Oh Goody, Goody

I just received a copy of Pleasure Bound from a lovely and most inspiring muse, Alison Tyler. Words can't even express how awesome this woman is to me, and I barely know her! One would even say knowing is a tad of an overstatement but now I have the divine pleasure of reviewing her new book. I have no idea what this entails but I know I'll be working my tail off on it for at least a few hours. I'm sure it's nothing sort of epically awesome as par for the course with the wonderful Alison Tyler, and everyone else in the book (of course). Some of them I even know of! Moving up in the erotica world, yes I think I am! I am now going to add this happy little bundle to my Alison Tyler collection which I am starting. It's a little pile in my writing room until I can tack it all to a bulletin board, buttons and all. Consider me inspired.

The Erotic Woman

I sold a piece today to The Erotic Woman. My second sale in a little bit of time.

I've been promoted

My boss who I've been working with full time since around February has decided to give me the esteemed position of lead blogger on fifteen of his thirty websites. It's the same pay every month but now I get my name attached to something and a nice pretty picture. I guess it also means I got to step up my game just a tad bit more.

I also had to turn down a job today which I've never really done, ever. But, I took their writing test and they just didn't like my verbosity. Now, that's just something I have a hard time getting out of. I'm good at changing and adapting my writing, but I'm not good at taking out every third word because they want the copy to be sparse. I do snark-y sales much better. So, there goes a chunk of change every month. But who knows maybe my luck will turn eventually. Got to pay the bills but with a three week vacation coming up in the near future finding a new boss doesn't really seem wise or all that promising. Contractors don't like it too much when you decide it's play time when they don't even know you that well.

In other news I got a final draft of my story edited today. I did a lot of solid rearranging and some adding in of smut. Now I just have to wait until mid-afternoon tomorrow to give it a look see and it will be on it's way to a happy home. I always like to form a second opinion on my pieces later rather than seizing the day and mailing them directly after my final edit. An eye can get clouded after the triumph and adrenaline of finishing a piece.

I hope this one is too good for an editor to pass up. Now for more Dawson's Creek. Been on a binge lately because I can't sleep that well with so many story plots swimming in my head and Season 3 is just too damn good.

Exciting

I finished another story for an erotica anthology that I've been working on for the past four hours straight. Now, I'm re-reading it and for the life of me I can't figure out what the technological box that distorts human voices is called. I can't seem to continue editing until I find it out and Google is being fairly helpless. This will be my third submission down the line of submissions from ERA's site since I've taken on my "submit to everything" mission. Exciting.

Rain and a TurnStile

Today is a lazy day. The kind where I lay in bed just so I can listen to the rain fall on the window a little while longer. I've been a powerhouse of writing these past two days but now my brain is sleepy, so very, very sleepy. In between sentences I check AT's blog for all her wonderfulness and all the friends I feel I've found there. It is really nice to feel a part of something so important to my blossoming writing career. Just knowing that all these people who are so open and sex positive exist and they are getting their writing heard and read all over the world gives me hopeful little tingles whenever I go to the keyboard. They are all so nice, and now due to links people might actually stop by my little space in the world to see my ranting.

By seeing all these sassy, sexy authors do what they love and excel, it both drives me to do it harder (because I'm competitive) and scares the crap out of me. If they can do it then I can do too is a double sided coin because, what if I can't?

Sent out my first for print submission last night to Cleis Press. I can't even tell you how nervous I am. There is nothing I want more than to be published by that press. But, I also know there will be a lot of competition, so what's a girl to do? I'm caught because I fear my best work can always be better. I'm a compulsive downer.

I have five submissions to wait to hear back from in September. July my course in Gotham's Romance Writing Workshop. Then my birthday, three days later my wedding, then my step brother's wedding in Hawaii and then my reception. One solid summer to beat down.

Writing a story about turnstiles in Subway's.

I've Decided

While I'm making these attainable goals I'm going to write something for every market on the Erotica Readers and Writer's Association submissions page. It's going to be tough, but it's bound "giggles" to get me noticed and it will give me some practice. Today I've written two and a half submissions, have ideas for at least 6.

Friday is officially Erotica writing day.

My Little Pony

A story I wrote was accepted for publication in Clean Sheets Magazine yesterday morning in their exotica section. It's my first real published erotica piece. I get a free book for it. Yay! It's coming out sometime in late July.

We decided to give up on the car and save up more money.

I met all eight goals this week but haven't heard anything back in terms of work.

Working on a piece for another Alison Tyler contest this morning.

New Goals

I'm making it a new goal of mine to submit 4 queries a week as well as 4 job applications for writing jobs. I hope this will keep the wait times for submission lists to a minimum, I'll be submitting so much I won't have time to think about the other submissions that are waiting to be read. That is the theory.

So far my queries are at 4, 3 of those done this morning. I submitted to The Writer last night at around midnight. I'm excited about that one. A credit in The Writer is an exquisite deal. It could really push me into the big leagues, help with connections, and they oftan take from their pool of writers for jobs later on. Not to mention it's a really nice chunk of change.

My jobs are at 2. Another one of my goals is to be a little more picky about what I take on job-wise. I find myself writing cover letters like a demon to try and make money, only to hear back from no one. If I think a cover letter will be answered, then I will try, everything else seems to be a waste of time and money I could be making doing something else.

Writing an article about Whale Migration and Snake Plants today. In a rut with the anthology today, maybe it's all the submitting. Non-fiction just seems easier than fiction lately.

Still waiting about the car.

Writing Groups and Taxes

Today I joined my first real erotica writing group. I also received my first critique of the book of fairytales I'm currently writing. It went well. A little more critical than I would have liked, but that is the case with most of my stuff. Everyone seems very nice, the group is small, intimate, which is what I needed. It also looks like I might win another prize from Alison Tyler's Blog.

Right now I just have business jitters as I start looking into putting the finishing touches on my professional website. I have to pay taxes for the first time next year and it's pretty terrifying. I don't generally keep tabs on my finances though I pay all debts on time.

My job as a freelance writer really hit home when me and my soon to be husband went to go buy a new car. It was going to be in my name but the bank all but turned me down because I could not prove constant employment, though everything on my record is completely spotless. It was very disheartening and frustrating to work so hard all of this time only to be turned down because my job wasn't perceived as valid to a bank for a loan. There is nothing wrong with the money I make, the bills I pay, as a financier goes I'm awesome, I just don't get my pay check from the same person every month so I don't count.

As a solution I'm considering applying for my own business at some point soon and moving on from there. Then I will hopefully be recognized for loans. Time will tell.

Romania

This is my new article over at The Compass Online Travel Magazine. Go over and take a look, it should be up on my website soon.

Twitter

I really don't like twitter. Main reason being it can be hijacked so very easily. I'm not all for people stealing my account and polluting words. On another note, is it bad I want to make an account just to follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer alumni and pro-sex positive porn stars/sex-ed women? I think it says a lot about my character.

We didn't get the cottage. Some other couple got it. When we showed up our agent had ambushed us with three other clients and then pressured us into a lease because the other couples were signing one. So we signed it, I gave away my 50 dollars for the paperwork, which I now wish I could have back, and that is that. No cottage. My writing haven is lost to me.

On the up side now we are looking at getting this except in a 5 door hatchback.

I also started working with the editor of PaperBagPress. May I say my job is not only awesome, but she is as well? Yay!

Cottage

I might get a perfect little two bedroom cottage in the woods on a huge farm. It is what I always pictured my perfect writing haven to be in my dreams. Just have to wait for the okay once the paperwork goes through, I can't wait to get the call.