I’m a featured author on Nina Pierce’s blog

http://www.ninapierce.com/romanceblog/

Stop by…say hi…leave a comment and I’ll be giving away a free copy of The Werewolf Whisperer (just out in print from Phaze)

I read a post on an agent’s blog recently about “waiters”…those people who put a submission in the mail and then wait for it to be accepted or rejected instead of turning their attention to more important things, like writing the next book. I agree with that, it’s important to move on and up.

I also encountered some agent’s guidelines firmly stating: if you don’t hear from us, assume it’s a rejection.

For me, that advice was a bit harder to swallow.

Yeah, yeah, I get the “they’re just not into you” mentality — if the story is great, the agents and publishers will be beating down your door to get hold of it. If you don’t get an answer, they’re just not that into your writing. I also get that they are all really busy and inundated with submissions: good, bad and indifferent. They have to invest their time in the good, not the bad. I REALLY do get it. However, without any feedback (positive or negative), it’s like writing and submitting to a black hole.

I once quit writing because of that yawning bottomless pit. Yeah, prolific me just up and quit. I had over a dozen short stories out at the time and had heard nothing back on any of them for months upon months. No rejections even. One day, as I prepared to lick the submission envelope for yet another story, an unfamiliar feeling washed over me. Why bother? I realized I’d lost hope of ever having anything accepted (or even actively rejected) for publication again. And so I didn’t bother. I still have that envelope somewhere.

Eventually the characters I carry around in my head clamored long and loud enough for me to think about writing again. Sadly, I still find myself waiting impatiently for answers from publishers and agents while I keep busy writing my next book.

Part of me just can’t shut off that anxious wondering. As authors, it can take years for us to write a book. I, personally, have no idea how long it takes an agent or publisher to work their way to one lowly manuscript lurking in that towering slush pile. Days? Months? Years?

For those agents/publishers who don’t want to send rejections to the seething masses, how hard would it be to simply put a statement on the bottom of the submissions page of a website or in that lovely auto response e-mail — “If you don’t hear from us within (insert appropriate time frame), feel free to assume it is a rejection.”

I’d appreciate that honesty.

Now, I’ll let you get back to your W is for Wednesday as I prepare to type THE END on my W is for work in progress.

Have a good one!

Ericka

…well, of summer camp, anyway. My boys were signed up for 3 weeks of day-camp. I did some spectacular writing (and some equally spectacular goofing off and am now twittering and playing eggbreaker on Facebook) for those three weeks. Now, I’m back to my summer schedule, but with a twist.

My hubby went back East to take care of his father while his mom is hospitalized. I have to say he is my hero…he took two of the kids and left me with the quiet 5 yo boy. It’s been a great few days and is the first long-term one-on-one time I’ve spent with him in quite a while. Probably LONG overdue! We’ve been hanging out, heading off to a short soccer camp (with hot British guys!) and then swimming lessons. We’re eating whatever we want, when we want to, and just being goofs. Amazingly, I’ve also been able to get in my daily writing stint (500 words or more) in the morning before he gets up and then after he goes to bed at night.

But believe me, I’m still counting down the days until August 10th when school starts again, and the true “end of summer” begins.

Hope you have a fantabulous day!

Ericka

I stumbled across this today on another writer’s blog and had to re-post it. It gave me the inspiration I needed today.

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge~
that myth is more potent than history~
that dreams are more powerful than facts~
that hope always triumphs over experience~
that laughter is the only cure for grief~

And I believe that love is stronger than death.

I’m supposed to be writing, but I’m goofing off. Since the boys are gone all day, I figure I can get my 1000 words in after lunch. So, I’ve been surfing the net, researching markets, reading blogs, and decided to bore you with some of my most recent activities.

It’s hump day, the first of July, and I’ve been on my Atkins diet for a full week now (has it only been a week????). I’ve lost 7 pounds according to the scale today, now, the odd part of that is that the scale indicated that I’d lost a sum total of NOTHING yesterday. What gives with that? My hubby used the scale to weigh our suitcases for all of our recent trips and it was right on the money. So, why is it that I can weigh myself three times a day and each time the scale reads a different weight. No wonder losing weight is so depressing.

On the upside, the all protein and vegetable diet has resulted in a significant decrease in the heartburn I’d been suffering from the last six months or so. I’m almost convinced that I’m allergic to carbs…two weeks ago, even a piece of toast and a glass of water in the morning would set my tummy on fire. This week, my breakfasts have been three pieces of bacon — no heartburn; two sausages and some veggies — no heartburn; two hardboiled eggs and some fried onions – no heartburn. Yep, I’m doing the happy dance! I know that Atkins isn’t sustainable for the long-term (been here, done this before), so, starting in August/September, I’ll be switching the entire family to something more resembling the SouthBeach Diet (lots of yummy food, lots of cooking, too.). Since all the kids will be in school at least 1/2 day (two kindergartners and a high schooler), I’ll have some time to devote to menu planning and cooking.

