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I'd like to let you all know that the Crooked Fang blog has been retired. The address crookedfang.com now points to the new website custom-built by Fireflyers Multimedia and includes links to reviews on previous books with Xan Marcelles in them, interviews with my vampire and a new blog which will feature posts from both me and Xan. Come on by to take a look around!


Look at the new shiny!


In

Today is the first of our Kindle Free days - lasting from 00:01 Pacific time, 08:00 Uk time and 18:00 Australian time.


WHAT MAKES CHINESE WHISPERINGS ANTHOLOGIES UNIQUE?
Each anthology is a collection of interwoven short stories by emerging writers handpicked from across the English-speaking world. Unlike other anthologies,ÌýChinese WhisperingsÌýis created in a sequential fashion and each story stands on its own merits while contributing to a larger, connected narrative.

The Red Book, the first of the anthologiesÌýhas each successive writer taking a minor character from the preceding story and telling their story as the major character in the next story. Each writer also references events from the preceding story to tie the ten stories together. The anthology can be re forward, or backward, or begun in any place because of its circular nature.

The Yin and Yang BookÌýtakes the concept a step further, with the anthology played across parallel airport universes stemming from a decision to retrieve a stolen painting or to leave without it. It's a sliding doors/spider web hybrid. Readers will see common characters slipping across the two universes, some of them behaving in slightly different ways. The parallel universes are anchored between a common prologue and epilogue.Ìý
TWITTER HASHTAG#chinesewhisperings
BOOK BLURB - Red BookIn a small North American university town ten lives are intersecting�


Miranda reaps what she has sown.
Mitchell understands there is no resisting fate.
Clint dreams of forging a violent destiny.
Elizabeth is about to make a discovery.
Robin hides a terrible secret.
Simon hasn’t slept in ten days.
Sam is pursued by nightmares.
Susie has lost everything.
David has just been found.
Jake atones for past evils.

Ten ordinary people struggling to keep their sanity in an insane world.
TABLE OF CONTENTSÌýJodi Cleghorn (Ed)ÌýJason CogginsÌýAnnie EvettÌýPaul ServiniÌýTina HunterÌýDale Challener RoeÌýJasmine GallantÌýRob Diaz IIÌýEmma NewmanÌýPaul Anderson (Ed)
BOOK BLURB - Yin and Yang7.30AM. THE INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL OF A MAJOR EUROPEAN AIRPORT IS POISED ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS.

7.35AM. PANGAEAN AIRLINES, EUROPE’S PREMIER CARRIER, IS PLACED INTO RECEIVERSHIP, CANCELLING ALL FLIGHTS AND IMPOUNDING THOUSANDS OF ITEMS OF LUGGAGE.

The Yin and Yang Book follows the complicated web of events stemming from a suitcase, a stolen van Gogh painting, one woman on the run from her employers and the consequences of her decision to stay or go.
TABLE OF CONTENTSÌýJodi Cleghorn (ed)ÌýPaul ServiniÌýChris ChartrandÌýTony NolandÌýDan PowellÌýDale Challener RoeÌýJ.M. StrotherÌýRob Diaz IIÌýRichard Jay ParkerÌýJason CogginsÌý(Kurush)ÌýÌýBenjamin SolahÌýEmma NewmanÌýCarrie ClevengerÌýTina HunterÌýClaudia OsmondÌýLaura EnoÌýJasmine GallantÌýIcy SedgwickÌýJen BrubacherAnnie EvettÌýLily MulhollandEpilogueÌýÌýPaul Anderson (Ed)
And for shits and giggles...The Clash.

