A couple of quick notes first!

Goodreads is giving away a copy of Girls Who Bite! It’s easy to enter, just follow this link: Girls Who Bite Giveaway

Five Ways ’til Sunday is available for pre-order! Save yourself some cash and buy it while the price is only $2.45! You know you want it!

Contains five men on a mission to break down the resistance of one determined woman, using everything in their arsenal from BDSM accoutrements to roleplay of non-consensual situations.

As the Christmas season approaches,
what song is it that you just can’t wait to hear?

NaNo Day 2:
LR—13 words—edited and shipped to editor!
LH—1733 words

The winner of yesterday’s free download is at the bottom of this post!
Also, tonight I’ll be chatting live at Romance Reviews Today chat room.
Join me if you can! ~DD

NaNoWhat-Oh?

or “How to Write a Novel In One Easy Step”

Today is Day 2 of the National Nuttiness that is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of writers across the globe band together to write novels. The objective is simple: write 50,000 words, and write them during the month of November: from Midnight-Oh-One on the first through Eleven-Fifty-Nine on the thirtieth, write and write and write. And write.

And write.

How is this useful? Or sane? And is 50,000 words of quickly-written stream-of-consciousness any good?

That’s not the point. The point is, to write the first draft of a novel. It’s a helluva lot easier to edit a novel if it’s written, and you can’t sell it if yeh ain’t written it!

The thinking behind it is sound – most of us have extremely well-developed Critics that love to ding us for grammar, spelling, turns of phrase, plotlines (or lack thereof), and anything else we might be daft enough to set fingers to keyboard. The point of NaNoWriMo, therefore, is to develop a good head of steam and let the momentum take you through (or around, under, over, or whatever) the Critic so that you can actually get through to the end: and, in the process, write a novel.

After all, ask any marathoner: it doesn’t matter if you win. It matters if you finish.

So, how do you start? Visit the website above, and sign up for an account. See if you can find others you know who are NaNo-ing (I’m a.catherine.noon), and add them to your friends list. Write a blurb for your baby novel, and maybe even share an excerpt – no, it doesn’t matter if the excerpt makes it into the final draft. The point is to have fun!

Next, find your home region. (If you don’t have one, use mine – ChiWriMo!) The regions host all sorts of events, including “write-ins” – events where writers gather to write together! It’s loads of fun, and nice to be around people who don’t glaze over when you start talking about the writing process. Then, write. Track your progress daily on the NaNo site, and git goin’!

Talk to you in December! I’ve gotta get my word count in!

A. Catherine Noon and Rachel Wilder
Blog Website
Watch for BURNING BRIGHT, coming from Samhain Publishing September, 2011!

The winner of a free download of Stone’s Embrace is…Becky Ward! Becky, congratulations, and email me to arrange delivery of your prize.

October was an uneven, but still productive, month!

The high points were:

* ROMANTICON! Mainly because I got to take my daughter along with me. We had a blast!

* I received acceptance for SHE-SHIFTERS from Cleis!

In November, I hope to accomplish the following:

* Write the sequel to TRUE HEART for Samhain.

* Write the sequel to BITTEN IN THE BIG EASY.

Thanks to everyone who voted for A Four-Gone Conclusion over at Whipped Cream Reviews. It won Book of the Week! Whee! I have to take the victories where I can. The writing end of this gig can be dreary.

Okay, this is the third or fourth year in a row I’ve used this image on Halloween, but nothing makes me cringe and smile more! Enjoy!

GO VOTE! As of this posting, I’m still holding the lead at Whipped Cream Reviews for Book of the Week, but the wonderful Cari Quinn is trying to kick my butt. If you haven’t voted, head on over there. I promise I’ll offer her a consolation prize. Wouldn’t you love to have her come here to play?

The big news this week was the acceptance of She-Shifters: Lesbian Paranormal Erotica by Cleis Press! All the authors have been notified of acceptance or rejection. I listed the names of all the authors who will have stories in the anthology, but did I also mention that Kate Douglas (you know, WOLF TALES!) is providing the foreword? More to be excited about, right?

I also completed making my initial selections and editing for Cowboy Lust for Cleis Press. I can’t let anyone know the verdict yet—Cleis has final approval—so be patient!

I finished copyedits of Five Ways ‘Til Sunday, due out November 22d!

And I’m back working on two projects now—the sequel to True Heart, which is the younger brother’s story, Lone Heart, and a short story for a collection that has something to do with lesbians in a locker room… Fun!

So, busy, busy. Not much time to chat, but I will be around. And don’t forget, I have TWO CONTESTS ongoing. Be sure to play!

Just an FYI for writers who submitted stories for Cleis Press’s Beastly Babes (which has been renamed She-Shifters) and The Cowboy (now, Cowboy Lust) Calls for Submissions!

I’ve completed my work. Both books have been submitted to Cleis Press for their approval. Because they have the last say on whether the stories I selected are ones they want, I can’t make any announcements just yet. Be patient. Believe me, I am dying to give a shout out about the final lineups for both!

One more note. I will announce a new contest tomorrow. Haven’t decided what to offer up as a prize just yet. I have a lovely mermaid journal, a pretty fusion glass bookmark made by a local artist here, and a Strangeling Fairy or two. And books.

Do you have any preferences? 🙂

Just a reminder! Today’s the last day of the Authors After Dark Grab Bag and Promo Ho ($25.00 Amazon gift certs!) contests! See details on my CONTEST page!

How cool is this?

Girls Who Bite was covered in Curve, a best-selling lesbian magazine. See the tearsheet of the article below. If anyone finds a copy of this magazine in her local bookstore, I’d be happy to reimburse her for any expenses.