Sunday Report Card

I didn't really set a goal for the past week. Between the evil day job and the holiday weekend, I knew I wouldn't get much done. However, I did a little more than I thought!

I had one morning to devote to writing. Tuesday I met Brandi Evans at Starbucks. I posted a long story about how the day went at the Liquid Silver Blog in a blog titled Life, Critters and Getting Older. I also posted some pictures of some of those critters. But the short version is, after a rocky start, I wrote 2207 words on the Tennessee Cop story. Woo hoo!

The rest of the week was not so good on the writing front. Monday then Wednesday through Friday, I worked at the EDJ between 9-10 hours a day. Add the two hour commute and I was wiped out. Early Saturday and Sunday before I went to Momma's house, I managed another 600 words. I know where I'm going and how to get there but just haven't had time to write.

I did plot out a couple of quickie ideas during the commutes with my voice recorder--one for EC's new shorter quickie and one for a Cleis anthology call. Saturday, Lil Sis helped me plot part of a new Harlequin Intrigue idea. I still haven't heard about the last proposal. Neither have I heard from Samhain or Carina Press about two other stories. I have, on the other hand, heard from my Ellora's Cave editor. Looks like the sequel to ANGEL MOON is a go for launch! I'll spill more about it once the contract is final.

Saturday was fun with Lil Sis and Momma because we made sushi for the first time. We couldn't find sushi grade fish in Little Rock so we went with cooked fish. The picture above is mussels, shrimp and scallops poaching in white wine with lots of fragrant seasoning! The one to the right is the sticky rice. Lil Sis did the seafood, Momma and I did the sticky rice. Both came out excellent!

The actual rolling process was interesting but we managed. Of course, our rolls weren't exactly uniform. *cackle* Once we used up all the nori to wrap the rolls, Lil Sis made a tempura batter and we deep fried the rolls. They were quite yummy, if not as pretty as our favorite Japanese restaurant presents them.

We also had two kinds of sangria, one made with muskadine wine and one made with pomegranate wine, various beers and sweets. Today Lil Sis grilled lamb, Italian sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers and corn on the cob. Lil Bro came up today sans his girl children. Not his weekend for the two little ones and the 15 year old had better things to do than spend the day with her family. Teenagers. Can't live with them, can't lock 'em in a closet until they're twenty. Or at least I've been told you can't. *cackle*

I topped off the weekend by trying to kill myself mowing. I did the entire back yard--which hasn't been completely done this year. Too many branches to clean up but it's done now. Plus I mowed part of the front. I'll have to finish it tomorrow. After I write. I'm staying home to make a concerted effort to finish TnC#4. If I can get out of bed after overdoing the yard work!

I don't expect a lot of writing time this week. The evil day job will have me Tuesday through Friday. My boss is out of town so I'll need to do some of her stuff as well as help take up the slack for the customer service person who quit last week. Good thing I can do every job in that place. Makes for extra hours and lots of good will with the higher ups. LOL

Next weekend has no plans except some tree trimming and yard work so I hope, between tomorrow and next weekend, I can finish this book. And hopefully I'll have edits for the ANGEL MOON sequel! Yay!

Goals for the week:

1) Finish TnC#4.
2) Come up with a title for TnC#4.
3) Write synopsis/blurb for TnC#4.

That should be more than enough!

I hope you had a fabulous week and a great one ahead of you.

Don't forget to take some time on Monday to remember the veterans who made and keep America free. To those who gave a little and to those who gave their all, you made a difference in our lives.

Shayla

Sunday Report Card!

This week blasted past me but in a good way. I accomplished a lot! My only goal this week was:

1) Write 10k on TnC#4.

And that puppy not only got done, I exceeded it. Grand total on TnC#4 is 11,343 words. The total doesn't include about 1k in notes. I hit the middle and went...uh, where the heck am I going? Ah, the life of a pantser! *cackle* But now I know where I'm going although I think I'll get there too soon. The story was projected to be 25k words. I'm at 18k and "the end" is in sight. Of course, I tend to add words when I start self-edits. Sometimes my first drafts are a little bare of description and deeper emotions. We'll see.

Today has been a very long day. I wrote 4460 of the 11k today. LOL I hit Starbucks and glued my ass to the chair. Well, except for the three venti coffees--one per thousand words. When I hit 4k, I met Lil Sis for a late lunch. Once I arrived home, I did three critiques for the Roses Colored Glasses Critique Group. Busy, busy day!

Saturday was a wash out. I tried writing at home and I kept getting distracted. Mainly by my bed! I hadn't slept well all week and the lure of a nap turned into a marathon five hours of sleep. I don't sleep that much at night!

Boss lady called me on Friday. She needs me in the office most of this week--tomorrow and Wednesday through Friday. So this week's word count will be practically nil. Next weekend is Memorial Day weekend and the family or at least part of it, will circle the wagon's at Momma's. I have to show up at least a couple of days. Plus the first week of the month I'll always have to work the entire week so the following week will be tight on word count.

I love the idea of extra money but hate losing the writing time. LOL

Since I'm so close to the end of TnC#4, I'm going to try hard to write at night. Plus I have half of Tuesday to write. I'm meeting Brandi Evans at Starbucks Tuesday morning but I have to take my grandmother to a doctor appointment Tuesday afternoon. Another 3-4k and I should be able to start self-edits.

Oh, and as I was driving to Little Rock today, a short story idea hit me. I think I might try my hand at one of Ellora's Caves' new shorter Quickies. It involves the bathhouses in Hot Springs, which are nothing like the gay bathhouses. The ones in Hot Springs are really meant for bathing and massage. But whose to say there can't be a little hanky panky!

We'll see. I made some voice notes on the drive and a few written ones when I arrived at Starbucks before I started work on TnC#4.

I hope everyone had a wonderfully productive week and a great one ahead of you!

Shayla

Another week has rushed past me! Sometimes it feels like I turn around and another year is gone. I've heard that's what happens when you get older. *cackle*

So last week's goals were:

1) Work Monday at the evil day job.
2) Work through edits/critiques of Angel Moon 2.
3) Come up with a title for Angel Moon 2.
4) Write 4k on TnC #4.
5) Attend DSRA meeting on Saturday.

The evil day job required an extra day so I worked there on Wednesday as well. Sometimes I'm torn between "damned EDJ" and "ooo, goody, extra money!". LOL

I finally finished working through the edits for the sequel to ANGEL MOON. It is now tentatively titled BLOOD ANGEL. I ended up adding nearly 1900 words to the manuscript. The synopsis and blurb were about 2k words. So my 4k goal was achieved, just on the wrong manuscript! I submitted BLOOD ANGEL to my Ellora's Cave editor tonight. I'll be nail biting until I hear from her.

And I attended my DSRA meeting! I love getting together with other writers. Such rejuvenation for my creative side!

So all in all, this was a good week!

For next week, my goals are simple. Write! Write! Write! On the new Tennessee Cop story. Still no title there either but I'm 6690 words in so I have a good start. I don't have the EDJ until closer to the end of the month. I'll be writing with my friend, Cynthia D'Alba, in Hot Springs tomorrow. She's good at cracking the whip so I should get a lot done!

1) Write 10k on TnC#4.

I hope you had a fabulous week and look forward to another great one!
HUGS!
Shayla

New Rose's Colored Glasses Newsletter!

Check it out, it's up on Roses Colored Glasses!

Rose's Colored Glasses

Spring Cleaning
Your Writing

May 2010 Newsletter

click here

Announcements!
Query & Synopsis: Stick to the Facts
Proper Care and Feeding of Your Muse
Time for Weeding
Spreading the Love Around
Why I'd Rather Do Anything than Write
Stop and Feed the Muse!
Dear Rose

http://rosescoloredglasses.com/NewsMay10.htm

Reviews!

Some people say reviews don't make a difference to sales, but what a difference it makes to a writer's ego! *cackle* Maybe not ego so much as confidence...

Writers are fragile in some ways. We're in a profession where we can be praised and reviled over the same book. Reviews, comments, even emails can range from "You're are the most wonderful writer!" to "You suck and are the worst ever!" Sometimes those comments come from a publisher! Well, not quite that explicit but we can read between the lines... LOL

So when great reviews come along, it's time to rejoice! And I've received a few really great reviews lately!

ANGEL MOON
Available at Ellora's Cave

BLURB:

Terra offers sanctuary to both Angellum and Virkola. Unknown to the humans, a truce exists there. To Terrans, the two species exist as myths. One is a frail, winged creature from religious texts. The other, a demon of the night, living off blood. Both are far from the truth…

Sorin thought sanctuary was the answer to their problems. Terra with its plentiful creatures, full of fresh blood and off limits to the millennia-long war with the Angellum—who wouldn’t think it paradise? Except paradise comes at a high price. Claiming a bounty on a renegade angel hasn’t ended up the way he planned at all.

Teo loves his ship, his life in space, but he loves Sorin more. The plan seemed sound, but the bounty is a fraud and now the price is on him and Sorin. He’ll make the best of the rest of his life with Sorin, even if it’s only for a few weeks.

But when hope appears from an unexpected source, both men grab chance by her wings.

An excerpt from the latest review from The Long and Short of It/Whipped Cream Reviews:

Peppermint at Whipped Cream Reviews said, "Shayla Kersten gave me just enough information in this story that I could see the world she was trying to create, yet had enough space to add my own mental imagery to it as well. I just hope that the author will continue Teo and Sorin’s story, because I am sure it will be flying off the shelves. ...do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Angel Moon". It's a keeper."

And since ANGEL MOON received 5 Cherries, it's up for book of the week! You can vote at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/recentrev.htm. I appreciate your support!

* * * * * *

My other more recent release, ICING ON THE CAKE, seems to have struck gold in the review department!

