NaNoNope

 

I tried. I looked through all of my Works In Progress (WIPs), took my time selecting the one that called to me, made sure my laptop was charged, considered my schedule and when I could get writing done, updated my NaNoWriMo profile, found online writing buddies, and joined two different groups...

None of that mattered by day three. I'm sorry to say I just can't write right now and I don't know why. I actually feel it's a bit of a miracle I'm able to write this blog post. In the past, I've used this blog to get the writing juices flowing again, so maybe I'll feel like writing this weekend, but who knows. Is it writer's block? Is it depression? Is it general laziness or apathy? I really can't say, but it sucks. The desire is there until I plug in my external hard drive and all those little file folders pop up to mock me. Perhaps it's intimidation. It's almost definitely a little bit of imposter syndrome.

Whatever it is, I'm hoping to move past it enough to get book four of my Master Gargoyle series finished. It's about two-thirds of the way done. I even have a cover all ready to go. As my early Christmas present to you, dear reader, you get first peek at my new cover below. Once that book is done and back to my editor I plan to finish book four of the Archangel series. I know that's been a few years coming. I also am considering rereleasing my Love Beyond Barriers books: Two-Week Trial, Two Dates Max, Too Hard to Break, and Too Much to Lose. They need a little bit of updating to current times, but there won't be many changes.

I hope all of you are ready for the Holidays and have started out December on a positive note!

Sunday Reflection: I've Been Remiss

 

Alas, I've been remiss in posting anything to my blog in the month of November. Oops! To be honest, I didn't stop to think about what participating in NaNoWriMo would do to my blog, any other writing I have going on right now (Which is a ridiculous amount). I knew I absolutely had to finish Born of the Forbidden: Gargoyle Masters Book III, because I had promised myself I would get it out into the world by the end of 2020. After all, I need something positive to show for the hell this year has been.

So far, NaNo is going fairly well. It was a little slow going at the beginning because I was finishing BOTF also, but I completed that within the first week of November and it's the in the capable hands of my editor now. There's a sense of freedom that comes over me once I've sent a book off to my editor. I refuse to open that file again until edits are sent back to me, because I know I'll want to alter or add something. So, because I can't look at it anymore, I'm free to move on to something else. I really like that feeling. Right now I'm writing an erotic romance for NaNo. I've been saying it's the sequel to Lunchtime Sex, however, it may actually be book 3 in my Sophisticated Women series instead of book 2. I'd tentatively started book 2 a while back, and I think this current story will fit better in the timeline as the finale. We'll see.

Sophisticated Women book 2 is currently titled Breakfast in Bed, and book 3 is Dinner for Two. Both of them will follow the theme of an older woman with a younger man. Breakfast in Bed involves a hot pool boy, and in Dinner for Two the heroine falls for a college student after she poses nude for his art class. I'm having a blast writing this one, and I hope y'all will enjoy it once it comes out. Before it's release, however, Born of the Forbidden will be available. As soon as I have a release date I will let the world know. The first people to be told will be my newsletter subscribers. They're going to get the first peek at the cover as well as an excerpt from the book. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. I promise you won't be inundated with emails from me. I only send them out to announce new releases and personal appearances. So, most likely you'll get about four a year.

All righty, break time's over. Back to my NaNoWriMo WIP!

 

Sunday Reflection: Writing Again for NaNoWriMo

It's November! Feliz Día de los Muertos! Happy Diabetes Awareness month! And if you're participating, Happy NaNoWriMo! As you've probably guessed by the picture to the left, I am participating this year. It's been a while since I did so, but the words are finally flowing again so I decided why the hell not. I'm hoping to end 2020 with a completed book or two to add to my published page next year.

This year's NaNo offering will be a sequel to Lunchtime Sex, tentatively titled Dinner for Two. I actually already started another book in this series that I thought would be the sequel but I guess it's going to be book three now. We'll see which one gets finished, edited, and covered first. That one will most likely be titled Breakfast in Bed (see the theme there?) All three are part of my Sophisticated Women series, which is an older woman/younger man series of forty-something women getting their groove back and the twenty-something men who help them with that groove. They are erotic romances, and definitely have HEA endings.

Being Hispanic, Día de los Muertos is a holiday I've always been aware of but don't technically celebrate in the traditional way. My mother used to create an altar every year but I never have. My son expressed an interest this year but it was too late to make one. However, this is definitely on the list of to-dos for next year. To anyone who is celebrating with an altar, post pictures! I love to see the creativity that goes into celebrating our loved ones. Mine will probably be mostly about my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather. I also have two cousins I'd like to honor. Do people include their pets? This year I lost my beloved cat Cheetoh and years ago I lost my dog Baby who was seven years old. I think they both deserve a place on my altar.

November is also Diabetes Awareness month which is important to my family, too. My seventeen-year old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age seven, and my husband and I have been diagnosed with type 2 in the years since. As a family we strive to do the things necessary to stay healthy and support the efforts of organizations like JDRF. We usually participate in their walk every November. It's going to be virtual this year and I'll admit we did not sign up for the first time since my son's diagnosis. With everything going on in 2020 I just didn't have the mental bandwidth to handle the fundraising efforts required for that endeavor. Though it makes me sad we won't have a sign with his smiling face this year, I knew it was too much to ask of my family, friends, and myself. Here's hoping 2021 will return to normal.

No 2014 NaNoWriMo for Me

After much deliberation and talking myself into and out of it a few times, I've decided not to attempt NaNoWriMo this year. To be honest, it's been hard for me to get in the writing groove lately and I know pushing myself in November is not the answer. Instead, I'm trying very hard to finish book two of my Gargoyle Masters series. I'm on a good flow with that WIP and already about 25,000 words in. So, halting that project for NaNo just seemed like a dumb move.

For everyone who is giving it a go: GOOD LUCK!!

Final NaNoWriMo update of 2013

Today is December 1st, which means NaNoWriMo has officially ended. Final word count: 35,016. So, no I didn't win again this year. But here is why I'm okay with that.

It's all about choices. I realized about a week ago that I still had a chance at winning NaNo if I really buckled down and got to writing. But what did that mean exactly? It meant doing almost nothing over my Thanksgiving Holiday break from work but writing. I'm a married mother of four. There's no such thing as doing nothing but writing in my life except in small hard-earned sprints. Sure, I could've been a real bitch and made it happen. I could've told my husband he had to make Thanksgiving dinner, and told my daughters there would be no shopping done until next weekend. There were plenty of opportunities for me to shove everyone who is important to me away and lock the door to my room so I could make the 50,000 word count by 11:59 pm last night. But no. That's not who I am.

Now, don't get me wrong. I wholeheartedly respect every single writer who made it. I could've been a lot better earlier in the month and not needed the crunch at the end. But honestly, that's just not how I write. I write when the mood strikes me at the same time I have a free moment. Yeah, that miracle combination doesn't always happen. So, I'll try again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. Who knows. One year it could happen. For now I'll take my 35, 016 word manuscript and keep adding to it until I'm satisfied it's a finished product. I'll also have fond memories of Thanksgiving week from Black Friday Shopping, Christmas tree hunting, cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and overall spending time with my family. 

NaNo Week Three Update

As of the writing of this post I'm waaaaayy behind on my NaNoWriMo word count. However, I do have today off of work, so I'm hoping to catch up a bit.

NaNo always happens at the worst time of year. With the Thanksgiving holiday comes a lot of responsibilities for me as a mom to four students. There are band events, school plays, book fairs, meetings, fall festivals, and so much more. I've had a lot of running around to do. Still, If I were to be completely honest with myself, I'd admit my word count would be higher if Facebook didn't exist. Of course, then I'd just find a different site to play around on.

Anyway, my current word count as of the end of today should be 36,673. I'm sitting at 14,670. Yeah. Over 22,000 words need to be written in the next twelve hours. My best is usually 2,000 per hour if I really go at it hard. So, the 22k isn't happening today. But I am hoping to hit 40,007 by the end of Sunday. That's about 8,445 words per day over the next three days. It could happen.

Want a little taste of what I'm working on? Here ya go:

(unedited excerpt from Crossing Death)

None of the men so much as blinked until another man walked up behind them. He wore black cargo pants and a black t-shirt that looked ready to pop from his bulging muscles. The blond hair on his head was cut military short. He came to an abrupt halt behind the armed men and used two fingers to give Rex a quick salute. ‘T-Rex. I see you got your package here safe and sound.”

