I have to say, I'm really, really, really excited about this. In less than one month, SNUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON: And Other Bombay Bedtime Stories will be available as an ebook everywhere!

Right now, it's available for pre-order at Amazon - which is pretty cool:

http://amzn.com/B00DLIH8IK




Here's the blurb from the site: A collection of short stories from National Bestselling author Leslie Langtry...




What do the Minotaur, Rasputin, the first man hung for murder in America, and the Countess of Blood all have in common? No, they aren’t related. They all appeared on the Bombay Family’s Hit List! In this collection of Bombay Bedtime Stories, you’ll find out what Bombays did before Gin Bombay came along. From pet Dodo birds of the very first Bombay to Ancient Greece and 20th Century Russia, get the stories Bombay children have been told for thousands of years. Stories that have been shrouded in blood-sworn secrecy…until now!






There are six stories in the book - which is about the length of a novella - like PARADISE BY THE RIFLE SIGHTS. And I already have several more ideas for another edition. 

On Tuesday I started my first ever online writing workshop, Book In A Month with Candace Havens. While I've attended workshops at conferences, this is really the first time I've taken an immersive class and I'm beyond excited. Oh, and a little scared shitless.

 The first two weeks of class are Fast Draft. 20 pages a day is the standard goal. *insert psycho music here* Then, we move into Revision Hell for the last two weeks.

Yep, all sounds so fun right?

Since I'm writing this post before class starts - one of the suggestions for the workshop is to write all your blog posts prior to starting - it means I can't tell you how it's going so far. I can say that there are some authors taking the class with me that can’t help but have me thinking, “They write books all the time, how the hell am I going to keep up with that?”

From the introductions so far, it shows that no matter how many books you’ve had published there will always be a time to refocus and work on getting back to just getting your butt in that chair and writing till it hurts. While some might find this idea daunting, it humanizes the authors and the writing process for me. Suddenly, I don’t feel like I’m taking the class because I’m a loser that can’t get her ass in the chair. Having recognizable authors there helps me connect that learning is an on-going activity and not just for writing losers.

I've actually wanted to take this workshop for ages and I'm hoping this class will make me disciplined about moving forward faster. I'm also secretly wishing that this push forces me to write more naturally instead of thinking about how I "should" write. My writing needs to find it's voice and I need to learn discipline. Two birds, one stone.

Many of my illustrious co-pirates have not only taken workshops, but taught them as well. So, I thought what better group to come to for some advice and insight on workshops than right here on The Revenge.

Has anyone taken Candace’s Fast Draft/Revision Hell class before? What workshops have you taken and loved or hated? What advice do you give for getting the most out of an online workshop? If you have a workshop coming up, please share it with us! Oh, and if you want to join me you are only 1 day behind! Click that link at the top to check it out and ignore my evil cackling laugh as I try to coherence you to step into the madness.

I've been popping through some books lately. I read the Scotland series by the Mallory author; and I also read the Three Sisters Trilogy by Nora Roberts (even though I don't have a single keeper book of Nora's on my shelves and I usually will turn up my nose and read the Wall Street Journal than a book by her on an average day); and I even read a sci-fi novel, Grimspace, mostly because it was by that author that all the rude sci-fi male authors were being dillholes about. Okay, not all the sci-fi male authors--the white conservative Republican half--I was reassured to see a more liberal, fair-minded group of male authors who were very supportive of women sci-fi writers and what they bring to the genre. And weren't threatened that the women authors might write about love...and cooties. And God knows what else--a committed relationship, I suppose.

So I do have to admit, I enjoyed all the Sisters books. I just liked the concept all the way around. On a story level, I'd give them all a 5 star; and on my nitpicky writerly-readerly side, I give them a 4, because yes, yes, the great LaNora's writing voice just irks me a tad. It's not "deep" enough for me--and I'm all about the deeper.

Hmm. I just had a giggle. I knew this boy once--Mike--and he used to say that if a girl wanted him to go "faster" or "harder", he was more than happy to oblige her, but if she wanted "deeper", he would have to start talking philosophy. Bless his heart. Anyway, it's a little like that. Nora is great at the faster and the harder--great pacing, lots of action, urgency and danger. Oddly, though, for me, I still feel on the surface of the story, like I'm being told something rather than shown something. *shrugs* Not everything works for everyone, as the saying goes around here.

