Monday Stuff

I couldn't think of a clever title for today's post, so stuff it is.  I'm still reeling from how bad True Blood was last night--well, the first 45 minutes of it.  I posted this on Facebook, but somebody needs to tell Alan Ball why people watch that show.  First, the show begins with Sam's crazy meth family and while I don't have a problem with what happened to the two-thirds that left the show last night, are the creators of that show kidding?  And then how much Tara do I need to see before I can ask for a reprieve?  What a crybaby! And her mother is back??!!!  And Arlene and Terry with some kind of hillbilly exorcism?  Actually, I like Terry, but Arlene?

Where was Alcide? And why when he was talking to that disgusting man did he have clothes on?  FYI, True Blood people:  Alcide should always be at LEAST naked from the waist up or getting naked at some point in the scene.  And he needs to be in far more scenes. 

And Eric?  I'm not sure I like the crying, boo-hoo Eric.  Eric was fantastic until now because he was ice cold and manipulative.  It's what put the spark between him and Sookie.  Now he's crying because he had a bad dream?  Hell, even Bill wasn't this bad at his worst.  It's not enough to see Eric walk around without a shirt on either. His body isn't that good since Alcide came to town shirtless, so Eric needs to be more of his sexy self and less this lost puppy he's turned into.  Bearing his fangs at Tara doesn't count.  That's just a tease of what I wish would truly happen to her.

Bill has been more manly than Eric this season, and since I can deal with Bill either way, I'm good with him, but more of him would be better too.  Who wants to see any of the Merlotte dysfunctional family, Arlene and Terry with Damian baby, or Tara and her mother?  And now we need more characters (Jesus's grandfather) to take away from the core story?  Ugh!

Time to find my happy place.  Think naked Alcide...naked Eric...ok, all better. 

I'm writing posts and interviews like a madwoman to be sure that by the time August begins, I am completely clear for the month since I'm going on vacation.  I can't wait!  But until the end of this week, I'm busy, busy, busy. 

And I found my Amon for the cover of Destiny Redeemed!  :D  I swear those image sites are hiding the good stuff.  After days and days of searching (I'm not kidding.  We're talking double digit hours here), I found him in somebody's lightbox of the hottest men or something like that.  I saw that title and figured it was worth a shot.  Now Elaina has him and I hope to see what she comes up with any time now.  Since you just read about my definite preferences in men above, expect something like them. (Think great abs)

Finally, I'm over at KMN Books today being interviewed about Stolen Destiny and talking about the three main characters, Varek, Callia, and Amon, so check it out!  I'm off to write more posts and run errands.  Have a great one!

Lazy Summer Days

I love summer.  Even if I didn't have summers off from work, I'd still love the season.  Everything always seems more relaxed in the summertime.  When I was a kid, I always went to summer camp.  Usually it was Girl Scout camp, but sometimes I'd go to two camps during the summer.  Those were the days.  Camping in the woods, swimming in lakes...both things I wouldn't do now if you paid me.  LOL  But when I was a child, they were the most fun you could have on a summer day.

My son is away at Boy Scout camp this week.  He's very much the camping type of person.  He attends camp every summer, and I use that week that he's away to begin preparing for our school year, which begins in August.  I've home schooled Christiaan since third grade, and this year he's going to be a sophomore in high school.  This year will be bittersweet for me because I know we're getting to the end.  However, I'm very excited because we're going to be studying some great things.  In history, we'll be working on the period from 1600-1800, so he'll have two history books to complain about--western civ and American.  Yes, it's true. My son doesn't like my subject.  In literature, he'll be reading books like Don Quixote, Common Sense, and The Federalist.  But what he's really excited about is Chemistry, which his teacher (not me) plans to do as AP, trig/pre-calc (not me teaching either!) and Farsi. 

So while he's off earning the things he needs to become an Eagle scout, I'm here getting things ready for the new year.  I'm eager to begin because I plan to study Farsi with him.  I've always been in love with language, and when he chose Farsi as the language to study for the next three years, I decided I'd learn with him.  So yesterday I purchased the Rosetta Stone program for Farsi and I can't wait to begin! 

