A Year of Writing Influences

Writing influences this year?

1. A dream
2. An editor
3. My CPs

Oh. You wanted more than that? Well, then. Grab your festive, seasonal beverage of choice, a fist full of holiday cookies (with frosting!) or candy and have a seat.


The Dream: Not gonna make you read through a retelling of a dream that only matters to me. Suffice it to say, there was a dream. It was one of those half dream/half nightmare affairs where someone or something else has control of you. Your protests and determination make no difference whatsoever. One line from the dream stands out because it made it verbatim into an Urban Fantasy called Nightmare Ink, which is due out in April from Intermix. The line was: "You are a work of art. Don't make me destroy you."

An editor: So, it may not have escaped your notice that I had been writing science fiction romance. And now I'm not. (Well. I am but we'll talk about that later. As in second quarter of 2014 later.) I adore my editor. She is spectacular at what she does - identifying issues and communicating those clearly. I never have any doubt how to fix something after she's sent me her notes. She's that clear. Well, when she asked me if I had any urban fantasy kicking around that she could take to the Intermix line, of course I said yes. I got to keep working with her!

My Critique Partners: I have multiple critique groups. Okay. Two. Those two groups encompass a wide array of writers. Every one of them liked the Nightmare Ink concept and worked with me in a lovely way whenever I struggled with feeling like I might be in over my head, which was often. I had a steady stream of encouragement, ideas, and suggestions. Emergency reads in the eleventh hour before I handed it off to my editor may also have happened. Then the cycle began again because the second book in that series is due just about any day now. Because *this* time around, I am doing my darnedest to give my excellent CPs plenty of time to work their red pencil magic before I have to hand it over to my editor.

How's that? Did I time my post to coincide with your need for a refill on that drink of yours? I hope so. And I hope you and your family and friends all have a tremendous holiday, and a happy new year filled with everything good.

Three Profound Impacts on My Writing in 2013

This week's topic is really quite interesting to contemplate. We ask each other, what are the Top Three Influences on Your Writing in 2013?

I have to say I'm answering this question differently this year than I might have in the past. My top three?

1) My CPs

I am blessed to be a part of an amazing group of writers who have been absolutely crucial to me this last year. Many thanks to Carolyn Crane, Marcella Burnard and Laura Bickle. Without their feedback, brainstorming and explaining my stories to me, I would have been lost. We meet weekly via Instant Messenger and maintain an accountability worksheet. Laura has had to back off to focus on her own work, but I cannot ignore the very important role she played in the books I wrote this year. I miss her greatly.

Also pinch hitting with answers, advice and last-minute reads were sister Word Whores Allison Pang and Kristine Krantz. Always there when I need them!

2) Reader Feedback

This was the year that I really started hearing from readers. From the blow-by-blow tweeted reactions to my books to long, detailed emails giving me their responses, these amazing people greatly influenced how I see my stories. Some very special ones: Carien Ubink - who also beta read for me twice when I needed it most - E and Has from The Bookpushers, who've been amazing with their insights into my stories, and Amy Remus from So Many Reads, who always asks interesting questions.

3) My agent

I signed with Pam in August 2012, so her influence started that fall. Still, my work in 2013 is largely in response to her. I wrote Master of the Opera (coming out January 2, eep!) at her suggestion. My Twelve Kingdoms trilogy will release starting this summer, because she sold it. While she has never directly edited my writing, her enthusiasm for my work and savvy guidance has had a profound impact on me. Much love going out to her.

I'll be interested to hear what my bordello mates say. Cheers all!

Jeffe's Top Five - er, Twenty - Books Read in 2013

Tis the season and yesterday I attended my local chapter's holiday party for a lovely afternoon with some of my writing besties. Here I am with Katie Lane and Darynda Jones, who are participating in my blog countdown to Christmas, the Twelve Days of Gifts. Today, former Word Whore Carolyn Crane is playing, so be sure to stop by for a chance to win her giveaway and be entered for the super cool Grand Prize. They're all helping me celebrate the release of Five Golden Rings, which is just lovely of them.

I'm also being interviewed at Steamy Guys today and am offering up my *amazing* sugar cookie recipe. You totally want it.

Our topic this week is one that's not easy for me - our Top 5 Books Read in 2013.

I kind of hate being forced to rank stuff, especially books. If I love a book, I love it. I don't like to elevate one above another. However, my task is a bit easier this year because I kept a list of the books I read. My goal was to read at least a book a week, which might sound pretty pitiful, but it's a real effort to me - an important one - to keep reading a part of my life. Reading time is often easily crowded out, alas.

I kept two lists. A public one on Goodreads and a private one. Goodreads shows me as having read 39 books in 2013, but those are only books I ranked as three stars or higher, and does not include the witty and generous Megan Mulry's A Royal Pain, which I'm still reading, but will almost certainly be a five-star winner.

My private list has 70 books - yay, I surpassed my goal already! - but it includes books I did not like or did not finish (DNF).

Of the public list, I gave 19 of those five stars. (Two, A Rose in Winter and Dreamsnake, were re-reads, so they were already ones I knew I loved.) In no particular order that *I* can discern (pasted this from Goodreads - oh! I think they're in reverse order of when I read them!), they are:

Master of Crows	Draven, Grace *
Witch Bound (Twilight of the Gods, #2)	Stone, Eleri *
Demon Crossings (Twilight of the Gods, #1)	Stone, Eleri *
The Friend Who Got Away: Twenty Women's True Life Tales of Friendships that Blew Up, Burned Out or Faded Away	Offill, Jenny
Ghost Planet	Fisher, Sharon Lynn *
Magic Rises (Kate Daniels, #6)	Andrews, Ilona *
Too Good to Be True	Higgins, Kristan *
Aftermath (Sirantha Jax, #5)	Aguirre, Ann *
Killbox (Sirantha Jax, #4)	Aguirre, Ann *
Doubleblind (Sirantha Jax, #3)	Aguirre, Ann *
Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, #1)	Aguirre, Ann *
Garden Spells	Allen, Sarah Addison *
Fire & Frost (Iron Seas, #3.4; Code of Shadows, #0.5; Midnight Liaisons #2.3)	Brook, Meljean *
Dreamsnake	McIntyre, Vonda N.
A Rose in Winter	Woodiwiss, Kathleen E.
Hearts of Darkness (Deadglass, #1)	Brady, Kira *
Calculated in Death (In Death, #36)	Robb, J.D.
Riveted (Iron Seas, #3)	Brook, Meljean *
Song of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus, #1)	Creasy, Sara *

and

A Royal Pain (Unruly Royals, #1)

Mulry, Megan *

I refuse to narrow them down from there - loved 'em all!