As for Grimspace, I too would give it a 5 stars for the story, but as for myself, I'd probably give it a 4. 4 is that designation I give books when I think, "Really good, but I'd never re-read this book." That's really what makes a book a 5 for me. Would I take this book to my deserted island? Clearly that's all personal opinion--but aren't all book reviews? Yes, we can say, "Yes, the setting, dialogue, characters--all great--but did I ever buy this as more than a story? Not really." I realize that's expecting a lot of the books I read, but there is something about a Julie Anne Long book, the characters are so real, you know you could go back in time and meet them. Same with Lisa Kleypas and Eloisa James. But eh, not every story is like that. Couldn't expect them to be. How would you know happiness from sadness if you didn't experience both now and again?

Grimspace was a bit like Hans Solo meets The Fugitive--the main character, Sirantha Jax, is trying to escape from "the authorities" and meanwhile she's being helped by, well, another Hans Solo...a Princess Lei (don't let Dina hear you call her that), and Spock. Oh, wait, that's two different sci-fi worlds, isn't it? Oh, well. You experts sort it out. It had its romance, its humor, its moments of near-death experience, but in the end, I'm not sure I'd read it again. But that is just a matter of personality. I have a fascination for history, history's stories, the people in history--so historical novels are much easier for me to slip into, like a warm bubble bath. Sci-fi--like the invigorating cold shower it is--definitely is a nice change of pace but it's not something I would willingly embrace everyday for the rest of my natural life with no warm baths in return. (Whereas I think sci-fi people tend to think of their stories as the warm bath...know what I mean?)

Anyway, I found both the Three Sisters trilogy and Grimspace to be excellent "going outside the comfort zone" type of books. They seem the cream of the crop of their "type"--and I usually find that a good book is a good book when this is the case. So I'm still giving myself a gold star for seeing the greatness in each story, even if I had to decide if I would keep the book or not, they'd be passed along to someone else who would probably value them more. (I have to keep the space for my Harry Potter books, you know.)

What are you doing (or reading) outside of your comfort zone lately? All progress is great progress.

So my hubs, for anyone who doesn't know, is crazy about lacrosse. He coaches the club team at school. He plays on a traveling league. He plays on a local pick-up league. He coaches at (multiple, out-of-state) camps in the summer. He plays in tournaments year round.

Seriously. It's insane.*

He has two tournaments coming up. Each are three-day trips to picturesque spots (Lake Placid!). I've been to a few of these tournaments. There's maybe 20 teams, of 15-25 grown men** per team. They all get sponsors for their uniforms and helmets, and the lacrosse companies set up promotional tents all over the parking lot. There's a big bracket set up and 3 days are spent whittling the 20 teams down to a couple winners. Then everything gets broken down and a couple month later, it all starts over in a different city, with half the players shuffled between teams and new uniforms and helmets for all.

Notice what a big fan I am.

But I'm going to both of these tournaments, and I have a plan. I'm going to make it a writing-retreat-type getaway. Three days of quiet hotel rooms with lake-front views and room service. Nature everywhere to kick start my creativity.

On the one hand, I'm ridiculously excited about this. I've been craving long blocks of dedicated writing time. This is exactly what I need. The end is in sight. With enough focus, I might just get there.

On the other hand, I am my own worst enemy. I am brilliant at staring at my computer screen for two hours without actually writing anything. I can research and research and research . . .

In other words, I could very easily come away from these trips with nothing, even if I had the best of intentions, even if I ignored all the distractions and kept my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard the entire time.

Anybody done this? Gone away for a few days with a primary goal of writing for massive blocks of time? How'd you do? Anyone have some strategies for using the time to my advantage? For staying focused and productive?


*though lets be honest, it's not that much more insane than spending hundreds of hours writing down what the voices in my head say, and swearing it'll pay off one day.
* uh, right.

Having a bit of a Mike Meyers moment. Always did love that skit.

Once upon a time, back when Hellion was a young lass, Hellion read stories set in Scotland like they were Regencies. Instead of Regencies. Instead of most anything. If the hero didn't have a kilt, he was no hero. This can possibly be blamed on Julie Garwood and her string of lovely Scottish books. Who could ever forget The Secret?

Then I stopped reading Scottish set romances. I'm not sure why this was, but again, I could probably make an educated guess it was about the time I took that history research class and did this semester-long paper on William Wallace and the fight for Scottish Independence. This should have made me more of a reader of Scottish romances, but instead, I was suddenly annoyed by all the romances that had a man in a kilt, but seemed as historically significant as grated parmesan cheese in a bottle. Just not the same as the kind grated right off the block, if you know what I mean. Sawdust filler. So I quit reading them...and began avoiding them like vampire novels. In fact, this might have been around the time I started reading vampire novels. I had sunken into the Abyss.