“You doubted me, Mad Max?” Rex asked with obvious amusement.

Max didn’t even crack a smile. “Never, brother. Never.”

With that he spun on his heel and the other men lowered their weapons. Rex chuckled and motioned for Jana to follow Max. Doubts assailed her as to whether that was a good idea, but it did beat the alternative. She was safely tucked away underground behind a brick wall, chain-link fence, and amongst heavily armed men. Yeah, she’d go where Rex told her to go.

Max led them into what looked like the control room. Television screens lined one wall and appeared to show the entire perimeter of the prison. One view was from a guard tower. It was high enough to make her dizzy so she quickly looked away. Fluorescent bulbs that had long ago been outlawed in WH lit the room with a yellow tint. Max settled into a chair at a long, rectangular table. Rex sat in one of the other nine chairs and she sat beside him.

“So,” Max began. “What brings you to my neck of the woods, T-Rex? You only stop on your way to the big D if you run into trouble.” He blatantly eyed Jana up and down. “Have you?”

He was a good looking guy but something about him gave her the creeps. She fought the urge to move her chair closer to Rex. He cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair, throwing his arm over the back of hers. “In a way. Jana was ejected from WH but we don’t know why. I was hoping you could help us figure it out.”

She fought the urge to look at him, though she wondered about his lie. They knew exactly why she’d been ejected, even if he swore it wasn’t the truth.

Max rubbed his chin and looked her over again. “Payment?”

“The usual.”

He shook his head. “I don’t need ammunition right now, my friend. In fact, I’m craving something…a little more delicate.”

Rex’s hand settled on her shoulder and he pulled her close to his side. She didn’t fight him. He shook his head. “I don’t think so. You know I don’t like to share.”

Max tensed and beneath the table Jana barely made out Rex slipping a pistol from his waistband. He settled it in his lap. She still gripped his knife in her hand and prayed she wouldn’t need to use it. Finally Max smiled and his shoulders dropped the slightest bit.

 “Yeah, you bastard, I remember.”

NaNo Week Two Update

Today marks week two of NaNoWriMo. My word count should be sitting somwhere around 25,004 by the end of the day. I'm too embarrassed to admit exactly what it is, but will say it's only a fraction of that count. Life, as usual, has gotten in the way of my writing. I'll admit I could be doing better with my time management skills. Hopefully the second half of the month will run more smoothly. We shall see.

And you? Are you writing like crazy this month too? If so, I wish you the best of luck with your word count.

It's NaNo Time Again!

What time is it? It's NaNoWriMo time!!

What the hell am I talking about? Well, November is officially National Novel Writing Month. So, every year lots of crazies like me spend the entire month attempting to write a 50,000 word novel. There's a lot of inspiration, caffeine, frustrated tears, and social media hysterics along the way, but many of us accomplish the feat. Last year I missed it by two days. This is my year. I can feel it!

Will you attempt NaNo this year? Don't worry, anyone can do it. You don't have to be published or even think of yourself as a writer. Just commit to a certain word count every single day. Mine is 2,000 but to hit the goal you really only need to do 1,667 (aprox.). Every day you can add your word count to the tracker on the website and it will show how far you are from the goal. You can even add buddies to see how they're doing on their goals. Nothing like healthy competition to get the creative juices flowing. I've already written at least one novel during NaNo that eventually got published. There's no reason you can't too.

One thing to remember is November is just for WRITING. The editing happens in December, or whenever you can stand to look at your manuscript again. It's okay if it sits in a file for a couple of months. Just GET IT WRITTEN in November and you've won NaNo! I'll be posting updates to Twitter at least weekly, but hopefully more often than that. With my new work schedule this year's going to be a little tricky, but I'm determined. So, will you join me? There's really no good reason not to. Good luck!!

Here I Am!

My wonderful, faithful readers, I owe you an apolgy for being MIA the past few months. I've played a little on FB and Twitter, but not nearly the norm of the past couple of years. 

I've changed jobs twice since July and rearranging my schedule has been a bit hectic. My daughters and I just (this morning) finished the JDRF Walk for a Cure, which has taken up a lot of my time as well. To those of you who donated to our team, THANK YOU! We sincerely appreciate it. I'll probably start planning for next year's walk in late spring so keep it in mind if you'd like to join us.

