I’ve been real proud of myself this year as I successfully kept to Susan Mallery’s writing schedule. I started January 1 and I’m going to trail off it on April 30 (actually, I already have).

I really hate giving up the four books a year I probably could have written if I’d stayed true, but I know in my heart that each of those books would have only been first drafts (not that there’s anything wrong with that).  But what I’m finding is that I don’t do well working on four to six projects at one time (you didn’t read that here, prospective employers).

I’ve got a good first draft of  TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS and I want to see it through. I have a chapter and a half of  the sequel to THE COWBOY’S BABY and I have the idea in my head for the second in the  TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS series. But I want to finish the first one first.

I’m also drumming up entries for SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US  http://clarklibraryfriends.com , judging a regional RWA writing contest,  and preparing my last short story THE RETURN OF TRUEPENNY for publication. Then there is marketing and promoting my two novels ARROYO and THE COWBOY’S BABY. If I can get another two good books written and published this year, that’s good enough for me. At least this time. Next year I’ll give Susan Mallery’s schedule another try.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and Midshipman’s Hope by David Feintuch.

VOTE ON YOUR FAVORITE COVER! Leave a comment at this site.

My books and stories can be seen at 

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

ALL PHOTOS BY ROXANNE RIX

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK– Moonlight Rises by Vincent Zandri.

You can find all my books and short stories at 

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

This week’s book review is of RIVER BOTTOM BLUES by Ricky Bush.

You know when someone like me who doesn’t like either jazz or the blues really enjoys a blues-centric mystery novel, that writer has to be really cooking on all burners.

Here’s RIVER BOTTOM BLUES for you from Texas author Ricky Bush. I loved it. It’s involving and fascinating from beginning to end, full of bluesy jazz and totally rife with blues history. 

Legend has it the devil has been killing blues harmonica players since the early sixties. No one investigates because no one much cares except for the families, and no one believes a string of murders stretching from the sixties into 2009 could possibly be related. It takes a nearly retired former journalist and blues musician investigating the death of his friend Bobby T to break the case wide open.

RIVER BOTTOM BLUES takes you down, raises you up, and spins a hell of a tale full of the blues. You’re going to enjoy it.

http://amzn.com/B007BNZKN6

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK—Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.

The SCARE THE DICKENS OUT OF US ghost story contest and fundraiser (for the Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas) has just received its first entry for 2012.

No matter that the time span for the contest is July 1 – October 1. While we will disqualify for a late entry, early birds are welcome. As coordinating  judge, I’ve logged the entry and sent the “we got your entry” email. Right now I’m busy trying to interest Texas public libraries in putting up information about Scare The Dickens etc. Our efforts to reach colleges and universities across the country seem mostly to have failed.

Plenty of time left to write a great ghost story for the possibility of a $1000.00 prize. There are also $500.00 and $250.00 prizes as well. Go to http://clarklibraryfriends.com for full information and entry forms.

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My new novel TALKING To The DEAD GUYS has reached the revision and editing stage.

I’m what they call a “pantster” as a novel writer. I write first and then fix second. I have just finished outlining the novel (which is ass backwards of what logic dictates). Now I have a clear idea where every character is and what they are doing step by step. The next part of the revision stage is to read the novel as a “reader” from first to end without stopping to correct or to even make notes. This will give me a clear idea of what someone other than a writer gets out of it.

Obviously I had to read it chapter by chapter to make an outline. Making the outline was ao damned boring, I’m glad it’s over. And given what I felt this morning in starting the read-through of TTTDG, outlining also gave me a slightly distorted view of the quality of my work. From the outline reading I wasn’t too happy with my first draft. From the “reader” reading, I’m much happier. I see problems, but they’ll be easy to fix. 

Link to my published work —

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK– Sixteen Brides by Stephanie Grace Whitson. Man Plus by Frederik Pohl. River Bottom Blues by Ricky Bush.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

THE CALINE CONSPIRACY by M.H. Mead.

Behind the cutest, most coveted bio-engineered pet in the world lies a secret.

