Tricks and Treats

What a weekend this has been.  I'd set goals, which normally results in disappointment which is why I avoid them, and true to my past history, I didn't get much accomplished.  Let me explain:

I've been stalled for months on my current WIP, Hattie's Hero, because Hattie turned into a snot and wouldn't talk to me.  As I'm a pantser, if my characters turn mute, my fingers freeze.  Hate that, but plotting has never worked for me.  Can't do it.  So, Hattie, with a little brainstorming from some friends and members of my group, decided to play nice.  About the same time, I got the rights back to a book that deserves a second chance.  So...

I put Hattie aside, which will probably tick her off and make her pout, but I've got about three weeks to re-write Embezzled Love and apply all the new rules I've learned since the first publication, get it proofed, and submit it to my new publisher.  Since I have a history with Books We Love, they accepted the book without much more than my query, so I'm thrilled to be that trusted in this industry.   Oh, you probably are scratching your head and asking why is she re-writing.  I have to type the entire book all over again since my thumb drive broke in half.  Hey, if you spend $10.00 for backup, you get what you pay for.  Another valuable lesson learned. But I digress...or whine, whichever applies.

Cover by Dawne Dominique

Then I wandered onto my website and made a startling find. (Described in next paragraph.)  That was right after I tried to change the template and utilize a new banner I'd created.  No, I do not have attention deficit disorder, I just get distracted easily.  *lol*  My idea was good, but my new banner screwed up on all but one page by overlapping the link buttons. After I frustrated myself beyond belief, trying to repair the damage without success, I fired off a "help me" email. If I'd been drowning, I would have been dead by the time they replied.  Suffice to say, the problem is fixed and my new design is stunning, if I do say so myself.  I feel accomplished with respect to the fact that I know absolutely nothing about web design, but my new site is so easy even a caveman can do it.  Well, unless he tries the banner thingy.

I'm sure you realize when a contract expires, you're stuck with a cover and video trailer that are no longer are useable.  Well, I had to redo two videos, and luckily, I have connections to an awesome cover artist who never disappoints me.  You can see her work if you glance to the right. 

After I finished recreating the first video, the site encountered processing problems, so I didn't get the finished product until seven hours later.  It's up on my website now, but the important one...the trailer for Embezzled Love, somehow got erased right after I received word I could view it.  By the time I saw the "undo" button, the whole thing disappeared, so now I have to do it all over again.  I'd throw a tantrum, but there's no one here to see it but my husband, and he just ignores them.  :)  But on the good side...

I have a wonderful and "punctuation correct" friend, who agreed to proof for me if I returned the favor.  I jumped at the chance.  She didn't pressure me with a time limit, so I assumed I could get to her manuscript when I finished my daunting tasks.  I was shocked when she returned the first half of Embezzled Love in one night.  Of course, she'd applied  her amazing skills. Sadly, because we don't both use Macs, the formatting is screwed up, so when I apply changes, I'm going to have to fix all the littles zeros which have taken the place of " and some little squiggly sucker who took out all my 's.  I never realized how many closed quotations and apostrophes you use in a book. Oh, and did I mention that on some pages the opening quotes are now capital A?  Did I need another challenge?  Don't think so.  Okay, so I'm whining again.

Anyhow, last night, when I was supposed to be working on my re-writes, I took a peek at Roseanne's Secrets, Lies and Love.  That was big a mistake.  Once I started reading, I was hooked.  Honestly, I can't say I didn't contribute a ton of suggestions, because that's my nature and this first draft echoed like the grand canyon...in terms you might understand, I'm a stickler for word echoes.  Can't stand the same word used more than once in a paragraph.  I know, sometimes you have limited choices, but most of the time you can substitute with another.  Don't mind the duplication in instances where tension is called for, but...

Despite my internal editor being on high alert, I couldn't stop reading this book.  The title is so appropriate, and I can't wait until Roseanne gets this published.  Number one:  to see if she used any of my suggestions, and two, so you can get the opportunity to agree with me.

So, I'm cutting this blog short because I have a ton of things to do, I slept too late because of Roseanne and her awesome story, and now I'm really behind.  Can't believe today is Halloween...egads, my birthday is coming again and I've barely gotten used to admitting I'm a senior citizen.  I guess the trick is on me because except for Ro's book, this weekend wasn't much of a treat.  :)  So, back to writing, I go, that is if I can stop myself from working on that blasted trailer again.   Was you weekend as sucky as mine?

Hope ya'll don't get toilet papered tonight.