It's All About August..

 Hi Everyone!

End of August is coming up, and thus, it's time for a monthly update from yours truly.

Currently, I'm waiting on some responses on queries for Sugar & Frost. There's been a bit more interest since #UnhingedPit and #questpit, so that's great. I love this story so much, that I'm happy with other people get interested. As far as I'm concerned, it's a fun read. I call it the "book of my heart" because it's just exactly something I'd pick up as a reader and cuddle up with a comfy blanket in a chair, couch, or in bed, with something hot to drink and just enjoy. I also dedicated it to my siblings, so there is a personal aspect to it, too.

Other manuscripts:  Moonrise Pack: Shifter Secrets (YA Fantasy, wolf shifters, sweet romance) is in edits--I finally sat down and started working on it. I'm not very far along in the editing, yet, but hopeful about polishing it. I had made a poster for it for #PosterPit since they allow WIPs (Works In Progress) and I emphasized that it was in the editing process. But it is written. There are some personal aspects to it and that surprised me. I was ignoring the whisper that said "Hey, this aspect is like you..." until I finally said "Yeah, that is like me." so that was an interesting experience.

Writing: I'm currently working on a manuscript that is a little different--a bit on the "quieter" side (no major magical battles) but no less magical elements and no less emotional or romantic. The fun part is, my characters are rather oblivious that they're falling for each other--so that's been fun to write.

School has started back up for many people, and I hope it's a good year for teachers, staff, and students. I still can't believe we're already starting up a new school year. Seems like summer just began!

Anyway, I hope you all have had a great August and that September goes well for you. God bless!

Have A Fantastically Fabulous Friday!

5 Things I Didn't Know About...

Happy Friday All,

Lately I've been doing 5 Things About... type posts, and I like this format. Eventually I'll do other kinds of posts again, but for now, this seems to work. And yes, I don't have a consistent day, yet. Still trying to figure that out, but I am trying to post at least once a week.

So what's the 5 things topic today? 

5 Things I Didn't Know About Publishing

Years ago, before I really got serious about writing, I didn't know much about the publishing world. In fact, I'd say I knew next to nothing. I don't think I know everything now, or even half of what someone can know, but I know more than I did then, and so I thought I'd share some of that.

1.  I didn't know an author didn't HAVE to pay to publish his or her work.

This is a big one because it's a common misconception. Unless you are self-publishing, you do not pay up front to have your work published. Typically agents and publishers will take a percentage of what you make and you keep what's left. If you self-publish, depending on how you do it, you might keep more, but you could still end up giving a portion out to whatever you use to publish (like Amazon, etc.) in some cases, in self-publishing you might have up-front costs (like cover art). I don't pay for any of it up front because my publisher covers it, and takes a percentage of my royalties (what an author earns from sales of the book).

2.  Publishing is a waiting game.

You wait for email responses to queries/pitches/submissions. Agents and editors are INUNDATED with requests/pitches/queries, etc. It takes time for them to go through their inboxes and it takes time for them to go through manuscripts, and get things done. Very

few things in the publishing world happen quickly. Expect to wait. No one is super-fast at any of it (after all, it took you more than a day to write, polish, and format your work, right? You didn't finish in one day, and if you think you did, you probably have some editing and polishing left to do, or you wrote something very, very short--like a blog entry, novella, or an article).

3.  Typically you will do the majority of your promotional work.

Those glossy posters or displays you see at bookstores? That's not the norm. Especially if you're not well-known.

For my upcoming release,
I put together this graphic.

Not too many publishers do much promotional work in general. Some will do a little, but the majority of it is up to the author. This means you figure out Tweeting and Facebook posts. Unless you have an agent, you're the one scheduling appearances (unless you have a publisher that sends you on a book tour, but that's very rare, or someone approaches you for an appearance/event). So you have to get used to "blowing your own horn" so to speak. Get used to telling people you're a writer and what you write and what's published. All of that. Expect to pay for promotional items like bookmarks, or pens or whatever. There are ways to use cost-effective places for these things, but on bookmarks and business cards you can spend $25-$500 depending on what you do, where you have them printed, and how many you order. Business cards you can spend $25 or more for 250-500 business cards depending on where you go (I like Vistaprint and many authors really like Zazzle--I almost went with them--for business cards).  Some authors have gone to Next Day Flyers for items. I used Got Print at one point for one of my bookmarks. Also, I was told that Pens.Com is a good place to order some promotional items, but I haven't ordered from there, yet.

