Tessa Dare

No, not one of those Wall Street banks.  I only wish I knew what to do about those.  In recent months, I’ve laid off the cable news channels in my house, because they seem to add little to my understanding of current events and much to my general feeling of unease.  But this week, that resolution is out the window.  It’s all about AC360 right now.  And I don’t mean to turn into a political blogger, but right now the uncertain state of our economy is really sapping…not my will to write, exactly, but definitely my excitement about writing.  Is anyone else out there feeling the same?

If there’s one thing the pundits agree on, it’s that this whole situation is far from over.  Like it or not, I had better just get used to writing through uncertain times.   So I’m going to focus on keeping my writing bank accounts healthy and robust.  You know, refilling that well of words inside.

Reading, of course, is the main way writers do this.  And as I blogged last week, I have a whole slew of new historicals calling me to my local bookstore today.  Thank heaven for happy endings.  But I realize I’ve neglected my non-romance reading of late, and I’m going to finally read a few other books that have been languishing on my shelves. The ones positively screaming at my from the bookcase this morning are Suite Francaise and March – both of which deal with moral ambiguity and personal responsibility during times of upheaval and war…hmmm.  I sense a trend.

Then I’ve signed up for a few daily email services.  A Word A Day, to build that vocab, and one that sends me a daily classic poem.  I adore poetry, and I don’t read enough of it.  Critically reading a poem, for me, is like a gym workout.  There’s this initial hurdle of effort that holds me back, for sheer laziness.  But when I do make the effort, I come away from it so energized, I wonder why it is I can’t be arsed to make it a daily habit.  And poems don’t require a change of clothes, or gym membership.  So a poem a day it is.

What do you do to refill your writer’s bank of words and inspiration?

And

Happy New Year to those celebrating the Jewish high holidays!

Maggie and Gillian!

Congratulations, you two.  Please email me your wish lists and snail mail addys…

Thanks to everyone who commented, especially Gillian for giving us the link to Terry Jo’s blog.  Both darelings caught a virus this week, and we’ve spent several days quarantined and miserable.  Things are looking up today: we’ve decided everyone’s well enough to go on the overnight camping trip we’d planned.

Oh, and in case anyone’s wondering about that Unleash Your Story progress… Between the novella I completed, and some synopses I’ve been working on for my new proposal, I’ve written about 18,000 words this month so far.  Still 2000 to go before September 30th, and I know I can make it.  I’m taking a notebook and pen to the campground     As a team, the Chocolate Mafia has already raised over $1000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!  And I’ll be pushing that total higher, as soon as I reach my goal and make my own contribution to celebrate.  Great work, everyone!

**Contest alert!  Win some books!**

September 30 is circled on my calendar several times, because there are an insane number of books coming out that day that I’m absolutely *desperate* to read.  As in, I’m counting the minutes until next Tuesday.  I mean, seriously: Quinn, Kleypas, Guhrke in one day!  Not to mention, an amazing anthology.  So if you don’t hear much from me the first week in October, it’s because I’m hunkered down with:

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn.  I loved Jack Audley, the deliciously roguish hero of The Lost Duke of Wyndham, but I’m just desperate to get to know the quiet, enigmatic Thomas, and read his and Amelia’s side of the story.

Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas.  OMG, have I been desperate for this story.  The moment I finished Mine Till Midnight last year, my very first thought was, “How will I possibly survive until Win and Merripen’s story comes out?”  I have a deep, visceral need to see them together as…Is it Merriwin?  Winnipin?  Other?

The Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Guhrke.  LLG amazes me more with every book I read.  Her characters feel so real to me.  I love her “girl bachelors” series, and the two previous installments have been instant keepers for me.  I know SDOAG will be the same.

It Happened One Night, an anthology.  Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacqueline D’Alessandro, and Candice Hern.  Okay, I’m sold.

Yes, the first week of October will be rapturous indeed.  I will be floating on a cloud of romantic bliss, oblivious to the heaps of laundry and dishes piling up around me.  I will personally give the pizza and Thai delivery people unparalleled job security.   Until then…I live in exquisite, desperate anticipation.

Okay, I promised a contest!  Leave a comment, tell me what book you’re desperate to read in the next few months. It can be one of these, or something else entirely.  Doesn’t even have to be a romance.  If you’re one of the two randomly-chosen winners, I will buy it (pre-order, if necessary) and send it to you! (Within reason, please.  If your dream book costs more than an average fiction hardcover, we’ll have to substitute another prize.)

Yay! I’m actually officially here in my new blog digs.  Welcome!  I think next week I’ll have some sort of contest to celebrate, but in the meantime, I wanted to just thank everyone for bearing with me and share some exciting news.

SQUEE!!! Beverley Kendall, another Fanlit friend, has just signed a two-book deal with Kensington!  Her debut historical, tentatively titled A Lady’s Compromise, will be coming to a bookstore near you in Fall 2009.  Congratulations, Bev!

Lastly: Arrrh, mateys!  It’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day!  I’m celebrating by taking the darelings to ride Pirates of the Caribbean for the one millionth time.

But, since piracy does play a role in my second book, Surrender of a Siren (releasing late August 2009!), I thought I’d leave you a little excerpt, below the fold.  Read the rest of this entry �

Hi!

I haven’t officially moved the blog to this site yet – as you’ll see if you poke around a bit, there are still some kinks to be worked out.  But you’re welcome to visit my old Blogger blog in the meantime.

Thanks for your patience. (Love the emoticons in Wordpress)

First, the Unleash Your Story update:
(see previous post for an explanation)

Three days into the challenge, the Chocolate Mafia now has seventeen members! As a team, we’ve raised $220 toward our goal already.

As for my progress toward my 20,000 word goal – eh, there hasn’t been much. About 1,200 words or so. I knew this week would be a hard week to write, which is why I kept my goal pretty low. In a normal writing month, I’d be aiming for 25-30K. The darelings start preschool again next week, which will make a huge difference. This week, we’ve been doing the back-from-vacation shopping and meet-the-teacher open-housing and what-the-heck-why-not trips to Disneyland, and I’ve had no energy to write when my day finally winds down.

But enough excuses. I will get there.

One of the projects I’m working on this month, now that I’ve finished my trilogy, is a short story that’s connected to GOTH by a very thin thread. Ever since the idea for this story took shape last year, thanks to a conversation with Vagabond Lindsey, I’ve had the heroine’s name in my head as Cecily. As I write, I’m not sure this is the best name for her anymore…her personality is coming out a bit differently than I anticipated…but that’s of no moment. Although I may eventually do a Find-and-Replace to change her name at the end, I’m going to keep writing her as Cecily. And sentences like this are why:

“Leave him alone,” Cecily added hastily.

Drat. That sounds ridiculous. It’s amazing, how this is curing me of my adverb addiction. I mean, I just can’t have phrases like “Cecily happily agreed” or “Cecily observed her companion warily” or “Merrily, Cecily danced to his side.” Horrible, horrible. Sounds like a nursery rhyme. The adverbs must go.

So, if you have a propensity to overuse adverbs, as I do, I highly recommend drafting your manuscript with a heroine named Cecily. Or Emily. Or Loralei.