I'm over at the lovely Joanne Troppello's blog, The Mustard Seed, today, so take a look at her interview with me. I'm talking about Stolen Destiny and summertime fun, along with giving away a copy of the book to one commenter. Have a great summer day! 

The Top 100 Vampire Romance Books At Amazon

I woke up this morning to find that Vampire Dreams, my little novella that I meant to send to Harlequin Spice Briefs before email goblins sidetracked it, had broken into the Top 100 Vampire Romance Books at Amazon. It also broke into the Top 100 in Erotica in Kindle Ebooks and Books in general.  Wow!  Now that's probably the second best type of wake up I know. ;) Thanks so much to all those readers who've purchased the book. 

I'm thrilled and amazed by this news.  This will be the look on my face all day: :D  Now it's back to work on Vasilije's book.

What A Difference A Year Can Make

Today is an important day for me.  One year ago, I woke up as I always did, but I had dreamed the most fantastic dreams all night.  I was perplexed by them because while they were vivid, they weren't terribly coherent.  I began writing down what I could remember, only bits and pieces really.  But these bits and pieces were nothing like my usual dreams.  A few days later, I had to go to see my son at Family Night at his Boy Scout camp and on the way there, I told his father (my ex, but still a nice guy) all about what I'd dreamed.  He was intrigued (he was also a captive audience), and as I explained about the people I'd dreamed about, I realized that they were something entirely new that I'd never heard about. 

On the way home from Family Night, I scribbled names down on an envelope I'd stuck in my purse days earlier when someone had given me a birthday card.  I needed a name for my people, and after numerous versions, I decided on the name Aeveren.  When I got home, I began writing like a mad person, finishing over 200 pages within the next month. 

Then, right after Labor Day, I was in the shower one morning and an idea came to me.  From that idea came Stolen Destiny. Then around Thanksgiving the idea for the next book came to me.  Well, to be honest, my character whose book Destiny Redeemed is wasn't going to let me go without writing his book. 

Now, a year later, that first novel I began back in July 2010 still sits as the beginning of the Destined Ones journey.  Stolen Destiny is published, and Destiny Redeemed will be published in the fall.  And I've written my novellas too in that year.  Vampire Dreams is selling wonderfully in its 6th week of release, and Love's Master continues to stun me every morning as I check the numbers in just its first week of release.  The third novella, Masquerade, is complete and in the typing/first edits stage.  Finally, Vasilije's story has been calling me, and I'm making good progress on that book, which is looking to be a novel length story. 

I hear people all the time say they don't have the time or they'll get to it later.  I was one of those people before last July 18.  I tell people that they shouldn't wait if they want to attend college when they complain it will take four long years.  My answer is always, "Well, that time will pass whether you go back to school or not. Wouldn't it be great if you had something special to show for it?"  I'm glad I finally took my own terrific advice.  One year later, I have so many special things to show for it. 

I'm at Katie Salidas's blog today talking about the necessity of promotion, so click on over and check it out.  I hope you have a wonderful day and begin something special in your life too. 

Remembering Why I Do This

It's Friday! Yippee!  Here at my house, it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.  The sun is shining and the temps are set to climb into the low 80s.  Life is good! 

I've got a number of things going on today, but I want to note something that really touched me the other day.  Laurie, from Bitten By Paranormal Romance, posted her review of Stolen Destiny on Goodreads and what she said about the book brought me back into focus a bit.  When you can see your sales for books at any given time in real time, it can cause you to focus on the numbers.  That's not what it should be about.  The reality is that unless you're a huge name in NY publishing, you're never going to be able to be in this for the money.  Sure, it's possible you'll make some nice cash, but enough to live on?  Well, I guess it depends on how much you need to live.  For me, unless this begins to bring in the money my day job brings in, it will have to be something I do for another reason. 

