Camp Time!

In a little over a week, I'm going to participate in the Camp NANOWRIMO. I'm very excited and working on my story idea. But in the meantime, I still have the book I wrote in the NANOWRIMO November session. I also have another book I wrote a couple years ago. Right before I got laid off.

I write books. I just never know what to do with them. Both of them need work. I paid someone to edit the first of these two books and it's completely marked up. The critiques are mostly about my passive voice and my pronouns. I almost need a complete rewrite of this one. But the good news is that I can look at it again. After I got laid off, I shut the book away in my mind so I never saw it again. It was an office romance dedicated to my coworkers and it was such a painful subject then. But looking at it now, the story isn't as bad as I thought. All this time, I think I made the critiques from my editor so much bigger in my mind. Like she said, "THIS BOOK IS AWFUL. AWFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL."

The second book is my most recent one has not been edited at all, but I have been going over the first draft. I've come to realize that I don't like the style I wrote it in. I wrote it in a past/present style. One chapter would be set in the present, with the next chapter being in the past. Past, present, repeat until the end. The first thing I did with this book is remove all the past chapters and saved them into another folder. Now I just need to read the book without the past and see if any are truly needed.

Fun stuff, huh? I wish that simply writing a book is the hard part for me. For me, it's editing and acknowledging all my weaknesses. I have so many stories in my mind, I just have a hard time putting the down in writing.

I love writing and since that's what I love, I will keep doing it. Eventually something will stick. I've been wrestling with mortality lately and I know I will regret not pushing ahead. Not writing. I know that's why my dad would want me to do. I have his picture in the shelf across from my desk and I look at all day long. I saw his eyes in my rearview mirror this morning. Yes, they were actually my eyes, but today the looked more like his. I always understood the scene where Harry Potter sees Dumbledore in the mirror that Sirrius gave him. It's actually Albus' eye, but I know the feeling. I often seem my dad in the mirror.

The point is that I think if he was here, he would tell me to keep pushing. To keep swimming. Even if I'm the only person that reads these books. Even if they are crap. Because I don't like to think of the alternative to writing.

Wish me luck! :)

Sad Day

I'm so very sad that Borders is closing all its bookstores. And it's not just because of all the people losing their jobs and the loss of yet another bookstore, although those are the main reasons. I'm sad because it was my place. My escape. It was where I went when I was stressed. It was also the place I took my son. I don't like going where there are a lot of people and I don't like a lot of noise, but I could always take my son to Borders and we could bond over books. Or CD. Or movies. It all depended on what he was into at the time.

It was where we hung out the night of the final Harry Potter book, dressed up like characters from the book. As he grew older, I could rarely get him to go anywhere with me, but he'd always go with me to Borders.

It was where I picked up the Easy Way to Stop Smoking book that changed my life. I didn't have a lot of money that day, but I did have a gift certificate and a coupon for Borders. If I had waited to order it from Amazon or B&N, I probably would've never got it.

It was the place I'd go for a last minute gift or for a research book if I was writing a book. It was the place I imagined my first book signing to be. Of course I always imagined nobody would show up, but still. It was my dream!

Sure, we have Target and Walmart to get our books, but whenever I go in one of those stores, I always find myself buying practical stuff like toilet paper and food. It just totally spoils the experience. At Borders, you knew exactly what you were going to get.

It's a sad day. I keep thinking I should go there, but there's something so sad about a going away sale. I don't know if I can do it. I want to picture it the way it was...perfect. We'll see. I might have to go in. To say goodbye.

I really just hope I don't cry.

Happy Anniversary, Baby

Some of you might've noticed the book cover that has been in the sidebar of my blog. It's a short book I wrote called Happy Anniversary, Baby and is now available to steal. Why do I say steal? Beecause it's FREE! Yes, you read right. FREE!

This book revisits the characters we first met in On the Run: Pam and Gary Foster. Here is the blurb:

It’s Gary and Pam Foster’s wedding anniversary. Gary’s been so busy, it seems he’s forgotten. Deep down Pam knows that her marriage is fine, but there is a small kernel of doubt, the kind of doubt that only Gary can erase. Will Pam run away again, or will the hot-shot racer get to her in time?

Because it's a free book, it's only available in ebook format, but it's so short, you won't even notice! And if you've never read any of my books, this is a good way to meet the characters from my racing world.

Here is where you can "purchase" it at: Happy Anniversary, Baby

And yes, the title does come from the Little River Band song. *grin*

My Interview!!

My interview with the Interviewing Author blog is up this week!!! Please check it out for a chance to win an ebook copy of one of my books! The interviewer Crystal is such a sweetheart and bought so many authors to my blog. She's the bomb!

Interview with Melanie Anderson & Contest

Yes, once in awhile people interview ME as well. And not just me interviewing myself. ;)

Melly's Thoughts and something free!

How do you like my new picture for Melly's Thoughts? Pretty cool, huh? Nonnie from designcreativelee did it for me. She's going to be drawing me a lot of cool pictures that I'll be featuring in blog entries to come.

My schedule is going to be pretty topsy-turvy this week, so please bear with me.

Instead of reviews today, I wanted to let everyone know about my new book coming out. It's a free read! Yes, you read that right. Free! It's my gift to my readers!

It's called Happy Anniversary, Baby, and I just signed the contract last week. This is the story of Gary and Pam Foster's fifth anniversary. Can you believe they've been married five years? Well, in "book" time anyway. You might remember Gary and Pam from On the Run. Lynn Kelly, now Lynn McBride, from Born to Run and Pam's friend Lizzie, decide to surprise their friend Pam with a anniversary party. But things don't go exactly as they planned...

It will also feature cameos from Racing for the Shore and be a prologue of sorts for my current work-in-progress, so be sure to stay tuned for release details.

Happy Monday! If there is such a thing...

Racing for the Shore in print!

You can get it from Linden Bay Romance (shipping paid) from this link:

Linden Bay Romance

Or you can find it at Amazon:

Amazon

Oh, and I have my first review!

Gotta Write Network Review

My friend and critique partner is working on a video for Racing for the Shore, so stay tuned for that! I can't wait to see what she comes up with! :D