Photo credit: from
It wasn’t like I told her I’d love her forever. Or any at all. The posts she wrote about me on the public band forums were unforgiving, at the very least. I carried on with my life, hoping she’d give up, find someone else to obsess over but after fourteen months, I couldn’t take it anymore.
She’d taken the very thing I held most dear and destroyed my faith in it. The music in me was dead. My guitar sulked under a thin coating of dust. My curtains remained drawn to the day, as if I was some kind of nocturnal inhuman creature. I shied away from cameras while out and about, when before I’d embraced them.
She’d broken my trust in her. The things I’d told her that I’d never admitted to anyone. She’d poured my secret thoughts into the ear of anyone with more than five minutes to listen. My private fears, dripped out of her non-stop mouth. My voice died. The stage stood empty in my mind. There was no melody to draw life out of my slumped and lanky form.
My wrist bones stood pronounced, my cheekbones so sharp they could cut paper. Sunken hollows lay in half-circles under my eyes. I was frozen; an effigy of what was once great and powerful. The women had once ran their fingers through my blond hair. Now it flooded down my back like a road of static. I knew I was bad. I was fully aware of what the shit I was on would do. I just didn’t care. I didn’t want to want anything anymore, and I had plenty of money to get it.
I lay prone on the ratty couch, with the old dust cover haphazard, fingers brushing the raised rubbery buttons of the remote. I watched TV with one eye open, the other buried in a pillow of tears of regret. I had to pee. My stomach rumbled, pissed off that it’d been three days without solid food. A half-glass of water and a bottle of pills beckoned from the low coffee table.
It’d be so easy.
The thought hit me like a fully-loaded semi hauler. I didn’t have to go through day after day. I could give myself over to the great beyond. Past the tunnel and the blinding light. I knew there wasn’t a light. I’d nearly died twice while on the road in Europe because of a deadly booze and drugs one-two punch. Not the same booze. Not the same drugs. I was desensitized to danger but I wasn’t completely stupid. Just ignorant of the fact I was still mortal, just like every single one of my fans. The people out on the street. The callers, pushers, hookers, and kids that came up to my knee.
I don’t think I did it because of her. I did it because of her. That she’d happened, and that I’d let it. The case with her shit magnified my self-loathing to high definition. Bile rose in my throat, looking at those pills in that cautionary orange bottle. They were in arm’s reach. Mistake? Or solution?
I was irrational. I growled into the faded fabric and bit the cushion. My heart pounded in my chest like a fist on an oak door. The urge to pee became more insistent. I pushed up off the couch and swung my lowered head in the bathroom’s direction. I let forward momentum carry me there, slamming against the jutted ceramic sink. One of the twin faucets never stopped dripping. I’d taken pliers to it once,Ìý I could see the rings of effort still around the narrow chrome.
Pee. Right. I positioned myself in front of the toilet, unzipped my fly and braced myself against the wall with one hand as I held my dick with the other. Her pink-handled razor was still on the shelf at eye-level. I glared at it until my eyes swam out of focus and I swatted it into the bathtub. The clatter was loud in that small room. After I zipped up, I turned on the cold water and let it flow over my fingers.
I was a waste.
I dried my hands on a towel, avoiding my reflection in the mirror. I was afraid of seeing myself worse than I already pictured in my mind. My body had nearly atrophied in my year of seclusion and self-abuse. I resembled Jesus on the cross, just give me a cloth diaper and a crown of thorns.
I didn’t believe in God. If there was one, he was an asshole. Or a bitch. Yeah, that was probably it. A vengeful bitch that took particular pleasure in tormenting those guys that would try to rise to the top. I just liked singing.
Another woman had called me songbird once. I think I was fifteen. I gave her the finger. Literally. I was lucky. I always looked older than my real age. She thought I was eighteen. I may as well been. I never finished school. I didn’t need to. I’d been taken under Precocious� wing by that time. He was the first gay man I’d ever encountered. Offers were made and declined. I was only interested in pussy. Including when I was wasted.
I put my hands on the doorsill and rested my head on them. My knees trembled. Why was I thinking of my benefactor when he was gone eight years already? Sweat beaded on my brow. Great, I was probably getting sick. It didn’t matter. None of it did.
I’d eat, but only to make my stomach shut up. The growling was reverb in my ears and I whimpered against my skin. It was over. All of it was gone. I couldn’t reach out for my star any more than I could reach for that bottle of pills. But they would be there.
I staggered back into the den and glared at the telephone blinking stupidly with unanswered messages. My manager, my friends, wrong number. I knew what they would be already. We have a contract, we miss you, can I speak to Fernando?
I didn’t have a cellphone. I didn’t text or Tweet, or Facebook like everybody else on the planet. I was old-fashioned in that way even though I wasn’t old, despite the deep objection in my bones. It was just a setback, I’d told my manager Mindy. She’d said she was waiting on new material. I told her I was working on it.
I was a fucking liar. My name was Ren.

There's some good stories here, and no I didn't vote for myself, but you can vote for me if you like. My story is called "The End is the Beginning" here in this listing:



This is my Roman vampire, and not Xan from . Not all my vampires are smart-asses. ;)

Sometimes a vampire's past can bite him in the ass.

Xan Marcelles--bassist for Crooked Fang, vampire and full-time asshole, is content with his quiet existence in the backwoods of Pinecliffe, Colorado. But life at the Pale Rider tavern is set to become a little more complicated when he gets entangled with a feisty, blue-haired damsel and her abusive soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.Ìý


To add to his woes, he’s gone from hunter to hunted, and his past returns to haunt him when a phone call draws him back to New Mexico. With the help of friends from his living past, he must get to the bottom of a murder, and figure out where he stands with his lover and his band, all while keeping one step ahead of his enemies. Hiding won’t be easy for him, especially with a mysterious woman dogging him every step of the way.


WARNING: Cussing, smoking, drinking and hot sex.

I'm so excited about having this official description that I want to roll in glitter and honey and...
At least now when I'm asked what my book is going to be about there will be less uhms and ahms. Whew.

We're almost there. Five months and counting. Ebook drops on August 20, 2012 with the print version following shortly after. Believe me, I'm more than just busy working on it!

- CC

I've hosted a promotional post from Richard Godwin in thepast on this blog, but my curiosity went farther than just what his new novel,Mr. Glamour is about. I was interested in the process; what went on behind thescenes, and the amount of research and work went into the creation. I askedRichard a few questions, and his answers are rather useful for writers/authorsof all sorts. Now on his second release, Richard has a greater wealth ofexperience and information to share. Please help me welcome Richard Godwin tospeak of the processes behind writing and publishing a novel. - CC