I’m also contemplating sending out my Christmas cards. I was so busy at the end of 2008 that I simply couldn’t squeeze in another activity. Things have slowed down a bit since I mentally scheduled time off this summer, so this might be a good time to get those sent out. To date, I have 18 novellas available at various publishers. Two came out in June, and I have one more releasing in August from Lyrical Press. After that, I have nothing.

Now, that’s not to say I don’t have irons in the fire. I have one full-length book out for consideration to traditional publishers, so even if accepted, it might not be published until late next year to early 2011 (yikes). I still may end up submitting it to e-publishers and perhaps get it published in early 2010, but I’m hoping not to have to go that route. We’ll see, though.

In the meantime, I meant to finish a few novellas before I jumped into another full-length novel, but the muse wasn’t having any of that. I opened a story file that I’d put down almost two years ago. Loved the characters…and honestly, I thought it was “almost” finished. I started revising the first chapter and then read through to find out that although I thought it was “almost done”, in reality, there was so much more to explore, more character arc to add, and the spooky factor to be stretched out enormously. So, I chopped off the last three chapters, revised the front, and am busy writing to the end. I’m loving the story, although I still have one character’s arc to figure out. But she and I are “talking” and I think we’ll have it figured out by the time the black moment arises. If not, we’ll hash it out in the second draft.

Aging parents have also been a considerable worry the past month. My father suffers from Altzheimer’s Disease and lives in a nursing home. My mom, though still in relatively good health, had a scare with her knees early in June and I had to rush home to care for her. I’d no sooner settled in back here at home when my husband got a call that his mother was in the hospital with a very scary case of endocarditis! She’s out of the hospital proper now, but still confined to a convelescent home in order to have the skilled nursing she needs to recover. My father-in-law, who is not in the greatest of shape, is being cared for by various relatives, but my hubby and his siblings (thank goodness he isn’t an only child like I am) are working out a schedule to go home to take care of him for the six weeks or so that my mother-in-law needs to recover.

Well, enough about me, what’s new with you? Any random thoughts to share? Good news? I’d love to hear it!

Ericka

Can she trust him with her undead heart?

Maxine Twilight runs the hottest fetish club in the Midwest, a place where the rich and famous come to play with vampires. When her employees begin turning to ash, Maxine calls in a ‘consultant’, slayer Zachary Fox.

Zachary Fox slays rogue vampires not other slayers. But when his dead ex-wife, Tessa, calls in a favor to stop a slayer, he agrees to help. However, he didn’t count on losing his heart to Maxine. So when it appears as if she is the intended target of the next wooden stake, he’s forced to put his life, and love, on the line.

Excerpt:

Maxine heard a stifled scream and turned toward the sound. At the front desk, a couple stood staring at the spot where Victoria had been just moments ago. Then the man looked up, took a deep breath, and screamed like a girl.

What a nightmare.

In her mind, Maxine had prepared for this eventuality. She’d envisioned herself closing and locking the doors, calmly instructing the staff to conduct a swift and quiet search for the slayer, then she, personally, would dispose of the slayer, and the party would continue, so to speak.

Well, things didn’t exactly go as planned.

First off, Mitch’s caterwauling at the sight of the pile of ashes attracted everyone’s attention. Then, more people began screaming as they realized what had occurred. Vampires fled into the dark recesses of Temperance, and living patrons fled for the street. Thank the gods no one had been trampled in the pandemonium. Unfortunately, it looked like the slayer, whoever he or she was, had escaped.
Sorrow welled up inside her when she thought about Victoria, but she bit her bottom lip and carried on.

“I’ve called the police.” Jimmy, her brother, walked up behind her.

“And?” Maxine asked, although she knew full well what the answer would be.

“They pretty much said ‘good riddance’,” Jimmy replied.

“You’re surprised?”

“No, I guess not.” Jimmy shrugged and picked up a rag. “I had just hoped that since
Temperance was a Chicago landmark that someone would be concerned.”

“The undead have no rights, Jimmy. But believe me, if one of the living patrons had been murdered here tonight, the place would be crawling with cops.”

“Maxine?” A tall, thin brunette woman interrupted.

Maxine looked up. It was Tessa, one of her newly hired employees. “Everything is under control, Tessa. No need to be worried.”

Tessa shot her an impatient look. “Could I speak to you…alone?”

