Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 7, 2004 by Annie Rayburn/Carol Burnside

Got your costume yet? For those of you who celebrate, hope you’re gearing up for a safe and fun Halloween.

Let’s see… what’s new since I last posted? Oh. I did a quick polish on a flash fiction piece and sent it to Brown County Writers Group for their Through The Window: The Frosted Pane edition. It’s called “Winter’s Bride” and is rather melancholy.

I’m still plugging along on the revision of The Reluctant Groom, and have started jotting notes and characterization tidbits for several characters that I believe would make a good single title women’s fiction book. No title yet and I’m still playing with the characters names. Or maybe I should say they’re trying on for size the ones I’ve picked out and they’ll let me know. 🙂

I attended the Moonlight & Magnolias Conference hosted by the local RWA group, Georgia Romance Writers. I’ve found them to collectively be a great group of people and very friendly. The conference was well done and I met tons of authors and bought books out the wazoo. When will I ever find the time to read them all? Who knows? One at a time, baby. I read Too Hot To Sleep, a Harlequin Temptation autographed by Stephanie Bond (Hi, Stephanie!) and she was right. It was hot, hot, hot! Great, fast read, interesting characters and a very satisfying ending.

I added to my TBR pile (all autographed by the authors):
The Photograph – Virginia Ellis
The Wedding Dress – Virginia Ellis
Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch – Haywood Smith
Night Play – Sherrilyn Kenyon
All Because Of You – Bridget Anderson
The Unknown Daughter – Anna DeStefano (Harlequin Superromance)
Hearts In Bloom – Mae Nunn (Steeple Hill Love Inspired)
Mossy Creek – an anthology by Deborah Smith, Donna Ball, Nancy Knight, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon and Virginia Ellis
Tempt Me Twice – Stephanie Bond
Cover Me – Stephanie Bond (Harlequin Temptation)
Midnight Disclosures – Rita Herron (Harlequin Intrigue)

Thanks, ladies. It was great meeting you all!

Okay, back to work. There’s lots of reading and writing to be done.

Carol B.

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>Getting back into the groove

Posted on September 12, 2004 by Annie Rayburn/Carol Burnside

>We’re in our house. Finally! Can’t tell you how relieved I am to be basically settled again. You wouldn’t be able to tell that by looking at all the stuff still waiting to be put away, but – hey! – we’ve only been moved in 9 days.

I think my relief comes more from being back at the computer for more hours each day. Writing time has been sporadic for the last three months, so I tried to concentrate on short stories I had started and those itching to be told. As a result, I polished and submitted 4 stories last week.

On Wednesday, I submitted “Marinara Magic” to Woman’s World magazine after vigorous re-writes and cutting 300 words from the manuscript. (My thanks to Linda Winfree, Morag McKendrick Pippin, Sally Sorensen, and Janet Shitabata for all their advice and crits. You guys really came through in a pinch!)

Thursday, “Home For Christmas” went to Arabella via e-mail. Maybe they can use it for the 2005 holiday edition.

Friday, 9/10, I checked over calls for submission and was surprised to see I only had hours to submit something to The Rocking Chair Reader by Adams Media. “Homecoming”, was a hastily penned, but heartfelt accounting of my experiences at family gatherings in the 60’s. I hope I ran spell check and scruntinized it carefully enough before e-mailing. Yikes!

Now what?

Well, there’s my novel, The Reluctant Groom, to polish and re-submit – this time to Silhouette’s Special Edition line.

But, I’m in no hurry to tell you the truth. I feel rather sheepish about sending my first manuscript out so fast. Well-meaning writers on several online threads encouraged me to do it, and there are merits to doing so. However, I don’t feel TRG was ready. Lord knows, I was tired of revising it (I tend to write a draft slowly, with my inner editor slashing and tightening as I go, then go back and re-edit again.), but I should have let it sit a minimum of 6 months before taking another look. Being so new to this field, my writing changed rapidly, and I learned a ton within the first year. I could have sent in a much tighter and well-written book had I waited.

There’s also Forever Kind of Guy (was A Perfect Stranger) to be finished and then it will sit while I write another. I’m 3 chapters from writing “The End”, but I’ve been away from it for so long I dread trying to get back into Kiki & Mack’s heads. Will they even talk to me? I hope so. I really like them and think they deserve a HEA.

I’ve also got two short stories to finish and find homes for. “Mr. Dependable” to continue submitting until it finds a home. Also, waiting to be told are the novels Knight In Tarnished Armor (working title), and at least 6 others waiting in the wings.

Looks like I need to get more organized. Write faster. Be more productive.

Augh!!! Gotta go. Lots to do…

Carol B.

P.S. Check out more about my writing at www.geocities.com/carolburnside2004 and sign my guestbook. I’d love to hear from you.

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I’m ba-ak!

Posted on August 10, 2004 by Annie Rayburn/Carol Burnside

Sorry about the long intermission there. My DH & I are in north Georgia and in temporary housing at a Residence Inn. The house hunting trip was successful and the house is now ours. Yea! In between then and now, we returned to Hawaii, said our goodbyes, did the last touristy things we’d put off, and oversaw the packing process. I’m sad I won’t get to attend book signings for my friend Morag McKendrick Pippin’s new book Blood Moon Over Bengal coming out in October by Dorchester. It’s getting great reviews on the ARC’s and I’m looking forward to adding it to my collection. (Miss you, Morag!)

Regarding the new house, we’re working on changing out some of the painting, arranging for fencing the backyard and mundane things like that. I’ve enjoyed furniture shopping while we’re waiting for our household goods and vehicles to arrive from Hawaii. Vehicles should be here in two weeks and the goods shortly after. Meanwhile, we sand, paint, design the interior and get acquainted with our neighbors. I am constantly reminded how friendly and open southerners are. (I should know, I am one. LOL) What a refreshing (and sometimes disconcerting) trait.

Writing has taken a definite back seat to the move, but I did ship my computer here so I feel more at home already. On the writing note, Arabella passed on the light paranormal citing it was too erotic. But, hey, they mentioned ‘the writing is very good’ so it didn’t feel like a rejection. I was encouraged. Too bad it came at a time that was impossible to write. I’ve got notes galore on new short stories and potential novels. Now to just get them written…

Later…

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