So far I’ve gotten ONE contest entry. Looks like I’ve already got a winner. But it’s not too late for you to enter!

This time it’s easy and fun. Just give me a set of prompts for a chapter of an ongoing free story…

Here’s more info on the contest

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

I’m in the San Francisco airport, on the way to Vancouver for a few days. I probably won’t be updating LJ or my blog while I’m gone, but I should have some limited internet access.

So far, enough problems have cropped up that I think nothing left to go wrong at this point. more…

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

Don’t forget to check out the current contest!

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

It was a big weekend for me. I received a contract offer on a second MS. Dreamspinner Press will be publishing my m/m novella DISGUISES in October. I got a lot of very positive responses from authors that work with them, so I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s a blurb: more…

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

This is part of the August contest!

I started a ficlet using  prompts from addisonalbright about two guys who get trapped in an elevator. It’s one of the free stories on my website.

I’ve gotten requests to continue the story, so I’m looking for people to provide prompts for future chapters … I have a handy dandy form where you can submit your prompt ideas.  I think it will be fun to use a different set of prompts for each chapter… who’s gonna play?
Just put “elevator” in the character name field so I’ll know your prompts are for this story.  Feel free to send prompts for more than one story or more than one chapter in this one.

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

I’m thrilled to announce that Torquere just offered me a contract for ANIMAL INSTINCTS, another story featuring Nate and Cory from A HEAT.SEEKING.MISSILE.

The first story got some great (5-star) reviews and I had emails from readers asking for more with these characters, and more is coming!

ANIMAL INSTINCTS started out as free-read ficlet based on prompts submitted by janalyn ! I expanded the story quite a lot from her prompts, but it takes place at the zoo. It was fun to write and I’m happy Torquere liked it.

As soon as I have information on a release date, I’ll post the information.

Stay tuned, I have another contract to announce later today….

I’ll also be posting another call for prompts for another one of my free reads.   Busy day today!

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

If you liked the first lesson post I did the other day based on what editing has taught me about writing, I’m going to be doing some more.

There is a poll set up on my LiveJournal with a list of possible topics.  Take a look and vote for which topics most interest you.  If you don’t have a LiveJournal account, you can leave an anonymous comment with a list of the topic names.  Any other comments are welcome, and encouraged.

I really can’t gauge how much interest there is since most people never leave a comment. So please let me know.

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

I got the cover art today for VENUS ENVY, which will be coming out from Cobblestone Press in September or October. I don’t have a release date yet, but I’m hoping sooner rather than later….

What do you think of the cover?

VENUS ENVY
by EM Lynley
m/m Paranormal Erotic Romance

Sancus, Roman God of Loyalty, snubs Venus’ amorous advances and she casts a curse so he’s attracted to every hot guy he sees. During a week of almost non-stop sex he meets a mortal with whom he desires a genuine relationship, but Sancus must realize it’s actually a love spell before he can win Aurelio.

Read an excerpt

Word Counts - Today: 0 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

We’ve been told this since before we could read and write, but it’s still excellent advice when you’re querying or submitting your work to an editor or publisher. This is probably more useful to new writers, but it never hurts to remind people why it’s important.

If I excluded all the subs I received where the author didn’t follow directions, I would have ended up with 10 stories instead of more than 50. I decided to not let this determine which stories I read, though it may have influenced my final decision when deciding finalists. Is that fair? Yes, and here’s why:

Bottom line here before the examples: editors can form an opinion of how easy you are going to be to work with by whether or not you can follow simple instructions and how well you can communicate. The publishing process requires a lot of communication, from contracts to editing to working with cover artists. Any time you fail to follow instructions delays the process.

Just as important: How well you pay attention to detail in submitting your story is probably a good indicator of how much attention you paid in writing it. If you don’t go and check the call details before subbing, does that mean maybe you didn’t go back and revise your story before sending? more…

Word Counts - Today: 1,055 | August: 11,272 | 2009: 158,042

I did a guest blog post at Midnight Seductions:  In Defense of “Fluff”

Please check it out.

Word Counts - Today: 1,917 | August: 10,217 | 2009: 156,987