28 February 2006

Buying Mackenzie's Baby - the cover

Isn't it so very very nice, LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 10:11 am 6 comments

And February's last present...

My cover is up on the Samhain Coming Soon page. *grin*

Isn't it so very nice???

And thanks to everyone who wished me well yesterday. I go so over excited I had a headache from 4 o'clock until the wee hours of this morning, LOL

I did manage to go over a few pages of The Bone Magician's Daughter. I think the problem I was having was reading the first chapter. I knew that so intimately that it was difficult to read with any depth or patience. But I started to enjoy Chapter 2 and I'm somewhere in Chapter 5 now. Fen, my h, is in a very precarious predicament, LOL

Anyway, off to sort html so my cover can live here too.

Oh, and not thinking about tonight... and the Amber Quill results.
See. Not thought about them. At all...
posted by Kim Knox at 10:01 am 0 comments

27 February 2006

OMG!!!!

OMG!!!

Berkley requested the full for Bone Magician!!!

I'm still shaking, LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 9:40 am 9 comments

26 February 2006

Another new cover

Just as I lose one cover off the bottom of this page, another pops up to replace it *grin*

I'm just waiting for the all clear on posting it. It's very nice
posted by Kim Knox at 1:26 pm 3 comments

25 February 2006

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was...

...that I invested in a copy of The Writer's Handbook 2006... something that always seems wrong to do. I think because it is only current for one year. And that is so not right in a book, LOL.

Hunting through it in the shop, pre-buying, I hope I've found a possible publisher for The Bone Magician's Daughter. So I need to enter the edit cave and get that out asap.

I hate caves *sigh*
posted by Kim Knox at 10:38 pm 2 comments

I gave in...

...and watched the new Pride and Prejudice film.

I wanted to be objective, I wanted to find something I liked about the new interpretation. I did. Honest.

But Matthew MacFadyen has a face like a potato and the charisma of Colin Firth post P&P. He was a plank. Were there supposed to be brooding depths to him? Or am I getting him confused with the plank again? Oh and don't get me started on the treatment of Mr Bingley. He had no charm at all. And they cut Mr Hurst, Bingley's brother-in-law. He's the highlight of the BBC version *grin*

And I know it can't compete with the... is it 10 hours?... BBC version. But it chopped and changed and for some reason felt more like a Bronte novel than an Austen. All filtered skies and Keira Knightly doing a Catherine Earnshaw on a large outcrop of rock.

Mostly what annoyed me was the sound quality. I had no idea what they were saying for most of the ball scenes. The first one... I missed nearly all of the dialogue.

Was there anything I liked...? Jane's acceptance of Mr Bingley. And of course the height of that man's hair!
posted by Kim Knox at 10:06 pm 0 comments

Make Your Mind Up Sex Dice

I've been scouting about, hunting for promo gifts that I could give away as prizes.

The above was the best buy of the day, LOL

And my cover has probably dropped off the bottom of the screen now. Ah well... I'll just have to replace it with something else. Hopefully very soon *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 7:21 pm 0 comments

24 February 2006

100th Post

Just read on the Romance Divas site that the list is ready at Amber Quill. The chosen few are there... but they're not spilling anything until midnight on 1 March. Which is 6am here.

The more I read around what I should have written, the less I feel I will be one of the chosen few *sigh*. Nor even the ones who are going to get an offer to revise and submit. I don't think the story is hot enough. According to some, even the weather has to have an erotic twist to it.

I sooo haven't got erotic weather LOL

Ah well. I think the story stands on its own, so I should be able to punt it *grin*

So... No writing today either. We went to the seaside. In Britain. In February.

And yes, we should be tested for mental competence. As we were heading back to the car, it started to snow. I haven't been so cold in a long time. But the hobbits had fun dashing about and causing the usual mayhem.

But there's nothing quite so grim as an English seaside town in the winter.

With the biting cold and all that lovely sea air, The Ent and I crashed as soon as we got in. He's only just coming around now.

I still have the mother of all headaches so I'm off in search of tablets.
posted by Kim Knox at 9:10 pm 4 comments

23 February 2006

I know I'm on a schedule but...

...can I get into writing today? To paraphrase Drat That Fat Cat:

No, I cannot!

I had a Road to Damascus moment on the bus a few weeks ago. As you do.
I realised that time is moving on and if I want to achieve tonnes of novels, novellas and short stories in print and pixel I have to get off my behind and write them.

