LK Hunsaker's Blog: News and Ponderances, page 12

On my blog this month (my official site blog, that is), I have several writers sharing their favorite travel spots.

So far Shawn Kirsten Maravel shared her visit to Italy, Sarah Todd shared her visit to Cappadochia, Turkey, and I started the month with one of my favorite cities: Pittsburgh.

Still to come are visits to Maine, Idaho and Montana, North Carolina's Sugar Mountain, Washington D.C., and a few others.

Come visit:
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

It's an addiction.

I've been a Wrimo since November 2004 and I would have been earlier if I had found it earlier. Why? The challenge. At least at first it was the challenge to see how hard it would be to write 50K words of a new novel in 30 days along with a bunch of other insane writers.

I found out we're not all that insane. It is an incredible exercise in letting your thoughts go and allowing whatever comes to mind get to print. No editing. No overthinking. Just pure creative flow.

It didn't quite work that way for me the first year. I struggled. I only got to just over 30,000 words. But hey, it was 30,000 words I wouldn't have had otherwise, and a great experience. I had to try again the following November. Again, I strugged, but I made just over 50,000.

What an exhilarating feeling it is to shove through when you're tired, when you think you've run dry of words, when your muse has packed up and left for the west coast of Ireland to rejuvenate in the cold and rain and beautiful landscape ... where was I?

Oh, yes, it is indeed exhilarating. And it becomes an addiction. The past two years, I've reached over 90,000 new words of a new story in November. Instead of having a new book done only every 2 to 3 years, I'm producing one a year (at the moment, and knock on wood). I used to wonder how on earth authors could produce so fast. Now I know.

They push. They make it a priority. And they tell themselves they can.

That was the difference between my first and second Nanowrimo years. The first year, I thought it was crazy. The second year I told myself if others could do it, well durn it, so could I! And I did.

Now that the challenge has been won and I know I can, and that I can double that to 100K if I decide, I'm adding to my own challenge.

This year's Nano novel will be strictly literary, full of social issues, an experiment of sorts since I'm pulling two book ideas into one.

The past three years, I've finished the novels I worked on during November by some point of the following year and they have all been published. Each one is better than the last (at least I feel it is), even for starting so fast.

This year, I'll push it during November, hope for a full first draft (50K won't cut it for the full book), then set it aside to continue the book I'm working on now (the huge 3rd book of the Rehearsal series). Maybe before next November, I'll be able to finish both.

As a celebration of Nanowrimo, which, by the way, stands for National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org), I'm offering the shorter, spicier version of last year's Nano novel for $0.99, only from now through November 30th.

The offer is only available through Smashwords and this one is only available as an ebook:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
with the coupon code: CY54Y

Of course, if you want the full and less spicy version, you can find that at Smashwords in ebook version or at ElucidatePublishing.net in print. Or order from your local indie store!

*Note: The spicier version is not erotica; it is sensual with scenes that continue farther than the door.

Who else is in for Nanowrimo this year? You don't have to come to the end of the book by the end of November. You only need to aim at having the first 50K words of it done. Come play along! You'll be in good company. :-)

Here's my page if you want to add me as a buddy or watch my progress: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participa...

Moondrops & Thistles is arriving today and I'll send them out to you tomorrow! Thanks to all 500+ of you who tried to win it and all who added it to your to-read lists.

Contact me if you'd like a signed copy, tell me you saw it on Goodreads, and I'll give you a $1.95 discount on the retail price (shipping included - offer good in the US only).

Go to ElucidatePublishing.net for more book info and contact form.

I just took a several day break from Facebook. Now, I love Facebook. I love chatting with people and seeing quickly what so many of my friends are up to at any given time. It's also a great way to see what's going on in the wider world and how people feel about things. Great way to tune in to reality. The problem is: time! Wow, it's a time sucker.

Particularly when I get involved in a conversation, I spend far too much time debating and pondering and it invades my off-line time, as well.

It can also suddenly feel like a huge personal space invasion. On days, I consider deleting the page and walking away. I doubt I will. I like the connection when I want it.

Over the several days I made myself step away, I became fully engrossed in finishing my rewrite of the current WIP. In fact, I was so fully engrossed, I abandoned FB (and other places) longer than I intended. But I got it done, at least the handwritten additions for the spots that were lacking fullness.

It felt wonderful enough to be so obsessed with my work that I'm only edging back into the social scene gently. Those pages still need to be typed. Then edited. Then passed to a few beta readers. Then re-edited. And several other WsIP are sitting and waiting for my time.

Writing and networking is a huge balancing game for a writer. If we hide too far deep in our little caves, we lose track of the gorgeous, full reality that infuses our work, and that's a shame. If we get too involved in that gorgeous, full reality, we don't have enough time to write it! That's a crime! ;-)

So, sometimes I'll be seeing you around. Other times I won't. Yes, I do feel sorry for a writer's friends, my own included.

I sometimes feel bad when I leave a 3 star review, even if by the rating standards, that means I enjoyed the book.

The thing is, I don't believe in people getting more than they give or earn, and that goes for any subject. When standards lax and everyone receives 5 stars only because it's not "nice" to criticise, then quality slips down to nothing. I believe in working for those stars!

Heck, I won't even go through and give my own books 5 stars. Usually I don't rate them at all, and I think I did once accidentally and then couldn't figure out how to erase it again.

When I give 3 stars, I've enjoyed the read but found things that hindered it for me a bit. Some of those things are, of course, personal preference. Such as, I'm not big on vampires and werewolves. I rarely read them, and when I do, I'm pretty hard to impress. That's not the fault of the writer, of course. Paranormal is big right now, and that's fine. It's just not my cup of coffee.

I grew up reading classics, not because they were forced or to be able to say I did, but because that's what I most enjoyed. Well, after I grew out of the Hardy Boys. For years, nearly all I read were classics and historicals. Recently, I'm branching out. The problem with brancing from classics out to other genres is that I'm looking for that classic feel. I want depth. I want reality. I want larger truth within a "narrow" story. Yes, I can enjoy a book without those things, but I'm unlikely to rate it as highly.

No offense intended. Reviews are opinions. They're personal.

And I'd rather encourage growth in trying to improve and reach for those stars than stagnation that says don't bother, it's okay to be okay. Yes, maybe it is. But I reach. Constantly. And I'm not as hard on any other author as I am on myself. So that's all okay. Right?

Congrats to my 3 winners for the signed print copies of Protect The Heart! I'm humbled and gratified by the interest in this story, as shown by the 654 entrants and the 40+ members who marked it to-read.

A bit of background: this was my one month first draft write for last year's Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). I participate every year because it encourages a frenzy of "get it on paper and fix it later!" that brings out true and pure creativity.

I went into this one with the very bare idea of a story, pulled in a couple of main characters, added another, and let them go where they wanted. A few of my fabulous fans who read every book I put out said this is the best so far.

It was very much inspired by real life and very much a tribute. The books will go out to the winners today. I hope it will touch their hearts in some way.

Be on the lookout. I'll continue giveaways right here at Goodreads with each new release.

I'm on Donna's blog today talking about the inspiration behind my newest release, Protect The Heart.

This is an "insider" kind of post that opens up a bit of my family background. It's not something I do often, but some stories need to be told.

A free ebook is up for the winning!

Protect the Heart: background, with Donna Hatch

Starting November 1st, I have 3 copies of my newest novel, Protect The Heart, available as a giveaway. I have to apologize to those outside the US, but international postage is more expensive than the book! To make up for that, I'll give the first 3 responders to this post from outside the US an ebook of the same novel.