CC - Hi Richard,thank you for this opportunity.ÌýSince this is yoursecond novel you've released, what was different this time around than thefirst? Do you feel that the process has gotten easier? What did you learnbetween APOSTLE RISING and MR GLAMOUR?ÌýRG - I wroteApostle Rising over two and a half years ago. That was the first draft and thenI edited it of course, but that is an illustration of how slow traditionalpublishing is. I wrote Mr. Glamour over a year ago and of course edited it. Ithink between the two novels I have learned more about tightness in narrativestructuring. I did extensive planning for Apostle Rising and also saw the noveltake its own organic path. While planning is important, it is also vital youallow the story to breathe and with Mr. Glamour, I saw what the story wanted tobe with less planning.I think it is amore structured story, as one reviewer has picked up. Apostle Rising is a greatread and has received excellent reviews.ÌýIt has some profound passages and a shock when you find out who thekiller is.Ìý But Mr. Glamour is lean andmuscled, full of the glitz of the glamour set and the pace is relentless. Theending is a series of shocks.
CC - So you'reinto shocking readers with lots of twists and turns. I suspect this all takes alot of research or know-how to get the story as realistic as possible. How muchresearch went into Mr. Glamour? Do you have any background that helped youwrite this book?ÌýRG - Writing police procedurals does takeresearch and while that is a part of Apostle Rising it is less so a part of Mr.Glamour. In Mr. Glamour I was more interested in digging into the psyches ofthe two cops. Jackson Flare is a troubled man who is disfigured. There is astory behind that. There is also a dangerous pimp out to kill Flare. MandySteele has a trauma, it is something she keeps to herself since she wants tomaintain a somewhat idealized set of beliefs about the police, but the casetests her and opens a wound. She descends into a dark path, pushing her sexualboundaries in private in ways that some readers may find shocking. But Ibelieve police officers male and female are human, they do a job but aresubject to all the frailties that beset any other individual. As such, thistaps into a theme I am interested in: The relationship between law and crimeand the overlap between the two. Many detectives have strong criminal shadows,as Carl Jung pointed out. There is a tendency for people to believe they knowtheir limits but again and again in war we see relatively adjusted individualscommitting atrocities. Whether this is as result of the licence that warprovides and is an illustration that society functions only because it has apunitive legal system, or because the breaking point in an individual altersthem and their morality, are issues that are impossible to define. Yet theyexpose the fundamental fragility of the things we take for granted. Extremecrime takes anyone brought into contact with it to the darker recesses of thehuman psyche. In war those same aspects are exposed. The army tests a soldier'slimits. Physical fitness and strength are easy to come by but the army wantsmen who will not break. So they find the limit. Soldiers operate as part of themachine. But the machine breaks down, and it does so when the authoritystructure fails. Embedded in that is the need to abnegate personalresponsibility. People accept authority largely but not always because they canbe relieved of their responsibility. The killer in Mr. Glamour takes fullresponsibility for his crimes in a shocking way and one that does not leaveFlare and Steele feeling vindicated. He also subverts an authority system thatis corrupt from the inside and makes the reader question the nature of reality.There are manytwists and turns because the characters showed me what was happening. InÌý terms of my background, I have read a lot. Iused to lecture in English and American literature and if you read attentivelyyou see the techniques writers use to create their effects. There are manystyles in which a novel can be written. Sadly, there is a school of thoughtthat believes there is only one way of writing it. Mr. Glamour is made up ofsome wealthy men and beautiful women and some low lifes and two hardenedprofessionals. The glamorous people in the novel can buy anything, except theirsafety from a killer who is watching everyone.
CC - You'vementioned your agent, and I think lots of writers have the ambition to find onein order to get their books into larger publishers. Do you have any advice forthose who are on the lookout for an agent? Any words of warning?RG - I spent a lotof time a few years ago trying to get an agent with a near success from one whoasked to read two entire manuscripts only to say that she liked what I'dwritten but wouldn't take me on at that time owing to the economic climate.That was good, since they don't ask to read several hundred pages if they'renot interested.The advice I wouldgive to a writer trying to find one is always approach them in the correctmanner.Firstly, find outwhat genres they represent. Secondly, if they fit your style then send aninquiry. Do not send them sample chapters until they have OK'd it. Then if theygive you the go ahead send them what they want. Make the synopsis short andeffective. Give them an elevator pitch on your book.A great elevatorpitch is:Alien is Jaws inspace.Then let them taketheir time. One idea is to find out who the agents are of authors who writelike you. Approach them.Each agent has adifferent spec, do not use a template. If they want hard copy send them whatthey ask for. I have been told this on good information, they hate chapterssent in shiny see through folders. They go shooting off their desks and end upbehind the sofa with the squashed chocolates. If they ask for the fullmanuscript send it with an elastic band around it. Really. I have been toldthat a bad agent is worse than no agent. The good ones have relationships withthe big publishing houses and will get you a look in.The agent I nowhave came looking for me. I did nothing to find her.
CC - Wow! It's gotto make you feel good when you have agents looking for you. Let's talk aboutthe editing process. How different is Mr. Glamour in its final form from thesubmission you sent in to the publisher?RG � It does.It's not hugelydifferent, since I put it through a rigorous set of edits. There are areaswhere the publisher cut back scenes and asked for a few additions. I changedthe first chapter. Also the ending is different.
CC - Tell me abouthow the cover was thought up and created. How much input were you allowed inits final appearance?RG - I have inputon my contract into the covers of my novels. I think that is important for anovelist. The concept is mine. I wanted a woman on the lens of a camera. I alsogot to choose the woman from a range of Getty images. The woman on the coverhas the look I wanted.
CC - I've seenlots of your stories, ranging from Horror, to Noir, and everywhere in between.They're great, and all unique from one another. But I'm sure all that takestime. What does a busy author like you do to unwind on any given day?RG - Thank you. Istarted off writing novels. I write stories because I love writing them andthey are a good way of disseminating my name and keeping people entertained. Theyare also a useful forum for exploring genre. I've recently been writingBizarro. I can write a story quickly. Novel writing gives you stamina. It istime consuming but I write every day. For relaxation I may have a glass ofwine, watch a DVD in the evening, read a good book or email my good friendCarrie.
CC - J Richard, Ireally appreciate your time for this post. Before I close, I have to ask, whatare your plans for the future? Have another novel hidden in the shadows? Haveyou thought about screenplays, or anything else?RG - I have justwritten a long story for an Italian publisher. It is called The Secret Hour andwill be available as an E Book in both English and Italian this year. I haveanother novel which I hope will be released as an E Book later this year.Apostle Rising is also to be released as an E Book this year. I am writing thesequel to it now. I would be interested in writing a screenplay. Hopefully oneof my novels will be made into a film. And Apostle Rising is being translated intoHungarian, the publisher there is printing 5,000 copies. I will also be in PulpInk 2 and Pulp Modern. And my Mustard Man anthology is out in ebook format nowwith Pulp Metal Fiction. But the real question is: Who is Mr. Glamour?Carrie, thank you,it's been great talking to you.
Richard's worksavailable:


