WHAT I READ THIS WEEK—Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. Dark Angel by Mary Balogh. My Man Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse. Lord Carew’s Bride by Mary Balogh.

My second novel Arroyo is now in the hands of my Beta readers. What’s a Beta reader? It is the person or persons you trust to read your novel or short story and tell you the absolute truth. And to point out fixable problems.

One of my Betas has already read Arroyo and caught several typos, and the other two will hopefully go over it in the next couple of weeks. I have already been assured, however, that Arroyois not crap. Hooray! I really enjoyed writing the thing.

If you’re not a writer you will not understand this, but most writers think their work is crap until repeatably told otherwise. We just can’t disassociate ourselves enough from what the book is like in our own heads to see clearly what it is like on paper (or digitally). So, not crap. Hooray!

Arroyo is a paranormal western. The Cowboy’s Baby is a contemporary western romance novel. I just systematically put TCBup for re-publication this past week for the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader, for Smashwords distribution to everyone else, and just now (as I write) as a reformatted Kindle version in order to give it a new cover (and more professional formatting).

 It is certainly possible to do a good job all by yourself formatting for the Kindle. I can’t answer the same for the Nook or Smashwords because I bypassed doing it myself and hired it out (Smashwords looks very complicated). It did not cost a lot of money getting help. However, I can attest that uploading to these platforms and filling out the required information is easy. You just have to follow the instructions.

I loved our original cover for The Cowboy’s Baby. But take my advice. If you are self-publishing in any format, get a professional to create your cover. I used http://streetlightgraphics.com on the recommendation of The Emperor’s Edge author Lindsay Buroker. They have done a great job. 

I have also have put my first short story up, When Gymkhana Smiles. This story went to the Armadillocon writer’s workshop with me (where it was well received) and then was eventually accepted by Fantastic Horror (who also rated it creepy). Unfortunately, this e-zine folded before my story was published. So I have published it myself. It is a nasty sort of horror story or thriller. The professional cover is by Molly Humphrey. I uploaded it and the manuscript to Kindle by myself. Like I said, it was easy.

What next? There will be another short story as soon as I have revised it to my satisfaction. This will be a fantasy short. And by the time I have published that, Arroyo should be good to go. Next up is a series of mystery novels (Boo Done Its) featuring our dog  Boo Radley and tentatively titled Talking To the Dead Guys.

Damn, I’m doing mysteries now. By gum, I’m just all over the place. But I love all these genres–romance, horror, fantasy, mystery, so why shouldn’t I write what I love.

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK–I’ve been reading four separate books and haven’t finished any of them. Note to me, pick one and read it through.

Photos by Roxanne Rix.

Link to Smashwords  http://smashwords.com/books/view/79235

Link to Amazon.com  http://amzn.com/B005CWGIQ6.        http://amzn.com/B003UYUVZC

Link to B&N http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix

Welcome to Wordless Wednesdays. I was on vacation last week, so I’m breaking the rules. As you can see, there are words here.

When Gymkhana Smiles is my first short story up on Amazon.com. It’s pretty damned good. A thriller, or a horror story depending on your point of view. Very different from my nice, feel-good romance novel The Cowboy’s Baby which should be up on Nook by the end of the week, and then on Smashwords.

What I read last week–Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. Let’s Get Digital: How to Self-Publish, And Why You Should by David Gaughran. How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months! by John Locke. And Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath.

Georgette Heyer is always entertaining. Of the how-to books, I highly recommend the one by David Gaughran, but John Locke’s book is interesting, too. Enjoyed Whiskey Sour. Obviously I took my Kindle with me on vacation. Each and every one of these books was hard to put down.

Do you want more swashbuckling adventure in your life? Do you get enough skullduggery in your reading to satisfy the pirate in your soul? Want to save the empire? Fall in love with the bad guy?

Sure you do. And here’s the very book for you–The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker.

You won’t be able to put it down. You won’t want it to end. Sometimes wishes do come true–there’s a sequel already waiting. http://amzn.com/B004H1TDB0.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK–The Suicide Murders by Howard Engel. The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker.

AND SINCE THIS IS WEDNESDAY, I’M GOING TO COMBINE FOR A WORDLESS WEDNESDAY PHOTO, TOO. (By Roxanne Rix)

Even before my first novel The Cowboy’s Baby passed its one-year publication anniversary last week, I had begun to spread my writing time out among serveral other projects. Juggling is what it is.

My second novel Arroyo is ready for my Beta Readers and a proofreader. My horror short story When Gymkhana Smiles has come back to me from Fantastic Horror magazine which unfortunately bit the dust; I am publishing Gymkhana on Kindle as soon as I can relearn the process. I have decided to expand the opportunities for TCB and will have it up on Smashwords and the Nook before too long. There is another short story I plan to put up on Kindle, The Taking of Rhinoceros 456, but I’m not quite finished with it yet.

This Saturday I will do my first reading, at a tea given by the Citrus Peel. Hopefully we can also sell some books. And I’m busy preparing my bio information for the Evening With The Authors October event (I am the local author guest of honor). And then I am reading someone else’s manuscript as a Beta Reader myself, writing book reviews, writing my blog, keeping up with Twitter, sort of keeping up with Facebook, and reading all the interesting articles Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, J.A. Konrath, Passive Voice and others are throwing out there. Plus I have an addiction to watching my Kindle amazon.com ebook ratings go up and down. And I forgot to mention that I helped plan three new book covers. I can’t wait to show them off.

Some of this will go away. But by then there will be the next festival to attend and the next book signing to set up. And there will surely be the next book to write (this time it will be a mystery). I’ve been juggling all this by deadline, but also always making the time to write on my novel or story first.

This is the writer’s life now that we have the internet. Actually, it’s fun. Just make sure you do the writing first.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

WHAT I’VE READ THIS WEEK–Guardian Angel by Sara Paretsky.

Here are a few romance novels I can recommend.

The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal,  a contemporary romance about what happens to the sari shop and its owner when her rich uncle comes from India to save the business and brings  an assistant along who’s way too good to be true. An easy and satisfying read. http://amzn.com/B002KS3ASE.

Simply Irrestible by Kristine Grayson, a paranormal romance with a lot of humor. This fun novel also explores the birth of Superman while engaging its heroine in mythological skullduggery. All set around a very special pet shop.  http://amzn.com/B004QZ9XYY.

Daisy Chain: A Novel by Mary E. DeMuth http://amzn.com/B002AP9GQC. Actually, this is more of a mystery. You’ll like it anyhow. This is the first in a fascinating series set around a child’s murder.

And

The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen , a Regency romance with a difference. Full of historical detail and great characters, this novel also explores women’s roles as healers and the danger they face. http://amzn.com/B001LDJIQM.

All easy reading. All good stories. I enjoyed each and every one.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers and Longshot by Dick Francis.

Photos by Roxanne Rix.

These recommendations brought to you by:

The Cowboy’s Baby http://amzn.com/B003UYUVZC

Entries to the 2011 Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story writing contest/Friends of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library fundraiser can start coming in NOW! Official opening date is July 1, but we’ve already got our first two entries. Deadline is October 1. Go to http://clarklibraryfriends.com for full rules and entry forms. We are expecting great stories this third year. Make yours one of them.                          

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Devil’s Lair by David Wisehart. Dead in the Water by Stuart Woods.

Photos by Roxanne Rix. Contest banner design by Molly Humphrey.