Friday Fun Facts: Last Day of School!

Last day of school! Yes, New York State is (finally) done for the school year! Now to tackle all those writing projects I haven't had time for all year long...

But speaking of which, looking at that video clip I posted Wednesday, it's true more often that not: people who have never written a book of any kind really don't have a true concept of how much work is involved. I mean, that's probably true of a number of skills/projects/professions. But it continues to surprise me all the same. Right now, a number of my friends & relatives are asking when my next book is coming out, and I have to say "I don't know" because I don't have one contracted at this point. There's a whole slew of reasons why, of course, and I wish I did, but life and a full-time job do sometimes get in the way. But I do think many readers think, oh, a few weeks/months and you can turn out a book. Doesn't take took long after that, right? Most people don't realize it's AT LEAST a year once you go through edits, cover design, and finalizing copy before a book hits the shelves.

But I still have people tell me they have a great idea for a book, they've written some pages down already, and could I just give them some resources where they could find out about publishing it? And of course I do (I always start people at Absolute Write - great initial resource), but I wonder how many of them follow through. Then of course there are those people who have a great IDEA and want me to write the story "with" them (I think that means their "idea" and my sweat & time & heartache in turning it into a novel).

So interesting to witness the learning curve - and so rewarding to have a group of friends and a support network of fellow writers who understand exactly how much is involved.

Happy Friday!

Writers' Wednesday: So You Want to Write a Novel

Have you seen this yet? Enjoy!

Monday Mentionables

I know I'm late posting today, but I did want to share two worthy mentionables:

Carina Press is giving away books this week! Yes, every day you can download a book for free. How great is that?!? Click here for more information.

And one of my fellow Hudson Valley RWA members, Shoshanna Evers, is seeking submissions for a non-fiction ebook she's compiling, titled How to Write Hot Sex: Tips from Multi-Published Erotic Romance Authors. If you're interested, visit her blog here for all the details.

Hope you've had a happy Monday!