Not a very huge light bulb moment, I agree but it was the realisation of how short a time I have to do it before I'm old and decrepid... Anyone thinking that I am already had better stop that thought... Right. There. Right. Now. *glaring - hard*

I did do something that advances my world domination of the Word this afternoon. I found an agent who could be the right one for me. I'll send him a query letter in March, after I've found out about Amber Quill. I also found another who has representative in the UK. And there are three others on my list. So a total of five. It's a start *grin*

So... right at this minute I have to clear up the devastation of a day inside with the Hobbits and then force myself to continue with my plans for World Domination... *bwhahahaha*
posted by Kim Knox at 6:56 pm 3 comments

22 February 2006

Really really tired

No writing again today.

Yesterday I did have an excuse - tramping around with Frodo and Samwise and then Ancient Warfare in the afternoon. No interesting nude male facts, which is a shame ;-)

But today, after Frodo's physiotherapy this morning, I have been in a permanent state of veg.
And I can hardly stay awake. I think it's lie on the couch and let the hobbits watch Peppa Pig.

I really don't see the attraction with that one!
posted by Kim Knox at 3:27 pm 1 comments

21 February 2006

Frodo had a good day

Second day in the half term and Frodo is already chewing the walls.

Luckily, I'd found out about a local activities centre and booked him in on it a few weeks ago. It was a tester - as Frodo has significant communication and social delays. He might have hated it. They might have not been able to cope with him.

But picking him up at 4 o'clock, he starts crying because he doesn't want to go home, LOL. He was fortunate in the fact that they had extra staff from their head office so one of them spent a good deal of the day helping him. They said the local staff had helped with him too. They all said he had a really good day.

So looks like he's heading back there again in April. I've told him that's his present for Samwise's birthday.

Today has been a good day. *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 4:35 pm 0 comments

20 February 2006

Eek time

There is a real possibility this week that I could have edits and a cover for Buying Mackenzie's Baby.

You'll probably hear the insane shrieking long before the blog is updated *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 11:55 pm 5 comments

Frodo's Half Term...

ARGHGHGGGGGGGGHGHGHGHGH!
posted by Kim Knox at 2:01 pm 1 comments

19 February 2006

Hack Slay Fest continued...

The hack slay fest is done. And the following 17 pages aren't as bad as the first 10. *grin* I think I need to go back over the first bit again and take out even more.

Then I have to change it for the target publisher and write the end.

Hack Slaying is so much easier *sigh*
posted by Kim Knox at 3:52 pm 2 comments

18 February 2006

Hack Slay Fest

Taking a break from Heiress, I attacked 10 pages of 7%.... and took out almost 1000 words LOL I'd info dumped all over the place. And it sagged. God, my writing's improved over the last year!
posted by Kim Knox at 11:31 pm 0 comments

Unusual subject matter

Heiress has taken a odd turn. Well, what was vaguely implied has just jumped to the foreground and is ready to slap you about the face with a big wet fish. *grin*

Whether it will fit the target line, I don't know. But it has to be there.

Ho hum.
posted by Kim Knox at 3:53 pm 2 comments

17 February 2006

7% and Rising

Just read through this novella. Yup. Major rewrite, LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 12:56 pm 4 comments

Buying Mackenzie's Baby

...now has its own link... here

And I'm not the bottom of the page any more. Yay
posted by Kim Knox at 10:10 am 5 comments

Contracts

Printing out the contract for Nimue's Price and tomorrow morning.. well, this morning... it will be in the post.

Posted the first extract in the Samhain Cafe Yahoo Group... hmm... now having doubts about whether I could have put up a different piece. It's hard because Nimue's Price is only a novella. I only have 16000 words to play with. Well less than that. Extracts are usually from the first half of the story, I think.

It is about Sex and WMDs - but it's hard to illustrate that without giving the whole story away, LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 12:34 am 11 comments

16 February 2006

The next novella: 7%

Getting Nimue finished and subbed and accepted *still grinning*, has pushed me into finally finishing 7% - an extreme time travel novella. I'm almost at 13000 - and have been for a while now, LOL

It needs a bit of reworking, the ending - which will change slightly - and that's about it.

It's the distraction I need from writing Heiress, LOL

Just saw the date. Samwise is 22 months old today *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 10:34 am 2 comments

15 February 2006

Abacus Dreams

Teebee made a sale yesterday. Abacus Dreams made her her first 80c on Lulu.

Make Teebee some more money, go download it. It is a really cool story.