4. Every author has a stack of rejection letters. Yes, even the big names. And, very rarely will an agent or editor give you details on why your work was rejected.

An NY Times bestseller that I know personally has done many talks where she pulls out folders, and boxes, and suitcases full of

rejection slips of all shapes, sizes. Rejection happens. It can suck, but it doesn't mean you'll never sell your work.

Also, most rejection letters are form letters. In the rejection slip/letter you might get something along the lines of "Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, this isn't what we're looking for at this time."

To deal with the sting of rejection, most authors (including myself) will recommend chocolate, wine, or some other comfort methods (perhaps a massage?)

What else can you do about it? You can dust yourself off, get up, and keep trying. Keep writing. 

5.  Writer's groups. I knew there were magazines and books for writers, but I had no idea about groups. I'm glad I found Romance Writers of America (RWA) and my local chapter. It's made a difference in my life and career.

Happy writing!

Have A Fabulously Fantastic Friday!

Should You Register? Let Me Count The Reasons...

Happy Monday All,

I know I haven't been good about keeping up with the blog. Currently I have a full plate. I'm working on a project my publisher has requested, plus something I did on my own, and a couple of stories I'm hoping to finish writing. On top of that, I've got the mommy/wife gigs going on, and the audiobook.

However, I do want to make all writers aware that the time has come to get your registration for the Northwest Houston chapter of Romance Writers of America Lone Star Writer's Conference in! The deadline to register is September 15, and we're about halfway through August already.

Me with editor, Debby Gilbert
at the 2014 Lone Star Writer's Conference

I have been attending this conference since 2009. Every year is different, but consistently it's been fun, informative, and worth every penny. I'm excited that this year Kerrelyn Sparks is speaking.

Me, author Kerrelyn Sparks, and author
Christie Craig

Kerrelyn is a fellow author and someone I've had the pleasure of meeting in person. She's talented, sweet, and I imagine has some great information for writers. She has a fabulous sense of humor and is very personable.

Jennifer Fusco of Market Or Die! is also coming. I haven't heard her speak, and I don't know her, but it sounds interesting, and I can always use marketing ideas for my work.

Taken at one of the Lone Star
Conferences I attended (I can't remember
which one)

There will be pitching opportunities, and also raffle baskets available.

I look forward to this conference every year and I'm already registered. We have had writers of all different genres come, so even if you don't write romance, don't hesitate!

See you there!

Have A Marvelously Magnificent Monday!

How Do You Do It?

Happy Wednesday All,

Whew. I'm tired, are you? For one thing, Texas is back to yucky weather. Luckily it's not supposed to be as bad as a week ago, but it certainly wasn't fun to be woken at 4:30 a.m. with a Tornado Warning.

Now, I appreciate the National Weather Service (NWS) doing its best to keep people safe. In fact, I'm grateful, and I respect what they're doing. Honestly, I do. What I don't like is the fact that after being woken at 4:30 a.m. (when I finally was able to sleep after dealing with Youngest waking up every 1-2 hours because Youngest is going through a rough patch right now--something all people go through and it's not dangerous, just hard) is that I couldn't go back to sleep for the longest time! I finally conked out

around 6ish, I think. Only to wake up again around 6:30 or so. Then I went back to sleep until Youngest decided that at 7:27 a.m. sleep was a rotten idea, and it was time to get up (this was after Youngest had been a little restless here and there).

Now I've been in the very little/no sleep position as a Mom before. This is NOT my first sleep deprivation rodeo. However, it's not any easier than any other time. In fact, any time it happens is harder than before because I'm older now than I was before. (That's the funny thing about the years passing, huh? You get older!)

