So, book #4 of my popular B*E*A*S*T* series is coming right along.  I started it on the 24th, and already, I’m on page 56.  Woohoo!  I’m hoping the muse continues to move on this one.  My goal in length is between 300 and 320 pages.  Writing Mac and Robyn’s story is a lot of fun with the tension and heartache I’m putting them through.

This book, however, will be a change of pace from the other books in the BEAST series.  You see, the first three had a “formula” if you will.  The plot for book 4 kind of throws that formula out the window.  It should still kick some ass as a book all on it’s own, but if you buy it expecting same ol’ same ol’, you’ll be disappointed.

Not that it won’t be worthy of the series, but just be prepared if it’s not quite what you’re expecting. 

No word yet on any of my submissions to HQ, the agent, Cobblestone or Champagne.  Goodness, right now, I’ve got five stories up for consideration!  THE FALL OF JERICHO, RENEGADE, HEAVEN SENT, BLACK ANGEL & ITS NOT LUCK. Wow.  That’sa lotta books.  Good news, though.  Just like with my previous BEAST books which promo-ed the first chapter of the next book in the series, we’ll be doing something with the first chapter of MARK OF THE B*E*A*S*T* as well.  Don’t know what yet, but it’ll be revealed closer to the book’s actual release date, whenever that will be.  I’m sure it will be determined once I’m finished with the book.

Anyhow, just wanted to let you know how well the book is coming along.  If I continue writing it this fast, it should be done by the end of October!  Keep your fingers crossed.  I seriously want to get this one out the door.  I have a lot of great ideas to throw at Mac and Robyn.  I hope they’ll be as awesome as I envision them to be.    Time will tell, I guess.

~~Becka

Yup, more news, although not as fabulous as the previous news.  Or perhaps it is…

So, I’ve decided to send BLACK ANGEL to Champagne Books.  I sat on it for awhile, debating whether or not to send it to Cobblestone or Champagne.  I decided Champagne in the long run, simply because I like the story as is and don’t want to add in the erotic jargon that Cobblestone now requires.  I’m not a prude, as a couple of my books can attest to, however, when I write a story, I write it with a certain mindset, and BLACK ANGEL wasn’t “meant” to have the jargon.  Sure, it’s easy enough to add it in, but in so doing, I felt it wouldn’t be the same story I set out to write.  If and when I write any jargon, it must be from the get-go, a plan, rather than throwing them in after the fact just to sell a book.

So, fact #1 about Becka – I don’t sell out.  Or at least, I ride the fence hemming and hawing until finally deciding not to sell out.  LOL

Second bit of news my friends are gonna love – I’ve finished IT’S NOT LUCK!, my child-rearing guide.  All told, it’s only 84 pages long.  A handbook, really.  I’ve submitted it to Champagne Books as well, as they’re currently the only publisher I have that publishes non-fiction.  I also figured with such a slim volume, any New York based publisher would laugh their butts off if I submitted it there.

Why is it so skinny?  Because doing the right thing with regards to raising kids is very simple if you adhere to my advice in the book.  I don’t need to go on and on (and on) about how parents need to do XYZ.  Most of it is common sense we’ve somehow lost along the way and the rest tells you how to go about gaining back the upper hand in your household.  There are funny stories from my own experiences, advice, and pearls of wisdom. 

Now, neither story has been accepted yet, as I’ve just submitted them both today, but I’ll let you know when I hear word on either of them.  I’ve also sent the agent at the Bradford Literary Agency my partial manuscript on RENEGADE.  Yay!

Now, every single promised project is out of the way  – every single project but ONE.

What is that ONE?

Should I tell you?

Or should I keep you guessing?

This project is one I’ve been hounded about for two years.

This project is one that I get the most questions about in fan mail.

This project is going to totally switch gears for me, pulling my head out of the Old West and into the wild, wild world of shifters.

