At the beginning of the year, the ‘Buds set goals for 2009 and we go over them at the Christmas party. (to see how we all did) I must say, I have been busting my butt this year. Just as a refresher:

~ Finish two books. (I have well over 20 open WIPs to choose from so it’s not like I have a lack of ideas to choose from)

~ Submit two finished books (they kinda go hand-in-hand w/ #1 goal, y’know)

~ Start and finish a new book from start to finish (but not until I have finished the afore-mentioned two books)

~ Submit brand spanking new book (you see the pattern here right, this is supposed to be how it works–rather than staring the WIP and making 42 save copies of it and stopping around page 90 and thinking it’s crappy and watching a week of Lifetime and finishing two quarts of Chunky Monkey to appease the pain and doubt . . . . wheshew . . . . I guess I needed to get that off my chest!)

~ Look for an agent (I won’t be so bold as to put find an agent–a lot depends on that other person too)

~ Write every week (I know me, every day ain’t gonna happen–but if I do better, like two or three  days a week, I will have gotten so much more done!)

To date I have completed all but the agent goal and I am a quarter of the way through that. WOOHOO.

Now, however, I am not sure what to set for the 2010 goals…. hmmm…. wait and see I guess.

I am guest blogger at   THE SIZZLING PENS    today.

Come see me and leave a comment and you have a chance to win a copy of my new print release.

“Second Chances PRINT” by Denise Belinda McDonald

Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 978-1-60504-431-6
Length: 256 Pages
Price: 15.00
Publication Date: November 1, 2009
Cover art by Natalie Winters

Be careful what you ask for. It might come with spurs—and baggage.

The Paintbrush Series

Hit on, manhandled and terrorized by the town Golden Boy all within the first five minutes in Paintbrush, Wyoming, Suzanne “Zan” Walters knows she left the boredom and a stifling ex behind her in Texas. But is that a good thing? The only redeemable aspect for her geographical relocation is a near collision with a gorgeous Cowboy blocking her exit.

Jacob Bowman’s mouth dries up when he finds the new gal in town. The woman he’d fantasized about from the diner—a curvy, vivacious, spiky-haired blonde—and the vet’s new assistant, watches him from afar wary, but oh so interested.

The pair find themselves thrown together by circumstance one too many times not to take notice of the other. Both like what they see, but both are gun-shy thanks to their former lovers. Add in the constant threats to Zan which escalate to the point of physical harm on more than one occasion and the couple feels doomed it isn’t meant to be.

Can the two get over past grievances with the opposite sex, and protect each other from eminent danger long enough to discover something more than great sex?

On Amazon

GHOST OF A CHANCE

ISBN: 978-1-60088-481-8

Date: October 30, 2009

Price: $5.99

Haunted by her past, Ruth-Ann Ryan tries to maintain the estate she inherited from a dear friend. Harry Troutman comes back to Texas with one goal in mind, to rid his familial home of one duplicitous gold digger.

Ruth-Ann and Harry fight each other, fight their growing attraction and fight an unknown assailant as they try to hash out the mess left in the wake of a will.

Throw in interference from Ruth-Ann’s long dead sister, another resident ghost as well as the manor’s aging butler and the couple will either drive each other crazy or fall madly in love.  

Ghost of a Chance is slated to release from Cobblestone Press on Oct. 30

and Second Chances: Book 1 of the Paintbrush Series (print version) is set to release from Samhain Publishing on Nov. 1

Double the chances of a good time.

Ghost of a Chance  is up on the coming soon pages of Cobblestone Press’s website … WOOT!

I haven’t gotten the “official” release date yet, though a fellow CP author saw it on a loop (that I’m not on yet) and it’s listed as an October 30th release. How fitting having my ghost story release the day before Halloween. I cannot wait.

I received my art package. Here’s my new cover (no date yet, will post it ASAP):

Mind out of the gutter folks. I’m talking about your characters.  I have started and stopped so many stories I could line every bird cage in Fort Worth with my half-way there, not close to done WIPs. When asked if I’m a panster or a plotter I always answer: yes. Because truth be told, I do both—even in the same story. Both have their drawback and both have tried and true methods. And you can get stuck with either. I can’t tell you how many times I have plotted a book out, I know where it’s going and who the bad guy is and then in the course of writing the thing, I learn, he didn’t really do it, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And I’m stuck staring at my screen trying to figure out who really did it.

Sometimes when this happens, I add it to the bird cage pile. But others, it makes the story stronger—even more fun to write. It’s a challenge. It lights that fire of creativity under my bum. If I can work myself out of the proverbial corner—because I didn’t see it coming—the reader will (hopefully) be more entertained because they didn’t see it coming either.

Still, once I am in that corner, I have to get out. But how? There are ways to jar the story in another direction—to open a doorway, or pop in a ladder, in that corner. Where does the ladder/doorway come from, you may ask.

Some writers will toss in another dead body (maybe even the person they thought did it to begin with—talk about a monkey wrench for the whodunit). Some writers will ignite a bomb and send the world into chaos for all the characters (right, Geri). Think about this: what is the worst thing that can happen at that moment? Make it happen.

If you’re not writing a suspense novel, it could be an ex unexpectedly showing up—maybe even with a baby in tow. A long lost family member who has secrets the H/H doesn’t want revealed. Again, what’s the worst thing for one of the characters? How can you really make them sweat? Something that will throw the H/H’s world off kilter from what you already thought you knew. And as an added bonus, it will pull the reader along for the ride.

Whatever works to drag the story from the corner, go for it. It can be quite the adventure.

I hadn’t realized it’s been almost a month since my last post. I have been working, working and more working.

I got through all the edits for my release next month–still haven’t received the date but will post it when I get it. I have gotten through 90%  of book 2 for the Paintbrush series. I am editing and filling in on it every day. I am working on a new book and LOVING it.

Being a part of a couple of different challenges keeps my head in the writing game and the numbers wracking up!

I have sold my seventh book.

A contemporary/romantic-suspense/paranormal: GHOST OF A CHANCE will come out from Cobblestone Press. I don’t have the dates yet, but will post them as soon as I get them.

I am excited!

And never fear, I am still working on Book 2 of the Paintbrush series (95% done w/ the first draft. Intensive edits shall start soon). I have also started work on a new project. I will give more details as it gets closer to looking like a whole book.  

Always, always plugging away