Shoving the Old Out The Door!

I've had it with winter, and we're only a few weeks into it. Never mind that a new year is coming in. We'll still have the same crap (including the same president), so, I doubt the new year could be better than this one was.

As I write this, my husband is plowing the park (right next to our house), and although we were around 10 degrees this morning, it's dropping and wind picked up.

Yesterday I put plastic on my north window. I haven't done the same to my west windows, as it's more work. The top of windows are 8 feet, and I have to stand on a step ladder. I could enlist my husband if I wanted, but I'm going to hope the thick blinds and insulated boards will help hold out the cold. I really don't like putting the plastic up. Our furnace works fine, I also have a heater that blows heat if it gets that bad. I've so far been doing okay in sub-zero temps.

I'm supposed to be working on a synopsis for a book that's ready to go, but I just haven't felt like working on it. I don't know why. Just the idea of condensing everything that happens in a large book overwhelms me.

Besides, I'm sort of waiting until after the new year to put this together. It's the sequel to Spell of the Black Unicorn, and it's called Spell of Dark Castle. A longer work, but it was a joy to write. I wrote it too many years ago to remember.

Well, I'll see if I can't muster up some enthusiasm in the coming days. I do feel like Grumpy above. I just don't know how to get out of this mood I'm in.

OUT WITH THE OLD...

Hello, my pretties... yes, it's me. I'm working on the blog again. Just sort of sprucing things up a bit. I tired of the old wall paper and decide for something different, something that gave the place depth. I know you were concerned when you got here about what the heck is going on with Lorelei's Muse. I'm going to be making a few little changes here and there... so I didn't want to change things too much on you.

I can't believe that this year 2011 is going out, out, out. And in comes a brand new year. We'll all have to get used to writing 2012 on things, won't we?

I'm seeing a number of you placing posts up about your plans for next year. We all want to succeed in the new year and get these projects we've started done and put out there.

I definitely have way too many projects on my hands and wonder if I'll get some of them finished.
I'm writing a mystery, right now, which is quite different from what I've been doing up to now. Well, it's a mystery with a little paranormal activity happening, but I definitely wanted something that would appeal to people who don't like vampires, or other fantasy elements. Although a ghost might fit in with some people's range of beliefs.

So, I've got that. I'm also working on my self-published book Spell of the Black Unicorn. I'm still in two minds as to what to do with it. Since it's in a book format right now, I've wanted to put it in an ebook format and have control over it. But I'm not sure if I've got the time and energy to place it on Smashwords. But I would like to. But before I do I'm going through it, and with help of my beta reader, Shelly Arkon (hi, Shelly!), I'll eventually get this thing into shape for whatever I decide to do with it.

I've begun a horror piece which I want to work on some more. It won't be more than a novella. That I want to approach a publisher with, but I'm not saying who as yet.

I wish to give thanks to all of you who have stopped by and made comments over the past year.

And a special thank you to the following people who have featured me, my book, and/or a review of my books this year: YOUR AWARD IS BELOW!!

~ To Shelly Arkon who had some fabulous things to say about my first vampire book, Vampire Ascending, and had hosted me a couple of times--you are a fantastic friend, and I think our friendship will last a life-time. She also was one of the winners of Vampire's Trill on one of the blogs that featured my book's debut.

~ To Dora Dee who has been spending an inordinate amount of time on her Blackberry tweeting about my book and she had the first review of Vampire's Trill. She's one heck of a friend to have in my corner and because of her hard work, she has won a hard copy of Vampire's Trill.

~ To Heather McCorkle, who has been my blogging friend from the beginning. I've watched as she worked hard to get her very first book out there. She's a very supportive friend and she has been a wonderful person to get to know.

I've been given a special award, today, and want to pass it along to these three women specifically because they've been constant friends for a while. I want to thank Christine Rains for giving me this award. It's a pleasure to know her, and many of you out there! I'm supposed to give it to twenty people, but time is taking its toll here and I simply am out of time.

For now Heather, Shelly and Dora Dee you may take your award for Great Comments on my posts.

Thank you everyone and hope to see you all in the new year and meet a few new ones as well ! !
~Lorelei

To A New Year

This new year for me is about moving on, realizing a dream, and hopefully things will improve somehow.

2010 was a rough one on Dennis and I. Too many things to even go into, but if you've followed my blog, you know what I'm talking about. There was also sickness, ailments, backs going out, and a growth on a tongue that really had us worried. And don't even get me started on the phone company who yanked the cord on my Internet. You don't do that to a writer who's life-line is connected directly to the Internet.

Sure there were up times. We went on vacation, and that was wonderful, although feeling guilty for doing so since Dennis' mother was very ill.

Went and enjoyed a winter get away in a nice rustic cabin, wonderful food and a winter wonderland for us. We didn't know that we would have a lay-off, and we could have used the money from that, but I think that the getting away from things was more important.

