Writers, Meetings, Revisions, and still have a life?

This week I've had my nose to the digital grindstone with revisions, attended ARWA's monthly meeting, and got to pal around with writer pals Marjorie Allen, Jan Yonkin, Evelyn Palfrey--all lovely and as much a kick in the proverbial writing pants as a mint julep for made for two.

Thursday did the Writers' League-thing where Joe O'Connell, author of the recently released Evacuation Plan: a novel from the hospice, gave a moving account of his days as writer in residence at Christopher House.

I met and re-met some lovely, lovely people. Of course, the super swell April Kihlstrom, Queen of Book in a Week was there--look for some exciting news from her soon *how's that for a tease* Laurie Cosbey, who I met years ago when I was *cough cough* married and therefore, somebody else, was a dear, and new pal Greta L. Hillin.

Today, I powered through five pages this morning, R went off to Fredericksburg and property to beat back the wilderness *wish I could have gone*, but stayed to clean house and empty garage *ick--but not near as ICK as beating back the wilderness, esp. since the lawn mower's self-propel petered* but will be using house-cleaning time to formulate a scene in a funeral home I've been struggling with. Then, it's off to Barnes & Noble to support Fabulous Fellow Writer Babes Julie Kenner and Julia London, as they chat about writing and sign new releases Demon's are Forever and American Diva, both getting great reviews. Demon, of course, is the third in a series that began with Carpe Demon, which Julie K sold the rights to Christopher Columbus's 1942 Pictures. Can't wait to see that movie!

Tonight...

Tonight I'm going to address the good people at Writers' League of Texas, at the Westlake Barnes & Noble. We'll be talking about the upcoming *sound of trumpets* Novel in 90 Days. I'm bringing a sample of the workbook, along with other fun stuff, including an intro on how to get started.

In the interest of fairness, I'm putting my rear in the hot seat, too. I will also be writing a Novel in 90 Days. Come and hold me to it! See you tonight!
Kit

Click to join novelin90days

Git 'r Done: Novel in 90 Days

You asked for it, you got it, now it's time to follow the sage advise of Larry the Cable Guy and Git 'r Done! Make the committment to your current (or next ) novel with Novel in 90 Days!
<-Proof You Can Do It!
Clear your calendar and roll up your sleeves to dig into this hands-on workshop to build your book, from brainstorming an irresistible opening hook to pounding out an ending that leaves readers breathless and wanting more.
Novel in 90 Days is a five-part workshop that gives you the tools you need to build your story and helps you find the time to get that novel done. Included in the course is the Novel in 90 Days Interactive Workbook that provides brainstorming tools, character-building worksheets, easy-to-use storyboards for plot planning, a revision checklist and Agent Quest and query tracking tools for your completed project. Attendees will have the opportunity to join an exclusive online writing community devoted to the 90-Day Novel.

Don’t spend one more minute wishing you were an author—make this the year you get that novel written!

Week One: There are only two things you need to write a novel. An idea and the time to write it. In Week One, we'll brainstorm ideas for books, discuss genre and market analysis to figure out where your novel belongs in the bookstore, and we'll look at the writing life to in a segment called, "How to find time to write when you don't have time to write." Next, we'll break down the first page--or hook--of a few bestselling authors to see what makes them tick, and then we'll brainstorm your novel beginning and set doable daily goals. We'll begin an online forum to track progress.

Week Two: We'll ask for volunteers to read their "hook" in class, and discuss strengths and weaknesses. Next, we'll look at plot and character development. Both of these segments include worksheets and tricks of the trade that will help you get to know your character and your story. Class will receive the tools to create an effective outline or storyboard for their book. We'll set manageable goals to meet before our next meeting.

Week Three: Volunteers will submit their outlines and discuss strengths and weaknesses and brainstorm "stuck" parts. Next, we'll discuss Goal, Motivation and Conflict, and different types of endings, including circular storytelling. We'll discuss the importance of chapter beginnings and endings, scene structure and the three most important pages of a book. We'll set manageable goals to accomplish before the next meeting.

Week Four: The call for volunteers continues, and we move on to Revision Took Kit, which includes a three part check list for revising a manuscript. We'll discuss how to crank up your conflict and punch up your prose for a non-puttable-down book. Again, we'll set goals for the next meeting.