“Sure.” Maxine gave her brother an apologetic look, but he just smiled and sauntered away in the direction of his apartment in the back. She turned her attention to Tessa and silently prayed the pretty vampire wasn’t going to turn in her resignation.

“I’m so sorry, we’ve never had a slayer invade Temperance, and I can assure you—”

Tessa held up a hand to interrupt her. “I’m the one who needs to tell you I’m sorry. I made a call tonight after Vickie’s death.”

Maxine stayed silent, waiting for the other wooden stake to fall.

“I called my, well, ex-husband.”

Maxine was running out of patience while Tessa babbled on. Would the woman just come to the point?

“Zachary Fox. I phoned him this evening and called in a favor he owes me. He’ll be arriving sometime tomorrow.”

“Zachary Fox, the slayer?” Maxine shuddered. Was Tessa insane? Did she not think they had enough trouble with a rogue slayer in the club tonight? What was the woman thinking, inviting a professional killer into their midst? If the others found out, the club would be empty of vampires by nightfall, and Temperance would be closed for the first time in over 100 years.

“It’s not what you think. I know slayers, good ones and bad ones., Hell, you probably didn’t know it, but I was one once. There was something off about the hit tonight. I have a really bad feeling. I think someone was sending you a message.”

“Tessa, I get hate mail and threats on a daily basis. If it isn’t the public shouting for me to close down, it’s the mob trying to hone in on the business. I don’t think Victoria’s destruction was anything more than a rogue slayer trying to make a name for himself.”

“Maybe,” Tessa said, but her voice sounded anything but convinced. “But I think we need a professional to investigate. Especially since the police have pretty much washed their hands of all of us. Damn them anyway.”

Maxine looked around her at the gleaming oak tables, colorful Tiffany lamps, and the huge bar her great-grandfather had carved by hand. Temperance was her life. If it were to fail, stand empty, it would be a reinforcement of the existence that had been forced on her. No, she had to make this a success.

Her mother had inherited it after her grandfather’s death ten years ago. It should have come to Maxine. However, she’d lost it all when she died. Thank goodness, Jimmy had no interest in running the bar. After a brief period of ‘remodeling’, she had reopened it as a fetish club and struck it rich. She couldn’t bear to lose it. If the living patrons didn’t come, the vampires would have no other way to support their blood habit but by…

No, she wasn’t going to let that happen.

“We’ll just have to be more careful tomorrow night when we reopen.”

“Careful? How? A metal detector isn’t going to do jack shit against a wooden stake,” Tessa argued. “Or are you going to have everyone frisked at the front door?” She looked around. “Whoever killed Vickie was no amateur slayer, and if we don’t stop them, he or she will kill again.”

“And a professional slayer will do what? Help him kill us all?” Maxine shook her head. “No, we’ll handle the situation ourselves.”

Before Tessa could argue further, Maxine strode off. Her entire body felt numb with dread. Was Tessa right? Could someone be targeting her and her club?

It had to be the mob. When she’d first opened, they’d sent a few muscle-bound ‘gentlemen’ around to talk to her. Threatened her that if she didn’t pay protection money, ‘bad’ things were bound to happen.

She had sent the goons back to their boss with a few broken bones for their trouble. The mob had left her alone to some extent. She still got the occasional visit and letter from Mr. Poulos himself. But nothing like this.

After checking to make sure all her employees were reassured, she headed downstairs. She picked up one last crumpled napkin off the floor and then paused in the foyer. For the first time in six years, she locked the doors to Temperance before dawn. The clatter of the deadbolt left her with the uneasy feeling that she would never open the doors again.

No, she’d been killed, had fought the city for a liquor license, and had been threatened by the toughest man in Chicago. One measly murder was not going to force her to turn tail and run.

Striding down the hall on her way to her office, she passed a small cluster of employees. They looked up at her, and she stopped to talk, hoping to allay their fears. Even as she reassured them, she could see their doubts clearly in their eyes and expressions. If she didn’t do something and do it fast, they would leave. When they did, they would be easy game for anyone with a wooden stake and a Buffy-the-vampire-slayer complex. Here at Temperance, they were safe, they could earn a living, and with luck and Congressional lobbying, perhaps they could finally earn status as citizens again.

“So, what are we going to do, Miss Maxine?” a petite blonde vampire asked, her lips trembling.

“Did you call the police?” Vincent Price, their headliner who’s name really was Vincent, put his hand on her shoulder.

Maxine could almost smell his fear, and she hoped her outwardly calm demeanor would give him some comfort. It was hard enough to have died once and been forced to give up friends and family, many of whom recoiled from vampires in terror and loathing. To die again, soulless, was a terrifying possibility. One that she had every intention of preventing.

Maxine chewed on her lip. She could lie, but they deserved to know the truth. “Yes, the police were called, but they refused to help us.”

