April Speaks -Blog of a Romance Novelist - April Dawn

Wow, Hacked.

2011-03-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I'm shutting down this blog because of the whole hacking thing. Sorry about that folks.

Come see me at RT convention in LA in April. I'll be there the 6-8th, and I'm signing at the expo on the 8th. Hope to see you there.
April

Parting is such sweet sorrow. - Shakespeare

2010-03-26T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today I worked with Luke and Elisabeth for the last time. They are ready for their journey toward publication. It was kind of sad to see them go, especially with all the troubles they had getting together. I'd love to sit with them and rest on my laurels. But, they deserve to have their stories shared. Besides, I have others who want to tell their stories.

Check out the spotlight on my work.

2010-03-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Stop by and check out the spotlight. Feel free to read the essay and leave a comment. http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/index.htm

The Danger Series

2010-03-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is an intrigue series with spies and mischief a running background theme. Does anyone have any suggestions for a series name? What about a background series name? It should be an offshoot of the series name. Let me know what you think. I might just take your suggestion, and if I do, I'll be sure to dedicate the short to you.

I'm in the spotlight all week!

2010-03-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Stop by and check out the spotlight. Feel free to read the essay and leave a comment. http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/index.htm

What I'm working on.

2010-03-22T12:32:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd stop by and tell everyone what I'm working on. I'm currently working on a series called the Danger series (at the moment. lol) I have just finished a short which is a background story for the series, and I'm about 1/3 done with 4 of the 5 books in the series. I hope you will enjoy it, and keep an eye out for the short.

Oh, and stop by and check out the spotlight. Feel free to read the essay and leave a comment. http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/index.htm

Bound by Love is out!

2010-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

Bound By Love is now available through Breathless Press!
I have been waiting for this day for a long time, and it is finally here. I am officially a published author.

---
Innocent Chloe is imprisoned alongside her lover. Now she has two choices: Forget him and return home, or fight her way across continents, and through indenture, just to be with him.

Blurb
Chloe Adderley is on the run from an unwanted marriage and a father who is far more dangerous than she realizes.
Faced with an ultimatum that she can't accept: marry the man or starve to death in her room, running to her grandmother's house in Italy seems to be the only choice. She will pretend to be a governess, and hire a ship to take her there. It is a flawless plan. When she is robbed and knocked unconscious, however, she never suspects that the man who finds her will mistake her for a harlot.

Captain Darion Bannon is dismayed to discover that the unconscious woman he has taken aboard is actually an innocent lady. They find themselves falling in love, and Darion admits that he is a Privateer for the Sons of Liberty. When they are arrested for piracy, as the Crown calls it, they face a cruel prison and transportation to the Colonies, and Darion must fight to keep the woman he loves. Only their love can help them survive the cruel twists of fate.

---
April Dawn has decided that every dollar she earns from the sales of Bound by Love, and Crushing Desire from Jan 29-the release date-to Mar 1st will be donated to the needy in Haiti. So, read a book and help people, all at once. For more info check out her website.
Check out Bound By Love at Breathless Press today.
--- April Dawn

The Winner Has Been Announced!

2010-01-13T07:03:00.001-08:00

Check out who won the Bound By Love ARC giveaway. http://ahistoryofromance.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/monday-madness/

A History of Romance - Week one down.

2010-01-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

The first week of A History of Romance has gone by and it has been a fabulous success. I think things have gone really well. We've had a lot of hits and comments, and so far all reactions have been very positive. I've really got some great bloggers as well. What fun this has been so far.
Thanks to all of you who checked it out.

Busy Busy Busy

2010-01-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling to keep up with all this crazy, and I'm doing pretty well, I think. First, I have my releases which are coming out Jan 29th(Bound By Love) and Feb 12th (Crushing Desire). Several manuscripts in the works that need editing for submission. An editing service I'm providing to a few people. The new blogsite called A History of Romance. Not to mention, Cyn's story keeps pouring out of me at the most inopportune moments. Oh boy, but I'm loving every minute of it!
Hope you are all enjoying your new year as much as I am.

