South Carolina, FINALLY
September 30, 2005 by Melissa · Leave a Comment
Well, it was a sad trip. We were up and ready early, crackODAWN, really before then, and found out we were delayed. But, we did spend a little cash on some wonderful message chairs in the DFW airport. Absolutely wonderful, but while we were being relaxed, they changed our gate, which had us running to make the next flight. Not nice.
Today we had two great booksignings, one at Walden’s at Charleston Place and one at All About Books, a great indy store in Summervile, SC. We have one more tomorrow before heading off.
We saw lots of things, including men in Pat Benetar shirts, met Charolette Hughes’ son and girlfriend.
Sorry for no pretty man, I am on Kally’s laptop, so I don’t have them:( Will check in again soon!
The editor who can kill a writer
September 25, 2005 by Melissa · Leave a Comment
I have realized through the last year that I have become an even worse critic of my own writing. I always have been my worst critic, most writers are, but the last year, through reviews and edits, I think I began to allow comments to infiltrate my writing. It has been hard to overcome but I think with ALHP I am doing it. Mainly because I think this is a tad different than other books I have written, subject matter included. At first, I worried I wouldn’t be able to do it. BDSM is not something I write about, or menages for that matter. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, I just hadn’t attempted it. So it was new territory. But, once I got over that, I’ve been writing like a maniac, mainly trying to make up for the lost time because I had to replot the whole book because of the NO devastation.
In other news, I am in hell. No really, where else can I be when it is 105* in late September? Oh, wait, just Texas. Because we were on the west side of Rita, we got no rain, wind, and heat. San Antonio is pretty full up with people, but I have noticed that more people are heading back to Houston. Hope they have a more pleasant trip than the one that brought them here.
I thought about running away to B and N to write, but I refuse to step out of the house once it gets that hot, esp in Sept. If my husband goes to another hotspot next, damn if someone is not getting stabbed with a fork. I don’t know who, but if I am going to suffer, someone making the decisions will too.
going, going, going
September 23, 2005 by Melissa · Leave a Comment
Okay, so little by little, I am reworking the plot for ALHP. It is going okay, and I have written the beginning of the last love scene. I was worried about it because it is my first menage, but I think it will go well.
There is so much of me in this book in a way, but so little I have in common with these people. For those of you who don’t know me, you may be surprised to know that I really don’t take direction well. No, no, really. I am not the fragile flower you think I am. I have a tendency to speak my mind. I know, unsettling to know that little old Melissa has a big mouth.
Cynthia is learning about control, about being her own person in and out of the bedroom. I have a feeling that many of us may go through this earlier, or at least have some inkling about ourselves than Cynthia. And the fact that she has been hit upside the head with the idea that bondage is for her is, I guess, a little jarring to the woman, lol. I think that is why I had problems at first. She was really learning the ropes, no pun intended, okay I did, but still. I was right there with her. It is hard for me to imagine NOT saying what you want to be in life, not going after it. Sure there are times that I throw my laptop in the trash. That happened once. My calm, German minded, organized husband fished it out and set it on the table and then told me to quit being so dramatic. What can I say? I’m Italian. We excel at dramatics and cooking. Well and other things but that would be TMI.
But for Cynthia, I think a lot of this is scary. She has been buttoned down all her life. Doing what was expected of her and the one time she defies her parents, they disown her. I can’t imagine that because I am a pain in the ass and my family still accepts me. But for her, her foundation is rocked.
Chris is going to have some things thrown at him too. He needs to learn planning life is not always workable. No matter what you do, life happens. Nothing much you can do about it. So, Chris is learning about control another way. Both of them have a lot of growing to do.
One thing I like about this is that once again, in my writing, I get to be someone so different than myself. There is always a little of me in all these heroines, and heroes, but there is so much you can learn about the world when you step into someone else’s shoes and look around at the scenery. I guess that is why I love to read also.
Well, allergy meds are catching up and this tired old woman needs some rest 
Working, working, working
September 21, 2005 by Melissa · 2 Comments
So, I think I made a breakthrough in ALHP and it is running so smoothly. I hope it continues, although we might be hiding out this weekend because of Rita*sigh*.
I had an idea driving me crazy for the last love scene in ALHP and once I wrote it, it was like all the flood gates were open. I hope it works as well as I think it is working, or I will be disappointed.
Two times the charm in this pic donated by Kim B…and it might give you a hint to the love scene I wrote….
Exchanging Ebooks…you have committed a crime
September 20, 2005 by Melissa · 12 Comments
Okay, so as an ebook author, I tend to get pissed about this. Understandably. Writers earn very little, especially considering the amount of work we have to do, the hours spent writing and editing. Ebook authors are at a disadvantage because there are people who actually think if it is in ebook, we are not really published. But exchanging ebooks is illegal. You know there is a little thing at the beginning of the book, a warning saying that there is a copyright law…yeah, it is a crime.
Many people tell me that it isn’t any different than sharing a used book. It is different. It is like taking a book, and making about 100 copies and sharing it with your friends. You can be fined for it. And why am I going off on it? Someone on a list mentioned my name saying she would exchange books. Yep, someone who has “ALOT”(and that should be two words, but when I quote, I quote people’s mistakes) of Melissa Schroeder. So, if you…Oh_JUST ME are on my loops, in my groups, or thinks he or she is a fan, YOU ARE NOT. You are stealing from me, from the work I have done, and I find you repulsive. My family thanks you for stealing money from us, and my publishers have been notified. And if you are a member of one of my groups under another name, I would wish you would leave. I don’t care if I get left with one person in my group, I would rather not have false support from people who steal from me.
And if you think I am being a bitch about it, too bad. If I showed up at work and stole office supplies you had to pay for at payday, you would want me arrested. I work over 60 hours a week at my writing in some way or another and I refused to sit down and be a good girl about money being stolen from me and from my publishers.
BIAW and other things
September 18, 2005 by Melissa · Leave a Comment
Well, I am taking part in Passionate Ink’s first ever Book in a Week. For those of you who aren’t writers, book in a week is where you clear your calendar and work your heart out writing. NO EDITING. It is to get everything you want on the page, and you go back after the week and edit. But it is to get your creative juices going. I am going to finish my proposal for Love Lessons today, and then work on A Little Harmless Pleasure. I am really looking forward to it. I even have my own soundtrack for ALHP, as Kally Jo likes to call them. BTW, she donated the pic at the left hand side.
Other than that, not much going on. Gathering up the things for my trip with Kally Jo, and basically staying out of the heat. Yes, here in San Antonio it is hot as hell. We reached 96 degrees yesterday. Not a heat index. Really 96 degrees. Apparently, I have been a total bitch in another life to be stuck in a place like this. There is no other reason I can come up with for it. I do know that my husband lost all chances at living in Texas after he retires. If I wanted to live some place I fear for my life because of the bugs, I at least live some place like Hawaii. At least it isn’t flat and brown.
Now, I am sure there are some native Texans who are reading this, and thinking, “Ya don’t like it, leave.” I will as soon as the military gives me a pass. Brown, flat, hot, filled with bugs, and more allergies than you can sneeze at. Don’t get me wrong. I love certain things about Texas, especially South Texas. There is a variety of cultures here, from German to Hispanic to Native American with a dab of French and Czech. And there is nothing that like Tex Mex or barbque(that is a sauce not an activity for you northerners. We grill in the south and put barbque sauce on our meat.). But, when I am trapped inside because of the heat and my allergies, it is not fun. At least when we lived in Hawaii, after a hot day, the evening was usually gorgeous. If you could ignore the centipedes. *sigh*
Working, working, working
September 14, 2005 by Melissa · Leave a Comment
Well, I have been so busy marketing my book, The Accidental Countess, that I got a bit behind on work. I am going to participate in the Passionate Ink BIAW to finish up ALHP. Hopefully I will have everything taken care of in the reworking of the new city, and have the rough ready to be looked over well before I leave for South Carolina.
I find myself often wondering if this is what I am meant to do. There is a bit of stress to it, not so much the writing, but the promo and other factors. Having four companies is hard to deal with sometimes, not that I am complaining. Sometimes, though, it is hard to give them equal attention.
I am now working on a BIG CONTEST leading up to the release of ALHP. Not sure what I am going to give away, but it will be big. I am thinking of doing some kind of game, have a few winners. Since ALHP will be my first ebook release in about 5 months, I figure I need to do something good to announce it lol.
Well I am off to write, and you have a good day.
picture donated by Aly from Genesis!
Pictures
September 13, 2005 by Melissa · 4 Comments
.jpg)
Okay, so now I have to have my pictures taken. I had planned on doing it earlier this year, but sickness over took the house of Schroeder, first everyone else, then me. You know how that goes. So I dread having them taken, but I am because I need it for publicity things, book covers, and I will be posting it to my site. So, pray for me, I go this week, after a hair cut, and hopefully they can make me look 50 pounds thinner and 10 years younger. If not, maybe just make sure I don’t look like a dork.
Today’s pic is donated by Stephanie Vaughan.
Escape from Schroederville
September 10, 2005 by Melissa · 2 Comments
Okay, so today I did a bit of work, but I tell ya, I love them but my family is driving me insane. When I am having problems with working, any distraction, including a screaming MIMI, and the OU football game bother me. When it is flowing well, I have a grip on what I am writing, an jet plane could land in my living room and not bother me. So, tomorrow I am escaping.
I am taking my alphasmart and running to Borders and working. Or anywhere for that matter, just to get away from my loving family. They really aren’t being any different than usual, but I need to escape and gain some peace. Of course, in Hawaii, I could always walk across the street to the BX, and sit outside most of the year at the food court and write. Nighttime in Hawaii was always my favorite part of the day. It is just gorgeous. But once again, I digress…
Tomorrow, I will write more, but not on ALHP. A futuristic erotic romance is bothering me, so I am going to work on it, and then I shall do ALHP for my BIAW for Passionate Ink. That is a week from Sunday.
so, hopefully I will get further tomorrow and start jamming. And once again, a thank you to Kally for the pic:)
Weekend of Working
September 9, 2005 by Melissa · 1 Comment
Well, I am reworking A Little Harmless Pleasure this weekend. It will be a weekend full of work, so I won’t be doing much else, except that. I need to fix the problems with the ending, and get to work on it. After thinking about it, and brainstorming with Kally, I think the story is going to end up in San Francisco. I am still saddened I couldn’t do this in New Orleans. I think it fit the mood exactly, but since I believe one of the supporting characters may end up with his own story and he is bisexual, it is probably a good thing. I know, acceptable in New Orleans, but San Francisco is a good place for it.
so, now you know erotic romance writers sometimes have boring weekends, lol. But, oh the world I am going to be living in includes a sexy creole, and a heroine discovering her sexual needs. Not too shabby.
Thanks to Glenda for the pic!