As I check the sales for all my books each morning, I'm thrilled to see them climb each day.  That's not why I began writing, though.  It isn't why I write now.  I just needed to be reminded of that.  So when I read Laurie's review and saw that Stolen Destiny had stirred her emotions and really stuck with her for days after she read it, I remembered why I wrote that story and why I write everything I write.  Not for the money. No, I write because I want to share a story with readers.  To know that Stolen Destiny touched her like that means I succeeded with that story. That's why I do this. Thanks to her for reminding me of that.  :)

I'm over at the Brazen Broads Book Bash (is that not the coolest name for a book blog?) today talking about POV.  Thanks to those brazen broads for the invitation to stop by again and for the wonderful review they gave Stolen Destiny. 

Finally, I'm hopping around with my dear friend Shah's Weekend Creation Blog Hop.  It's a new linky each week, so I'll be posting that more often from now on.  I love Shah's hop because it's different.  It celebrates creativity, so there are authors, artists, and all kinds of creative types who stop by. 

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!  I'll be finishing Masquerade and writing guest posts and interviews so I can begin to get ready for vacation.  Have a great one!

'Round The Blogs

Happy Thursday everyone!  It's cooled down just a little in PA, so it's not sweltering anymore.  This is a good thing.  :)  Not that I hate the heat.  I don't.  In fact, I love it.  I can see myself definitely moving south after my son graduates.  But I don't have air conditioning now, so it can get a little sticky. Ewww....

On to more pleasant ideas.  I've been over at Selena's place, The Enchanted Book, all this week with the chance for one reader to win a copy of Stolen Destiny.  Love her blog!  It's so purple.  And yesterday I was over at Erin O'Riordan's blog, Pagan Spirits, talking about my hero from Stolen Destiny, Varek, and his being a "bad" good guy.  Check both of those out for more info on that book. 

Today I'm at the wonderful Talina Perkins' blog, Bookin' It, talking about my adventures in publishing.  Not an entirely happy story, but it turns out well at the end.  I'm giving away a copy of Vampire Dreams or Love's Master to one lucky commenter, so check that out too.  (Talina is the talented woman who creates my banners.  Love her!)

Ok, I'm off to do some work on Masquerade today.  One of my editors suggested an idea that was out of this world fantastic, and I've run with it. It meant changing a chapter or two, but the idea was so yummy that I had to try it.  So far, I'm loving it! I'm also off to get my driver's license picture taken, a far less enjoyable time than writing.  Let's hope the DMV and I don't have to spend too much time together.   Have a great one!

Here and There and Love's Master Live

It's Monday again, and although I usually don't like the first day of the workweek, this Monday I have reason to celebrate.  I woke up this morning and found Love's Master for sale at Amazon and Barnes and Noble...and had already sold copies of it!  What a wonderful way to start a week!

Love's Master is the second novella in the erotic romance trilogy set in Victorian England.  While Vampire Dreams is a paranormal, this is more historical with a little twist-some light BDSM (nothing too deep, just some spanking, whipping, and blindfold action).  It's also much longer, at over 27,000 words compared to the 17,000 for Vampire Dreams. 

The idea for Love's Master came from a column that ran in the Times of London for years in the 1800s called the Agony Column.  If you've ever read any of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, you know what I'm referring to. Each morning, Holmes would comb the Agony Column for clues to cases.  All sorts of notices would be posted in the column, such as messages to secret lovers, posts to inform people of events, and even employment ads.  Often the notices were written in code or a foreign language, like German, French, and even Latin. 

I ran across the Agony Column online one day a while back and as I read through the years of notices, one jumped out at me.  I had been reading a lot of BDSM stories and when I saw a post that said, S.B. “is a STRICT Disciplinarian, and not afraid of a rather unruly Pupil" I immediately thought that this would be a great idea for a follow up story in what was quickly shaping up to be a trilogy of erotic romance novellas set in Victorian times. 

I had so much fun writing Love's Master, and much of that enjoyment came from the research I did.  Everything from foods found in Victorian England and Afghanistan to BDSM information was researched, in addition to the basic information that is needed to write about the past. 

To buy it, check out Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  I plan to have it up at Smashwords soon, along with All Romance eBooks too. 

In addition to the good news about Love's Master, I'm over at Danielle Ravencraft's blog, Ravencraft's Romance Realm, today talking about all three of my books out now.  Check that out and possibly for the first time, my picture is posted. (Let's hope none of my students see it. Now that's an office visit discussion I don't want to have!)

