Fast Draft - Day 3

I've got 2,009 words for today. I may or may not stop. I'm mid-sex scene, so yeah, shouldn't stop. Hmm... Guess I won't. 2,837 is the total. Sex scene finished. Maybe my goal should just be 10 pages. I seem to be capable of that. I'm still going to aim for 5k though.

That's all to report today. I had no surprise spider attacks while writing. Had one earlier today though. I didn't get to kill him either. He went under the wall. And yes, since the house isn't finished yet, he can do that quite easily.

Fast Draft - Day 2

I did better today but didn't meet my goal. I hit 2,723 which is a little over half the goal. I've decided to stop though, because it's late, and I have a book that is calling my name.

Oh, and the finger actually doesn't hurt as much as it did yesterday, so I was able to do quite well today. It's still swollen though. But judging from how much it hurts today, it probably won't hurt to type at all tomorrow. OMFG! Spider! That's what the cat was stalking earlier.

Okay, that's just damned embarrassing. Glad I shut the door before my attempted kill started, along with the screaming. If anyone asks, it was a war cry.

Uh, anyway that's my update. *keeps glancing at dead spider* I'm done sitting here until I can vacuum the little carcass up in the morning.

Fast Draft - Day 1

So I'm doing Fast Draft, which is writing a novel in two weeks. I'm actually taking a whole big course from Candace Havens and Fast Draft is only a tiny part of it. Anyway, its day one. Didn't go that well. The goal is 5,000 words. I fell short by whopping 3,681. I'm going to have to make some changes in my schedule to accomplish this. Like going to bed at a decent hour so I can actually get up before noon.

And, while there are no excuses or complaining allowed in FD, I do have one legitimate problem. One of my fingers is swollen. Banging on the keys to pound out a novel is physically painful, and yeah, novels aren't usually physically painful. Emotional pain, mental pain, both expected. I'm hoping this finger issue is just one hell of a hang nail, and that it will make an actual appearance so I can pull it.

And I know what you're thinking, if this finger is so bad why am I writing a blog post? The finger is up at the moment. I'm basically typing with one and a half hands. Which is fine now, but not when I'm trying to get 5k in two and a half hours or less, its not going to work.

So, I'm thinking about switching to hand written pages instead. Thankfully I'm left handed and the right hand has the affliction. The only problem is I can't keep track of word count that way, and I have no Write or Die to keep focused. It should be interesting. FD might have to wait till next week, when it officially starts. Until then I'll either switch to paper or have some asprin and just get what I can get. Not going to bother to stop working on this project, because I've already jumped the gun on it. I started it like last week or the week before, so I've already got a little chunk done.

Till tomorrow.

Recommended Reads 1/8/12

I've been devouring books by the dozens lately, and I've got a few I'd like to recommend. If you're into historical romance you HAVE to check out these. They aren't new releases, but books don't have to be new for people to have never heard of them.

To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt

NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING-
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl's heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?


OR DANGEROUS-
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle's home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.


THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud's savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice's love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

Dear Reader,

I'd been prowling the crumbling ruins of Castle Weyrcraig for so long that I could no longer remember if I was man or beast. Then one stormy night the superstitious Highlanders of Ballybliss decided to leave a helpless virgin bound to a stake in the castle courtyard to satisfy my insatiable appetites.

My demands might strike terror in the hearts of men, but this bold beauty dared to defy me. After she informed me that she didn't believe in dragons, I had no choice but to make her my prisoner—or risk being exposed to those I had sought to deceive with my dangerous masquerade.

Soon I found myself stealing into the moonlit tower just to watch her sleep. Little does she know that beneath this beast's gruff exterior beats the passionate heart of a man. Gwendolyn Wilder may not believe in dragons, but I intend to use all my sensual wiles to teach her to believe in something even more magical—true love.

Eternally yours, The Dragon of Weyrcraig

And I actually re-read this one in preparation for the next book in the series which is coming out on the 10th. Can't wait for Lothaire!

HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .

Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.

SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .
When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.

TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .
Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?

New Years Resolutions

The classic New Years Resolution post. My goals list for 2012 is long, and doesn't just cover writing. I've decided to add some other stuff too, because while I love writing, and want to make it my career, it's not the only thing that's important to me. So here's my list:

WRITING: These are my writing goals for 2012. I'm determined to hit them, because usually I don't.

Finish Bad Animals – May 31^st

·       Submit Bad Animals to agents and publishers

Finish Almost Human – August 31^st

·       Submit Almost Human to agents and publisher

Finish short stories on Saturdays

·       Topless

·       Straight Laced

·       Untitled Ménage

Start plotting Sci-Fi story on Sundays

DANCE: I also have some goals in belly dance this year, because there are some things I didn't do this year that I'd like to get done.

Choreograph at least 3 solos

Practice Improv

Create a Yoga routine

Practice when I don’t have school

MISC: These are just good things to do, that I feel I don't do enough of. I know everyone feels like what they give or do won't help, because they're just one person, but if every person pitched in, we could accomplish a lot. So I encourage you to give back this year. Whether it be time or money. Everyone can spare a little.

Donate at least $5 every other month to ISF or Cause An Uproar, or Unicef.

Volunteer at least once at the animal shelter or make blessing bags for homeless.

And that's the end of my big goals list. Of course there are smaller things like trying to promote more, and what not, but they don't go on the big list, those things go on the lists I make daily.

If you're wondering what blessing bags are, this is where I got the idea:

Visit my website.