Blog Hopping with Maria V. Snyder

 Author pal Maria V. Snyder invited me to take part in a blog hop. Each author thanks the person who invited them (thank you, Maria!) and then answers a few writing related questions, then passes the "hop" on to someone else.

Here is Maria's contribution (I love her books--she's one of the people who inspired me the most when I got serious about my own writing, so if you haven't read her yet, you might want to start!)

Maria's blog hop post

And here is mine...

Question One: What am I working on?
Answer:
Well, there's the Sekrit Project I can't talk about yet (soon, I promise), but mostly I am working on a new novel, which I am provisionally calling One Born Every Minute. It is a complete departure for me, since it is a humorous contemporary romance, rather than a paranormal romance or an urban fantasy. I love writing with humor (there's always at least a little bit, no matter what I write) and I'm having a ball writing something that is out and out funny.

Question Two: How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Answer:  My paranormal romance books (the Baba Yaga series) aren't quite as grim or sexy as a lot of the books out there now (not that I have anything against grim and sexy--it's just not what I write), and there is always a hint of humor. The Baba Yaga books are loosely based on a bunch of Russian fairy tales, which isn't exactly the norm either. Also, I have dragons disguised as dogs. Go ahead, find someone else who has THAT.

Question Three: Why do I write what I do?
Answer: I suppose that the simple answer is that I write the kind of books I love to read. I adore books about witches (especially ones that break the normal stereotypes) and I really like modern retellings of old fairy tales. (Check out Jim C. Hines Princess Books to see what I mean.) I like kickass female protagonists who mostly rescue themselves, with maybe just a little help from the good-looking guy who shows up. Not to mention dragons that turn into dogs. Or is it the other way around?
I also write what I do because that's what shows up in my head. I might say to myself, "Gee, I'd like to write a humorous romance next." But what shows up after that it pretty much out of my control.

Question Four: How does your writing process work?
I always love reading other authors' answers to this question, since no two authors I know work the same way. My friend Alex Bledsoe tend to get up very early, to write before his kids are awake. Maria said in her post that she works from 10 pm to 3 or 4 am--if I tried that, all you'd get would be drivel!

Every book is a little different (they all want to be written in their own particular way, believe it or not--some can be outlined in detail, others prefer to be mostly made up as I go along...it's very annoying). In general, I tend to start with an idea (what if there is a woman who is the only honest one in a family of thieves, who is forced to work with an uptight cop and pretend to be a thief?), then create the main characters, figure out the basics of the plot, then delve deeper into the protagonists, which usually introduces me to the secondary characters. I try to write up a "blurb" for the story (like the one you would find on the back of a book jacket), to sum things up, then write up detailed character studies and a basic outline before I start actually writing.

Once I'm into the story, I write almost every day, usually from about 6:30-7pm to about 9:30-10:30 pm. At which point I clean a bunch of litter boxes and stagger off to bed. When things are really rolling, I often do two stints on the weekend days. (No, I don't have a life. And your point?) I aim at producing at least 1,000 words a day, although on a good day I can get two or three times that much, and on a bad day, I'm happy to produce a page (about 300 words). In theory, I can write the first draft of a novel in about 3-4 months, then I send it out to a few folks, including my fabulous critique partner Lisa, and my equally fabulous agent Elaine. Revisions take about a month, not counting waiting-for-responses-time. Then, if the book is already sold, it goes off to my editor, then I do MORE revisions. Oh, the joy. Then I have a glass of wine.

And eventually, the finished book comes out, and I celebrate!

Next up on the blog hop, be sure to check out the lovely and talented Nancy Holzner, author of the Deadtown books (which I LOVE). Nancy has had a tough year, with the loss of her husband, and hasn't been blogging at all. Hopefully this little blog hop will be a easy way for her to hop back to it. (Yes, I did that. I'd say I'm sorry, but of course I'm not.) She'll be posting her piece of the puzzle sometime next week.