I'm also at Harris Channing's blog with an interview with Amon, the sexy bad boy from Stolen Destiny, so check that out too.  And have a fantastic summer day!

Masquerade Cover Love

While I've been busy finalizing Love's Master for its release early next week, my cover artist, the incredible Elaina Lee, and I have been working on the cover for the last erotic novella in the trilogy set in Victorian Times, Masquerade.  Yesterday, it was completed, and today I'm basking in love for my new cover. 

I'd found the gorgeous mask a few weeks ago, and after hours and hours of searching for a couple, I found this one, which I love because the female conveys the strength the heroine Annelisa possesses.  I sent them to Elaina and she did that magic she always does and voila!  Another stunning cover that I adore. 

I'm off to wrangle with the Smashwords grinder thing this weekend, along with the contraptions at the other outlets, but I couldn't wait until Monday to show off the new cover. I'm in cover love! 

Another Year

Another year has gone by and I'm celebrating another birthday.  Unlike many people I know, I love my birthday.  This is probably due to the fact that it was always a very big deal when I was a child because I shared it with my father.  He's gone ten years now, but I think of him often, especially on our day.  I'm very much like him, not surprisingly.  My father was a tough son of a bitch, and anyone who's ever gone up against me on an issue I truly believe in can tell you that I'm my father's daughter in that way. (Check out Nadja's post I link to below for a little taste of that toughness when it comes to my hero in Stolen Destiny.) He never got to see me reach the success I've reached today, but I hope wherever he is, he can see all that I've accomplished in my day job and my writing. 

It's been a big year for me.  Since last July, I've written two novels and three novellas.  The Muse was with me. The first two of those five to be published, Vampire Dreams and Stolen Destiny, were released last month, and in just a few days I'll release Love's Master.  Then in August I'll release Masquerade, the third novella, and in October, I'll release Destiny Redeemed, the sequel to Stolen Destiny.  

So what's in store for this new year?  I've begun writing Vasilije's story, a novel that has grown out of Vampire Dreams.  I'm in the thinking/planning stages for a novel that was inspired by a very hot blacksmith I met last month, and the third novel in the Destined Ones Series, Destiny Unbound, awaits completion at about 50% finished status.  But the lure of the novella always calls, so I can never tell what will happen with that.

Writing has become my second full time job, and hopefully, it can be my only full time job someday soon.  As it is, I write when I can, and for every word that ends up on paper I find I'm enjoying it more and more.  Now that's a job I can look forward to! 

I'm over at my friend and fellow author Nadja Notariani's blog today talking about standing my ground with Stolen Destiny, so check that out.  And I want to give a big shout out to friend and fellow Siren author, Bree Younger, whose first book, Burn, is being released today.  Best of luck to you, Bree!  7-7 has always been a very lucky day for me, and I hope it's just as lucky for you. 

And for my birthday, I'd like this, please.  No bow is needed.  ;)  (Is that a tag or a tattoo on his right hip? Mmmmm....)

ROW 80 Check In 6-8

Another week gone by, and another ROW 80 check in to discuss.  It's been a busy week here, and I just barely made my 3500 words for the week in Masquerade.  This novella has been yet another one where the research is almost as much fun as the writing.  That shouldn't be surprising, though, since I have studied history for years, but this time I've gotten to spend some time checking out the finer details of Russian history, which has always intrigued me. 

In grad school, I took a course on Soviet Russia taught by a Jesuit who had lived there, in secret, of course, since the Soviets were nothing if not thorough in their efforts to eradicate religion from their state.  I had become interested in Russian literature as an undergrad after reading some of Chekhov's short stories, and I'd fallen in love with Dostoyevsky's work then too. Chekhov is so understated, yet so powerful in his work.  The struggle and torment his characters experience don't hit you over the head repeatedly, but with just a few very well chosen words, he conveys a depth of feeling I rarely find in stories today. 