That’s right, folks.  MARK OF THE B*E*A*S*T*, my BEAST series book #4!!  Remember Mac and Robyn?  You know that you do.  Because all y’all have read my B*E*A*S*T* series, right?  And if not, GOREADTHEMRIGHTNOWDAMMIT!!! lol

For the noobs:

Book 1: THE B*E*A*S*T WITHIN

Book 2: B*E*A*S*T* OF BURDEN

Book 3: NATURE OF THE B*E*A*S*T*

Book 4: MARK OF THE B*E*A*S*T* (project forthcoming)

Now you know the title, now you know I’m working on it, now you know 2010 is the year BEAST roars back. (Assuming I can write the book fast enough to get it in the publisher’s 2010 roster. lol I’ll try my best!)  Will there be more books in my shifter universe?  Hard to say.  If I continue having good plots, I’ll continue to write the books.  But I’m not going to continue beating a dead horse if the storyline happens to end.  Therefore, I have no idea if there will be a BEAST #5 at this point.  One book at a time, eh?  The original series was meant to be a trilogy.  Well, now, it’ll be a quadrilogy (is that a word?)

I will be breaking ground on BEAST #4 tomorrow.  If you want to follow me on my progress, you can follow my updates on my Facebook fan page, as I won’t be updating my blog as often as I update my status.

Woohoo!  Are y’all excited as I am?  Good thing I re-read my own trilogy because dang, I’d forgotten some things… 

Let’s hope I don’t make that mistake in the book and get roasted for it by the fans, right?

It was a GREEN Hummer, Becka, GOSH!  lol

~~Becka

Didn’t take long for the agent to get back to me.  She wants me to send her my synopsis and the first 30 pages of RENEGADE!!!  Yay!  I was so nervous I didn’t want to open the email. LOL So I’ve printed everything out, now I need to send it on via snail mail, which I will be doing in the morning.  Woohoo!!  I don’t think she’ll get back to me as fast for the partial manuscript, but I’m hoping she’ll like it enough to request the full.

Now, she can still tell me to take a hike after she reads this partial.  Heck, even after she reads the full.  Nothing is set in stone until the “Hey, let’s talk about representation” talk.  And that hasn’t happened yet.

But it’s a step in the right direction and I’m pretty happy about it!  Woohoo!  I’m delerious!  Overusing my exclamation mark!  LOL

~~Becka!

(just to see if you were paying attention. Heh)

Just recently, I finished my historical western RENEGADE.  For those of you following me on this journey, you’ll know I’ve been working hard on this book for the past few weeks.  Personally, I believe it is THE. BEST. Western romance I’ve written.  Why?  Because it’s packed with more emotion and a deeper plot than the others.

That’s not to say I don’t LOVE my other Westerns.  But this one flowed out of me.  Despite the fast pace of the romance, the characters are thrown into a desperate situation and emotions and feelings are heightened because of it.  Both of them learn about each other and about themselves.  Both of them teach each other something, and both of them will fight tooth and nail for each other.

In fact, I love this book so dang much, I’m actually in a funk now that I’ve finished it.  My only hope is I’ll be asked to write a book about the sexy sheriff to revisit the characters.  (lol)

Okay, so here’s the thing.  I’ve been looking for an agent for awhile.  I’ve perused the ones my friends have contracted with and found one I liked at the Bradford Literary Agency.  My good friend Beth Williamson (who I’m buddies with in the Leather & Lace Anthology at Samhain) is with them, and she highly recommended them.  It was because of her glowing recommendation I decided to query them.  Now, it’s just an emailed query letter, I haven’t sent her anything other than the following blurb (see below), so she can still tell me to take a hike without reading a word of my manuscript.

Hopefully she won’t.

Because seriously, folks, I honestly feel if I can’t land an agent with THIS BOOK, then maybe I was never meant to write for New York.  It’s that good.  And I’m not just tooting my own horn.

Okay, so I am just a little bit.  But seriously.  Seriously.  I. LOVE. THIS. ONE.