New Things for the New Year: Kindles and Cards and Nanos, Oh My

I've started off the new year by getting myself a couple of new pieces of technology that I've been resisting for some time--a Kindle eReader and an iPod Nano. I also have a great new set of Oracle cards, thanks to the lovely Rebecca Elson (who always knows which ones are best, because she reviews them for her fabulous blog The Magical Buffet).

I confess, I'm a bit of a Luddite. I'm not big on gadgets (I still don't know how to text on  my new cheapo cell phone, although in part that's because I can't get reception at my house, so I only use it on rare occasions), although I do have three computers (a desktop and two laptops, one huge old one for editing and the smaller one I'm typing on right now) and a 4 or 5 year old Galaxy tablet (which I got for when I travel, and mostly use to play Words with Friends...).

My old stereo died years ago, and I have mostly been playing music on my computer, since that has the best speakers--Altec Lansing, which I discovered thanks to my father, who is NOT a Luddite--and my portable CD player which is huge, has crappy speakers, and eats D-cell batteries like they were M & M's.

In truth, I don't listen to music a lot in the house, although the car won't move unless there is some kind of tune playing. I blast fun music while cleaning, and I like to have music on outside when I'm gardening, but otherwise, I like the quiet. Still, it was getting frustrating to move to parts of the house where I could barely hear the computer speakers, or drag the portable battery-eater out to the garden. And *any day now* I am going to start going to the gym. So the iPod Nano seemed like a good idea.

Also, my new Honda Fit has a place to plug one in, which seemed like it would be a lot easier than carting tons of CDs around. Ill let you know how it goes, since I'm still figuring out how to download music onto it, and I haven't even tried to play it yet. [See Luddite, above.]

The Kindle came about for two reasons. One, lots of my favorite authors and writer pals are putting out some of their books, novellas especially, only in eBook form, and I was missing out on them. I have a Kindle app on my computer, but I really don't like to read on the computer, since I spend so much time on it anyway, and the laptop is banned from the bedroom. I have downloaded some things onto the tablet, but I never did end up reading them there (among other things, you can only adjust the type to four different sizes, and to change pages you have to swipe the screen with your finger, which eventually aggravates my tendonitis).

The other reason I finally broke down and got the Kindle is because I've been having problems with my eyes for months, which despite all efforts by my wonderful eye doctor (including multiple prescription changes and an attempt with extra reading glasses) has resulted in major eye pain whenever I read or use the computer. [Yeah, I know. That's only about 90% of my day.] I was hoping that being able to adjust the print size would help, and that meant getting some kind of an eReader.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money, since I would still much rather read in paper form, and I wanted something lightweight, for when I was lying in bed. The basic Kindle seemed to fit the bill.

I've only been using it for a week or so, and I have mixed feelings about it. It is definitely pretty easy to use, even for the technologically challenged like me, and I can make the font as large as I want to. But I really don't like the grayish background, which I find difficult to read against at any time, but especially at night in bed. Dammit.

Has anyone else had good experiences with other eReaders they can suggest? I don't particularly want to spend the money on a new tablet, since I only need something to read on.

The last new--thankfully LOW tech--goodie is my Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck, a Yule gift from my pal Rebecca. Written and beautifully illustrated by Kim Dreyer, this deck is one of the coolest ones I've seen. I've been using it as a daily guide of sorts, pulling a card every morning and saying out loud whatever is on it as an affirmation. I also try to be mindful of whatever comes up, as I walk through my day.

For instance, today's card was #24 (Third Eye Chakra), which says: I see the wisdom of my higher self and apply this wisdom to my life. How cool is that? [I liked them so much, I immediately ordered a set as an early birthday present and sent them to my friend Skye.]

I've also been thinking a lot about this blog, and what I want to do with it in the coming year. I've considered making it a bit more personal...obviously, I spend a lot of time talking about writing and magical work, usually in the context of my own life. (And y'all get to hear about fun stuff like rat incursions and kitchen floods.) But I tend to be a fairly private person, so while I often share my life, I don't usually talk much about how I feel, or more personal issues.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure it that is something people would even be interested in reading about. (Seriously--I'm BORING.)