What did I learn in 2009, you ask?

2009-12-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of research in 2009, both before and after getting my contract for Bound By Love (Jan 29) and Crushing Desire (Feb 12) from Breathless Press. (breathlesspress.com)
I thought I would share what I have learned in a handy what I learned in 2009 post so other authors could benefit from all my hours of research.

In 2009, while doing research I learned-

-Editing is one of the most important parts of writing.

-Repetitive words must be reduced

-You should always show. Don't tell.

-You should send your manuscript to more than one agent/publisher. One may not like it,but another may love it, and if you make the big push and send to four or five agents at once, the first rejection won't scare you off forever.

-Always check preditors and editors before submitting work to an agent or editor, especially if they request your work.

-Ask an agent for a week or two to think about any offer they give you. Formulate questions to ask them during that time, and make sure you give other agents you queried notice so they have a chance to offer well.

-Always be gracious, no matter what. You never know who knows who.

-Build a website that suits your novels, not your personal taste. If you write sweet romance, don't use black and red with the image of the hot chick bending over the car. It sends wrong signals to your potential readers.

-Write helpful and interesting articles, tweets, and posts for the websites you have joined. People are more likely to add you if you are interesting.

-Join writing groups, clubs, etc. Go to conferences, events, etc. Get yourself out there.

-Set goals and stick to them.

In 2009, I learned personally-
-Don't use the same email you submit queries with to create your newsletter. Eventually someone will mark it
spam and then all your queries will go to spam. Instead use a separate email for these things.

-Editors are a great help to any author, and if you get the right one, it can be magic.

-Social networking is a fun and interesting way to get information out to the readers.

-There are a number of websites for authors, including authors den, and goodreads, where you can post a profile of yourself.

-Almost as much work goes into marketing your book as into writing it. (There will be an article on this specifically coming soon.)

-Other authors can help you find opportunities that you might normally miss, so be sure to keep your ears open around author friends and blog posts.

-Writing is a real job, and if you want to make it, you have to think of it as such.

-Contests can be a fun way to spread information and gain new readers and friends.

In 2010, I hope to learn what it is like to

-Have a great review (or many of them.)

-Get a great agent.

-See my novels in Barnes and Nobel.

-See someone reading my novels on the street.

-Hit 1000+ followers on Twitter.

-Have another reader send me an email telling my how much they enjoyed one of my novels.

If I achieve even one or two of these in 2010, I will be a happy camper. If I achieve them all *crosses fingers* I will probably faint. lol

How much history is too much history?

2009-12-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

I am often asked about writing historical romance novels...
People have questions like: How did you got started? Did you take a class? Do you have to be a history-phile? How much historical knowledge do you need? How accurate do you have to be? Where do you find historical information?

Well let me answer here and share my knowledge with everyone who would like to know.

How did you get started?
Well, I always loved the dress and manners of the 18th and 19th century. In a world where getting honked at while walking home from school was considered flirtation, there was something wholesome and sweet about the courtships of long ago. Yes, I do know there were rakes then, and there are gentleman now, but the extent to which public rakishness was allowed is the real difference. Not to mention that as a girl hitting puberty, it was much more exciting listening to the flowery words rakes used, than the ones the boys at school chose most of the time. If I had a time machine, I'm sure I wouldn't choose to go back in time and live there, but a good book is a wonderful way to feel like I am, without the all too realistic plumbing and chauvinist issues. :-D

Did you take a class?
Unless you consider the History and English I took throughout high school and college, no I did not. To prep for submission to a publisher, I read blogs by pubbed writers, agents, and publishers. They were very helpful. I read a lot of historical romance novels throughout my life and because of my love of reading, I also enjoyed a number of history books and classic historical novels. Those can help quite a bit with creating the feel of the time. If you write in Bronte's era, read her.

How much historical knowledge do you need? Do I have to be a history-phile? How accurate do you have to be?
You do need to love history, but it isn't really a requirement as long as you can stomach the sometimes lengthy research process.
You need to know the period. Reading other historical romance novels, as well as history books which focus on your time period can help tremendously. You need to know what they wore, how they behaved, and what social rules were.
There are always exceptions, of course. If you can't find out if they had pulls or knobs on their doors in 1745, leave it out. You don't have to include every little detail, peppering details makes for a more pleasant read anyhow.
I always say, do a cup of research, and use a teaspoon of it in your novel.

Where can I find historical information?
There are a number of places to get historical information. I love classic historical novels and history books best. My fav, at the moment, is Daily Life in the 18th Century. I also love to look at educational sites and certain historical blogs. I will warn you, however, double check any info you get on the internet to be certain it is correct. I can't say it enough. Check, check, and double check all resources, and don't use wiki sites. Anyone can add to them, even if they have no knowledge of the subject. A wiki site might tell you that Little Women was about a group of pygmy women. If you don't know that it's wrong, you might put it in your work. Double check, always.
Good luck as you go forth and discover your love of history.

That's right, it's contest time again, and just look at what you get now!

2009-12-05T21:31:00.000-08:00

I got dates and I'm lookin to celebrate! What better way than with a contest.

Win a signed ARC of Bound by Love and a decorative cotton tote to put it in.

To enter you only need to email me and tell me if you follow my blog aprildawnbooks.blogspot.com are a friend on facebook http://www.facebook.com/people/April-Dawn/100000160574030 , myspace myspace.com/aprildawnbooks , or follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/aprildawnbooks email for an entry because your name will be entered for each of these.

You can earn an extra entry if you answer a five simple questions. You can find answers to right on my site - aprildawnbooks.com. Email me the answers @ aprildawnbooks@ymail.com.
Everyone with correct answers will be entered to win. (I will email you to let you know if your answers were correct, and if not, you can try again.) One questionnaire per entrant.
Contest ends January 10th, and the winner will be announced on January 11th.

All you need to do to get five entries is to follow me on my blog and twitter, be a friend on facebook and myspace, and email me with correct answers to the questions below.

Good luck, and thanks for entering to win your CD of Bound by Love.

1-When did I first submit Crushing Desire for publication?

2-What was the original name of Bound by Love?

3-What is the release date for Crushing Desire?

4-Do both trailers for Crushing Desire and Bound by Love contain the book covers?

5-What is the name of my current work in progress, staring a female pirate named Cat?

HINT- Try looking at old blog entries. A lot of information can be found there.

I'm excited to announce...

2009-12-04T20:41:00.001-08:00

My release dates! I have release dates posted for both Bound by Love - Jan 29, and Crushing Desire - Feb 12th. Check it out on the release page on my website!
http://aprildawnbooks.webs.com/releaseinfo.htm

Check out the new poll and have your say on the next contest.

2009-11-13T11:14:00.001-08:00

If you selected other, enter your comment here. Tell me what you think.

And the winner is....

2009-11-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Caffey & Frankie, the hidden kisser
Congratulations Caffey on your signed ARC of Crushing Desire.
Hope you enjoy the story.
April.

It's voting time!

2009-11-01T04:18:00.000-08:00

Voting polls will be open for one week. Read the stories, then vote for your favorite story, and the winner will receive a signed copy of Crushing Desire.
(Links and poll are on the sidebar)
Happy Voting

Interview and A Little Taste

2009-11-01T03:20:00.000-08:00

I have added two new pages to my website. Interview has links to my Mistress Bella interview, my Writer's Wednesday interview, and my Halloween Bash chat transcript. A Little Taste has free reads to help you sample my work. There is also a Trailer page where you can check out my book trailers.
Come visit my site, and see what there is to see.

http://aprildawnbooks.com

Title change

2009-10-21T18:24:00.001-07:00

Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love has been renamed Bound by Love.

Writer's Wednesday Interview

2009-10-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Check out my Author's Interview for Writer's Wednesday

Agents

2009-10-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Watch for an article on getting an agent. I'm in the market, and doing the research. I will post an article on starting out, and then later one on getting an agent. (I hope. ;-D )

Double Duty

2009-10-12T09:17:00.001-07:00

Oh boy. I got the edits for Crushing Desire, and the edits for Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love at the same time. This should be an interesting challenge.

