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You either love it or you hate it. I do both.
Or rather, I used to love it - since I'm a nerd - but then I had to edit two books pretty much back to back. That was incredibly stressful - especially since I got sick halfway through and Real Life was incredibly demanding at the same time. As a matter of fact, I might have sworn never to write another book again sometime during that process... Luckily, I don't seem to keep my promises. At the moment, I'm editing "Himiko: Warrior", and it looks pretty good. Of course, I can't see that; I'm obsessing over all the flaws (some of them only visible to me). But, taking a step back, I think this last part is going to round off the story nicely. "Himiko: Bonding" was all about the relationship between Matt and Pietr, while "Warrior" is far more dramatic. I still have an issue or two that makes it more sigh-fi than sci-fi, but there you go. I probably wouldn't be the overachieving perfectionist I am if that wasn't the case! Wow. I was amazed and very honoured to learn that Himiko: Bonding is on Fictionwise's bestseller list in two different categories. I should probably be all blasé about it, and I will be, I promise. As soon as I'm done running around in little happy circles:)
The good people at AllRomance (or their software, I guess) isn't that fond of italics. Since there's a lot of italics in "Himiko: Bonding", I had to find another excerpt for AllRomance. So if you'd like a peak at the life of Matt just after he bonded with Pietr, go to www.allromance.
... so incredibly close to finishing Himiko: Warrior. And I can't seem to figure out what's missing; all I know is that there's still something I need to do. But I can point my finger to it, and it's driving me crazy. I've even tried to let the book be for a month or so (okay, that was partly out of an attempt to survive working way too many hours a week). That helped me to see that I am, in fact, almost finished. Now I'm just waiting to get some sort of epiphany... It's even more annoying because Himiko: Bonding was never meant to stand alone; they should really be read together. Well, I promise to keep working on it!
Now it's officially official: "Himiko: Bonding" is being published today! I'm so proud:).
And I haven't even had to say goodbye to my characters (a sad moment, normally), because I'm still writing what began as the last part of this book and ended up being a book all on its own. It feels as if I've just met those guys, and they're really growing on me. I can't wait to share Matt, Pietr, Aki, and Robbie with you! And then there's Sam and Jerry. Oh, yeah... It turns out that sci-fi or anything close to that genre is a bit of a challenge to write. For example, your editor will hardly ever accept "because I say so" as an explanation for why things are the way they are in your fictional world. As a matter of fact, she will never ever accept that explanation. No, no, she's determined to have reasons and logical explanations and even rationality. It kind of sucks.
Of course, it does have the added bonus of vastly improving your story. And getting to know your characters a lot better; I now have a side plot that I can't wait to explore in the next Himiko book. Did I mention that it's a lot of fun, too? I'm really looking forward to sharing Matt and Pietr with you - only a few days left now! Sometimes the author is the last person to know: It turns out that my next book, Himiko, was really two books instead of one. So, Himiko: Bonding will be out as planned on February 9, and then the sequel will be out later this year. Don't worry, the first part can stand alone, and the second part is already mostly written - it was just getting too long for one book. I will enjoy the opportunity to let some of the secondary characters get a bit more space, though; one of the best things about writing is getting new fictional friends, and I definitely got a couple or four while writing Himiko.
As a matter of fact, I've got several - release dates, that is. I'm going to share my fictional friends with you in only a few months: "Himiko" will be published on February 9, 2011, and "Alphabet Soup" on April 27 along with the print edition of "A Russian Bear". I can't wait to have them out.
Editing, on the other hand, is something I try not to think about at the moment. It's not even that I don't like it; I'm nerdy enough that I actually think it's kind of fun. I've just been all written out these last couple of weeks. Well, I guess that was to be expected after the pace I've been keeping, so I'm just taking a break right now, reading for fun and reconnecting with my couch. Who said an author's life isn't exciting? It's been a good couple of weeks: Three contracts signed! One of them is for the print edition of "A Russian Bear", and then there's my slightly sci-fiish what-if novel, "Himiko". And then, this week, Torquere decided to publish my story about Andy, too. So far, it's called "Alphabet Soup", and while it's still BDSM, it's quite different from "A Russian Bear." Both novels will be published in print as well as e-book editions.
Now I think I need a little break from writing - I might go and check my "new books" folder on my computer... The good people at Torquere will be publishing my next book! So far, it's called Himiko, and I'll be back as soon as I have a date for it.
And by the way: It will be published in print as well as e-book format - and A Russian Bear will be published in print, too. |
CB Conwy
I read and I write - everything from corporate to kink. My naughty fictional friends are always there to make my life interesting. And pester me, of course. Pesky creatures. Archives
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