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Howdy! Happy Saturday! Reporting in for my weekly update:
Works In Progress News ~ I just finished the first draft of Olivia’s first attempt at a m/m. It’s a short and spicy story about best friends turned lovers. They teamed up to flip a house, and along with other plot points, I came up with the title FLIPPED . I’ll share six sentences tomorrow on my Six Sentence Sunday post, if you’d like to come back and see. I’ll have to figure out where to send it now, or if I should just hire an editor and self publish. We’ll see.
Industry News ~ Introducing the Kindle Cloud Reader! Not that I endorse any one reader over another, but this is an excellent way to read ebooks online using either your laptop (Chrome browser only atm) or Safari. Sounds like Amazon found a neat little loophole in Apples anti-competition policy for use in their iPads and such. And again, I’m not endorsing the Kindle or anything, but they’re selling refurbished models for under $100 if you’re in the market. I promise, some BN or Kobo news next week.
Real Life News ~ School starts soon here (YAY!!!). Now that school clothes are purchased, it’s time to hit the office supply store, which is more fun than clothes in my opinion. The 16yo might disagree. I’ve been taking my portable office (laptop) outside to enjoy summer while it lasts. The hours outdoors has shown me that the birds and squirrels that reside in my trees have very…um….interesting personalities. Neither species likes the cat. Not that the cat seems to notice or mind. Have you ever seen a cat roll her eyes? It’s pretty entertaining.
Search Term of the Week aka How People Found my Websites ~ You guys probably think I make these up. Especially when you see the search term that brought one very special Googler to AlannaCoca.com: alanna driving naked Seriously. I feel like I should apologize to this web surfer for not giving them what they were looking for, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t any photos/discussions of this particular Alanna driving naked. Keep looking, buddy.
Hero Quote ~ A quote by Trevor, the hero in my upcoming Carina Press release on September 5th (that’s right around the corner!)
“There’s something between us. The first time I looked at you I felt it. You feel it too. I know you do.”
Favorite Song of the Week ~ I Owe You a Love Song by the Shiny Toy Guns. This group is really great. They covered a Depeche Mode song and did a brilliant job. Their cover of Major Tom was featured on a commercial (I forgot what the commercial was, I think a car or something) Anyway, they’re relatively unknown, but a fan put this video together since they don’t have an official one. Enjoy!
That’s it for me, folks. Have a great week!
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
This week went by even faster than the one before! I guess that’s a sign of something. Not age though, shut up.
Well, here’s what I’ve been up to this week:
Works in Progress News ~ Continuing on the short for Olivia. I had to wait and see what these guys were going to do, I kind of put them in a pickle, but they worked it out, just like I knew they would. In the process I discovered some hidden baggage, which totally explains a whole lot. Pantsing is pretty fun when I learn these characters just like a reader. I’m right at 9K words, and now I’m working on the *big* scene. If I put my nose to the grindstone this week, I could have it done by next Saturday. We’ll see.
Industry News ~ I got nothin’. Either there wasn’t any news, or I didn’t think it was worthy enough to remember. Pathetic, I know.
Real Life News ~ I’m off this weekend to Denver. Going to take the kids for a little back-to-school shopping and I’ll meet some friends for lunch. It’s pretty nice being able to make a day trip out of the city, it’s also nice driving away from all that at the end of the day. The short drive is usually pretty good for my creativity also, so maybe I can think my way through a WiP or two. Other than that, still enjoying this gorgeous season of warmth and sunshine. Totally addicted to working outside, my laptop is covered in tree sap.
Search Term of the Week aka How People Found My Websites ~ Okay, this one from Olivia’s dashboard just bugs me: “position secured free”. I get a variation of this every week, for various book titles. Just a suggestion, if you’re looking to pirate a book, you won’t find it on the author’s website. {swearword}
Hero Quote: Today’s quote is from Cody Campbell, the cowboy hero from Wyoming Solace.
His eyes studied her face for an interminable moment before releasing a condescending snort. “You’re a horrible liar, Elise. I wouldn’t suggest you try that again. It doesn’t become you.”
Favorite Song of the Week ~ Josh Groban has an amazing voice. He could sing just about anything and make it sound good (case in point: Josh Groban sings Kanye West’s Tweet Stream) I’ve got a few faves by Josh, this one ranks near the top. A South African song about apartheid.
Well that’s my week at a glance. Now get out there and enjoy summer!
Posted 6 months ago. 1 comment
Howdy! It’s the last Saturday of July. Already. The summer sure goes quickly. I’m not going to let it go without a fight though!
