PANS IN THE FIRE

So, here's the deal.
I'm getting old and want to see what the hell I'm reading, so you'll have to put up with larger type.

For those of you who are wondering what will be coming out and when, here are the current pans in the fire. I usually have 
one project in creation stage=still writing the first draft,
one project in revision,  
one project in the hands of editors, and 
one project being prepped for launch.

As of this moment:
Creation: Wicked Enough (novella--Ivy and Wickham's story) 
               & also, Bones for Bread
Revision: Not Without Juliet
Editors: nothing 
Prepping for launch: Christmas Kiss (this should be on virtual bookshelves by October 8th)

I'm dancing as fast as I can. Thanks to all you readers who are waiting, both patiently and impatiently. I've been told by my editing staff that Christmas Kiss is uber cool! So, we've got that going for us!

Oh Crap! Another one of THOSE showers!

Good morning ROMEO fans!


Yes, I have, indeed, enjoyed another one of THOSE showers. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see the previous post.


Good news: it's in the same series as ROMEO, JULIET, and ISOBELLE. But this one will be IVY, a novella, and contains a letter written to Jillian from her Grandmother--The story of Ivy and Wickham, and his twin brother Walter. And you'll never believe who delivers the letter!


And for those of you who did not know that Isobelle was going to get her own book, well, consider this the big reveal. It will come right after Juliet, but you may get Ivy's story to tide you over in between.


Say hey if you, like me, love to be tided over.


LLM

WHY I AM AFRAID TO SHOWER

First off, you should know that yes, I do bathe regularly. I swear I do. However, I do not do so lightly...

It is a fact that every epiphany I've ever been granted came while I was in the shower. Nearly every character breakthrough, every clever title, every major twist that has landed with angel accompaniment into my humble brain, has done so while I was in the shower.


Why is that frightening? I'll tell you.


When I take a shower, while working on book A, the UPS man of genius drops off a package for book G. G for hellsakes! And in the scheme and schedule of things to come, G wasn't even on the radar! G CAN'T be on the radar. If I put G into the schedule, something has to get bumped. And the people waiting for books  B thru F are going to be un. happy.


I hate making readers un. happy.
My job is to make them happy period.
I'm the Happy Spreader.
(Okay, so I spread other things from time to time--no, not sunshine, more pungent--but the majority of my day is spent asking myself 'what does the reader want' and 'why don't I give them that'.)


So, you see why I am afraid to get in the shower?


I'm headed to the fray of spray in a minute, and let me tell you, I'm freaking out.
I'll let you know how it goes, maybe in the comment section.


Maybe I can hum the whole time...

Drawing for Chocolate Winner.....

Congratulations, Susan W!
You've won some lovely See's Chocolates for participating in the Angels and Demons Blog Hop!
You'll be contacted shortly for a mailing address.

For the rest of you, you'll just have to read SOMEWHERE OVER THE FREAKING RAINBOW with the snacks you bring from home.

And no matter what book you're reading, or who wrote it, be sure to leave a review if you loved it. Reviews can help your favorite authors WRITE MORE BOOKS. Trust me.

Angels vs. Demons Blog Party

Welcome to Writer's Block-buster Blog!


If you're hitting this as part of the blog hop, then you'll appreciate short and sweet so you can get on to the next stop. And be sure to hit them all. Prizes await!


My question for you: 
In this exciting sub-genre of paranormal romances, do you prefer your hero or your heroine to be the immortal in the story? (In cases where only one is an angel or demon.) And please, don't let the cover of my pretty book sway you--the book with the lovely female angel.

Leave your answer in the comments so your name can be added to the drawings. One of you will also receive, from me, a lovely box of gourmet chocolates to eat while you read your next angel romance. Hint, hint.


Here is a little excerpt from the book: 

      She’d imagined all kinds of cravings, for all kinds of flavors during her short existence, but never for the taste of someone.

      He was looking at her lips so intently she didn’t dare move them. His lashes were incredibly long, golden brown. His nostrils flared suddenly and the entire world tilted with his face as he moved forward. His mouth met hers as smoothly as...breathing.

     She focused all conscious thought to the rise and fall of his chest, to his nearness, and she could have wept for her lack of taste in her mouth or sensation in her lips. For the first time, she mourned for the depth of experience lost to her. 

     This wasn’t the smell or feel of peaches, or the taste of corn coming apart in her mouth. This was mortality beneath her hands, against her fingers...and completely out of her reach.


