I’ve still got a cold, though I’m glad it’s nothing worse than that. Today we’re having a birthday party for my grandson–Where the Wild Things Are–though he’s like this sunflower, sunny disposition and smiley.
I’m off to try and get a little done on Highland Wolf. I’ve felt so dragged out that I only managed to read through 3 chapters yesterday, of 4 that I’ve written, to remember where I’m at in the story after stopping to do edits on the other book. The two days before the cold hit me, we were taking long walks and I felt great!
Still combing and cutting the dogs’ hair. I thought it was really bad last time because I was doing it with a broken wrist, but it’s just as bad this time.
I was at the kids’ house yesterday having fun, taking pictures of the wildlife–a dragonfly, a red ladybug, a Cuban anole, a skipper butterfly on a sunflower and guess what I found? A gray ladybug. And yes, they’re really a good little ladybug!
And I went to do the novella changes yesterday so I could focus on Wolff brother today, but can’t open my editor’s file. We have this problem all the time, but I was so sick when she contacted me, I didn’t even think to try and open the file. Ugh. Or else I would have done that. So until I get a file I can open, it’s not done.
My fever returned last night, much higher. I was reading that you feel worse at night–that fevers return, which are raising your temps to kill off the germs. I’d prefer not to get antibiotics if I don’t have to because your germs can become resistant to the antibiotics. I’m dead tired this morning because of all the coughing last night, and I’m continuing with the coughing today. So do I go in to see a doctor? Expose others with what I have and others expose me with what they’re in for? Or just figure it’s running it’s course and will be over within its own good time?
Sunflower from Birdseed
Usually, I’d say I’d rather write. But I’m so tired….I can’t think straight. Time is of an essence though. One day goes by, and then another, and then all of a sudden, it’s time to turn in the book. So, tired or not, I’ve got to write. It’s not like I haven’t been thinking about it either. A scene keeps playing out in my mind, so today, I’ll figure out where it needs to go and write it.
I think I’ll tough it out for another day, no doctor. If the fever returneth tonight, I’ll see how I feel in the morning. Sound like a plan?
Max is sitting on my lap, his head over my left typing arm. Wait. You did not just go to sleep on my arm, sitting up, Max, did you?
They are concerned about me being sick. They are such good little dogs. They are goofy too. I feed them breakfast right away or they will perish first thing in the morning. Really. That’s what they tell me. But when I eat breakfast, maybe 3 hours later, they want to eat again too–lunch. No, it’s not lunch time. But if I eat, it means it’s lunch time.
Then later, I will eat lunch, and they really do have to be fed. Dinner is no problem. Only I get it. It’s just the issue of breakfast and lunch that confuses them.
Okay, off to think about writing as I’m coughing my head off. Hope you are in a sick-free zone this week! Have a great one!
Every once in a while, there’s some major news about an author stealing passages from other authors’ books. Here’s a new one on me: taking recipes from online recipes, passages from Wikipedia in their entirety, AND stealing passages from authors’ books, THEN sending these to ghost writers to turn into books. Quickly! She’s a Brazilian “author” and a lawyer, she knows better, and she even was brash enough to enter one of her books in the RITA awards contest–which is a big deal in the romance writer’s association. She said that Fiverr folks did it, but then ghost writers have been coming out of the woodwork saying that she sent them the passages and told them to incorporate them in her books. They didn’t realize they’d been plagiarizing works.
Bent out of shape sunflower–where there’s a will, there’s a way!
So, she’s pulled her books down from sale’s sites, RWA has removed her book from the awards’ consideration, she’s closed her Facebook and other social networking sites, shut down her website, she’s been outed.
Okay, folks, here’s a hint: Readers read other authors’ books. When we write our books, they don’t read only OURS. If they love a certain genre, they will read several books in that genre. If a writer steals passages from other authors, guess what happens? Fans will notice! They do!
I’ve written a couple of romance time travels, one still needing revision and hasn’t been published, but I loved reading them. Mine isn’t like anyone else’s. I don’t want my books to be a copy of anyone else’s. But I remember reading reviews on one author’s work on her time travels on Amazon, thinking I’d buy her books because I love time travels and there aren’t that many of them, and man, was she being blasted for copying other time travel authors’ books’ (major authors), passages shared on the reviews–they had her number. Of course, I didn’t buy her books.
Lots of my readers re-read my books over and over again. They know them better than I do. So if they do that with mine, they do that with others, and if we’re copying each others’ books, what do you think will happen? Fans will tell on the offending writer! Really! It’s happened a number of times. No one knows until readers out them.
There was a YA writer who did the same thing. She made New York Times Bestseller! She is at one of the Ivy League colleges and her English instructor said he couldn’t believe it. Her writing was not exemplary. Her daddy had payed handsomely to get her into the college because she kept doing so poorly on the entrance exams. Then what happened? She was found out! Numerous fans of other YA works shared the plagiarized passages and all of a sudden, the famous college student was outed! She was proven to be a FRAUD.
What’s incredible too is that the plagiarizer of the romance books even dedicated a book to herself for all the hard work she does writing her books. Ha!
