Wednesday's Writing Update: A Short Story and Susan Kaye Quinn's The Debt Collector

 

Happy Wednesday!

If you've been following this blog at all, then you'll know I like to re-evaluate my goals. I swear sometimes they change by the hour these days. My goals have changed again to some extent. Frankly, I was trying to do too much in too short of a time. Yeah, I have that problem, so I decided to simplify my life.

This month, I'm working on the short stories in Men of Foxwick. Before the end of February, I finished "Dragon Spy" and in January, I wrote "Blind Scribe." That means I have three stories to write before the end of the month: "Sword Master" (done!), "Courting Magic," and "Monster Hunter." Once I finish these stories, I'll do a self-edit and then send them to half my critique partners. Then, once I get them back, I'll do another edit based on their comments and send it to the other half. Another set of edits or two, then proofreading and publishing. If all goes as planned, people might be able to purchase Men of Foxwick in June. *crosses fingers*

As for everything else I had planned to do this month, it's now been shoved off to other months (Part III of The Phoenix Prophetess in April and The Loveless Princess in May).

I think simple will be better, right?

What are you working on?

By the way, there will be no more Friday Flash for a while, so I'll see you on Monday for Bookworm News.

And Susan Kaye Quinn has a new serial series out today! The first episode in The Debt Collector is Delirium.

The Debt Collector by Susan Kaye Quinn

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack series comes a new future-noir serial, The Debt Collector. The first episode, Delirium, launches today (3/20).

What’s your life worth on the open market?

A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.

Contains mature content and themes. For YA-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s Mindjack series.

Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. You can find out more about the series at the DebtCollector website and facebookpage. The DebtCollector newsletter is a special list just for episode releases.

Early Praise

 “The street-smart science of LOOPER meets the cold, just-the-facts voice of DOUBLE INDEMNITY in this edgy, future-noir thriller that will have you holding your breath, looking over your shoulder, and begging for more.” —Leigh Talbert Moore, author of The Truth About Faking, The Truth About Letting Go, and Rouge

“Do you owe more than your life is worth? No worries. A more deserving person than you can benefit from that excess life—and someone else will get paid with it. Enter the Debt Collector.” —Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014)

The first three episodes of Debt Collector will be released a week apart, starting Wednesday 3/20. The remaining episodes will release every two weeks. Delirium can be found on Amazon, BarnesandNoble, iTunes, Kobo. Or add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Debt Collector is her more grown-up SF. Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium happy. Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time.

Women of Foxwick now available!

It's the release date for Women of Foxwick!
  

To purchase: Amazon US / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT  Smashwords  Nook  Kobo (forthcoming)  iTunes (forthcoming)

Goodreads
 

A Fantasy Short Story Collection

Follow five women from Foxwick in this five-story fantasy collection.

A bard will lose her head, if she doesn't find the correct notes. A dragon seer must decide whether to betray her dragons or her fair kingdom. An assassin will journey to the Shadowlands to destroy Death. Twins are selected for the Mage Game, and a princess will journey to Valdale in search of the sorceress who can save Foxwick.

Some reviews of Women of Foxwick:

"Each tale works on its own, but they also tie together nicely to weave a tapestry of a well imagined world." - Aubrie Dionne, author of Paradise 21

​

"...a rich and wonderful fantasy world..." - Christine Rains, writer

For a limited time, Women of Foxwick will be $0.99. The first week of a new release can be one of the most important, so if you are considering purchasing a copy, now is the time to do so.

Not certain Women of Foxwick is for you, then download a free copy of A to Z Flashes of Foxwick. Within this flash fiction collection is the story "Lady Death" from Women of Foxwick. You can get a free copy of A to Z Flashes of Foxwick on Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords.

I was also tagged by Aubrie Dionne in the Lucky 7 meme. I've participated before, but I decided to double space Women of Foxwick and give you a glimpse of "Magic Seeker" from page 77.

Eirwyn grasped Zenia’s cheeks with both hands. Their eyes met, and Zenia longed to pull away, but the sorceress trapped her in that terrible gaze. “Can you make me young again in the Shadowlands? I want my youth and beautiful face back, Lady Death.”

“Consider it done.” Umbria nodded.

Eirwyn leaned closer, and the old woman’s breath brushed against Zenia’s lips. “I just wanted him to love me, you know. I thought he might, but he loved you—no, not you—Lyrica. It changed everything that day. Everything.”

I've also been interviewed by Rachelle Ayala today. We talk about Women of Foxwick and the Gravity trilogy. Please click here to read the interview.

June's author newsletter went out today as well. If you want inside information first, then please be certain to sign up here.

Don't forget that Women of Foxwick is only $0.99 for a limited time! To purchase: Amazon US / UK / DE / FR / ES / IT  Smashwords  Nook

Insecure Writer's Support Group: A Short (Story) Apology

Please click here for a list to visit the other insecure writers. Yes, we need your love. Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by the awesome ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh.

