• A real word hurter …

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    50,000.

    That’s the number of words I’ve written since Jan. 3. Yep, I have cranked out 50,000 words in less than a week. Heck, I wrote about 20,000 of them last weekend alone.

    Why, you ask? Because I have foolishly decided that I need to write two, 50,000-ish rough drafts this month. This way, I can revise the spy book I hope to sell and then focus on promoting Karma Girl this winter/spring without trying to write something new in the middle of all the craziness. 

    I finished one draft (clocking in at 40,000 words), and I’ve just started the second one (10,000 words and counting).

    It sounds really impressive — until you go back and actually read what I wrote. Because believe me, these are some craptastic drafts we’re talking about. They’re not even really drafts, just more of detailed outlines. I try to get the basic story down with the scenes, characters, etc., and go back and fill in the details later. Usually, I have to do about four drafts, adding more detail every time, before I’m satisfied enough to send it to my agent.

    My significant other jokingly calls me a word hurter. Well, I’m certainly hurting them now, with lines in my rough drafts like And then they have sex or my personal favorite at the moment, And then stuff happens. Seriously. And then stuff happens is as brilliant as I am right now.

    And my wrist is absolutely killing me. But that’s another story …

    What about you? What’s your writing process? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • One hot title …

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    It’s official. The second book in my Bigtime series will be callled … Hot Mama. It’s about a superhero with fire-based powers whose love life is about to crash and burn.

    I love the title. But … it’s the one that I came up with for the book. Any author will tell you that titles usually change — sometimes three or four times before one is finally decided on. Most authors don’t get to keep the titles they create for their books.

    But I have.

    I’d originally called Karma Girl simply Karma. But my super agent suggested adding the Girl, which I happily agreed to. It’s a much better title. So, she submitted it as Karma Girl, and the title stuck. 

    Hot Mama was all me from the very beginning, although I also suggested Burn, Baby, Burn. So, I guess you could say that I’m 1 1/2 for 2 on titles right now. Not a bad average at all.

    Right now, the working titled for Bigtime 3 is Jinx. I’m thinking about changing it to Jinxed, though. We’ll see. And looking ahead, Bigtime 4 and Bigtime 5 (should the series go that long) have working titles of Black Widow and Nightingale.

    What about you? Does Hot Mama make you cringe? Want to know more? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • Coming soon to a store near you …

    This week, I started contacting local bookstores and libraries about doing some book signings for Karma Girl. When I get the dates and locations, I’ll post them here and on the Appearances page.

    Stay tuned for more …

  • Brilliant! Just brilliant!

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    Watched the latest episode of My Name is Earl last night.

    Best. Episode. Ever!

    The whole episode featured the residents of Camden County on the show COPS, back when Earl was still married to Joy and a petty thief. But the best parts were all the in-jokes. Last night on Earl, we got to see just about every person he’s helped or hurt, from the one-legged girl to the one-eyed mailman to Nancy the hooker. Kenny was also on the show, along with the cop Earl helped turn into a professional bowler.

    I love it when a series does all the wink-wink stuff for the fans. I try to do that in my Bigtime books — just throw out little references or turns of phrases from previous books.  

    What about you? What nods do you like to see in your favorite book, movie, or TV series? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • 798 and counting …

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    Happy New Year! 🙂

    I started things off right today by finishing a book, Flirting with Danger by Suzanne Enoch. 52 more to go for the year …

    It’s about Samantha Jellicoe, a professional thief who gets more than she bargained for when she breaks into the mansion of sexy millionaire Richard Addison. Sam is suspected of murder, and she and Addison strike a deal — he’ll help clear her name, and she won’t steal anything from him — except maybe his heart …

    If you like heist movies with a lot of romance like To Catch A Thief, you’ll like this book. Sam and Richard are equally matched in everything — brains, beauty, razor-sharp wits. And the heist scenes were interesting without dwelling too much on gadgetry, which is always a plus. (I hate authors like Tom Clancy who focus on every single detail of a weapon, etc.)

    The only thing I wished were a tiny bit different was Richard. He really bullied Sam at times throughout the book and almost thought of her as another piece of his art collection. A little too alpha male for me, but he redeemed himself in the end by … well, I won’t spoil it for you.

    Overall, thumbs-up.

    And when I read the author bio, I had another reason to smile. It turns out that Suzanne once submitted a script for The A-Team, one of my favorite shows ever. So nice to read about another fan. I pity the fools who don’t watch that show … 😉