As luck and the fates would have it, one of my closest friends speaks Russian fluently, and her sister lived in Russia for a long time teaching there.  So I have two fabulous translators who supply me with the correct words for my hero whenever I need them.  I don't include many in Masquerade, but when he becomes irritated with the heroine and when he's feeling passionate, he slips into Russian.  Thank you Ris and Michele for all your translation work! 

Promotion continues, as does editing on Love's Master.  I unveiled the cover for that novella yesterday.  I love that cover.  In truth, I love every cover I've had so far, and this one's no exception.  It's over in the right sidebar, so take a look. 

My critique partner and I had separate but almost simultaneous ideas for upcoming stories on Saturday.  It was quite interesting!  Mine came when I was volunteering at an arts festival for the museum board I'm on, and there was my inspiration, doing his thing at a blacksmith area near the booth I was working.  What incredibly fascinating work I saw!  Thanks to that blacksmith, who was just as good looking as he was talented, I have an idea for my next story.  From a tiny kernel of an idea grew the beginning of a novel or novella (I haven't decided which.).

Nat from Reading Romances has posted the first part of the interview she and I did the other night online at her blog, so take a look.  We had a great time, and I want to thank her for such a fantastic job with it!  She's also the organizer of the Small Blogs, Big Giveaways Hop I'm involved in, so take a look at that too for a chance at some really great prizes. 

Here's to another week of summer weather and good times.  To see how everyone else is doing with ROW 80, click HERE. 

More Cover Love Today

Despite the difficulties the publisher and I have had, it looks like Stolen Destiny will still have a June release.  I've been given the date of June 29, so let's all think good thoughts.  I sent back the edits yesterday, and they sent me the cover art today.  The original cover I posted a few weeks ago indicated that the book was the first in a series, but since I'm going to be publishing the rest of the series elsewhere, they had to adjust things slightly.  The result is this cover. 

Whatever problems I've had with the publisher, I can't say enough wonderful things about the designer, Jinger Heaston. She took what I sent in the cover questionnaire and knocked it out of the park.  Thanks Jinger!  I couldn't have asked for a better cover for Varek, Callia, and Amon (Varek's the stunning, shirtless one.).

Vampire Dreams Cover Love

Here is the cover for my novella, Vampire Dreams, due out in June.  Cover artist Elaina Lee did it for me, and I love it!  Thank you so much Elaina!  She does such wonderful work, doesn't she? For more information on the story, click HERE.  :) 

Waiting...

I continue to wait for the email from the publisher that tells me what edits I must do for Stolen Destiny to become ready for June.  Although I know it's foolish to be worried about something that hasn't happened yet, I am.  I think it's part stubborn belief in a style of writing that I think is interesting and part ego. 

You see, I write my stories from multiple points of view.  In Stolen Destiny, the reader is given the point of view of Varek, Callia, Amon, and the murderer, Derrick James.  Granted Derrick's point of view is quite limited and only in a few places, but it adds interest and shows what Varek must conquer before he can finish his job for the Council and get the girl. As for the three main characters, they spend a great deal of time together and their points of view are important to the story.  Without them, the love triangle doesn't work at the depth I need it to.

Today, editors sometimes think this is head hopping.  I have no idea where this came from, but I can't imagine telling my stories, which are at their core about the love and romance between two people (and the love triangle that forms when Amon becomes involved), from just one point of view. How dreadfully boring it would be to have page after page of just Callia's point of view!  I think that works for short stories and novellas, but at least for me, it doesn't work for novel length stories. 

The other part is pure ego, though.  I like things like adverbs, and I have a feeling many of them might be headed for the chopping block.  And adjectives?  Let's say from what I hear, adjectives are viewed like time spent with Charlie Sheen: a little goes a long way.  But I don't tend to be an adjective girl as much as adverb.  In fact, I don't tend to describe things visually as much as I think I might have to.  My stories tend to revolve around not so much the physical setting as the psychological and emotional developments in the characters.  But I admit, I am less stubborn about these issues.  In fact, it might be nice to go back and describe Amon's Tuscan villa again with more detail. 

