Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Another 15 things about books

Captain’s Log, Stardate 03.24.2006

Blog Book giveaway:
My Monday book giveaway (QUEEN ESTHER AND THE SECOND GRADERS OF DOOM) is here.
My Thursday book giveaway (REASONABLE DOUBT) is here.
You can still enter both of them. Just post a comment on those blog posts.
On Monday, I'll draw the winner for QUEEN ESTHER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Where it started: So I was IMing with Heather and she told me about Technorati, and I went searching for which blogs linked to mine. You know my favorite meme “15 things about books”? I found out that it started here. Isn’t that way cool?

So guess what I’m going to blog about today?

Another 15 things about books:

31) The last book I finished was Virginia Smith’s JUST AS I AM, and it TOTALLY ROCKED!!! GET THIS BOOK! I loved the heroine Mayla as she feels out her new faith and how it changes her life—which involves purple hair, facial piercings, gay friends and an atheistic roommate. I laughed and I cried and had a great time reading this book.

32) I will be giving away an autographed copy of JUST AS I AM on Monday March 27th! I’ll also be posting a wild interview with Ginny Smith (who probably didn’t realize what she was getting into when I asked to interview her—oy!)

33) I also just finished A FAMILY FOREVER by Brenda Coulter. Another great book! The heroine Shelby is prickly and hormonal and illogical. Basically, she’s just like me. LOL.

34) In my TBR pile right now is WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE by Margaret Daley, ALONG CAME LOVE by Carrie Turansky, PINK by Marilynn Griffith (I’m actually about 1/3 through it), SHOWDOWN by Ted Dekker...among others. Dang, there’s a lot.

35) I will be giving away an autographed copy of ALONG CAME LOVE on Monday April 3rd! My victim—er, interviewed author Carrie Turansky is such a sweet, generous woman.

36) I just do not have enough money to buy all the books I want to buy. I need to read both Christian and secular chick-lits to keep up with the market, I want to buy and read my friends’ books, I want to read the bestsellers, the Christy winners, etc. I need to win the Lottery.

37) I just do not have enough time to read all the books I need to read. See above.

38) I love reading with a candle burning, which is stupid since my eyes are glued to the book and don’t even see the darn candle. I like using my candle aromatherapy holder, which has a shallow bowl holding my lavender/eucalyptus aromatherapy infusion, so I guess the aromatherapy is effective even if I don’t see the candle.

39) I cannot read just before bed. I’m too tired to fully get into the book, even if it’s a riveting page-turner, so essentially it’s a waste of my time, I should be sleeping instead, right?

40) When I specifically carve out reading time during the day, I read a lot faster than I originally thought I did. It’s just hard to not feel guilty and to truly believe that my reading time is no longer just “recreation” but now it’s part of “work.”

41) Lately I’ve been able to read with music playing, which I never used to be able to do. Isn’t my brain supposed to be able to process less things simultaneously as I age, and not more?

42) I just read a book that had all the classic things beginning writers are told not to do—slow opening, passive voice, gobs of backstory. I was ready to tear my hair out. The book interested me because the story premise was cute, but the writing drove me bonkers because as a writer, I’m tuned into all those supposed “marks of amateur writing.”

43) I’ve read two books in the past week that I couldn’t finish past chapter five. I’m surprised I lasted that long, usually I can tell I don’t want to finish a book by the end of chapter two. I just don’t have time to read books that either don’t interest me or are difficult for me to read.

44) I finished BLUE LIKE JAZZ by Donald Miller a week or two ago. It was quite good, insightful into the values of my generation. What I really liked about it was how it challenged Christians to act out their faith more, to overcome our ingrained judgmental reactions.

45) I was lucky enough to score an advance copy of Rachel Hauck’s LAMBERT’S CODE, which doesn’t come out until June (yay, me!). I’ll review it closer to its release date. It was very good. I didn’t quite relate to all the issues discussed because I don’t have children, but it was extremely well-written. I would hold it up as a fine example of excellent writing craft to any beginner or intermediate writer.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Camy, I think we may have been twins separated at birth. Maybe one of those "Parent Trap" kind of arrangements. Don't know. We are soooooooo alike when it comes to reading. Down to the candle. And the huge TBR pile waiting for our attention. Though I do read before I go to bed. Helps that I'm single, so I don't have anything else clamoring for my attention. I've found that I've gotten behind on my chick lit reading though. Been reading more "traditional" romance since my current WIP follows that more than my usual sassy chick-lit voice. But as of April 30 (I'm hoping), I can get back to my usual sassy self. ;)
Unknown said…
You need more money to buy books and I need for the books to slow down. I have a hard time keeping up. I would like more time to read the books that received awards and more ABA books. But I'm certainly not complaining. I'm reading Creston Mape's Full Tilt, just started but so far so good and Peretti/Dekker's HOUSE is on the way. I can't wait.
Stuart said…
Ooh look forward to the Ginny interview. She is a hoot. :)
Anonymous said…
Sounds really good. I know what you mean about reading books. I just found that out with 2 I read recently. One more or less read itself--I breezed through it. The other was slow going with sentences that were too complicated and sometimes even unnecessary. When I was copy-editing one writer's work, I got sick and tired of the passive voice. It leaves a lot of dangling modifiers and those are bad because you're trying to identify what the author is actually talking about.

