Getting Stuck

Every so often I start to get worried about getting stuck. It usually happens when writer's block sets in, which is what's happening right now. BLOOD MOON is at a fight scene that I just can't write. Something is wrong with it, and I don't know what. But I'm getting off topic. I'm not talking about getting stuck like writer's block stuck. I mean in the publishing industry.

It should be no surprise what my final goal is; to walk into a book store and find my title on their shelves, and not because I snuck it in there myself or called ahead to order it. I'd also like to be on the New York Times Bestseller list. I think these goals are the same for every writer (correct me if I'm wrong).

I get worried, at times, that I'm going to get stuck in what I'm doing. I'm pretty sure I've blogged about this before, but I don't feel like looking it up. It's really getting to me lately. I was worried about that when I was just having short stories published (what if that's all I'm ever able to do?) and I worry about that now with my novellas (can't I ever write something over 30k?). I hope to keep growing as a writer, especially since over the last four years I have gone from two flash stories published to 3 books and over 50 short stories and poems published. I have a plan in my head about how the next couple of years will turn out (finish BLOOD MOON and get that published and start working on my paranormal romance novel. Maybe get a novella published by Nocturne Bites).

I know how to get to my final goal - I need to sit down and write - but with so much of my time sucked up my promoting the three books I have out there now I'm drained by the end of the day when I sit down to write. I've joked around with my husband, saying that I need to hire someone to do the promo for me, but I'm starting to think that's not a bad idea. Imagine what I could do with the extra time! Or maybe I need to start picking and choosing what to update. Using Ping to update my Twitter and Facebook has helped, but if I want to use graphics I can't use Ping to update my blog...not like I do that much anyways. Yahoo Groups just kill me, but I've gotten to the point that I post the same stuff every promo day, even going as far as having it saved in MSWord. Sign in, copy, paste, sign out.

I've just read through what I've written, and I realize that I'm whining. I'd delete this, but isn't that what blogs are for?

New review for FADE TO BLACK!

Wow that was quick! I sent Happily Ever After Reviews a request just the other day, and was surprised by this fantastic review in my inbox today.

"Ms. Kuehl was more than able to deliver with this short paranormal romance. From the first word, I was hooked and the end left me begging for more." Read More

It even received 4/5 teacups!

Acceptance for "Dalamar's Quest"

This has been a long time coming! "Dalamar's Quest" has been accepted for publication by Bewildering Stories. This is Amythist Dyier's debut story. The sequels, "The Hunt" (Ethereal Tales) and "The Final Goodbye" (Ruins Metropolis), have already been published. Amythist is one of my favorite short story characters, and I hope to have the chance to write about her in a longer work one day. So why did it take so long to get Amy's debut story out there?

Here's a little truth about the publishing world; just because it's been accepted, doesn't mean it will make it to print. "Dalamar's Quest" was slated for publication in Feb 2009, but the magazine that accepted it ran into some problems. First, they changed ownership. When that happens, things can either go really good like they have over at Eternal Press, or really bad like what happened there. They got behind on their publishing schedule, and finally they threw in the towel and closed down. I could see this coming from a mile away and crossed my fingers that they could published "Dalamar's Quest" before closing their doors. They couldn't, and all the rights reverted back to me. I started submitting "Dalamar's Quest" again this year.

I'm happy to say that this story has been accepted and you will be able to view online for free. I love Amythist, and I'm happy you get the chance to meet her. Right now I don't know the publication date, but as soon as I have it I'll let you know.

Second Edits and Release Date

I got my second edits for MALEVOLENT DEAD yesterday, and am happy to say that I made the changes, send it back to my editor, and it's now on its way to proofs. I also have to say that editing MD was the quickest editing EVER. I must be getting a hang of this writing things, LoL.

When I got my second edits I got my release date. MALEVOLENT DEAD will be released on...*drum roll*... September 7th!

So mark your calendars and get ready for the second installment in the Sarah Vargas Series. I promise you are in for a wild ride!

Malevolent Dead

Opened my inbox and what do I find? First edits! Fixed quite a bit and made MALEVOLENT DEAD flow better. Already made my changes and sent it back to my editor. I am a quick little worker bee. :o)

And being the quick little bee that I am, I've already made my book trailer for MALEVOLENT. I'm just waiting on my final cover art and the publication date. I hope to get the date soon. The cover art takes a little longer. Usually I don't find out until the month before its release what the final art looks like.

Edits make me so excited. While I hate doing them, it's one step closer to getting published!

Ugh! Editing

I'm complaining...I mean talking about editing today at The Book Boost. I also have an excerpt from Promises to Keep on there as well.

http://thebookboost.blogspot.com/2010/06/editor-for-day-with-guest-blogger.html

My Space

I think a writer's space speaks volumes about the author behind the words. I always love to see what other authors spaces look like. What posters do they have? Is it neat or messy? What research material can I see? Is it near a window or in a dark corner? Is there a stereo near by? Is it cramped or spacious?

My writing space is wedged into corner of my bedroom. You see, we live in a two bedroom apartment. Originally, when we signed the lease, the second bedroom was supposed to become my study. Less than a month after we signed it we discovered I was preggers. Goodbye study, hello nursery. I made what I was left with work and now I have a writing area that makes me happy. No, there's not a lot of space but as you can see, it works!

It's cramped but near a window. At least I can see outside! I have a poster of Belle, my favorite Disney princess on the wall behind my monitor and a figurine of Spike from Buffy on my desk. I have a three shelf bookcase that's cram-packed with research material and WIP and beside that a milk crate that I use as a mini filing system. Right now I have to use my CD walkman to listen to music until my husband can get the CD drive of the computer to work (I got a CD jammed in it...go figure!). I'm not a huge fan of sticky notes (unless I'd editing) so there aren't a ton of notes on the wall behind the desk. A few pictures (Iris Falls Church and Haven!), a reminder of what ink cartrige I need for my printer, and reminders that I can writer (for those times I get frustrated and convince myself I can't).

As I'm writing this, it's a mess. Paper everywhere, book signing supplies scattered all willy-nilly, and things that desperatly need to be filed away. Once I clean it, because it really does need to be cleaned (I can't find anything!), I'm going to add a picture to this post.

Like I said earlier, I think a author's writing space says a lot about them. Maybe you can learn a little more about me.

Interview and Acceptance

I'm due to have an interview go live today at Wordshaping, but as of fifteen minutes ago it's not up. I'm sure it will be later in the day.

I also got an acceptance from FLASHSHOT today! "The Escape," which was first published by the now dead Pen Pricks back in 2008, is going to be published again on June 17th!


EDIT @ 12:25AM (5/24/10) - The interview is now live! Why I write kick ass fantasy heroines!

Website Updates

I've been updating my website lately. Just small things, nothing major.

You'll see that I added my new review for PROMISES TO KEEP up on the review page as well as on P2K's page. I've rearranged The Books section. I've updated my bibliography.

On the main page, you will see that I've added a Works in Progress (WIP) and Submitted section. This way, you can track what I am working on or submitting...assuming you'd want to. I'm always fascinated with authory stuff like that on other author's sites. My favorites are Kim Harrison's drama box and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes website. You can get a look into the mind of the author. Maybe get some ideas on how to improve your own writing process.

Don't forget I'm at Wordshaping on May 23rd! Come on by and don't forget to leave a comment!

Monster

My haiku "Monster" is now up at Aphelion Webzine. It's been a long while since I've had a short story or a poem published. Feels good!


http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/poetry/2010/05/Monster.html

I Feel Like a Real Author

My first book signing. *sigh* I was so nervous, and for no reason. It was GREAT! I had a blast. So many people came into Here Be Books, and I sold 19 copies of my books. 19! One of the sites I visited when looking up book signing tips said I was lucky if I sold 7. But 19! Wow. Here Be Books has copies of each of my books available at their store. I was left with a ton of bookmarks, but that is partially my fault. Last night I decided that I needed more than 80 bookmarks...so I stayed up until midnight printing 200 more. Yep, you saw the right; 200. When I get nervous, I go a little overboard with things. But at least it's not a waste. I can use those anywhere!