Plus you learn how to play the Elephant Game. *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 2:11 pm 3 comments

Picking Excerpts

I've written about 100 words on Heiress, mainly because I've been trying to collate intriguing excerpts to post about the web. I still haven't chosen them all for Buying Mackenzie's Baby yet.

It's hard! LOL
Erm... not that they're aren't intriguing... They are. Mack's Alpha all the way. And the sex...
All right. I'll shut up now.

Anyway, on a good note, a friend got a revision request not a rejection *grin* She is so close to selling. Fingers crossed for you, AF.

And I'm going to be in an e-cookbook.

I know. You're thinking. Kim... Cooking?? Someone's let her near food?
But a huge, massive and heartfelt thank you to Jennie Andrus for sorting out my recipe, LOL She's single handedly putting the thing together. By Friday!
Her non-cook book, Dragon's Birth, is out on 28 February... here

Buy it
posted by Kim Knox at 11:59 am 4 comments

14 February 2006

Valentine's Day

The Ent got me two presents today *grin*

The first - The new Pride and Prejudice film... mainly so I can rant about how he is so not Mr Darcy, LOL

The second - I found out about when I came down stairs this morning to get Samwise his bottle of milk.

The Ent, caught in the doorway to the kitchen with matches, candles and a birthday cake.

There has been much bemoaning in the Shire about how I didn't get a birthday cake because The Ent was too busy arranging to get Grandma Saruman's piano.

So now I have one. Cool.

Off to sort out dull tax stuff.

Then I might trawl for images for Merlin. Hard job. But someone has to do it.

But first. Tax
posted by Kim Knox at 10:13 am 0 comments

13 February 2006

It was a Delmonte moment...

The people at Samhain... they say YES

Samhain Publishing have offered me a contract for Nimue's Price - which may need a new title, LOL.

Still bouncing... and while doing that trying to think of an image for the art cover form... which is difficult to do when your bouncing, as you can imagine.

Now I just need Orbit to say:
See the rest of Exploding... nah. We'll buy it now. How many zeroes would you like on your cheque?
posted by Kim Knox at 11:53 pm 0 comments

12 February 2006

Heiress needs an outline

Yes, I'm giving into the fact that I need to outline more of this wip. I have a plan where it's going. But now I need a micro plan to get there.

Off to work that out.

Oh, and I've sent the first 1000 words of Merlin for my course tomorrow. Now that really should be fun *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 6:54 pm 0 comments

11 February 2006

Rename a Wip today

Renaming my wip worked. *grin* I've written about 1500 words in 2 days - not a lot normally, but more than I've written on Heiress (hehe) since before Christmas. Yay

And I've just watched Divide and Conquer...
I love that episode.
posted by Kim Knox at 12:06 pm 0 comments

10 February 2006

I couldn't resist any longer...



Okay I couldn't stop myself.

This is the cover *grin*

And, yes those are my legs, LOL

posted by Kim Knox at 12:29 pm 10 comments

09 February 2006

OMG I've got an ISBN

Buying Mackenzie's Baby is on the Coming Soon page of Samhain Publishing.

And it has my ISBN. I've never had an ISBN before... always wanted one.

This is sooo cool.

Can you tell I'm excited? A cover for one book and an ISBN for another.
Today has been a good day.
posted by Kim Knox at 11:53 pm 3 comments

A little renaming ceremony

To get the current wip moving Impworks suggested that I rename it.

So from henceforth and with due ceremony, Reluctant is now known as Heiress. I've just written about 500 words, so there must be something in it. Thanks, Mark *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 10:55 pm 0 comments

Book Cover

The Ent phoned me this morning to point out that my book cover for The Billionaire's Seduction was in my inbox.

It's cool, LOL

I just waiting to find out whether this is the finished article or not.

But it should be appearing here soon... *big cheesy grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 9:28 am 2 comments

08 February 2006

Reluctant

I've written 60 new words on Reluctant. I can tell you're impressed.

My head is splitting... I move away from the laptop, the headache eases. I come back, sit down and look at the open Word document and pain flares. I think I have a phobia developing LOL

But I've realised I can move past the scene that was stalling me with the old classic.
All together now:

*Insert sex scene here*

Works every time *grin*

I also have to think about a new fantasy novella 10k to 40k for a new epub someone told me about.

But that's not right now.

Now is paracetamol, convince Samwise that he does need to sleep and crack on with Reluctant. I might even get another 60 words out before I have to go and pick Frodo up from school. Two and a half hours.