NOW, hop around the party, people, and win yourself a Kindle Fire or a Nook!

The Midnight Attack--to be read in Neil Gaiman's voice

It's that time of night when you let your guard down, only for a moment--like forgetting to go back and close the front door after you've hauled in your groceries.

And in that moment, something pads through the doorway on soft feet and comes up behind you while you're putting your thoughts away for tomorrow.


"What if you can't do it again? What if you've written your last story?" it asks, before you can turn and stop the thought from finishing.


And there you are, with that question already taking hold in the shadowy layers of your brain, daring you to let it stay and get comfortable. Daring you to leave it there, just until morning.


"Let me help you test your dedication," it teases.


But you can't. You know you can't. You have to deny it, pull it out before the roots have a chance to twist their tiny spindles into you. Because it will take. 


Oh, yes, it will take...


You can't let the thought repeat, not even once. You've seen what it has done to others--others who have put down their pens to tend the lovely gardens in their minds, to spend their thoughts on things prettier than villains and conflicts and the need to throw rocks at a hero while he clings desperately to the teetering branches of a story.


But you cannot pause to imagine what that carefree life might look like for you. You cannot pause. You must spin 'round and slap that monster out of your head.


Of course you can do it again. You've done it so many times already, started with a blank page and created an entire world upon it. Something with weight. Something with girth when it's printed off. Something tangible.


It should even be easier this time. (Of course, it won't be, but you can pretend.)


And just in case, you grab a broom and chase the thing back out the door, to let it know it is not welcome in your house.


Let it wander the dark streets and find some other mind to contaminate with doubt. And with luck, the doors will all be closed. 


And if it returns, and scratches at your window, the sound will be drowned by your furious typing.


--LL Muir

WRITERS ANONYMOUS MEETING

My name is L.L. Muir and I have a problem.


It's time to stop trying to be everything to everybody, but for the life of me, I have no idea how to drop a genre. 


There are kids in my head, waiting patiently for their stories to be told. Star-crossed lovers waiting to meet. There are historical figures there too, from a history that has yet to be written. So many stories, so little time.


Let's be honest. I don't write to live. I don't write to make a paycheck so I can buy non-essentials and take vacations. 


I live to write.


I cover the essentials so I can get back to writing. I write to make a paycheck for those essentials so no one can complain about how much time I spend bringing my puppets to life.


A hundred years ago, there was a really great Helen Reddy song--I forget the title--about a guy she kept prisoner in her radio, and when she went into her room and turned up the music, it let him out. (Okay, so that may not have been the real lyrics, but to a madly-in-love-with-love ten year old, that's what I remember them saying.) That song must have had a substantial impact on me if only for the fact that I feel that way about my characters.


I'm holding them prisoner, in my office, in my mind, and they only get to come out and dance at my bidding. Why in the world would I not wish to spend as many waking hours as possible in my little menagerie?


But now I have an issue with space. I have new people knocking on the walls of my little radio/genie bottle, begging to be let out, but my room is too small. Even for a nut like me, there is only so much space in my head, and I need to let some of these characters move out so new ones can move in. So I'm giving them a new cage--a completed, covered, purchasable book--and tossing them out into the real world, contained, but no longer taking up physical space inside me...


And I've become addicted to the wiggle room, the empty chairs, the walking space between the furniture. I've also become addicted to the roar of the crowd as I toss those books and characters out to them. (NEVER underestimate the power of the crowd, even if you're a hermit.)


So I'm turning up the radio and letting the characters out as fast as my fingers can fly across the keyboard. I can only tell the stories in the order in which they arrive and pray the crowd doesn't mind waiting for sequels to make it to the front of the line. And thus, my dilemma; a humorous Halloween story, WHERE TO PEE ON A PIRATE SHIP.


Are the YA and Historical sequels coming? You betcha. They're pacing the room even as I'm typing, peeking over my shoulder, trying to guess what I'm writing, grumbling when it's not about them. 


And can I tell any of them that I've decided to no longer pursue their genre? Heck no! They'd kill me. They'd find a way to drive me  certifiably insane on the odd chance the nice doctors might allow me to write more than I do now... And if that failed, they'd escort me to the high roof and insist I jump. Because if they can't live, I shouldn't either.


And so, out of self-preservation, I've decided to take the safely insane road of workaholism. No choice, really.  But can you imagine if I wrote Horror? The characters that would lurk over my shoulder? *shudders*


I'd go to a Writers Anonymous meeting, but I don't want to be cured...