“So what are we going to do? I don’t have anywhere else to go. Temperance is my home.” Vincent’s friend and sometimes lover, Marcus, known to his fans as Van Helsing, had tears in his eyes.

“We’re not going to panic, for one. And I’m not going to close the club. But we are going to take some precautions.” Maxine looked around at their worried faces and grasped at the only straw she had. “I’ve called in an, um, consultant. He’ll be here tomorrow to investigate.”

The relief in her employees’ faces was clear. Marcus even smiled.

Damn it all, a consultant? The man was nothing but a cold-blooded killer, a slayer. Instead of relief, Maxine felt a surge of fear. Hopefully she hadn’t invited the wolf right into the fold.

Hope you enjoyed a small taste of Twilight’s Embrace. You can purchase your own copy at www.cobblestone-press.com

Have a great weekend!

Wow….what a wild a woolly month it has been so far! It started out nicely enough — a trip to Disneyland to celebrate my birthday. We took the whole crew and had a blast. Did “The Happiest Place on Earth” and then California Adventure (where I’d never been before). Gotta love those California 2-Fer specials.

Then, I set off for my mom’s to help out with a medical issue and just to visit. Packed the laptop, backed up my files, and set off thinking I’d have a gay old time. Somehow I seemed to forget I was taking all the kids and no hubby to help. Also that my mother is something my husband calls a Luddite. She’s technologically challenged and quite a snob about it. So, no internet there…no Tivo…NO DVD player! Yikes. Thank goodness the laptop could play movies for the boys. The lack of internet access gave me a 2-week unintentional vacation. I was able to steal a little time at a local pizza parlor (Garcias Pizza in a Pan is the greatest pizza in the UNIVERSE) and scanned through my e-mail for the important stuff (contracts and cover art). But other than that, I was dead in the water.

But I must say, I kindof enjoyed the time away from it all. Even though I took a notebook, most of the time I spent in my head going over characters, motivation, goals, and plot points while my body was taking kids to the petting zoo, taking kids to the park, taking kids to the movies, taking kids to the McDonald’s playland… The benefit, I’m ready to tackle another book and I missed some of the RWA traditional versus e-publishing controversy. Unfortunately, I’ve been sucked in and have spent too much time scouring blogs and reading “all about it”. I must say that the most succinct and clear articles I’ve found are on Jackie Barbosa’s blog. Stop by and take a gander if you have a chance.

I’m finishing up wading through hundreds of e-mails. I still have about 20 that I need to address. But in betwixt and between I’ve been writing. I had every intention of completing a couple of shorts before I threw myself into another full-length. However, my muse had other plans. LOL.

Oh, and I got a simply gorgeous cover for my upcoming June release from Cobblestone Press. Lovely isn’t it?

I simply love getting new cover art for books. It’s thrilling to see that “package” sitting in your inbox. I hold my breath and click.

All I can say is wow…this cover, designed by Renee Rocco, captured the tone of my little dark tale of suspense perfectly!

Shattered is due to be released from Lyrical Press on 3 August 2009.

Oh, and I’m blogging today at www.seductive-hearts.com about Genre Bending and my donation to the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction. Stop by and say “hi!”

Yep…early on Tuesday morning, we had the first inkling that things were on a downhill slide in our house. Kids who normally popped out of bed for school were moaning and saying they didn’t feel well. We did what normal parents do…we sent them to school anyway.

It’s now Friday and everyone but Mr. Scott and our eldest boy have succumbed. I spent the night on the sectional last night sitting in the recliner feeling as if I were onboard the Titanic…and if the roiling in my tummy didn’t stop, I wanted the boat to sink. NOW. Sigh.

I’m feeling a bit better (hence my post)…but I’m also reflecting on a conversation my hubby and I had recently. We’re fast approaching summer and I’m dreading having all the kids home, every day, day in-day out…yeah, you get the picture. Mr. Scott blithely volunteers to let me go back to work and he’ll stay home with the kids.

Not a chance. Now, I love my husband dearly…he’s definitely the man of my dreams. However, he has his faults: Dirty laundry seldom makes it to the hamper, and wrappers litter the cabinets when he’s snacking. And with everyone ill today, he wasn’t keeping a good enough eye on the not-sick child who entertained himself by endeavoring to open a warm can of soda all by himself. It’s now all over the floor …and don’t kid yourself, the floor will be sticky until I feel well enough to clean it up.

No, I’m not going back to work just to come home and work some more cleaning house of the mess he and the kids would create. Not a chance…especially with August 10th (first day of school for ALL my kids) lurking right around the corner…So, just keep dreaming Mr. Scott.

Come on over and check out what the buzz is about at Keta’s Keep.