Is it the brutal murder that opens this story? Or is it something entirely different and equally distasteful?

When his own pet tears out his throat, killing geneticist Ivan Frithke, it sends shock waves through the engineered-pet industry and places a death sentence on the loving caline Madeline that her co-owner refuses to accept. She hires PI Aidra Scott to prove the caline’s innocense and Aidra hires Morris the hacker to help.

M.H. Mead’s earlier novel FATE’S MIRROR features these same two characters. THE CALINE CONSPIRACY is a prequel, with most of the action resting on Aidra’s shoulders this time.

Emotionally captivating and with engaging characters (including the caline Madeline, who most resembles a dog), fast-paced and well written, this science fiction-cum-murder mystery works.

If you liked FATE’S MIRROR you will like THE CALINE CONSPIRACY. If you’ve never read FATE’S MIRROR  you’ll like THE CALINE CONSPIRACY.

http://amzn.com/B007LNNHMW .

http://www.yangandcampion.com

Thank you Central Texas Oil Patch Museum, Friends of the J.B. Nickells Memorial Library of Luling, and  Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Parsons for the MEET THE AUTHOR event Saturday, March 24.  More than fourteen authors participated in this friendly, fun and successful book signing.

Sitting next to co-authors Peggy Engledow and Victoria Daywood, I traded my information about Kindle publishing and Createspace for their stories about running the genealogy research in the area.  They sold copies of their compilation BAD BOYS OF CALDWELL COUNTY. Rose Chase Smith brought in delicious cupcakes to compliment her inspirational book NOTHING LIKE ME. Roger M. Olien sat at the table next to us with  ten to fifteen of the many books he’s written. And across from us historians Al Pickett, Donaly Brice, and Cliff Caldwell attracted their fans to the room.

Children’s book writer Candice Wiester showed off the very cute mouse cover to JEFFREY, THE HERO OF MORRISTON MEADOWS.  Chuck Parsons and his book LIFE OF CAL POLK were somewhere behind us, as were ladies selling cookbooks.

The residents of Luling were hospitable, friendly, and looking to buy our books.

My sister Roxanne gave out special THE COWBOY’S BABY and ARROYO decorated cookies to encourage sales. Lots of people left exclaiming about the toilet paper design of the biggest cookie 2Tarts of New Braunfels invented for us. ARROYO’s cookie was a flying saucer. You can see the original in the top left corner of the book cover if you pay attention.

Okay. This is what the best of the book signings are like. New people to meet. People with money looking to buy what they see. An interesting venue. The worst book signing experiences usually come inside bookstores where you’re set up in the front of the store and everyone ignores you. I hope we get invited back next year.

(Can you tell I used to write newspaper stories for small-town papers? The women’s section, no less. Weddings.)

See my books and stories at 

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–The Last King of Texas by Rick Riordan.  The Caline Conspiracy by M.H. Mead.

We’ve added Patrick Kampman and his novels to our Rix Cafe Texican appetizers at http://rixcafetexican.com . Take a look.

With one hand I’m printing up flyers for our Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest/fundraiser to take to this weekend’s book signing at the Central Texas Oil Patch Museum in Luling, Texas.

And with the other hand I’m retyping my short story “The Return of Truepenny” into a Word document. 

Then with the other hand I’m revising my new novel TALKING To The DEAD GUYS. 

While with the other I’m composing this blog.

I must be one of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ green Martians with four hands, right out of A Princess of Mars (or John Carter, as the movie is called). But no, I’m just a moderately busy writer.

I’ve just started the revising part of my job by going back and typing out an outline for Talking to the Dead Guys. I know, that sounds backwards. Outlines are supposed to come first. But that’s what I’m doing. Already I see that my transitions need a lot of work in the first two chapters. Thankfully, though, the next several chapters flow much better.

 It will be interesting to see if I can do all the revisions and editing in the three weeks allotted to it by the Susan Mallery schedule I’m following. There is no law that says I have to keep to this schedule, but I’m curious if it will work 100 percent  for me.