Mr. Glamour






Apostle Rising





Piquant Tales ofThe Mustard Man

Designer goods, beautiful women, wealthy men, a lifestyle preyed on by a serial killer.A killer who is watching everyone, including the police.Latest headlines?
No, an outline of my second novel, Mr. Glamour.
My debut novel Apostle Rising was published in paperback by Black Jackal Books last year. It was about a serial killer crucifying politicians, and sold extremely well, received excellent reviews, and sold foreign rights to the largest publisher in Hungary.
Now Black Jackal Books have published Mr. Glamour, and I'd like to tell you a bit about it. The settings are exotic, and the pages drip with wealth. The story's told in my usual style, and my readers will know what that means. I have been told I write with a blend of lyricism and graphic description. I like to explore what motivates people and I certainly do so with the leading characters in Mr. Glamour.
The two central cops, DCI Jackson Flare and Inspector Steele, are unusual and strong in their own ways, as reviewers are already picking up. At the beginning of the novel Steele hates working with Flare for personal reasons. She doesn't by the end, and the investigation takes them both on a journey which changes them and their opinions of one another.
Let me give you the setting if you are tempted to read Mr. Glamour:Ìý
Something dark is preying on the glitz of the glamour set. There is a lot about designer goods and lifestyles in Mr. Glamour. The killer knows all about design, he knows what brands mean to his victims. He is branding their skins. And he has the police stumped.
As Flare and Steele investigate the killings they enter an exclusive world with its own rules and quickly realise the man they are looking for is playing a game with them, a game they cannot interpret. The killer is targeting an exclusive group of people he seems to know a lot about.
The police investigation isn't helped by the fact that Flare and Steele have troubled lives. Harlan White, a pimp who got on the wrong side of Flare, is planning to have him killed. And Steele has secrets. She leads a double life. She is an interesting woman who pushes her sexual boundaries in private. She travels a journey into her own past and rescues herself. And in a strange way she is helped by the killer she is looking for. And Flare has some revelations in store.
As they try to catch a predator who has climbed inside their heads, they find themselves up against a wall of secrecy. The investigation drives Flare and Steele to acts of darkness. And the killer is watching everyone.
Then there is the sub plot.
Contrasting this lifestyle is the suburban existence of Gertrude Miller, who acts out strange rituals, trapped in a sterile marriage to husband Ben. She cleans compulsively and seems to be hiding something from him, obsessed that she is being followed. As she slips into aÌýpsychosis, characters from the glamorous set stray into Gertrude's world, so the two plots dovetail neatly with one another.
And when Flare and Steele make an arrest they discover there is far more to this glamorous world than they realised. There is a series of shocks at the end of the novel as a set of fireworks go off. Watch out for the highly dramatic ending.



It is already picking up some great reviews:
Advance praise for Mr. Glamour: "Richard Godwin knows how his characters dress, what they drink and what they drive. He knows how they live--- and how they die. Here's hoping no one recognized themselves in Godwin's cold canvas. Combines the fun of a good story with the joy of witty, vivid writing."
-- Heywood Gould, author of The Serial Killer's Daughter.
"Smart, scary, suspenseful enough for me to keep the light on until 3AM on a Sunday night, Richard Godwin once more proves to fans of crime fiction the world over with Mr. Glamour, that he is not only one of the best contemporary writers of the procedural cop thriller around today, he is a master storyteller." Ìý-- Vincent Zandri, author of Scream Catcher.
"Richard Godwin's top-of-the-line psychological police procedural driven by its heady pace, steely dialogue, and unsparing vision transfixes the reader from page one." Ìý--ÌýEd Lynskey, author of Skin In The Game.
Ìý"Mr. Glamour is a striking effort from one of the most daring crime writers in the business. It is the noirest of noir...and hellishly addictive."-- Mike Stafford, BookGeeks Magazine.
Ìý"This first rate detective thriller will have you gripped from the start. Richard Godwin is an author not to be missed."-- Sheila Quigley Author of Thorn In My Side.

