A Vampire Wedding is Available!

I approved the publication for A Vampire Wedding on Saturday. I would have done a pre-order if I could have done that with Barnes & Noble, but I couldn’t, so I just went with “publish now.” The purpose of a pre-order makes it so it looks like I sold a lot on release day, which I guess generates some kind of buzz somewhere. I can’t imagine I generate any kind of buzz. Yet. Someday I will, though. You just wait and see!

Once A Vampire Wedding shows up for sale in the important places (B&N, iBooks, Kobo—it’s already on Amazon HERE), I’ll send out a newsletter (and post the buy links on the page and along the sidebar).

Oh, and I plan on celebrating by giving away a bag of books to newsletter subscribers ONLY, so if you want a chance at that (and you live in the good old U.S. of A.), you better subscribe now (HERE), because I expect to be sending out the next newsletter SOON. Like, hopefully, tomorrow SOON.

Next up, getting the paperback ready in time for RAGT, which is less than 4 weeks away!!!! I hope I make it. I really want copies available for sale so it doesn’t look like I don't have something new. Because I do. I doooo!!!

Hubby and I made it to the Dragons game on Friday. Turned out to be a nice evening. And the Dragons won, which is pretty rare this year. They’re the only team that HASN’T won in the double-digits yet. Ugh. We were supposed to attend Saturday’s game, too, but the weather had gotten way too cold and windy (wind chill was 36 degrees). I’m okay with cold weather during football games; it’s kind of expected. But for baseball? No thanks. Plus, Hubby just wasn’t up to that. Heck, neither was I!

Tonight is game two of the NHL Eastern Division finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. I wasn’t able to watch all of game one on Friday (only the last period), and I guess it was just as well (the Penguins stunk!). I expect a better game tonight! Let’s go Pens!!

So… Have you ever made plans, wrote said plans DOWN (on paper, even), and then completely forget? I did that yesterday. Planned on fixing dinner in the crockpot. Put note on kitchen counter, with some of the ingredients, to remind me. Did I remember? Hell, no. That would require going INTO the kitchen. D’oh!

Have a great Monday! I’m eating pizza tonight. I’ll cook tomorrow. I hope. J

Stacy

Need Some Good Vibes

Hubby got a date for the surgery… April 25. That’s too far out. Even the doctor thinks so. But finding an OR that’s open for 5 hours, plus making sure the robot they’ll be using is available, isn’t all that easy, I suppose. However, the nurse will be checking every day for cancellations. We need some good vibes for that to happen sooner rather than later. We really don’t want to wait that long.

Other than that… I had a nice weekend. Penguins won both Saturday and Sunday (making it a 6 game winning streak), putting them second in their division. Whoo hoo! They are HOT and it’s so nice to see. Wish I lived closer to Pittsburgh. I’d love to go to a game there.

Meeting with my writer’s group on Saturday was fun, even if we didn’t talk much about writing. Sometimes it’s just nice to talk to other writers. We can all commiserate how bad sales are. Haha!

I also spent a lot of time this weekend reading. Oh, I did some revising, too (which I don’t normally do on the weekend, but probably SHOULD), but I got hooked on this book and just had to keep reading.

HAD. TO. I tell you. J

My beta readers got back to me (all two of them). They both loved A Vampire Wedding (whew, I was really nervous about that), so it’s now with my daughter for copy editing. This should have been a quick turnaround, except she’s got two jobs in front of me. Figures. I may not be able to release this novella until May after all! Ugh!

So… Spring arrived on Sunday. Did you feel it? It felt more like winter to me! What happened to our warm weather? I want it back!

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Timing—It Can Suck

I had it all planned out. Packed my laptop. Made sure my Nook was charged. Ready to spend the day editing and reading at the hospital while my hubby had his tonsils removed.

The alarm was set for 5:30am (we had to be at the hospital by 6:30). I woke up at 2:15am.

Apparently I ate something Thursday night that had more than the ingredients listed. Something with a little bug. I was up every few minutes. By the time 5:30 came, I was exhausted.

