Marketing Monday

Lots of stuff going on lately and I should have posted earlier because I actually have something to report for a change!

I had a wonderful phone meeting with my agent last Wednesday. We talked for an hour, mostly about what project I'll work on next. Until either Knight's Curse or Mystic Taxi sells, she doesn't want me writing their sequels. Plotting them out is okay, which I've done, but she prefers I not write the books and instead start on something completely new. But what?

I have lots of half-baked ideas, but only one that's nearly ready to pop from the story oven. It's different from what I usually write, though still bizarre, except that it's more magical realism than urban fantasy and would fit better in the category of women's fiction. Kind of a cross between Fannie Flagg and Alice Hoffman. Anyway, after I'm finished revising Mystic Taxi, I'll write the first chapter of this totally new book and send it to my agent for her feedback, then go from there. Maybe by then we'll have a sale and I can start on a sequel book. Fingers crossed!

My big happy news is that Mystic Taxi is a finalist in the Hearts Through History contest, Romance Through the Ages, in the paranormal category. Woo hoo! :) I got the call from the contest coordinator last week and received my scores today. Wow, I think I'll frame them. The judges had lovely comments, and two gave me 150 out of 150 possible points, while the third gave me a 148. So awesome! I love it when someone says they enjoy reading my book. And they love Henry! The big lovable brute is a heartbreaker, all right, but definitely not your typical hero. He has scales and pointed ears.

I'm going to teach a beginners Adobe Illlustrator course for our local community college this winter. I've also been asked to teach a plotting workshop for the Central Oregon Writer's Guild. This will definitely keep me busy, but will bring me barely enough income to buy kibble for my dog. I'm still working on finding more projects! See samples of my design work here.

Kinsey graduated from obedience school last Tuesday, then got her girly bits snipped last Thursday. You'd never know she just had major surgery. Sigh. She's popped one staple from her sutures, and another one is hanging. She gave herself a mud bath yesterday and got her wound dirty. This dog won't stop! I'm taking her to the vet today so he can have a look.

I better go back to searching for work between bouts of editing Mystic Taxi.