I’ll keep this upbeat, highlighting the writing wins and brushing by the woes. Deal? 🙂
Lately, I haven’t been blogging (obviously – duh!) but I have been doing other writing and writing related stuff. For instance, writing as Carol Burnside, I finished a contemporary short story which will be released on PFHT later this year as a FREE READ. Yay! We’ll have ten of them, one every day (M-F) during the last two weeks of the year as a holiday gift to our readers. My story is titled Do Over and is about a couple kinda mess up their first attempt at a HEA (happily ever after). We all know the course of true love never runs smoothly and Sherri Coker’s certainly didn’t. Her life is far from what she expected, but when an old flame reappears in her life, she gets a rare chance at a Do Over. Okay, more on that later.
Another project of mine was to get new cover art for Phantoms & Fantasies uploaded. Got that done. Another win. 😀 It may not filter through to all the places Smashwords distributes to for awhile, but I’ve done my bit, even getting it on Goodreads and a couple other places too. Gotta keep that visibility up, because it’s an uphill battle these days.
Over the next couple of days I have two projects that must get done.
One, I have to write up my portion of a workshop panel I’m on with Susan Carlisle, Sandra Elzie, Debbie Kaufman and Tami Brothers at Moonlight & Magnolias. It’s a fabulous chapter conference by Georgia Romance Writers, where Southern hospitality reins!
Two, Also writing as Carol Burnside, I’m pushing to rewrite the end and polish a contemporary, erotic short story with the working title of Tropical Exposure. I’ve got several more ‘tropical’ themed stories in the planning stages, with beach destinations. After all, tropical heat and scantily clad sexiness lends itself to the erotic romance sub-genre very well, so why not make it a themed series? Since the setting for this one is on Oahu, I’m thinking Sunset Beach Sizzle (Tropical Heat series) would work for the final title. (Thanks to Nicole North for that suggestion.)
As for the woes… Well, sales are slow. Typical September, I’m told, but it’s partly my fault, because I can’t seem to keep up with the writing and do promotions too. When I do get a review, they’re usually favorable to great, but these days a writer has to stay in the promo groove constantly to be seen and heard above the clamor of authors trying to get a tiny piece of the spotlight for their work. It’s frustrating and discouraging, but I’m told by others who’re in the know that the best thing I can do is put more work out there. So, that’s the plan.
I will try to work in some promotions. One I’ve signed up for starts…ACK! Today. Okay, so I’m behind the eight ball. I’ll post info about it tomorrow as it goes through the weekend.
I’ve got another project in the works – a CB work that’s Western historical and I’m loving writing it. I even have the cover art for it, but more on that another day.
That’s what I’ve been doing. What’ve you, my readers, been up to lately? Do tell!
CAROL BURNSIDE / ANNIE RAYBURN 