

1) 60000 words written or 60 hours edited or some combination of the two.

2) Revisions to Wo6C3

3) Rough edits to ES1

4) Rough draft BvB2

5) Finish rewrite to DM1

6) Prep rewrite for SS1

7) Work on concept for CdW

8) Rough draft for StW

9) Edits for The Thing That Turned Me and Ghosts of Fire.

Reading:

Read 6 books

Read at least a few chapters of Les Trois Mousquetaires.

Networking and Marketing:

1) Send out e-arcs if not done by end February.

2) Send out posts and information to everyone involved with the Endless blog tour.

3) Get back into a regular blogging schedule.

4) More involvement in one more social network.

5) Update Amazon’s Author Profiles.

6) Plan and create A to Z Challenge posts.

Life:

1) Create balance for work/writing/life

2) Get back into healthy eating habit.

3) Continue with vocal training.

4) Unpack house.

5) Find new sporting/exercise activity. (Yes, this one will keep appearing every month until I actually get this done.)

That’s me for now. How are your goals going so far? 

I'm moving again.

Yep. I kid you not.

It's actually a good thing, because I'll be moving closer to where I work at the moment.

But it does mean that for most of this week, I'm probably not going to have time to blog. Luckily for me, the only thing I've got booked is my bloghop's update day on Friday.

So. I'm going to just take most of this week off and get all this moving stuff done.

Hopefully by next week, I should be back in the swing of things.

Honestly, this really wasn't what I'd wanted to do, but I feel like I've got too much going on right now for me to put the extra pressure of blogging deadlines on myself as well.

In short: See you on Friday.

RIP Harper Lee

I was really sad when I saw news about Harper Lee's death today. But what really made me sad was the article about her in the New York Times.

The thought of her hopes and dreams and optimism on the back of her success, followed by decades of not producing a new story.

Part of me wants to think that there were other stories that she wrote and just didn't share.

But whatever the truth of this might be, I'm grateful for the fact that she shared a beautiful book like To Kill a Mockingbird with the world. (I haven't read Go Set a Watchman yet.)

May she rest in peace.

Annalisa Crawford on Reasons to Enter Writing Competitions

Hi everyone! Today, I'm welcoming Annalisa Crawford to my blog to tell us a bit more about entering writing competitions. Also, I want to congratulate her again for placing third in the Costa Awards. I'm so proud of you!

Reasons to Enter Writing Competitions 

by Annalisa Crawford

I love entering competitions - I like the idea of having my stories out in the world without having to do very much market research, and I like the anticipation when the long- or short-lists are released, followed closely by the winners. And, occasionally, I win... which I also like. Okay, I lose, as well; it's a bit of a lottery. But that's not a reason not to enter.

There are several regular comments people repeat when I talk to them about competitions. It's too expensive. It's a waste of time, you'll never win. Contests are scams.

You might have your own reasons for avoiding them, but I'll take the ones above one by one, and answer any others in the comments.

1.      It's too expensive.

oYes, some of them are. I've actually paid £17 for a single entry before. I don't pay that much often, but I weight up the prestige of the competition, the overall judge, and the prize money - and then I decide whether I have a story/can write a story that is worth £17.

oSome are completely free - such as the Costa Short Story Award. But you have to bear in mind how many people will enter a free competition, which will make your odds of winning reduce.

oMost of the competitions I enter are between £5 and £10.

2.      It's a waste of time.

oI tend to enter stories that I have hanging around, those that I don't know what to do with or have been rejected by a couple of magazines. Competitions usually have a looser idea of the type of story they are looking for - whereas a magazine will have a definite style.

oThe story can be tied up for several months, but as long as you build this into your submission plan, it won't be a problem.

oThe discipline of writing a story, refreshing it, submitting it to a deadline is important. It gives you something to work towards.

3.      You'll never win.

oWell, firstly, someone has to - why not you?

oOn the other hand, you probably won't. You'll be frustrated and angry, but you'll get over it, and you'll write something else. If you're sensible, you'll try to work out why that story didn't work but the 1st/2nd/3rd place entries did. You'll learn without even trying.

oA lot of the larger competitions these days are being judged by literary agents and publishers. They are not just judging the competition, they are looking out for good writers. Even if you don't win, they might see your name, and they might be interested in you.

oYears ago, when I was just starting out, I'd see the same names on the long-lists and short-lists, then I'd see them placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Then I'd see them publishing their first novels. One name I remember seeing was Helen Dunmore.

