Thought I’d unveil Darchala’s latest bit of artwork for me. (This will be next year’s holiday card, for sure.)

I really love the scarf – I wasn’t sure if it would give Ion a “Mr. Tumnus” vibe or not, but I think he wears it rather well. And yes, those are unicorns prancing on Abby’s hat. Because of reasons.

Just a little post to say that Sad Sausage Dogs is now “unofficially” up and running, though there are still a few bumps to flatten out.

However, we’ve got a Twitter page and Facebook fan page up now as well and eventually the comic pages and additional updates will automatically feed into that. (And once we get going with that, I’ll probably feed it onto my own Facebook pages too – we’ll have to see.

Even though Fox & Willow isn’t running yet, Aimo does have some fun little bits of art we’ll be uploading there as we go, and today we’ve started with a piece she did for the Womanthology Valentine’s Day extra, so go check it out. (Link to her recorded LiveStream too, so you can watch her work!)

As an aside, Aimo also drew us little avatars. And I have to post mine here, because honestly? Phineas and Tumbleweed are playing cards in it.

Epic. Win.

(My desk has never actually been this clean. Ever. The unicorn has a better chance at being real than my desk will ever have at being that empty. Shhhh. All part of the fantasy.)

No, I don’t know what’s going on in this gif here, but I find it oddly compelling.

Understand that I’m feeling a tad gleeful at finally getting some back end code for the Sad Sausage Dogs tester site to work. It’s the small things, really – and I haven’t done any real web design/coding on a regular basis in quite a while, but I was up until about 2 last night working on it. And the problem is, I couldn’t get part of it working, and even though I was so tired I was staring at the code cross-eyed, my brain wouldn’t shut down.

So I go to bed and all I’m seeing is potential hacks and workarounds and things to try. On one level, I sorta dig it – it’s like a puzzle and if I just keep moving the pieces around, sooner or later I’ll make it fit.

And I did. At lunch today, I ham-fisted a really clunky workaround, but it works.  So that’s one more thing to cross off my list. Which is good, because my list of “shit to do” is like 3 miles long.  (And I’m super glad I spent extra time on it a few weeks ago to get the back end to work the way I wanted.) In theory there isn’t a massive rush to get it up…except now there sort of is.

Technically the comic won’t go live for a few more months, but Aimo has created some additional artwork for Womanthology starring our main characters (Valentine’s Day stuff) and that will get sent out to thousands of subscribers in the next few days. Since our URL is attached to it, it would probably be a good thing if there were an actual landing pad. (Other than just a Coming Soon, type thing.) So probably tonight or tomorrow I’ll set up the live site for real and maybe we can get a preview of things to come.  (I just need to create some basic content. And all the social networking claptrap. And a contact form. Gah.)

It’s not a particularly snappy website, I’ll admit – but I just don’t have enough time to make it really fabulous. (Though I may pay someone later.) Plus, the focus should really be on the comic and artwork, not the CSS bells and whistles – so I’ll do the best I can for now.

Stay tuned for an unveiling soon!

Otherwise, I’m over at Books Make Me Happy today, talking about music and writing and a bit about the music you see in BoD and SoS.

I’m over at Word Whores for my regularly scheduled post – today it’s about favorite TV shows. Stop on by for a warped look at my childhood favs (lots of Marty & Krofft in there, *ahem*)

Aside from that, I’ve got an author interview over at Between Dreams and Reality. And Night Owl Reviews was kind enough to give A Sliver of Shadow 4.5 stars and made it a top pick!

Also, here’s a little preview image of a rough look at the Fox & Willow cover art (which will be updated when we go live, but I really dig the design of it.)

I’m cranking through a rather simple website design and I’m hoping to go live with that in the next few weeks so that we’ve got an actual landing pad for Sad Sausage Dogs.

*wipes brow*

Who needs sleep?

I finally wrapped up the first chapter of something new the other night. I let a few people read it and the overall feedback was good, but the more I looked at it, the less happy I was.