So you tell me: what do YOU want to read about here in the coming year? What are your favorite bits? what do you want more of, or less of? After all, I really write this for you, my readers.

Oh, and before I forget! The new Llewellyn book, The Witch's Broom is ON SALE now, and available for preorder. Once it comes out, it will be $15.99, but Amazon has it priced at $11.99, in case you want to get your copy ordered now. *happy author dance*

PaganSquare Blog! And Feline Friday

As some of you know, I have an ongoing column in the Witches & Pagans Magazine (next issue coming out soon, so if you don't have a subscription, run out and get one).

The magazine now has a new online blog site, called PaganSquare -- and my first blog post is up. I'm going to be blogging on the reoccurring theme of "Walking Your Talk." Go take a peek and come back here to tell me what you think. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to cover in future posts there, on ways to integrate your spiritual path with your (hectic and busy) everyday life? Inquiring minds want to know!

[You should also be able to find a link to subscribe to the magazine there, should you be interested.]

Coming soon...I have a surprise cover reveal for you. Do you want it tomorrow, or should I wait until Tuesday when the holiday weekend is over here in the US?

Here's your Friday Feline pics to get you through... And happy Blue Moon! Did you realize that there won't be another one until July of 2015?!

Angus being cute, as usual.

Magic the Cat. She's got an eye on you, so don't try to pull a fast one. (And no, technically she's NOT supposed to be on the table. And your point?)

Have a great Friday! And don't forget to tell me what you think of the blog post. I'm a little nervous people won't like it...

Great News! I'm the Writer's Digest Website of the Week!

*Happy dance*

Okay, I'm calm. Really I am. (No, no--I'm not.) I just got notified that this little blog o' mine was chosen to be the Writer's Digest website of the week! Now, if you are involved even the tiniest bit with the art and craft of writing, you are familiar with the Writer's Digest, the best magazine for writing advice, wisdom, and great interviews. (They also put out many fabulous books for authors and aspiring authors, quite a few of which I own.) In short--they're a writer's best friend.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to get an email from the amazing Brian Klems (follow him on Twitter, he's very clever) telling me that they had chosen this blog for their Website of the Week. If you go to Writers Digest and look at the bottom right of the page, there I am! *Happy dance*

Wow--this really  makes me feel like I am doing something right! (Also, probably, something write.)

On top of this, the website is going to hit 30,000 views sometime in the next couple of days! Holy crap! I might just have to give something away to celebrate. What do people want? A signed witchcraft book? A free download of the paranormal romance? Or a surprise gift...

Thank you all so much for accompanying me on this amazing journey! And thank you, Brian--you made my damned day!  

Twenty Thousand Views

I'm a bit flabbergast. Flabbergasted? Er...flabberstruck. Never mind--I'm just stunned and amazed.

My humble little blog about writing and witches and books and whatevertheheckisgoingonhereusuallytodowithcats has hit the 20,000 views mark.

20,000 times someone (maybe you) has come here to see what I had to say. Okay, a few of them may have been looking for someone else. Or something not to do with writing or witches or cats or reading or cooking or any of the other random things I talk about here. But still, I have to think that most of those 20,000 views were on purpose. And mostly not my mother. *waves to mom*

That's just...well...kinda heartwarming.

So I wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who has been one (or more) of those 20,000. Thanks for reading. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for not pointing and laughing where I can see you...

It really means a lot.

So I'm thinking I should do something to celebrate. 20,000 things, really, but I don't have that much stuff to give away. So how about y'all tell me in the comments why you come here (Magic the Cat says it's all about her, but I don't think so). And I'll pick a random commenter on Sunday and he or she can have the book of mine of his/her choice. Even international folks. And if the winner doesn't want one of my books, he/she/it can pick one of the duplicates I have of friends' books.

So, what brings you here? And what brings you back? Inquiring minds want to know. LOTS of them, apparently.

Yay.

Ten thousand views!

I added a new widget a couple of weeks ago--one which tells me how many views the blog has had. I confess--the number was WAY higher than I expected.