4.      Contests are scams.

oI haven't heard British writers complaining about this quite so much as US writers. But, if in doubt, don't enter - or spend some time researching.

oRead the terms and conditions - I know most people don't, but in this case it's very important. You need to make sure you are following the rules so you won't get disqualified, but you also need to know what happens to your story if you win - do you retain copyright, will the story be published. The terms will also flag up areas where it feels scam-like, in which case, don't enter!

How about you? Do you enter? Have you won? Do you have doubts that I haven't covered above?

Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.

She writes dark contemporary, character-driven stories, and has been winning competitions and publishing short stories in small press journals for many years. She recently won 3rd Place in the Costa Short Story Award 2015.

www.annalisacrawford.com

Just keep going

I've been griping a lot about my currently available amount of time lately. (Ask anyone who's volunteered to host me for my blog tour.)

And just to make sure that everyone understands what I'm talking about:

Since the beginning of January, I have been working full days and then some, and then spent the remainder in a place with no Internet. Which means that my usual schedule of doing my work and finishing and then going over into writing has pretty much fallen by the way-side.

I'm hoping that this will change in the near future as we fall into more of a routine. (And we no longer have to rent a place with no internet reception.) But in the meantime, I think my expected writing time has been reduced by two thirds.

No, I'm not kidding.

BUT!

I'm still getting stuff done. A lot of stuff. Two weeks into February and I've written and/or edited the equivalent of almost 40k words. I probably would have been there already but for a work function that kept me up until midnight on Thursday, but anyway.

I think this rate of output, given the amount of time I've had available, is impressive enough for me to sound like I know where I'm coming from.

Because I bet there are quite a few of you who are thinking: How in the heck is she managing that?!

My answer comes down to something like this.

Just keep writing.

I mean, I could have been going into a blind panic about my entire schedule changing, but instead, I wrote. I could have complained about my lack of internet at night.

I wrote instead.

I could have worried about the fact that I have less time to get things done... But... you know... I got things done.

I'm not going to say it's easy. I've basically given up on my reading until I've 1) finished formatting Endless and 2) finished the rewrite I'm currently working on.

I've also swapped my whole writing routine around so that I can write at night and an hour every morning instead of in the late afternoon and early evening as I'm used to.

But write, I am writing. And apparently at an amazing rate.

So if you're in the same boat where you're struggling to find your usual writing time, don't give up. 

If you can find five minutes every day, write for five minutes. If you can find twenty minutes, write for twenty minutes. No, it might not be the hour you believe you need, but it adds up to a whole lot more than nothing if you keep waiting for that perfect hour to show up.

And there you have it. My secret to writing a lot of words.

How much time in a day do you usually use to write? Have you ever needed to swap your routine around to fit your writing in? 

News Day

Hey everyone! Sorry I missed last week. I was supposed to gather some news pieces to share, but I literally had no time available to spend on the internet until this past weekend.

So for those of you who are unclear about what News Day is about: I'm running a (supposedly) regular weekly feature on Tuesdays where I share news from around our Writing Community. This news can be anything from an interesting blog-post to publishing news and everything in between. You're welcome to send me something you'd like to share. Just contact me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with "News Day" in the subject line.

From This Blog

Endless Blog Tour

Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who've signed up to help with the blog tour. You guys are all awesome. 

Last Week's Thursday Feature

Obviously, since I didn't do a news post, I didn't get a chance to let everyone know about last Thursday's Interview. M Pepper Langlinais stopped by for a fun interview about everything from edits, critiques and her new book. I'd love if you go check it out. 

Coming up this week: 

Annalisa Crawford, who recently did very well at the Costa Awards, is stopping by on this Thursday to talk about entering writing competitions. Definitely well worth a read, so don't forget.

Looking for people to feature

For those of you who missed the announcement, I'm running a regular feature on Thursdays for people within the writing community. You don't have to be published, and I'm willing to post guest posts, character interviews and author interviews.

If you'd like to take part (you'll be my hero if you volunteer for next Thursday), please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com. Use "Thursday Feature" in your subject line. 

Book Releases

Mark of Noba

Sterling Wayfairer has one goal for his senior year: make his mark. He’s been slipping into the background his whole high school career—distracted by his mother’s mental health, unsettled by the vivid dreams that haunt him at night, and overshadowed by the athletic accomplishments of his popular best friends. But this year is going to be different. He’s going to break a few rules, have some fun, and maybe even work up the nerve to ask his crush out on a date. 