Here are some pics from the signing;

Guest blog list

I'm cleaning up the side bar on this blog and, just like with the interviews, I decided it would be easier to actually use the label feature so my guest blogs will be easier to find.


Here's a list of the guest blogs I have done thus far:

5/12/10 - Kayden's World of Paranormal (character interview)
4/3/10 - Fang-tastic Books
3/18/10 - You Gotta Read
3/11/10 - Romance Junkies
3/10/10 - The Pen and Muse
3/6/10 - Dawn's Reading Nook
3/3/10 - Romance Roundtable
2/24/10 - Backseat Nightmares
2/21/10 - Dishin It Out
2/16/10 - Backseat Nightmares
11/3/09 - Kayden's World of Paranormal
10/21/09 - EP Author's Blog

My interviews

I'm trying to clean up the side bar on this blog, and in doing so I've decided to get rid of my interview list. However, since I am now actually using the label feature on this blog, you should be able to find them easily on my label list. Yay!


So, below are all the interview I have currently done.

5/4/10 - Rachel Brimble's Blog
4/28/10 - Just Write!
4/7/10 - Page Readers
3/30/10 - Razlover's Book blog
3/29/10 - Spinning Pearls
3/25/10 - Margaret West Blog
2/6/10 - Love Romances and More
1/27/10 - Page Readers
10/30/09 - Book Chatter
10/5/09 - What's Hot in Romance

Ready...Set...Book Signing!

I have four days left until my book signing at Here Be Books! I'm so nervous and excited, this being my first one and all. When I started getting things together for this, I had no clue what I was doing. Still don't, for that matter. But I found a lot of websites that give advice to authors such as myself. Some sites said to do this, others said to do that, but every site had a few pieces of advice that were the same and it's those pieces that I took seriously.*

1) Get 11x17 prints of your book cover made. Laminate them so that you can reuse them.
2) Buy/make bookmarks.
3) Have candy to entice people over to your table
4) have freebies. Everyone likes getting something for free.
5) send press releases

I have three different freebies for my book signing. The first is, of course, bookmarks. The second are FADE TO BLACK buttons that I ordered from PureButtons.com (these are limited. I only have 40 to give away). And third, the first chapter from MALEVOLENT DEAD (limited as well; I have 50). I hope that, even if they don't buy my books, the people taking these freebies will either buy it later or show a friend who will be interested.

I have no idea how many of each thing I will need. All I know is the day of my signing is the last day of Here Be Books big sale and one of their busiest days of the year. I figured I'd go overboard with the bookmarks since I don't have time to order more buttons. I don't want to make more than 50 Sneak Peeks because I don't want to have a ton of left overs.

On May 16 (or, if I'm feeling ambitious May 15), I will post an update on how my signing went. Maybe I'll learn something. Maybe I'll have a funny story. Hopefully it will be all good!


*Here are the list of sites I have been looking at when looking for book signing advice
40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an EVENT
Book Signing Tips - Matilija Press
How to Have a Successful Book Signing
Ten Tips of Tackling Book Signings...and other helpful hints
How to Write a Proper Press Release (because I didn't know how)

Timeline

Firstly, I'd like to announce that MALEVOLENT DEAD has been accepted by Eternal Press for publication. Release date is TBA. Interesting side note: I got my acceptance letter for MALEVOLENT on May 2, 2010. I got my acceptance letter for FADE TO BLACK on May 2, 2009. May 2 is my new lucky day! For updates on how the process from contract to publication is going, please check MALEVOLENT's page on my website.

Now for the topic of this blog: Timeline. With soon to be three books out all set in the same world I thought I'd go ahead talk about this now. First and foremost, PROMISES TO KEEP is a stand alone book. There isn't going to be a sequel. However that doesn't mean that Starlette, or other characters from that book, are never ever going to pop up again. For example, inside PROMISES, T.D. tells Starlette that she was attacked by a vampire necromancer's goons. These events happen within MALEVOLENT.

Backstory time: When I was editing FADE, I cut out a subplot that involved a vamp necromancer and T.D. (actually, for those of you looking closely, she's in the room with Sarah when Donavan is calling the Were meeting to order. She's the blonde in the corner). I hated having to cut it, but to me it felt like filler. I hate filler. But I like T.D., and MALEVOLENT was born from the 2,000 words I cut. Amazing.

So where does PROMISES fit in with the Sarah Vargas series, since T.D. is in both? Between MALEVOLENT and BLOOD MOON (the 3rd book in the series that I'm currently writing). She gets injured in MALEVOLENT, goes to help Starlette in PROMISES, and then helps Sarah again within BLOOD MOON.

T.D. is a very busy person. And my favorite character. You saw her witchy side in PROMISES TO KEEP. I can't wait for you to see her kick butt side in MALEVOLENT DEAD!

18 days....OMG!

There's only 18 days left until my book signing. I feel like there is so much to do. Print flyers, hand them out/stick them places, order 11x17 copies of my book covers, figure out what in the hell I'm doing, etc.

This is my first book signing. I have no idea what I'm doing. Every time I say this to someone, they just say "You show up and sign books" but there seems to be so much more than that. I've found a couple of websites that have helped me get an idea of what to expect, but I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Quite comical actually.

40+ Ways to Make Your Next Book Signing an EVENT!
How to Have A Successful Book Signing

Wish me luck!

How embarrassing

Yesterday I went out to the shooting range to do some research for Blood Moon. Sarah's going to need a bigger gun than her little P22 and I needed to find something that would suit a person like her. I fell in love with the M16 there, and I think it will work well for what Sarah has to do.



While I was there I oogled the P22 and discovered something that is extremely embarrassing; I spelt Walther as Walter in Fade to Black.

I can't believe I did that! I also can't believe that I didn't catch it AFTER I did it. At least I have time to fix it in Malevolent Dead, but still!

Ugh!

I'm so embarrassed, but at least I'll learn from this. Always always ALWAYS double check everything!

Book Signing!

I'm going to be at Here Be Books in Summerville signing copies of FADE TO BLACK and PROMISES TO KEEP!

When: Saturday May 15

Time: 12-3pm EST

Where: Here Be Books (& Games)
4650 Ladson Road, Suite I
Summerville, SC 29485
843-695-1498
www.herebebooks.com

Please comment if you have any questions. I hope to see you there!

Submissions

One of the worst things about being a writer is the submission process. As a writer, you work so hard creating and editing a manuscript. You polish it, send it out, and wait forever for a response. Sometimes a market is quick. For example, I got a 1.5 day rejection from Fantasy Magazine the other day. I don't mind that. Quick form rejection and I can send it out again. It's the rejections that you get 243 days after sending something out. By then, you think that this might be a good thing. Maybe they like your work and are trying to figure out where to put it. But usually they are overloaded with submissions and it took them 242 days to open your email.

That's was the submission process is for writers. 90% of the time it's disappointment; form rejections, cruel rejections, or no answer at all that take forever to get to you. 10% of the time it's golden; the acceptance, a positive personal rejection, or even a quick 1.5 day rejection.

Today I sent out a short story submission to Sword and Sorceress 25. I've been trying to get into this annual anthology since 2007. It's one of my writing goals. Every year I get a quick rejection, usually personal. I think I write too dark for them, but I have to try. Every year I get a rejection within a day. I can live with that. I just hate the waiting game. Hoping that this year, the editor will like a story I send her.

Hopefully this will be the year, but my jaded side says no. I'd really like to prove that side wrong.

Stats for Promises to Keep

*happy dance*

Promises to Keep is rising up the Bestseller lists!

(overall for Fantasy ebooks)
#16 - Fictionwise.com
#13 - Readerwise.com
#13 - ebookwise.com
#16 - Ereader.com

As for the Kindle, Promises isn't doing so well there. Currently ranking #162,518.

(overall for Eternal Press)
#4 - Fictionwise.com, Readerwise.com, & ebookwise.com! (unknown on Ereader.com)



Now if only I could get some reviews.... :o)

Getting stuck

For once I'm not talking about writing. Well, I am...just not the process.