I look forward to this time next month when edits will be finished (hopefully) and then I can wait for the book cover art.  But it's all part of the process, so just hang on and I'll be sure to tell you all about it.  :)

Gabrielle

Updates and Other Stuff

I've written a newsletter for the past two Sundays, but I've decided to limit those to twice a month since I'm thinking once a week might be a bit much. If I'm wrong, definitely tell me. I can certainly do them every Sunday.

According to the magic counting thingy in the left sidebar, I am almost 80% finished with typing Destiny Renewed. This is the second time I promised myself to keep up with the typing instead of leaving it until I finished the book.  One should really learn from mistakes.  Well, I'm pledging that for the third book, which I'm toying with changing from Broken Destiny to some other title, I will keep current with the typing each week instead of procrastinating until the book is finished.  There. Now it's out in the universe. 

I'm also considering making this blog an adult blog, as in having the Content Warning page before people enter.  I personally don't think anyone should have to do that and I don't think my blog is incredibly racy, but the excerpts I put up can be considered adult material.  I just hate more clicking required to get to things. 

Other than those scintillating events, I'm reaching out to other authors of a variety of genres to swap blogs for a day or more in the hopes of reaching more people and helping my fellow writers with the same.  I have a few planned for June and August, and I hope to have more in the coming days, so if you know of anyone who is published or soon to be published (indie or otherwise), have them drop me an email.  I'd love to get together and see what we can do!

I also joined The Romance Studio as a featured member, so if you have a chance, stop on over there and take a look at the great things they have for romance lovers.  I plan to be blogging there in the future, and you can find me listed on the Authors@TRS page (clicking my name just takes you to my website for now).

Until next time...

Gabrielle

Aeveren

Someone asked me where I got the name Aeveren for my Destined Ones books.  The truth is I made it up.  I couldn't find a name to describe exactly what I wanted--to reflect that these people lived many lives through reincarnation--so I decided that I needed to make a new word that would work. 

I still have the envelope I used to experiment with ideas as I rode on my way to my son's Boy Scout camp.  All over it are written words that I tried, including Aevere and Aevera, in addition to Evere.  I didn't like any of those, so I continued to scribble as my friend drove and eventually, in the little space that was left at the bottom, came Aeveren. 

The name reflects both the reincarnation theme of the characters' lives and the idea of the destined one, one person fate has chosen for another.  It's been suggested that I trademark the name, but so far, I haven't done anything about that.  I'm not sure it's necessary.  How's it look?  Aeveren™

Maybe someday.  Right now, I'm more about writing romance and love scenes than claiming a name.  :)

Gabrielle

Got My Contract!

Since I'm a newbie author in the publishing sense, I hope everyone will forgive me for posting about getting my contract from Siren-BookStrand today.  I'm over-the-moon thrilled!  The projected publication date for Stolen Destiny remains June 2011, but having the contract in my hand was a definite thrill today.  And then I visited the publisher's site and saw my name on their author roll, which was even more thrilling. 

All this excitement has made writing almost impossible tonight, unfortunately.  I can't keep my focus at all, so I think I'm just going to relax and have a drink. 

Here's to good news!

Gabrielle

Reading and Writing

The question with the 18 & Over Tag Along last Friday involved how many books each participant read each month.  I answered that it could be as many as 12, but when I'm writing, the number shrinks to as little as 3.  But I think it's important to continue to read as much as possible in one's genre, even while writing.  I can become too wrapped up in the world I'm creating, and when that happens, I turn to one of my favorite writers to refresh me. 

This weekend I turned to Charlotte Featherstone.  I just love her books.  Her writing is like silk that just drapes over the reader.  I didn't read too much, but just reading a few chapters of any of her books often refocuses me.  It takes me out of my world for even a few minutes, and when I return, I feel rejuvenated. 

I also read my book last night--the one I'm currently writing, Destiny Renewed.  At some point in everything I write, I have to sit back and read it from the beginning.  I imagine some writers do it far earlier than with just four chapters to go, but that's how I like to do it.  So last night, I sat down and read it from beginning to end. 

While there were some parts I re-edited as I read, overall, I was happy to read those earlier chapters again.  And at a few parts, I turned to my son, who had come upstairs to see how I was doing, and said, "I really like this part."  As he usually does, he smiled and said, "That's good, mom.  But shouldn't you like the whole book?"

