On Writing

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 … 😯

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 …

Is over at The Good, the Bad, and the Unread. I’m talking about Twelve Things I Love About Romance. Check it out! :bub:

Just a reminder that I’ll be signing books from 1-3 p.m. at Books-A-Million in Johnson City, Tenn. Hope to see you there! :joe:

Summer Brooks and the rest of the folks over at the Dragon Page were nice enough to do an interview with me this week. We talked about my books, my inspirations, and even who makes the best James Bond (Daniel Craig, based on the strength of Casino Royale).

You can listen to the Podcast here. I come on at about the 16-minute mark. They’re also giving away five copies of Karma Girl and Hot Mama.

So, go check it out! :scooby: