Writing Under Contract

Look at me! How cute is my hair?! Ha!

*I used GRAMMARLY to grammar check this post because I have two toddlers, two cats, and one large, needy canine each demanding my attention while I try to write a coherent sentence.* 


Writing Under Contract: The Down and Dirty Details

Writing under contract with the threat of a deadline looming is infinitely easier for me than writing simply for the sake of finishing a book. The pressure of a deadline I haven't set myself but has been set instead by an outsider (publisher, editor, rival, critique partner) keeps me motivated to stay on a schedule and WRITE. 

As some of you may know, my erotic romance series, Sinful South, was recently contracted by Ellora's Cave. The series will be complete (probably) at eight books including the first book, Sinful Southern Ink, which was published in 2012, and Sinful Southern Hero which is currently being eviscerated (edited) by my lovely editor at EC. Really, she's very nice but no matter how many times I receive first-round edits, I still get nauseous.

Under the Sinful South contract, I need to deliver a new, completed, 60,000 word novel to my editor every six months for the next three years. Sound daunting? It did to me until I broke it all down. 

Knowing Ellora's Cave requires certain plot points at specific intervals helps when outlining the stories. For example, in a longer story, EC requires at least three consummated sex scenes, with the first sex scene taking place during the first third of the story. I break each story outline into three sections and plot around the publisher's requirements. Yes, it's formulaic but I believe the test of a successful writer is taking a formula and infusing enough personal voice and creativity into the idea that the formula itself becomes nothing more than a structural element unnoticeable by the reader.

Considering the word count goal of 60,000, I'll need to write an average of 500 words, five days a week for six months to meet my deadlines. 500 words a day is such a small amount, it's absolutely doable for even the busiest of writers. Even if I take a week off, catching up won't be overwhelming.

My strategy for writing under contract/deadline: 

1. Cultivate main characters. (Names, personalities, appearance, etc.)
2. Give the story a title.
3. Break the story outline into three parts for plotting.
4. Divide word count goal by number of days until deadline and schedule accordingly.
5. Finally, the hardest part, SIT DOWN AND PUT WORDS ON A PAGE. 

When in doubt, remember one thing:  

Writers write. Period.

Cool Bookery Objects

3 Piece Hidden Dining Set, looks like a bookshelf when pushed together. Find it here.

Crazy hidden desk... Find it here.

This is from a company called Big Cozy Books. They make giant plush-ish books for seating and climbing.

Book Spines glued to the front of a drawer...

Hidden drawers. I love this!

Tissue box cover made from books. 

Awesome book sculpture. 

This looks cool but I'd be afraid it's a fire hazard. 

DIY Book page shoes? Yes, please! 

Book page wreath with clock center. 

Origami book page flower bouquet! 

I saw this at a flea market. I love the colors.

I made this. Super easy. $3 frame from Goodwill, just removed the ugly print that was inside and spray painted it the color I wanted, then modpodged book pages to a blank canvas, printed a lovely picture of a butterfly on my computer, cut it out and modpodged it onto the book pages, then glued the whole thing to the frame. 

Inflatable Homicide!

My kids have one of those inflatable boxing dudes. You know, the kind with water in a special compartment at the bottom which causes the guy to bounce upright no matter how hard you hit him? One morning I found him lying in the center of the living room floor, flat on his back. Some tragedy had befallen him, causing his water bladder to rupture and resulting in irreparable internal injuries.

I searched for his warranty. Alas, I was unable to find a 'living will' clause stating his wishes should he be rendered a quadriplegic with no hope of recovery. After a few days of watching him lay on his back, inflated but unmoving, never to pop up again no matter how many times my toddlers bodyslammed him then stood staring down at him in confusion and helpless anger, I decided a mercy killing was in order.

While the kids were out of the house, I held the dear blow up dude one last time, arranged his bulbous body over the kitchen sink, and stabbed that motherfucker right in the gut with the biggest butcher knife we own. His death was swift, the carnage great, the act shockingly satisfying. 

Now a new blow up dude stands in our living room. This one previously held a position as a pirate before accepting our offer of free room and board in exchange for becoming a punching bag, so hopefully he'll better defend himself from whatever crime was committed against his predecessor. Still, I'm kind of looking forward to the next mercy murder.

Real People, Real Tattoos

We all love to ogle those brilliantly photoshopped pics of models with excellent artwork tattooed onto their lovely, flawless skin. My Pinterest homepage is testimony to this fact. However, those perfect pictures lack something. Something unique and unedited and REAL. So, I've decided to do a post about real, average people and their tattoos. Check out these awesome, heartfelt, sometimes funny tattoos and the stories behind them.

Elicia

I got my tattoo 3 years ago. I'd been wanting one for a very long time but just didn't know what to get or where to get it. I played around with ideas for a while then got the brilliant idea of combining my kid's names: Caity and Tyler...Caityler. My husband drew up an idea using my favorite flowers(daisies), the butterfly and the ladybug(my favorites too). The tattoo artist cleaned up and simplified my husband's design a bit, and my tattoo became a real thing. I love it and definitely want another one. My tattoo is located on the upper right side of my chest. My next tattoo will be on my wrist and be either Courage or Strength as I am embarking on a new adventure...separating from my husband after being together for 21+ years.

 

Brenna

 I'd been considering getting this tatt for a couple of years before I did. My husband and I were on our 20th anniversary weekend away, and I mentioned that I wanted to get the tatt done, so he coughed up the money to do it, right then and there, as a gift. I got the hotel to print off the design I already had on my computer and took it to the tattoo artist. He was a little concerned when he saw it was glyphs. He wanted to be sure I knew what they meant, so I wouldn't be proven wrong later and want it removed. Since I created this language for one of my series worlds (Night Warriors...in fact, I've got those two glyphs at the top of the series page on my site), there was no chance of that problem. I'd chosen the set of glyphs I'd named Zel Jee, meaning 'death and justice.' The artist was floored by the idea of me wanting to put a fictional language on my ankle, but he did it for me.

TattPhoto46- 15 years old- I'd said for years that I wanted to get a tattoo, but it wasn't until after my son was born and I thought I was done having children that I decided to get it done. I'd already picked out the standard design with a friend of mine a few weeks earlier. It's a lion cub, lounging on a log. My husband went with me to get it done, since he had two hand-tapped tattoos already. When the tatt was originally done, it was in full color. Now, the black has turned dark blue, and the other colors have faded, leaving it a line-drawing look to it. I could have it recolored, but I sort of like that it looks weathered.

When I got the first tatt done, I made sure it was in a place that couldn't be seen in office wear. By the time I got the second, I knew I'd never be going back to an office, so I didn't worry about that. It will still be hidden in dress pants, but I didn't chose the placement with that in mind.

Would I ever get another tattoo done? I don't envision another at this point. My kids are old enough to start getting theirs now, so that's cool to watch. My oldest is planning a tattoo not much different than my older one. She wants a snow leopard the same place I got my lion cub.

Brenna Lyons

http://brennalyons.com

 Cathie

I have eight tattoos all together.  This one is “HOPE”.  I am a breast cancer survivor since 2004.  I know that there is hope out there for a cure and I will always hope for the best.  I also have the pink ribbon and the word survivor in pink on the back of my neck, but I can’t take the picture.    I got this tattoo in about August, 2012.  I got the ribbon and survivor on the back of my neck in 2007. 

Do I plan on getting anymore tattoos?  Probably, it’s like chips, you can’t eat just one, well you can’t get just one tattoo, as I already have eight.

 

Merritt

Middle of back says "Teufelhund" it is the name the Germans gave the Marines in WWI at the battle of Bellewood and it translates to Devil Dog. Over the shoulder states "Never forgotten Fallujah 06" which is a tribute to my Marines which didnt make it home.

Am I going to get another, YES. I plan to extend the tribal down over my shoulder into a 1/4 sleeve with a spartan helmet or shield molded in.

 

Sean and Elizabeth

Sean's tats are the tiger mom and baby (for me and Katelyn) on the underside of his left forearm and the semi truck and whale for the memory of his dad who was a truck driver and went by Whale that is on the back. 

The tribal band is on his upper right arm which is 4 in one.  First was bull then the dreamcatcher.  The bead band is tied underneath (you know so his arm doesn't fall off)  and the feathers were added later on.  The last one is the infinity and 13 on the wrist on his left arm (his watch covers this).  We were married on 8/13/05. The infinity for love and it also makes an 8.  13 for luck and the day itself.  Sean also has a john deere logo on his leg.  He wants to get more.  He wants to get Mater because he was a tow truck driver.  Mater will be on the opposite side of the semi and will have a tow rope thrown across to the semi. 

As for the horseshoe, that is my only one so far its on my (Elizabeth) back shoulder.  It symbolizes my country inside and luck.  The same infinity symbol and 13 as Sean's.   Plus, the shoe is right side up to hold my luck in.

A big thanks to everyone who participated in this blog post! 

If you enjoy reading and are a fan of tattoos, be sure to check out my Sinful South Series from Ellora's Cave. 

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

As part of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, I was tagged by Samantha Boyette in her post last week. The purpose of this hop is to introduce readers to writers and works that might be unfamiliar. This includes new releases or Works in Progress (WIP).  This is week 28 of the hop.

According to the rules of the hop, I will be answering the same questions as every other blogger on the hop about either my newest release or my WIP and then I’ve tagged Cornelia Amiri who will do the same thing in her blog next Wednesday,  January 9th.

Q & A

What is the working title of your book?
Caged in Myth, written under the pen name J.T. Fairfield

What genre does your book fall under?
Upper YA / New Adult, LGBT Dark Urban Fantasy

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Jay, the main character, would definitely be Ian Somerhalder.

Colin, Jay's love interest and co-worker, would have to be Joe Manganiello.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The Bayou Zoo, where magic is real, the beasts are deadly, and a bad day at work can literally mean the end of the world.

What is the longer synopsis of your book?
Octavian Julius McKellter— “Jay” to everyone who doesn’t want a punch in the face— struggles with keeping the secrets of his supernatural community and his own secret...he's gay. Throw in a dose of danger, deceit, and Louisiana heat, and you'll find yourself CAGED IN MYTH.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
While I'm published by Ellora's Cave and Eternal Press under the name S.J. Drum, I have self-published Caged in Myth under the pen name J.T. Fairfield. The story has also been submitted to Random House's new digital only imprint.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Caged in Myth is the first story in a serial novel. It took me about six months to get the manuscript where I wanted it.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I spent a few years as a zookeeper and elephant handler in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. My time there inspired a lot of the events in Caged in Myth.

What else might pique the reader’s interest?
Unlike most of the stories in the Urban Fantasy genre, Caged in Myth is told in first-person POV by a male main character. The fact that Jay is struggling with his sexuality is more of an undertone than the main focus.

 Continuing the Blog Hop next week, Cornelia Amiri, author of The Scottish Selkie and more!

A STEAMPUNK / ALCHEMY CHRISTMAS TREE

This year, I decorated our Christmas Tree with an assortment of DIY ornaments with steampunk and alchemy flair. This was surprisingly simple and inexpensive to create. I found everything at a local craft store and assembly took less than two hours. *Caution: If you're using magnifiers as ornaments, assemble your tree in an area of your home without direct sunlight.*

Materials: Large Felt Top Hat, Pearl Strands, Plastic Sand Art Bottles in various sizes with Cork Tops, Skeleton Key Ornaments, Various Magnifying Glasses, Food Coloring, Water, Bronze Craft Wire

 

 This top hat is not the $20 "christmas tree top hat tree topper" found at retail stores. I bought a $4 large felt top hat at the craft store and added some red ribbon and holly, sat it on top of the tree and viola! A Top Hat Tree Topper

 

I created different sizes, colors, and designs of "alchemy potion vials" by filling plastic sand art bottles and test tubes (sand art bottles were $0.50 each and test tubes can be found for $9 per 10 pack) with food coloring and water, then wrapping each tube in a flexible, bronze craft wire. Super easy! 

I found several antique looking pocket watches on clearance for $5. They made perfect accessories for my steampunk tree and I can use them for other things through out the year. 

Various sizes and styles of magnifiers complete the look. If using magnifiers as ornaments, make sure to keep your tree in an area of your home without direct sunlight or keep your shades drawn to avoid fire hazards. I found a three pack of magnifiers for $2 at the craft store. 

 

My kids love this tree, especially the magnifiers which are super fun to look through. The potion vials are non-toxic, being only water and food coloring, so they're safe if the kids get curious and open them... which they will not do because I told them the potions would turn them into spiders. Ha!

History of an Author

During the Second Grade, my class was given the task of writing a story for a homework assignment. Me? I wrote a book. Then, I begged my mom to type it up, bind it and laminate the cover. I even illustrated the entire thing, every page, with colored pencils. 

Last week, my mother found this book, still intact, in a box in her basement. Without further fanfare, here it is... Complete with poorly illustrated cat nipples, spelling errors, grammar mishaps, random POV shifts and a convoluted plot about a promiscuous lady cat, a randy tom cat, and the offspring they sired.