Edit, edit, edit

2009-10-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

There is so much to do. I'm editing two manuscripts right now. I can't even remember what writing was like. JK. When I'm done I'm going to celebrate with a whole day of just writing, no corrections at all. To reap the benefits of what I have learned about editing, read my post Turning Good into Wow.

Received some mockups of the artwork

2009-10-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

The cover for Crushing Desire is almost ready to go! The mockups I received were beautiful, and I'm sure Justyn Perry will do a wonderful job with my covers. His covers are beautiful.
Stay tuned for more on the trailers, which can be completed as soon as I receive the cover art.

Decisions, decisions

2009-10-02T23:45:00.001-07:00

I dusted off an older ms, and I think I'm going to work on it a bit. I'm reviewing, and refreshing my memory for the characters, but I think it will take precedence over Danni and Mina, for a moment. It needs to be brought up to speed. So many old friends on these pages, and I can't bear to leave any of them for too long. Especially with their stories untold.
We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Two manuscripts in the works right now.

2009-10-02T07:41:00.000-07:00

Working on another of my WIPs. I do so love to pull out old friends, dust them off, and let them continue their story. This two book set has been a fun one to work on, and both stories are well underway. I can't wait to share more about Danni and

Mina as time their stories come closer to completion.

Book trailers are nearly ready.

2009-09-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

I have finished the trailers, and only have to wait for the completed book art, and I will be able to publish them. Sneak peeks are out there, if you look hard enough, but the official trailers will be released soon, I hope. If you find one, and want to tell me what you think, feel free to do that here or via email.

Planning for Release

2009-09-26T07:58:00.001-07:00

I have to get ready for release. I know that the release date will be announced soon enough. Now it is all aboud finding reviewers, and getting the word out... Oh and my contest of course. I have found some very interesting sites so far, and think that the next article I write, (or one soon to come anyhow,) will be on the ways I have been advertising my book. They say a reader has to see a book 7 times before they buy it, so I have my work cut out for me in getting it out.
Looking into promo items for give aways as well. Hmmm. Bookmarks? Tote bags? Bunny slippers? What should I put my book cover on?

Here it is... The contest post... Enter to win an autographed copy of Crushing Desire.

2009-09-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Enter to win an autographed copy of Crushing Desire.

I remember my first crush. He was fabulously handsome. I saw him for the first time across a crowded elementary playground, and knew instantly that he was everything I would ever need. He swept his roguish hair from his eye, smiling in my direction. I waved shyly, hoping he would come over and we would live happily ever after. That was until I realized that he was smiling at the girl behind me...
Ouch.

Reply to this post, and tell us about your big crush, and your post will be entered into a poll to win an autographed copy of Crushing Desire on CD. Contest runs from September 25th to November 1st. Enter now. (Please keep the posts pg-13 please)

Poll to decide the winner will be posted after the contest closes. Winner will be announced when the polls close.

Book Trailers!

2009-09-24T07:29:00.001-07:00

Editing and revising. That was all I had been doing lately. I decided to work on my trailers for Crushing Desire, and Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love. They are both complete and awaiting their cover art. They will be released as soon as I have completed them.

Turning good into WOW

2009-09-23T08:01:00.003-07:00

Your manuscript is complete, now what?
Send it off to the publisher and/or agent of your dreams, right?
Wrong…

Now that your manuscript is complete, and your story is told you have a lot of work ahead of you. First, you are going to want to polish your script. I wish I had known as much about this when I turned in Crushing Desire and Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love as I do now. It would have made the final edit process easier, and more fruitful.
You can't finish a manuscript, and say it is good enough. Unfortunately, it likely won't fly in the publishing business. They will tell you, in no kind terms that the manuscript isn't polished, and that they can't accept it. I have discovered in my research about the craft that there are steps that you must take when you revise a manuscript and I will list them for you here.