But things don’t go exactly as planned. Students are disappearing, Sterling starts losing time, and it all seems to center around Tetra, a girl no one else seems to notice but him. When he finally tracks her down for answers, they aren’t what he expects: He and Tetra hail from a world called Noba, and they’re being hunted by a Naga, a malevolent shapeshifter that’s marked them for destruction. 

Tetra and Sterling have distinct abilities that can help them fight back, but their power depends heavily on the strength of their bond, a connection that transcends friendship, transcends romance. Years apart have left their bond weak. Jumpstarting it will require Sterling to open his heart and his mind and put his full trust in the mysterious Tetra. 

If he doesn’t, neither of them will survive.

Now on Promotion. Buy on Amazon for $0.99

Blog Post Worth Reading

This morning, I read this post by Hugh Howie about making a success of our writing careers, and I thought it makes an excellent point. (Although that might be because I'm following a similar approach.) 

That's it from me for today. Think you have a piece of news I should share? Don't forget to mail me!

The Muse Party Blogfest

Hey everyone. Today me and one of my characters/muses will be heading to a muse party for a blogfest.

The rules are simple: 

I have to bring a muse/character to an (Anti-) Valentine's Day party. It can be the same one as before (last year), but it doesn't have to be. 

And then we have to answer the following questions: 

1. Who did you bring to the party? Is he/she your Valentine or anti-Valentine?
2. Which one of you is the more romantic person?
3. What gift are you giving to your (anti) Valentine?
4. Are you guys wearing red or pink (or black...)?
5. Did you bring any Valentine's Day treats?
6. Name a song for our Love Playlist or Anti-Love Playlist (or both)!
7. Got a great anti/Valentine party game?
8. Feeling the love or just feeling nauseous? How will you have fun at the party?
9. Has your muse been a good Valentine?

To see who else is taking part and to sign up, please click here.


So those are the rules, but I'm going to make the thing my own a bit.

Misha: *Pacing as she waits. A little nervous because she arranged with Nick at the last possible moment.*
Nick: *Stops his car next to her and gets out, running his hand through his slightly disheveled blond hair.* Sorry I'm late. Had to get these... *Ducks in and pulls out a bouquet of roses.*
Misha: *Grins and takes them.* Thanks so much for stepping up.
Nick: No problem. You owe me a packet of-
Misha: *Takes a box of Cuban Cigars out of her purse.*
Nick: I love you.
Misha: *laughs as she hands it over.* Hey! You put on red. Didn't think you would.
Nick: *Glances at his shirt* Yeah... not a fan of the color, but hey, I'm supposed to be above politics. *Looks her over, his blue eyes dancing with mirth.* Darrion will kick himself if he finds out you wore a pink dress.
Misha: Yep. And it's unlikely that anyone will see me in it again. Being Valentines and all. Usually I just avoid these things.
Nick: So what's his problem anyway?
Misha: Oh, you know. The usual "You should be prioritizing my story"... thing.
Nick: Ah. Shall we? *Guides her around the car and opens the door for her.*
Misha: *Little smile at the old-world chivalry. Settles in while he gets behind the wheel.* Who do you think is more romantic between the two of us?
Nick: *Driving them to the party* You.
Misha: No... I think it's you.
Nick: Misha. You're the one who writes romances.
Misha: And you're the one who've been in love with one woman for about 500 years.
Nick: *scowls* Not the same.
Misha: Oh?
Nick: Nothing romantic about that. Trust me.
Misha: Okay... *Sensing that this probably isn't the best topic to continue on.* We're supposed to pick a Valentines Day game.
Nick: Spin the bottle.
Misha: *Laughs!* No. Too awkward.
Nick: *Sing-song voice* I brought vodka...
Misha: Yum. But... no. *Can just imagine the party sinking into chaos thanks to vodka and spin the bottle.*
Nick: We'll leave it as an option.
Misha: *Laughs and just shakes her head.* Okay... You dance, right?
Nick: *Snorts* Better than most mortals. Got plenty of practice.
Misha: You got a song for us to dance on?
Nick: Nah you decide. Pick a song you write those romance scenes to.
Misha: Okay... Flightless Bird, American Mouth. It makes me think of you.
Nick: *Long-suffering sigh* What are you bringing to the party?
Misha: You brought the ingredients I asked for?
Nick: Yep. In the back.
Misha: We're going a bit early so I can make us chocolate fondants. Nothing more Valentine's Day than that.
Nick: *grins* Sexy.
Misha: *gives his head a playful shove.* Stop.
Nick: But it's true! Trust me, when you spend most of your life hungry, watching someone cook is amazing.
Misha: *chortles* You better behave.
Nick: *rolls his eyes* Of course. I'll be the best behaved Valentine you've ever had.


