October 1, 2010 is an Important Date

October 1, 2010 is an important date I have looked forward to for months--the official launch date of Muse It Up Publishing. Let me tell you that Lea Schizas and the gang certainly knows how to throw a party. Check out this new, fresh publisher.

Next date I am counting down to is March 1, 2011 when my mystery/horror ebook, Sunshine Boulevard, will be available. More information on this light, horror story will be coming soon.

Muse It Up Publishing Readers Group--Join Now

It's time to get in on the active Muse It Up Publishing Readers Group where readers mingle with authors, ask questions, discuss books and writing. The site will host upcoming events, excerpts, reviews, and tons of goodies throughout the year.

Exciting times at Muse It Up Publishing--flinging open their doors to new reads, free reads, entertaining books and e-books, prizes. Check out the October Masquerade Festival and be ready for a spooky good time.

Happy Fall Season

Happy Fall--believe it or not the Fall season officially begins tonight at 11:00 pm. It's a beautiful time of the year in Michigan with all the colorful foliage, crisp apples, apple cider, donuts. 
Our family took our annual apple farm tour last Sunday afternoon. It turned out to be a gorgeous day for visiting four, yep four, farms. The grandkids ages 18 months- 10 years old enjoyed petting the animals...never saw so many goats in my life...kitties, ducks, rabbits. There are wagon rides, corn mazes, and orchard tours too. For a list of farms to visit in west michigan go to Inside West Michigan.

Now with school starting (and back to home-schooling) and more of a routine, people can settle into reading and writing. A fall afternoon indoors looking out at the pretty foliage and nestled in your favorite reading chair is a welcome retreat after a busy summer of picnics, get-togethers and trips. Time for yourself, time to relax.
Enjoy! Happy Fall!

Writers Groups

I love my writers group. We get together at our library every three weeks. Our leader set up a loop so we can email our submissions to everyone (mailings to those with no email). We usually have 2 or 3 writers submit their work for discussion. This is a time for helpful comments on the writing, not a time to knock down a writer. If a member sees something that could be fixed, she will point it out to the writer, then suggest ways to make it better. The writer has the choice of incorporating the suggestion in the story or not.

I think one of the best rules is knocking when someone agrees with the critiquer especially on an excellent writing section. It is so funny when we are all knocking our knuckles on the table in agreement.

There are so many personalities in a writers group. It makes for a lively discussion and lots of fun. Just remember if you are being critiqued, take it with a grain of salt. You have the final say in how you want to present your story.

Halloween Masquerade Festival

Punpkins are turning orange, air is crisp, apples are ripening. Tis getting that Halloween feeling. October is the big kick off month for my publisher, Muse It Up Publishing. And are they opening with a bang! or Woooooooooooo....(that's a ghost sound in case you are wondering...LOL)

Check out the fun at the Halloween Masquerade Festival with free stories and e-books.

The Editing Begins

Oh, yeah.  My sparkling and perfect manuscript (ms) is revealing some flaws. Unbelievable!! My editor at Muse It Up Publishing, Karen McGrath, sent me a sheet full of words that need to be weeded out to avoid passive voice. Some of the 24 words she doesn't want to see unless really really necessary are that, had, but, and, then, about, was as, very, were, has been, will be, around, just, could.

I smugly popped on the Edit tag in Word 2003 and scrolled to Find. Knowing that I would not be using just in my ms, I clicked on Find just. Lo and behold, there was a ton of them! Just imagine. I guess I just didn't realize how much I unconsciously slipped it in. Just how crazy is that!

I am wading through this arduous task. I must admit it is an eye opening experience, and I feel that I am improving my ms with this.

I am afraid to go to Find and..........

You're Invited

You're invited to join me as I journey through the new and changing publishing industry. My first e-book, Sunshine Boulevard, is a mystery, horror novella.  I am a freelance writer with articles featured in magazines and newspapers and online ezines. Fiction writing is new for me in this writing career. (I am not counting all the stories I began writing in second grade.) I was thrilled when I learned Lea Schizas, publisher at Muse It Up Publishing, emailed me telling me their board loved this lighthearted, fun read.

Not only am I new to publishing novels, but also to this new world of e-books. I am facing a big learning curve as my first book is a fictional, e-book. I am looking forward to the learning opportunities ahead of me.

Please come with me to experience this new adventure. I might need you to hold my hand.....