Skip to main content

Update on the suspense manuscript and proposal

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.05.2005

Taking a break from writing (which is what I should be doing) and indulging myself in my blog.

Funny thing is, I don’t have that much to say. I just like writing these darn things.

I finished my proposal for the Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference going on March 18-22. I really can’t NOT go, seeing as it’s only 45 minutes away and a terrific conference to learn and grow and smooze with some really nice people. It’s cost is a bit prohibitive--I thought long and hard about going, did I already blog about this? Oh well.--but decided to hand over the money and have a great time.

I’m getting really excited. I know several people who will be going, including my friend Cherise whom I haven’t seen since Mt. Hermon last year, where we met. I’ll actually be having lunch at her house next weekend. She took the plunge and quit her job so she could open her own store in Santa Cruz, an ice-cream/hot soups shop. It’s right near Big Basin and all the tourists who visit for hiking, camping, and mountain biking. I think it’ll be a hit.

I also get to see tons of other writer friends. Sharon and her daughter will be staying an extra day with me just to hang and see a beach (they’re from the Midwest). I’ll be joined by fellow San Jose writers Marilyn and Shelley, both published authors (aren’t I in exalted company?). I’m looking forward to seeing Meredith, my mentor from last year’s conference who has a fabulous Momlit coming out this November.

Did I forget anyone?

Okay, so the proposal. I actually wrote two of them, because I don’t know if I should pitch just the book or the 3-book series it starts off. I’ll be submitting the proposal to a couple editors. Writing the proposal was actually not as bad as I’d thought. The synopsis was the worst part, but since I had done Randy’s Snowflake method, I had it mostly completed already. And my wonderful writer friends critiqued the crap out of it to make sure it didn’t leak off of the two-page limit I wanted.

The market comparison was fun because I got to go online at Amazon.com and search through a bunch of Silhouette Bombshell storylines and other neat romantic suspense titles. I finished a rather nice query/cover letter (if I do say so myself) thanks to John Olson’s fiction class at the Redwood Chapel’s Christian Writers Seminar a few weeks ago.

God is so good. Everything just seemed to come together and fall into place with terrific timing. I’m still rather apprehensive and insecure about this manuscript, but Sharon was knocking me over the head and reminding me that it’s ALL IN GOD’S HANDS. Why do I keep forgetting that? I need it tattooed on my hand or something.

So now that the proposal’s done, I’m writing like crazy again (hence the lack of blogging, otherwise I’d be on here every day). I have about 1/4 of the manuscript to finish, and I’m hopeful I can get it done before Mt. Hermon.

I’m also considering entering this manuscript in a few contests. The Daphne du Maurier contest (sponsored by the RWA Kiss of Death Chapter--love that name!) has an inspirational category this year, and they’re in need of entries. Also, I’m considering entering the ACFW’s Noble Theme contest again. Am I just a glutton for punishment? Both contests need to be submitted this month, the Daphne in a few days, actually. Thanks to my terrific friends (you know who you are), my first chapter has been critiqued quite a bit and I’m a little more confident in submitting it.

Meanwhile, I’ve been taking walks at lunchtime at work and brainstorming my next manuscript, the Hawaii Chicklit/suspense. After I finish the romantic suspense, however, I’ll need to work on the Chicklit novella for the anthology I’m doing with Marilynn Griffith, Rachel Hauck and Janet Spaeth. I’ve gotten that mostly thought out, I’ll just need to fill in a few details before I can do the outline. I hope I can write fast--it’s due April 1st. Man, talk about deadlines. But it helps me be productive and efficient, I must admit.

Okay, I have a few emails to write and then I need to work on the manuscript.

Diet: Almost didn’t want to admit I ate a peanut butter French toast this morning, and then Wendy’s for dinner. I got the salad and poured the chili over it, so it was kind of like a taco salad. But I also got chicken nuggets and French fries.

According to my calorie counter, it was 800 calories, added to the French toast’s 650 calories and a few chips I ate at youth group meeting tonight (hence the Wendy’s dinner). Hey, I’m not doing too bad. I did great yesterday--I had a salad for lunch and low-fat bean soup and a slice of homemade bread for dinner.

I am hoping to drop 4 pounds by the end of the month. Wishful thinking? I’m going in small increments so I don’t get depressed by how overweight I’ve gotten since the injury and surgery last November.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...
2 comments
Read more

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...
2 comments
Read more

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...
18 comments
Read more

Sourdough Treacle Buns recipe from Lady Wynwood's Spies

If you read my Christian Regency Romantic Suspense novel, Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 2: Berserker , you will have noticed that Miss Tolberton brings humble treacle buns to eat with tea at the church. Not only that, but the treacle bun appears in a surprising way in Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 3: Aggressor . I got the idea for treacle buns from looking through old cookbooks from the 1800s. Commercial dry yeast cakes for making breads were not available until 1825, which is 15 years after the date of my book, so most breads during the Regency period were made with sourdough starters. “Black treacle” is the same thing as molasses, and was mentioned in cookbooks published during the Regency period, but in those books, I couldn’t find a recipe for treacle bread or treacle buns or brown bread. This seemed a bit strange to me since brown bread (made with whole wheat and black treacle) has been around since before the Regency period, but I am guessing that it was such a common food, m...
Post a Comment
Read more

If you love Historical Romance with Unexpected Twists

Pride and Prejudice meets Mission: Impossible Lady Wynwood’s Spies is a multi-volume adventure filled with faith, suspense, and romance. Unlike many historical romances that stand alone, each volume continues the story, pulling you further into the same grand conspiracy. Along the way, the series draws you deeper into the characters’ struggles and triumphs, giving you a richer, more immersive experience. If you love stories where you don’t have to say goodbye to the characters after just one book, this series was written for you. The story so far in Lady Wynwood’s Spies Here are short blurbs about each book in Lady Wynwood’s Spies. For those of you already reading the series, this will be Bonus Content, which I hope you enjoy! In a whirlwind of conspiracies and secrets, Lady Wynwood's spies navigate the perilous waters of espionage and betrayal, where every ally could be an enemy in disguise, and every heart hides a story untold. Recovered from her harrowing marriage, La...
Post a Comment
Read more