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Posts Tagged ‘soul of a vampire’

What I’m Up To

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged anthology, keeper of his soul, paranormal romance, Paranormally Yours, pen name, soul of a vampire, writing on August 30, 2017| 7 Comments »

From Keeper of His Soul

No, I don’t mean that I’m up to no good. LOL. Just what I’ve been doing.

I FINALLY finished Keeper of His Soul. I figured while I was on vacation, I would just bite the bullet and do it. I’ve been struggling with the last chapter or so because the ending I had in mind was kind of lame. It would have been a satisfying HEA, but it didn’t feel right. But the ending finally came to me, and it kind of threw me. I was like “do I really want to do this?” But I had to. Now for all you romance lovers out there, don’t worry. It has a HEA…sort of. It wasn’t all rainbows and roses, but it had to come with some pain. I don’t see how it could have ended differently. It just wasn’t possible. I’ll see what my beta readers think, but I can’t change it too much. The pain had to be there. The characters had already been through too much, and for it to end up as a perfect HEA wouldn’t have worked for me.

The next project will be under my other pen name. I have to make some hard decisions soon, and the biggest decision is whether or not to stop writing under Lauralynn Elliott. There’s a lot of competition in the paranormal romance genre, so it’s hard to get noticed. I have a few hard-core fans, but they can only buy so many books. My other pen name writes cozy mysteries, sweet romances, and soon, I hope, a historical romance. First, I have to finish the trilogy, then the historical. This all comes down to the business side of things. If I can’t make a decent living under Lauralynn, I HAVE to focus on the other pen name. Neither is selling well, but the other one sells a bit better, and I RARELY post anything on FB or do anything else to promote that name. Yet is still sells better than Lauralynn, although sales have picked up a tiny bit lately. But not enough. So, if Keeper of His Soul doesn’t do well, Lauralynn might die off for awhile. Not on social media because I would miss everyone. But as far as anything pertaining to writing.

So here’s the deal. When I release Keeper of His Soul, I need your help to spread the word. Word of Mouth is the best advertising. And, by the way, Soul of a Vampire, the book to which Keeper is a sequel, is in an anthology that’s FREE right now. Yep…free (except on Amazon, but not for lack of trying). So pop over to your favorite retailer and grab your free (or .99 on Amazon) copy of Paranormally Yours.

Amazon (It’s still .99 on Amazon since they still haven’t lowered it. Be sure to go there and click the link to report a lower price.) Update: It’s now free on Amazon!

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Or you can search it on your Apple device in iBooks!

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Back on Track?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged keeper of his soul, novel, novella, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on December 8, 2016| 10 Comments »

So am I back on track now? Time will tell.

Saturday, I sat down and wrote 2120 words. That’s the most I’d written on Keeper of His Soul in a really long time. This book has been the bane of my existence lately. Not because I don’t love the story; I really do. But for some reason, I’ve been afraid of it. I’ve been experiencing really bad “page fright”.

Here’s what I think is going on. I wanted this book to be a novel since it’s a sequel to Soul of a Vampire, which IS a novel. So then when the story moves a little too fast, I panic because it won’t be long enough. But what I need to do is let each story be what it will be. Some are meant to be novels, some are meant to be shorter. When I first talked to Susan Bischoff about this story, she even said she thought it would make a better novella than a novel. But I wanted it to be longer. When I try to force a story to be longer, though, I end up with words I don’t really need. I tend to write lean. I write short and to the point. I like things to move fast. That’s the way I like to read, too. So that’s why I do better with novellas most of the time.

Right now, this book is at about 35,000 words. It’s getting close to the last scene of the story. So it’s going to be a long novella or a very short novel. (There’s a lot of controversy about what’s considered a novel. I say 50,000 words. I’ve been to conferences where they say 40,000.) At this point, I’m going to stop worrying about it. I just need it to be long enough to warrant making a paperback. At about 35,000 is where I kind of draw that line. I know some people will do shorter paperbacks. I’ll just see how it goes. At least I worked on it a lot Saturday and again at lunch today. I’m kind of back on the horse.

I hope all of you are doing well and are enjoying this holiday season. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s is like one big fun time for me. Maybe it’s all the Christmas movies. And the food. Yeah, the food. 🙂

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Late ROW80 Update 8/16/2016

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged eden mabee, keeper of his soul, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on August 16, 2016| 9 Comments »

I almost didn’t check in this time, but after the post on the ROW80 site that Eden Mabee wrote, I felt like I need to get back to this. This is a community. We are here to help each other. So I’m late, but I’m here.

Since my husband’s hospital stay and the subsequent financial situation, I’ve been nearly paralyzed with fear of the near future. Would he have another incident? Would he be able to go back to work before we started having to choose which bills to pay and which to let go? Would things ever get back to normal? Or would there be a new normal for us? I just couldn’t write during this time. I just didn’t want to. I had no motivation.

So…he went back to work last night. He called me this morning (he wasn’t home yet when I left for work) and said they had a busy night, but everything went fine. He has a fairly physical job, so I was a little concerned. I’m hoping things will be okay, at least for a long time. We have to live with the fact that he’ll always have heart problems. It’s hereditary; it has nothing to do with his habits. I’ll just pray that God will continue to take care of us.

