Interview w/ Dusty Pages

I'm being interviewed at Dusty Pages today! Stop by to see what I have to say about PROMISES TO KEEP, how my family feels about my writing, and if I would ever tell the whole truth in my biography.


http://www.sonnetodell.com/sonnetodell/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75&Itemid=13

Cover Art!

Interview Today

I'm being interviewed at C.J. Gabriel's blog today. Stop by to see what I have to say about writing PROMISES TO KEEP, the book that has impacted my life, and what people would be surprised to learn about me.



http://cjgabrielbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/heather-kuehl-is-in-house.html

Time to Write

I'm so jealous! Many of my author friends on Facebook are talking about how they can get so much writing done during the summer. I wish I could say the same, but since I'm a mom my schedule doesn't really change with summer. I am still getting up early, taking care of the kiddo and our home, and struggling to get chores done during his naps. By the time he goes to bed at night I am so exhausted and wanting to spend a little quality time with my husband. I do get a little bit of writing done here and there, but not enough to keep up with the ideas in my brain. This is what my Works in Progress list looks like right now:

1) BLOOD MOON (finish by Sept at latest; you see, I like to have a book ready to submit when a new release is coming out. I submitted PROMISES when FADE came out, MALEVOLENT when PROMISES came out, and I'd like to submit BLOOD when MALEVOLENT comes out.) The final (?) book in the Sarah Vargas Series. The Blood Moon Corporation is coming for Sarah, and even she doesn't think she can make it out alive.

1.5) Xmas story for charity anthology. Theme: Just another Paranormal Christmas. Problem: I've never written a Christmas story before. I hope to have this one be about Damian from the Sarah Vargas Series.

2) OF WOLF AND MAN. I had just gotten through the hard scene when my computer crashed and I lost a good chunk of it. I have 25k written and printed out right now and I think if I go back through and polish it up I may get the inspiration to finish it. Plan to start polishing during July. Tells the story of Juliet and Jensen; Juliet discovers Jensen's dangerous secret and now a Clan of rouge werewolves wants her dead. It's my first attempt at YA.

2.5) ACROSS TIME. A novella about Amythist Dyier finding love again. Her short stories came out in quick bursts so I hope her novella does the same.

3) Untitled Technopath Story. Originally a short story, I realize that I have more to say. Samantha lives in a post apocalyptic world where a human created microbe can infect technology, making it alive. It needs the earth's resources to survive, and the humans are just scum standing in their way. Samantha is one of only a handful of technopaths, a person that can control technology, that can defeat them.

4) GREY MAGIC. T.D. Drake novel. T.D. has been assigned by the Covenant to find the Grey Magic, a witch with the ability to use both light and dark magic without being morally affected. For some reason unknown to her, Dez (my blue haired vampire) tags along and adventures ensue.

All of these characters are yelling at me, and I wish I had the time to write about them now but I'm having to settle with outlining. I hope when I get around to writing them that they are still trying to claw their way out of my skull like they are doing now.

FADE TO BLACK at the library!

I think I posted this a while ago... The Berkeley County Library System carries FADE TO BLACK! It's one thing to see it in their catalog. It's another to go there and actually see it!













It's tiny, but it's there!

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!