On the whole I usually finish books that I start. But at least the subject matter has to interest me. And that's why I'm usually reading it. There are a few writers, however, that I just can't read. I don't know what it is about the book or the writing style or whatever but somehow they make me feel "creepy"? or something. It's really weird. Three of these writers have gotten very good reviews but for me, I just don't know why I can't get through the books.

Don't ask how many books are in my TBR piles. I won't even venture a guess. I just know that I'll never be able to read them all. For one thing, I guess my tastes have changed with the years, at least in some areas.

As far as music goes, I'm just the opposite. I loved reading with a symphony or other orchestral work playing (no songs, for the most part). For the last 10 years or so, I've suffered from sensory overload. That's why I sometimes desperately need total quiet. Even watching a long movie can make me really antsy at times.

And right now, I definitely do not have enough money to buy the books I want to buy. I really wonder sometimes why I'm still doing it at all.

Oops, got to stop. My whole right arm, from fingertips to back muscles, is one big pain--the worst I've had in quite a while. Maybe I've been writing too much.

Popular Posts

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Merry Christmas! Enjoy The Spinster's Christmas

As a Merry Christmas gift to all my blog readers, I’m going to be posting my Christian Regency romantic suspense, The Spinster’s Christmas , for free on my blog! I’ll be posting the book in 1000-1500 word segments every Tuesday and Friday. (When I do the calculations, it’ll finish around the end of May.) Why am I posting a Christmas story when it won’t be Christmas in a week? Because I can! :) The Spinster’s Christmas is the prequel volume to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series . Right now I’m editing volume 1 of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, and it’s on track to release in 2020. (If you’re on my Camille Elliot newsletter , you’ll be sure to hear when it’s available for preorder.) I anticipate that the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series to be about ten volumes. I think the series story will be a lot of fun to tell, and I’m looking forward to writing up a storm! Below, I’ll be listing the links to the parts of The Spinster’s Christmas as I post them. (I created the html links by hand so please ...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

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...

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And...

Prelude for a Lord now on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

The new, extended version of Prelude for a Lord is now available on Amazon! I am re-releasing Prelude for a Lord , which was originally published by Zondervan but I got the rights back. Zondervan had a strict word count limit, so I cut about 20,000 words from the manuscript, but now that I have the rights back, I’m releasing the extended version before I cut the words out. The book is now about 120,000 words (the Zondervan version was 100,000 words). Don’t worry, I’m still working on the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series. I’m just re-releasing this book since Zondervan is no longer selling it and some people wanted to read it. I’ll work on the Gentlemen Quartet series after I finish the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series (Lady Wynwood is projected to be 12 books). There will also be some neat cross-over between the two series! I’ll eventually do annotated chapters with Easter Eggs and behind-the-scenes content for Prelude for a Lord , but for now, they’ll only be available to my Launch Tea...

December 16, 2024 Weekly Roundup on Camy’s Patreon

The latest on my Patreon: REMINDER (Tier 3 book boxes): Be sure to answer the question at the end of the update post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/117341237/ Ebooks: Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster  ebooks have been sent out to all paid subscribers! https://www.patreon.com/posts/117882802/ BONUS: Check out Elizabeth’s Droolworth Shoes from Protection for Hire https://www.patreon.com/posts/117282261/ New early access AND bonus annotated chapters this week: (Tier 3: Miss Nell’s Assistant and higher) Protection for Hire : Prologue and Chapter 1 Lady Wynwood and the Senhora’s Bargain (bonus story for Tier 2 and higher): Prologue and Chapter 1 Lady Wynwood’s Spies, Volume 7: Spinster: Completed posting Access to older chapters has been opened up to other tiers. https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-access-98508510 Thanks again for being my subscribers! Subscribe to Camy’s Patreon

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...

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...

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter