Best of...

For my retrospective, here is a blog post from November 22, 2009. Enjoy!

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No fear?

A dear friend of mine has characters and stories roaming her head. She wants, no, yearns to write.

Just like the rest of us, she is frightened.

Writing is scary stuff. Let's list a few of the things that scare her.

1. Rejection by publishers.
2. Rejection by agents.
3. Rejection by friends and family.
4. The possibility that you really DO suck.
5. The possibility that you might learn something about yourself that you didn't want to know. (I was pretty surprised that I wrote vampire stories. I wanted to write screw-ball comedies).
6. Bad reviews.
7. Good reviews.
8. Not getting published which leads to...
9. Feeling like you've wasted your time.
10. Not making money.

These fears are real. They stop people in their tracks every day. They even stop me from time to time.

I have no easy answers about how to not be afraid. In fact, these fears are important. You have to look at them and say, "Well. What if I do suck? What if my work does gets rejected from now until the end of time?"

The payoff might not be worth the pain. If so, then congratulate yourself, and realize that there are many other dreams waiting for you! Maybe you will find fulfillment in improv comedy or Linux open-source work.

Make your fears work for you.

Spring is coming, I promise.

My friends in the Midwest and East Coast are experiencing exciting and crazy weather. In order keep spirits up, here are some pictures from our trip to Hawaii.

On the Island of Maui, in the town of Lahaina, there is a banyan tree that is the size of an entire city block. Visiting this tree was one of the highlights of our trip.

I have a tender spot in my heart for trees, especially large, brave trees like this one. So imagine yourself with a yummy shave ice and sitting in the shade of this beautiful tree. And spring will come, I promise. :)

The Charming Man relaxing.

That bright thing is the sun. It is very nifty, and someday, we will all see it again.

Into the branches.

Promo prep

I will be at the Romantic Times Book Lovers Conventions May 1st to May 5th. I've been designing cool giveaway items for months.

The ever fabulous Jessica Smith came over to help me with the prep. And here are the pictures!

First, I have handy compact mirrors with my Blood Wings logo. Every vampire needs a mirror to make sure they don't have blood caught in their fangs.

Fang Check.

 If your fangs are not up to your expectations, drop me a line. Maybe you might get one of these for yourself before I head out!

And my promotional image!

This is Jessie. Isn't she a cutie?

After getting the stickers on my mirrors, Jessie, who is a creative force to be reckoned with, suggested I do some some of my hand painted fans for the conference. After all, writers conventions do get warm and many of us are (say it softly) menopausal.

So we took some of my plain white fans and decorated them in the colors of my covers.

Decorating in process.

And finished!

Jessie with my Grand Prize fan.

And here we are with my postcards, fans, and mirrors.

Just a little insight into the things an author does to raise awareness for her books. :)















And various quotes from the day:

"Blood on white is always classy."

"I'll just go upstairs and get a scalpel."

"Wipe off with the sponge, then scrape with the knife."

"I don't know how many times it'll get soggy before it has to dry out."

I hope we scared you but good!

The back yard project.

Remember when my back yard looked like this?

Or this?

Or even like this?

Makes you want to sit a spell, right?

 But now!!
Soon, we will have paint and furniture, too. :)

Celebrations!

Now that I have found a measure of health again, it is time to celebrate the release of Dracula Unleashed!

 To celebrate Dracula's final book, I am giving away a dragon necklace - after all, Dracul means dragon. And Valerie loves her dragon embroidered coat.

This is the chance to wear your very own dragon! It is suitable for both men and women, too, just like everyone else in the book.

All you have to do is comment here, at my Twitter, or on my Facebook, and you are entered into a drawing for the shiny.

Free, free, free!

This week, Dracula's Secret is free at Amazon.com!

Good things about my book:

"With a talent for sinfully sexy romance, Linda Mercury will keep you up through the night and craving more after the last page is turned." --Tori St. Claire, author of Stripped and Lie To Me

"Non stop action, steamy sex, and tons of mythical creatures. This is my kind of Urban Fantasy. The character's are complex, the flashback's are relevant and help move the story along. The story never fails to keep me on my toe's. The idea that Vlad the Impaler was actually a woman is genius and makes Dracula's story that much more interesting.

If you like Urban Fantasy, strong female character's, strong male leads that are actually good men, and good writing you'll love this book. A must have for Kate Daniels fan's." Review by Jskinz.

 Hurry on over!

And don't forget Books Two and Three.
Dracula's Secret, Blood Wings #1
Dracula's Desires, Blood Wings #2
Dracula Unleashed, Blood Wings #3, to be released March 21, 2013

Best of...Tips and Tricks

Continuing the four year anniversary of my blog with a post from November 10, 2009. :)

Tips and tricks.

Let's be honest. We all experience insecurity and fear about our writing. Everything from "It sucks", to "I suck" and everything in between.

It can paralyze an artist in a quagmire of self-loathing misery. Sometimes, though, it's possible to make a few steps out this nasty, leech-ridden, malaria-infested swamp

I call upon my 'tricks' to make it easier to find a shortcut. Here's few of my favorite tricks in no particular order, in a handy numbered list for quick reference. :)

My local library

Bribery. Yummy, yummy bribery.

1. Change writing locations. I'll write in the library, different rooms in the house (I'm writing this now on my second floor landing), a coffee-shop (Starbucks is a cliche for a reason, folks!), or even just go outside. Something about a different visual geography can shake me out of a funk.
2. Bribery is both functional and traditional. One of my critique partners says, "I don't need a lollipop every time I finish five pages." Well, I'm not nearly that mature. I love to bribe myself with hot baths, visits with my friends, a good movie - you name it. I try to avoid bribing myself with food, though. That way lies getting stuck in the different quagmire of body image issues.
3. Ask for help. Somewhere out there, someone believes in you. Give them a call or an email. Say, "I'm going in. Cover me!" For some reason, this works really really well.
4. Set a timer. When I'm exhausted and nearly falling out of my chair, I can fulfill my promises to myself by setting a timer for however long, and then letting myself rest.
5. Read your work aloud. Something about hearing the story  gets me ready to rock and roll.
6. Crank your tunes. Turn that knob to eleven. Let the music drown out all those nasty, self-defeating voices.

What are some of your favorite tricks?