Saturday, March 24, I’ll be joining writers Roger M. Olien, Al Pickett, Donaly E. Brice, Cliff R. Caldwell, Peggy Engledow and Victoria Daywood, Candice M. Wiester, Debra Winegarten, Rose Chase Smith, and Chuck Parsons in a Meet the Author event at the Central Texas Oil Patch Museum in Luling, Texas. We’ll be there from 11 am to 3 pm. I’ll be there with Arroyo and The Cowboy’s Baby, and also lots of delicious cookies from 2Tarts in New Braunfels that they shaped like bathroom paper rolls (TCB) and flying saucers (A) for us.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz. Passage by Connie Willis.

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

First of all, thank you everyone who took advantage of my short story give-away Saturday, March 10. All four of my stories were free for Kindle e-readers. I was pleased at the number of people who participated, and especially proud to have attracted some attention from Germany at last. Comments welcome.  Nothing’s free anymore, but you can find them all at 

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

I’m trying something new.

Best-selling romance author Susan Mallery came through Texas last year and gave a program to Austin’s Romance Writers of America chapter about how she writes. Since I already had a writing habit that worked for me, I put off  looking at what she gave us  until I’d finished my last book Arroyo and was ready to begin the next, Talking to the Dead Guys, a  Boo-Done-It  mystery.

What has always worked for me in the past was a time limit: usually one hour a day. Susan Mallery’s program calls for a page limit each day, no matter how long it takes you. On January 1, 2012 I began her program and today I just finished writing a novel. If I keep to her program I should be able to write three more this year. Right now I’m loving it. Of course, next week some time I’ll re-read Talking to the Dead Guys, and if I find I’ve written crap I won’t be quite so happy about it, but I don’t think I’ve written crap.

What am I trying to tell you? Mix it up. Get out of your comfort zone and give someone else’s method a try. It will be real interesting to see if I follow through and actually write four publishable books in 2012. I’ll let you know. What happened with me was that I now spend a lot more time writing that I ever had since leaving the journalism field way, way back. From about one hour a day I’ve gone to three hours a day (but that’s when the writing goes slow; when it flows, it’s closer to two hours).

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–Hunted (The Flash Gold Chronicles) by Lindsay Buroker. Here is Lindsay’s link

http://amazon.com/Lindsay-Buroker/e/B004FSRHUE/ref

Thank you, everyone who took advantage of my free story give-away Saturday March 3.  This time it was my novelette THE TAKING OF RHINOCEROS 456.  Next time I think I’ll throw all three stories into the mix while I’m publishing the fourth, which is SAINTS & SINNERS.

So, keep your eyes peeled for another freebie on WHEN GYMKHANA SMILES, TRUEPENNY, AND THE TAKING OF RHINOCEROS 456. This upcoming Saturday, in fact, MARCH  10.

https://www.amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK–Dark Horse by J. Carson Black.

CHANCE IN HELL

Great title. This YA novel by Patrick Kampman is exciting, funny, action-packed, sexy, well-written and charming.  All these adjectives, and for a vampire hunter book meant for teenagers.  It is a great read for anyone who’s not put off by vampires.

Chance falls into vampire killing honestly when his girlfriend is murdered by the animal-like vampire attacking students on campus. He soon joins a vampire-hunting team working in Central Texas to eradicate the monsters, ending up in California for a related job after catastrophe strikes and he is the only survivor.  And there he meets the real vampires.  And werewolves.  And witches.  And fairies.  And they are cute and sexy and they like him, and protect him.  All of a sudden Chance wonders what the hell he’s been doing killing them.

Humor-infused, full of action and with likable, believable characters, Chance In Hell deserves a spot in everyone’s vampire collection. Chance In Hell by Patrick Kampman. Find it as a Kindle book on Amazon.com

http://amzn.com/B0050UQ9BE 

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–Blood Storm by Deb Sanders.  Chance In Hell by Patrick Kampman.  Watch Me Die by Lee Goldberg.

All photos by Roxanne Rix