So I’m starting the new book today. It was supposed to be yesterday but I realized I needed to do some research first and yada yada, I excused myself for another day.
But today it begins.
Really. It does.
*wanders off*
No, I’m back. And I’m focused.
I have done the following prep for NIGHTSHADE (out in 2011! Pre-order available, uh, in a year or so)…
1) Put together a soundtrack of suitable angsty yet hard-driving songs, a la vintage Marilyn Mansion and Evanescence. (In contrast to my lighter stuff which usually gets the Pink and Avril Lavigne treatment)
2) Searched for images of actors to represent my characters. Heroine Jillian is iffy — possibly a Charisma Carpenter meets Ally Walker, but Declan the dhampyr is definitely Sam Worthington. With just a hint of Gerard Butler.
3) Brainstormed plot twists and plot bunnies (scenes that one looks especially forward to writing) contained within my snazzy new notebook.
4) Made a desktop wallpaper of my characters.
5) Researched the Nevada desert, specifically Death Valley and surrounding areas.
6) Watched a couple movies with the feel I want for this book — the original Terminator and Blade 2, for example.
And, uh, that’s pretty much it.
The problem is, the beginning of books…getting that initial “jump off” into the wordy goodness to come… that’s hard for me. I am, at my core, an incredibly lazy person. I mean, I chose an occupation where I never need to leave my couch. Now, that’s lazy!
I used to blog a lot more about my procrastinatory tendencies when I was a newbie who loved complaining online. Now I’m not a newbie, so I mostly keep my complaining offline, because guess what? Nobody wants to hear it. Nope. Nobody. Trust me.
The thing is, as much as I procrastinate and whine and bitch and complain about starting…I know I will. Start, that is. There’s no real question here. And I know I’m going to meet my deadline. Actually, I’m going to be finished this book way early. It’s due January 1st which is forever from now.
With the writing schedule I’m lucky enough to have right now (aka: Active!!), I can’t twiddle my thumbs for too long. I can’t dance around an idea, a plot, a character until it feels absolutely perfect. I need to, if I may quote Nike by way of Battlestar Galactica, “Just Frakkin’ Do It.”
Of course, I have these patterns to deal with that I tend to fall into for days at a time. Patterns I’ve only become aware of recently.
The OMG WHY CAN’T I GET STARTED? pattern.
The OMG WHY IS THIS SUCKING SO HARD? pattern.
The OMG HOW DID I GET SO AWESOME? pattern (*this is rare)
The OMG WHY DIDN’T I BECOME AN ACTRESS AND/OR SUPERMODEL INSTEAD? pattern (**this is delusional)
Bottom line, writing is hard.
Three little words. Writing. Is. Hard. And anyone who says it isn’t, and that being a writer is just a la-la-la I’m having fun every day! gig is not really a writer. Or they’re on some really amazing drugs.
Sometimes the words flow. Mostly they don’t. But at the end of six weeks I will have a first draft completed of approximately 85000 words of vampire deliciousness. No matter how much procrastinating I do in the next 42 days, of this I can assure you. I WILL FINISH.
What I end up with is another thing altogether.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m totally missing Oprah.
Today’s the day I start working on NIGHTSHADE! Let the procrastination begin! At least when I’m procrastinating writing I do something constructive, so the condo should be very clean and organized for the next couple of weeks. And I’ve been meaning to paint my bedroom walls. Hmm… I’m thinking mango.
I’ll probably also procrastinate by reading. I don’t read half as much as I’d like to. I’m one of those people who will not keep reading a book if it doesn’t capture my interest right away. I’m very hot or cold that way. If I love a book, I really really really love it. But if I don’t love it, well…why waste my time?
I got a chance to read an ARC of CATCHING FIRE recently. I didn’t get to THE HUNGER GAMES for quite a while because I didn’t think I’d like it. If everybody seems to be raving about a book, I’ll typically avoid it because my expectations will be too high for it to ever live up to. For example, it took me over a year to get to Twilight after I’d already bought the book. The first chapter didn’t hook me.
When I finally started THE HUNGER GAMES, though, it grabbed me in the very first chapter, sucked me in, beat me up, threw me around, made me cry and laugh and hope and wish for everything to turn out okay in the end. I was on the edge of my seat. I can’t say how much I loved this book. LOVED IT.
It’s basically about a teenaged girl named Katniss who lives in a rather dystopic future where the oppressive government chooses “tributes” in the form of one girl and one boy from each of 12 poverty-stricken districts who will fight to the death in an arena leaving only one winner who, along with their family, will then be given a life of leisure.
But it’s SO MUCH MORE than that with some romance and amazingly layered characters, a twisty plot with heaps of surprises, and it’s so, so, SO GOOD!!! (FYI, I’m totally Team Peeta.) Katniss, while frustratingly realistic in some of her decisions, is vividly alive on the page, super smart, self-sacrificing, and a real survivor. Love her.
Madonna is rumored to have a painting by Frida Khalo on her wall. New visitors to her house are asked if they like it. If they say they don’t, she knows that she can never be friends with them.
I feel the same way about THE HUNGER GAMES. If you hated this book, we probably won’t get along very well. I feel THAT STRONGLY ABOUT IT!!! It ranks in the top three favorite books of all time for me. Close to the top. In fact, I can’t think of another book that I liked better. Wait…let me take a look at my keeper shelf… nope, even ILL WIND by Rachel Caine – the last book that really blew me away – has to step aside a little bit.
So, it was with much trepidation that I picked up the second book, CATCHING FIRE (it’s a trilogy). After how THG ended, I couldn’t fathom how the author, Suzanne Collins, could fill another book…let alone two! The back cover copy only hints at what will happen.
I bow before Ms. Collins. She is the master. I will follow her everywhere and plan to read her backlist asap. She totally succeeded, making CATCHING FIRE arguably more compelling than the first book, mostly because the reader is already invested in these characters. I won’t spoil it by giving anything away, but, while the first third is a little bit action-free compared to THG, this is more than made up for in the rest of the book. IN SPADES.
So there you go. An author whom I now adore that I’m not friends with, have never met, and have no reason to promote. And you must read her immediately!!! But start with THE HUNGER GAMES.
So I’m curious… what’s the book that blew your mind? Your top keeper shelf pick? The one you’d recommend the most?
Are you looking forward to reading TALL, DARK & FANGSOME (only 12 days to go!!)? Please Vote for it in Bitten by Book’s new poll! (you can vote for three books in August you’re most looking forward to reading).
Shameless plug over. Kinda.
Speaking of TALL, DARK & FANGSOME… nice segue, right? I decided to do a reading yesterday and post it to YouTube. Because it’s 2009 and this is the sort of thing that’s “in.” And I want to be “in.” Just once in my life I’d like to be IN!!!
Is that too much to ask for?
Ahem.
It took way longer than I thought it would to read Chapter 2 so it’s split into two different clips. Plus I added some stuff in iMovie, which is not an intuitive program and I haven’t done the tutorials, etc., so I really had no idea what I was doing. As will be evidenced if you watch.
Okay, what a fantastic build up!
I present you with yours truly doing a reading of Chapter 2 of TALL, DARK & FANGSOME, in which Sarah has just removed the gold chain that magically keeps her nightwalker tendencies at bay in order to save a fledgling from being staked by hunters.
Hey, remember that paranormal book, LIVING IN EDEN, I’ve talked about? The one that’s coming out next May and is going to rock and that you’re going to get totally sick of me talking about soon?? Well, it’s got a new title. I will now be officially referring to it as THE DEMON IN ME. Which, actually, means pretty much the same as LIVING IN EDEN, only the original was a play on the heroine’s name, etcetera. I’m very happy with the new title. Enough that I made a little graphic of it to brighten up this post.
I would post a picture of a hot demon-like guy to celebrate, but I recently got a smack-down by a celebrity photographer whose photos I used on the blog without permission (they have since been removed by moi). When he emailed me I immediately got defensive. I mean, what a jerk! But then I thought — omg, he’s absolutely right! How can I get peeved about ebook piracy when I ignorantly use someone else’s work without a thought as to who produced it? So I’m going to keep a closer eye on the photos I post here. Because I hate hypocrites and I don’t want to be one if I can help it.
So this week I was going to just chill and recoup my energy from my last book. But I’ve been busy busy busy with all the chores that I’ve put off for a couple of months. They do stack up quickly!! And I’ve been doing some graphic design and generally keeping myself super busy with Things Other Than Writing. But the calendar doesn’t change. Therefore, I am officially starting on NIGHTSHADE on Monday. I want to blog a bit more than I have been recently. I’m such a slacker. Like, at least every other day I’ll be here. It will probably be progress reports, mostly, but there are other things to talk about than writing, right?
Like the finale of So You Think You Can Dance? What did you think? Personally I was hoping Brandon would take it (despite the “apology” from Mia, I think she was over the top, unprofessionally rude and demoralizing to him and would have liked to see him stick it to her a bit more). But Jeanette took it and I’m happy for her. She’s a cutie and if I had legs like that I’d never wear pants. I’m just saying.
Don’t even get me started about The Bachelorette. What a waste of time! And yet, I always watch this show. Reports are that Ed has already cheated on Jillian! How sad is that? However, a clip of this show on The Dish helped me finally see the difference of aboot versus about debate. And I am firmly confident that it’s the Americans who say it wrong. So there.
Movies I’ve seen lately…
The Proposal — Cute, if somewhat unsatisfying. Love Sandra Bullock, she can do no wrong. Ryan Reynolds = hot. I enjoyed it, but wouldn’t buy it on DVD.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Liked it. Saw it twice and liked it better the second time. I have Ginny issues. There’s just zero chemistry there. But since there was also zero chemistry in the books, I’ll forgive the same flaw in the movies. I’m still disappointed that Draco never turned out to be the Cordelia Chase of the Harry Potter Scooby Gang, but I’m trying to get over it. Sigh.
The Hangover — Funniest movie, possibly ever. I’ve rarely laughed so hard in public. Very R-rated, though. I would not go to see this with my mother.
Wow… I haven’t been seeing many movies lately. If I’ve seen more than the above, I forget them.
