Tackle It Tuesday: Spring Break Edition!

I am officially on the last spring break of my college career. This means I have only two plans for the next week: seeing how many books I can read between now and next Sunday and writing. So far I have finished two books, maybe 50 pages before finishing a third, and have added scenes to and edited a short story.

As I write this post, I am fighting my nerves about posting it to my writing group. I hate when people see my work, but I know the group helps make my work better. They are the best writing group a girl could ever ask for. But that isn't my only writing plan. I hope to be finished through chapter four on my romance and get back fully into the swing of things with my fantasy.

Hopefully this week will be the break I need to take a deep breath before plunging back into the hectic scheduling I so fondly call my life. Short post today, but there isn't much to report, so I will leave you with the recommendation to watch The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. An amazing modernization of Pride and Prejudice set up as a vlog. Whether you love or hate Jane Austen, you will love this series.

Link for entire series

Big Decisions

This has been such a hectic week for me, as you may have seen in my last posting. Through all of that I have been in deep discussion with my parents and sister (all of their opinions I trust implicitly) about my future. I came to the conclusion that while getting a Master's degree would be personally satisfying, it is not something I need right now and not something worth putting myself further in debt for. This means I now have the seemingly insurmountable task of finding a job. I would prefer getting a job in the specific area of publishing I am interested in (acquisitions editor) but right now any way to get my foot in the door would be amazing. Honestly this decision lifts a huge weight off of my shoulders and I feel happier than I have in a while.

It is still kind of scaryamazing that I am already 23, about to graduate, and searching for a job in my career field. I still feel too young to be doing all of this. I know no matter what age you consider "adulthood" I have probably been there for a few years but it is hard to consider yourself as an adult when youare still in school and living in your parent's house. The world out there is plenty scary, but I am doing my best to prepare myself for it. It helps that I have an amazing support system.

Another decision I have recently made, though not as big, is to go back to working on my YA fantasy book. I originally put it to the side because one of the first things I was told about publishing is most debut authors do not get picked up with a series. My YA is most definitely a series, but with each book having a smaller arc and the series having an over all arc. I was speaking to a few people in my writer's group on Wednesday about that and they convinced me so many debut authors are debuting with series. This gives me confidence enough to go back to working on Searching For Destiny, which is my favorite of all of my WIPs. Since Song in my Heart is my second favorite, you can rest assured that I will still be devoting time to that one. It will actually probably sill be my main project. I will tell you more about Searching For Destiny and the entire Sunburst series another time.


What do you think about debut authors and series versus standalone novels? Do you remember when you were first thrust into the "adult" world?

Next Big Thing Blog Hop

So I had a totally different post planned for today, but a couple of great bloggers, Shayla Mist and Amanda Roberts, tagged me for the Next Big Thing Blog Hop. You should really go check out their blogs. I am supposed to talk about one of the books I have published or in progress. Since I have nothing published I picked one of my many WIPs.

What is the working title of your book?

Right now I call my story Song in My Heart

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It started with thoughts of my MC, Jessica. I had visions of a singer with green streaks in her hair and my mind just started building a story behind her.

What is the genre of the book?

The book will be contemporary erotic romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh I never thought about who would play Jessica until now. Maybe Jennifer Lawrence or Emma Stone, if they dyed their hair brown. Especially when they look like this:

 

For Julian, I have only imagined Daniel Gordh. Specifically how he portrays Darcy in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Singer, Jessica Jones, is pulled back home to be pressured into a marriage for money to the sexy, but irritating computer engineer, Julian Moore.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency/publisher?

There are no publishing plans yet, but I would like to go the traditional route and be represented by an agent and publisher. If that doesn't work out, then self-publishing is fine with me.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

*blush* I am actually still working on the first draft. This story won't see shelves for a while yet.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I think maybe a Nora Roberts book but with more sex.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I have been a sucker for romance novels for as long as I've remembered. I used to sneak my grandmother's old Harlequin romance novels when I was still in elementary school. I don't even know if I am physically capable of writing something without even a dash of romance in it.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Jessica is not a wilting flower. She stands up for what she wants and allows no one to push her around. Julian is much the same, so there will be plenty of head butting going on between the two.


Next on the blog hop will be Musa authors Karen Kennedy Samoranos and Grace Wen.

*I own none of the pictures used in this post