Thursday, September 17, 2009

I'm Off To Con Those Killers



Today is the beginning of KillerCon. I'm pretty excited. I'm also lucky because I don't have to worry about the logistics of flying, booking a room, etc because baby? I'm already here!

The downside of living in Vegas is that everybody else will be starry eyed and foaming at the mouth, and I have to remain realistic. While they tour the sights/get drunk/visit strip clubs/hope that what happens in Vegas really stays in Vegas, I'll be picking up the dry cleaning and tucking my children into bed. But at least I can eat a home cooked meal while they live on swizzle sticks and breath mints. Rock on! :)

Am I excited? I'm excited. Really, really excited.

It occurred to me that I am enjoying this entire process. Love the writing. Learning to tolerate the editing. Queries and synopsises were hard for me to wrap my head around, but I'm getting better at them. I like hearing back from agents. I don't even mind very much when they reject me. I like it quite a bit when they have something nice to say.

Writing has never been about being "The Next Big Thing!!" for me. It's about creating worlds and characters. I love it when somebody says that they identify or like something that I wrote. I even like it when somebody passionately hates it, and proceeds to tell me why. Stirring up emotion with nothing other than printed words? Is just awesome.

When KillerCon ends and the world slows down, I have an official call that I'd like to make. It has to do with authors (that would be you), public perceptions, and mystery. I must admit there might be a little ANTM thrown in there as well, but hopefully I can be forgiven for that. So put your artistic feather boas on, my fellow writers, because I'd like to ask for your participation when I return. I hope it'll be fun for you.

KillerCon!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009



I had a twitter fiction go up on Nanoism. Not only does the editor have personality, but the clean, sparse look of the site really appeals to me. Cleanliness is elegance. It makes me want to put on a white dress and throw paint on the walls.

You can see my story here.

OH!!!! And I just thought, "Yay, it's Wednesday!" Now that Jameson T. Caine graciously informed me that America's Next Top Model is on, Wednesday now has a place in my life. And with ANTM Night also comes...WIP Wednesday!

The Illiterati assembled last night in the realms of the Netherworld. Wombat with Guitar asked me what I was currently working on. I thought for a long time....nothing. Not a darn thing. I'm editing, I'm adding a line to stories here and there, but no pressing WIP at the moment. It feels unholy.

But the real work has been on overhauling my first novel. I had planned to get the whole thing to the Illiterati, but nooooo. Life has been consistently getting in the way. KillerCon starts tomorrow (KillerCon, KillerCon, hooray hooray!) and it lasts for four days. I'm giving myself a week from Tuesday for edits, and then they'll read it as a group and sacrifice it to the Gods of Language.

I did have the Illiterati shred my prologue and first chapter. Wombat with Guitar came up with a great plan to de-prologue the prologue. Wombat with Beautiful Eyelashes made me feel confident about the story's draw. I couldn't be happier.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Why Hello. Prepare For An Invasion.

Dear New Blogspot Blog,

I am Mercedes. I am your author. I have been lurking over at Wordpress where I have fun doodads and gadgets and things that are beyond my comprehension. I'm a writer, not a computer wizard. Starting next week, I am going to begin the process of moving over to Blogspot. Why? 'Cuz I wanna. I think it will be easier for everybody, and I'm all about making things as smooth as possible. I'll still keep my Wordpress blog. I'm telling you that up front, Blogspot, because I don't want you to think that you're my one and only. Honesty is best in all relationships, is it not?

So until then.

-Mercedes