Muir Witches--GOD IS LAUGHING

The most recent addition to the Muir Witch collection--a set of identicals, no less--is currently exploring the house of L.L. Muir. Every nook. Every cranny. Every pot, pan, and wooden spoon. The dog is hiding, smart thing.

I believe in my bones that my dearly departed grandmother, (Lorraine, by the way) stands on the other side of The Veil (between Heaven and Earth), peeking down and giggling. She was the daughter of a twin, the mother of twins, and I believe she and Grandpa Muir have been responsible for the uncanny number of twins in my extended family--all born, coincidentally, by the oldest daughters. I'll try to think of an appropriate way to thank them by the time I am called to the other side, but I'll try to refrain from blessing my descendants with duplicates.

Taylor and Taytum have recently turned two and concluded that we are all here for their entertainment and snack production.L.L. Muir

Word production on the current manuscript has come to a screeching halt.

I myself feel a holy crap decade coming on.
Heaven help us all.

YA GUEST BLOGGER!--The Book of Your Heart

Welcome Mari Mancusi to WRITERSBLOCK BUSTER!

She's talking about SKATER BOY and the book of YOUR heart.


SKATER BOY: The One that Got Away...

You always have that one book you've written. The book of your heart. Maybe it's a little autobiographical. Maybe it just reminds you of a simpler time. Whatever the reason, when you flip open this particular book, it just makes you smile.

Skater Boy, is like that for me. My first ever young adult novel, originally published in mass market paperback in 2005. Even though I didn't love the cover (which was made to resemble the popular iPod advertisements of the time) I felt there was something special inside. Maybe it's because it has a little bit of my own story, wrapped up in fiction.

Yes, one of my very first loves was a skateboarder. One my parents didn't approve of. And though our relationship didn't have a happily ever after and I now admit my parents were probably right, I always managed to retain a soft spot for those rag tag boys and their boards. So maybe it isn't surprising that the book still holds a special space in my heart.

Unfortunately now it's long out of print and hard to find. And when librarians or readers ask about it, I've had to shrug my shoulders. Heck, even the wife of my former boyfriend found me online to ask about obtaining a copy. (Which was, um, a bit awkward to say the least!)

But good news! Thanks to digital publishing, Mrs. Skateboarder and all the rest can finally read the book again. With a hot new cover that I adore and updated pop culture references to align with the times. (My husband calls me George Lucas for always updating my old books. (There are actually 3 different versions of Boys that Bite and Stake That if you read closely!) He thinks the books should be a moment in time. I, however, prefer to keep things fresh!)

In any case, now the book of my heart, the one I thought had turned to paperback pulp forever, is now breathing new life online. And I'm able to share my favorite story with brand new tween and teen readers who weren't old enough to check it out the first time around. And bonus--with self-publishing, I can do it for a bargain price, avoiding the traditional publisher overhead.

We're living in a thrilling time for publishing. It's a little scary, with things changing so fast. But it's a little awesome, too. Five years ago, an author was powerless, her books disposable at the whims of bookstores and publishers. And so many stories died forever, after only a few months on the shelves.

Digital publishing changes all that. Now old stories can come back to life. Authors can take charge of their careers. And readers can only benefit, with a wider selection of material to choose from. And that, to me, seems like a true happily ever after.

MARI

PS No, I'm never letting my daughter date a skateboarder.

SKATER BOY is available for $3.99 on Amazon, B&N, iTunes
Contact Mari

Website: www.marimancusi.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bloodcovenvampires
Twitter: marimancusi

THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY BREAKDOWN--An American Revolution

You remember the movie THE TRUMAN SHOW?

What we thought was the horizon was only a wall camouflaged by the publishers, part of the magical cage we all chose to live in because we were taught it was the only way to be happy, fulfilled writers. Well, someone found the door in the sky, and the writers are all escaping.

The agents, planted among the cast to keep the writers distracted, don't have many left to work with. But there are some. Does this mean it would be a great time to get an agent's attention? Probably. An editor's attention? Probably.

What you need to know is, the games are live.

There are two of them.
Which game are you going to play? Personally, L.L. Muir is playing them both. But first, I'm going for the bow and arrows! Proof here.
It doesn't really matter as long as you know the rules and payoffs for both.
But be careful about what you sign; you may have more leverage than you thought. You might be the only actor left on the lot. But you'll never know if you're not keeping up.

Unlike The Hunger Games, you won't be risking your life if you take some time to view the pile, look at your options, seize your best opportunities.