Does sleep deprivation kill the writing side of my life--the creativity? Sometimes. Not always. It really depends on where I am

in a story or what's going on. Currently the incredibly talented and awesome Stacy Hoff is looking over one of my WIPs (Works In Progress) so I'm not really working on it too diligently. My husband teases me because I've been working a little on several stories at once. He thinks I need to focus on one story at a time. He might be right, but I figure if I have an idea for something, get it written so that I can focus. 

In fact, I got an idea for one story that I'll be implementing while I'm waiting for Stacy's comments. (Speaking of which, Stacy's novels are fun and imaginative, I urge you to check them out. Particularly her Desire series. The television network in her stories is just itching for lawsuits! LOL).

A lot of people ask me "How do you do it?" I write whenever I can grab a minute--or whenever Real Life Hero (my husband) takes the

Offspring and I have a flash of inspiration. I think about my stories and work almost all the time. Laying in bed at night, I'll contemplate scenes before falling asleep.

When writing is what you want to do--really want to do--you find a way. I've learned that whatever you have a passion for you will make time to do. As a mom, I have a responsibility to my Offspring to be Mom to them. I love them, and want to provide for them. So, I find ways of doing it. I love to read, so I find time to do that, too--even if that means reading off my E-reader apps on my phone. You have to be flexible. But if I didn't have the passion

for these things, I don't think I'd make the time. It's not easy and if you're doing one thing other things will suffer (like housework) but you have to find a balance (if you can, sometimes you don't find a good balance, but you have to do your best)--and sometimes you just have to accept the bad with the good. Some days are good, some are bad. I think that's what any mom or person goes through with whatever they do. I don't think it's exclusive to Moms/Dads who are writers. Based on what I've seen/heard, it's just life.

Anyway, I hope your week is going well and if you're in Texas, stay dry!

If you cross paths with Stacy Hoff, tell her I said hi. :-)

Have A Wondrously Whimsical Wednesday!

One-Size Fits All?

Happy Monday All,

Death Ray Sinus Infection gave way to Death Ray respiratory infections in my Offspring unfortunately. Fevers, coughing, congestion, and antibiotics is our life at the moment. We'll be glad when the Death Ray Infections get out of our house. And illness please, please, please stay out!

On the writing front, I'm working on two

Botanical Gardens in Springdale, Arkansas

completely new ideas and discerning what direction to take with an established story. For now, I'm not entirely sure what direction I'll take, but I expect I'll be clued into what to do some time.

I've discovered that one-size fits all doesn't exist (at least, not every time something says "one size fits all" or "one size fits most"). My mom ordered me this gorgeous skirt. It said one-size fits all, but the reviews were pretty good, so I waited for it. It arrived over the weekend and it was as gorgeous as the picture. I put it on, and it was extremely tight with no clear

Michigan

answer on how to loosen the elastic. Now, I'm not very big around the waist, but I'm not a size zero, or a size 2. So, mom promised to see if there's a way to fix it because I really like the skirt. It's gorgeous and looks good on. I just would it to be a smidgen less tight. So yeah, one-size does not always fit all.

Which is also true about books, careers, or dreams.

Every author I know has a different type of career, even if some of the aspects are similar to one another. But every author has to do what's right for him or her. There is no one-size fits all.

So, what are you all reading these days?

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday! 

A Million Story Directions

Happy Thursday All,

I'm late posting this because I wasn't able to schedule it ahead of time to post automatically for me. Real life keeps creeping into my writing/blogging time, but that's just the way things are right now. The good news is, I am getting writing in. Not as much or as often as I'm used to, but it's happening. That in itself is a really good thing.

The other day I talked about word-of-mouth and how important that is to authors. Yes, I can't emphasize this enough. You have no idea how incredibly powerful it is. You readers make or break our careers. I love writing and publishing and sharing my imagination with you all. It brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction. It's a dream come true.

On another note, the Immortal Dreams Trilogy is completed and all 3 books are available, yet I still have Jason and Laney playing around

in my head. I guess I'm not completely ready to say goodbye to that world. Where it will lead...well, I'm not total sure, yet. I'm working on another WIP (Work In Progress)--a new series--and I really have to focus on that. That story deserves my attention. But I'm tucking the Immortals in the corner of my mind for future reference.