I had just started the Dave Ramsey plan when all this happened. The first baby step is to get $1000 in an emergency fund as soon as possible. I had just saved $130 when hubby went into the hospital. Oddly enough, I didn’t have to touch the $130. We had some unexpected help from a couple of people. Plus, some people made food for us, so we didn’t have to buy many groceries. The strange thing is, we were able to actually make a budget that balanced out. Even with less money coming in, it somehow worked. I’m convinced God’s hand was in this. So I’m going to really work on staying on the budget and doing the baby steps. After we accumulate the $1000 emergency fund, the next step is to start attacking our debt. There will be less eating out, no unnecessary expenditures, and things WILL get sold on eBay.

The good news is that I’ve been writing again. My WIP is called Keeper of His Soul, a sequel to Soul of a Vampire. I’m a little concerned that it’s going to end up a novella instead of a novel, but I’m going to stop trying to force a book to be longer than it wants to be. So we’ll see what happens. It’s going in a totally different direction than I originally had planned. So that’s getting interesting.

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ROW80 Update 12/9/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged blogging, goals, keeper of his soul, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on December 9, 2015| 9 Comments »

Look, it’s me doing two updates in a row! Wow! 🙂

I just finished writing over 1000 words on my WIP at lunch. I wrote a couple of really good scenes. If I can keep this up, I think I’ll get my writing mojo back. I need to get back in my rhythm because I have big plans for next year. Of course, they might seem small to you if you’re a very prolific writer, but for someone who works full time plus edits for clients, I think plans for three books next year is pretty good.

I need to start posting on my blog more. I used to post frequently and got lots of comments. I only got two comments on my last ROW80 post, and neither of them were from fellow ROW80ers. 😦 I just feel like if a person posts more and tries to make the posts more interesting, there will be more comments. I really miss interacting with people on my blog. Facebook is different. Blogs are like one’s own personal space. It’s like home, you know? I’m going to try to do better!

I don’t usually do this, but I’m going to share a little snippet from my WIP, Keeper of His Soul (sequel to Soul of a Vampire) Keep in mind, Jan is a witch, so it isn’t as stupid as it seems for her to get out of her car. LOL

Suddenly, the rider shot ahead then turned so he was across the road. She slammed on her brakes, and her seatbelt snapped tight across her chest. She gasped at the sudden pressure then took in a deep breath as the belt relaxed.
Jan watched warily as the rider dismounted the bike and came toward her car. She opened the door and stepped out quickly, feeling that she would have a better advantage if she stood her ground instead of cowering in the car.
As the leather clad rider came closer, she felt something…familiar. But, no, she couldn’t possibly know this man. He stopped in front of her but remained silent. In the darkness, she could only make out long hair and a large, muscular build. The sense of familiarity still nagged at her mind.
Then he spoke. “I found you.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, and a chill went down her spine. She wasn’t sure it was fear. Maybe partly, but also something else.
“Who..who are you?”
Ignoring her question, he said, “I’ve been searching for you.”
He stepped closer, and Jan found herself unable to move. She was mesmerized by his voice, his masculine scent, and now that she could see them, his dark eyes. He moved even closer, until their bodies were almost touching. Then she knew. It was him, the one she’d been searching for.
“How did you find me?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“You called to me.”
“What’s your name?” she asked.
Still looking into her eyes, he said, “Jude.”
“I have something that belongs to you, Jude.”

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ROW80 Update 10/14/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged editing, goals, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on October 14, 2015| 13 Comments »

Even though I don’t have a whole lot to report, I’m trying to keep on my blogging schedule. So here goes.

I got some more words in on the sequel to Soul of a Vampire. I asked for help on my FB author page for the title. Check it out.

I had a reader do a little pimping for me yesterday (I didn’t ask, she was just kind enough to offer), and I got several page likes because of it. Love those loyal readers! Now I have to get the sequel out because she’s waiting for it. 🙂

I got a little editing done this week for a client. I’m going through some harder stuff checking on timelines, so it’s a little slow.

I hope I’m going to have money to pay for the cover of this sequel when it’s done. We talked about doing the cover early so I can be inspired, but that’s probably not going to happen. She needs to work on the ones she can get paid for first. 🙂 Soon, though.

How are y’all?

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ROW Update 10/12/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged ben carson, goals, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on October 12, 2015| 7 Comments »

Here I am posting faithfully, if a day late. Wednesdays and Sundays are the worst possible days for me to do posts, so I often post the next day.

I actually got some words in Saturday. It had been a while since I had worked on the sequel to Soul of a Vampire (I seriously need a title!). In fact, looking at my spreadsheet, I realized I hadn’t touched it since August. Unbelievable. But I enjoyed jumping back into the story. I didn’t get a lot of words in, but it wasn’t too shabby.

I’m sporadic with exercise, but I’m doing better with it. Baby steps.

On a totally unrelated note, a friend, her son, and I went to a Barnes & Noble about 30 miles away to get an autograph from Dr. Ben Carson. He autographed the book, shook our hands, and posed for a picture with us. We were all fangirl. I have no idea what I said to him.