Did I get any editing done? Nope.

Did I get any reading done? Very little.

Did I get a lot of sleep later? You betcha.

Since hubby has sleep apnea, the doctor wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he wouldn’t have any problem breathing. So I left the hospital early, came home, and crashed.

Then I thought I was gonna die.

I know, dramatics. But I did have a fever of 101 so cut me some slack.

Apparently food poisoning hits 1 in 6 people a year. I feel I’ve been that one too many times. It’s awful and drains you like nothing else can.

By Saturday I was feeling well enough to clean up the mess I had made on Friday (which turned out to be less than I thought—thank goodness!) and take a shower. And I was able to drive hubby home. After that? Yeah, I wasn’t in the mood to do much more.

Really, the timing couldn’t have been more horrible. At a time when my hubby needed me the most, I couldn’t be there. And the time I needed him, he couldn’t. It sucked!

At least by Sunday I felt well enough to finish the edits on A Vampire Wedding and return it to my editor. Something I had hoped to have done on Friday. Or even Saturday. Oh well. Better late than never, right?

So… Have you ever been that 1 in 6? I hope not. I don’t wish that stuff on anyone.

Stacy

Cover Reveal — A Vampire Wedding

I’m thinking my newsletter bombed. Not many people opened it (only 22.5%), so not many people saw my awesome cover. I really must work on those subject lines. Apparently mine aren’t exciting enough (cause if they were, people would have opened my newsletter, right?). But is it possible to make them exciting without sounding spammy? Hmmm…

Anyway, hopefully I’ll get a better response here (and on Facebook and Google +) regarding my cover reveal. So are you ready? Really? Then scroll down…

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A little more…

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Here it is!

 

Isn’t it awesome? When I found the picture I knew right away it was perfect. However, the shape wasn’t right for a cover. J Mick Consulting (a friend of hubby’s) did a wonderful job in making it work.

I’ve received the edits back from my editor (first round, anyway) and I’m currently making the necessary changes. I would really like to have this novella available by June 1st, but I’m afraid to put it out there for pre-sale. What if I screw up? What if it’s not ready? I really don’t think I need to add more pressure on myself. If it goes to my formatter (hubby) before then, then I might reconsider the pre-sale thing. I hear it helps to gain interest. How? I have no idea. I personally don’t pre-order much. Probably because I’m afraid if I pre-ordered it, then I’d go and order it again when it released. Because I’m dumb like that.

Good news! Big Red is home. Dell replaced the hard drive, wireless card, heatsink (whatever the heck that is) and reinstalled the operating system (which means, yeah, I have to add all my software—again!). I sure hope that fixed it. I’ll find out once I can actually start using it again. Hubby has to add Word & Excel (Big Red doesn’t have a CD/DVD and I’m not techy enough to figure out how to install it otherwise).

But it’s back. It’s back! It’s BACK!! I’m really happy. This past week I remembered why I wanted to replace the HP. Ugh.

Here’s a honey funny to end the week. I keep a grocery list by the toaster for anyone to add what they need from the store (when I get around to actually shop, that is). The other day I had opened my last bottle of iron tablets so I wrote the following on the list: Iron, 65 mg. The next day I noticed a new entry: Gold, 1.3 lbs.

Yeah, I laughed.

So… Do you live with a cut up, too? Sometimes I can only shake my head.

Have a great weekend! It’s Hubby’s birthday on Sunday. Columbus friend is coming over on Saturday to cook lasagna. I’m making a cake. Should be fun!!!

Stacy

Crochet Project and Novella Updates

I finally finished one of my pot holders (yes, I designed it)! What do you think?

It looks black, but it's actually navy.

 

And in case you missed my post, I’m making these to give away at RAGT and maybe RomCon. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be lucky to have two completed by June.

