Still Plugging Away
I had a bad week and a half there, but things are picking up again. I’ll be interested to see, when I go back and read the MS in its entirety, if the pace lags through these chapters. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, I’m just focused on getting to the end. And it is in view. WooHoo! I even managed to hit my word count over the weekend despite the craziness. I’m looking forward to a quiet and productive week.
I’ve been making notes for my NaNo story which I’m really looking forward to. Really, I think I’m looking forward to working on anything that isn’t Blood and Bone. 
I’m also battling a cold (’tis the season) but a steady flow of Advil Cold and Sinus and tea keeps me functioning.
Mood: Tired
Posted by Dawn Brown @
12:30 pm |
Holy Cow, is That Really the Date?!
I can not believe we are already fast approaching the middle of October. Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend, then it will be Halloween, and then Christmas And right in between all of this is my release. In less than two months (December 4th, as a matter of fact.) The Curse of Culcraig will be out with The Wild Rose Press. I’m so excited!!
That means that I really need to get serious about putting together my marketing plan, and starting to promote. And once my heart palpitations stop, I’ll get right on that. In the meantime here is an excerpt from The Curse of Culcraig…
After a devastating personal tragedy, history professor Hillary Bennett seeks refuge in the quaint Scottish village of Culcraig, hoping to research a legend and salvage her career. Instead, she finds her hostess dead, and her hopes for the future pinned to the woman’s black sheep heir.
The last thing Caid Douglas needs is a decrepit manor house to remind him of his estranged family, but he does need the money selling the house would bring to pay off his debts. In desperation he offers to honor his great aunt’s arrangement with Hillary-if she pays him to stay at Glendon House and view his ancestor’s journals, he’ll have the money to fix up the family mausoleum and sell it.
But an ancient curse hovers over the village, and the secret to lifting it lies in the journals. Will Caid and Hillary realize what they have and uncover the truth before a twisted killer silences them forever?
The Curse of Culcraig
© Dawn Brown
Someone was in the house with them…
”You know,” Hillary said, keeping her voice low. “This house is huge. We could check each room individually, but who’s to say that whoever’s here won’t just keep moving around as we search, eventually working their way into a room we’ve already checked? We’ll never be one hundred per cent sure we’re alone.”
“Are you suggesting we separate?”
Her grip on his hand tightened. Did she even realize she’d done that?
“It would probably make more sense to split up. If we worked from opposite ends and met in the middle, it would reduce the chance of an intruder slipping away. But as I said, this place is huge and we’re only two people, the odds of our mystery person eluding us are still pretty good. Not to mention the confusion.”
“Confusion?” Caid tried to suppress his grin.
“Yes. If we separated, we could easily wind up tracking each other. At least together, if we hear or see anything out of the ordinary, we know that it has to be someone else.”
“What an astounding rationalization.”
She frowned at him in obvious consternation. “I think I made some very good points.”
He smiled. “Aye, you did. I’m sure you’ve convinced yerself quite nicely. Did you bring the subject up simply because you were concerned that I might think you liked holding my hand?”
He couldn’t stop his smile from widening, especially when she struggled to untangle her fingers from his, but as they entered the kitchen, he tightened his grip.
“Dinnae be like that. I’m just having a wee bit of fun with you.”
She ceased struggling as her delicately shaped brows drew together in disbelief. “That wasn’t here earlier.”
“What?” He turned to the direction she pointed.
A brass fireplace poker lay dead center on the battered harvest table. On the floor, a series of watery footprints stretched between the back door to the table.
Christ’s sakes. Hillary hadn’t just been frightened alone in an old house, there had been someone else here.
But who? And why?
Posted by Dawn Brown @
2:57 pm |
You Know It’s Not Going to be a Great Morning When…
…the sun isn’t even up and I’m shovelling up garbage off the back deck. The raccoons managed to get into the raccoon-proof green bin (is anything really raccoon proof?) last night, and dragged the contents across the deck. I realized something was up this morning when HellHound wouldn’t come back in after I let him out for a pee. He was too bus enjoying his garbage buffet. Blech!
Writing went well for most of last week, but I was away on the weekend so I’m trying to gain my rhythm again. If I manage to finally finish Blood & Bone before the end of the month, I’m thinking about giving NaNo another try next month.
Edited: I would like to add that my day has improved considerably. As I was about to take DS to school, there was a package in my door. A belated birthday gift. Inside, the entire set of Charlaine Harris’s True Blood novels–I’m so the last person to jump on this novel/show bandwagon. Also, a copy of Romance Sells with my ad for Living Lies in it arrived. The ad looks awesome. Maybe, it’s going to be a better day than I thought.
Posted by Dawn Brown @
12:09 pm |
What’s the Point?
First, the good news. I’ve managed to hit my word goal every day this week. Woohoo! I’m also loving this chilly fall weather. In fact, to celebrate I dug out my slow cooker, dusted it off and made a stew. Oh, how I love meals that take fifteen minutes to prepare and are done by 9 am. Okay, now on to my blog post.
So yesterday, while I was writing, I ran into a bit of a snag. I had started a new scene and I could feel myself starting to stall out. Not because I didn’t know what was going to happen in the scene, I did. I needed for there to a confrontation between two characters. The problem really came from being uncertain about how the confrontation would move the story forward. What was the point of whole thing?
Every scene in book should work to move the story forward. A character’s action causes a reaction for another character, and in turn forces the reacting character to act. Ever read–or written–something that just sort of meanders along, but nothing really happens? That’s probably because it has no real purpose. Pointless scenes could be cut and have almost not effect on the over all story. Beware of such scenes in your own work. If you have them, either cut them or rework them so they keep the story going.
Now, back to me… So as I was sitting back in my chair, considering my problem–the fear of finding myself blocked again dangling over my head like a piano on a frayed rope–I asked myself does this scene need to happen. Yes. The confrontation is a logical reaction for the character. So with that decided, what then is the purpose of the scene besides giving my characters a chance to vent? Then a wonderful idea popped into my head, something that ties into another scene happening simultaneously, and that will begin a chain reaction for the remainder of the story.
Then I did a happy dance.
Mood: Good
Posted by Dawn Brown @
12:44 pm |
