New Job Squeak/On the Rocks Tour Info

Ahhh I start my new job tomorrow. Man, these last two weeks have flown by. I'm excited and a little nervous. I will probably be very nervous tomorrow morning, but I'm looking forward to working in this particular company. So, I shall let you know how my first day/week goes next Monday. Wish me luck!

On another note . . .

On The Rocks is touring on Feb 25th & 26th thanks to the awesome Decadent Publishing and FMB Author Promotions. There is a tour wide rafflecopter giveaway with the following prizes up for grabs:

2x eBook copy of On the Rocks by Elizabeth Morgan, 3 Swag Packs (a mixture of fun promotional items; signed cover flats, keyrings, hair extensions and earrings etc.) or Winners choice of any Decadent Publishing eBook!

Yes, today is the 25th meaning that the On the Rocks Tour has indeed kicked off and the first stop today is "Books to light your fire." http://bookstolightyourfire.blogspot.co.uk/?zx=655e620b06e218a

For details/link to where the book shall be feature tomorrow just click follow the link: http://www.fmbpromotions.com/2013/02/tour-schedule-on-rocks-by-elizabeth.html 

And if you are interested in winning yourself some goodies don't forget to leave an entry on the rafflecopter form. Good luck, and I hope you have all had a lovely Monday. :-)

Wrapping up a book.

I am playing catch-up with my writing, which is why this post hits you a day late :)

It seems to be yet another month of illness in my household, and I'm hoping beyond hope that March is a good'un!

I'm near the end of my book now. About four chapters left to go. But the ending is sometimes the hardest, and I'm trying to wrap everything up (in as much as possible) and checking for plot holes. Aaaahh, those continuity errors - how I hate those.

Cry Of The Wolf is quite different to Releasing The Wolf. Those that have read my Witching Pen series won't be surprised, as those three books were quite different to each other also. Book three, Heart Of The Wolf, will be different yet again, not least because we're introduced to a new character in book two whose story will continue in book three...

There'll be at least four books in this series I think ... we'll see.

I'm looking forward to finishing COTW and getting my teeth sunk into the editing. This is always my test at the end of a book: not to rush. It's easy to want to because you see the end in sight, but you can't. You've got to make sure you've told every part of the story you want to and left nothing crucial out, because everyone's gonna have to wait for the next book (don't hate me ... please don't hate me, lol)!

Okay ... back to writing...

If you haven't read it yet, book one is HERE. It's only $1.99 - pick yourself up a copy. It's a fun read. You know, as long as you don't mind lots of werewolf sex ... er-hem.

Dianna xx

Re-editing an old project

As you might be able to tell from the title of today's post, I am currently working on an old project. Now when I say old I mean that this particular story was written at the end of 2009 and finished early 2010 and hasn’t found a home yet.

(Well, it did last year, but due to changes within the company my co-author – yes, this is a co-authored novel – and I decided to pull the submission and try somewhere else, but after we go through the manuscript again and give it a good polish.)

So this isn’t a trunked project, or something I started and need to finished. This is a complete manuscript, currently standing at 89+K.

Edits are good and obviously needed, but how many times should one edit a manuscript?

Naturally, when a story is accepted it goes through a good few rounds of edits to get it looking nice and tidy, but I’m talking about before hand; how many times should you edit a manuscript before you submit it? Is there such thing as too much?

Personally, I think there is. This manuscript is almost three years old. I have pretty much edited it once a year since finishing it – before submitting it to Beta readers, afterwards  and then between submitting. I would never say any of my books are masterpieces and don’t need work, but I do think that a book gets to a stage where it is as good as it can be. A pair of fresh eyes may point out useful things to tweak it and make it that much more better, but at some point you have to say enough. This is the story and it is damn good.

Well, my co-author sent me his edits before Christmas and due to releases, work, and the holidays it has taken me to this point to open this baby up and begin polishing. In one regards it is nice to go through this project again. I love this story. Yet again it is different from anything I have written – being a YA Futuristic Romance – and it is nice to reacquaint myself with the characters and plot, but this is the last time I will edit this manuscript. It is fine the way it is and I fear if it were to go through another round it would be possible to ruin the story completely.

So, wish me luck. I plan – or at least hope very much – to have the manuscript edited and looking fab by the end of the week. Then my co-author and I intend to submit it and hopefully this little baby will have a home before the end of the year. *fingers crossed* 

Valentine's Post: Loving through the tough times.

We all know Valentine's Day is a commercial day. An exercise that enables the retail industry to cash in a little more.

Nevertheless, when I think of Valentine's Day, I usually think of childhood love - those moments in school when you were wondering what you'd get from your boyfriend, or if you didn't have one, what you might receive from a secret admirer. And then you tried not to look gutted if you received nothing, lol.

Lately, at the age of 34, I now think of Valentine's as an opportunity to thank the one you're with. True love is not flowers and roses and chocolates, or jetting off to romantic destinations, or the special, expensive dinner... It is surviving the tough times. It's knowing that there will be ups and downs; that relationships will have rocky moments. It's trusting someone enough to allow them to see you at your darkest, or most vulnerable, and realising that you are still loved even after it all, and understanding that you would do the same for them.

