Submission Bootcamp Week 2

It's 2:30 in the morning, I really should be sleeping, however my sleep schedule has been completely turned bass ackwards. For the last week, I wake up around 2 every morning, because I start to dream about a scene or something related to writing my book. What's unfortunate about the situation is I can't just go back to bed when the sun comes up like the vampires. No, I have to return to the human world and to my very human job.

So these days my appearance resembles that of a possible druggie. Drug of choice-tall soy tazo chai (somedays it's a grande, others I require a venti). Thank you Starbucks! I can always count on you to be there for me.

How's my writing going? Thank you for asking. It's going quite well. Slower than I would like, but currently I'm at 66% completion on the The Vampire Novelist. Last weekend I wrote a scene which basically drained me of all creative energy. It was a very intimate scene which lays the foundation of the relationship between my two love birds. By Sunday night I was completely wiped out. Monday I could barely write a paragraph to continue the story.

What did I do? I toured the morgue of the hospital where I work and picked up the first season of Vampire Dairies from the library. Yesterday I picked up where I left off, however, now I'm completely addicted the VD and have to finish the season. Hello, I need to know what happens between Stefan and Elena!!! Is she going to turn into a vampire? What's the deal with her biological mother? Or this Katherine woman who turned Stefan and Damon? In case no one has watched the show, IT'S REALLY GOOD. Now I'm going to have to read the books this summer.

As for my goal to finish it before my chapter meeting, nah, it ain't happening and I'm okay with it. However last week, I emailed the editors and agents interested in my work letting them know it would be a while before I would send in my partial. The agent and the editor at the top of my list actually emailed me back the next day and said "I look forward to reading it when it's finished." First of all, I never expected them to reply back let alone within 12 hours. Yeah, there is a reason I have my eye on those two, because their level of professionalism is what inspires me as a writer to improve my craft and work harder. I told them the end of May, so now the ball is in my court and I need to raise up and deliver.

TTFN, but stay tuned for next week's post. Hint: vampires. Possible pictures and a few fun historical facts.

Melania

Manuscript Submission Bootcamp Week 1

Hello!

As promised, here is my update (in bullet points no less):

• The Vampire Novelist is 50% complete. Okay I've been at 50% before but this time I'm pushing through. With the new plotted outline, beginning, and ending, I had to cut out about 50% of the 50% I had already written. Everything from now on is pretty much brand new material. and so far I think it's much better than the original. My beta readers agree. 
• The Right Way is complete, but I'm changing the ending a bit and rewrote the first three chapters. Now I just need them critiqued and they'll be ready to be sent in. 

I have 45K words left to complete TVN. Will I be able to in 10 days so I can meet my goal I put in last month at my RWA chapter meeting? We'll see. . .

Stay tuned.

~Melania

Conference and Vampires

Greetings,

Here is a photo of my writing support group. 

First day post-conference and my head is still spinning. This last weekend I attended my RWA local chapter Spring Intensive where we had agents and editors all weekend giving workshops and panels. To say the least, the conference lived up to it's title. It was INTENSE!!!!!
Saturday I thought I would die by lunch. First of all, I tend to be somewhat of a recluse and love my alone time. I work in a file room 5 days a week for eight hours per day. I come home and write. To be surrounded by so many other writers such as myself was wonderful, but very overwhelming. Add  the opportunity to speak with agents and editors from New York.
These ladies were from the big houses and agencies with very high expectations.  5 out of 6 pitches I walked away with a business card and request for partial. Most were interested in my vampire novel and the rest in the contemporary I wrote last winter. So needless to say, I have my work cut out for the next month, because I need to not only polish the heck out of the first 50 pages which they requested, but I also need to finish  The Vampire Novelist before I can send in the partial. I'm TERRIFIED! People in New York want to see my work, my baby.

Without farther ado, I shall say farewell as I retrieve into my writer's cave,  BUT with the promise of an update each week. Submission boot-camp here I come.

Cheers,

Melania

Writing stuff

Hello everyone.

Yes, yes, it’s been a while. My excuse: I've been writing! That's a good excuse, right?

But so much has happened since my last post. Sometimes it is necessary to drop everything and blog.

Writing Progress:

•  The Vampire Novelist is over 50% written. The old version was also, but this is the new and improved.
•  My Las Vegas contemporary romance novel has a name, FINALY. Even though it will change once publishers get a hold of it—anything is better than “That book I wrote back in January”. So without farther ado ta-da: The Right Way. (Thank you Lissa, for the suggestion.) Even though I kind of pushed this book to the wayside, I’m still tweaking it here and there, because I have a stinking suspicion this might be the one. . .
•  I’m outlining a new YA fantasy romance for future project.
•  I have two online critique partners, thanks to http://cpmatchmaker.blogspot.com/ This is the first time I’ve had critique partners or even critiqued someone else's work. It’s been a huge learning curve for me both receiving and giving. I can’t stress enough how IMPORTANT critique partners are. They are helping me so much in refining my writing. So here is my shout out to Z and T! You rock!