So here’s what’s up this week:
Works in Progress News ~ Kicking butt on Olivia’s short m/m. These two are talkers. Not just telling me their story, but there is a lot of dialogue in this one, which is fun for me to write, and it seems to move the story along at a nice pace. I’ve got a few title ideas even, but nothing that’s set in stone. These two guys are best friends flipping a house together. I wasn’t inspired by Ty Pennington, but I’ll watch him work shirtless any day. It’s at 6,700 words now, aiming for 15-18k
Industry News ~ Ever take your Kindle to a book signing, and wish your favorite author could sign your ebook? Well here we go. Kindlegraph is here. It’s so easy, just pick the book, the author gets an email, the author digitally signs the book and it gets resent to your Kindle. Awesome, huh? Check it out, all my books are there! Kindlegraph
Real life news ~ I’ve discovered the joys of Netflix. I didn’t think my life was lacking until I found every episode of Cheers on Netflix. And Quantum Leap. And Psych! Seriously, this is not a good thing for someone who should be writing. I can’t wait for school to start so that television can remain off all day!
Search Term of the Week aka How People Found My Websites ~ This week someone found me by searching for: wait for it…
speaking dividends saturday july 23 2011 going press
Yeah. I don’t know. I’ve got nothing.
Hero Quote ~ Well, it’s kind of a conversation between Tessa and Josh from Olivia’s Tessa’s Pride.
“What are you doing?”
“Unpacking,” he answered without hesitation. He’d kept his back to her, but she heard him clearly enough.
“Well, yes, but…why?”
Josh straightened, then turned his head to pin her with a level look. “You told me to make myself at home.”
Favorite Song of the Week ~ My teenager is learning Busta’s rap. I’ll keep you informed. NSFW
Okay, that’s it for me. I’m working all weekend at the Evil Empire so each of you should feel sorry for me. Starting…..now.
Posted 6 months, 1 week ago. 2 comments
Saturday already? Wow, summer weeks go by so quickly. Well, here we go, my weekly report
New Release News ~ I got a great email from Carina Press, the publisher for PreView. My romantic suspense comes out in about six weeks, and Carina Press is already planning some great promotions. It’s going to be released during their Romantic Suspense Week. I’m not going to divulge the promotion plans, but I’m very excited to be a part of them. More info as soon as plans are finalized. If you like your love stories with a little bit of heart pounding excitement, then mark the first week of September on your calendars.
Works In Progress News ~ Well, I passed 20K on Olivia’s m/m novel. Then two days ago I woke up with not only a plot, but the first paragraph and even the conflict for a short story, so I had to drop everything to write it while it was still fresh in my mind. Now I used to do this often, but being scatterbrained is usually frowned upon, so I worked hard on focusing on one WiP at a time, and tried to finish. The problem with that is when I get stalled, rather than work on something that’s speaking to me, I just end up staring at the blank page. So call me a flighty pantser, but that’s how I roll. So this new one will be about 12-15K, a contemporary m/m friends-to-lovers theme, which I’ve always wanted to write. If it continues to write itself like it’s been, I might have more for you soon.
Industry News ~ I touched on the fact that Borders was closing, and that seems to be the big industry news this week. I’m seeing a lot of tweets from the publishing industry reaching out to the Borders employees with employment opportunities, which really warms my heart. Comic Con was held in San Diego, and while I don’t think my style would benefit from attending such a conference, the news coming out of Cali sounds like there was fun had by all attendees.
Real Life News ~ I’m not going to go on and on about how beautiful the weather up on top of this mountain is. I won’t tell you that I read news about heat waves and triple digits as I’m sitting outside in the perfect Wyoming weather. But I will enjoy it, because as much as I complain about my weather from September through June, you’re just going to have to give me July and August. Aren’t you glad I didn’t say anything about the weather? In other news, I gouged my shin on some aggressive Rubbermaid storage containers, and it looks like my first time shaving with a real razor. Hey, I never promised anything interesting in these updates.
Search Term of the Week aka How people found my website ~ One very special Googler found my website by searching: “rip her up nostril cocaina”. No. I did not make that up. How could I possibly make something like that up? I’m pretty sure it’s from a Googler whose native language is not English, but I doubt they found what they were looking for.
Hero Quote ~ A new feature beginning this week. A quote from one of my heroes, just for fun. This week I’ve got Derek from Fine Print:
“Women and men get together all the time for a variety of reasons. I think you’ve used enough science and logic here that your emotions won’t get in the way. I promise that once we get naked together, you’ll want it as much as I will.”
Favorite Song of the Week ~ Speaking of weather…okay you probably know the Norwegian group A-Ha from their 80′s hit Take On Me, or more accurately, the pencil-drawing-real-life video that went with it. No, A-Ha wasn’t a one hit wonder. In fact they have several hits in the US, and they’re still together and touring Europe. This song came out in the nineties, and I must say I like it better than the original. Let me know what you think. I’m a sucker for harmony.
