However, after a conversation lately with a friend about ‘muses’ I started to go my normal standby, thatif I had a muse, she’d be a workaholic. But after seeing this movie, coming out of pumped up with my creative juices flowing, ideas zinging off my brain like an electrical storm going haywire, I realized that’s not really the case.

My muse it seems, would be inspired by gorgeous hunks like the cast of the Avengers, in all out magical duels to save the world.

From Google Images

From Google Images

Seriously, this actor should never be allowed to cut his hair, or lose the sexy I-Am-The-God-Thor voice. Though he could definitely do his next movie shirtless. The Muse and I would both agree. Although, I am now crazy with the anticipation of the new Snow White movie, because, yeah, whoa:

From Google Images

So now that I think about it, my muse is a definitely overworked gal who is very much appreciative of the mancandy, especially those with really cool superpowers. Kind of like the men she writes. Go figure.

Now, as if I could stop with only one of the men from the Avengers, stay tuned next Monday. I shared my favorite of the superhero cast, but I think I’ll continue to work my way through the group. For a hint, next week’s manly muse needs to make me my own suit.

Well, this week I figured we’d do a lighter excerpt. :-p Something a bit more fun.The start of what I’m thinking will be a very nice evening… (And any constructive feed back is more than welcome, as I’m in edit-mode on this thing!)

Julie Falk – flickr

In one smooth movement, he scooped her up and slid her legs through the swing, setting her easily inside the old tire. He gave her a soft push from behind and whispered, “Stay.”

Like she would ruin this. No one had ever put this much thought into a date for her. Dinner and a movie, while a classic and exactly what she’d been expecting, had nothing on this. “My, my Mr. Wolf,” she whispered under her breath, grinning at the instantaneous chuckle it brought from him, “What clever ideas you have.”

Thank you to everyone who stops by each week! It means a lot to me. And be sure to check out the other amazing authors at Six Sentence Sunday.

Nonetheless, this means that I’ve been buried in nonfiction on the workings of evil minds, reading life stories from real killers, scouring criminal profiling textbooks and you name it. I’m actually looking forward to stepping away from all those pesky murderers for awhile and playing with some new kinds of bad guys. There are a lot more dark and twisted bad guys out there than just your average mass murderer. :-p

So despite being most of the way through Shifter Town Enforcement #2 (Cry Sanctuary), I’m plotting a new, super sekrit project to let myself have a break from the series on occasion. And for this one, I’m making sure it’s not a serial killer for the Big Bad. On the other writing fronts…I’m chin deep in edits on my YA novel for my other name, working on outlining a revision I need to tackle this summer (Open Season), and slaving away over STE #2. Oh, and beta reading for a few people. Which reminds me…totally need to get on that tonight and finish up my comments so I can send it back to the author.

So yeah, enough with the serial killers, onto a new kind of evil. Mwhuahua (or you know, some equally sounding evil laugh :-p).

Today’s snippet is from Cry Sanctuary – Shifter Town Enforcement #2. Here you get to meet the main female character from book two: Holly “Ollie” Lawrence, going head to head with our friendly, neighborhood bad guy… :-p

Angell Williams – flickr.com

“Don’t,” Ollie managed to whisper right before the blonde woman darted out the front door.

The grin that slid over the Hunter’s face was triumphant. He turned those vibrant gold eyes back towards her. I win, that gaze told her, screamed it at her. Then he shuddered as fur washed out over clothing and in a blink of an eye, the monster that was the Hunter—the man that had killed fourteen people over the past two years—became a lean, black wolf.

Dark and deadly, he slipped out the door into the dimming evening light and Ollie Lawrence knew that tiger-shifter or not, Rosalie Myers didn’t stand a chance.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Be sure to check the other amazing authors on the loop: Six Sentence Sunday!

I used to pants a whole story, straight through. Starting with nothing more than a character walking into my brain and we’d take off running.

I used to never read through what I was writing as I was writing it.

And I definitely never used to edit while I was writing.

I also used to never write out of order. I’m a very linear thinker, so how could I possibly write scene X when I hadn’t written scene C. (My issues with outlining too).

I seem to be out to break every one of those. I still pants rather than outline, but it’s more of a hybrid combination. Using Larry Brook’s StoryFix blog posts I normally pick out the major things I need to happen in a story (pretty vague). For example my whole ‘notes’ for Part 2 might simply be: They need to start building the core of their relationship here, learning to trust each other, finding out their strength. The Big Bad will need to keep them on their toes, preferably more dead bodies, and have him fail sometime around or slightly after midpoint, not enough to make them win…just to move them into Attack Mode.

Add that to figuring out my internal/external GMCs via Susan Bischoff’s post for my two protagonists and my big bad, and I’m good to go. But it’s still way more planning than I used to do.

I also find, that now that I’m publishing, I want to write as clean of a first draft as possible. Before it didn’t matter how messy draft one was. There was no guarantee I was going to do anything with it. And if it failed, so what? I had a zillion other ideas. Not so now. I don’t want to do fifteen rewrites simply because I didn’t ‘plot ahead’ and I don’t want to have to cut 10k words just because I didn’t double check my pacing. Now, I find I write around a quarter of the book, read it through, edit it, then write the next quarter, and so on. So yeah, now I’mediting while I write too. Who’d have thought?

