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.

Hard Drive Failure

So....my hard drive has failed on me. The good news: the POS computer is still under waranty. The bad bad very bad news: nothing on it was backed up. Not my son's pictures. Not my stories. Not my F2B stuff. NOTHING!!!!!

The HP tech dude suggested hooking up the corrupted hard drive to another notebook, but this has failed us. We are going to try a data recovery service, but I don't have any hopes. This whole situation couldn't have happened at a worse time.

My lappy was an HP Pavillion dv6000. Almost a year and a half ago we had to replace the motherboard (covered under waranty) because it was faulty. Now we're replacing the hard drive for the same reason. This is BS. Really. A computer shouldn't cause this much grief.

And yes, I know I should have been backing everything up. I am stupid. We know this. Lets move on......

10 days!

Until Fade to Black is avaliable in e-book form! I am totally spazing about this. In a good way mind you. This is a dream come true. And the best part?

I have finally figured out what to do about the sequel! Memory Remains is now going to be book 3, which means this will be a trilogy! Book 2 will be called Malevolent Dead, and will hopefully feature one of my favorite witches, T.D. Drake!

Once my computer is fixed, writing shall begin!

I hate my computer

On Tuesday night, I turned off my computer while grumbling that it was taking too long to do things. Wednesday morning, it stopping turning on....and it hasn't turned on since. From what I can tell, the most recent Window's Live update caused it to crash. Which sucks balls because I haven't backed ANYTHING up since January. I should know better by now, because this will be the forth time I've had to reformat this particular laptop.

My HP Pavillion dv6000 sucks. I hate it.

We are trying to postpone formatting until we are sure we can't get anything off. Because, while it would be a shame that I wouldn't be able to get my stories back, I can always rewrite them. HOWEVER, the pictures of my LM, from 2 months - 10 months of age, are not retakeable. Those are my primary concern. Everything else can just wait...

I need a better computer. One that won't die.

I'm still alive

Has it really been only four days since I found out the release date for my book?! I feel like it's been much, much longer. My mile long "to do" list is slowly dwindling. A lot of what I have left to do relies on me getting my official cover art. Can't make bookmarks without cover art. Can't make book trailer without cover art. Can't make business...well you get the idea. I have the mock up, which is what I am using to see what looks good where.

Eternal Press has an excerpt from Fade to Black up on their site: http://www.eternalpress.ca/fadetoblack.html Drop by there and take a peek.

I am all amped up, knowing the volume of things that need to be done. I'm so amped, that I'm procrastinating in non-efficient ways. I could be editing my next book but no, I'm either blogging, tweeting, or updating my facebook/myspace. I've messed with my book trailer so much that I have the music trapped in my head. I need to stop and get to work, but my brain is constantly turning to mush. I'm thinking about disconnecting my Internet tomorrow so that I can stop dicking around. I thought I had months left to plan this. I'm lucky that I already had banners finished and a book trailer started or else I'd be more in the hole that I am now. But, when I know I have a large volume of work to do, I always freeze up and look for other frivolous things to do.

It's amazing I've ever gotten published at all. :o)

There is good news within all of this chaos though; I think I sorted out a plot problem that I had with The Memory Remains. (TMR is the sequel to F2B.) Looks like I got a story to write for NaNoWriMo!

Fade to Black Update

And a HUGE update it is. According to www.eternalpress.ca, FADE TO BLACK will be avaliable on 10/07/09. That's NEXT MONTH!

Since I had recieved a mockup of my cover art in my inbox yesterday, I knew it was going to be soon. I spent yesterday working on my banners and YouTube commercial, and I will spend today finishing them. A "Coming Soon" banner is already posted on my website and will be posted on this blog. I hope to have the "Coming Soon" commercial posted on YouTube and my Myspace page by the end of the day.