It's been a tough three months. There have been illnesses within the family, a passing away, and an indication that the next year will be incredibly hard.

So, Happy Valentine's Day to Alastair, the love of my life. I know that you are the love of my life, because we've been through shitty times as well as through golden moments ... and survived. I'm glad you're still here :)

Dianna xxx

An odd day

Today was an odd sort of day. I woke up feeling quite happy and ready to crack down on some edits that need to be done for a co-authored project. That plan was quickly pushed aside by a visit from my aunt who got to share in my excitement from a fab phone call I wasn't sure I would get.

I got offered a new job! It's a million times better than the current job I am doing and I am thrilled that I got it.

After the phone call things went a little down hill because I decided to call my boss and give my two weeks notice; wanting to get the horrid task of quitting out of the way. He didn't take it well. I didn't think he would, but his reaction ticked me off.

Needless to say I am not looking forward to going in to work tomorrow after that conversation, but I will get through it with a smile on my face and a constant celebration in my mind. Two weeks and I am out of there. ^_^

On top of that "Creak" received its first review today; 3.5 fairies from Bex 'n' Books. It was an honest and much appreciate review and I am very grateful for it.

~ * ~

"Creak, by Elizabeth Morgan, is an enjoyable erotic thriller. The collection of main characters in Creak helps to provide an element of depth in this erotic tension fuelled short. Nicole, Kacey and Tyler have many endearing qualities, so much so that when events escalate in this novella, I was happily cheering them on and was likewise anxious and concerned.

The story moves fast, and as such so does the dialogue and interaction. There's no beating around the bush with these characters. Sometimes, reactions seemed a little too hasty and unrealistic, especially toward the end, yet overall, I was content with the heat rating and tense drama.
If you are looking for a sexy Ménage à trois novella, with a thriller plot to drive the story forward, then I'm sure you'll enjoy Creak. A sexy 3.5 fairies." - Bex 'n' Books

(Disclosure: Creak was received from the author for free in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.)

~ * ~

I also go the dates for my "On the Rocks" book tour which has been set up by FMB Author Promotions. The tour will run on February 25th and 26th. I will be giving away a copy of "On the Rocks" as well as three swag packs filled with a multitude of goodies, and one lucky winner gets to pick any title they desire from Decadent Publishing back list. Sound good? Check out the dates and stops here.

So, how has your Monday been? Good? Bad? A little bit of both?

Where I'm at

I'm exhausted and somewhat late with this post so I'm just going to do a little round up of where I'm at these next two weeks.

Today I'm over at Sarah Ballance's Blog talking about why I decided to write an erotic thriller. If you stop by and leave me a comment you could be in with a chance of winning a copy of Creak.

http://sarahballance.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/elizabeth-morgan-i-aim-to-unnerve-you-guest-blog-giveaway/

You can find me at Chris Lange's blog talking about why my erotic thriller is called "Creak."

http://chrislangeauthor.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/creak-by-elizabeth-morgan/

On Feb 6th I'm being interviewed by Jennifer Simpkins. I will also be giving away a swag pack to one lucky commenter.

http://www.jennifersimpkins.net/

On Feb 8th  I am being interviewed over at Havens Realm. I will be talking a little bit about the Creek Motel, and how Nikki, Ty, and Kacey know each other. I will also be giving away a swag pack to one lucky commenter.

http://havensrealm.wordpress.com/

On Feb 9th I'm being interviewed by Zee Monodee. If you stop by and leave me a comment you could be in with a chance of winning a copy of Creak.

http://zeemonodee.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html

On Feb 12th I'm being interviewed by Linda Schwartz. I will also be giving away a swag pack to one lucky commenter.

Web address will be posted when I have it.

And lastly, on Feb 14th Kacey - one of my heroes - is being interviewed over at Sarah Cass' blog. I think y'all are going to love getting to know Kacey. He is deliciously bad. ;-P 

http://redefiningperfect.com/author/

They are the main spots I will be hanging out at. Otherwise you might see features popping up here and there over the next two weeks, but if you are interested in either winning a copy of "Creak" or some swag, check these blogs out. :-)

Creation Through Pain.

© Photographer Tatiana Morozova | Dreamstime.com

I don't think it's a secret that artists pour themselves into their work and I all of a sudden wondered whether your passion (writing, acting, dancing, painting...) can actually be a therapy for any kind of pain you go through.

When I wrote 'Til Death Do Us Part, I worked off a lot of anger. I would even say that I channelled it into the writing, and that little novelette (which I actually think is one of my better pieces, believe it or not) was the result.

Does it work for all kinds of pain? Hurt? Sadness? Grief? Physical pain? I hope time doesn't tell, but I suspect it will, especially if I continue writing into my seventies ... eighties ... here's hoping I will be :)

What I can say for 2013 is that it's already challenging in many ways, but then we always knew it would be, didn't we? 2013 is when the truth comes out to play; when we discover what we're made of and who the people around us really are. There is no hiding this year. Words will find you and leave your lips, or maybe your fingertips, willing to be heard whether you want them to be heard or not. No hiding.

The question is always, are we ready to see?

Dianna x