Next up: NaNo! November 1st marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. Me, along with thousands of other masochists, attempt to write a 50,000 word novel within thirty days. It's funny, exhausting, eye-opening, and frustrating all at the same time. You should join in!

Along with NaNo, November marks my return to Allen, TX for Readers n'Ritas. This year one of my all-time favorite authors will be there, Sherrilyn Kenyon! I've had the honor of meeting her twice before but still look forward to seeing her again.

So, as you can see there's never a dull moment in my house. NaNo will also be my return to a regular writing schedule. After all, who needs sleep, right?

Life and NaNoWriMo Week 2

I have a lot going on in the next couple of days. First of all, tomorrow, the 16th, I'll have a guest blog at Nikki Duncan's site as a part of her release party for Her Miracle Man. I'll be choosing one lucky commenter for a prize. Nikki is also giving away a ton of prizes, including 2 airline tickets!

Next I'll be joining The Romance Reviews' Year-End Splash (YES!) Party on the 17th. Answer my Q&A for a chance to win my ebook Winning Back Wednesday. Their party lasts until December 15th and they're giving away over 300 prizes from various authors and publishers. It's guaranteed to be a really good time.

Then on the 19th I'm a guest on Anna Kathyrn's blog. I'll be giving away a very unique prize, a paperback copy of Jade Lee's Dragonbound. What's so unique about it? Just wait until you see the inscription. No, it's not to me, but my name is involved. You'll just have to check out the post to see it. ;-)

And last, but certainly not least, my NaNoWriMo update. As of this morning I'm sitting at 23,599 words. I'm on track for their goal of 50K but behind for my personal goal of 60K. I've been trying to push myself to write at least 2K words a day but it hasn't been easy. I've also gotten the first round of edits back for Too Hard to Break. That will cut into my NaNo time but will be so worth it. I'm really excited about Elle's story and can't wait to share it with all of you!

So that's my week in a nutshell. If I don't have a chance to post this later I just want to say I'm VERY thankful for my readers. I hope you all have safe and joyous holidays!!!

Life and NaNoWriMo Week One

So, what have you been up to this week? I've been writing, writing, preparing for a trip out of town this weekend, writing, and other things. Last Wednesday marked the first day of November and the beginning of NaNoWriMo 2012. I was iffy on participating this year because I knew I already have a lot going on this month. However, the idea for another erotic novella struck me and I thought, "What the heck?", and that was that. So if you're familiar with my Love Beyond Barriers series from Ellora's Cave then You might be happy to know my NaNo WIP is Ben's story. It's not in his POV of course. All of my LBB are from the heroine's POV. If you want to know which heroin is his you'll just have to wait and see. ;-)

First things first, NaNo. I've done fairly well so far. I'm currently at 14,340 words. Just over my goal of 2K a day so I'm happy. I'm not optimistic about getting much done this weekend but will try to make it up next week.

Second, this weekend. As I stated above I'm going out of town. Where? Why, Readers n'Ritas of course! I'll be in Allen, TX all weekend and would love to meet you if you're in the area. There will be a book sale and signing on Saturday at 4pm.

Third, the JDRF walk. I won't be able to attend this year as I had already committed to RnR before knowing the date for the walk. However, my team, Team Alice Jane (named after my daughter who has Type 1 Diabetes) will be at the walk with my mom. They will be walking in Montgomery County this year instead of the Houston walk, but it promises to still be an awesome event. If you're in the area and not busy Saturday morning you should go by to cheer them on. Also, it's definitely not too late to donate and help us reach our goal of $500. We're sitting at just over $300 right now.

Lastly, guest blogging. I'll be in a couple of places online this month giving away prizes. I promise to update my site with the info as soon as I get home on Sunday evening. Don't forget I'm still in the middle of a tour for Day Shift. I have a couple more stops before the holidays.

So that's it, that's my update. I hope ya'll have a fabulous and productive weekend. I'll be drinking margaritas! ;-)

'Cause I'm a Luuzerrrrr...

