HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING LORELEI'S WRITING JOURNAL IN 2011. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL IN 2012!!!

Chapter Three

Well, I've been excited about my newest project ~ the mystery. I knew I wanted to do this book, a far cry from my normal very wild Sabrina Strong series. Way back in the fall I had taken out a very old manuscript (about 10 years old), and was looking through it. My main character's name was JanVladislav in this. I liked the name but better yet I came up with a totally new name: Jansen Crosse - thus this is called my Jansen Crosse Murder Mysteries. If there actually will be more than one.

Anyway, I had some characters figured out, borrowed, if you will, from the former novel (which, BTW was a vampire novel--eh-hem).

I, of course needed a MURDER to solve. I also had to figure out the basics. You know the...
WHY?
WHO?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHEN?
...questions. I needed the murder victim(s), and the basic mystery plot. I had to know the who/why/how/when stuff; in otherwords who did it and why.

I also had to totally leave behind whatever ideas were in the vampire novel and just allow myself time to relax. After being off the job for about a week, the ideas began to naturally slam into me at the normal time they always do--when I've lain down to go to bed!

Of course! That's it!

I grab my recorder and begin rattling off my ideas.

At this point of writing (two days) I'm into chapter 3, but I see I need to lead my two detectives--Jansen has a partner, Detective Evans, off on some wild goose chase (a false lead). I've aready planted a clue and interrupted it with introduction of another character who will be a main player in the whole sceme of things.

I'll need a red herring--have not yet decided on them as yet, but I'm working on this. I may have it by tonight.

But the one thing that I did hold on to was the mansion, and an old tunnel that leads from the old mansion to this very old church--or, if I decide later that there is no tunnel (another false lead), but a hidden room inside a hidden room where slaves were given a place to stay during the Civil War erra... all of this I will consider and decide as I go along.

The mystery is harder to plot, of course. I need to know when and where to plant certain clues, how to minimalize them by certain tricks of the traid. I'm still learning how to write a mystery, actually. I know I like to read them.

Have you read any really good mysteries lately? Want to share which ones? I happen to like Janet Evanovich, But I could use something with a male main character.

The Numbers & Winner of Contest!

I had a fun month, getting the word out about Vampire's Trill, and had a lot of help in that department from many of you.

On December 9th, at one point Vampire's Trill was ranked at #101,420! On December 10th it had gone down only a little at # 141,501 on Amazon--up 176,579 ranks from Thursday (the 8th). These were the ebooks, as the paperback wasn't yet out. My book held on for three straight days and then it finally went back down, but I'm not disappointed at all!

The eBook had just come out around the first of December and on the 3rd, it was at #178,945.

The interesting news for me was that on the 9th, all three of my books had some sort of activity--yes, even Spell of the Black Unicorn, which was my self-published book.

So, these numbers were really good for a new book's release, and I have to thank all who took part to get the word out, including the blogs which I had been hosted at.

It isn't easy to hold to those numbers, not when there are millions of books at Amazon. And this book is on Smashwords too, so I have no idea how it's doing there.

WINNER:
I want to thank Dora Dee for working her fingers to the bone on her blackberry, and having done the very first review on my second book. She has won a signed paperback for all her work and her enthusiastic support of all my works, as well. Congratulations, Dora!

Merry Christmas To All

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to you all, and thanks for joining this new blog this year and following it. I couldn't have better friends out there, you guys rock! 

My husband and I watched the very first Harry Potter movie last night--because we went to it during the Christmas season and that was a very special time and the movie still gives me tweaks of emotion when ever I watch it--Daniel Radcliff is so sweet in this movie. Hard to believe he's all grown up now.

Tonight it will be the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", that is to remind us no matter how bad things get, we still have friends and family who love and care for us and life shouldn't be taken for granted by anyone.

I will be making an apple pie (from scratch), and for tomorrow's meal it will be ham and scalloped potatoes and a veggie. It's just the two of us.

There is only a dusting of snow this morning, and it will melt with today's sun, so no snow for us.

I hope all of you, if you travel, get to your destinations safely and have a wonderful time with family. And if you're staying home, I hope your guests make it safely to your house. Take care and many blessings to you and yours!

~Lorelei

Vampire’s Trill by Lorelei Bell – A First Review

Vampire’s Trill by Lorelei Bell – A First Review

Working on WIP & Short Story Out

I was actually able to write chapter two today and on into chapter 3.  I don't try to work toward a word goal. I think too many times a writer can get too trapped by a word count. If you progress in a natural way, I think you will find that you will see the blank pages fill up. I have found that trying to hit a word count, at least for me, actually frustrates me and I'm unable to write anything.

I found out that Dark Moon released the book in which my short story appears. And I'm sorry, but I've tried to enter the site where this is, and couldn't--it's very long and I just gave up. Suffice it to say you can find it on Amazon. And if you wish you can find the link on my facebook, should you really, really want to go and check it out.

Here is the cover.

This was the story I worked on through October and maybe into November. An all-call was given for vampire fiction--short stories. I knew I had a few older stories I could re-write. I chose something written about 10 years ago called "The Spy Who Bit Me". I was actually taking the title from a James Bond movie that may have been out around that time "The Spy Who Loved Me". So a play on words har-har.

Another short story I had worked on did not make the cut, but I was not expecting it too. It wasn't quite what they wanted. But, I've made contact with this publisher, and I know that I might be able to approach them again, perhaps with my mystery novel--which I hope to work on after I get this novella done. I've got some projects lined up next year and hope to find these published eventually.