There is so much that I have to do, and time is running out! I would scream with delight, but I worry it would wake up my little one. :o)

Struck By Beauty

Mirror Dance now has my short story, "Struck by Beauty," up on their website. Please go here to read it:

http://mirrordancefantasy.blogspot.com/2009/09/struck-by-beauty.html

Finishing and marketing F2B

I'm only five chapters away from finishing Of Wolf and Man. It's exciting to see that the end is near. I know that once I'm finished, there are a couple of things that I'd like to add (probably turning out to be more chapters), but that's all good. I also discovered that my hard copy and notes for Promises to Keep are in the storage bin under all the Christmas bins. I won't be getting around to that for a while, which is a bummer. But that stuff is heavy and it will take all day just to get to it. Blood Moon, which was renamed The Memory Remains, is on hiatus until I can work out a huge issue. I'd love to rant about it, but I can't without dropping spoilers for Fade to Black.

Speaking of F2B, I sent back my first edits about a month ago and am eagerly awaiting the next batch. I need to change a street name when I do get them. Haven is on East Battery St., not East Bay St. (actually E.Bay and E.Battery are the same stretch of road, it just changes once it reaches the harbor). I also need to mention earlier what color Jared's eyes are (I don't until near the end).

I'm also plotting marketing for my novella once it is published. I still don't have a date yet, or the cover, but I am planning on making buttons, bookmarks, a YouTube trailer, and I also plan on doing a signing or two at some independent bookstores. All of this marketing stuff is overwhelming, and I wonder if I actually knew what I'd have to do would I still have pursued getting it published. I think I would. I've wanted nothing but this since 6th grade. I just assumed I'd have a literary agent by now (just as I assumed that I'd be a NYTimes bestselling author by now too). I know that if I work hard enough, all of this will pay off. And my husband has reassured me that, this being my first attempt at marketing myself, it is alright to be nervous. Scared even. But after this things will be easier because I will know what to expect.

Next time will be easier. It's nice to know that he thinks there will be a next time.

Ethereal Tales 4

Ethereal Tales 4 is now avaliable. My story, "The Hunt," is featured within its pages. "The Hunt" is the third story to feature Amythist Dyier, sorceress turned sidhe mercenary. The first of her stories ("Dalamar's Quest") will be in a future issue of Flashing Swords, and the second ("The Final Goodbye") was in Ruins Metropolis.

Buy Ethereal Tales 4 at http://www.etherealtales.co.uk/buynow.htm

The Drabbler 14

The wait is over! The Drabbler 14 is avaliable for purchase from the Sam's Dot Purchase Center. My story, "Project Indestructible" is featured in this anthology that discusses what happens when genetic experiments go bad.

"Buried Alive"

Thank god I google my name sometimes. I discovered today that my story, "Buried Alive," has won an honorable mention in Tales of the Moonlit Path's Tales of Torment Contest. YAY!

You can read it here: http://www.moonlit-path.com/fiction/kuehl-6-9-09.htm

I need to finish what I've got

I have two novella's that are about halfway finished. I have another novella that is finished, but desperatly needs editing.

So, with all that, last night I start writing what will become my romance novella.

I really need to finished what I've got first. But when the mood strikes and the characters are screaming out their stories, I have to listen and type. I have a 4 day weekend coming up next week thanks to Independence Day. I think I'll edit PROMISES TO KEEP then and keep writing the romance novella (no title yet, but it features Mika from "Struck By Beauty" as the romantic lead). Once I finish editing PROMISES I'll finish OF WOLF AND MAN and then THE MEMORY REMAINS.

No more new novellas until I finish these 3 and finish editing the one! I can't promise though, since my creative juices are in overdrive.

Lilies

"Lilies" is up on Flashshot today! Go to http://www.gwthomas.org/flashshotindex.htm to read it.

Facebook

I've created a group on Facebook that you can join if you want. That means if you are on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or Livejournal you can add me and get updates about my upcoming works and events. I love this internet thing!

Space Cops

I just got my contributor copies of Space Cops in the mail. It looks excellent! Buy your copy today at Amazon.com!

Mirror Dance acceptance

"Struck By Beauty" will be in the Autumn 2009 issue of Mirror Dance!