"Mr Glamour is, in every sense of the word, the real McCoy: genuine hard boiled detective fiction.ÌýÌýLean, gritty, and tough, it's a journey into the heart of darkness ... you won't soon forget. Connoisseurs ofÌýNouveauÌýNoirÌýwill have to add Richard Godwin to the list of writers to watch!"-- C E Lawrence, author of Silent Kills.
"Involving and compellingly sinister, Richard Godwin's Mr. Glamour portrays cops and criminals, the mad and the driven in a novel of psychological noir. Read it while snuggling with your stuffed teddy bear for comfort."Ìý-- Gary Phillips, author of Treacherous: Grifters, Ruffians and Killers
"This is one outstanding novel written by one amazing author."-- Fran Lewis Review.
Mr. Glamour will appeal to mystery and crime aficionados, to readers interested in psychological profiling and designer lifestyles, to thriller and noir fans, and to anyone who enjoys a fast paced narrative with strong characters.
Mr. Glamour can be bought now:
Ìýat all good retailers online and in stores in April. If you Google it, you should see a range of options come up.

And you can find out more about me at my and my stories

As a new author I face a number of obstacles when writing. Time is my most valuable commodity. I'm always wishing for four extra hours in each day to get more done, because I never can seem to find enough. When I do have it, I'm so starved for it that I tend to waste it, which is what this post is all about: Time Suckers, the Writer's Vampire.
Screenshot from the 1931 film DraculaPartnerships � Before I lucked upon Nerine Dorman as a co-author, I tried with other people. I'm sure some of you have chatted with a fellow writer and gotten excited over a really crazy collaborative idea. Or maybe you enjoy one another's writing so much you just have to write together. Until Nerine, my advice would have been "Don't," but my mind has been changed. It can be a very rewarding experience with a same-minded, dedicated, creative person. It is important to recognize warning signs of time-sucking, both from the manuscript and the other person(s) involved. Are you running around in plot circles? Have you rewritten the story more than once without actually having finished a first draft? Has the other person ever finished anything of comparable length before?
Family � I really can't do much about the people I'm related to. I have a particularly difficult time explaining to my mother why she can't visit when I'm on a deadline. My child, and pretty much any small child will not understand the importance that Mommy or Daddy need quiet time so they can write or edit their book. My previous spouse felt that my writing and research was time that could be better spent with him and viewed it as a waste of mine.
You can't let blood bring you down. The ideal situation is where you work so hard and are so dedicated, that the need for you to have your time and space becomes evident. Spouses are usually made aware once that first check comes in. It becomes legitimate at that point. A lot of writers, including myself, burn the midnight oil to avoid conflicts with children or day job.
Friends � This has been a particularly sore spot for me. To start with, I'm antisocial. I'm a mother that works at home, which means I don't see people in person very often and that is fine with me. However, friends aren't very happy with my need to have my space when I'm thinking on a plot, actively writing, or scurrying to finish edits. In fact, those that are closer to me haven't been really considerate at all.

Social NetworksÌýâ€� Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn, YouTube, and definitely chat clients, such as Yahoo, MSN, Gmail chat, etc. can be a huge time-suck. Actually, I'll just go ahead and admit that they are. The only way to stop the madness has been to turn them off, as leaving them up while writing has proven to be distraction I can't seem to resist. I do leave chat up and send messages to an author friend as we write. We don't say much, but the sense of connection to another human being is there as we write, also we like to plug in fun excerpts for the reward of instant gratification. I cannot do this with very many people, as they have proven to take the simple reply as cue to unload their daily disgruntlements on me which then eats up valuable hours.Ìý ÌýÌýfromÌýÌý
Writing is a lonely occupation in the end. Those that can understand me (poor things), have their own thing going. Those that don't get what I'm doing are usually shoved away in the end. I've ended up with the best matches: Writers, artists, and other introverts. Everything else has been polished away as I became more serious about getting Crooked Fang revised and published. I'm a cold-hearted bitch because I've tried to put my book's needs as a priority. I've had to make very hard decisions in order to choose what was the most important to me. This has burned more than a few bridges in my constant drive to find a balance between contentment and success.



