A Little At A Time

I've slowly been working on revisions for All or Nothing. Up to Chapter 2 now. It's slow work, a lot of errors to fix in this MS. I did, however, finish the synopsis for All Because of You this week. Once my critic is finished reading it, I'll be submitting my work. Still waiting on my membership for RWA and to hear back from Nevada State College. I have a feeling I'll be waiting a couple more weeks.

The Immortal Highlander by Karen Moning

BEWARE: lethally seductive alpha male of immense strength and dark eroticism, do not look at him. Do not touch him. Do not be tempted. Do not be seduced.

With his long, black hair and dark, mesmerizing eyes, Adam Black is Trouble with a capital T. Immortal, arrogant, and intensely sensual, he is the consummate seducer, free to roam across time and continents in pursuit of his insatiable desires. That is, until a curse strips him of his immortality and makes him invisible, a cruel fate for so irresistible a man. With his very life at stake, Adam’s only hope for survival is in the hands of the one woman who can actually see him.

Enter law student Gabrielle O’Callaghan, who is cursed with the ability to see both worlds: Mortal and Faery. From the moment she lays eyes on this stunning male, Gabby is certain of one thing: He could be her undoing. Thus begins a long, dangerous seduction. Because despite his powerful strength and unquenchable hungers, Adam refuses to take a woman by force. Instead, he will tease his way into Gabby’s bed and make her want him just as he wants her.

Now, no matter how hard Gabby tries to avoid him, Adam is everywhere, invisible to all but her—perched atop her office cubicle in too-tight jeans, whispering softly from behind the stacks of the law library, stealing her breath away with his knowing smile…all the while tempting her with the promise of unimaginable pleasure in his arms. But soon danger will intrude on this sensual dance. For as Adam’s quest to regain his immortality plunges them into a world of timeless magic and the deadly politics of the Faery queen’s court, the price of surrender could be their very lives. Unless they can thwart the conspiracy that threatens both mortal and Faery realms…and give them a shot at a destiny few mortals ever know: glorious, wondrous, endless love.

Lazy

I've kind of been lazy the past week or so. Well, in the writing sense. I finished that first draft of All or Nothing last week and just haven't done anything sinse. Husband and I moved from Utah to Nevada over the weekend and I don't have the motivation to sit down to write yet. I should though, considering we'll be starting our new jobs next in exactly one week. I may not have time as I'd like to write by then. If you haven't noticed, I redesigned the site today. See? No motivation to write, but blogging, I can do. I tried to make the site more fun rather than black, white and boring. so I hope all of you two readers out there enjoy it (me being one of the readers)!

Update and Long Overdue Book Review

I forgot I needed to write a review of Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript for all you writer's out there. First off, it's a great source for every type of writer and style. The guide covers novels, short stories, magazine articles, the works and gave me the information I needed. This book isn't going to tell you how to write a book, but gives you great advice if you're looking to sell your work. The main reason I purchased it was to get a final summary of how to format my manuscripts, query letters and synopsis. There is so much information out there on the web that I was getting confused and this book helped me clear a lot of it up. So if you're wanting to sell your writing, definitely make this book a part of your research. Not only is there great advice, there's quotes from literary agents, telling you what they're looking for.
Now, onto the update. The first draft of All or Nothing is done! Yay! At about 359 pages, I made my goal of getting it finished before out big move this weekend and am very satisfied with the way it turned out. There is a lot of work still needing to be done with it, more additions, things like that, but now that I know exactly what I want and the way I want it, it'll be a piece of cake.
Another tidbit of information: I sent in my application to Romance Writer's of America and hope to hear back from them within the next couple of weeks.

Coming Along

14 pages today on All or Nothing. I thoroughly enjoy writing this MS for some reason and am excited to get the first draft done within the next week or so. Some big changes are taking place this week. Husband and I are moving to Las Vegas this weekend and I'm sending in my application to Romance Writer's of America tomorrow. I'll be getting my first desk in our new place so I won't be writing at the kitchen table anymore. Yay! And within the next month, I'll hear back from one of the bachelors programs I applied to. Things that I've been planning for months are now suddenly upon us and I can't put into words how excited I am.