I've thought about doing the Indi thing, but I'm not convinced I have the time, patients or even the know-how to do it at this time. Possibly in some future time, I might try and get Spell of the Black Unicorn into an ebook format and do that one myself.

Time Flies... It's nearly Christmas

We have not gotten snow, and so it feels less like it's nearly Christmas, and more like... I don't know... Thanksgiving. No snow on the ground at all. We've had a big rain the other day (all night and day), and in another week from today we are looking at Christmas Eve.

As it is usually a time for family to get togethers, we have no place to go, and so will stay home. We don't mind, really. We used to go to 4 gatherings and it was simply too much. Now, it might seem odd that my husband and I would rather stay home and go no where, but after our long two weeks of driving transit--and especially driving at night, having to deal with people's questions, rudeness, or the terrible traffic--we do not mind it one bit.

I've begun a new novel... actually it is a novella, and it is more in the horror genre. And I don't expect it to be a series, just a one book thing. I've new characters to invent, and new places to build. I'm trying to get into my MC, as she is different from my Sabrina Strong character. She has to be. I hate when authors (especially well known/established) come out with a new series and the MC sounds a lot like the MC in her regular series. So, it's been a slow start. But that's okay. Once I am off for 17 long days, I will find her voice and probably go like the wind on this new story.

Probably I'll also get a little cleaning done that has been neglected around the house... those nasty little corners, and dust bunnies that look like they might take over the world.

What are your plans for the holidays?

Rejections - WHAT? - And Things Accomplished

I was pretty busy through the months of October and November, I did one blog-hop, and wrote two short stories and sent them off, and also I entered a lot of writing contests.

One thing I have to admit is I hate waiting on anything that I've sent out. I don't like wondering if it will be taken or rejected. Any more I'm not exactly biting my fingers. I've stopped doing that a while ago. But even when you have writing credits which include published books, you can still be rejected.

I wrote a short story for Penumbra, it was to be steampunk. Unfortunately I just couldn't fit into a short story what I felt it needed. I used a few scenes from my third book to try and write this, but it was rejected. But the rejection was nice. They said they wouldn't mind seeing something else from me. Believe me, when they say this, you want to get something to them in the near future, so that they don't forget you. I intend to, but I don't think it will be a short story. I'd like to try my mystery novel--when I get that finished I don't know.

I also entered a few writing contests. There was one that took your first chapter and it would be considered by a publisher, if you won, they would give your whole mss a read through--and after that who knows?

I wasn't exactly sure about this one. Several people had entered, they were all different. I was actually surprised at those that were chosen... but I won't go there. I find myself rather dismayed at what catches the eyes of those who are the gate keepers.

But out of the three things I sent out over the past few months I did get one thing published. This was my "The Spy Who Bit Me" short story which I sent to Dark Moon Press. I actually was on a blog hop at the time and caught the request from the editor on facebook, and she asked if anyone could write a vampire story and send it to her quickly, I knew that I had something in my rejected files.

"The Spy Who Bit Me" was written at least 10 years ago and sent off to everyplace that took vampire fiction. It was rejected each time. When I began working on it for Dark Moon, I could see why. My beginning was too slow. I needed to get to the meat of the action right away. I cut the length of the original to about half. There were a lot of scenes I had to get to the very kernel of the action and jack things up. I believe my editor's eye had been sharpened in the last decade. It's a good thing to know, I guess.

I was sent the proofs earlier this week, and I went through them and sent my approval of them and this is going to be out in time for Christmas. In fact I think they are going to print beginning of this next week--if I read correctly. I will give a link to Amazon when it comes out on this blog's side bar... if anyone is interested. The cover looks like this.

Right now I'm working on a novelette, and I want to send it off to Dark Moon Press which only takes horror. I'd begun writing as a horror fiction writer--because back then vampire fiction was under that heading. Now we have to get all fancy and give it some other names like Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy. I write under Urban Fantasy, when it isn't horror. I enjoy writing fantasy.

I have a story in me that feels longer than a short story could be, yet not quite novel length. So I'll see where this takes me. I've just begun it, I have some scenes already fleshed out. The climax is also done. All I have to do is get new characters into place, and that's what I will busy myself with this winter. I'm hoping to get it written by mid-January.

So, what have you been up to? Let us know. Any news? Any writing working out for you?

Help Me Promote My Book ~ You Can Win Too!

I've had some great comments on the cover. One person from Coffin Hop on facebook said, "Sweet cover".

So, follks, here it is! Vampire's Trill is finally out. Am I excited? Yes. I had fun last night at facebook watching everyone try to fight each other to be the first to get a copy of the ebook.

But now comes the really hard work.

Work? Yes. Work. PROMOTIONS!

That's where you can help me. I've got several of you who stop by this blog from time to time, some of you leave comments too. Those of you who don't I call my lurkers, and you know who you are!

Those of you who want to help me promote this second book, let me know. I am trying to come up with some ideas to promote it all month long--until December 25th anyway. If you have any ideas that are different, make a suggestion. I'd like to begin it on Monday (5th), since I am to be on VampChix to begin my tour. If any of you would like to host me, let me know. I'd love to be on your blog! I can do give aways at your blog. This helps your blog, too, brings people to your blog, you can tell people who want to participate that they must be a follower, that sort of thing.

And to make this fun for you guys (hopefully I will get more than one person who wants to host me, and help me promote this book), I will choose a winner of an ebook or a paperback (your choice). Sound good?

Let me know as soon as you can!

Thanks ~ Lorelei