So…I’m starting it over.

Which is odd, because I’m a big fan of at least getting a full draft done before I start mucking with everything (otherwise it’s way too easy to fall into the habit of the constant edit/rewrite. I don’t want to go there.) But I do think a story has a better chance at successfully being told if the “voice” is consistent with the muse.

Part of my issue may be because I’ve spent three years in Abby’s head. It’s hard for me not to look at a new story and not see her in there.

As much as I love writing her, this isn’t her story or her world or anything else, really. (And doubly hard, because I’m still quite heavily invested in Abby’s story – waiting for revisions for A Trace of Moonlight means that potential changes are percolating in the back of my mind all the time.)

But for the new story, the protagonist is younger and less educated, for one thing, so poetic observations about the world she’s in aside…it’s just not quite right. (And I don’t know if this is actually going to be a YA. I have debated it, but to be honest, it may not be in me to write one. Which is fine. I’m just going to write it as it comes and if I need to tweak it later, I will.) But the language she’s using is a bit more sleek than it should be, given her circumstances.

So…it’s back to the drawing board.  And it’s not a complete wash – I can use some of what I’ve got written, certainly, but I’ve got to peel away some of the “comfort zone” to find the essence of what I’m really trying to capture and see it through different eyes. (It’s a much more gritty story, I think.)

Sounds romantic, though it’s more frustrating than anything else.

On an unrelated note, a few promo things to mention:

1) RhiReading is hosting part of a blog hop for Book Boyfriends – go check it out to discuss a certain sexy incubus and comment for a chance to win a copy of A Brush of Darkness.

2) Pocket After Dark is releasing  A Brush of Darkness for free for the entire month of February. There’s also a sneak peek at A Sliver of Shadow (1st chapter now, 2nd chapter about mid-way through the month).

3) A Sliver of Shadow got a 4 star review from Romantic Times!  :D

–>

4) I’ll be offline for Friday, because I’m going to the David Garrett concert with a huge group of friends and spending most of the day in DC. So, just a heads up. I’ll probably be a fangirling mess on Twitter. *ahem*

Since there’s only about a month until the release date for A Sliver of Shadow, I figured I’d throw a little teaser out there for you in the form of a first chapter excerpt. Hope you enjoy!

I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading while I await my own edits.

I’d say reading for fun is one of the things I miss most about being a writer – partially because of time constraints, but also because I have a hard time shutting down the “editor” side of my brain.

It seems to take a lot more for me these days to lose myself in the voice of a book (although I still have a list of “must buy” authors that I can fall into without issue. Could be the mental mountain disappears simply because I choose NOT to look at their writing with such a critical eye – because I trust them to deliver.)

It used to be I’d finish every book I started – good or bad. Now, if a story doesn’t grip me quick enough, I let it slide away.  I can’t tell if it’s a sense of overall jadedness or simply that I’m too exhausted most of the time to be interested.

I’m less forgiving, overall and that makes me a bit sad.

(Not that it stops me from buying books. The TBR list on my Kindle grows every week…but I despair of ever getting to most of them.)

As a writer, I don’t think it’s particularly healthy to not be reading, but it shouldn’t be a chore either. But I’m going to try to slip in at least a book a week from here on out.

That being said, I’m open to suggestions – anyone got a current fave they’re loving right now? (I’m looking for more Fantasy/Sci-Fi type of things than anything else…)

Blatantly pirating this gif off of tumblr (idea as per Jeffe) as my nod to SOPA. (Courtesy of The Oatmeal)

And I’m keeping my own Tumblr dark today as well.  I realize it’s a rather small act in the scheme of things. Preaching to the choir and all that, but as addicted as I am to all things internet? Staying off Tumblr today has been really, really hard.

It’s a goofy, chaotic place – but it makes me laugh and allows me to connect with a different set of people and I enjoy it. I’d actually be very sad if it (and other sites like it) fell to the likes of a bullshit bill written by people who have all the technological understanding of a dead monkey.