As far as books, I’m currently reading a bunch at the same time — including an ARC of Catching Fire (which, so far, is good but isn’t blowing my mind like The Hunger Games did). I have a very hard time concentrating, thus the reason for multiple novels on the go. I’m going to start reviewing books that I really enjoy here on zee blog.
How about you? Seen anything this summer that’s really stuck with you? TV, movies, or books? I’m always up for suggestions.
Bestselling author Michelle Rowen makes her Harlequin Blaze debut with a spirited novel that proves oil and water can mix — over and over and over…
Everybody knows there’s no love lost between paranormal investigators Amanda LaGrange and sexy Jacob Caine. They can’t even stand being in the same room together….
Well, unless its an enchanted bedroom.
And they’re trapped there, at midnight.
And the sexual tension suddenly becomes too powerful to resist…
Then that bedroom gets really hot, really fast! But come morning, they still can’t keep their hands off each other. Are they cursed forever? If so, neither one’s complaining .
–
Blaze-alicious, wouldn’t you say?!?
Totally makes you want to pre-order it, right? Well, don’t let me stop you!!
Okay! I have officially submitted the finished manuscript of LIVING IN EDEN #2 to my editor. Hooray! I’m calling it SOMETHING WICKED right now, but I don’t know if that title will stick.
I tell you, I learned a lot by writing this book. It’s my 12th contracted novel (??!!) and you’d think I would generally know what I’m doing by now. Well, you would be wrong.
I wrote this book without a very specific outline because for some reason I had myself confused with someone who can write without a specific outline. So I foundered until I hit on my main plot thread. Also, without firmly established GMC (goal, motivation, conflict) for my heroine, she kinda walked through the first draft like Luna Lovegood.
This, thankfully, was rectified in the second draft which, I have to say it, nearly killed me. But I IZ ALIVE!!! And the book, I think, now pops with emotion, action, danger, and plenty of humor.
But that’s just my opinion. We’ll see what my editor has to say when she reads it.
A comment to an earlier blog post asked me “what is Living in Eden about?” It made me realize that I really haven’t discussed these new books at all, other than sharing the general blurb about it from the original sale. Well, believe me, I will be rectifying this very soon.
Soon you’ll be all, “Michelle could you shut up about LIVING IN EDEN + its FABULOUS AND ENTERTAINING SEQUEL, already? Let’s talk about something else, please!!”
And I will pretend that I’m not hurt by this, but really, I will be. And it will be awkward between us for a little while until there comes a time when everything is back to normal. That is when I will start talking about it again and the cycle shall begin anew.
But not quite yet…. because there’s another book coming out soon that I’m also extremely fond of. That’s right, TALL, DARK & FANGSOME is out in a mere 22 days!
And the reviews are starting to trickle in… and the word is good! The last book in my Immortality Bites series seems to be meeting with approval and satisfaction from readers who have followed the series. I honestly can’t believe it’s been three and a half years since Bitten & Smitten came out.
Romantic Times gave TD&F 4-1/2 stars! I’m so happy about this! Here’s what they have to say:
The fifth and final book of Rowen’s offbeat, first-person Immortality Bites series races to its highly satisfactory conclusion. The plot threads that have been woven throughout the series finally blend together to reveal the finished tapestry. Rowen’s sassy style of storytelling has allowed this plucky heroine to blossom while she takes readers on an amazing journey. Brava!
Summary: To say that vampire Sarah Dearly is caught between a rock and a hard place truly sums up her current predicament. A witch’s curse has turned Sarah into a nightwalker, a killer vampire, and only an enchanted gold chain keeps her beast in check. Adding to her problems, millionaire vampire hunter Gideon Chase has threatened everyone Sarah loves if she doesn’t agree to turn him into a vampire.
Gideon also insists Sarah break up with her true love, master vampire Thierry. Sarah must battle her dark side and her sneaking sympathy for Gideon if she is going to find a way out of this major mess. (FOREVER, Sep., 352 pp., $6.99)
—Jill M. Smith
I think I’m going to throw another virtual book launch party here on my blog. So mark your calendars for August 25th and put on your virtual party dresses and organize your virtual designated drivers.
Now, I’m going to be taking a couple days off to recover from SW’s 2nd draft. I will likely be staring blankly at walls and drooling a bit. Same as usual!!
Next week I start writing NIGHTSHADE, where the vamps will not be offbeat or plucky. Despite this, I’m still looking forward to getting started.
"(F)unny, sexy and completely entertaining. Rowen writes charming, believable and seriously funny heroines and then weaves a dark tale of intrigue around them…Can’t wait for more! It promises to be a fantastic series.”
~ RT Book Reviews on THE DEMON IN ME
I got a chance to read an ARC of 
In fact, I can’t think of another book that I liked better. Wait…let me take a look at my keeper shelf… nope, even ILL WIND by Rachel Caine – the last book that really blew me away – has to step aside a little bit.
Hey, remember that paranormal book, LIVING IN EDEN, I’ve talked about? The one that’s coming out next May and is going to rock and that you’re going to get totally sick of me talking about soon?? Well, it’s got a new title. I will now be officially referring to it as 