Another up-side: My first vampire novel, Vampire Ascending has been published and I'm about to go to its first book signing. I hope a lot of people show up for this, I don't care if they don't buy a book. Showing up to support a writer is just as important. I was unable to afford to buy any books to sell hand-to-hand because of the lay off. I'm sure that I'm not the only struggling writer out there, from the blogs I visit on a weekly bases. We have to work to pay our bills. We don't have the option of quitting our day jobs. Many of you have families and that takes a big chunk of time out of your day as well. So, you find the quiet times during the night or early morning to write. We've all done it.

I've done it for so long, I'm quite used to the dialogues and scenes playing out in my head while at work--whatever job I had at the time. We're a unique group, creative people need our space. Mozart and Beethoven didn't create their wonderful masterpieces with people standing around them in a factory. I think Beethoven would have poked someones eye out with that baton.

I'd like to let it be known for those of you who may be new to this blog, that I've struggled for decades, trying to become published. My efforts often came to a screeching halt with one deadly rejection from one magazine, or an agent. The emotional break down of such rejections can really ruin ones day, week, month, whatever. I remember all of mine before I took the plunge into self-publishing. I may share a few of the rejections I've had at some point. Some may not be horrible, but the way they hit you, because you're so hopeful, is what stuns you. There was one black moment where I had been crying so hard upstairs that my husband came up to console me. I told him I'd given up. I didn't want to go through with it any more. What he told me to this day, I'm simply amazed at his ability to pick me up and then support me however he could. He said simply write because you want to. Don't worry about what anyone says, just write.

The message here is DON'T GIVE UP! If you give up, they have won.

In this new year I'm thinking of doing a few new interviews. I'd like to invite all my writer friends out there--unpublished or not--to allow me into your life as a working person, mother, writer, and get your thoughts, hopes, and whatever else you want to share. I was always amazed at how no magazine I approached thought that the lonely life of a writer who is struggling is not worth bothering with. Let me know if you think it is. Leave a message if you like the idea and would like to be part of this in the coming year.

I'm hoping to interview Ruth Brookshire of Indiana, who runs a small publication called Weed's Corner. She was the first publisher to take any of my poems, and then stories, articles and so forth, followed in the three years, I believe I was published in this quarterly. It wasn't my first published pieces, but the first place where I did get my poetry published, and after that I felt more confident. That's what it's all about. Someone gives you that grain of hope, being published anywhere tells you that you're actually "good enough".

So, on to 2011. I'd like to make more new friends and keep those of you who enjoy my interviews, quirky insights and my writing advice coming back for more.

I hope to see all of you in this coming year!

Let's Ring In The New Year!

My husband and I are ready for a brand new year, for sure. We've lost a dear one, had backs go out, missed work, lay-offs, and the list was very long and we're just ready for a brand new start, if it takes a new year/calendar to do it, I'll drink to that!

Of course there were a few good things to feel blessed about too. We live in northern Illinois and somehow the bad weather that each coast has experienced has missed us--so far! We didn't spend Christmas eve and Christmas day in a motel because of a power outage.

My new book was one huge one. It took me a year to find a publisher who would take on this book (without trying to change it into something it wasn't), take a chance that it might do well. Copperhill Media is certainly trying to give it a go.

My blog was another thing that I worked on extensively because I knew I would need the base by which to launch a vampire novel. For the longest time, Heather seemed to be my only reader. We both came from Author Nation, I followed her to her blog, a few years ago, tried to settle into blogspot. Didn't know what the hell I was doing, but I learned. Eventually, of course, my blog became a vampire blog, but not exclusively, and my readers/followers, and viewers grew from maybe one to 30, and my hits have gone over 3,000 (of course it's been counting me, I think) and the country count is now up to 36--which is cool. I see Russia, Germany, Canada, England, and places like Lithuania, Romania are constantly checking my blog out. So, I'd have to say, this has been a successful year for the blog.

And not least are the many friends I have made here at blogspot--you, my writing friends out there are wonderful. I used to ache for feedback from other writers for years. It is a lonely world for us writers. I mean, unless you find a writing group in your area, you're pretty much alone. And I really can't find the time to go to one. Just not enough time in the day. So, my cup is full, I drink to all of you who have come and made comments and kept me encouraged, and being out there, posting your knowledge as well. Thank you!

Speaking of followers, and friends who support me, I want to thank Michele Hauf at VamChix for actually answering my prayer that she would follow through with featuring me/my book "if and when it gets published". We had a spammer, but I think between the two of us, we got rid of her. And Michele has invited me to be on VampChix again, and I'll be taking her up on that as soon as the next one is out.

And TODAY another fellow writer, Tammy McKee has so graciously agreed to hosting me/my book as an interview. So, I hope you'll stop by in your busy day to make a short comment, show your continued support as we all begin our new years.

Thank you!