Steps to a final edit…
I can't say it enough. Edit your manuscript… Edit, edit, edit.

Step one…
Download a text to speech reader.
These things are amazingly helpful for first as well as final edits. When you are reading your manuscript, things might seem to be going smoothly. You know what you meant to write, and you are reading those words, and getting wrapped up in the prose. Even your critique partner might miss a small mistake.

Example-
You meant to write:
They moved from the kitchen, holding hands as they went.
But what you typed was:
They moved form the kitchen, holding hands as they went.

This is a mistake you can easily miss. I know that I have missed it form time to time. JK. A reader -such as natural reader, which has a free download of their text to speech software- will catch these if you read along with it. I usually open the text in natural reader, and my word processor as well. I can then follow along in the word processor document and make corrections while the reader reads the text.

Step two…
Remove repetitive words, and beginnings.
It is important to remove repetitive words, and repeated sentence beginnings in the text. Overused words can get annoying and you might not catch them on first reread. Look especially for words like had, was, and that. Make certain that all -ly words, such as lazily, have a purpose. If not, omit them. Pay attention to words you overuse, and try to pare them in step two. Check your manuscript for the words saw and noticed, and see that the are not telling instead of showing.

Example-
Jane moved into the room, and was surprised. She saw John sitting on the couch, his length lazily stretched along the cushions of it. She was sure that he knew that she had no dowry, so why was he here? Was she to believe that he thought that she would not know it was he that had divested her of it?

This is a bit overdone, but you get the picture. It would be better written this way.

Jane stepped into the room, eyes widening in surprise. John reclined on the couch, stretching his length along its cushions. Her dowry was gone and he knew it, having divested her of it personally. So then why should he be here?

Removing the repeated and overused words gives the passage a fresher sound. In fact, you could remove the term 'in surprise', and 'stretching his length along its cushions' in this passage as well. They really are implied. Surprise is suggested in the widening of her eyes. The word reclined insinuates that he is stretched out on the couch. As a romance novelist, however, I appreciate that some things are left in for the craft's sake. It is up to you. Remove what you can of the repeated words without destroying your voice.

Step three…
Give the manuscript to one, or more, trusted reader(s)
A critique partner, or heck, even two or three of them can be invaluable. Give the script out to test readers. People who will read your scripts, and tell you (honestly!!!) what they think. They might give an opinion on the whole book, or on something specific you ask for an opinion on, but they can be invaluable to you. Your readers can tell you if some question isn't answered, or if there is a major flaw. Some critique partners will go through chapter by chapter with you, and give you a detailed critique.

Example-
I have a critique partner who is critiquing my current WIP chapter by chapter. I also have two readers that read my WIP and tell me what they think on the whole.

Step four… Final read-through and polish.

Once you have all the feedback, and have removed or reworded what must be fixed, it is time for the final polish. This is the spit polish, so to speak. You really want to do your best for this part of the final edit. I often use natural reader for this part as well. I want to hear how the final product is sounding. I keep listening until I can get all the way through without revision. Then my manuscript is ready.

Step five…
There is no step five… Yay… If you follow the previous steps, and polish your heart out, you will finally be ready to seek your agent or publisher. You will also have a far better chance that the search will be successful.

Good luck, and I hope this helps

2009-09-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned for a contest to win a copy of Crushing Desire. Contest begins on September 25th.

Tips and tricks on writing. How to defeat a block, come up with an idea, etc...

2009-09-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

Over the course of my writing career, that being ten years of unpublished toying, and six months of heavy work toward publishing, I have learned a lot about coming up with ideas and defeating writer's block. I have completed two manuscripts in publication with Breathless Press and due out by the end of this year, or the beginning of the next. (For details you can check my website.)
Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love - 88000 words, Crushing Desire - 75000 words. I also have several with between 5-50000 words. In addition I have a number of ideas which are scribbled down awaiting their turn.
Since the idea of writing only 5000 words is a daunting task to some, I thought I would give the benefit of my experience to those writers who wish to build a word count, build on ideas, and defeat the dreaded writer's block.

How to start writing a novel-

Before you can write, you have to know what genre to write in. My best advice with this is to think of what you know and love first.
For example, here are my favorite genres:
I know and love romance.
I also know and love suspense.

Next write a short story for each to see which you have the knack for. Have family, friends, or a few author colleges -if you have them- give them a read. Listening to the critiques and opinions will help you to get used to the negative comments that you will receive at some point in the journey to publishing. More importantly, it will allow you to see what you, and your audience feel is your best subject.
Personally I can't really write suspense. There is too much plotting involved, and I am a "the characters whisper to me" sort of writer. I never know what will happen until it happens.

Now that you have discovered what you enjoy writing and you are good at, you can move on to the ideas.

Ideas-

I tend to get ideas from things I see and read. For example, when I watched the movie Signs, I didn't say, oh wow they are safe when it ended. I said what do they do now. I mean half to three quarters of the world is gone. That has to make things a bit dicey for the remaining people. And what about the destruction?
I wonder similar things about bomb shelters. What if someone were to lock themselves into one, and come out a decade later to see that the world didn't end. (And no, this question was not answered by the Brendan Frasier movie.)
Crushing Desire was inspired by a raging crush I had as a young girl. I have no idea where the man is now, and I have found my hero, but it made me wonder what would have happened if he had been around my whole life? Would I still be pining away for him?
Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love came from my wondering what would happen if the captive fell in love with the handsome captain, and then the ship was taken. Would she be released, or sent to jail too?

Alternately you can take an old idea and turn it on its ear. The Comanche takes the beautiful white woman captive, and she falls madly in love with him. Been there, done that, right. A thousand times. What if it was the white woman taking the Comanche captive? Now there is a fresher idea.

Ok, so you have your idea. What comes next?

Write-

Tell yourself a good story. If you like it, chances are we will too. I write the stories that tell themselves to me. The man who wrote the Wizard of Oz used to tell the stories to his children at night. If you can tell a fun story to yourself, or your family, well then you can write it down and have a fun story for the publishers as well.

Defeating the evils of writer's block-

Writer's block has hit me three times since I started writing, and I have been able to defeat it in less than a day each time. However, the longer I resisted the remedy, the longer it lasts.
The remedy is a rewrite. Obviously you have written your character into a corner, or perhaps you have given them too many choices. You have to give them a finite number of options, but options they must have.
Try taking the story back to a prior choice, and starting again from there.

I had written a scene where the character punches her mother in law. I got stuck soon after. I couldn't figure out how to stop the heroine from taking the path that it inevitably led to. She just wouldn't see reason. Plus her mother in law was causing more trouble when I wanted her to calm and stop causing trouble.
Well, I backed her up, and started again. This time she settled for a scathing comment that hurt more than the punch, and things fell into place. Sometimes you have to erase hundreds or thousands of words, but it will be worth it if you can beat the block and move on to write tens of thousands more.

So there you have it. The most important parts to writing your novel and making it happen. Hope it helped you.

Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love

2009-09-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

I just got the news that my very first novel, now renamed Bound by Love, Unbound by Freedom, is being picked up for publishing as well! Keep checking back for publishing info on this novel as well.

Blog Classic

2009-09-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

This is a list of classic blogs from my old Blogging site.

And now for something completely different.

Posted by April Dawn at 01:47 AM on September 14, 2009

Sometimes you have to take a little break, and that was today for me.
I love to read, and got in a hundred pages of my newest 'been read' pile addition. I walked with my son, who is learning to walk, up and down the hall. It was so cute to see him toddle around. He is becoming more and more adorable by the day. I checked some emails and played around on facebook and myspace.
Then hubby and I went out. We don't get much time to be alone together as parents of a one year old. While we have fun taking our son with us wherever we go, it is nice to get a minute or two out on occasion.
Well, in the morning it is back to Cat, and her adventures, but for now, the night is still young.
Enjoy your evening all.

The contract is signed

Posted by April Dawn at 04:16 PM on September 13, 2009

Well folks, the contract is signed, and the paperwork is in. Now it is on to working with the editors and cover art people to get the book ready for publishing. I will keep you apprised of the goings on as they occur.