Or maybe not. I’m pretty much done setting up QuickBooks for my treasurer duties (it’s going pretty smoothly—and easily), so that will leave my weekends free to crochet. Next Sunday Hubby and I will be at B-dubs (that’s Buffalo Wild Wings for those of you who don’t have one of those restaurants in your area) for the Super Bowl party (we snagged tickets), which means I’ll have lots of time to crochet (we figure we’ll have to get there early to get a comfortable seat). In the past I’ve taken my laptop, but this year I’ll just take my crochet projects. I bet I get lots done, too.

At least, I HOPE so! But just in case, I’m also crocheting a scarf. If it goes faster, I’ll do more of those. But I do love those potholders. They’re so thick, you don’t burn your fingers with those suckers! And I’ve tested them.

No, not that one. I’m not giving away a used potholder.

I’ve got some good news… The cover to A Vampire Wedding is just about finished and it looks sooooo cooooool! If you’d like to see it a week before I show it to everyone (here and Facebook), you’ll need to be a subscriber to my newsletter. I want to give my subscribers first looksee. It’s only fair. They put up with my newsletters! J

So, if you aren’t a subscriber and want to be, there’s a sign up form on the side bar. If you don’t see it (or you’re too lazy to look), here’s a link for you: http://eepurl.com/bCN0Oz. Don’t say I didn’t make it easy for you!

So… Tomorrow is Ground Hog’s Day. Wow! Already! With the way the temperature was yesterday (in the 50s!!!—I swear it felt like spring out there), I’m thinking that little guy is gonna see his shadow. How does that make you feel? Happy? Sad? Indifferent? It’s certainly been a strange winter, though. At least it has HERE. You see, the snow missed us. Whew!

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Rust City Book Con and My Novella

Live near the Detroit area? Then check out the Rust City Book Con. It’s being held August 12-14, 2016 in Troy, Michigan. This is their first year and I couldn’t resist giving it a go.

That’s right… I signed up for another convention. That makes three (four if you count Dragon*Con, although I’m not there as an author—yet). This one is different, since it’s not a book convention for just romance writers. Lots of genres are welcome. I hope it becomes a big success. It would be nice to have another convention not too far from home. Plus, I wouldn’t mind being seen by more people.

I’m in the process of getting a cover done for A Vampire Wedding. I found an awesome photo, but not sure if I’ll be able to use it. I hope I can. It kind of fits the story.

Not that my story is done (**heavy sigh**). My daughter read it and had some issues with a couple of things so that means I have to rethink some scenes. Not what I was hoping for.

Hey, but did I mention I found an awesome photo for the cover? Keeping fingers crossed I can use it. I’ll be so…so disappointed if I can’t.

This week is free from appointments. Yay! I must buckle down and get to work (I am so far behind). Probably should start with the novella.

Football season is pretty much over for me. Steelers lost last night (boo hoo) in a close game. I still have the Carolina Panthers to root for and I’m hoping it’s them and Denver in the Super Bowl. I do NOT want the Patriots in it again. Ugh!

So… Did you have a productive weekend? Or was it filled with naps? Saturday was busy for me (RWA Chapter meeting in Columbus), but Sunday was nice and quiet. Almost finished crocheting one potholder. Still have to embroider my name on the back piece before I stitch them together, but hopefully I’ll have a picture for you next week (I try to be good and only work on my crochet projects on the weekend).

Have a great Monday!

 

Stacy

Physical Therapy and My Novella

Today I’m going to my first physical therapy appointment. Seems kind of silly now, since I’m not feeling any pain (yay!), but who knows what I’ll end up doing to myself later on! I’m hoping they’ll be able to tell me what my limits are (or should be). I need more cardio in my exercise program and I don’t necessarily want to use the pool (those aren’t my favorite things). I believe if I’m going to stick with a program, it has to be somewhat fun and easy for me. If it isn’t, I won’t do it. I know myself too well.

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I’m so darn close to finishing the revision (in other words, adding meat) to A Vampire Wedding (that title is starting to grow on me). I’m working on the second to last chapter (which is kind of an important chapter since the next chapter jumps ahead several months) and it’s just about done. I think I’ve filled all my holes. At least I HOPE so!

I came up with a tag line to go with my title:

What’s said in Vegas won’t necessarily stay in Vegas.