I think that will do it for me. I hope you are all enjoying summer as much as I am. Thanks for stopping by.
Posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago. Add a comment
Happy Saturday! I hope you’re all out there enjoying summer to it’s fullest potential!
Works In Progress News ~ Plugging away on Olivia’s contemporary m/m. It’s titled Jackson (no, it’s not set in the ski resort town, that’s one of the hero’s names) When I get a little further along I’ll come up with a blurb for you. I already have plans for a second book in the series, but we’ll have to see how these guys shape up in the end. I ended up cutting a whole lot because it just wasn’t right, so I’m back at 18K right now. If I wasn’t such a pantser, I’d tell you more, but I’m just along for the ride here!
Industry News ~ Kindle is rumored to be developing a tablet device. No news yet on cost, but competition from Amazon is always good, especially for those of us looking for a tablet, but not willing to sink half a grand into one. There are also rumors about a new Kindle version to be released later this year. Further Reading Also sad news coming from Borders book stores, looks like liquidation is in their future. As much as I love my ebooks and gadgets, I hate seeing fewer bookstores out in the world for book lovers. Further Reading
Real Life News ~We have a saying around here: Wyoming has two seasons. Winter and Construction. You think that’s a joke, but actually it’s a warning for tourists. But really we do have summers. They’re short but spectacular. Unfortunately, since they’re so short, the entire region has to cram a year’s worth of construction into six weeks. So…since I’m a night owl, and can work well into the wee hours, bright and early every morning I’m awakened by the beeping and diesel rumbling of big yellow trucks. *sigh* A small price to pay for snowless days though, so I won’t complain…much.
Search Term of the Week aka How people found my website ~ While I might have mentioned a time or two about my celeb-crush on Derek Jeter, I truly can’t see how someone who is searching the web for him could possibly find my blog. Surely my one or two…or five…or maybe ten…mentions of Derek put my blog on Google’s page 500 or so on the Derek Jeter Search Terms. I’d like to think that it’s one of Derek’s publicity team members searching for mentions online so that Derek can come along and personally thank me for being a #1 fan. I’d better buy a new outfit.
Favorite Song of the Week ~ Marching On by Timbaland (pictured above) and One Republic. OR released this song without the Timbo influence, but I prefer this version. Sorry, I guess there’s not an official video, just this fan-made one.
Okay folks. That’s it for me. Have a great weekend!
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago. Add a comment
Well, here we are again. Another week flew right by. I’d like to say I was so busy writing, but um…I keep getting distracted. I love summer, but I can’t wait until the kids are back in school! The sweet dog in the picture here is Patrick. He was rescued from the jaws of death at the hands of an abuser on St. Patrick’s Day. I just love the look on his face here. We could learn a lot from this guy.
Works In Progress News ~ Still working on Olivia’s m/m WiP. I really wanted to get it to 20K before my tweet count hit 20k. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It’s just over 18K right now, and the first steamy scene is behind me. My tweet stream is moving right along as well, thank you very much.
Industry News ~ A British “journalist” wrote an article last week detailing why (in her opinion) romance novels are bad for women and relationships. There are a lot of disagreeable points in her article, such as only eleven-some percent of books mention condom use (uh…what?!) but the biggest problem I have is that she seems to think that women can’t distinguish between fiction and reality. Which is insulting. Further Reading
Upcoming Events ~ Olivia will be at the Nine Naughty Novelists on the 12th. I won’t give away her post topic. Not because I don’t want to tell you, but because I haven’t figured it out yet. I’m taking suggestions!
Real Life News ~It’s Rodeo Season in Wyoming. That means lots of traffic and tourists—and cowboys! Don’t be jealous. I’ll try to take pictures. There’s a carnival in town, and I’m pretty damn proud of the fact that my youngest doesn’t know about it. I’ll probably take her today though. Pray for me.
Search Term of the Week ~ Behind the scenes here, it shows me internet search terms that find my website. I get some doozies. I thought I’d share my favorite here. This week? ” irish dragged through the door” Why? Don’t ask me. I just hope that Googler found what they were looking for.
Favorite Song of the Week ~ Totally SFW. In fact, get your kids to watch, so they can try it out.
That’s about it for me. Hope to see you again tomorrow when I share six sentences for the weekly six sentence tour. Have a great weekend!