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ROW Update 10/8/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged editing, goals, laptop, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on October 8, 2015| 6 Comments »

I’ve determined to try my best to post an update twice a week like I’m supposed to do. I’ve found I do SO much better when I’m sponsoring a round. Even if there’s not much to say, I can at least check in.

I haven’t started back to writing on my sequel to Soul of a Vampire yet. We’ve had a revival at church this week (through yesterday), and I just can’t write after it get past 8:00 or so. I have a morning brain, which still works okay if I write as soon as I get home from work. I’ve been using all my free time editing this week. Tonight, my mom, my mother-in-law, and I are going to see my new (3 1/2 week old) granddaughter, so tonight will also be a wash. I did my editing during lunch so I would have some of that done. Writing will resume tomorrow night. I’ll be able to edit AND write if I use my time wisely.

Oh, and I bought a new laptop to be used just for writing and editing. That way, that one can stay in my office, which will force me to actually WORK in my office My old laptop will stay in the living room and be used for recreation. The new one has a bigger screen, which will help with the seeing. 🙂 I got a KILLER deal on it. $299! (And yet my credit card is groaning.)

Another goal of mine is daily exercise. So far, so good on this front.

How are y’all doing?

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ROW80 – Stating Goals a Day Late

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged blogging, exercise, goals, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on October 6, 2015| 19 Comments »

I’ve been so late on so many things lately. Ugh. So here are my goals.

1) Write on my sequel to Soul of a Vampire at least 15 minutes a day, five days a week. I want to do more than that, but I’ve been tied up with a lot of line editing for clients, and that’s more profitable right now than writing. But I NEED to write, too.

2) Publish a blog post at least once in addition to my ROW80 post. That’s three times a week total.

3) Exercise at least five days a week. (Not directly related to writing, but part of life and more related than you might think.)

I’m taking baby steps again, so I’m only listing these three for right now. I hope I can get my life in order (I HAVE to stop procrastinating!) so that I can set some more challenging goals at the beginning of 2016.

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ROW80 Update 8/12/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged anthology, beta readers, goals, ROW80, soul of a vampire, writing on August 12, 2015| 13 Comments »

I’ve been neglectful in my ROW postings lately. I’ve been very busy at work getting ready for new software, which I know is going to be a nightmare. There’s been SO much data entry for things that couldn’t be imported from our old system. Hours and days of mind-numbing data entry.

Anyway, quick update. I typed “The End” on a novella written under my other pen name. Now comes the editing.

I’ve had a story for an anthology finished for a long time under that same pen name. Due to beta readers vehemently disagreeing with each other on major points in that story, I’ve let it percolate for awhile, hoping I can see it with new eyes. The first beta reader really tore it apart, which has never happened to me before. But then three other beta readers completely disagreed with the first one’s assessment. Then two of THOSE three beta readers disagreed on another point. Three beta readers loved my hero, one hated him. One beta reader had a problem with rich/poor class differences in the story, none of the others did. I’m at the point right now that I think I’m going to chuck most of what any of them said and do it my way. Not really. I always consider the advice of beta readers. I just won’t know until I look at it again, which I’m going to have to do soon because the deadline is coming up. I think this is the last anthology I’m going to do. It’s too much stress.

I’ve started writing more on the Soul of a Vampire sequel since I finished my other WIP.

And I have so many books to line edit for clients right now! This is a good thing.

Okay. Done now.

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ROW80 Update 7/19/15

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged editing, goals, iphone 6, ROW80, soul of a vampire, word count, writing on July 19, 2015| 6 Comments »

Well, I finally broke down and got a new iPhone. I got the iPhone 6, and I’m pleased that it’s much bigger than my 4 (I skipped the 5). I didn’t want one as big as the 6 Plus, though. I got the 16 GB one, which was the least expensive one. My 4 only had 8 GB, so I think 16 is plenty for me. Verizon has stopped doing the two year contracts. What you do now is pay full price for your phone in 24 months. Then they give you a credit on your phone bill each month. I also lowered my data plan to 2 GB since we had 4 GB of data and usually only use a half GB. So doing it this way, my phone bill will only be $2 more more month, and I have a brand new phone. Yay, me.

Wow, I’m sure you all skimmed that part of the post. How boring!

So onto ROW80. Here were my goals for the round:

1. Make my monthly word count goal of 12,739 for July, 12,740 for August, and 12,329 for September. (Based on 150,000 words for the year.) So far, I’m pretty much on track with this.

2. Finish writing the second in the mystery series written under my other pen name. It looks like this is going to happen unless I get swamped with editing jobs. I have one going and three coming up, but as long as they don’t all send them to me at once, I’m good.

3. Write at least 250 words a day on the sequel to Soul of a Vampire until I’m finished with the mystery, then readjust the goal when I’m writing ONLY that. (I have trouble writing two stories at once, but I’m going to try to write a LITTLE on that second story.) I’m behind on this one. I’m still trying to adjust to writing more than one story at a time. I did write 346 words on it today, so I’m getting there.

How did the rest of you do last week?

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