Could be pushing it a bit there...
posted by Kim Knox at 12:21 pm 1 comments

07 February 2006

Another interesting fact...

I learned something I didn't know today in my Weapons and Warfare class.

Ancient greeks fought in the nude.
Mainly to stop wounds being infected by their clothes.

Nobody told this to the people making Troy. Or Alexander...
Erm... Colin Farrell?
...actually clothes are just fine. Infact... Essential.
posted by Kim Knox at 10:27 pm 0 comments

Out

Merlin... Nimue... whatever the current title is... is out. It's been hacked. It's been slayed. And I attached it and clicked the send button. A bit rash... but it had to go! LOL

I'm now in a state of extreme EEP.
posted by Kim Knox at 4:33 pm 0 comments

06 February 2006

Post Story Twinges

It seems to be a regular thing now - finish a story and my body goes into rebellion.

Something bizarre happened to my finger on Sunday - the bottom of my ring finger ballooned and went black with bruising. I have no idea how it happened.

Anyway, Teebee has given me some things to think about (thanks, Teebee :-) ) and I'll try and sort them tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm going to inflict Oren's Blade on my course tonight. They'll be wishing they never signed up. *grin*
posted by Kim Knox at 5:12 pm 6 comments

05 February 2006

Done

Merlin is finished... and even has a new title Nimue's Price. It is, after all, more of her story than Merlin's.

Now I have to focus on Reluctant.

Eep
posted by Kim Knox at 3:03 pm 6 comments

04 February 2006

Yip Yip Yip

I got out of writing a sex scene. Hurrah. Thank you, Merlin! And now to do some jiggery pokery with lead and a quick mention of Nimue's sisters and I'm done. Double Hurrah!
posted by Kim Knox at 11:04 pm 0 comments

Sex scenes

Turns, out in the home stretch, that I have to write another sex scene. Argh! That one jumped out of nowhere.

I've just completed the original one. Now I have to write another one. For the great outdoors.

Clothes on, I think, LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 10:13 pm 0 comments

Home Stretch

Merlin's at 14500 and I'm on the home stretch. Big relief. Huge. Massive.

I just have to be careful that it does end, because I can envision strands that would drag it on and on. Going to Arthur's camp... Going back to Camelot... But that's not going to happen. They've sorted their last problem, are in the middle of a fight and then Merlin... well... not giving away the ending. *grin*

I saw The Bourne Identity last week and realised that Merlin is the Professor - Clive Owen. Without the glasses and maybe without the high powered rifle...

Anyway have to start writing. The Ent has taken the Hobbits to the shops. And I've just finished putting away 12 tonnes of washing and stuffing the 3 tonnes of dirty washing into the machine. I probably have about 2 minutes. Max.
posted by Kim Knox at 1:07 pm 0 comments

03 February 2006

Mack


This is part of the image that I sent as cover... inspiration... for Buying Mackenzie's Baby, Stephen Dorff being Mack.

I think it's just his jacket, now LOL
posted by Kim Knox at 4:24 pm 0 comments

02 February 2006

Interesting fact...

Did I mention that Merlin's Price has a WMD?
posted by Kim Knox at 2:26 pm 2 comments

At least I got something written

I'm just a few words short of 14000 on Merlin. I think it's about1500 to go. So another 2k to write (mustn't forget to write the sex scene in, after all)

I just joined two more Yahoo groups. I swear, they're breeding... but I'm only in about 15 - which, apparently, is nothing. A 'proper' author should be in about 100/200+, LOL. I seriously don't know where others find the time. *grin*

I go through the posts on the web now. It makes reading them easier. Emails? No way. Eek! And I'm caught up after about half an hour.

Oh, btw my Yahoo Group is shared by a bunch of us. It's Author Box.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/authorbox/
Must put that in my links.

Off to check my email again - I know the cover won't be there, but I can dream - and then maybe write something... Maybe.
posted by Kim Knox at 1:12 pm 0 comments

01 February 2006

Another dish rag day

Another day wiped off the map.

It's only 7pm and I'm completely knackered again. At this rate Merlin is never going to be finished and I'm not even thinking about Reluctant!

I webbed about for info on guidance systems for solid fuel missiles - see, I said it wasn't the normal Arthurian tale - and have a fair idea how this scene is going to end. I just have to write the bloody thing. I want it over by the weekend. Mainly because I have to start decorating Samwise's room and I need to write a bit of Alchemy for my Monday course.

And it's February. Already.
Bugger.
posted by Kim Knox at 7:19 pm 0 comments