I've belonged to a bunch of writing forums, all of them filled with people that have spent years and years writing. That's great right; getting advice from veterans that have seen it all. Except that they haven't seen it all. They are still stuck writing short stories for paying markets and not going up to pro. Or they are still writing ebooks and not trying to get an agent.

I think it's very easy to get into a groove and stay there. It's comfy and you what to expect.

It scares me.

Some day I want to walk into my local B&N and find my book on the shelf. I'm not going to get there writing short fiction all the time or sticking with the ebook industry (although I do think ebooks are about to boom big time. I like that I'm in it, but it doesn't mesh good with my overall goal). It is so easy getting relaxed with a certain market; short fiction for instance. I wrote short fiction for years, nothing getting published by a pro market. Stop by my website, take a look at my bibliography. It's crazy how comfy I got there. I think when a writer gets too comfortable, they forget their original goal and that's how I'm getting.

I still plan on publishing MALEVOLENT DEAD and BLOOD MOON as ebooks, but my goal is to have an agent for my longer works within 18 months.

What's your goal?

Upcoming events and bestseller info

Even though it is now April, I still have a lot of events coming up. Heck, I'm even still booking them. I have events going on through November, which can be found on my events page. So here's the line up for April and May.


APRIL

Apr 3 - Guest blogging at Fangtastic Books. http://www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

Apr 7 - Interview over at Page Readers at 1pm EST. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/page-readers
Live Chat at Romance Junkies 9pm EST. http://www.romancejunkies.com/chat.html

Apr 24 - Visit me at Love Romances Cafe. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe
Apr 28 - Interview on Just Write! http://justwritewithannemarienovark.blogspot.com


MAY

May 4 - Interview at Rachel Brimble's blog. http://rachelbrimble.blogspot.com

May 15- Guest blogging at Kayden's World of Paranormal. http://kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com

May 23 - Interview at Wordshaping. http://amberpolo.blogspot.com

May 30 - Visit me at Love Romances Cafe. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/

__________________________________

Now that PROMISES TO KEEP is available everywhere, I've started keeping track of the bestseller lists. Here's the stats for Fictionwise.com:

#8 for Eternal Press (was #156 two days ago)

#54 for Fantasy ebooks (unknown rank before)

Woot! Let's make PROMISES reach #1!

My writing process

For those of you who don't know, I started on BLOOD MOON the other day. BLOOD is the third (and possibly final) book in the Sarah Vargas series. I am thrilled about this, because this is what we've all been waiting for since the end of FADE TO BLACK, the retaliation from the Blood Moon Corporation. My goal is to have the first draft finished by July.

Before I even sit at the computer, I grab a sheet of paper and write up a rough outline. Right now I have 10 chapters outlined for BLOOD, but I’ll probably be more like 16 when I’m finally finished. For once, along with the outline, I had to write up my loose ends. There are plenty of events in MALEVOLENT DEAD that need to be wrapped up, and just a small handful from FADE. I can’t remember them all, so I made a list. I also find a binder to keep all my notes and drafts of BLOOD in. Ever since my computer crashed and I lost everything, I am a printing demon. The second I finish for the day, sometimes before I finish if I’m on a roll, I print. It goes into the binder and won’t be looked at again until I am finished.

Now I'm not sure about you, but the hardest part of starting a new project is just that, starting. I will sit in front of my computer, looking at the blank Word document, trying to figure out how I want to start it. It takes forever to get the party started, but when I do it’s like a huge sigh of relief. It doesn’t have to be a marathon writing session. Right now I only have 825 words written, but at least the hard part is done. I’m started, and that’s all that matters at this point.

Writing Sarah is interesting. She’s so complex, and has plenty of anger and trust issues. I the right music to get her going, and I’ve found that for this book Avenged Sevenfold will be her soundtrack. For FADE it was mostly Evanescence with a little Avenged Sevenfold near the end. MALEVOLENT was written without much music, except for a couple of sections that just needed Avenged Sevenfold’s “Burn It Down.” Why no music? I’m not too sure. Sarah was lost in MALEVOLENT and, in a way, I was too. With FADE published, I was afraid of scaring away the fans I had. But this is the end game.

Will Sarah live?

Will the Blood Moon Corporation win?

It’s time for me to find out.


Discover where it all began! Read FADE TO BLACK today.
Ebook available from www.eternalpress.biz or in print from Amazon.com

Today, when bringing up EP's main page, I thought to myself that it would be cool to see both of my covers at once. Coolness insued. Promises to Keep the pic for Top Sales and Fade to Black is the pic for Paranormal.

I've also added on a webpage for Malevolent Dead. I hope to be subbing it soon, but something just isn't right with it. I've sent it to a friend to read through and maybe he can figure out what's wrong. In the mean time, a little peek into Sarah's world is in order. Here's a pic of Malevolent Dead, the club that bites.

Vote for PROMISES today!

Today begins the You Gotta Read Videos Trailer Contest. From now until the 26th of March, you can stop by and vote for your favoite book trailer. Exciting, isn't it? Especially since PROMISES TO KEEP is trailer 20 in the contest.

Please stop by there and vote for PROMISES TO KEEP (Trailer 20). Voting ends on the 26th!http://ping.fm/0sqp6

No-show Blogs

Excuse me while I climb onto my soapbox. I feel that this may look bad on me, when I didn't do anything wrong.

Back in February, I scheduled a ton of guest blogs and interviews to promote PROMISES TO KEEP. Everything was due around March 1, and I made sure to email them the information early. After all, you never know if a file won't open. That would give enough time to make sure the problem was solved well before the blog/interview's due date. I have a planner that I keep track of all of my events in, even posting them on my Google calendar and Facebook with reminders emailed to me. I am one prepared little author.

The day of my guest blog/interview I promo the heck out of it, posting info on Facebook, Twitter, RITBS, Yahoo, etc. I enclude a link to the site.

So imagine my fury when I discover that the blog never put up my post.

I give it until 4pm EST before I email them. Maybe life got in the way. Maybe they are on a different schedule than I am. Maybe a meteor hit their house. Maybe they got abducted by aliens. Whatever. Here's what I say:

"Hi (insert name here). Just a reminder that my blog was supposed to go live today. I emailed it to you around the first of March. If for some reason you didn't get it, please let me know."

I don't care if it's late, as long as it goes up.

And then I get no reply. None. Nada.

How is that professional? The two blogs that were no-shows double as review sites. They are important high traffic sites for us little known authors. What ticks me off the most is how much time I spent on these guest blogs when I could have been writing or, better yet, spending time with my family.

In a week or so, if I still haven't heard from no-show-blog#2, I'll post it on here. It was a funny post, one that I was very proud of.

I'm getting off my soapbox....for now.

Location, location, location!

(This is the blog post that was supposed to be up at Night Owl Romance on March 5. I still haven't heard from them concerning not posting it.)


When I’m writing a story that is set in modern times, I prefer to set it in a place that I have been. I adore accurate description within a story, and nothing makes me dislike a story more than when it’s obvious the author has never been there. Most of my books are set in Charleston, South Carolina, since I live near there. Charleston was colonized around 1670, so many of the buildings in the downtown area have a lot of history behind them. However, when writing Promises to Keep, my characters weren’t interested in Charleston’s rich history. It made picking locations more interesting. I do have only one rule when it comes to locations: If a person died, or if the main character had to do something super dangerous, use a fictional locale. A good example of this is Chimera, the bar mentioned in Promises to Keep.

When Starlette goes there it’s during the day and the only patron inside is Sivad Night. Chimera is based on a real bar, but not one off of Highway 176 like I say in the book. Why did I do this? While it is the first time that my readers will hear of this bar, it’s not the first time I have written about it. A lot of bad things eventually happen there, and it is because of those events that Chimera is in a fictional location.

When picking out a location, I usually choose places that are my favorite. For example, Haven is one of my favorite houses in downtown Charleston. Donavan’s house from Fade to Black was a house that, as a child, I told myself I would one day buy. Sadly it has since been demolished to make way for new housing, but the image of it is stuck in my head. I figure if I bond with a location then it has got to be for a reason.