ICING ON THE CAKE
Available at Ellora's Cave

BLURB:

Jeff Morgan’s life is all about career. Relationships aren’t on his radar. His friendships are limited to a very few and his sex life consists of wham-bam-thank-you-man sexual encounters. He doesn’t do long term. He doesn’t even do breakfast.

Then the fate of a cake brings Ollie Cranford into his life. Shaved head, tats and piercings, the baker is far from Jeff’s type but Ollie is as luscious as the icing he whips up in his bakery.

Now if only Jeff can relax long enough to enjoy the icing on the beefcake.

Excerpts of the reviews:

Romance Reader at Seriously Reviewed said, "Wow. This story was perfect. The sex, the men, the setting. I couldn’t read fast enough yet I wanted the pages to go on forever. ... I have a sweet tooth for men and Icing on the Cake satisfied me on every level." -- Score: 18.5 out of 20

Eyre at A Reader's Journey said, "This is a short, hot read. It's only 47 pages, but I really enjoyed it. Let's just say that the cake isn't the only thing that has icing on it." -- 4 Stars

Wave at Reviews by Jessewave said, " I definitely recommend Icing on the Cake and I think you will enjoy it and the characters." -- 4.25 Stars

Scandalous Minx at Literary Nymphs said, "Passion and food take center stage in Icing on the Cake. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and I recommend it to those who enjoy the genre." -- 5 Nymphs

Shayna at Joyfully Reviewed said, "Icing on the Cake is as delicious as the culinary confection the title references. It's decadent good fun with two sinfully sexy heroes."

My laptop spent much of the week as DC's napping spot. I, on the other hand, spent most of my time at the evil day job or at Momma's house. My goals for this week--4k on TnC#4 (formerly known as #6)--came up a little short. Okay, a lot short at 1817 words.

I also joined the Roses Colored Glasses critique this week with the first 15 pages of the new story. The Roses' crit group is open to anyone and run two weekends a month. I woke up early Saturday and managed to get through my crits before heading to Momma's. I received some great feedback on my pages too. I really should join in more often!

Brandi Evans sent back her critique of the second Angel Moon book. I read a little bit of it last night but was too tired to keep going. So far, all good feed back.

The evil day job calls today so I won't get much done today but I'm meeting Brandi at Starbucks tomorrow for a write-in.

So for this week's goals...

1) Work Monday at the evil day job.
2) Work through edits/critiques of Angel Moon 2.
3) Come up with a title for Angel Moon 2.
4) Write 4k on TnC #4.
5) Attend DSRA meeting on Saturday.

Hope you put a great week behind you and have a fabulous one ahead!

Sunday Report Card

My goals for last week were:

1) Finish Angel Moon 2! (I need about 4-5k words to finish. The end is in sight!)
2) Start book #4 of TN Cops.
3) Work one day for the part-time evil day job.

And they are all crossed off! Woo hoo! I had a good week writing-wise!

I finished Angel Moon 2 on Wednesday. The word count for the week on it was 4341. I wrote at the coffee shop--or a coffee shop--most of the week. The critters decided last week was going to be the official "Drive Mommy Crazy" week. I hit the Beanery a few times and Starbucks a couple. Tuesday was a write in with Brandi Evans and Cynthia D'Alba. We ended up going to lunch with Brandi's kids. Her baby kept calling me Grandma. Too funny. Kind of. I can't decide if I liked being called Grandma or just couldn't be mad at the baby. She was sooo cute!

Thursday I was at the Evil Day Job. I hadn't been down there since the 8th of the month. Had fun catching up with my most wonderful boss in the world at lunch. I miss daily interaction with her. She's a hoot to be around. I'll have lots of interaction this week. It's the first of the month so I'll be there all week. Thursday night I had plot inspiration plus a read a synopsis for Delilah Devlin. She has such a wicked mind!

Friday I started what was supposed to be Tennessee Cops book #6. Yes, I know I haven't written #4 and #5 yet. The plot for six hit me the other night and just wanted to be written. So I guess #6 becomes #4. The new math... The story is a reunion story and one of the heroes has a lot to make up for!

Between Friday and Sunday, I wrote 4819 words. Don't have a title yet. Need one. Just don't have one. *cackle* I suck at titles. I probably could have written more but Arkansas was hit with some heavy duty storms Friday night and Saturday night. I spent most of both nights tracking tornadoes. My family was fortunate. Others weren't so much. One fatality from a tornado and one from flash flooding. May they rest in peace.

Saturday before the next round of storms blew in, I critiqued a story for Brandi Evans. Really kewl story about a fallen angel.

So all in all, a very productive week with 9160 words written, two critiques done plus some day job! Goals for next week have to be scaled back because of the EDJ but the story is really popping so I should get something done. Unless the voices are really talking to me, writing when I get home from work isn't very easy. Next weekend is Mother's Day so I'll probably spend most of it with Momma and the siblings.

So this week's goals are:

1) 4k on TnC#4 (formerly known as #6)

I hope everyone had a great week behind them and a fantabulous one in front of them.