The Dark Highlander by Karen Moning

From his penthouse lair high above Manhattan, Dageus looks out over a glittering city that calls to the darkness within him. A sixteenth-century Scot trapped between worlds, he is fighting a losing battle with the thirteen Druids who possess his soul, dooming him to an eternity of sexual pursuit. When Chloe Zanders, student of antiquities, is drawn into his world, she finds the insatiable alpha male an irresistible lure.Before long, she is caught up in an ancient prophecy that will sweep her back into time to medieval Scotland. Plunged into a world of timeless magic and dark seduction, she will soon face the challenge of a lifetime: fighting thirteen evil spirits for the heart of one irresistible man....

Characters

When reading through a few writing articles, I came upon this list of questions that authors should be able to answer for their main characters, namely in the Romance genre. I found it very conclusive and thought I would share the list. When developing characters it's important to be able to answer every question you can about your imaginary friends.

• What is this character’s name?
• What is her age and birth date?
• What does she look like?
• What is her astrological sign? Does it matter to her?
• What are her parents like?
• Does she have brothers and sisters?
• How important are her family relationships?
• Where does she live? (Urban? Small town? Rural?)
• Why did she choose to live there?
• Does she live in an apartment? House? What type or style? Did she choose the residence, and why?
• Does she live by herself? With others?
• What are her important material possessions?
• What are her hobbies?
• What is her education?
• What is her job? How does she feel about her work?
• Is this a long-term career or just a job?
• What does she want to be doing in 20 years?
• If she has unexpected free time, what does she do?
• How does she feel about the opposite sex?
• What is her relationship status? Single? Divorced?
• Does she have children?
• Who is her best friend? Why?
• Who is her worst enemy? Why?
• How would a former date describe her?
• What one event has made her who she is today?
• How does that turning point in the character’s life relate to the other main character in the story?
• What trait does she have that she wants to keep secret from the world?
• What does she like most about her life?
• What does she dislike most about her life?
• What would this character die to defend?
• What are her most likable and unlikable traits?
• As the story begins, what is her main problem?
• What does she do that makes this problem worse?
• Who is this person’s love interest?
• What qualities in the other main character are most attractive to this person?
• What is her ideal happy ending?
• What reaction do you want readers to have to her?
• Why should the reader care about her?

Work, Work, Work

All or Nothing is coming along well, almost 300 pages now. I've been trying to focus my extra time on getting this MS done, but now that I've already written all the exciting parts, it's kind of boring to write in between. On a good note, I made some headway on my first try at a paranormal romance, Demon of Life. It's still in the planning stages, but today I made some big steps in getting closer to what I want. I'll be doing a lot of research for this book, not only religious, but historical. I'm looking forward to it.

The Highlander's Touch by Karen Moning

A Warrior Of Immortal Powers

He was a mighty Scottish warrior who lived in a world bound by ancient laws and timeless magic. But no immortal powers could prepare the laird of Castle Brodie for the lovely accursed lass who stood before him. A terrible trick of fate had sent her 700 years back in time and into his private chamber to tempt him with her beauty—and seduce him with a desire he could never fulfill. For this woman he burned to possess was also
the woman he had foresworn to destroy.

A Woman Caught In The Mists Of Time

When Lisa felt the earth move under her feet, the fiercely independent 21st-century woman never dreamed she was falling...into another century. But the powerful, naked warrior who stood glaring down at her was only too real...and too dangerously arousing. Irresistibly handsome he might be, but Lisa had no intention of remaining in this savage land torn by treachery and war. How could she know that her seductive captor had other plans for her...plans that would save her from a tragic fate? Or that this man who had long ago forsaken love would defy time itself to claim her for his own....

Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Moning

A laird trapped between centuries...

Enchanted by a powerful spell, Highland laird Drustan MacKeltar slumbered for nearly five centuries hidden deep in a cave, until an unlikely savior awakened him. The enticing lass who dressed and spoke like no woman he’d ever known was from his distant future, where crumbled ruins were all that remained of his vanished world. Drustan knew he had to return to his own century if he was to save his people from a terrible fate. And he needed the bewitching woman by his side....

A woman changed forever in his arms...

Gwen Cassidy had come to Scotland to shake up her humdrum life and, just maybe, meet a man. How could she have known that a tumble down a Highland ravine would send her plunging into an underground cavern — to land atop the most devastatingly seductive man she’d ever seen? Or that once he’d kissed her, he wouldn’t let her go?

Bound to Drustan by a passion stronger than time, Gwen is swept back to sixteenth-century Scotland, where a treacherous enemy plots against them ... and where a warrior with the power to change history will defy time itself for the woman he loves....