Then I found a series by Monica McCarty, about a high concept series that was like Special Ops forces set in Robert the Bruce's time period. (My own sweet, dear William!) I fell into that series like a sinner falls back into vice, wholeheartedly and wondering where it had been during the last several cold empty years. Gradually, I began tentatively poking at other Scottish novels. Very tentatively. The back blurb really had to get me. I wasn't a fan of the man in the kilt on the cover. I don't care how pretty he looked. What was the story?

I was having a gander at the library selection last week and was struck by a book called THE WARRIOR by Margaret Mallory. Okay, the cover was really nice. And the hero's name was Duncan. (Yes, I was a fan of the Highlander series. Who wasn't a fan of the Highlander series? Adrian Paul is a god.) Anyway, Duncan captured my attention...and he was in love with the chieftain's daughter, Moira, who is wild and reckless and madly in love with him. I read the first page--and before I finished the first paragraph, I put the book in my pile and made my way to the check out line.

In the vein of Monica McCarty's novels, where the heroines feel true to the period--even the chieftain's reckless, wild daughter--this story had plenty of authentic feeling detail. It's not easy being a girl in this time period. The women are forged of steel, and the men better be strong enough to hold them or they're not going to last. These are men who are looking for redemption; and women who love them just the same. My kind of Scottish novel. Dark, gritty, angsty Scottish novels.

So I read THE WARRIOR in about a day...and now I've started the next in the series, THE CHIEFTAIN, and I'm just as delighted by the detail and weave of storytelling in this one. And though I started this series out of order, I've gone back and retrieved the other two in the series because I cannot bear to not read Alex (the Viking)'s story, his book aptly titled THE SINNER.

There you have it. My recommendations of the week...and my newfound delight again in Scottish novels. What are you reading--and have you rediscovered a new interest in an old love?

Today felt like the perfect day for a parody. Bring out your Christmas music because that's what the tune is. Now, all together:

TWO winners!!

Drumroll please....



Congrats to commenter 14 and 8- Julie and Janga!!

Please email Jill Shalvis: jshalvis @ gmail dot com  (please take out the DOT and add a . )

Thank you for coming by and commenting!

Sin

I don't do reviews very often, mostly because I'm not very good at them. But I don't mind making an except for one of my favorite writers, Eloisa James. Her latest release is called ONCE UPON A TOWER. Here's the blurb from her website.





As usual, I'm amazed by what Ms. James is able to create on the page. Her prose is always gorgeous, but taken to another level in this one. Her expertise as a Shakespearean professor is on display with a lyricism that sweeps you right into the story. Gowan and Edie are clearly defined, real characters for whom you'll cheer and cry. Theirs is a love at first sight story, placing two relative innocents and near strangers into a marriage that neither is prepared to handle. As they get to know each other, in snatches of time alone (the hero is a workaholic of sorts and almost always with one servant or another), it's lovely to watch them fall more and more in love.




But there are practicalities to marriage that these two do not navigate well. The hero has some hard lessons to learn, and he goes through hell to come out the other side. Still, I couldn't help but pull for him. The more we learn about his childhood, the more I wanted to hug him and beat his parents on his behalf. The ending is daring and a wee bit far-fetched, but this is a fairy tale after all.




Anyone looking for beautiful prose, fully-formed characters, and a love story with substance and triumph, this is the one for you. Highly, highly recommend.


What's the best book you've read lately? Are you buying into this "Historicals are dying" hoopla, or ignoring it like I am?

You caught me. I almost forgot. Please understand my pirate boyfriend showed up, and being we're a lot like two ships passing in the night, he's a little distracting, and it was only as I was laying in bed, thinking about said pirate that I went: Shit. JuJuSuCh.

How could I have forgotten?

Ah, well, the first week is always a bit shaky, right? It's okay.

So I'll admit mine first to make you all feel better. I got about 500 words. Yes, not even 600--not even four pages; however, there were 500 more words than I had last week and I'll take them.

How are you pirates doing with your pages and word counts? Any Muses missing or are all your words flying onto the page faster than you can type them?

Me, I keep opening my WIP, staring at the blinking cursor, and then going, "Well, hell, what next?" The Muse and I are at an impasse; and I have the attention span of a gnat. It's like meditation. Just takes time. AND PRACTICE.

Need to work on the second just a little more diligently.

Hope to hear your reports are much, much better than mine.

Fess up. How goes it?