Oh dear. Somehow, I'm not feeling all that reassured. Think he'll be a good Valentine or will all the romance bring out the little devil in him?

Thursday Feature: M Pepper Langlinais

Hi everyone! It's that time of the week again. Every Thursday, I like to host another writing blogger either with a guest post or an interview. Today, M Pepper Langlinais is stopping over to do an interview with me. (My side of the interview is bold.)

Welcome to The Five Year Project! First things first. Why don't you tell everyone a bit more about yourself?

Thanks for having me. I'm an author and also a playwright and screenwriter. I've had one play produced at two separate venues, and that play was then turned into a short film that premiered in San Diego last November. On top of that, I write Sherlock Holmes stories and have just had my novel The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller published by Tirgearr Publishing.


More personally, I grew up in Texas and attended UT Austin. I did the Shakespeare at Winedale program there and later used what I'd learned to teach Shakespeare at summer camps. I also interned on the film set of Hope Floats. Then I went to Boston to get my graduate degree at Emerson College, and that's where I met my now husband Scott. Boston is great in a lot of ways, but driving in snow and ice gave me panic attacks, so we moved to California, which is where we live with our three kids and a hamster.

Sounds like you've had a very interesting life. Tell me a bit more about The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller. What's it about? What inspired you to write it?

The book is set in the 1960s and is about a gay British spy (Peter) whose lover is accused of being an enemy agent. Peter manages to escape with Charles, but then he begins to wonder whether the accusations could be true. When he's offered a chance to return to the Agency, Peter uses that access to try and discover the truth about Charles.


I'm not sure what inspired the story exactly. I think the story started as I was brainstorming new Sherlock Holmes ideas but then morphed into something else entirely. The first part of the book came spilling out quite rapidly. The rest took much longer. All told I spent almost three years on the whole thing.

Sounds like a fascinating project. What's your favorite aspect to the story?

I'm primarily a character writer. I love exploring the depths of people. When I write, I fall a little bit in love with my main character(s), and so Peter himself is one of my favorite aspects. The way he thinks, the deep well of his feelings . . . There is a scene in which he comes home to an empty flat (apartment) and thinks Charles has left him, and his response is, I think, beautiful. A testament to how quickly he fell for Charles, how important Charles has become to him. That was a tough scene to write because I had to feel everything for Peter and it was painful, for him and me!


So this is no fast-paced James Bond of a story. It's more psychological. I liken it to John Le Carre's works.

I also hurt for my characters when they're in pain. How do you approach your stories? Do you plan ahead or do you go by instinct?

I have a weird hybrid of planning and feeling it out. I go in with usually only two things: 1. A scene that I've played over and over in my head until I'm ready to write it down, and 2. A vague idea of how it will end. The middle is always mushy and up for grabs. It's sort of like having two points on a map but it's up to me to figure out how to get from A to B.

And the scene I have might not even be the first scene. So I'll write it, then decide what, if anything, needs to come before. So what I've really got is a point in the story and an end point, but I sometimes still need to find a starting point!


It's not the most efficient way of writing, but it's the only way that works for me. I can't outline. I can't work under too much structure. I do, however, keep a notebook beside my computer, and I will write down plot questions and then answer them so I can understand WHY things are happening. I think motivation is important. That's a character thing again. I'm really all about character.

So I take it you have substantial edits by the time you're done with your rough draft?

I wish I were a fast writer who could spit out a first draft and then get down to editing. I really do believe that's actually the best way--just get it on paper and then perfect it. Alas, I'm not that kind of writer. I can't speed through the first draft. I pick at it and fret over it. I want it to be perfect the first time, and then of course it isn't and still has to be rewritten.

When I finish a draft, I have to give it to others to read. I'm too close to the material; I won't see the flaws as clearly as they will. My husband reads it and so does my critique group. I ask them to mark anything that doesn't make sense, anything that slows things down, whatever. Most of them will also mark spelling and punctuation, but that's not crucial at this stage. Then it might still be a while before I'm ready to tackle the story again. I'll usually try to go write one or two short stories, a short play or something between novels.


Right now I'm doing a rewrite on a YA fantasy. One of my critique partners slashed whole chapters at the beginning because she wanted to the book to get to the action more quickly. It was valid, and I think it makes the book better, but it was still painful to hear that I needed to cut huge chunks of material! Back when I was an editor, we would call that a "bleeder" because of all the red marks on the pages.