Let me take a moment to say hello

Posted by April Dawn at 09:30 AM on September 12, 2009

I have been noticing that I have a number of regular visitors. Let me just say that I think that is so wonderful. I get so excited when I see hits from Canada, Spain, Sweden, etc... I think it's fabulous fun seeing all the states I get hits from, as well.

I just want to take a moment to tell my regular visitors hello, and invite them to join or sign the guestbook. You don't have to, of course, lurkers are always welcome, but I thought I would send a personal invitation.

What you get when you sign up:
I send out email bursts whenever there is big news before I even post it on the internet.
I intend, when I get my release date, to make up a small newsletter that you can opt for which will give the pertinent information.
You also will be able to participate in exclusive upcoming contests.

Well, whether you lurk or join, thanks for the visit and have a great day,
April

Finished submisson paperwork

Posted by April Dawn at 05:39 PM on September 11, 2009

Just finished all the lovely little questionares, and things that go along with publishing a book. I hope the art department understands my idea for the cover art. We will have to wait and see how it goes. Next I guess they send me the contract to look over, and the editors have a look at my script in up close and personal detail. It will be interesting to see what happens from here.
As always, I will keep you posted.

Another publisher has shown interest

Posted by April Dawn at 10:24 AM on September 11, 2009

Wow, what do I do now? I wonder. Will there be more approvals in the days to come? Should I take the offer for publishing I have? I don't know. Whoa. This falls squarely under the "Decisions I never thought I would have to make" category.

Lo and behold!

Posted by April Dawn at 12:16 AM on September 11, 2009

I had expected to be writing a blog on rejection as a first time writer by this time, but I am amazed to say that a publisher has expressed interest already. I can't believe that I recieved such a quick response to my query, and hope to have release info soon.
Thanks to everyone that helped me along the way.

In the words of Tom Petty: The waiting is the hardest part.

Posted by April Dawn at 09:13 PM on September 09, 2009

I am trying to keep myself busy with writing, and trying to get a critique partner, but it isn't easy to wait. I got a reply from the publisher, it made me so nervous. It was, of course, only the auto reply telling me they received it, and will be reviewing it in time, but I am still nervous when I click that reply. I have my greatest hope for one publisher in particular, and we will see if they respond favorably.
Ok, I'm taking a deep breath, and keeping calm.

Here come the judge

Posted by April Dawn at 11:20 PM on September 06, 2009

I finally did it. I sent out the submissions for Crushing Desire.
After an exhaustive game of critique, revise, and repeat, I finally honed the manuscript, and the query letter sufficiently.

Many thanks to those at Likesbooks.com that helped with the revison of the letter. And of course, the query shark, who was super helpful as well.

As for sharing what I have learned, I have to say that it is so important to remember to keep the blurb original. If it sounds like every other book, it isn't going to go anywhere,Skip the cliches. If you are trying to sound like the blurb on a back cover you read once, you are already one step off.
Most importantly keep it streamlined. Don't let it get convoluted with a large number of names dates, and side plots that aren't important to the main plot.

I was so excited about query writing about original ideas that I already have the query for the book that I am still writing. Passionate Piratess is not quite finished, and already I am excited to submit it. {I do love the fun heroine}.
Anyhow, I will keep you up to date on what is happening as things go,

Networking, SEO, and link exchanges, Oh my!

Posted by April Dawn at 11:48 PM on September 03, 2009

I have learned a lot since deciding to publish my novels. For aspiring novelists and curious fans, I will share what I have learned about marketing for new novelists.

1 Create a website, and blog frequently to give fans a reason to visit regularly.
2 Enter said site into search engines, and link exchanges to encourage traffic.
3 Create profiles on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter, so that people can follow you.
4 When you are published take out ads and attend book signings to put your name into the public eye.
5 Host giveaways, and polls on you site to inspire visitors.

These are just a few of the things that I have been doing, and any new author would be expected to do. I hope this helps, and is educational to those who need the information. Good luck to you.

Too headstrong for her own good

Posted by April Dawn at 09:01 PM on September 01, 2009

Cat is driving me crazy. I need her to just accept her lot and go along, but she is fighting me on it. She wants to consider, and think about it. She wants to be headstrong, and I just want her to do it. Arggh.
Perhaps in a chapter or so she will listen to reason.

Rewrite above, I think it sucks?

Posted by April Dawn at 09:54 AM on September 01, 2009

I was just reading through one of my old manuscripts, preparing to decide what to do with it, and I came across this...
Rewrite above, I think it sucks?

LOL, that is too funny. I guess I wasn't sure.

On to the new

Posted by April Dawn at 04:28 PM on August 29, 2009

With the completion of two novels, and attempts at publication eminent, I find myself looking forward to working on several novels. I have a number in the works, most with characters that I already know and love. Some with odd quirks, some with great wit. What to choose next?
Perhaps the mystery. After all, I love the story, and the name.
Loves Dangerous Masquerade.

Kill your darlings

Posted by April Dawn at 12:57 PM on August 28, 2009

I thought it time to give some advice to writers out there, and insight to share with readers.

Stephen King says (in "On Writing") that sometimes you have to kill your darlings. I have discovered the hard way that this is sometimes true.

When he says kill your darlings, he is talking about those scenes you love. He talks about a scene in a novel he wrote where a man's charitable works are discussed. The scene didn't fit in the book, but he loved it so much that he made excuses for it. Eventually he realized that he had to remove it and he did, though a bit begrudgingly.

In my rewrite, I am having to cut scenes that I really loved because they are connected with scenes that I feel do not meet my current views as a writer. I have taken out 10,000 words, and three beloved scenes. I think it is a great lesson to we writers. Don't hold on to your darlings at the expense of the entire manuscript.

But oh, the pain of killing them!

Frustration

Posted by April Dawn at 11:24 AM on August 27, 2009

I am editing Bound by Freedom, Unbound by Love. It was the first novel I ever wrote, and has some scenes that I absolutely love in it. The problem, you ask? Well, it is so different from the voice I have now as a writer. I have to work on an almost full rewrite, or scrap it.
I don't want to scrap it, so I suppose that I will have to rewrite to make it a little less harsh, or set it on the backburner once again.
What to do... what to do...

The long hard road

Posted by April Dawn at 07:09 PM on August 24, 2009

Well, a few changes are turning into a full rewrite of the ending. I changed some things, and Rena and Joshua have been making it impossible for things to end as they had previously. I wonder where they will go from here. Such things hate and love make us do. Hmm, well, I must get back, they are waiting for me.

Changes, changes

Posted by April Dawn at 02:04 AM on August 22, 2009

I have found that I have been making some changes to Joshua and Rena's stories. I wonder if I will end up in the same place, or if the few changes will make the characters wind up somewhere different. Writing is always an adventure. Sometimes I find that even when I think I am done with them, they are not always done with me.

The continuing saga

Posted by April Dawn at 12:24 AM on August 19, 2009

Today I set up my networking contacts, or at least I started to. I also laid out potential marketing plans, and started on some query letters.

I had to take a character out of Joshua and Rena's lives. There were just too many people running around and their social calendar was too full.

So much that goes into this process

Posted by April Dawn at 12:30 AM on August 18, 2009

I have spent today reading all about what goes into the process of getting published, and I am so excited. I have a long road ahead, but it should be fun.
I also spent the day with Rena and Joshua. I have to do the final edit on them and make sure that they are ready for submission. Things seem to be shaping up well.

Taking Blogging to a new level.

2009-09-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

I have decided that a blogspot account will be easier to navigate than my old blog format. Since I have decided to start writing the occasional historical romance novel review, hold a contest or two, and still want to be able to post things both about writing, and not, this this seemed like a good place. I will be hosting a contest to give away the first autographed copy on my novel, Crushing Desire as soon as I have a release date. Look for details in a coming blog. Hope you enjoy the blog.