My advice for writers looking for locations to set their writing in is this: Don’t force it. Let memories from your past or childhood inspire you, whether it be those hot summers at the beach or relaxing weekend camping trips. If you force it, then the reader will be able to tell. Like I said earlier, readers can tell. Another piece of advice, do your homework. Has the building been around since 1700? Make sure and read up on it. Maybe something happened there that you can incorporate into your work.

I hope you’ll check out my new book, Promises to Keep, due out on March 7.


Lots of love,
Heather Kuehl
http://heatherkuehl.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/heatherkuehl


Promises to Keep
March 7, 2010
Eternal Press
www.eternalpress.biz

Summary:
Starlette is on a mission, and nothing will get in her way...
Starlette DeFore knows that her father is alive, even though her family buried him ten years ago. When a faerie confirms this she travels to Charleston, South Carolina to hunt down Sivad Night, the only person to have ever escaped from the hands of a powerful sorceress, the Dark Lady Dreashae. With help from a witch, Starlette travels into Verella, a fantasy realm filled with centaurs, dragons and magic. She is very close to finding her father, but first must defeat Dreashae.

Will Starlette, a mere mortal, have the strength needed to finish her quest and save her father?

The day after...

Hey everyone!

Author Reads went great today! If you missed it, you can listen to it anytime at http://ping.fm/VuI1Q

PROMISES TO KEEP has been listed as a "Top Seller" on Eternal Press's website since 7pm last night! WOOT! Keep it up there. http://ping.fm/qlW7H

PROMISES is now available on Amazon.com for download onto your Kindle. Isn't that the coolest?

I've outlined BLOOD MOON, the final book in the Sarah Vargas series and I plan to start writing chapter one tonight. I hope to get this one finished by July.

Next up on the agenda: I will be on the Eternal Press blog tomorrow talking about the creation of PROMISES. Join me for the fun! http://ping.fm/lMtfb

For a list of the rest of the places I will be on my virtual tour, and then some, please visit http://ping.fm/JZLCe

3...2...1...RELEASE DAY!

I can't believe it's here. PROMISES TO KEEP is officially released today. SQUEEEEEEEE! *happy dance*

I could barely sleep last night, I am so excited. Get your copy today at www.eternalpress.biz.

And yes, you see the right. EP has a new website. And with that new site is a new chatroom for the live chat. I didn't find out until last night that the live chat for tonight will be in that room. Join me from 7-8pm EST in www.eternalpress.biz/chat.php and one lucky person will win a signed print copy of FADE TO BLACK!

And now, for your reading pleasure, Chapter 1 of PROMISES TO KEEP!

“Where is he?”

The guttural growl escaped my throat as I pinned the creature against the wall. I didn’t want the runaround from something like him. He struggled against me, trying to find a way out of my grip. He knew I was only human, and that if he could slip from my grasp then he could disappear into the night, like he was some sort of damned vampire. I
slammed my fist against his jaw, reminding him I had the upper hand.

“Where’s my father?”

He looked at me, eyes betraying his alarm. It was a good feeling, knowing that a mere human could strike fear in the hearts of faeries everywhere.

“How the hell should I know?” he rasped. I guess it hurt trying to talk after getting punched in the jaw. “Rumor has it he died ten years ago.”

“We both know he’s not dead.” I pulled out a knife with ancient runes etched into the blade. I pressed the razor-sharp edge against his throat and saw his eyes grow wide. I wasn’t stupid. Normal knives
wouldn’t kill someone of his kind, a faerie, but a blade made of iron would. I had done my homework.

“Ask Sivad,” the faerie said, panic written all over his features. “Sivad Night. He knows pretty much everything about people who have been to Verella.”

“Where can I find this…Sivad?”

“Randa, South Carolina, last I heard. He moves around a lot.” The faerie looked at the blade that was still pressed against his throat. “I’ve helped you as much as I can. Can I go?”

I thought about this piece of information. Randa, South Carolina. My father had lived there for several years before meeting my mother and
moving up to Boston, Massachusetts. I was going to have to pay this Sivad Night a visit.

I gripped the knife and sliced it across the faerie’s throat, blood spurting across my face and shirt as he fell. While he writhed on the ground I watched his eyes until I knew for sure he was dead. I had
learned that you never turn your back on a seemingly dead corpse. They always have a way of getting back up to kill you.

Searching the faerie, I came across a faint pattern on his arm. At first glance it looked like a tattoo of some sort, but colors this fresh only meant one thing; fey. That explained why he tried to bargain with me. Even if he had gotten away, he didn’t have any magic to use against me. Dreashae’s warriors were primarily made up of fey. She used them for their strength and agility. While there were two types of faeries―the nonmagical,
fey, and the magical, sihde―I believed that Dreashae chose the fey because they could never be a threat to her. If she had chosen sihde
to guard her, she’d have to constantly watch her back.

I walked home, making sure I stuck to alleys and dark roads. It was never good for a human to see you covered in blood; they tended to assume things. I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside. The first thing my eyes saw after my door swung open was a picture of my father that I had hung up on the wall.

Ronan DeFore was the perfect father. His short black hair and kind, expressive green eyes didn’t tell much about him. His mustache, though,
seemed to speak volumes, making him look strict. Almost as if you did one little thing wrong, then he would ground you for life.

I barely remembered his voice.

When I was twelve, he died. Or at least that’s what I had been told. My mother said it was a quick illness, but I knew that wasn’t so. I remember a strange woman coming to the house, with long black hair and even blacker eyes. From her forehead to her chin was a deep gash, not bleeding, already starting to heal. She told my mother that my father wouldn’t be coming home.

At the funeral, a man with eyes of sea-foam aquamarine walked up to my mother. He had very short dark hair that took on a shade of forest
green when the sun hit just right. Even though it was the middle of June, he was wearing a heavy suit. He didn’t say a word, didn’t touch her, just
looked into her eyes until she broke down crying. His name was Fared, and he was the first fey I killed.

It wasn’t until high school that I decided to do something. The dreams about my father and the black-eyed woman haunted me. Every night it was the same dream over and over; my father was being mugged and a woman stopped to help him. She could create magic with her hands, a sight he had never seen before. She was tiny and fragile.
Although she looked human I know now she was a witch. As she was helping my father get his possessions back from the thugs, a dark-haired
woman appeared behind her, a large knife raised up in her hands. My father lunged at this woman, tearing the knife from her grasp and giving
her a large gash on her face. She retreated, seemingly defeated. The witch turned to my father, fear expressed in her cerulean eyes.

“She’ll get you for that,” she said. “No one harms a sorceress and gets away with it.”

I stopped having that dream after I went to the alley where the witch had saved my father. There she was, just as she looked when she rescued
him from the muggers. She told me her name was Tabitha Desdamona Drake, and she was obligated to help me.

“After all,” she said, “this is my fault.”

She told me the black-haired woman, a sorceress named Dreashae, had been after her for years.

“I killed her son. Not out of cold blood, mind you. He was kidnapping humans and bringing them to Verella.”

She explained that Verella was what they called a land that was not of this realm. Within this land dwelt the creatures of fantasy lore. Certain
kingdoms were more dangerous than others, especially the ones that had faeries. Tabitha Desdamona didn’t know much about Verella other than that, and said she had never been there.

“How does this help my father?” I asked. I didn’t care about sorceresses or fey. I just cared about getting my father back.

Tabitha Desdamona put me on the trail of Fared, the fey that was at my father’s funeral. She gave me a rune-etched knife and her cell phone
number.

“If you need my help, call.” She looked at me, curiosity filling her eyes. “What is you name?”

“Starlette DeFore.”

“Good luck, Star. You’re going to need it.”

****

I shook my head and looked away from my father’s portrait. Looking at it always dragged up bad memories. I was hoping one day they could
be replaced with new, kinder ones. I showered quickly, making sure I washed all the blood off my body and out of my long black hair. My bloody clothes could wait until later. As I dressed, I called the airport and ordered tickets. I took the first flight out to Charleston International Airport. Charleston, South Carolina was only a half hour from Randa. I would start there.

Buy PROMISES TO KEEP today!