So another NaNoWriMo has come and gone and once again I DID NOT hit the 50,000 word goal. Le sigh. I'm disappointed in myself but realistic. Whenever I don't feel like writing, I simply can't make myself put words down. I tend to read as I write and edit along the way. I know that's not the point of NaNo, but it's how I write. I have to be in the zone, find my groove, feel my mojo working. Something. In November I had a gazillion things going on that had little to do with writing, plus a major release I did a piss-poor job of promoting. Somehow it still stayed on the publisher's top ten list for two weeks. (My readers rock!) But, to be completely honest, I was a terrible writer in November. At least, I had no discipline whatsoever in November. I'm going to try to be better this month, which won't take much, but with the holidays I don't have high hopes. My goal is to finish my NaNo project this month so I can submit it shortly after the first of the year. But honestly, it probably won't happen. I've also decided to be more realistic in my goals. I'm leaving that one because it's doable if I buckle down. Others are going to go by the wayside.

My hope for the rest of 2011 is to finish at least one MS. Hopefully it will be the sequel to Day Shift, but I have three I'm concentrating on. Other than that I'll be spending much needed quality time with my four girls and hardworking husband. If you don't see a lot of activity on this blog that will be why. However, if you keep seeing me on Twitter and Facebook, bitch at me to get back to writing. I'll need the ass-kicking at some point. ;-)

NaNoWriMo Take Six!

If you're following even one writer on any of the social networking sites you most likely know what NaNoWriMo is by now. If not, here's the short version. November is National Novel Writing Month. So, to celebrate, people of all shapes and sizes attempt to complete a 50,000 word novel within the thirty days of November. Last year I decided against doing it because I hadn't "won" NaNo the five previous years I'd made the attempt. However, this year I have a definite story idea in mind and I'm giving it a go. It's actually just the incentive I need to get some words done. Lately I've concentrated on promo and playing online more than actually writing anything. Time to get back in the zone. So, if you're a NaNoer too, feel free to add me as a buddy. I'm listed as mjhmcginnis.
Good luck and Happy Writing!!

Mid-Nano Blues

Tomorrow is the Ides of November and halfway through NaNoWriMo 2010. I confess I've already considered throwing in the towel a couple of times now, but I think I'll keep on going. I'm currently at 5,016 words on my official Nano manuscript, but I've actually written more than that in the past week. My problem is the other WIP that I have on my handy-dandy flash drive just won't leave me alone. I open my Nano MS and the other characters start screaming at me. Most vocal this past week have been Kotori and his woman Sanura. What can I say? I miss my shifters. The urge to get  lost in that world has been nearly overwhelming lately, so I opened up my previously published short stories.
In case you've missed them on my site, there are free short stories set my shifter world, based on minor characters. One is about Scott, the human co-worker of Alexia Williams. The other is about Fleur and Philip, lion shapeshifters not mentioned in They Call Me Death. I feel I've neglected my other blogs lately and rectified that by posting the free stories to them today. The humans got Scott's story and the shifters got the lions. I hope to make this a regular thing, maybe monthly. As I said I miss my shifters.
So here's the run-down on my writing:

• Nano MS: 5,016 words and drifting
• Vampire MS: 27,548 and hopefull
• Kotori's MS: 6,371 and full speed ahead

Of course, there are quite a few others in the works as well, but I refuse to open those for updates until at least one of these three is finished!

Updated Word Count and Book Signing

So, I've been anticipating NaNoWriMo for the past few weeks with both excitement and dread. Excitement because I really like the story idea I'm going with, dread because I also really liked the WIP I've put on the back burner to start fresh for NaNo. However, I have yet to successfully complete Nano and that is the biggest motivator of all. I can do this! At the time of this posting my word count is sitting at 1,761. Hmm, maybe I can count this post too...

Aside from writing my tail off this month, I'm also going to be selling and signing print copies of They Call Me Death at the Vintage Park Harvest Festival. It's this coming Saturday, November 6th, from 10:30 AM until 6 PM, in Northwest Houston. It's a wine and arts festival, where another local romance author, Teri Thackston, will be joining me in the Wrap up Romance for the Holidays booth. We are offering free gift wrapping of any book purchase.

I will be giving away free CDs which include the prequel to They Call Me Death, as well as a few short stories set in my shifter world. No purchase is necessary to receive one. So, if you're in the Houston area this weekend, please stop by and see us!