Space Cops now avaliable

Space Cops is now avaliable to order!





Purchase your copy NOW from Amazon.com



Product Description
Space Cops, where the long arm of the law reaches across space and time to catch crooks wherever they are. Original space crime stories featuring C. J. Killmer, Ahmed A. Khan, John M. Whalen, Barton Paul Levenson, Tom Williams, James S. Dorr, Heather Kuehl, Nicole Givens Kurtz and Sam Kepfield

The BIG GESTURE

I just finished reading Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It was touching, with a very satisfying ending. A friend of mine told me that, as he was reading it, he wanted to get to the end to see if Ash got his revenge. I wanted to see if he found love.

He needed to find someone that he could love and trust. The "no strings attached" kind of love. And by the end of the book, he found it in Tory. The ending was so perfect that I cried.

Afterwards, as I was getting ready for bed and cleaning the cat box I realized something. In books and movies there is always something that a character has to do to prove their love. I call it the "Big Gesture." Tory had to do it for Ash. In the movie American Pie 2, Jim had to do it for Michelle. It always pops up. Some big thing that the guy/girl has to do to prove how deep their love is.

And I realized that no one has ever done this for me. Ever. Maybe it's just a fictional thing, like vampires and werewolves. The BG doesn't really exist. It's just the climax of the book that will make the reader get teary eyed and go "Aw!"

What would life be like if the BG was real? Would there be less divorces? Less affairs? Would husbands not beat up their wives (or vice versa)? If people had to do something big to prove their love, what would the world be like?

It's an interesting question, one that I would love to know the answer to.

Two Acceptances from FLASHSHOT

"Lilies" and "Fictional Truths" have been accepted by FLASHSHOT for publication in the near future. I'm so happy!

Dates: TBA

Fade to Black

My novella, Fade to Black, has been accepted by Eternal Press for publication. I have no publication date as of yet. I am so excited about this. I'm getting things together, making up a marketing plan, and creating temporary cover art until the real cover art is made.

This is what I've got so far:

I'm not too sure what I will do with this image yet, but I'll figure out something!

WOOT!

Space Cops accepted "To Walk Among Dreams" today.

For two years I have tried my damnest to get this story published, and have a nice pile of rejections to show for it. Not any more!

And hopefully this is a sign that my dry spell has ended. The drought is over, the rain has come, and the land will thrive. Or the rejections have stopped and accpetances are on the hoizon.

Hopefully.

Realms of Fantasy

I have a list. On that list, there are my goal markets. The ones that I HAVE to get in before I die. Here's my goal list:

Realms of Fantasy
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
The First Line
Sword and Sorceress
Black Gate
Fantasy Magazine
South Carolina Fiction Project

I discovered at the end of last month that Realms of Fantasy is closing. I feel like every time I turn around, yet another print market is closing its doors. With the economy sucking as bad as it is, online markets such as Every Day Fiction seem to be thriving while print markets like Realms are suffering. It makes for a dismal future for writers like us. With my goal list is my ultimate goal: to walk into B&N and find the magazine/book that my story is in on their shelves. Out of my goal list, only three markets now fit this ultimate goal; The Magazine of Fantasy and Sci-Fi, The First Line, and Sword and Sorceress.

I wonder, how long will it be before none of my goal markets lead to my ultimate goal?

Preditor and Editor Poll

"The Final Goodbye" has been voted onto the Preditor and Editor Poll. This is just too cool!

I was also going to complain about my writer's block, but I just finished a very nifty, dark story. I hope to widdle 200 words off of it so that I can send it to Everday Fiction. And maybe the SC Fiction project unless I can write something better, and not so dark, for it.

In personal, not writing, news:
My son was born on Nov 19. He's smiling now and is just too cute. Being a mother is VERY time consuming and I hope to find a balance between that and writing very soon. Sadly, I never remember to update this blog (obviously) but I do update my Myspace and Facebook accounts. Feel free to add me on there!