Live Chat Location for Tomorrow

Here is the correct link for the live chat tomorrow night. http://ping.fm/AjAT1

I'll try and fix it everywhere by noon tomorrow.

Tomorrow...or 17 hours from now!

PROMISES TO KEEP is only 17 hours away...squeeee!

Still don't know what was up with Night Owl Romance. I emailed them about my blog (or lack there of) and still haven't heard from them. I'll wait to see, and if I don't hear anything by tomorrow I'll post what was supposed to be my blog entry up on here. I was talking about choosing real locations for fictional books.

Anyways, I'm at Dawn's Reading Nook and Love Romance Cafe Yahoo Group today. I've already posted my excerpt up at LRC (http://ping.fm/JptcF) and I've checked the blog and my post is up! Join me as I talk about working with sequels.
http://ping.fm/jo80p

Don't forget to join me for the release party tomorrow. PROMISES TO KEEP! OMG I am so excited. The live chat will be here (http://ping.fm/C4uBt) from 7-8pm EST. I'm going to be giving away a signed print copy of FADE TO BLACK to a lucky person. I will also be in the Eternal Press Reader's Yahoo Group from 1-2pmEST tomorrow to post excerpts and chat with readers. If you can't make it to the live chat, stop by. And my 1-2 time is self imposed, meaning I'll be there for as long as I have people chatting with me.

Stop #2 on my virtual tour today is...

Night Owl Romance!

I'm guest blogging there today, talking about picking real locations for fictional stories. http://ping.fm/ktBIT

And don't forget that PROMISES comes out on Sunday, just a mere 1.5 days away. How could you even forget though, it's all I've been talking about for months!

I'm over halfway through editing MALEVOLENT DEAD. Changed some tiny things, did gun research for T.D., and made sure that Marcellus didn't come off as sappy.

I'm getting a lot done, and it's barely 9am. Yay me, considering that the cold-that-won't-go-away is back. WOOT! (about the work, not the cold)

Also, read Buffy 33. OMG if you don't read the Buffy comics, now's the time to start. The revelations of who Twilight really is is going to rock Buffy's world!

And so it starts!

Today starts my virtual tour for Promises to Keep. My first stop is the Romance Roundtable; I'm guest blogging about keeping the romance alive. http://ping.fm/R44oG

Right now there are a total of 9 stops on my tour, but I keep adding to the list. So either keep track of my dates on my website (http://ping.fm/jcmqV) or become my fan on Facebook (http://ping.fm/a1FFj). I keep both of these pages up to date with the most current information!

OMG only three days left until the release of PROMISES TO KEEP. Three days until the search for Starlette's father is on!

I can't wait!

Mark Your Calendar!

Join Us For Our March Release Day Party!

You're all invited to join Eternal Press authors at our monthly launch party! Come chat all day on March 7, 2010 at: Eternal Press Reader's Group to celebrate the new releases, visit with our authors, and just have fun. Then, help us keep the party going well into the night in the Eternal Press LIVE chat room at www.eternalpress.ca.

Release Day LIVE Chat Schedule

7-8pm EST: Heather Kuehl
8-9pm EST: Mirella Patzer and Ed Tasca
9-10pm EST: David Landrum and Lorrie Unites-Struiff
10-11pm EST: Brigit Aine and MC Halliday

Come out and have some one-on-one time with your favorite author or discover a new talent.


SEE YOU SOON!

Purchase E-Book
Pick your favorite e-book at Eternal Press.

Reader's Loop
Chat with Authors ALL DAY on our Yahoo Loop

EP Live Chat
Come ask our authors the tough questions...



~From the Eternal Press Newsletter
Copyright (C) 2010 Marketing Media Management All rights reserved.

FINISHED!

Finally after much hard work, MALEVOLENT DEAD is finished. Right now, the first draft has 21,443 words.

MD is the sequel to FADE TO BLACK (which ranked in at approx. 21,200 words) and takes place 6 months after the end of FADE.


Werewolf Sarah Vargas thought all she had to worry about was the Blood Moon Corporation's retaliation. She never dreamed that another vampire would arrive, disputing Damian's claim over the throne to Charleston, SC. To make matters worse, he is no ordinary vamp; he's a vampire necromancer. Exceptionally hard to kill, Sarah will have do what ever she can to keep those that she loves safe...

Even if it means doing the unthinkable.


I'm starting personal edits tomorrow and then I'll start sending it off. Keep an eye out for MALEVOLENT DEAD.

Wolves vs Werewolves

I wrote an intesting blog comparing my Weres to real wolves. Check it out at Romance in the Backseat.

http://ping.fm/pNJyV

Guest blogging today!

I'm guest blogging at Dishin It Out. Stop by, post a comment, and you might be winner of a FADE TO BLACK ebook!

http://ping.fm/4SYRx

16 more days...

Wow, it's hard to believe 16 days is all that separates me from the release of PROMISES TO KEEP. So very exciting!

Don't forget to keep an eye on my events page! I'm a guest on eight blogs and I'm doing two interviews! And lets not forget about the live chat! http://ping.fm/5wRpr

MALEVOLENT DEAD is going well. I've added two chapters near the beginning, so now I have to go back (or ahead) and fix certain things. Once that's finished, I'll only have a 6,000 word ending to write. Not bad at all for being completly stuck a week ago.

...and Shaun White won gold again! WOOT!

Could it be? Snow in South Carolina!

From Feb 12-13, we had snow in SC. And not just tiny snow. Not just flurries. We had 4 inches on the ground when we woke up Saturday morning. The last time it snowed that much, I was 5. It was crazy!

Outside out apartment. Gorgeous isn't it?

Our teeny tiny snow man. :o)

Aw jeez!

I really need to stop writing emails while I'm either tired, or distracted. I wrote to Authors Promoting Authors requesting them to feature my book, put all the info in the email, but forgot to add a kind opener. You know; "Hello, my name is Heather Kuehl and I am wondering if you would feature my book on APA." I got their reply this morning, and all I want to do right now is write them back and apologize for being so rude. I feel horrible, and I know nothing I can say will make it better. That was my first impression, and I blew it.

*sigh*

I've learned my lesson. All I can hope is that they don't hold this against me somewhere down the road.



AH! and I was going to send them a blog post of the APA website! Well, so much for that....maybe. I think I will send one to them anyways, and take care to be professional and kind in this email. Maybe that will put me back in their good graces.

If you haven't, then you should!

Starting today, I will be posting snipits from PROMISES TO KEEP up on my facebook page, twitter, and RITBS statuses. That's 23 days of nifty littles tastes of Starlette's quest to save her father.

Also, don't forget to check out my events calander on my website. I'm updating it almost daily with new guest blogs or Blog Talk Radio interviews!
http://ping.fm/VaWyQ

Love Romances and More

I'm guest blogging at Love Romances and More today. http://ping.fm/Cwu5T

Also, it looks like I will be on Author Reads sometime in March. Once I get the information set I'll share the deets.

Promises to Keep in 29 days!

I was reading over my last blog entry, and realized that I never said what I was promoting. (Bad Heather!)

Promises to Keep's release day is March 7th, just a mere 29 days away. Holy crud! Not only is the trailer live, but I have added several more events to my calendar:


FEBRUARY

TOMORROW! - Guest blogging at Love Romances and More. http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/

Feb 9 - Paranormal Day on the Eternal Press Blog. Stop by to see an excerpt of my new novella, Promises to Keep. http://www.eternalpressauthors.blogspot.com/

MARCH

(NEW) Mar 5 - Guest blogging at Night Owl Romance. http://nightowlromanceblog.blogspot.com

Mar 6 - Visit me at the Love Romances Cafe Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/

Mar 7 - Promises to Keep. Join me for the release party at http://www.eternalpress.ca/LiveAuthorChats.html

Mar 9 - Parnormal Day on the Eternal Press Blog. Stop by to read an excerpt of my new novella, Promises to Keep. http://www.eternalpressauthors.blogspot.com/

Mar 10 - Guest blogging at The Pen and Muse. http://thepenmuse.blogspot.com

(NEW) Mar 11 - Guest blogging at Romance Junkies. http://romancejunkies.com/rjblog

(NEW) Mar 17 - Guest blogging at You Gotta Read. http://yougottareadguest.blogspot.com


More to come! WOOT!