Upcoming events:

I will be attending the Rose City Romance Writer’s Spring Intensive next weekend and am super duper excited! There will be agents and editors to take pitches. I will be pitching The Right Way because the manuscript is complete. I will also pitch The Vampire Novelist as well, but only for practice, because it’s not finished yet and I highly doubt it will be in ten days.

Writing Resources:

Besides the Critique Partner Matching blog, I’ve also discovered Farland’s Author Advisory blog. Let me tell you *scoots forward and sits up straight* this blog is worth GOLD. Every couple of weeks they host an author via conference call where they talk about very specific craft points, such as character arcs, outlines, creating more writing productivity, and so much more.
Last night they had #1 Best-selling author Aprilynne Pike and she talked about the system of outlining she uses in her very successful YA novels. Her information was so incredibly practical and useful.
The best part about these teleconferences—it’s FREE. The next best part—you can download past calls to our computer for FREE. It’s like taking an online writing course for FREE. Who doesn’t like FREE????

Here’s the link: http://authorsadvisory.blogspot.com/

You’re welcome!

Till after the Spring Intensive, so long my friends!

Cheers,
Melania

Sweetness of Letters

Hello friends,

That last week has been a writing whirlwind for me. I'm trying to finish up The Vampire Novelist so I have something to pitch to agents at the Spring Intensive at the end April. Everything is flowing beautifully. I'm averaging about 3k words/day, which is AWESOME! In order to meet my goals, I will be keeping the blogging to a minimum.

With that being said, I would like to tell you about a wonderful book I read earlier this month and before I re-entered my writing cave. Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris.

This is a WW2 love story that follows three different ladies lives during that time period. It gives a multifaceted point of view how the war changed these girls lives and that of the men they loved. From the first chapter when Liz, the main character, goes to a USO dance and she meets Morgan, I was sucked into 1944. I felt I was there at the dance listening to the music, smelling the warm July air, feeling the humidity of Chicago, and seeing all those soldiers out having one night of fun before they were shipped off to the trenches. Throughout the whole book, I was drawn into their world and I felt I as experiencing those emotions. I cried. I laughed. And boy was I sad when I read the last few sentences. It wasn't because of the ending, but because it was the END. I reread the last three pages at least five times before finally closing it. With each reread, came the "sigh."

This is a book for both women and men to enjoy. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you like Nicholas Sparks and Kristin Hannah type of books, this one while make your whistle sing. It is pure sweetness that will warm your heart.

Click HERE to purchase your very own copy or visit your local Barnes and Noble.

Kristina McMorris was inspired to write this novel after her grandmother showed her the stack to letters she and her grandfather had exchanged during their courtship while he was in the military and during WW2. Below is a picture of THE letters that Kristina brought to her book signing event. This is her debut novel. I have to say, I'm so honored to belong to the same chapter of fabulous writers that she does. Go Roses! And go Kristina!

Have a wonderful week everyone and Happy Spring!!!

Cheers,
Melania

Vampires, Canadians, and Scandals...Oh my!

Greeting faithful readers! I heart you for taking the time to read my ramblings and mutterings. Hope you all had a fun-filled St Patrick's day. My hubby and I went to our pub. He had a beer and I had a hot toddy made with locally brewed herbal whiskey (AMAZING!!!!). We even had a bagpiper serenade us.

Good times!

In this post I would like to inform you of a fabulous book I read last month and thoroughly enjoyed.

Prelude to a Scandal by Delilah Marvelle is a historical romance based in the 1800's London. The heroine, Justine, is the kind of girl that I hope to have been if I had lived in that time period. She is witty, funny, elegant, and though she plays her role in society well she is not someone to reckon with. Lord Bradford the sexy suave Englishman that girls just swoon over. Despite the wealth, good looks, and personality to match, he has a serious problem- sex addiction. However in that time period, that is not considered a problem and there is not clinical diagnosis or treatment or therapy for such an issue. They marry and it begins. One can imagine the complications that such a situation could bring into a new relationship. Delilah did a spectacular job of walking the reader through the emotions and experiences of characters. She touches all sorts of social issues that we find as common ways of life nowadays, but back then these were serious concerns of society.
I found the book compelling, interesting, and very eye-opening. This is the first traditional romance I've read and first historical as well. This is typically not my choice in reading material, but I picked it up because Delilah is part of my Romance Writer's of America chapter and I wanted to show support. What I didn't expect is to completely be blown away and fall in love with both the time period of the story and the character themselves. Click on the title above to purchase a copy. You'll love it!

Okay, on to Canadians. (Notice I'm working backwards. It's just to keep you on your toes. Wouldn't want you to get bored or find me predictable now, would I?) Last weekend I spent an amazing weekend up in Vancouver, BC. Now I have to tell you that besides Portland, Vancouver could easily be my favorite city. It's like Portland only bigger and it has more European influence, something that I find comforting since I'm European born. Canadians have got to be the friendliest people! The reason for my trip was the I Can Do It! Conference put on by Hay House Publishing. I got to see and hear people like Dr Wayne Dyer (my all time favorite modern day spiritual author), Carolyn Myss, Dr Brian Weiss, Cheryl Richardson, Louise Hay (the founder of Hay House), and many many more. Two days of wonderful self-empowerment workshops was exactly what my creative spirit needed. The last month was kind of poopie when it came to my writing.

