I received comments from my first beta reader.  She had a couple of “issues” and a couple of wishes. lol  I agree about most of them, and honestly didn’t even think about one of them…which is pretty stupid of me.  So, I have some changes to make.  Nothing major, more like things I need to add.  I need to clear up the hero’s motivation and why the heroine’s fallen in love with him.  I need this one to sit and stew in my brain for a bit, trying to figure out how to make it work.  I’m also wondering if she should BE in love with him or simply open to everything she feared before–marriage, kids, etc.  I figure I have until the second beta returns her comments to figure it out.

My fingers are freezing, my son’s outside riding his bike and the cat’s locked up in m y daughter’s room (who is in the bathroom).  This is the time of day when my concentration doesn’t exist.  I figured I’d step away from the brainstorming for a moment and blog.  Thanks goodness dinner is left overs tonight.

So, yesterday I sent off the ms to three beta readers.  I plan to revamp the syno and write the cover letter this week, but I’m thinking sometime between Tuesday through Thursday, maybe Friday.  The weekend should be setting up that dang-gone Christmas tree. *sigh*  So that leaves a free Monday.

I woke up this morning thinking, what am I suppose to do today?  It feels like I’ve spent months (ok, I did) on that book and having a day where I didn’t need to sweat over it is not only exhilirating but confusing.  I felt a bit empty. :P  But it’s allowed me time to move onto the next project.  Dare Night!  Not the official title, but it’ll do for now.

What suprised me with what I have so far, is the magnitude of the information needed.  I believe it’ll be written in first person, but even if I choose third, I want to write the whole thing through my heroine’s eyes.  It will include each of her five friends though.  So, I’m sitting here trying to figure out what the readers need to learn about each individual character then them as a group and what events need to take place during the book.

It’s fun…it’s hard but fun. lol

I spent most of today cooking, sleeping and posting on Once Upon A Crime.  I planned to spend my last few hours brainstorming my next book (a YA about six kids spending the night in an abandoned building and learning some terrible secrets), but I figured I take a look at my WIP and see how much work it needed.

When I write, I use WriteWayPro.  It’s a writer’s software that I absolutely love.  One of its many great aspects is no red or green squiggly lines.  It’s great for ignoring your internal editor.  So, while the revisions are done, there’s still the spelling, grammar and punctuation that needs to be checked.

At this stage, I’m just zipping through the pages looking for obvious mistakes.  Once I get it back from any beta readers, I’ll go through it one more time with a much closer look to detail.  So, I just completed 210 pages.  Only 164 for tomorrow.  There goes my braintorming for the evening, but it’s for a good cause.

I can’t believe it.  I am finished with my first revisions.

Woo hoo!!!!

Now it’s just a quick check for grammar and spelling this weekend, and I send it off to any beta readers.  Hopefully I can get this to the editor by mid-December–hopefully earlier.

I’m thrilled!

I am creeping along and almost at my goal.

276 / 360 pages. 77% done!

I just finished revising the second act. I’m about to start the third, which is roughly 6 chapters, which could be done in 3 more days, but some of them are on the small side and some major layering may need to be done…or even a couple more scenes.

But I’m coming to the end, and I’m thrilled!

Cara’s Christmas Fantasy by Lauren Murphy

Genre: Contemporary Big Beautiful Woman

Heat Rating: Bonfire

Length: Long Story-17,000 words

Price: $3.75

With their marriage on rocky ground, will Mike’s passionate plans reignite Cara’s love?

Plagued by her weight gain, Cara’s self-esteem has taken a downward spiral. No longer feeling attractive she unknowingly pushes away the one thing she truly wants; her husband’s affections.

Mike considers himself to be an understanding man but enough is enough. He wants his old Cara back–the wild, vivacious woman he met and knows is waiting to be revived. His desire for her compels him to create a plan that will bring them closer together emotionally and sexually. But will Cara be able to open her mind and body to the man she loves or will she push him away for good?

Read a full excerpt here!

Available now here!

Title: ART OF SENSUALITY
Author: Jax Cassidy
Publisher: Parker Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-6004-3044-2
Page Count: 250 pgs / print
Release Date: November 17, 2008

Art was not only a passion of Machiko Barrett, but also a destiny…a way of life she has known since her talent was discovered at three years old. Caught in a turbulent storm of celebrity, scandal and corruption, she disappeared from the art world only to re-emerge fifteen years later as an au pair to the two young children of renowned Parisian gallery owners. Her sheltered existence is disrupted when she is lured back to her one true passion: painting.

While Machiko struggles to find her own identity through her art, she encounters Caleb Holden, a sexy, unpredictable and irresistible neighbor with a penchant for collecting art, and women. As he discovers the girl within the woman, the secrets of Machiko’s past return to haunt her, revealing scars she never knew existed. She must learn to conquer her fears and allow him into her heart or risk slipping back into a cold, lonely world that once held her spirit captive. Through Caleb’s determination to educate Machiko about trusting herself and her abilities, he opens her eyes to the art of sensuality, and awakens the woman buried deep inside the broken girl.

Author Bio:
Jax Cassidy is a multi-published author and has written under the pen name Cassidy Kent. She is Co-Founder of Romance Divas, an award winning romance writer’s website and discussion forum. In between skydiving for charity and campaigning against human trafficking, she enjoys the company of close friends and indulges her caffeine fix at the nearest cafe. An avid traveler and an adventurous spirit, Jax has drawn inspiration from her experiences and often blends the exotic mix of Eastern and Western lifestyles into her writing. When she isn’t locked up in her office penning her latest manuscript, Jax can be found creating abstract paintings for future art shows, or dividing her time between California, Texas, and Florida.

For more information on Jax, please visit her online at www.jaxcassidy.com or www.jaxadora.blogspot.com