It’s frustrating for those of us who work and work and work at this stuff, trying to come up with new ideas, new ways of saying the same thing–falling in love, making the commitment, solving plots–when someone is gaming the system. See, it’s not just that she’s stealing other authors’ work, but she’s getting the books out there as fast as she can, and the more books you have out in a shorter period of time, the better your rankings. I’m a fast writer, but dang, I wish I could put out a book a week and not have to work so hard.
Yet, I truly love what I do, and I own the characters, the stories, and my name is on my work for MY work.
Okay, baby is on her way soon and I’ve got to get some writing done! I’m nearly 8,000 words ahead on my word count–all my words too! Even though I say I’m ahead, this is just to make minimum word count. The books usually run longer–by 10,000-20,000 words, so I need the extra time to write the extra words.
I was sick, sick, sick yesterday and up all night the night before being sick, ugh. It didn’t work well for my writing. Though I did finish edits on Her Jaguar Protector the night before, and yesterday I managed to get 1/2 of my word count for the day.
Feeling much better today, and hope to catch up on my word count!
Which goes to prove that if you do more than you have scheduled, if you have an unscheduled interruption, you will still be mostly on track. 🙂
On the flowers, I planted the spider lilies this year, and didn’t know how they’d really look. They’re beautiful, exotic. The sunflowers come up from the birdseed. I just let them flower. The bees like them. And I missed taking a picture of a bee that was too cold to move, sitting on a chives flower yesterday morning. I was reading where that’s the best way to take a really good closeup shot. I checked this morning, but no bees. They’re around, but just didn’t find one resting anywhere.
Off to catch up on my writing!!! Have a flower-filled day!
A mass of daylillies on our walk, zinnia from seed, just beginning to bloom, never tried them before, and a sunflower from seeds the birds dropped.
I love all the colorful flowers, but yesterday, I was digging up a lot of weeds, and my neighbor even came over and helped! I need to get more bark mulch to keep the weeds from coming back.
In the backyard, I’m digging up grass to create a new flowerbed. What a job. I’ve spent two days on it. Probably have three more days to go. Once it’s done though, it won’t be too much work. If I just weed periodically, it’s no problem.
In the end, is it worth it? You bet. Don’t you love the flowers?
It’s like grooming the dogs, or weeding out and fleshing out and making a story the best it can be. It takes work. But in the end, it’s totally worth it.
I should be “done” with The Bounty Hunter Gets Her Wolf today. Yesterday, I spent the day home, instead of going to my daughter’s. Between the night before after I left her house at 6 pm and working until midnight and all day the next day until late last night, I wrote 12,000 words. It’s not because I had the time to do it, but because the scenes start to unfold, one right after another. 🙂 I have to remind myself when I’m trying to force the scenes to happen, it won’t happen. That I have to keep writing and writing and writing, and all of sudden, I have it. It’s there. Happening. Amazing.
Yet, it’s still not “done.” Once I type up this “last” scene I was finishing by hand late last night, I need to get descriptions of a couple of characters from another book to add. And then? It’s not done. The story is written. That’s the fantastic part!!! And then the reading and rereading begin. To make sure that moving things didn’t mess up the flow, that all the scenes are fleshed out. That it’s the most enjoyable read that it can be. And that I didn’t leave any loose ends.
Have a fun day…it might be work, but the results can be worth it.
Terry Spear
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Working on Between a Wolf and a Hard Place. and need to turn this in because edits are coming for SEAL Wolf Undercover, and need to finish White Wolf Christmas, which had to be put on hold.
Okay, so how many times do I need to tell the editor that YES, people can howl. Lift your chin and howl! Can you? Of course you can. Maybe not as wolfish as a wolf can, but you CAN howl. They have howl-ins at some wolf reserves! Wolf biologists have howled to gather packs. Believe me, they didn’t turn into wolves first to do it either. There was a guy wearing a wolf suit in New Orleans on a street corner playing “Werewolves of London” and howling every once in a while. And he was good. If wolves had been in the area….
At the wolf reserve near White Bear, one of the keepers there howled for us that night, trying to get the wolves to howl. They didn’t, but sometimes they would when she did it.
So it’s not just with my world, but in the REAL world, people can howl! lol They can bark and woof and….
So I’m on chapter 5, have 21 chapters, so as soon as I’m done with this, I’ll be back to White Wolf Christmas. 18,000 words left to go. I was editing what I’ve written on that too.
See all the sunflowers on this plant??? And Tanner right next to it? Hopefully when it opens, he won’t see them. 🙂
Okay, so ANY DAY now, right? lol Is this like a watched pot won’t boil?
Off to have a great edits day!
Hope you have a great one too!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
I was trying to make a new FB timeline cover to show off the 5 free books right now with my publisher. I tried a neat forest background for wolves, you know, but it’s too busy with the busy covers.
There is a reason to have sunflower seeds, and Tanner is not one of them! Even though he thinks he is. Will the new sunflower survive?
Only time will tell….
Have a super day!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