It’s been a while since I posted anything other than my Six Sentence Sunday snippets. Not that I have much to say, and not that I think anyone but my mom reads my blog *snort*. I thought I’d start posting an update every week. This way anyone who happens to stop by can see that I actually do more than tweet all day (occasionally) and maybe seeing the same update every week will give me motivation to get off my butt and write!
Backlist News~ Nothing going on with my backlist. Movie rights are still up for sale, and Oprah’s off the air. Dammit.
New Release News~ PreView is all edited! For those of you who read Preja Vu, it’s the same story, just refreshed, re-edited, re-covered, and will be republished at Carina Press in early September. Just in time for Carina’s Romantic Suspense Week! I know, I haven’t shared the cover with the world, but as soon as I get permission, I’ll do that. The blurb is on Goodreads, so you can see what it’s all about there.
Works In Progress News ~ I’ve got about three works I’d love to finish as Alanna. One is a romantic suspense, as yet untitled, that I was sharing six sentences at a time every Sunday. Unfortunately it got to a spot where it would bore you to tears to read it like that, so I’ve stopped posting. The file name is Parker, and it’s at about 16,000 of an estimated 60,000 words. I haven’t touched it in weeks though. I’m also working on a contemporary with a paranormal twist. No title for that either, its file name is Ian. (Can you tell I title my WiPs as my hero names? Yeah, I’m a dork.) Ian’s only about 8K. I plan on it ending up around 60K as well. I’ve also got an historical western with a treasure hunt plot. That one’s been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, and I really like the characters there. Unfortunately Olivia has taken over the laptop, she seems to think that her m/m contemporary is more important than all of my other works. She’s pretty pushy too, so I give in.
Industry News ~ I found it very interesting that JK Rowling is releasing her Harry Potter series in digital format, and all by her lonesome. Good on ya JK! Welcome to the future! Her plan is genius. Read about it Here.
Upcoming Events ~ I’ll be guest blogging at the Nine Naughty Novelist’s blog later this month. I met most of these ladies at the RT convention in LA earlier this year, and I just wanted to turn into a raving fangirl who dresses like the NNNs. They’re a great bunch of ladies, and a whole lot of fun, especially with PG’s wine and chocolate. But I digress, link to my guest blog coming soon.
Real Life News ~ The weather on top of this mountain is gorgeous. Our summers are enough to make 90% of you drool with jealousy. Not too hot, not too cool. The only problem is they’re not too long either. Gotta enjoy these months while we can! Also, my daughter turned 16, and I haven’t seen her since. Having another driver in the house is pretty handy. I don’t think I’ll have to “run to the store because I ran out of _____” for months.
Favorite Song of the Week ~ On My Level, by Wiz Khalifa, featuring Too Short. Love the bass on this, and the low harmony. Imagine me cruising down these small-town streets with this song cranked loud enough to shake the mirrors. Yeah that’s me. NSFW video:
I suppose that’s it for this week. Any topics you’d like to see a weekly rehash on the blog? Otherwise, see you tomorrow for Six Sentences from either one of my Works in Progress, or a published work. I haven’t decided yet. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted 7 months, 1 week ago. 2 comments
Michael from Hartshine Design made this beautiful banner for my signing table at the upcoming RT Convention in April. It’s so GD pretty I had to share with the world! Don’cha love it? It’s at the printer now, I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on the real vinyl thing!
Now I just need some really sparkly swag to give away… hmm…
Since discontinuing my Hump Day Hottie scenes, I’ve missed my weekly brain exercise, so I’ve decided to write a scene each Friday, and hope that my blog visitors will pick up the scene and continue the story in the comments, or write their own scene based on the picture I post. What do you think? Would I be talking to myself? Did that ever stop me!? Since the next two Fridays are already taken for real life festivities, I’ll start on Friday January 7th. I hope you join me.
Also, getting ready for a blog hop on New Years weekend. It’s going to be a great time, with bigger prizes than ever! Start your new year with some romance by some great authors. And me too.
Two weeks from today Olivia’s next book Last Call comes out from Liquid Silver Books! Head on over to Olivia’s Website to get the low down, and read an excerpt. It’s a fun little story, but it features a fireman, so it’s HOT!
Right on the heels of Last Call comes Tessa’s Pride, out on February 21. Olivia also should be starting edits soon on another short hot read At Ease. Another man in uniform too…
I guess that’s it for my updates. See you soon!
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago. 2 comments
After receiving a surly, and rather disturbing email, I’ve decided to discontinue my weekly flash fiction slash eye candy posts, affectionately known as the Hump Day Hotties. All former posts have been pulled.
I apologize to anyone out there who might have been offended by my fictionalized scenes under the photo of any man who is not currently a romance novel cover model.
Posted 1 year, 1 month ago. 3 comments
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