I love the whole book, but there are parts where the interplay between the characters is just exactly how I wanted it to be.  The tenor of their words is how I intended and the description shows perfectly what I wanted the reader to see. 

So with a week off from work, I plan to stay home and finish Destiny Renewed.  Then when it's complete, I'll begin typing it and re-editing as I go along then too.  The goal is to have it submitted by late spring/early summer, so I feel very good about my progress. 

Gabrielle

My New Website

Encouraged by my friends, who think I'm far too old fashioned for my own good, I created a website tonight.  Gabrielle Bisset Romance is its name, and it can be found at http://gabriellebisset.weebly.com/

It's all pretty new and I haven't taken many of the wrappings off yet, but I have information on my background, my writing projects, and a contact form for people to leave me comments or ask me questions.  So click on over to Gabrielle Bisset Romance and take a look. You can click on the name or the graphic on the right sidebar.  And leave a comment or ask a question there on the Contact page, if you like. 

I'll be spiffing the place up when I get more to put there and will change the domain name in a little bit, but for now, it's my new official website.  Of course, I plan to keep my blog here on blogger, but I hope you stop by the website and say hi. 

Gabrielle

The Kernal Of An Idea

I'm teaching a course on medieval Europe this semester and while I was scouring the library for a film to show about the First World War (another class, obviously), I came upon a book about chivalry and its connection to religion in the Middle Ages.  I'm a sucker for books like this, so I picked it up along with my video and beat feet out of there to make it to my first class. 

When I got home, I began to read the book and I don't think I made it four pages in before I was jotting down ideas for a medieval romance story.  I don't have anything really fleshed out, but I'm feeling the novella vibe for this one--around 25,000 words.  Since this is one of my favorite periods in history, I'm not surprised my brain is popping with ideas. 

I don't know what's going to shake out with this, but I like the idea of knights, those wonderful Alpha males in chainmail, maybe misbehaving.  Maybe nothing too serious but far more erotic for this story.  Hmmm....we'll have to see. 

Another Great Weekend

As I sit here late Saturday night, I'm finished with my writing for the weekend.  My goal was 24 pages, and I wrote about 30, so I feel very good.  Someone asked me the other day how I can write so much in a sitting.  I explained that I really don't have the opportunity to write each day because of work and life and everything else that requires my time, so I save up ideas (jotting them down in the margins of my notebooks) all week and then write on the weekend.  So while it seems like 30+ is a lot, for a week, I'm not writing as much as I'd like.  That's less than 5 pages a day for a 7 day week, but it's what I can do for now.  I'd prefer to write every day, but this semester is just a dog this year. 

I'm beginning Chapter 21 on Destiny Renewed and still am hovering on Chapter 14 of Broken Destiny.  Things are moving along nicely with Stolen Destiny going toward publication in June.  This week I got to complete information about what I see for the cover, which I have to admit, was so thrilling I was silly with happiness for a few days.  (I'm such a newbie!)  Just the thought that soon I'll be published is still sinking in. 

I've set a goal of the end of March to be finished with Destiny Renewed, which would put me at the end of April to get it typed (remember, I hand write everything first, so I have the second leg of the journey once I finish writing the book), edited, and out to my beta readers.  I hope to submit that book right around the time the first one is published.  (Fingers crossed!)

As for Broken Destiny, I'm aiming for a May 1 date to complete that, but that might be a bit ambitious. Still, that's my goal.  That would put me at the beginning of June with it typed, edited, and out to my beta readers.  A late summer submit would be success for this one. 

And for the last book, which is actually the first one I wrote in this series but put aside when Stolen Destiny invaded my mind one day in the shower, I'm looking forward to resurrecting it and moving ahead with that one after the previous two are edited to within an inch of their lives and submitted.  I don't have a name for this one yet, but it will be the last one in the Destined Ones Series, barring some major change that isn't on the horizon quite yet. 

Whew!  I think I need a beer and some R & R before the week begins again.  Here's to a wonderful week for us all!