Readers Win at Echelon Press

Karen came up with a great idea - to feature several lucky Echelon Press readers in short stories by Echelon authors. Many people entered the contest and Karen matched winners with authors who volunteered. I was paired with Lisa Marie Michaud, a children's fantasy writer from Tampa, Florida. Lisa and I exchanged a few emails and I was able to get a snapshot of her life.

I've just finished the first draft of "When Harry Met Soli" (working title) to be published in December 2006. It's currently in Karen's hands for review.

The Blurb: "Children's author "Soliza" Boudreau has a lifetime goal in the palm of her hand: a blockbuster digital animation contract for her first screenplay. Focused on her climb to success, she regrets the unintentional neglect of her three teenaged sons and yearns for the day she can finally notch back. And maybe even meet a nice guy.

"Trey Wilson has just inherited the seven-year-old son he hasn't seen in years. But young Harry, grieving the recent loss of his mother, hasn't really moved in with his dad; Hogwarts is his new home, and Harry Potter his new identity. Trey's chance meeting with old flame Lisa Boudreau just might bring Harry a safer reality and Trey a fantasy of his own."

This was a lot of fun to write!

Relay For Life: Part Two

Wow. Long over, and I'm still thinking about it. Temperatures went into triple digits that day, and still we had a wonderful time. My gift basket containing STARCROSSED HEARTS was one of the first sales from our booth. Of course that was a thrill.

All in all, to date, I've raised approximately $2,700.00 and the donations continue to trickle in.

So glad I did this.

ACS Relay For Life (r)

This year, the year after my mother's passing, I am participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life(r) by walking for one hour in her memory. Hers, and that of my great-grandmother, my grandmother and my father-in-law, all whom succumbed to cancer. Also in honor of a good friend who is a two-time survivor; also an acquaintance who was just recently diagnosed; also the late mother of my best friend; also a dear man who lives in Las Vegas and suffering from colorectal cancer.

Enough, already? There are countless others, many in my own family. So far I've raised $820.00 of the $3,000.00 I hope to raise.

The walk is June 3, 2006. Anyone reading who'd like more info, check in at
www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/santaclaritavalley

I'll be updating my progress!

Finally Updated my Website!

I hate working on websites. I have two of them now, and the bigger they get, the more cumbersome they are to update. I now understand why some folks just pay to have them done by people with much more time and patience than I have.

Anyway, www.beaconstreetbooks.com is now updated. I got rid of what I now think of as that obnoxious blue background. I updated my bio/news page, and added some news to the home page. I fixed some broken links.

Have not been contacted by my editor yet about PS, but I'm certainly keeping busy.

2006

I created this blog and then promptly forgot about it. I've been journaling in pen instead, I guess. Yesterday I got some incredible news: Echelon Press has offered me a contract for Point Surrender. Of course it needs some work but that's to be expected; I welcome the suggestions.

What is so unbelievably awesome is that the release date is February 2007, in time for Valentine's Day, and it will be a small print run in excess of 2000 copies. Generous authors' copies too, and Karen is great to work with. I now have a whole year to put together and begin a major marketing campaign for my book. My lighthouse mystery that has been waiting for years to get published.

Cover art is really important now. I think I will be working with Nathalie Moore, Echelon's outstanding art director. I worked with Nathalie when I was AD for Wings and she is a very talented and friendly and perceptive.

I'm feeling very encouraged and even somewhat inspired. I'm hoping to get my rear in gear and finish OLD ENOUGH for my niece who's been waiting forever for this "next in the series" of Y/A titles I'd planned to write after LOCKER SHOCK.

There is also a somewhat sensual short called MAKE ME TELL LIES that I'm going to finish up for Karen's Dollar Download program. I hope.

I'll be back!

Point Surrender 2

Yesterday I spent about an hour working on the manuscript. I added a ghostly appearance on the cliff. I also realized that every instance of "Mrs." Hastings had to be changed to "Miss" Hastings -- why didn't I, or anyone else, notice that? She's never been married, she's the sister of Matt Hastings.

I'm thinking about adding a scene earlier in the book where Case actually has his boating incident. Perhaps a little paranormal activity going on out there... why else would Case run aground out there? May take a bit of research.

Point Surrender

I've been waffling about what to work on next. Not that I have time to write, mind you (er, me) but if I DID have time to write... it makes the most sense to get back into PS because it's a done book, or virtually done; The GYPSY book is just a baby and not fully formed.

Case McKenna. What to do about him. I think I used an incorrect or weak role model for this character. Originally Joe Lando. Problem there was that I don't really know Joe. Strong and silent type sounds good, but harder to write about. I really need to find another model and get to know him enought to let him evolve, the way Dane did. Case needs more passion, more obsession with Amy.

The plot needs a whole lot more meat on its bones. Tina originally suggested a paranormal element, and now I'm tending to like this idea after reading Nora's Quinn brothers saga. I've never really liked ghostly elements, but she does it with such ease and subtlty I think I could do that. Case's fathers could both visit. Or, just one. Perhaps he could also visit the mother, Leticia. Her character could certainly use more on-screen time, LOL.

Amy. She's also too milquetoast. She needs to be a bit gutsier, a little deeper. More personality traits. What's so great about her that Case can't stop thinking about her?

The plot again. The manatee thing shouldn't be a surprise -- it's a cop. Also, the "mystery" about Case's identity doesn't have to remain a mystery -- I could trust the reader with this knowledge earlier, like Nora does, and still enjoy the unfolding. I think it's insulting to the reader to try to hide it and use the name switch as a tool; it's lame.

The lighthouse. It's pretty good. The paranormal element must be attached, however.

What if there is an earlier scene with Leticia, a day in her life, where we don't quite know yet who she is, where she is ultimately visited by a ghostly presence? It could be Liam or Matt. There could be a hint about her being terminal. Then, when Amy contacts her, she is not surprised. She is almost expecting it.

Matt's sister's character could use a little fine tuning. Irina is a complex character, too.

The night of the big storm falls a little flat. Besides the storm, the fall, the miscarriage, that paranormal element must rear up again, including the radio broadcast from the boat in trouble. It must closely parallel the night Liam died in the lighthouse. Case must be made to relive that night even closer.

Now I am getting excited about revamping this story. I still want to submit it if I feel it's good enough. I'll need a lot of time to write in the coming weeks. It's probably impossible to get it done by RT.

Surprisingly, I've never done a cover for this book! Yet I did one for GYPSY. Go figure!

If this book is good enough, I'll launch my own promotional campaign. Website, promo items, tour dates (hahahahahahahah!)

We'll see if I'm up to it. RT is in May. NINE months away. I'd have to have the book done by October 1st. That's a lark!

Could happen if it was good enough.

Off to do my day.

Today is the first day

Today is the first day of my blog. I am endeavoring to kick start my writing life and thought this would be a good place to talk about it. This, of course, is a test.