A lot of things have been going on in my world over the past week or so.
* My current project:
** As of this moment (Thursday, Nov 10, 2011) I am nearly done with the audiobook recording for Matters of the Blood.
** 22 of 23 chapters are recorded 
** I need to re-record chapter 8
** 7 chapters + opening & closing credits are recorded, QA’d and converted to MP3
** 5 minute sample converted to MP3 for uploading
** I need to QA (e.g., listen to) and then convert the remaining recorded chapters (9-23)
Goal: to finish the last bits and get all the files uploaded to ACX (Audible) by the end of the weekend.
* It’s been a GORGEOUS weather week here in Alexandria. Temps in the low 60s, sunny and just lovely. My lunch buddy Janna and I went to Cheesetique yesterday for lunch. They’ve debuted a new menu that not only added some yummy selections, but also include my old favorites. I ordered their Madrid Melt sandwich, one of their grilled cheese variations: Manchego, Jamón Serrano and membrillo on pain levain accompanied by mixed green salad. UTTER perfection!
Afterward, I splurged on a bottle of wine as a gift for my buddy Sherrie, who’s throwing a little soiree on Saturday. I chose a Spanish Red, Vivir Vivir. Sounded interesting. I also had to pick up some artisanal chocolates. The Fleurir “The Great Plains Bar” was simply out of this world. Salted breadcrumb in a dark chocolate blend. The other bar I picked up but have yet to try is the Poco Dolce Five Spice Bar. I love discovering nifty new tastes and Cheesetique is a great local store/restaurant.
* On the writing front, it’s been rather slow. My main concentration right now is the audiobooks. It’s rather time intensive. For each recorded hour of audio, I put in about 2-3 hours total. So for 1 novel (approx. 11 – 13 hours)… well, do the math. My M.O. is to record for 4-5 hours in the morning (Fri/Sat), then rest my voice. Since I’m in charge of the whole production: including quality control and final electronic files, it’s not like I can just sit & read into the mic and record then turn it all over to someone else. As I said, I’ve only done the one so far, but it seems to work out for me best to do it this way. One thing I have learned: I’m a HUGE control freak concerning the sound of the narrative. I know EXACTLY how it’s supposed to sound in my head. Heck, of course I do, I wrote it. I think it would’ve been VERY difficult to have decided to go with someone else as a narrator. Again, this is totally my own quirk and YMMV.
I do have about 8 short stories in various stages of completion plus one that is teasing itself into substantiality in the back of my brain–aka, I have the idea, the character, but not a specific plot. I figure that as soon as I finish all 5 audiobook recordings, I’ll get back to the stories.
* Kickstarter
If you’ve never heard of it, you should go check it out. It’s a fabulous crowdsourcing site for creatives. From film to novels to pretty much anything that can be considered a creative/artsy endeavour, you can find it here. I’ve personally funded six campaigns, and am ecstatic that I could be a contributor to two campaigns run by fellow UF authors, C.E. Murphy and Laura Anne Gilman.
In fact, they’ve been so successful, I’m considering running a small campaign myself. What do you guys think? I’ve got a couple of thoughts:
* a follow up novella to the Blood Lines series continuing the story after Blood Sacrifice
* a middle grade novel, probably UF/adventure/mystery starring a young protagonist who happens to have 2 moms (this grew from a comment a co-worker made to me that her 8 year old son, who loves to read, can’t find books that mirror his family (2 moms). The focus will NOT be on the fact that there are 2 moms, that will just be a part of the kid’s family. I’m planning it to be a good, fun read for that 9-12 age range or so. This is still a bit amorphous, as I’m way behind on current middle grade fiction. But I really do want to do this.
* EPublishing/What’s Next in Lima Land
A lot of Intarwebz kerfluffles about direct/self e-publishing vs. whatever else. I’m of the opinion that a person must find the right path for herself, and maximize potential. That said, I do have plans to e-pub a few things, none of which are suitable for commercial/legacy/NYC publishing houses.
Ideas so far:
* a collection of blog posts/essays by moi – probably at a fairly low price point
* some short stories (perhaps some of those 8 mentioned above)
* other ideas that are still too vague to describe
* Your feedback is important
I could do none of this without you all–my fans and friends and family.
Would you guys be interested in any of the above? Kickstarter? Epubbed books? Do you think that they would be successful enough (translated to mean: I get enough payment to offset my time/effort costs plus make some income)?
If I did do a Kickstarter campaign, what would you be most interested in funding? A novella in the Blood Lines universe? Short stories about the various characters? Something else entirely?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
That’s right, my first ever made-by-me ebook.
We do this every year: the obligatory Thanksgiving Day gratitude post. It’s a thing, like taking out the winter clothing in October or rotating your car tires. A habit, expected of most bloggers.
Little did I know that the tire blowout on the 3rd would turn into major repairs for my wee Smart! Turns out that due to a bizarre confluence of events, when the tire blew, the car jerked sideways (I must’ve hit the left curb due to the blowout?) – which caused a small part in the rear axle to bend a little, and threw the car out of alignment. 
I found out Monday evening that I’d been nominated for a very prestigious award. Namely, Blood Sacrifice (and specifically Keira Kelly) is on the short list for the 2011 Best Urban Fantasy Protagonist award from 