I also swear by having my books critiqued. What's your best advice for finding a critique group?

I lucked into mine. I met someone at a writers conference who turned out to be from the next town over from mine, and she already had a group and they invited me to join. We meet weekly which, based on what I hear from other writer friends, is more than many groups who meet maybe once or twice a month. But of course all of us might not make it to every meeting either. It's very fluid and comfortable and I can't imagine a better group.


If I were going to go looking for a group? It's easier, I think, to start online. But the person-to-person aspect is important, too. Body language sometimes says a lot more than words being spoken. And you can hug one another if you're face to face! So I would check with local libraries to see if there are any groups, or maybe post at the library to start a group. Local bookstores might also know of writing groups, and certainly there are local chapters of writing associations (here we have the California Writers Club). They can usually hook you up with a critique group if you become a member.

Good tips. :-) Last but not least, where can people find you and The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller?

Well, my main site is here. I'm also on Facebook and on Twitter at @sh8kspeare.

The best place to find The Fall and Rise of Peter Stoller is on the publisher's website. There's an excerpt there and all the buying links for various formats/e-readers. It's only available as an ebook for now, but if it does well enough the publisher says it will consider a print version.


You can also find all my books on either the Shop page on PepperWords, or on my Amazon author page.

In 1960’s London, British Intelligence agent Peter Stoller is next in line to run the Agency—until he falls in love with cab driver, Charles, and his life goes off the road. When Charles is accused of treason, Peter is guilty by association. Peter manages to extract them both, but the seeds of doubt have been planted, putting Peter’s mind and heart at war. Is ignorance truly bliss or merely deadly?

Thanks again for hosting me!

You're most welcome! 

Anyone else wanting to sign up to be featured is more than welcome. (Regardless of whether they're published or not.) All you have to do is mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with "Thursday Feature" in the subject line. 

Who else gets empathetic pains when their characters suffer? 

When commitment to your story fails you.

I like helping new writers make sense of this writing gig. It's my way of giving back to my community. Which is a big reason why I enjoy hanging around on Wattpad. (Yes, I have indeed warmed to it.)

A whole lot of writers there are in fact still learning. Which means many writers are asking for advice. (A good thing, because it gives me fodder to write about.)

One of those things that people keep asking about is about commitment.

Things like: "How do I stay committed to the stories I'm writing? I always start stories, but I never finish them."

Usually, my immediate response would be: "Say no to the shiny new ideas, then. Make a choice to stay committed and keep going."

BUT.

I think there's more going on to this question than "You're just not committed."

Why?

Well, I think back to when I was a writer learning the craft. I started seven drafts that I was excited about. I finished exactly none of them. At the time, I also thought it was commitment issues. Which was why, when draft number 8 came along, I started blogging about it as an accountability measure.

The thing is, in retrospect, I realized that The Vanished Knight happened as the result of a happy coincidence of commitment and just enough writing knowledge to get by.

Because in those other seven drafts, I'd be all excited and write, then suddenly something would just make me go meh and stop. And that something is my whole point.

That something was something that was wrong with the story. A Mary-Sue character. Lack of conflict. Lack of stakes. Lack of proper motivation. Lack of focus. (And on... and on... and on.)

There's always something that makes a serious difference between our expectation and reality. And when we realize that reality isn't stacking up, we stop.

That's what I did. (In fact, I still do it. I just changed my habits a slight bit.)

So how did I finish The Vanished Knight? (Actually that's a much longer story, but anyway.) I fell in love with the characters and concept and committed myself to finish it. Same as always. Except I added a blog to keep myself motivated. But that would NOT have helped me if not for the next thing I did.

I committed myself to figuring out what went wrong in the previous "failed" drafts so that I didn't make those same mistakes again. 

Yes. I recognized that there would be flaws in my story ahead of time and set about correcting them before they happened. And this time, I was lucky enough that I had learned enough to get all the way to the end. 

So if you're still struggling with finishing your first book, take heart. Use all your previous mistakes as lessons. Find what made them stop working, and then make sure you're not doing the same things in your current project. I promise you that you;ll at least get further than you did before. (Unless you go chasing after every bright idea that comes your way. In which case, read here.)

To the new kids: How many tries have you made? To the old hands at this writing thing: How many tries did it take you to finish one book? 

I can't believe I did it again.

I don't know how or why this keeps happening to me, but I always seem to realize that a book in my War of Six Crowns series is done after I've finished it.

Last week, I'd decided to renew my focus on Book 3 in order to complete the rewrite. So I reread the whole thing again to pick up all the loose strings I'd left in November, when I'd stopped when my writing had lost momentum.

And... well... the story felt done. It had a rising action. A twist, climax and an ending.

And half of my planned plot remaining unwritten. (Which was annoying.) But since the other half felt like I'd be shoe-horning it into my story, I decided to split the book. Which means that:

1) Book 3 is done. (Yay!)
2) The other half I had planned will now go into Book 4. (Also yay. Rewrite is already prepped.)
3) Revisions for Book 3 will probably involve significant revisions to compensate for the structure being slightly wonky due to me having planned most of it to be the introduction to the other (unwritten) half. (Eh... okay. I can live with that.)
4) I need a new title for Book 3. I had a title, but now the events referred to in the title happen in Book 4. (Sigh.)
5) I'm going to start revisions to Book 3 at the end of this month. (Yay!)
6) The War of Six Crowns will now be a six-book series. I was planning on five books, but hey, the more the merrier, right?

Have you ever been surprised to discover you completed a draft after-the-fact? Or is it just me?

The secret to blogging success. (Really.)

As you guys might or might not remember, I'm currently in the process of visiting all of the blogs I've followed since the first time I started blogging.

Yes, I'm still doing this more than a year later. I followed a lot of blogs.

You know what's frustrating me, though? How many people stopped blogging seemingly because they were discouraged by the lack of comments on their blogs.

The reason why I find it frustrating? Time and again, these would be the people I used to visit frequently, but who just never seemed to visit back. And having been through about half of my list and visiting everyone at least once, I can say with safety that there are still people out there who expect other people to read their posts, but who don't actually seem to get involved with blogs outside their own.

And now, it's seemingly getting worse, because google seems to be actively discouraging the use of their "follow" button. So there's no longer an easy, surefire way of getting a blog's feed on a blog reader. (I use bloglovin, but dang, it can sometimes be a major schlep. Because bloglovin requires me to search for the feed on their site, and then, if it's not there, they'll add it later and I'm supposed to "check back." Right. Because "checking back" on a link I will have forgotten in a day or two is going to happen.)

At any rate, it's becoming easier and easier for people to "lose" blogs they visited once or twice. And there's only one solution that I can see to this:

We have to visit each other, people. I know I disregard my advice a lot, since time sometimes just doesn't allow me to do anything but post and run. But the moment I do that for a week or so, I can see my traffic taking a hit.

Back to my point. If we got back to the old ways (gosh I'm sounding old now) of reciprocating visits, and we knew everyone we went to would do the same, we wouldn't have this problem with people not visiting.

It's not that difficult either. First stop is your comments section. More often than not, your commenters' names are in fact links that lead to their profiles, that lead to more links, that lead to their blog. So if someone says hi, go say hi back. See? Suddenly this has become a bit more of a conversation. A first step toward a relationship.

And suddenly, you're not alone.

Tada! Discouragement problem solved.

Seriously, though. If you're a lurker, yes, you in the back seats munching pop-corn while reading the comments. Please say hi! I actually WANT to find your blog.

Promise.

At the least you'll get a hi back within a few days. Or... depending on what you're posting, maybe even a really thoughtful comment. (I try to be generous with those.)

Anyone else sharing my frustration with people not visiting around and then getting discouraged? Any tips for me to find new bloggers? Are you a lurker? (Hi!)

Mark Noce's Publishing Journey

Hi everyone! Welcome to my regular guest feature! Today, Mark Noce is here to share his publishing journey with us. 

Take it away, Mark!

Thanks, Misha for having me here! I’m pumped to have my debut novel, Between Two Fires, coming out with St. Martin’s Press this August, and I’m here today to share a little bit of what my “journey” to this point so far has been like.

I love reading and writing historical fiction, double-majoring in both History and English in undergrad before getting my Master’s in English. To improve my craft further, I started attending the San Francisco Writer’s Conference about five years ago. I learned a lot, became a better writer and eventually got my super fantastic agent, Rena Rossner of the Deborah Harris Agency. This February I’ll be a guest speaker for the second year in a row at the very same San Francisco Writer’s Conference I used to attend as a budding writer. Needless to say, I’m pretty stoked.

But of course, it wasn’t all a bed of roses. I wrote plenty of other manuscripts before Between Two Fires and got plenty of rejections along the way before I found my niche. Now I’ve got a two book deal with Thomas Dunne Books (an imprint of St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan) and my editor is the head of the imprint himself. But guess what? Rejection is still part of the game. I still run through lots of drafts that my publisher either likes or does not like, spending a good deal of time making each chapter shine until we can’t possibly do another thing to improve it. I’d liken it to pulling rabbits out of hats, except it isn’t magic. It’s a lot of darn hard work. But it has a happy rainbow at the end of the tunnel when I’m left with a great story of which I couldn’t possibly be more proud.

So what’s this Welsh epic of mine all about? Below is a blurb about Between Two Fires, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have. You can pre-order Between Two Fires on Amazon or add it to Goodreads! You can also connect with me via marknoce.com, my blog, Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks again Misha for having me!

Between Two Fires

Saxon barbarians threaten to destroy medieval Wales. Lady Branwen becomes Wales’ last hope to unite their divided kingdoms when her father betroths her to a powerful Welsh warlord, the Hammer King.

But this fledgling alliance is fraught with enemies from within and without as Branwen herself becomes the target of assassinations and courtly intrigue. A young woman in a world of fierce warriors, she seeks to assert her own authority and preserve Wales against the barbarians. But when she falls for a young hedge knight named Artagan her world threatens to tear itself apart. Caught between her duty to her people and her love of a man she cannot have, Branwen must choose whether to preserve her royal marriage or to follow her heart. Somehow she must save her people and remain true to herself, before Saxon invaders and a mysterious traitor try to destroy her.

Thanks for stopping by, Mark! Anyone else interested in being featured on my blog? If you are, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with "Thursday Feature" in the subject line. 

Have a lovely day! Don't you just love this book's cover?

Insecure Writer's Support Group (AAAAAaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrghhhhhh!)

It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for Insecure Writer's Support Group again. For those of you who don't know, IWSG is a monthly bloghop where we share our writing fears, doubts and insecurities and then go around encouraging each other. You're welcome to sign up! Click here for more information and to sign up.

My biggest insecurity this month comes from the sheer bloody amount of stuff going on in my life at the moment. I have a book coming out. I have to prepare to move house. I have to work longer than usual because it's the busy season for me at the dayjob. I have to... I have to... I have to... 

You get it. And as some of you know, I keep track of all this. So I happen to know that I have 30 major items for me to finish in this week alone. 

I mean seriously. What happened to starting slow in January and working one's way up? I'm seriously hoping that my year ends up working in reverse, or I might end up going crazy by June. 

How are you doing? Is your year running mad like mine? How are you keeping yourself together? 

News Day

Welcome to another News Day!

For those of you who are new to this, I'm running a weekly feature to share news from my blog and others in the community. This news could be anything from a cover reveal to bloghops and everything in between. If you think you have something people should know about (even if it's a good post you read), please let me know. I'm trying to get all the news together, but sometimes, I just miss the news because I happened not to stop by on someone's blog on the right day.

If you have something for me to share, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with "News" in the subject line.

From This Blog: 

Endless: Now available for Pre-Order

“First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor. Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of other immortals.

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them.

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless.

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her dead most of all.

You can read an excerpt here.

Amazon.com | Amazon Universal | Apple | B&N | Kobo | Goodreads

Speaking of Endless...

I'm still looking for a few more blog tour stops, cover revealers, reviewers and interviewers. Anyone want to help me spread the word about my book reveal? Pretty please? Yes? You're awesome. Please fill in the form below.

Also, a huge thank you for everyone who've signed up so far!

This Week's Guest

Mark Noce will be sharing his publishing journey with us on Thursday.

Thursday Features

Every Thursday, I'd like to feature other writers/bloggers, whether or not they have a book published/sold. The idea here is to give people a bit more exposure, so if you'd like to visit my blog for a day, please mail me at mishagericke(AT)gmail(DOT)com with "Guest Post" as the subject.

The last two weeks of February are still open, so hop on it.

(If you'd like to visit my blog as part of your blog tour, please let me know. It doesn't have to be on a Thursday. You can mail me at the same address to book a date. First Wednesdays and Last Fridays of a month are out. Cover reveals will only be done on Tuesdays with the news.)

Book Releases and Cover Reveals:

A Whale of a Tale by Pat Hatt

Standing Turtle and Delightful Flea both dreamed of lands afar. The lands that you could not get to by plane, train or car. As they were sitting on what they thought was a beach, they both soon learned that such lands were in reach.

Treed Whale granted their wish with a splash and splish. Now they can see much on his back. Such lands would surely not lack. But is it as grand as they thought? Maybe a lesson will be taught. What will Standing Turtle and Delightful Flea see and learn? Find out and explore new lands at every turn.

