Happy Memorial Day!

The cost of liberty is less than the cost of repression. -Web Dubois

The purpose of all war is ultimately peace. -Saint Augustine

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. -John F. Kennedy

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I'll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, 'cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA. -Lee Greenwood


Remember our fallen heroes today. Happy Memorial Day.

A Look At Book Signings

I think this video says it all!

First Review for DRAGONLIGHT

4 Nymphs!

From Literary Nymphs: "This story is a fast paced addition to Dragonheat and Dragonfire and gives you a little more glimpse into these dragon relationships and their battle to keep their species alive."

Read the full review here.

Read an excerpt or buy here.

Tipsy Tuesday

One of the best blogs on the publishing industry is Maya Reynolds' blog. She's an author who pays close attention to what's going on and what's coming up, sometimes to an extent that my eyes glaze over. (But I am always in awe of her understanding of the industry!)

There's a lot of information. You should bookmark her blog and refer to it often.

Man Meat Monday

Grrrrrrrowf!

Friday Funny

You gotta love laughin' babies!

Happy Friday!

Another Bonus Man Meat Day

Sorry, I got nuttin' today. So...

Tipsy Tuesday

I wanna be like Nora Roberts. Not in my style of writing, but in the sheer prolificness (I know, that's not really a word, but I like it!).

Since her first book was released in 1981, she's published 211 books. That’s approximately one book every 7 weeks. That's what I call prolific!

Realistically, if I really put the pedal to the metal, I can write a book in about 3 months. I would hope I would have more output if I didn't have that pesky day job (that I'm grateful for, really. Two weeks of unemployment here recently made me more anxious than I care to repeat.)

It takes me at least two or three weeks--sometimes longer--to just plot the book. So it's beyond me, at the moment, how she does it. Other than the fact that a) there's a huge amount of natural talent there and b) she's a professional with an established writing process that’s been honed over the decades. It's all intuitive for her now, and that cuts down on a lot of preparation we mere mortals have to do.

Here's what I know works:

1. Set attainable goals and deadlines, and stick to them. Don't sabotage yourself by setting a goal of, say, 1,000 words a day when you know you can only do 250 because the kids keep interrupting or the cat keeps plopping down on the keyboard. But whatever goal/deadline you set, meet them. You owe it to yourself.
   
2. Recognize the things you use as procrastination tools, and stop it.
3. Know your writing process, continually refine it, and set aside time to work it every day. Don't allow your writing to be something you get to when you "have time." That doesn't work.
   
4. Focus on one project at a time. This is important especially for new writers. I will admit, though, that often I have more than one project going so that if I get stuck on one I can shift gears and work on the other, and in that way I don't lose valuable time.
   
5. Get the first draft out fast, warts and all, and then fix it afterward. (As Nora says, you can't fix a blank page.)
   
6. Use a one-pass revision process--go from first draft to final in a single edit. In your final self-edit, before you send the manuscript off to an agent or editor, read the entire book out loud. This will help you see how the story flows, where repeated words are, etc.
7. Don't worry whether you're a plotter (obviously, one who plots the book before beginning to write it) or a pantser (one who writes by the seat of his/her pants). Just write. But be prepared to have to concoct a plot in order to write a synopsis. If you ever are in the happy situation of selling on proposal, you generally have to submit a synopsis of the story (which will contain at the very least the romance plot and probably the suspense plot or paranormal plot or whatever) as well as the first three chapters. Get out of the mindset that "if I write a synopsis I feel like I've written the book and so I can't go on". That's bull-hockey. It's an excuse you need to get rid of right now.

Any other tips you have?

Man Meat Monday

Anyone for a long, hot shower this morning...?

Friday Funny

Apparently, sometimes love does not conquer all...

Bonus Man Meat

I have nothing scintillating to share today, so...



Enjoy!

Tipsy Tuesday

"There is a common belief that because most of us are literate and fluent, there is no need to serve an apprenticeship if we want to become a successful wordsmith... That’s what I thought until I tried to write my first novel. I soon learnt that a novel, like a piece of furniture, has its own set of requirements, laws of construction that have to be learnt. Just because I had read plenty of novels didn’t mean I could write one, any more than I could make a chair because I had sat on enough of them." (Nigel Watts, Teach Yourself Writing a Novel)

If you want to write, then you need to read, read, read. Read fiction in the genre you want to write to see how other authors are doing it. Read books on craft so you have the basics of grammar, punctuation, structure, etc. And practice. As Mr. Watt's said above, don't think that you can sit down and write a best-seller first thing out of the gate. Don't assume you'll sell the first novel you write. You may not. You may not sell the fifth novel you write, but hopefully your fifth one is much better than your first one. If it's not, then you need to get back to basics.

Man Meat Monday

Happy Monday!

New Release - DRAGONLIGHT

Available today!

Sequel to the Amber Heat best-seller Dragonheat...

Ice dragon Gavril Stasio was caught while doing recon on a new dragon hunter. He never expected her to save his life. Kidnapping her was certainly no way to thank her, but he had no choice.

Marina Rodriguez wants to do what she can to atone for the havoc her family has wrought on dragons. She finally gets her chance and ends up defending herself against charges that she’s a dragon hunter. Once she’s done that, she’s faced with two sexy dragon men who want to protect her. And make love to her.

A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do...

Read an excerpt or buy here.

Friday Funny

It was late and Charlie was about to climb into bed when his wife informed him that there was a light on in their garden shed. Charlie started to go outside to turn off the light but noticed some people in the shed who were busy stealing his things.

He ran back inside right away and called the cops, who asked him "Are there any intruders in your house?" to which Charlie replied no and explained his circumstances. The cops told Charlie that all patrol cars were otherwise occupied, and that he should just lock his door and a uniformed cop would be at his house when one was free.

Charlie answered, "Alright," hung up, waited 30 seconds, and then called the cops again.

"Hello, I just called a short while ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. I want to let you know that they're not a problem anymore because I've just shot every one of them."

Charlie then hung up the phone. In five short minutes, three patrol cars, a SWAT team, and an ambulance arrived, and Of course, the cops caught the burglars in the act.

One of the cops snapped at Charlie: "I thought you said that you shot every one of them!"

"I thought you said there were no patrol cars free!" Charlie answered.

New Review for TAMING THE MOON

5 Stars

From Affaire de Coure magazine: "Taming the Moon is the third book of Ms. Quinn's werewolf series. And, I must say, she just keeps getting better and better. Rather than constantly dwelling on the sexual activities of her main characters, this book has emotion and depth with a heart-rendering dilemma that our heroine must face, plus great action and adventure which makes the hot sex scenes all the more enjoyable. This is a continuation of a series, but can easily be read alone with full understanding and appreciation of the characters. Bravo, Ms. Quinn!"

The full review can be read here. You can read an excerpt or buy here.

Tipsy Tuesday

For today's tip I'm directing you to literary agent Rachelle Gardner's blog post about publishing contracts. This is one big reason why you want an experienced agent--someone who understands all the legalese and can diffuse some of the bombs before you even see them.

Happy Tuesday!

Man Meat Monday

One of my favorites: