Tag Archives: the dragon and the pearl

Crashing after conference

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Little Sis just bought her house and is now going through the cycle of painting, carpeting and cleaning. She called me because she was feeling a little bit hum-drum and didn’t know why. Well, she actually did know why because we always have theories for everything. I suppose that’s why we write.

She likened it to how you always get depressed after finishing a big project. The house is finally hers, now what?

I know these things about me. I knew there would be a post-conference crash. I used up all the adrenaline stores by not sleeping, gushing over seeing and meeting so many people, and crying in the bathroom every morning because I couldn’t believe everything that was happening.

I’m finally writing again. I have no room for excuses. Little Sis says the revised 15 chapters of The Dragon and the Pearl are better, but she won’t start doing line edits until I send her the whole thing. Probably she’ll be reading it between fixing the house and settling in. What a slave driver. Love her.

Oh yeah, karma moment! I got to meet Hilary Sares who sat in front of me at the RITA/GH® awards ceremony. She was there for my chapter-mate Kimberly Killion, who was up for a Rita award. I thanked her in person for placing Silk and Seduction (aka The Dragon and the Pearl) first in the Gateway contest and requesting the full. I never got to send it to her, but it was the first time my writing got any notice from an agent or editor. And the manuscript was so very rough back then. If that’s not motivation to get these revisions done, what is?

Triple bypass surgery on the WIP

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I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Made huge gains on fixing structural issues with The Dragon and the Pearl and so I’m allowing myself to peek into the blogosphere. 🙂 *waves hello*

I can take most critique without batting an eye. Fix dialogue, layer in more sexual tension, need more emotion, need more conflict — it’s all the cost of entry. Even deleting complete scenes doesn’t phaze me. But what scares me to death and keeps me up at night are structural issues. The “this is not working” comments which mean you need to spend some time soul searching and then go medieval on your manuscript.

I spent the last week cutting major arteries and then trying to graft them back together. When it’s all done, all you can do is shock the heart and hope it beats again.

I think I hear a weak pulse. Need to nurse this baby back to health now. Be back soon for more random musings.