I wrote a contemporary Romance in January and I was hoping to revise and edit it in February, but the second part didn't happen so well. Every time I tried to work on it, I found so many other things I could do and would not hesitate on doing them. The guilt I was feeling was impossible to bare. Last month and up till a week ago was probably the lowest point in my writing experience I have every gone through. If it weren't for the fact I joined a professional writing organization and I had a whole chapter of people who are now expecting something from me not to mention of my family and friends, I might have given up on the whole writing thing right then and there. But through my darkest hour, I learned something very valuable about myself and my writing style, which almost made the agony worthwhile. Almost.

The reason I was struggling with my contemporary romance was that it really wasn't me. Yes, it had been a breeze to write, but that really wasn't what I wanted to put out there as my debut novel. No, I needed to go back to what started me down this journey. Freaking VAMPIRES!!! Soul-sucking, blood thirsty, and volatile as they may be when I'm writing, they are what gets my juices flowing and my fingers tapping away. Paranormal/fantasy writing is what I do and I need to be true to myself. It is what brings the joy in my writing. This weekend I listened to Robert Holden talk about happiness. Follow your joy rather the search for it. So this is me following my joy and guess what???? I'm out of my slump and blazing again. Damn it feels good.

The second valuable thing I've learned while in my slump is that I needed to take break from my normal writing and write something different. By writing my contemporary romance I was able to figure out what was wrong with The Vampire Novelist. I finally was able to decipher the plot that needed to go with the story. Technically I'm revising what I've written so far (50%) and know exactly where it will go from there.
So that's where I'm at. Thanks again for reading. Next time I'll be blogging about Kristina McMorris's debut novel "Letters from Home."

Cheers,
Melania

Felines

My dear readers,
You might notice that I changed the title of my blog. It used to say "fangs, fabric, food, fiction, and fun!"
Fangs, well, that's obvious! I'm obsessed with vampires, in case you haven't noticed.
Originally I had included fabric, because I was hoping to include some of my sewing projects occasionally in the blog. But it turns out, I have no time to sew and really that isn't something I'm passionate about. Now don't get me wrong. I'm completely in love with the idea of being a goddess of the textile craft, but when it comes down to it, I'd rather read a book or write.
The food part is that I really like to eat and I love food. Who doesn't? I love to make stuff for people, whether it's cooking, baking, or canning. Last fall I canned sixteen half pints and nine pints of salsa which I gave out as Christmas presents.

This year I'm going to jam blackberries from my parent's property. Canning is a lot of work, but the end result is so well worth the effort. Kind of like writing.

Fiction is also a given. That's what I write!

And fun, because the above elements bring loads of fun into my life.

I now replaced fabric with felines. Felines play an important role in my life. I dedicate this post to the two felines that are at the center of my world. Meet Mitzu:

Mitzu came into my life over ten years ago when I was living in Ohio, going to college, and had just broken up with my first serious boyfriend. He was just a kitten and I hadn't expected him, but that's how cats work. They pick their human. He has been such a faithful companion and eventually helped me find my husband (the only boyfriend, I brought home that he didn't hiss at). Funny, they both have the same personality. In case you are wondering, Mitzu is sort for "mitulica" (pronounced mitzuleeka), which means "kitty-cat" in Romanian. He is definitely mama's boy. :)

Meet Earl:

Yup, that's Earl in his favorite position. He's lazy. He's feisty. He's a sweetheart. He's the devil incarnate. He's the apple of my eye. He's the biggest pain in my ass. He's stubborn as hell. He's the most affectionate cat. He's aggressive. He's playful. He's everything and anything. With Earl, there are no limits or bounds when he sets he's mind to something. He can give you the glare that would make the hairs on your neck stand straight, but he can also make you melt in your tracks with one look. My husband says his personality is quite similar to me. I'd beg to differ, except for he's right.
Earl came to us a few months after our wedding. He chose us and never left. Well, he has made a couple of sly attempts to sneak out and given me several of proper scares. Earl is the best thing that has happened to all of us. Mitzu may disagree with that statement, but even he's more happier, more alive, and WAY more playful now.

So there you have it. My two feline friends. How does this tie into writing? Those two furry beasts are the best friends a writer could ever wish for. When I'm in my writing mode, they like to lay on the couch on either side of me or on my lap if I'm at my desk. It's as if they are trying to hold me down and force me write. They are the loves of my life.

Nothing new to report on the writing front, except for that I'm neck deep into revisions and editing of my untitled romance book. However, I'm taking a day or two a week to work on the The Vampire Novelist. It seems that when I'm working on one, I get inspiration for the other on how to fix certain scenes or chapters. So I've been switching between the two. I'm leaning more towards The Vampire Novelist. That book reflects my style more than the other. How I'm keeping either story straight, I have no idea. I might be driving myself into an insane asylum, but so far it's working. If it ain't broken, I ain't fixin' it.

Cheers,
Melania