32 days and promoting

I've been a busy little bee today. Not only did I dye my bangs pink, I've also set up several guest blog spots for the month of March. Right now I'm multitasking; sending interview requests to different Blog Talk Radio stations. I'm also looking into attending a convention this summer. Once I iron out the details to that, I'll be more than happy to share which one it is.

As of today, this is what my schedule looks like for this and next months:

FEBRUARY

Feb 6 - Guest blogging at Love Romances and More. http://loveromancesandmore.blogspot.com/

Feb 9 - Paranormal Day on the Eternal Press Blog. Stop by to see an excerpt of my new novella, Promises to Keep. http://www.eternalpressauthors.blogspot.com/

MARCH

Mar 6 - Visit me at the Love Romances Cafe Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/

Mar 7 - Promises to Keep. Join me for the release party at http://www.eternalpress.ca/LiveAuthorChats.html

Mar 9 - Parnormal Day on the Eternal Press Blog. Stop by to read an excerpt of my new novella, Promises to Keep. http://www.eternalpressauthors.blogspot.com/

Mar 10 - Guest blogging at The Pen and Muse. http://thepenmuse.blogspot.com

Bad, naughty internet

I think my internet connection is crappy, because it keeps kicking me out of Night Owl Romance's chat room. I am so ticked, because this was a golden opportunity that slid by me. I have no clue if the stuff I posted even got into the chat. Hopefully it did, and some of you reading this are from that chat room.

So here's what I'm going to do.

I'm going to post what I was going to write during the chat. If you were there, please tell me what other EP author(s) chatted that were not in the original line up. The first person to post the correct answer (or answers) will get a free e-copy of FADE TO BLACK.

This was a surprise. I didn't expect to talk about MY books today. Well, FADE TO BLACK came out back in October. I have another called PROMISES TO KEEP that is due out in March. It took me ten years to get PROMISES to where it is now. It's my paranormal fantasy baby!

Here's the blurb: Starlette DeFore knows that her father is alive, even though her family buried him ten years ago. And when a faerie confirms this she travels to Charleston, SC to hunt down Sivad Night, the only person to have ever escaped from the hands of a powerful sorceress, the Dark Lady Dreashae. With help from a witch they travel to Verella, a fantasy realm filled with centaurs, dragons, and magic. Starlette is very close to finding her father, but first she must defeat Dreashae. Will Starlette, a mere mortal, have the strength needed to finish her quest and save her father?

PROMISES TO KEEP is due out on March 7. And don't forget to check out FADE TO BLACK, available now from Eternal Press! www.eternalpress.ca/Kuehl.html

38 days and counting....

Until Promises to Keep is out! I can't believe it's almost a month before the release date. However, unlike with Fade to Black, I know what to expect. I'm already setting up online events to promote, have my bookmarks and commercial finished, and awaiting the final cover art so that I can post my banner. I even talked a little about it on Page Readers today. Now I have to work on my character interview for EP and finish writing Malevolent Dead.

Something in Malevolent just isn't flowing. I can't tell if Sarah is unhappy with the flow of the plot or if I am. I think I'm going to have to sit down, reread it, and figure it out. I want the first draft finished by March 7, the day that Promises comes out. That way, I can edit and submit it to EP. I don't want there to be a long wait between Fade and Malevolent.

In the meantime, Epiphany has been sent to Nocturne Bites. Hopefully they accept it. Epiphany features Mika, a character that I have written about before. He's number 1 on the Top Ten Favorite Characters list. I can't wait to have the opportuitny to share him with you.

I've just realized that I need to make a works in progress list. That way you and I can keep track of what I'm writing. And maybe a little bar keeping track of how much I write, like during NaNoWriMo.

Now for the bad new...sort of. Flashing Swords is closing their doors, meaning that my short story "Dalamar's Quest" is not going to be published...by them. I've already submitted it to another market so hopefully this time it will make it in print. Like I said, sort of bad news. I knew this market was going under for a while now, I had just hoped that it would hold out until my story got published.

If you missed today's interview...

Here's the link for Page Readers: http://ping.fm/iUBXj

CORRECTION My Page Readers interview is @ 12pm EST. That's what I get for updating when I'm tired. http://ping.fm/IKsyu

Page Readers interview

CORRECTION My Page Readers interview is @ 12pm EST. That's what I get for updating when I'm tired. http://ping.fm/SziUK

Interview tomorrow!

Listen tomorrow at 8am EST for my interview with Page Readers. Feel free to join in and ask some questions. http://ping.fm/ynwCC

Promises news and new reviews

Sorry for the silence during the last two weeks. Like I said before, I was taking a computer staycation to spend time with my family. What I didn't say was that I'd be on vacation too. We went for a week in Disney World, followed by a week on the Disney Magic. After two weeks of rest and relaxation I'm ready to go back to work. I hope to have the first draft of MALEVOLENT DEAD (FADE's sequel) finished by the end of this month. Then I plan on outlining it's sequel BLOOD MOON and writing BEAUTIFUL NIGHTMARE.

But that's not all. I got the mock cover art for PROMISES TO KEEP. I'm so happy that Amanda Kelsey is doing the cover art. For those of you who didn't know, she did the artwork for FADE TO BLACK. Now that I have an idea of what the art will look like, I can finish up the design of the bookmarks and work on my commercial. Lots to do, lots to do. :o)

Finally, I have two new reviews for FADE TO BLACK. Here are the links: http://ping.fm/ag6lm
http://ping.fm/tZ42y

YAY!

The marketing seminar last night

Eternal Press hosted a marketing seminar last night for their authors, and I LOVED it. It was so handy having Sheryl explain what tools were valuable online for us ebook authors. The fantastic news was that I was already using most of these tools, just impractically. And even that has been fixed now thanks to Ping.fm. I can update everything at once. This blog will be posted on my livejournal, blogger, and myspace pages. That saves so much time and energy that could be better spent writing. After all, it is NaNoWriMo....

Which I haven't worked on nearly as much as I would have liked. I'm still floating around 14,000 words. LM hasn't been napping at all lately, and that cuts out 30 min - 1 hour of writing time. And by the time the hubby gets home from work...well I'm sure you get the idea. (ZZZzzzzzzz)

Goal!

Fade to Black is currently a #1 Bestseller on Readerwise.com, Ebookwise.com, Ereader.com, and Fictionwise.com!

I feel like it's Christmas because look! I'm beating Charlaine Harris!!!!!

I'm a bestselling ebook author!

I'm so excited to share this with you. I am topping many ebook bestseller lists right now. I thought it would be fantastic if Fade to Black reached #25, but I never dreamt that this would happen! Here are some of the bestseller lists I am on:


#1 on eBookwise.com
#2 on Fictionwise.com
#2 on Ereader.com

Exciting!

=^..^=
Heather

I'm #1!

I'm #1 on Readerwise.com's Bestseller list for Fantasy ebooks!

~and~

I'm #1 on EBookwise.com's bestseller list for Fantasy ebooks!

NaNoWriMo 2009 - Week 2

Malevolent Dead is coming along nicely. At about 12,000 words I got stuck, but I fixed the problem and am moving ahead now. When I get stuck, it's usually because I am making my character do something that they don't want to do. And the pain is trying to figure out what that is and fix it. I'm a week behind, but that's okay. My goal is to finish this, and I don't care if it takes longer than NaNo to do it. Sarah is about to make her life way more complicated than it needs to be. Oh and did I mention that Marcellus, a vampire necromancer, is trying to kill her? So much going on! I'm sure you'll all love the finish product, and I'll post Chapter One of MD on my NaNo page as soon as I get a chance.

Currently 12,485/50,000 words
14 days left (would have been 19, but my computer free staycation starts on the 25th)

My November Events

I know, I know. This is about 10 days late. And if you read my blog post over at the Eternal Press blog, you'll know why (link below). I've also been working my tail off getting all that I can together for Promises to Keep. Making banners, working on my commercial, getting the layout for the bookmarks finished. Just like before, I'm waiting on a publication date and cover art. It'll be a little while before I get those things though, but I don't mind. I've got enough on my plate with Fade to Black and NaNoWriMo.