*ahem*

That in mind, I received a lovely bit of Brystion/Abby art yesterday, by the massively talented Emma Vieceli. It’s a little smutty, so I’m leaving it at a smaller size. Click for a larger view. (And yes, Ion’s got a little coverage there. The mystery of his demon deer peen shall remain a secret. For now.)

So I’m gearing up for blog tour shenanigans in the next month or so, but to streamline the process, I’m outsourcing most of this to Betwitching Blog Tours.  (Click the linky if you wish to sign up!)

I’ve got some blog posts and interviews in the pipeline for earlier in the month of Feb, and if you’re interested in anything else, just drop me a line via my Contact page.

eARCS will be available for book bloggers and reviewers who sign up for the tour- I just ask that you send me a link to the review when it goes up (even if you don’t like it.)

As far as the tour itself goes – I do have swag available for giveaways, including my trading cards.  Signed copies of A Sliver of Shadow will also be available.

Also, I’ve had some requests for blog posts/interviews by @phintheunicorn. If that’s something you want, let me know and I’ll see if he’s available. (He can be bribed with bacon.)

There’s that saying out there that indicates you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. And it sorta goes hand in hand with the whole “don’t count your chickens until they hatch.” Publishing is often a waiting game, and there’s nothing quite so lousy as announcing some wonderful news…only to find out a few days/weeks/months later that you jumped the gun and said item won’t happen.

Even aside from having to deal with disappointment, now you have to retract and that’s a frustrating feeling.  (And potentially confusing to readers.)

But the egg and basket motif makes a fair amount of sense, particularly for writers and particularly in these changing times. After all, there are so many options out there right now – trad pubbing, indie-pubbing, self-pubbing, paper books, ebooks, etc.

Diversify the portfolio and all that. And really, this is where having an agent comes in handy – or at least knowledge of what you’re signing away when you do make a deal with a publisher. Namely, the right of first refusal clause – it’s not uncommon for a standard boilerplate to indicate that after an author fulfills the contract, his/her next work goes to that same publisher first for them to look at.

In my case I wrote three adult UF books for my publisher. My contract declares that my next work of adult UF must be submitted to them first (and they can decide to pub or pass. If they pass, I can submit it anywhere else.)

Which is nice in some ways, because I know my next work of adult UF will be looked at by at least one publishing house, but the problem is that publishers can take a long time to make a decision…and if you’re not happy with your current publisher, that sort of clause can trap you – particularly if the clause is broad – i.e. your next work of fantasy, for example. That could mean anything – YA fantasy, high fantasy, UF fantasy, etc – so you want to be very, very careful with that.

(If you’re a prolific writer, doubly so – publishers don’t usually release multiple books by the same author at the same time – if you’ve got a lot to potentially sell, you want to be able to get it out there as fast as you can, while keeping as many roads open as you can.)

Personally, I’m all for it if my publisher wants another Abby book. (or Melanie book – it’s quite possible I’ll change gears into a different character if I get the go ahead.)

But at the moment, I’m in a weird bit of limbo. Turning in the last book of my contract doesn’t mean the complete end – I’ll have revisions and copyedits and all that other fun stuff but it also puts me in a place where I can begin to pursue other avenues.

It’s a bit scary – but it’s  also freeing. Writing under contract is much different than writing for fun. I could self-pub, or write a YA dystopian or a retelling of the Little Mermaid with pansexual robots (I hint at this robot mermaid thing a lot. Probably means it’s going to happen. Someday.) – but the point is that I’ve got that creative flexibility built in.. And as much as I love writing Abby and the gang, I also want to work on something new. (And I’ve been writing her story since 2008 at this point, so I think I’ve earned it.)

So I think I’ll see if I can’t dig up some more baskets…and see what hatches.

Unrelated: A Sliver of Shadow trading cards are now available!