And when I checked in this morning, it was over ten thousand. Ten thousand views, people. Holy crap. (This is really amazing when you consider that for the first few years I was blogging, I ran a mirror-blog over on Live Journal, and there were a lot of people who followed me there instead.)

Not only does this make me feel, well, kinda warm and fuzzy inside (people are interested in what I have to say? really?) but it also gives me a sense of responsibility.

After all, if there are that many folks coming to see what I have to say, I'd darned well better make what I have to say interesting. Or pertinent to people other than me. Or something. (Although the cute cat pics probably don't hurt.)

So thank you for being among the ten thousand. Cookies for everyone!

New Group Blog! Lift off!

As of today, a brand new writing blog went live! Black Ink, White Paper is the home of nine writers who'll be chatting about their work and their lives, and sharing a bit of their journey with the world and each other.

Come on by, check it out, and follow us if you dare! :)

http://blackinkwhitepaper.wordpress.com/

I am one of the nine writers, of course, as is my critique partner, the fabulous Lisa DiDio, and amazing author Kate Austin. Come visit us and see who else is there as we start this fun new adventure. Over the next two weeks, we will take turns introducing ourselves. I'm up on Thursday (gasp!).

What important facts about myself do you think I should mention?

How To Support Authors You Like--Via Mindy Klasky

I've been meaning to write a blog post on ways that readers (including yours truly) can support the authors they like. As both an author and an avid reader, I think this is a truly important issue.

Luckily for me, author pal Mindy Klasky blogged on that very thing today, and said it much better than I ever could have.

So run over to her blog and see what she has to say

http://tinyurl.com/24jc68e (or click on blog post title to link automatically--the blog is fighting with me today)

Then run back over here and tell me what YOU do (if anything) to support authors you like. If I get a particularly spectacular answer, there might be a free book in it for someone...

(See, authors like to support readers, too.)

Happy Holidays and a Resolution

Okay--I confess it: I am a crappy blogger. I always intend to come here and tell y'all about the fascinating things going on in my life [not!], but mostly I don't get around to it.

For instance, I fully intended to blog all about NANOWRIMO throughout November. Instead, I just wrote :-) But the good news is that I finished--50,526 words in a month!

Of course, the bad news is that I am barely getting any writing done in December (about 16,000 words so far). Not that this is a big surprise--I run an artist's cooperative shop and make jewelry, so this is the crazy-busy time of year. I'll have to finish up the WIP in January. What's really amazing is that I've gotten any writing done at all.

Today I'm fighting a cold and hoping it will be gone by tomorrow, when I go in for the final push of the season at the shop. But I'm also thinking ahead to next year and making a resolution to be a more consistent blogger.

Here are some of the things that will be happening in 2010:

January--I plan to finish the current novel I'm working on, PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS, and start sending it out to agents.

February--It now looks like I will be going to Pantheacon (a huge pagan convention) in San Jose, and combining the trip out west with a visit to my family in San Diego. Let me know if you're going too.

April--At the end of the month, I turn 50 (oy!), and I'll be celebrating with a trip to the RT convention (Romance Times, for readers and writers) with my pal Shannon. There will be male cover models. 'Nuff said.

July--Book 4 comes out from Llewellyn. This is THE EVERYDAY WITCH A TO Z SPELLBOOK, which contains lots of practical and easy spells for everyday life. "Jerk Avoidance" spell, anyone?

September--Book 5 comes out from Llewellyn. (I know! Two books in a year!!!) WITCHCRAFT ON A SHOESTRING is full of suggestions for practicing the Craft on a budget, and includes a bunch of inexpensive recipes and craft projects.

Anyway, I hope to be better at keeping up with this blog, so y'all can see how all these exciting things turn out. And the rest of the time, I'll just talk about the boring stuff :-)

Wishing everyone a happy holiday, whether it be Hannukah, Yule, Christmas or anything else. And I hope you all have a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2010.

See you in the New Year!

Blessings,
Deborah