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
Post a Comment

The Story Sensei critique service

Captain’s Log, Stardate 06.20.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is A SOUNDING BRASS by Shelley Bates.
My Monday book giveaway is WAKING LAZARUS by TL Hines.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for A SOUNDING BRASS and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

Open for business! I had previously stopped doing manuscript critiques for my critique service, The Story Sensei, and just focused on high-level structural critiques based on synopses.

Now I've opened up The Story Sensei to manuscript critiques again.

Update: See my Story Sensei blog for updated prices. I have a limited-time special price of $1 per 100 words (computer word count), PARTIAL or FULL manuscript.

I will identify any weaknesses in story structure, character arcs, writing style, and other aspects of a high-level critique. I will also analyze your manuscript for key writing and story elements:

• Opening hook/scene
• Pacing
• POV (point of view)
• Smooth dialogue, necessary, no redundancies
• Distinct character voices
• Adverbs
• Passive verbs
• Backstory
• Description, vivid picture, 5 senses
• Show vs. tell
• Rhythm/balance between narrative and dialogue
• Tags vs. beats
• Unique prose or cliché
• Character emotions
• Voice
• Scene structure--goal, conflict, disaster/reaction, dilemma, decision
• Scene necessity/redundancies

I often offer suggestions and brainstorming ideas as a jumping-off point for you to strengthen the cohesiveness and emotional impact of your story.

Visit my Story Sensei blog to find out more about The Story Sensei critique service and to read what other clients have said about my services.
http://www.storysensei.com/

TMI:

Diet: Still exercising, I did it all last week although I didn't for the weekend, but I did it yesterday and I felt great. I’m pretty happy with myself, even though my body still jiggles (I absolutely hate that jiggling feeling. Anybody else? I just think of JELL-O).

So is my care about my body fat putting the wrong emphasis on beauty?

On a good note, I can really feel my back getting stronger and not having as many aches and pains. I think it’s the yoga and the pilates from Denise Austin’s exercise programs.

As a writer, my back really is my lifeline. Well, I guess my wrists and shoulders are, too, but I have an ergonomic keyboard to help with those, and my problems have always been with my back.

A new (and very expensive) ergonomic chair helped, but sitting in it for 10 hours a day or more kind of cancels out the beneficial effects.

How about you guys? Aches? Pains? Need prayer?
Labels:

Comments

Ruth said…
I’m pretty happy with myself, even though my body still jiggles (I absolutely hate that jiggling feeling. Anybody else? I just think of JELL-O).

AMEN! I hate that feeling too!!
Tue Jun 20, 04:59:00 AM 2006
Jennifer Crosswhite said…
I hate that jiggly feeling too. And after two kids and age forty on the horizon, it feels more like a daily battle with gravity. But I do find that working out with weights and yoga helps a ton with my back, neck and shoulders. I really notice a difference when I don't do it.
Tue Jun 20, 08:37:00 AM 2006
Unknown said…
I've been battling with my weight ever since my hysterectomy. A friend of mine recently lost a ton of weight, so nosey me asked her how. No dieting! Can you believe it? She went out and bought that dance mat craze (Dance Dance Revolution). So, I copy catted and did the same. What fun! I do it for 30 minutes to an hour, five days a week. Doesn't seem like exercise and it is a blast, when I can get it away from my 15 year old son!
Tue Jun 20, 08:56:00 AM 2006
Anonymous said…
I was close to 160 lbs. at 5' 4" about a year ago. Then I just lost my appetite and now I'm down to 110 lbs. Stress did most of that. But should have been exercising as wall, as Camy said. There's one exercise I that I loved doing in the shower before I lost my most helpful one (dedicated shower, if you want). The one is bath-tubs just don't do the same thing for me. Anyway, I'd stand in the corner opposite the spray, the flat hands positioned on each wall at shoulder height about 18" from the corner. Place your feet slightly apart and so that you can lean forward without having your heels lose contact with the floor. Lean forward for a count of five. Do this 10 times. I loved finding the stretch and tightening in my back muscles and having the warm to very warm water spray on my back. This can also be done in a doorway but I'v had bad hands for a few decads already and this exercise in a doorway seemed to tear every ligament or whatever. So I stuck to the corner. I'll see if I can find the exact directins from my exercise program if anybody needs it. After doing this for a good bit of time, I found myself sitting comfortably erect even at the computer. A big surprise!

That no longer holds true now, alas. I feel like a little bundle of nerves, bones and muscles at the computer nowadays. I also sit straighter if I sit crosslegged on my chair. I asked my doctor if that was okay. He just smiled at me (and I thought I'd asked a really stupid question). But he said: "Why do you think more than half the people in the world sit like that?" Without the chair of course.

With your weight or the jiggling, I really wouldn't worry about that unless it has an impact on your health in any way, psychological or physical.