NOVEMBER EVENTS

Nov 4 - I'm guest blogging over at World of Paranormal. http://kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com

Nov 6 - Visit me at the Love Romances Cafe Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/

Nov 10 - Paranormal day over at the EP Blog. http://www.eternalpressauthors.blogspot.com/

Nov 11 - Visit me at the Amethyst Winters Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmethystWinters_and_Company/

Nov 21 - Visit me at the Talking Two Lips Yahoo! Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkingTwoLips/

Fade to Black is #2

Fade to Black is currently #2

on Fictionwise.com's Bestseller

list for Fantasy ebooks!

=^..^=

Promises to Keep

I got an email this morning from Eternal Press. Promises to Keep has been accepted for publication!

*squeel*

This is so exciting! I'm working on formatting my manuscript right now so that I can send everything back to them tonight. I think it should be out around April. Yay! Now I have to start working on promotional material for this as well as continuing to promote Fade to Black.


BTW: While set in the same world, P2K and F2B are two separate stories. I think Haven is the only place mentioned in both. Sorry if you wanted another Sarah fix. F2B's sequel, Malevolent Dead, is moving along very well though. It's my NaNo for this year. :o)

Visit me at World of Paranormal!

When writing Fade to Black, why did I choose Weres over vamps? Find the answer over at World of Paranormal; http://kaydenmcleodparanormal.blogspot.com/2009/11/welcome-heather-kuehl-and-fade-to-black.html

Fade to Black has finally gotten it's first review!

And it's a good one!

Read it here: http://ddrreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/fade-to-black-by-heather-kuehl.html

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

NaNoWriMo begins

As I type this on my lappy, I am working on Malevolent Dead on my desktop puter. Malevolent Dead is my NaNoWriMo novel. I am on Chapter 4! YAY. So far.....3,800/50,000. I've got a ways to go, but today is only day one. And like they always say, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Sarah's already getting into trouble. Go figure. And the big bad is Marcellus. So excited about that. I'll post the first chapter on my NaNoWriMo page soon. You all should visit me: http://www.nanowrimo.org/user/141463


If you missed my interview on Book Chatter, never fear. You can listen to it again on their site. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Stacey-Cochran/2009/10/31/Book-Chatter We talked a lot about Sarah, who she was and what it was like to write her. We also discussed marketing. I had a blast on there and I hope to do it again soon.

Great News!

It looks like I will be on Book Chatter tomorrow night at 11pm EST!
Make sure to listen in to hear some juicy tidbits about Fade to Black.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Stacey-Cochran



It also looks like I will be on Page Readers sometime in December. Keep an eye out for more information!
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Page-Readers

My Busy Day

It sounds like a children's book title, doesn't it?

My busy-ness from yesterday is bleeding over into today. It looks like I'm going to be spending the day either emailing Blog Talk Radio stations requesting interviews or calling bookstores requesting book signings. I had a couple of possibilities when calling yesterday, but the people I needed to talk to weren't in. I'm also trying to line up being a guest on several blogs. I have no idea what to talk about.

It dawns on me that I should have had all of this set up when Fade to Black first came out. And I have a variety of excuses of why I didn't. But I think I know the truth....I was overwhelmed. F2B is my first book. I have no agent setting things up for me and no idea on how to do it on my own. I've been stumbling around like a drunk, hoping that things will fall into place. Well, I've sobered up, done my homework, and is getting my shiznit together. I'm happy that it's not more than a month since F2B's release. If I waited any longer I may have missed my moment, if I haven't missed it already.

Wish me luck, and I'll keep you updated.

Is there something that I should be doing?

I dropped into the Eternal Press Readers Yahoo! Group today. Saw a lot of people posting links to reviews their books have gotten, and it made me rather jealous. Thus far, I have no reviews. I know my book has been sent out, but I haven't heard anything back yet. It makes me wonder. Does it suck that much? I've heard nothing but good things from family members that have read it, but c'mon! Their family. They aren't going to say, "Um Heather, your book blows." It also makes me wonder if reviewers have even gotten it (but I know that they have, because Jen's Book Talk has it listed as one of the e-books she has read this year).

We're in the process of trying to set up book signings. Every time we call or stop by a store the person we have to talk to is "out." It's frustrating. I don't want to do a signing at my work, but I think it may come down to that. I'll keep trying. I really really want to do a signing at All Books and Co.. They are my fave independent bookstore in Summerville. It's be a dream come true to do one there.

Fingers crossed!

My Zazzle Store

I now have a store up on Zazzle.com. It is there that you can buy your Fade to Black merchandise such as t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, stickers, and more. It's remarkably easy to create a Zazzle store, and if you don't have one you should!


www.zazzle.com/iryadragyn

Ethereal Tales Halloween Contest

The votes have been tallied.

The editors have spoken....

And there are two first place winners!

In first place for People's Choice......."Susan's Ghost!" *cheers*
and lets not forget to congratulate the other winner...."Death of a Vampire" by D.S. Scott!

Susan's Ghost

What would you do if you could see ghosts?










What would you do if one of the ghosts was your twin sister?










Vote for "Susan's Ghost" in the Ethereal Tales Halloween Contest to find out. If it wins, "Susan's Ghost" will be in the 2010 Halloween edition of Ethereal Tales.

Excerpt:

Tabitha Desdemona Drake hated October.

It wasn’t the shift in the muggy Charleston weather that got to her. It wasn’t the department stores going Halloween crazy, trying to make sure they had enough Halloween supplies for their customers. It wasn’t even the witch costumes. Having been born a witch herself, Tabitha Desdemona knew that those hags were just a product of a fearful human’s imagination. No, it was none of these things.

It was the ghosts.

From November through September, Tabitha Desdemona rarely saw a spirit. It was refreshing. But October… The closer it got to Halloween, the worse it got. Half of the time she didn’t know if the person she was speaking with was alive or dead. She would just hang in there, doing her best to ignore them until 11:59pm on October 31. Then, when the clock struck midnight, it was like they had never been there.

But this year was destined to be different.

It was Halloween, and the ghost was in her bedroom; a first. The ghost looked just like her, with blonde hair and striking cerulean eyes. Tabitha Desdemona stared for a minute, thinking that she was looking at her reflection until she could see her bed though the ghost’s transparent stomach. Then her heart lurched.

“Oh Susan…”

Susan.

Her twin sister.

Susan had died in April, the victim of a drunk driver. Tabitha Desdemona sat on the edge of her bed as Susan paced in what used to be their bedroom. Now it was hers.

“T.D., you’ve got to help me.”

T.D.. It was the nickname Susan had given to her when they were little. Tabitha Desdemona was a bit of a mouthful for a three year old.

“No. No. No.” The words slipped past T.D.’s lips as she hung her head, trying her best to ignore her sister.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Don’t you ignore me, sissy. This is important.”

“But you’re dead.”

“And you’re not. And I need a live person to do this for me.”

“I will not harvest human brains for you.”

Susan gave an exasperated sigh and swatted at T.D.’s shoulder. Her hand never made contact; instead travelling unfelt through T.D.’s shoulder. “I’m not a zombie you moron. Just a ghost.”

T.D. sighed. “What do you want me to do?” This would be the first time T.D. had ever asked a ghost what they wanted. She wondered briefly if it would be the last.


To vote for "Susan's Ghost" go here.

Malevolent Dead

For some reason, Googlesites doesn't like my Googlepages page. So, until I can fix it, my website is down...which is a total bummer. I really need to drop the money on my own URL.


Is anyone else having issues with Google sites converting their Google pages sites?

Now in Print!

For those of you that didn't want an e-book...

Fade to Black is now in print and avaliable at Amazon.com!

http://www.amazon.com/Fade-Black-Heather-Kuehl/dp/1926704770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255715322&sr=8-1

Promises to Keep

Remember how I was in the final stages of editing Promises to Keep? Well, silly me never backed it up and it was a casualty in the Great Puter Crash of 09. Good news; I still had to original draft saved on my mom's external hard drive and I had a notebook of hand written edits. Within the last couple of days I have gone through P2K, making corrections and backing it up and printing up the latest draft. And I can say, with a huge smile on my face, that this novella is almost ready to be submitted to various markets (the first being Eternal Press because they were awesome to work with). And while it isn't my best/favorite story, P2K will be my greatest accomplishment.

Why?

Synopsis: Starlette DeFore knows that her father is alive, even though her family buried him ten years ago. And when a faerie confirms this she travels to Charleston, South Carolina to hunt down Sivad Night, the only person to have ever escaped from the hands of a powerful sorceress, The Dark Lady Dreashae. With help from a witch they travel into the Myst, a fantasy realm filled with centaurs, dragons, and magic. Starlette is very close to finding her father, but first she must defeat Dreashae. Will Starlette, a mere mortal, have the strength needed to finish her quest and save her father?

When I was a naieve freshman in high school, I wrote the original draft of this story entitled The Quest to Twin Towers. I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and submitted it to various literary agents. No one picked it up and years later, when I was participating in NaNoWriMo 2006, I knew why. The dialogue - not believable. The description - craptastic. TQ2TT was my first "novel" writing venture, and it bombed. But the plot...that had a lot of potential. So, in 2006, I sat down for NaNoWriMo and used the original draft of TQ2TT as an outline. Out came Promises to Keep, a 31,000 word novella (It was originally 53,000 words, but a lot of it was filler junk. You NaNo writers know what I mean). The characters are the same, I think two scenes are the same, but 99.3% of it was brand new.

With my editing, it's now down to 28,000 words. I cut out the elves (filler) and changed Dreashae from a faerie noble into a sorceress (her powers were just too similar to the sorcerers in my short stories). Instead of the Myst being a faerie kingdom separated into two courts, I have the Myst just the name of the fantasy realm that they are in. A lot has changed with this story in ten years. I now use TQ2TT as a way to show my how my writing has grown. And hell yeah, it has grown...

My one and only FAQ.

I’ve been asked a lot over the last couple of days how I can juggle writing with a job and child. And until now I never realized that I was juggling anything. I mean, I knew it was hard. But I never realized that this is a time in a lot of writers lives when they stop, not picking up a pen (so to say) again until the kiddo starts school. I’m a writer, first and full most. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I can’t imagine life without it. Yes, there are times when I will go months without writing a thing because life’s too damned hectic, but when I’m not writing I’m editing. I’m always doing something writing related. And when my son was born and life became more hectic, the fantasy world I wrote in became my getaway. When he goes down for a nap, I write. When he goes to bed for the night (and yes, I am well aware of how lucky I am that my son sleeps though the night), I write. The house may be a mess and laundry may need to be done but all that can wait when the muse strikes.

I just read through this and realized that I never included a very important factor; I still work part time. Yep, never quit my job.

Anyways, here’s a rough guesstimate of how my “off” days usually are: I wake up around 5am, when hubby leaves for work. I get most of my internet things out of the way (update Twitter, facebook, myspace, blog, etc.). Kiddo wakes up around 6:30. I feed and play with him until he goes down for a nap (usually around 11:30 or so). On lucky days, he sleeps 2 hour naps. On not so lucky days, 30 min. During that time, I either writer or edit (sometimes chores if they are way too backed up). After noon time is more feeding, more playing, and a couple of walks if the weather is nice. Then hubby gets home around 6 and the kiddo goes down for the night around 7.

Works days, I work 9-5. When I get home I play with the kiddo. No writing gets done on these days. Spending time with my little man is my priority.

Like I said earlier, I never realized that I was juggling, but I guess I am. I wear a lot of hats (full time writer, full time wife and mother, part time worker) but I couldn’t be happier with my life. Everything is fitting together quite nicely. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?

FADE TO BLACK - Today's the day!

When I was in sixth grade, I realized that I wanted to be a writer. Not just a writer, I wanted to be a published author. When I was in ninth grade I had my first story published in Wild Tales for Cool Kids writing contest. That was when I realized that I didn't just want to be a published author, shoved into an anthology with other authors. I wanted my own book. I wanted to know that when it sold, people bought it because they liked me.

And now, what feels like a bazillion years later, my dream has come true. FADE TO BLACK is released and I feel like I'm floating. Years of hard work and determination, sculpting the manuscript from a hunk of stone into an elegant piece of paranormal fiction, has finally paid off. I don't think it truly hit me until this morning, when I was looking at the Eternal Press main page. And now....I am a writer who's at a loss for words.

Thank you, Eternal Press, for making my dream come true. Thank you Ally, Lauren, Lisa, Candace, Sheryl, Ellen, Pamela, and the rest of the EP staff. Thank you Amanda for my beautiful cover art! And congrats to my fellow October authors; Maggie Dove, Mary Corrales, Roxanne Rhods, Teel James Glenn, Shelley Dayton, Graeme S. Houston, and A.J Ryan.

Later on this afternoon I will be posting the first chatper of FADE TO BLACK onhere. Then join me from 7-8pm EST tonight for the live author chat!(http://www.eternalpress.ca/LiveAuthorChats.html)

Heather Kuehl

Today's the day!

FADE TO BLACK is offically released!

Go here to buy your copy!
http://www.eternalpress.ca/fadetoblack.html

Join me tonight from 7-8pm EST in the Eternal Press chat room!
http://www.eternalpress.ca/LiveAuthorChats.html

Live Chat Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is release day! What does that mean? Well, it means:

1) FADE TO BLACK will be available to purchase from www.eternalpress.ca!
2) I will be posting excerpts at the EPReader's Yahoo! group
and last but not least,
3) From 7-8pm EST I will be doing a live author chat here: http://www.eternalpress.ca/LiveAuthorChats.html

Stop by, ask me some questions, or just chat! I'll be there....waiting.

What's Hot In Romance Interview!

My interview went great!
Even when my phone died…silly phone.
Cat was so nice, which made me not as nervous as I was when I dialed into the station. This entire thing makes me so giddy because this was my first interview! I mean, wow!

That’s all I can say now. It’s late here and the adrenaline from this is finally wearing off.

Did you miss it? Never fear, you can listen to it here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Whats-Hot-In-Romance
Just scroll down until you see my name!

Interview info!

Here's the deets!

All Romance eBook's 'What's Hot in Romance' Blog Talk Radio Show.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Whats-Hot-In-Romance

Listen in on 10/5 @ 10pm EST to listen to my interview!

2 days....

Two more days....
Two more days.....
Two more days.....



Sign up for the Eternal Press Readers Yahoo! Group to read additional excerpts.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for my alive radio blog interview. I think it's through Meebo, so keep an eye out on my Myspace page or Blogger page on 10/5 @ 10pm EST!

3 Days! – Interview – Homecoming – Computer Issues

Only three more days until the e-book FADE TO BLACK is available to purchase! I can’t believe it’s already time. I just can’t wait. You can purchase the e-book at www.eternalpress.ca or at www.bn.com.
“But wait! I thought it was in print too!”
It will be. It should be available to purchase from www.amazon.com around the beginning of December. Just in time for the holidays! FADE TO BLACK would make an excellent gift for the paranormal bookworm.
“Do you have any more excerpts from Fade to Black?”
Why yes I do. They are going to be posted on F2B’s release day (October 7th) But you have to sign up for the Eternal Press Readers Yahoo! Group to see them. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EternalPressReaders/ to sign up.

On Monday October 5th at 10pm EST, I will be interviewed on alive radio blog. As soon as I know more, you will know more!

My short story “Homecoming” will be in an upcoming issue of Abandoned Towers. I am so happy about this acceptance, because this was one of the stories I lost when my computer died.

And speaking of dead computers…I should be getting my lappy back online this weekend. HP sent me a new hard drive and I will be sending them a nasty-gram sometime soon. I mean, this lappy is less than three years old. There is NO reason for both the motherboard and the hard drive to die on me within the past year. *sigh* Hopefully this will be last of my lappy problems…and since I doubt it I now have a desktop computer. The monitor is a monster though (seriously, I think it attacked Tokyo last night) and I plan on replacing it with a smaller, flat screen one.