Amazon

Murder & Obsession by Yolanda Renée

Love is never easy, but for Detective Steve Quaid and his fiancée, Sarah, their road to happiness is laden with minefields.

After spending countless hours reconverting his grandfather’s cabin into the perfect honeymoon retreat for Sarah, the cabin becomes a bloody crime scene detailing her death. Accused, Steven escapes into the Alaskan mountains, biding his time to find the truth.

Who killed his beloved?

A seasoned woodsman, he outsmarts even the cleverest of trackers. All but one.

Mauled by a grizzly, a half-dead Steven barely escapes.

But will he live to bring the rightful murderer to Justice?

To Be Released: March 10, 2016

Bloghops and Blogfests:

The A to Z Challenge:

The Blogfest on steroids is here again. Barely a week after the list opened, there are almost 600 bloggers on it. Yes, the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is here. If you haven’t signed up yet, do it now HERE! The list regularly hits 2000 bloggers and is an amazing networking opportunity.

If you haven’t heard of it, it is 26 days of blogging in April based on 26 letters of the alphabet. You may follow a theme or go random. It stirs creativity, enforces discipline, forces you out of your comfort zones, boosts followers, wins you lotteries.

Okay I made that last one up, but you get the gist.

See you soon at the Blogging from A to ZApril Challenge!

Some Good News: 

Christine Rains sold another book series. 

Christine Rains has signed the contract for another trilogy with Ellora's Cave, so head on over and congratulate her!

That's it for today! Who'll be taking part in the A to Z Challenge? Would you like to help me spread the word about Endless? Got any news for next week? (Remember to mail me.) 

Lost and Found Blogfest

Hi everyone! I'm so excited to take part in this blogfest. When I entered, I actually worried a little because I wasn't sure if I would have time to create something. But then I thought "Hey, I actually have the perfect scene for this."

AND the added bonus is that it comes from my upcoming book, so even better.

The reason why I like this scene for this blogfest is simple. The mission is to write about love lost or found and this scene is a little bit of both. Hope you enjoy!

Click the button to enter or find the other people taking part.

The Problem with Immortality

“Well hello there, beautiful.” Luc’s lovely voice caressed the back of my neck and I squealed, giving him the biggest hug I could.

“You followed us here?” I asked, holding on to him as if he might disappear at any moment. When we’d left France, I’d left Luc behind and with him, my heart. Oh how I’d cried that day. He’d looked my age back then.

I stepped back and looked up at his face. At somewhere in his twenties he now looked older than me, while I barely seemed old enough to go to my first Carnevale party. The realization sent a stab through me and I lowered my gaze.

He was a man now, and I…I didn’t even know what I was. A woman trapped in a child’s body? A freak of nature. Either way, it wouldn’t do to seem overly familiar with someone in public. It wasn’t proper. Venice might have been home to Casanova, but in reality, life here was strict. I sent a furtive glance to my companion, who at least was kind enough to stay at a discrete distance for the duration of this conversation.

“We’re both here,” Luc said. “Armand tired of France.”

I scowled up at him despite myself. “Please tell me he’s not going to the Doge’s party.”

He frowned at me. “What if he is?”

“Well he’ll spoil it,” I said, causing Luc’s frown to deepen. He always was devoted to his twin.

“I do wish you two would get along.” Luc said.

“And I do so wish he’d stop being an ass.” Or that he’d stop breathing, for that matter. I turned back to the display of Carnevale masks. I still needed to find a mask that would match the dress I planned to wear to the party.

I heard Luc’s heavy sigh behind me. “At least you’re still glad to see me,” he said and joined me by the window. “I missed you.”

“I–I…” I wanted to say I missed him too, but if I had never before realized what a difference our lifespans made, I felt it keenly now. He’d be reborn long before I was, and then he’d outgrow me again and again. When I had my rebirth, it could take centuries for us to be together again.

It wasn’t a way for us to live.

I swallowed my words and went to the next window, dashing at my tears. I tried to hide it, but Luc was too perceptive.

He caught my arm and forced me to face him. “Don’t,” he murmured, pulling me closer to him. “I’m here now.”

I sobbed and held onto him. Body-to-body, he stroked my back and whispered loving words into my ear. I felt the strength in his body, the play of his muscles beneath my fingers. But no matter how close we were, we’d never be together.

Now Available on Pre-Order:

Amazon.com | Amazon Universal | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!