Week Five: Agent Quest. Where do you find these elusive creatures, how to lure one from the mist and what to do with one once you've got one. You'll receive an Agent Quest Took Kit with information on questions to ask an agent, which agent is right for you and the quickest way to get your work in front of him or her. We'll also take a look at book contracts, marketing plans, print runs, distribution and the business end of publishing. And then we'll talk about the book we're writing next . . .

Click to join novelin90days

Get your wishes ready...

This is one of my very favorite times of year--the Perseid Meteor Showers. Just like the song says, "The stars at night shine big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas," but this time every August, they shoot across the sky en masse, and not just here, all over the United States. So get ready with your wishes!
I love these seasonal shooting stars so much that they figure prominently in my second novel, Dead Copy and will make appearances in upcoming novels. In fact, I've gotten a lot of email about the significance of the stars in the romantic scenes.

So, get yourself a bourbon and Diet Coke, snuggle up with your honey and make some wishes! What do you wish for? Wish for something wild and you could win a Cauley tee-shirt, fresh off the printer!

Photos from the University of Texas McDonald Observatory...check it out!

Big 'Doh!' moment ...and other writing breakthroughs

Okay, so I'm revising Book Three, trying to figure out what's wrong with it, and I was at the Magnolia Cafe, wracking my brain (never a pretty sight) when it came to me...I was having main character Cauley meet a confidential informant at an Austin area park. I wanted the park to be ultra-Austin, ie, wild, weird and completely unconventional, but, most of Austin's parks could be described that way. Originally, I set the scene in historically significant and slightly wacky Waterloo Park, but as I nibbled on Magnolia's extra yummy Voodoo Chicken, it hit me.

Hippie Hollow. What's more Austin than the only county-run nude beach in Texas?

Well, of course, this sparked a whole new level to the book, so, today I sat out in the back yard near the koi pond, listening to the falling water, dog at my feet, sangria at the ready, and I happily knocked out eight--count 'em-- eight pages today. Now, off to clean up and start dinner to cookin'. . .

Okay, for my pal Ed Morris . . .

Ed Morris at ForeWord Magazine wrote to tell me there were some Cauley-isms that gave him a grin or two in Dead Copy. Ever the curious gal, I asked which ones he liked most. Without further ado...here's Ed's faves, along with his comments...

*Thanks, Ed, you made my day :)*
Kit

"Apparently she'd skipped the silicone and gone straight to helium." (66)

"Same ho, different hoedown." (67)

". . . I believe if something was really worth doing it would have been done already." (83)

". . . like he'd been sucking glue sticks since the second grade." (94)

"Miss Preteen Tractor Pull" (100) (For all I know, that may be a common Texas honorific.)

"My heart did a little two-step around my rib cage." (121) (An arresting image.)

"Holding my breath, I waited for the other Ferragamo to drop." (135)

" . . . I could hear molecules bouncing around in my ears." (176)

" . . . sex with a man like that would probably be like Jet Skiing in a force five hurricane.' (209)

" . . . she smelled like fresh gin and the Old Testament. . . ." (248)

" . . . taking a corner so fast the G-force gave me Angelina Jolie lips." (253)

" . . . flashed him my second-best smile. . . ." (282)

" . . . a pair of black stilettos that have been known to make men beg for mercy." (293)

Amazon loves RWA

Okay, I promised more on National, so here's the scoop on the Amazon panel. The Amazon gods spoke about utilizing Amazon plogs, AmazonConnect and Amazon shorts.

The Shorts, first. They said two very successful Shorts authors are Michael Palmer and fellow ChickLit loopie Lauren Baratz-Logsted. These two authors have written side-stories to books they've written, generating interest in the author, the book, and endearing the secondary characters to readers.

Now this one seemed super cool. AmazonConnect is a targeted blog feature where authors can post messages directly to their customers' Amazon.com homepage and to their own product detail pages. Authors can communicate directly with known customers who have purchased their books from Amazon. How cool is that? I'm pursuing this one...

AmazonConnect lets you have prime placement by surfacing an author's posts on their customers' Amazon.com home page, showing the three most recent posts by an artist on each of their product pages, along with a featured link to the author's profile page.

AND: If you already have a blog, you can use RSS to surface your existing blog directly to your Amazon customers via AmazonConnect.