While I have queried an agent, this book still has a long, harrowing road ahead of it.  If this agent decides to pass, I have a Plan B agent in the corner pocket.  If THAT agent passes, well, I’ll send it on to Samhain, as I do so LOVE that publishing house.  If THEY pass, I’ll probably question my prowess as an author (again lol) and try Champagne Books.  If THEY pass, then dammit I’ll offer it as a free read!  Somehow, in some way, shape, or form, you WILL read this book.  I don’t even care how much $$ I make off it…  It needs to be read.

I’ll keep y’all updated on what happens with the agent.  I’m hoping she’ll want to read at least the synopsis and the first three chapters.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!  I need some good juju after my Samhain rejection of BLACK ANGEL!!

Without further adieu, here is RENEGADE‘s blurb:

For the love of an outlaw, she’d risk her life to prove his innocence…

Coyote Bluff, Arizona Territory, 1874

Olivia Hughes is alone.  Ever since her husband demanded a divorce, her father, the honorable Judge Hardison Black, has disowned her for it.  Due to the hospitality of a friendly old widow, she now lives above the laundry shop and manages to support herself, despite the looks she gets from the townsfolk.  A new start is what she needs, but she won’t find one in Coyote Bluff.

Thomas Langston is an outlaw, wanted for a murder he didn’t commit.  He’s convinced Judge Black took a bribe to send him to the gallows, and he won’t rest until he learns the truth.  He kidnaps Livie to force the judge’s hand, unaware her father wants nothing more to do with her.  Now, he’s on the run with a woman in tow, and he still has no idea how to clear his name.

Livie is Thomas’s one hope of redemption, but her offer to help only has him dreaming of other things.  It doesn’t take long before their mutual attraction turns into an all-consuming passion.  But when Thomas gets caught, the situation turns desperate, and he finds himself at the end of his rope.  Can Livie succeed in clearing his name before he’s found guilty and hanged?

The query letter I wrote to Laura Bradford was probably THE  most important query letter I’ve ever written.  If she decides to take a gander and then represent me, it would change the face of my writing career forever.  I’m seriously nervous here, folks.  But I’m so ready.  Chomping at the bit.  Wild horses couldn’t tear me away!  And I can’t think of a better genre to bust into New York with than a historical Western.  Bringing the Western romance back, one cowboy at a time.

YEEEHAAAWW!!!

~~Becka

:’(

My novella BLACK ANGEL, was rejected at Samhain Publishing.  Bummer, I know.  I had so hoped it would be one they’d like, but my editor said it had too much story to tell in too little a time frame, so basically, it didn’t work for her.  Wasn’t believable.

She didn’t ask me to revise and resubmit, so therefore, I cannot.  Samhain doesn’t allow for “uninvited” rewrites to be submitted again.  Once you’re R’d, you’re R’d.  And my editor did not ask for me to flesh it out more, even though she liked the premise of the story.

Therefore, it is time to employ Plan B.  I’m thinking I’m going to send this one on to Cobblestone Press, see if they like it.  I’d have to up the heat level a bit, but that’s not a big issue.  The story is already almost there anyhow.  In fact, I might get away with having it be “erotic” without the jargon.  Might have to shoot my editor over there an email just to make sure.

I’m bummed, no doubt about it, but, I’ve given myself a day to cry into my beer.  Now, it’s time to be professional and do another read thru, see if anything needs some help, ask myself if I want to leave it as is or try to beef up the story line to make it more believable.

See, there’s a fine line there.  What one editor doesn’t like, another will LOVE.  So perhaps I should leave it and ask about beefage if/when the time comes.  I like the story the way it is.  Sure, it’s packed with stuff, but that just means it’s never boring, right?

Okay, now I’m going to be paranoid about all those reviewers out there who will dock me a star or two for the speedy plot (meaning over the course of mere days) as it “needed to be a full novel.”  I think I’ve gotten that comment on every review for a novella I’ve written.  It’s almost a cliche these days, isn’t it?  Heh.  So, I can’t decide…  Is that a complaint about the book, OR a compliment that they liked the author’s writing so much they didn’t want to see it end so soon?

