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    Talk to me …

    On Dec. 21, I’m going to be on a talk radio show hosted by romance author Melissa Alvarez. I’m going to be answering questions, and folks can also call in and talk to me. Want to know more? Here’s the link to the show. The listener call-in number is (347) 215-8473.

    Hope to hear you on the radio! :joe:

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    It is done … for now …

    8 Comments

    So, I turned in a book to my agent today. It’s the urban fantasy book I’ve been talking about — the one about the assassin who can control elements. My agent now has each and every one of the 105,839 words.

    Finishing a book (no matter how crappy it is) is always a great feeling, but I think I’m a little extra proud of this one … mainly because I started it in mid-October.

    That’s right, 105,839 words in roughly two months. That’s about 1,700 words a day, not counting editing and revising time.

    Why did I do this madness, you ask? I sent my agent a couple of proposals, and she liked the assassin book the best. She wanted to see it. ASAP. So, I wrote it. ASAP. And it’s finally done — at least until she comes back to me with revision thoughts.

    I think I’m going to go sleep now … 😯

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    Titles, titles everywhere …

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    So, I’ve been working on a new project.

    The book is an urban fantasy about an assassin who gets double-crossed and has to go after the people who hired her in the first place. Darker and grittier than what I usually write with a Southern flavor, but still some cheeky, gallows humor in places. The world features vampires, dwarves, giants, and elementals — humans who can control and manipulate the four elements of fire, ice, stone, and air.

    The assassin’s name is Gin. She’s an elemental who can control stone and ice, and all-around take-charge, kick-ass woman. I love writing strong women, and Gin’s definitely the toughest one I’ve done yet. She’s good at killing people, in doing what needs to be done, and she doesn’t torture herself over it. It’s just how it is in her world.

    But now comes the hard part — deciding on a title. I’ve been batting around titles with just about everyone, my significant other, my agent, my writers’ group. Nothing’s really grabbed me just yet.

    Right now, the front-runner is Gin on the Rocks or maybe just On the Rocks. I was thinking maybe I could use the word Gin in all the titles, should there be more books. Like Gin with a Twist or A Touch of Gin, etc.

    Other titles we’ve considered are: Cold as Ice, Iced, Heart of Stone, Heart of Ice, Cold Comfort, and a dozen others.

    What do you guys think? Do you like some of the titles? Hate them? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    A book! A book! My kingdom for a book …

    2 Comments

    So, I’ve been doing a little Christmas shopping this week, which for me, involves a lot of book buying. I love giving people a book they enjoy, probably more than any other thing I could buy them. And even better, if I’ve read the book too, we can talk about it after they read it. Books … discussions … supporting other authors … what’s not to like? 😉

    So, I thought I’d share the books I’m going to give to my dad this year (since he never reads my blog). He’s getting Rain Fall by Barry Eisler and The 47th Samauri by Stephen Hunter. I may also buy him a John Sandford or another Lee Child thriller. Not sure yet.

    My significant other is also getting several books, but I can’t list them here (because he does look at the blog).

    And, of course, I’ve asked various Santas for several books, too. The latest J.R. Ward book (Lover something, I can’t keep them all straight), Don’t Look Down by Suzanne Enoch (the second in her Sam-Richard contemporary series), and Cold as Ice and Ice Blue by Anne Stuart (the second and third in her Ice series). There’s also a ton more I want to get, like Twilight by Stephanie Meyers, and several young adult books that have to do with superheroes, like the appropriately titled Hero. But I resolve to whittle down my TBR pile before I add too many more to it.

    What about you? Are you planning to give books as gifts this year? Or have you asked Santa for some yourself? Inquiring minds want to know …