What do you think? Too corny?

So…Hubby is on vacation starting today (he’s using use-or-lose vacation), so I’ve got him until the 28th. Think I’ll get any writing done? I sure hope I do.

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Happy Halloween!

Got any plans for the holiday? Do you like to dress up? Party? Go out trick-or-treating with the kiddos? I don’t celebrate it all that much. If I’m home (which a lot of the time we’re not, for one reason or another), I’ll hand out candy (or rice krispie treats—which is what I bought this year), but I don’t bother to dress up. We don’t get that many “beggars” around here anyway (I’ll be surprised if we get 20).

Does your neighborhood/city call Halloween “Beggars’ Night”? They call it that around here. Apparently it’s more prominent in Ohio, but I don’t know when it happened (I’ve only lived here since 1991). I always went trick-or-treating or took the kids trick-or-treating on Halloween. Around here, you’re lucky to do that on Halloween. Guess that’s why they call it Beggars’ Night. Or maybe they call it that everywhere now. I can’t tell.

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I think I finished. The novella, that is. I sure hope I finished, anyway. I won’t celebrate until I’ve read it over again today. I’m sure I forgot something. Haha!

It came in just under 24K words, though. Not too shabby.

(^^) (^^) (^^)

Hey, would you believe I cooked last night??? Yeah, I shocked myself. I am trying to start cooking a few nights each week. Not only to save money, but hopefully to save calories. We'll see how it goes.

(^^) (^^) (^^)

Tonight is the last regular season high school football game. Wayne is playing their rivals, Centerville, for the GWOC (Greater Western Ohio Conference) Central championship. At home (yay!). Win or lose, Wayne is guaranteed to play in the playoffs. Centerville needs the win to make it (I think). I hope Wayne crushes them. I’m greedy like that! J

Have a great weekend and don’t eat too much candy!

Stacy

I Need a Title

I’m writing a novella featuring John and Sarah’s wedding (they’re the couple in Bite Me, I’m Yours). Actually, a lot of this story was written in my second book, Sarah’s Turn, but I ended up revising Bite Me so much, it made Sarah’s Turn obsolete. Still, it had this nice wedding scene (and another event) I wanted to keep.

Of course, now that I’m reading Sarah’s Turn, I see what utter crap it really is (okay, maybe not utter crap—just plain old crappy). My writing has improved tremendously since I wrote that story. I’d like to think I’m making Sarah’s Turn a whole bunch better (not just shorter).

However, I’m stuck with a title. I can’t use the title of Sarah’s Turn, because that event has already been revealed in Bite Me. I’m currently calling it Vampire Wedding, but it just doesn’t sound good enough. Someone suggested Dark Nuptials. I kind of like the Nuptials part, but it’s not really Dark. Although the wedding does take place in Vegas.

Perry is in this novella (I love writing him, he definitely keeps it from being dark), and there’s this bachelor party scene that includes an accidental ingestion of Viagra. I’m hoping I write it as funny as it is in my head.

I tell you, coming up with a short paranormal title for this novella is really frustrating me. Every time I think of an appropriate title, it sounds more contemporary than paranormal. If you have any suggestions, lay ’em on me. I could use all the help I can get.

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Learned something recently about gift cards. We’ve had two incidences in two different restaurants, so I’m guessing it’s probably the same in all. So BEWARE:

If you run your gift card under $1.00, you’ll most likely lose whatever cents are left on it.

Even though we had the receipt showing we had 70 cents on the card, when the waitress ran it, the balance showed zero.

I know, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was MY 70 cents! And they took it. It doesn’t seem right. Why would it drop? I can see it dropping if the card wasn’t used in a year or something, but this had only been a week. The thieves!

From now on we’ll make sure not to run our cards down to less than $1.00 (or at least give the money as part of a tip).

High School football starts here tonight. And yes, we’re going to the game even though our youngest graduated 12 years ago. Days are just flying by now. Flying by!!

So… Do you use gift cards? Have you ever noticed balances of less than $1.00 drop off?

 

Stacy