The point of this rambling blog is for both parties: ÌýfromÌýÌýWriters: Stand up for your writing career and time. Turn off Facebook. Dismiss friends that continue to hinder your progress, either intentionally or not. Make family aware of how important this is to you, and if they still don't understand, find another way. There will always be a sacrifice involved for the things worth doing.
Friends and family of a writer: Above all, try not to take anything personally and back off when requested. Understand that this isn't just a hobby to your writer. Try to find ways to make it even easier, such as offering childcare, a chance to sleep in the next day, and so on.
People, I'm writing. I'm at my desk because I want to take this to the next level and produce novels.ÌýThe next time you look at a book, think about the sacrifices the author might have had to make in order to see that story through. The time it took to write the thing. The coffee he or she might have had to consume. Maybe even the booze. ;) - CC

I was tagged by Ìý(warning: sexual content link) for a fun lucky seven post. Here's the rules:

1. Go to page 77 in your current manuscript
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next seven lines as they are - no cheating
4. Tag 7 other authors (Done on Facebook)

Here's my lucky seven. This is taken from :

Relying on time to rub away memory wasn't really reliable after all, and despite the fact that plausibility would argue there was no way Gabriel Nez could look the same over twenty-five years later, people still knew what the hell they saw. Not to mention I was supposed to be dead.

After a rough night of hearing Serv slam stuff around in his room next to mine and dodging angry glares from even Josh the next day, I decided the best method of approach would be to take off for a few days. Considering Charlie was out on a date with Linda, Darrell was out doing whatever it was he did when he wasn't at Pale Rider and Josh was at home with Bea...
Print cover
Ìý(sorry, that was the end of the seventh line...)

Lyrical ebook
Look for Crooked FangÌý.

I'm pleased to announce that . Here's the ebook cover, what do you think? (Print version will be different and announced soon)

It's March already. 2011 was a vital year of tumultuous change in my writing career, starting with an acceptance for my novel, Crooked Fang by Lyrical. I had big, big plans for this project, including music and merchandise, in order to offer a richer immersion experience. Sadly, most of that did not turn out as planned, as some of you that have been alongside me the whole time know. Still, it's launch year. Yes, year. The reason I say launch year is because it takes a great deal of preparation to get that manuscript from idea, to first draft, to submission, to edits and finally, a book in your hands. That said, there's quite a bit left to do in the next five months in anticipation of Crooked Fang's release on August 20, 2012:
·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Edits â€� When writing Crooked Fang as web fiction back in 2009, I wasn't expecting anything to come from it. It was a pastime, a sort of written relief from the stresses of everyday life. I gained readers and was compelled to organize regular posts rather than whenever I felt like it. That was the beginning of a very long process. Currently, I'm in perhaps the fifth draft of Crooked Fang, as I had to collect the raw posts, stitch them together, eliminate ridiculous scenes, add a lot of new scenes, and fluff up the content to go from bare-bones blog post to actual chapters. As of now, I'm in official first-round edits for Crooked Fang with another round to come. After that, if it's acceptable, it'll go to line edits. I'll need to review the galley, which is an author's last chance to catch those faceàpalm situations.
Back of Crooked Fang tee-shirt·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Promotions â€� As I now have a product, I must shift into motion to get word out about the impending book, which is my baby, my precious, my ultimate goal of being properly published. In order to do such a thing, I will need to call on friends and colleagues for blog spots, article posts, and interviews. Writing these things will take almost as much dedication as writing the book itself. On top of what I can write, tweet and post, I will also require a website redesign in order to accommodate the new direction. Crookedfang.com is still primarily what it has been for the past three years. I'd like to add a section where readers can find out more about the characters, add visuals, and possibly music at a later date.
Crooked Fang mousepad·ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Merchandise â€� My readers have asked for Crooked Fang branded merchandise, such as tee-shirts, coffee cups, stickers, and patches. I'm in negotiations with a company to provide the means to meet these requests. These will begin final production design in June 2012 in order to be ready for the August book launch. It's going to be a very exciting year for Crooked Fang!
ÌýI've said it before, but I'd like to think my readers for their constant support and encouragement when all the odds seemed stacked against me.
Also, I'm always open to any thoughts or suggestions on what you would like to see next from Xan and the gang, in regards to merchandise, questions, articles, etc.


Until next time!
CarrieÌý