I have an Obus chair but without the exercise I was trying to describe, it doesn't help all that much. I think I'll just have to go with the exercises in the bathtub's other corner as a place to do the exercises daily without the warm water. Better than not doing it at all and I seem to have no other good corners in this place. Thanks for reminding me to do that one at least. I'll definitely need constant reminding unless I can get back into a routine and do some of the other exercises as well.
Tue Jun 20, 03:38:00 PM 2006
Anonymous said…
Ugh, I'm making so many more typing mistakes recently and not seeing them when I proofread. I hope my new glasses will help. I think I got the ok for them in the mail today.
Tue Jun 20, 03:40:00 PM 2006
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!
Post a Comment
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

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
21 comments
Read more

Camy’s Worsted Cotton Comfortable Skirt with Lace Edging knitting pattern

I made my original Comfortable Cotton Skirt with a simple eyelet round at the bottom, but this one has a simple antique garter stitch lace edging, “Edging to Trim the Body and Sleeves” on page 43 of the book New Guide to Knitting and Crochet , published in 1847. You can download a free ebook copy of the book here . The edging was originally to trim a Baby’s Knit Body, but I have no idea what that is. :P If you do, please do leave a comment. I also changed the hip increases to 4 distinct darts rather than 8 sections, but if you prefer the hip increases from my original Comfortable Cotton skirt, you can substitute that. Like the original Comfortable skirt, this one is cotton for summer, and loose for casual wear. It has a little positive ease and is only slightly flared. The waist is drawstring rather than elastic so that I can loosen it on my fat days or after pigging out at my favorite restaurant. This pattern/recipe is for my size, but there are instructions at the bottom for
4 comments
Read more

Gerard's scarf & Prelude winners!

I finished Gerard’s scarf! It’s lovely and squishy. Here’s the link to my Ravelry project page if you’re interested. And the winners are: The winner of Gerard’s scarf and a copy of Prelude for a Lord is: Cathy B. (Oklahoma) The winners of a copy of Prelude for a Lord are: Cora B. (Ohio) DeVorah B. (Georgia) Breanna D. (California) Deidre D. (Georgia) Carol G. (Oklahoma) Janka H. (Slovakia) Deborah K. (Virginia) Cheri O. (Kentucky) Sara W. (Virginia) Joan W. (Florida) Congratulations! I’ve emailed you. If you didn’t receive my email, or if I didn’t respond to YOUR reply, please contact me through my website , Facebook , or Twitter . My email has been a bit wonky lately. I know that the rest of you are crying into your Regency White Soup that you didn’t win. Cheer up and buy the book! Buy links are below. Buy print book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com Buy ebook: Kindle iBooks Kobo Nookbook Christianbook.com Prelude for a Lord
2 comments
Read more

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures
10 comments
Read more

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are
2 comments
Read more

Blogging with beauty when you're loud and tactless

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.25.2006 I'm gone to RWA National conference : This might be my last post for the rest of the week, depending on if I can get internet access at my hotel. Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is WEB OF LIES by Brandilyn Collins . My Monday book giveaway is BE MY NEAT-HEART by Judy Baer . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. I won’t be drawing a winner this Thursday, but on Monday, July 31st, I'll draw the winner for BE MY NEAT-HEART and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Blame Mary: My beautiful friend Mary DeMuth is hosting a “Carnival of Beauty” on Wednesday. I’m not really sure what that means, but she asked me to join so I said “Cool!” The theme is “The Beauty of Blogging.” Now blogging I could talk about all day! Blogging is beautiful for people like me who can’t shut up. Maybe it’s ego-centric. I mean, blogging is uncensored, unedited writing/ranting/complaining/crowin
14 comments
Read more

The Robe by Wes King

Captain’s Log, Stardate 01.07.2006 I’ve been developing the spiritual theme for this current project for a while, and I think I’ve finally nailed it down. This song has inspired me in my own walk, but then it occurred to me that it communicates the emotional theme for my WIP very well, too. The Robe by Wes King Anyone whose heart is cold and lonely Anyone who can't believe Anyone whose hands are worn and empty Come as you are Anyone whose feet are tired of walking And even lost their will to run There is a place of rest for your aching soul Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are Anyone who feels that they're unworthy Anyone whose just afraid Come sinner, come and receive His mercy Come as you are For the robe is of God That will clothe your nakedness And the robe is His grace It's all you need Come as you are From the album: The Robe c1993 Emily Boothe, Inc. (BMI)/Careers-BMG Mus
3 comments
Read more

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 Humorous Romantic Suspense: Year of the Dog (Warubozu Spa Chronicles series, Prequel novel) (Currently being posted monthly on my blog as a serial novel) Marisol Mutou, a professional dog trainer, finally has a chance to buy a facility for her business, but her world is upended when she must move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate. When she stumbles upon a three-year-old missing persons case, security expert Ashwin Keitou, whose car she accidentally rear-ended a few weeks earlier, is tasked with protecting her. However, danger begins to circle around them from people who want the past to remain there. Can they shed light on the secrets moving in the shadows? Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, n
Post a Comment
Read more