My WIP is definitely a story I want to complete. It has been patient while I've been immersed in the Third Realm (All's Fair In Love & Lion) and silently waiting its turn while I navigated the world of the Immortals (Immortal

Dreams Trilogy). Now it wants my attention...it wants to be completed, and the other two stories in that series deserve the same consideration.

So, what's a writer to do when he or she is being pulled in more than one story direction? One thing I do is to write up notes for the other stories, and go back to the WIP. That way the author doesn't lose the ideas, but can also keep going on the WIP.

Do you read more than one novel at a time? How do you keep each story straight?

Have A Tremendously Terrific Thursday!

Updates, TV, Movies, Writing, & Give Me A Recommendation...

Happy Wednesday Everybody,

Tomorrow the post I mentioned yesterday I'd be guest posting on Erin Bevan's blog will go "live".  I'm looking forward to sharing about my Grandfather's storytelling.

There's a lot going on in my life. As some of my readers know, I'm pregnant with the newest character which will be joining the Averie  Household sometime in 2015. So, there's been a bunch of pregnancy stuff. Luckily so far (please God, let it stay this way) I haven't vomited. I've been extremely grateful for that, especially how bad I felt in the beginning, and how I've had indigestion/acid reflux issues (yes, I do take something for it, no, it hasn't gone all the way away). Sleeping has been up and down--some nights okay, some nights not okay. (And people wonder why I stay up so dang late, well...now I have a good reason, other than the fact I write, and do blogging, and watch TV movies LOL).

I'm still trying to finish Book Three. There's about 20-30 or so pages left. So I'm closing in on the end, but there's still a ways to go. I'm hoping to finish soon. I also hope to do a Book Three cover reveal (with an official title reveal on the same day) in the early part of December--that's my nifty-gifty to you, my darling readers!

Several other authors will be joining me for a special blog post the first week in December. I can't tell you the topic, but I can tell you I'm excited and it's been a lot of fun!

Currently I'm reading an ARC for an official blog book review to also be posted probably in December. Pretty good so far.

I haven't been to the movie theater in so long but there are some movies I want to see. I plan to watch X-Men: Days Of Future Past. I'm thinking about Maleficent. I haven't completely decided on that one. I haven't seen or read The Fault In Our Stars. That's another one I debate about seeing--I hear it's sad, and I'm not sure if I want to watch something sad (especially while pregnant--I cry more easily! I mean, I saw a picture of one of my cousin's babies and totally teared up...do I really want to watch something that's said to be sad?) I'm not into erotica, so I'm not following all the news about Fifty Shades Of Grey; however, I am curious about the new/upcoming Star Wars Episode VII movie. I'm not sure whether or not Big Hero 6 strikes my fancy, but I might see it at some point.

What movies are you looking forward to seeing and have you seen any of the ones I haven't seen and have any recommendations for me? I love movies, but I don't get to the theater much, but I do watch them on DVD/Blu-Ray.

As for TV, I'm faithfully following Season 4 of Once Upon A Time. I'm looking forward to Melissa & Joey being back and I want to watch Young & Hungry when it returns. I've been enjoying some of the Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel (yes, I know, it's early, but I love Christmas stuff, so I'm cool with it).

Anyway, be sure to let me know what shows you're enjoying and give me some good movie recommendations! I love fairy-tales, romance, and comedy.

And yes, I've seen Nine Months, and What To Expect When You're Expecting and Father of The Bride II (to cover pregnancy movies). I've enjoyed all of them. I happen to own Nine Months; a friend had me watch it on DVD when I was pregnant with my eldest offspring.

So, darling readers, weigh in! Don't be shy. I'm watching a lot of TV movies and movies on TV that I've seen before, but I'm open to some new ones. Based on what I've told you I like, what do you recommend?

**PLEASE NOTE:  ALL COMMENTS GO TO ME TO BE POSTED BEFORE THEY SHOW UP IN THE COMMENT SECTION. IF YOU DON'T SEE YOUR COMMENT SHOW UP ON HERE BY THE END OF THE WEEK, SEND ME AN EMAIL. Thank you!

Have A Wondrously Whimsical Wednesday!

Announcing The Birthday Giveaway WINNER...

Happy Monday All,

Sorry for posting this blog post so late in the day. I had a very hectic weekend--had to finish up my 2nd round edits of Immortal Dreams Book Two, Astral Love, and Sunday was booked solid. Today I took some time to recuperate a little bit from all the busyness. (I'm actually still recuperating, but I've had things to do today, so I'm doing those things as well--which also means I need to get going on finishing writing Immortal Dreams Book Three!)

The winner of my birthday giveaway and recipient of a copy of Immortal Dreams Book One, Divine Love, is ROBIN! So congratulations to Robin and your entry about the original movie of Clash of The Titans. I've sent Robin an email with information on how to claim the prize.

Thank you to everyone who participated--I truly appreciate it. Thank you also for the lovely birthday wishes, that was sweet of

everyone. I had a good birthday week and so far being the new number (age) I am has been a good experience. I hope to have a great year as this age.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good start to their work week! I wish you all the best.

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

The Writing Career...

Happy Wednesday All,

I hope everyone is doing well this March and enjoyed/enjoying their

Spring Break. We've had some sun and some rain, some cold and some warm weather. Basically, I think our weather has some kind of indecision problem. Either that, or it got into someone's liquor cabinet and is completely drunk. I'll let you decide which scenario best fits.

There's a couple of blog-related things coming up that should be fun, I've got 2 official blog book reviews in the works. One I'm planning to post next week, and one I'm going to post as soon as I can (I'm currently reading the novel).

On the writing front, I got the critiques back on one of my WIPs and I'll be working on that. I'm awaiting first round edits for book 1 in my Immortal Dreams Trilogy. I'm also waiting on cover art (I've already turned in the forms for all 3 books--each book will be released separately, though).

By the way, Immortal Dreams Book 1: Divine Love has a release date!  My publisher and me are looking at June 18th of this year for Book 1 to be released. As with All's Fair In Love & Lion, the novel will first be released to Amazon Kindle, then somewhere around 6-9 months later will go into print form.

As soon as I have a date for the print version of All's Fair In Love & Lion I'll announce that. At the moment, the only thing I know is that my publisher thought it would be sometime in April.  (Several people have asked me about the print version, and I'm looking forward to it being available to those who want--plus it'll be fun to have a "hard copy" of the novel!)

Funny thing I've encountered as a writer is how many people say to me "I could NEVER do what you do."  The thing is, anyone who can string together a coherent sentence can write. The question is, do you have the passion, drive, and determination to do this? Can you face endless hours of editing? What about rejection? Rejection hurts--even when it's a "good" rejection, even when you learn from it, it's hard to hear "This isn't right for us." 

It is a tough job. But it's one of the most fascinating things I've done in my life. There's something so freeing about letting my imagination run where it will. Whether I'm contemplating the next book, or the next scene, or how to fix something, it gives my imagination a chance to do exactly what it likes to do--create and image.


I guess I don't consider it especially difficult (there are difficult days, but the writing career itself is what I mean) because it's something I do every day (even if I'm not physically writing, I'm thinking about it). It's something I've pretty much done most of my life. 

In the end, it's a matter of perspective. What others view as "impossible" I think "Why not?" and the things I think "I don't have the patience for that." other people are like "Oh, it's no big deal." Everything depends on what your talents are and what you're passionate about.

If writing is something you're into, keep the passion brightly lit. Stay determined. And as so many other authors say:  "Don't give up." The minute you give up, is the minute you quit being a writer/author.

Happy reading and writing everybody. :-)

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Day!

Girls' Night Out

Happy Friday All,

Almost a year ago, Girls' Night Out was born for me and 3 of my friends, Sarah, Lesley, and Prescilla. Once a month, we got together, went out for dinner, and coffee. It was our chance to hang out with each other, catch up, and have a good time. As a wife, mother, and writer, it was a chance for me to be with my friends, and just kick back and relax. 

A few months ago, Prescilla had moved out of town. With Sarah's death in February, Prescilla had been a bit "off the grid" to receive the comforting presence of having Lesley and I around. We both kept in touch with her through phone, but she hadn't been to a Girls' Night Out in a while.

Wednesday I got a call, and I knew one of two things. Either Prescilla was in tears missing Sarah (who was like another big sister to her) or she was on her way into town. Turns out, the latter was correct. She said, "I'll be in town in about two hours."  I've gotten used to her spur-of-the-moment decisions to come out and flew into action.

Lesley was free that night, and my husband would be home in time for me to head out. So we plotted and off we went.

Originally our plan was to go to TGI Friday's, but the location we wanted to go to was closed, so we decided on Chili's.  Dinner was awesome. 

While waiting on our checks, I contacted Sarah's widower, Stephen, whom I've known for 17 years. I informed him Prescilla was in town and he had to get himself to the coffee shop. So he met us there. After we got our coffee, we headed over to Stephen's apartment. I had my camera on me because I knew all three of us girls would be together and wanted a picture. 

Stephen has a senior portrait of Sarah hanging above his television. We decided to stand in front of the TV so that Sarah could sort of be in the picture, since we never had a photo of all of us together. 

In honor of Sarah, and the fact that these girls keep me laughing, and enjoying life, and are super supportive of me and my writing, I decided to pay them the respect they deserve and share the photo with y'all (yes, they are aware I was going to post it and gave me permission):

from left to right:  Lesley, Prescilla, (Sarah's portrait) and me

Having supportive people in your life is important. It helps us get through the rough times, and enjoy the good times.  These ladies are a real gift to have as friends. Prescilla is like a little sister to me (she's younger than me) and Lesley and I have known each other since Freshmen year of high school (back in the dark ages before everyone had a cell phone LOL).

It's hard to see, but I was wearing my All's Fair In Love & Lion Monroe necklace. I love that necklace. I wear it a lot, and the girls loved it.

Who is in your life who keeps you smiling?

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday!

Pantser Or Plotter?

Happy Thursday All,

I'm a little late posting this...so please forgive me.

First of all, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who has already purchased All's Fair In Love & Lion. I do hope you enjoy it.  If you haven't gotten a chance, and want to, it's available on Amazon Kindle.

Today I'm on Stop #4 of the Bethany Averie AFIL&L Blog Tour, and I'm guest posting on Dana Wright's Bookgirl Knitting. What's my writing process? Am I a pantster or a plotter? Which did I use to write AFIL&L? Come find out!

Have A Tip-Top Thursday!

The Bethany Averie ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE & LION Blog Tour

Happy Thursday Everybody,

Hope you're having a great week! Mine has been all right. Been working on blog posts for my guest blog appearances. 

I've been asked to appear on 4 different blogs! I'm very flattered and excited. I've never been on a blog tour before (then again, I've never been a published novelist, either...well, that part is coming in July, but still). 

My current scheduled appearances are as followed (and can be found in the margin of this blog, as well):

June 28th --- I'll be the guest of Tonette Inspired on Four Foxes One Hound. This one is a personal interview--a chance to learn more about me, and more about All's Fair In Love & Lion.

July 10th-- Melissa Ohnoutka has graciously invited me to appear on Eat Read Rate, talking about my journey of becoming a writer (we're going way back on this one!)

July 12th--My illustrious and fabulous Critique Partner, Tess St. John, will have me on her Tess St. John blog--and guess what? A brand new interview with the hero of All's Fair In Love & Lion, Monroe Dubay will be posted for your reading pleasure.

(This one isn't in the margin because I don't have a date set up, yet) Date to be determined - A person I've really enjoyed getting to know, Dana, has invited me on her blog, Book Girl Knitting:  The Eclectic Book Blog, to talk about my writing process and character development. 

If you run a reading and/or writing blog you'd like me to make a guest appearance on, please send me an email with a date and subject in mind, and I'll let you know what I can do.

Have A Tip-Top Thursday!

It's Business As Usual In The Averie Universe

Happy Friday All,

The preliminary author edits for Dream Weaver are slowly coming along. I'm hoping to finish up this weekend, or at least early next week. I really want to get this out to critiques so I can be all ready for whatever edits my publisher has for Surreal. Need to be able to concentrate on that without too many distractions (deadlines, as you know, are a part of an author's life, and I intend to do my best fulfill my part in that).

On a completely unrelated topic (but something I thought was funny) I was waiting for my hot tea to finish steeping and as I opened up this post to write it, I totally forgot the tea was there. Then suddenly I was like, "Oh no! My tea! It's going to be too strong." Well, good news, folks...it isn't. Yay...total win. A good cup of tea on a cold day with honey is a cozy thing indeed. (Local honey is supposed to help with allergies, how many of you all knew that? Too cool). So to help with some of the allergy issues I've had (which, I think, are due to having the heater running and maybe some dust in the air) I'm having a cup today (maybe will have more than one. I had one yesterday, too).

As I've mentioned before, I've got several things going on: I'm working on the edits for Dream Weaver. I'm awaiting my instructions for the next step on Surreal and I still have to get back to writing the companion/sequel of Surreal. So there's lots going on, but I'm not complaining. I'm glad I have ideas percolating and things happening in my writing life.

So, what are you working on these days? (don't forget to keep me up-to-date on your Box Of Awesomeness moments). :-)

Have A Fabulously Fantastic Friday!

Countdown!

Happy Wednesday All,

(No matter what the date tab says, this post is meant for Wednesday).

I can hardly believe it...not counting today, there are TWO days left until the Lone Star Conference. This is my third year going, and I'll be entering my fourth year as a member of the NWHRWA.

This group is an incredible group of men and women. I'm very lucky and blessed to be a member and to be amid so many talented writers.

I know travel can be a pain (especially if you live out of state, or even out of the country) but folks, these people are so hospitable and kind. If you're a writer, I cannot stress enough how important that is. It's also why I invite my fellow authors to this Conference every year.

Now that I've gotten the sentimentality out and told you how truly awesome the NWHRWA & the Lone Star Conference is, let me move on to what's kept me from the blog...

I have been reading like a mad fool, my dear readers. My cousin got me interested in an author I hadn't heard of named Elizabeth Hunter. Specifically got me engrossed in the Elemental Mysteries. I finished up A Hidden Fire and have gotten my hands on The Same Earth (and started it). I like the way she writes vampires...the idea that they all can control one of the natural elements (earth, wind, fire, water) is really intriguing and different (at least to me).

I also recently received another book for a November official blog review that I need to get a move on...plus some other books from other authors that I should get going on.

Not to mention the fact that I went haywire happy over Jennifer L. Armentrout's Lux series and eagerly await Opal's release in December.

I've also been writing. Yep, I truly have. I've got two projects going. One is a story that I think will be a series (we'll see if that's still true at the end of the story) and another is something I started as a challenge to myself (if this story continues to take off, my critique partner is going to make me eat crow, I don't care how nice she is, I will be eating crow LOL).

As you can see, I've been a busy bee of a woman, and I am going to be prepping this week for the Conference on Saturday (so excited!)

So, please pardon the silence on here. I'm pretty regular on Twitter and Facebook, so look me up on there. (Twitter--@WriteByBethany Facebook is under Bethany Averie).

What's everyone got planned for this week and weekend?

Have A Wondrous Wednesday!

Absent, But Not Gone

Happy Monday All,

I am very sorry for my long absence. There's been so much going on:

In late August my grandfather died. It's hard to say goodbye to him, but he lead a long and wonderful life. I'll be attending his graveside memorial service later this month--so there's been some prep work surrounding that.

I've been gearing up for a couple of blog book reviews that are coming around October. I'm looking forward to posting them, too!

I've also been writing. I sent the pages I've written of Conjure A Man to my critique partner because I wanted her input. While she's been reading the pages, I've been working on another story of mine. It's coming okay and I'm thinking about some of my other stories that are waiting on the sidelines for me to get to them.

Also, I'm gearing up for my RWA chapter's annual conference--the Lone Star Conference (the Northwest Houston RWA), which is being held on October 13, 2012 in Houston, Texas. James Scott Bell is the keynote speaker. It should be really good! I'm looking forward to it.

In any case, I'm going to try and be around here more often.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Have A Marvelous Monday!