Hmm…

Good thing is, I don’t write books for the reviews.

~~Becka, who’s now fishing for a home for BLACK ANGEL.  Any takers?  Heheheh…

(Don’t want to bog down the blog for those who are regular readers, so here’s the link to the blog post with the blurb.  http://www.rebeccagoings.com/2009/08/two-new-stories-one-great-month-for-writing/ I just said bog down the blog to the blog post with the blurb.  Awesome.  “Court Jester”, anyone?)

Hey everyone.  If you follow me on Twitter or my fan page on FaceBook, you’ll know I recently had a “four day” weekend (not counting Labor Day) for writing.  DH went to Seattle recently for the PAX convention while I stayed behind with the kidlets and had myself a fun writing weekend.

What am I writing?  RENEGADE!!  This book is filled with so MUCH, that I honestly think it’s the best book I’ve written.  I’ve learned so much over the years with regards to prose, voice, POV, emotion, and showing vs telling that I’m sooo hoping it’s come across in this manuscript.

I stayed up late a couple of times, burning the midnight oil with a pot o’ coffee.  I tried hard to get 100 pages written over my four day weekend, but alas, my final page count was 89 pages and 16,000 words.  I would have loved 100 pages and 20K, but I’ll take what I can get.

Of course, you have to realize, at any given time, I had eight children, and at times, ten children in my house, including two infants.

You see, the “price” for being left behind for the PAX con, is that I was designated baby-sitter.  Not so hard, as I have a few older children who can help me with the youngers.  Throw in there the neighbor kids (who are thankfully very well behaved!) and you’ve got a daycare chock full of DRAMA!

Needless to say, the lion’s share of my writing came after bedtime, which is why I burned the midnight oil until 3am a coupla times.

However, I didn’t have three of the children (including one of the infants) for the entire weekend, only Thursday morning through Friday night.  Then they were passed on to their grandma, who took over for Sat/Sun duties.  However, the drama continued, due to the dire straights of the neighbor kids.

They’re a Mexican family, and in their father’s hometown of Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-haka), each citizen must serve a year of community service.  He did six months of that year awhile ago, and came back to the states for a time.  He has since left to serve the other six months, so they don’t have their father around.  Couple this with their mother traveling to Mexico to be by her dying grandmother’s bedside, you have a bunch of older teens watching younger kids and trying to make a little $$ to get by.  (older teens meaning adults at 17/18 years of age)

They had to work really early in the morning down in McMinville, which is about 50 minutes away from where I live, and is actually where the Spruce Goose is hangared (is that a word?) in the Space and Aviation museum.  Anyway.  They couldn’t take the two younger kids with them, and in their desperation, they asked me to watch them for an evening because they couldn’t be left alone.

These folks make AWESOME Mexican food, so keep in mind, saying yes is somewhat selfishly motivated. LOL

Anyhow, even though the kids I’d been watching for our friends had left, I was still watching the neighbor kids.  It was a rough weekend, not just because I had kids in the house, but because I just wanted to WRITE and at times could not.

DH has said many times he will make it up to me.  I’d just love some kind of vacation FROM the family.  lol  I homeschool my kids and stay home all day.  There’s never really a time I get away, unless it’s for a random movie in the afternoon with girlfriends.  Needless to say, I was indeed a tad jealous of my hubby’s kid-free weekend.

And also because he met all sorts of super-cool celebs in geeky circles.

Anyhow, I did get a good chunk of my book done, and have at least one more love scene and some wrap up to do before I can call it finished.

Anyone keeping score?  How many stories is that now?  Lessee…  It started with BLACK ANGEL.  That flowed into THE FALL OF JERICHO.  Then I finished KINDRED.  Then I wrote HEAVEN SENT.  Now, I’m almost done with RENEGADE.  Five stories in 11 weeks?  That’s a pretty good track record, even if only one of them is a full novel. 

I should be writing the blurb to RENEGADE soon.  I’ll pass it on once I do.

~~Becka