As a writer, it's thrilling to be a published author. It really is. It seems like all the hard work and rejection is worth it when you finally sign that contract and see your name on the cover. Whether it is a short story in a magazine or anthology or to an ebook or print book, the thrill is there. You accomplished something.

Then, why do I feel so apologetic about it?

I don't make it secret that I'm a writer. If people ask what I do, I'll tell them, "I'm a library assistant, but I'm also a writer and an editor."

"Oh, what do you write?" They ask, snatching hold of the really cool part of what I do.

"Young adult, some fantasy, horror, mystery. This and that."

"Do you have anything published?" Of course, that's what everyone wants to know.

"Yes, I have some short stories in magazines and anthologies. Oh, and I have an ebook out," I say.

"An ebook. Cool. What's it about?"

So I proceed to tell them about Once Upon a December Nightmare. Then, my voice lowers, and I explain it's not a full-lenth novel, more a short story or a novelette. I'm not ashamed of my novelette. I worked hard on it. Once Upon a December Nightmare saw around twelve edits from start to finish with seven pairs of eyes looking over it. Yet because it isn't a novel, I feel bad. Like a novelette isn't worth as much as a full-length work. Like it is unworthy.

I am unworthy.

I have my new novelette Defying Gravity coming out this month. I worked hard on it too. I'm very proud of it. Yet, I worry I'll feel the same thing. It's just a novelette. Nothing special. It's not like it's a real novel or anything.

I'm trying not to go down that road. So what if I've just published shorter works? I have novels too. They need work, but they'll be out there one day. I'm certain of it.

As writers, we should celebrate every victory, large and small. Got a flash fiction piece published in a magazine or anthology, celebrate it. Novel coming out, yay! Novella, novelette, short story, it doesn't matter. They're all worth something. It took work, perseverance, creation.

So, if you see me saying, "Oh, it's just a novelette." Stop me. Please. Every writer accomplishment--even a nice note on a rejection letter--is worth it. 

Also, Defying Gravity is now up on Goodreads. Click the picture to add it to your lists.

Wednesday's Writing Update: When to Stop Writing a Short Story

Happy Wednesday!

If you look at last week’s post, I had two short stories I wanted to write before the end of July. Now it is just one, but I didn’t finish the other one. Yeah, yeah, I know as writers we should always finish what we start. I loved the idea of the story, but after doing the research and beginning to write it, it fell flat. My enthusiasm for it was gone. I wrote about 600 words in it in three days. It was pathetic. I had two options: struggle along and do my best to finish it before July 31^st (the deadline) or stop writing it and work on story two.

I decided to work on story two. The anthology I planned to send story one is a yearly anthology. If the idea sparks up again, then I’ll take the short story back out and write it. Until then, it’ll be shelved.

I am working on the new short story. It’s awesome so far! I’m so excited about it. I’ve written over 1200 words in two days on it, and I hope to get more written today. My only fear is that it’ll be too long (can’t be over 7,000 words), but if it is, I’ll find something else to do with it. I’m glad I made the decision to move on.

In other writing news, I’m editing Virtuoso again. I won a first chapter critique, and the feedback made me excited to work on it again. My goal is to finish editing chapters 1-10 before August 1^st. Then I’ll take a chapter every two days (rewrite/edit time). If I keep with the schedule, it’ll be query-ready in early October. I need it to be query ready by then. I’ll be attending a query letter workshop and an agent pitching workshop on Thursday, October 6^th at the James River Writers Conference, and I’ll pitch an agent either on the 7^th or 8^th there. Also, it’s time to have Virtuoso polished and ready to go. I wrote the manuscript back during NaNoWriMo 2009. I’m ready to work on new things, and I need to use October to plan NaNoWriMo 2011 and my YA Contemporary novel, Starred.

So how is everyone? Have you stopped working on a story before for something else? How did you feel about it? Anyone planning to do NaNoWriMo 2011 with me in November?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Short Listed Stories, Harry Potter movie and More

Happy Wednesday!

I went to the midnight viewing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. It was the best film to date, although I didn't cry nearly as much as I thought I would. I think it was because at midnight, I'm too tired to get emotional. *laughs* I do hope to see it at least once more in the theater. My sister and I were briefly on the news, too, when we walked by the camera when they were filming the line. I really am going to miss the Harry Potter series and was also rather devastated when I found out that the Dark Knight Rises will be the final Batman film by Christopher Nolan. 

As in writing news, I received two emails that my short stories "Compulsion" and "Ereshkigal's Revenge" are short listed. It doesn't mean too much, since they could still be rejected in the end, but it's always nice not to be rejected right away.

Because of Harry Potter and taking the long weekend off, I've done even less editing and writing than I normally would. I have, however, finished two short stories for August and September on Raven and the Writing Desk. I have two more short stories I would like to finish before the end of July. Then I'm finished writing short stories until October. I'll still have blog posts and flash fiction for August and September, but my main goal will be to finish the rewrite, edit, and polish Virtuoso, so it is query-ready by the first week of October. I keep getting lured away from working on Virtuoso, but I want it finished soon so I can work on other things, like my next NaNoWriMo novel (STARRED, YA Contemporary) or editing The Phoenix Prophetess (YA Fantasy) and Missing (Paranormal Thriller) or rewriting an old short story into a novella and perhaps self-publishing it. So, I keep saying to myself, "Two short stories and then Virtuoso."