And for the first time ever, I cansometimes write a scene out of order. This is still hard for me, because I only vaguely know what happens…but if I know a scene down to it’s core, I might skip a head (more likely with a novella or short than a novel).

But all of this flabbergasts me. These were things I just could not do. When I used to read through a WIP or, God forbid, edit it while I working…I’d shut down. Go into I hate this mode (also know as the “I suck mode” where the doubt fairies tackle and maul me). And while I still have the doubt-mode quite regularly, I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my ability as a writer. I’ve studied structure, pacing, characterization and put them to practice…and while I’m no ace at them, I have a basic understanding that lends me confidence. When I look at myself now, I’m amazed at much I’ve grown as a writer over these past few years.

So, how do you write? Are there any tried-and-true methods that you tend to use when tackling a new story? What about old methods that never worked before, but are suddenly working for you now?

I’m still a little stunned at how fast and how well this whirlwind of a week went. I think I blinked and missed it. :-p Now…what’s next?

Well, I have one more week of working my full hours before I get to go to my shortened summer hours at the Day Job, and I can’t WAIT. That’ll mean more writing time for me, among other things. So, all I have to do is make it through four measly days this week. I can do that.

I’ve been working on scheduling a blog tour for Hounded, and am now on the schedule for a week long tour staring June 15th over at Bewitching Blog Tours. I’m totally excited and utterly terrified. But I already have a bunch of guest blog posts written, so at least I’ve gotten some of the leg work out of the way.

And most importantly, I guess, is that I’m still plugging right along on the writing and revisions. ^_^

Finally everything is starting to calm down and I can start doing the blog-hop again! Thrilled to be back doing Six Sentence Sunday again. Today’s excerpt is another from Hounded – Shifter Town Enforcement #1, though I’ll soon be snaring some from my various WIPs. -has the focus of a gnat-

“You will not,” Lennox said, but her voice hitched over the last word, and Kanon flicked his gaze to the rearview mirror to see one rounded breast plucked free of her shirt and bra, the dark pink of her nipple rolled between Tegan’s fingertips. Her back arched and Kanon almost swerved off the road.

“Not fair. I’m going to crash the car at this rate.”

“Shh,” Tegan whispered, “You’re distracting him. Let’s see how quiet you can be.”

Be sure to stop by the other Six Sentence Sunday authors, some really great stuff out there!

For those who don’t know yet. Hounded:

Lion-shifters Kanon Reyes and Tegan Sharpe aren’t sure what Kanon’s done to earn himself a frame-up for murder, but they’re determined to keep him from a silver bullet and a shallow grave. To do that, though, they’ll have to rely on the sexy Hound sent to arrest him.

As a Hound for Shifter Town Enforcement, Lennox Donnelly is one of the best. But when one of her arrest warrants turns out to be for an innocent man, she’s determined to get to the truth. What she finds are dead witnesses and an untraceable magick–with a killer far more powerful than her. Now, to survive, Lennox will have to learn to rely on more than just herself if she’s to make it back to the men she’s come to love.

I do want to THANK all the new visitors that have hit this place over the past few days as well as the wonderful readers who have already bought a copy. I’m beyond amazed and humbled. Thank you so much for such an incredible release. I might be a writer, but words fail me right now. I am hard at work on the next book in the series, I swear. If you’re looking for excerpts and teasers, be sure to check back here on Sundays, as well as around the site.

I put up What the Heart Haunts again, which is still available until May 1st for FREE through Smashwords via this coupon code: GT88L

Nalla is an ex-Hound of the Wild Hunt. She’s spent the last four hundred years in exile…for falling in love. On a whim one night, she agrees to a blind date, but she doesn’t expect Khost. Another Hound, he’s the closest she’s come to finding the magic she’s lost. He’s also her chance at revenge against the god who banished her. All she needs to do is seduce his Hound.

After a hundred and fifty years of running with the Wild Hunt, Khost can’t remember what it’s like to feel. Until Nalla. With one kiss, Nalla leaves him shaken and now that he’s had her, he can’t let her go. Khost knows that falling for Nalla means he’ll be giving up the Hunt, but one can’t help what the heart haunts…and people are meant for love.

I’ve also been doing a number of changes around the site. Hounded’s page got a nice new face lift and now also includes the first chapter of the book which should be debuting here shortly! What the Heart Haunts will also shortly be featuring the first chapter as well–the moment I get it re-uploaded to all vendors.

If you’re an author and would like a second place to advertise your book, feel free to drop by in the comments. Please keep it to one book per author, please! Remember to give everyone your name, website info, information about your book (length/genre/heat level), and where they can grab themselves a copy! If you’re a reader and have a great book you’d like to share, go ahead and drop a line in the comments as well!

But to break up the monotony today, I finally sat down and finished the cover. Enjoy!