And I'll have some editing thrown in there too, but there will always be editing, I think. 

So, what is everyone else up to? Did you see Harry Potter yet? If so, what did you think? 

Wednesday's Writing Update: New Review of Once Upon a December Nightmare, Google+ and Short Stories

Happy Wednesday!

At the bottom of the page, I have my total pageviews which reached over 10,000 yesterday. Wow!

I also was invited to Google+ last night. It's pretty nifty so far. If you need an invite, let me know. 

I meant to blog about this last week, but the holiday weekend fried my brain. I would like to thank Cher Green for her review of Once Upon a December Nightmare on Goodreads. She gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much, Cher! Here is her review: “Once Upon a December Nightmare is a rare breed. Very scary, well written, a page turner. It begins as an innocent outing for four friends, but becomes much more. We all wonder if urban legends are true, but what happens when you are face to face with one. Can you count on your friends, or will you stand alone. Read this book to find out how James, Mary, Denise, and Cassie stand up against a legend. A must read!” And, don’t forget to check out Cher’s new novella Escape to Love that’s now available here. 

I finished writing a couple short stories this week. “The Diary of James Smithland” is at Raven and the Writing Desk today. Our theme this month is wagon trails, and my story was Oregon Trail (the game) inspired. My second short story I’m planning to submit is to the Machine of Death 2 anthology. I wanted to submit something last year, but I ran out of time to write it, so I’m glad I’ll get something submitted this year.

The balance is getting better between reading, writing, and editing. I’m a little heavy into reading this month, but it’s getting there. This balancing act is tricky.

I can’t believe Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II is almost here! *fan girl squeal* I took off Thursday and Friday, so I can go to it. Can’t wait!

So, does anyone have news they’d like to share? How’s your writing going?

Wednesday's Writing Update: Anthologies, Submissions, Vlog, Acceptance, and More

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

It seems like the past week was busy. First, look to your left on the blog. Yep, I have over 300 followers. Wow. Thank you. I'm so humbled by this. You see, I started the year out with less than 50, so I'm still trying to process having so many followers.

Second, I had two short stories come out this week.

The first one is "Folding Hope" in Stories for Sendai. The paperback version is now available on Amazon here. The Kindle version should be coming shortly. We're having the official launch on June 30^th, so if you are planning to purchase a copy—you really should...it's great—then purchase it on the 30^th, so we can increase the exposure of this anthology on Amazon. 

The second one is for my "Phantom Kisses," published under my pseudonym Cherie Wolfe. It's a paranormal erotic piece published by DFE Quarterly in their Erotica Quarterly, Vol. 1 Issue 3. To purchase a copy, you can click here. It will soon be on Amazon and other distributors soon. 

I submitted three short stories on Monday to various anthologies, and I have ideas for about three more I want to write and submit within the next month. Of course, I'll have short stories for Raven and the Writing Desk, which has my part II of our three-part story up now. 

Of those three short stories, I heard back from one Tuesday night. My horror story "Wishes" finally has a home! Wicked East Press accepted it for their Under the Stairs anthology. 

I'm working on Virtuoso again, but it's been slow going to find time. I have review books to read and review, questions to write for interviewees, and the general blog posts here and there and other things. I still hope to get a lot done this week and over the long holiday weekend. *crosses fingers* I will also pick up more editing assignments after the holiday weekend.

By the way, did you see my first vlog entry yesterday? If you did, what did you think? I know the sound/picture didn't mesh well, but we'll blame it on my webcam. I might eventually do another one. Also, if you don't have time to watch the entire thing, you can watch the first couple minutes and hear how I pronounce my name and the inspiration behind "Folding Hope."  

So, what has been going on with everyone else? Anything exciting? Mundane?

R is for Raven and the Writing Desk

“Once upon a time, in an Internet that is everywhere and nowhere, blogging writers joined keyboards and computer screens to create a blog of free short stories for the masses. Themes, ideas and morning coffee were plenty. A noisy Siamese cat was let outside. A flute trilled over young students' heads. A library book was carefully placed in the proper shelf.” – Lisa Rusczyk

On March 26, 2010, Lisa Rusczyk wrote those words. It was our first blog post on Raven and the Writing Desk. 

Lisa Rusczyk created the idea, and she invited me and Aubrie Dionne to blog together. We write short stories, three-part short stories, poetry, book reviews, and all things writing on the blog. We have themed months. Some of our previous themes have included: leprechauns, unicorns, horror, mother’s day, weddings, etc.

It’s so much fun working with Lisa and Aubrie on this blog.

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The first Raven and the Writing Desk 2010 collection is coming soon.