Hi, everyone! Score–it’s the weekend!! And I sure hope you have a great weekend.

I finished the rough draft of my second Fallen Angel book yesterday, and I’m scheduled to begin my edits/clean-up process on the manuscript tomorrow. That means today is an off day, or, as I like to think of it, reading party time!

I wanted to check-in and let folks know what’s happening with me.

First up, I am very excited to announce that I have joined the Magical Musings ladies at their blog.  Hurry over–we are having a big party as all the new blog members are welcomed! Lots of giveaways!

I have a new story that will release in just over a week. THE NAUGHTY LIST is a sensual holiday anthology that I sure hope you will enjoy.  But, please, don’t expect to read about vampires or shifters in this book. My contribution is a sexy Santa Claus this time.  Okay, a sexy cop dressed as Santa.  The story was such fun to write!  A nice change of pace for me, and one that very much put me in the holiday spirit (I wrote it last November so it was the perfect time to write the tale).

I also have the release of another Night Watch book—ETERNAL FLAME will release on November 30.  This is Zane’s story–ah, Zane.  A dark character, but a fun guy.  🙂  I think I’ll play around this weekend and see if I can do a trailer for his book.

And, of course, the month of October is almost here. One of my favorite months.  So, like last year, I decided to have a giant Halloween party here on the blog. I’m making the plans now and inviting lots of authors to come by and guest post. There will be prizes, ghost stories, and even Halloween decoration tips.  A month-long Halloween party–how could that not excite me? I am such a Halloween fanatic!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Update:  Kelly’s winner is…Kate! Congratulations, Kate! And thanks for all the comments!

Hi, everyone! Today it is my pleasure to have fabulous author Kelly L. Stone as my guest.  I love Kelly–her books are incredibly helpful guides for writers. If you want to write, you should definitely read her work. She sure helped me find more time to write.  Welcome, Kelly!

All writers face it—Resistance to writing. The time you had scheduled to write rolls around and conditions are perfect—you have two free hours at your disposal to do nothing but write. But gosh darn it, you just don’t feel like it. You wrote yesterday. Isn’t that enough? Suddenly the doorbell rings; the UPS guy is at the door! You leap from your desk, grateful to get pulled away from that blank page. Or the cheerleader coach calls—the parent who was supposed to cover the pep rally is in bed with flu. Can you fill in? And then there’s that sink full of dirty dishes fairly screaming at you.

Suddenly your good angel taps you on the shoulder. “You are supposed to be writing,” she whispers. “You have two hours before you even have to think about doing any of those other things.” She points to that goal chart hanging behind your computer that says you will finish your book in four weeks. Just how is that sucker going to get written? By osmosis?

One of the critical distinctions writers need to make is between a true distraction and when you are simply resisting getting to your desk. A true distraction is one that demands your attention—a sick child or pet, your own illness, a broken water pipe inside the house, or some other unexpected situation that is time sensitive.

Resistance is a tempting but not-time-sensitive task that lures you away from actual writing—the laundry, the dishes, email, surfing the internet, mowing the lawn, *conducting research*, and so on. Resistance to writing manipulates you into allowing general distractions to interfere with your work.

The key to dealing with resistance is to manage your thoughts. One way to do this is to utilize a pre-planned replacement thought when resistance rears its head. For instance, when you find yourself resisting writing, create a pre-planned statement to say to yourself. It can be something like, “Writers write. This is my scheduled writing time. I can do the laundry/dishes/check email/conduct research later.”

You can also practice changing your thoughts to manage your behavior. Start out by thinking of your goal as if it were already a reality, such as “I write three pages every day” or “I keep my early morning writing schedule regularly” or “I am a published author.” Then, act! Write the three pages, keep your writing schedule, send your work out so that it has a chance at publication. The more you practice managing your thoughts, the more your behavior will be goal-driven and the less Resistance will have a stranglehold on your writing.

Question for comments: How do you overcome resistance to writing? One random person will win a free copy of the LIVING WRITE, hot off the presses!

BIO: Kelly L Stone (www.AuthorKellyLStone.com) is the author of the TIME TO WRITE series, a set of motivational books for writers. The 3rd book in the series, LIVING WRITE: The Secret to Bringing Your Craft Into Your Daily Life (Adams Media) will be released September 18, 2010.

Then Borders Romance Buyer Sue Grimshaw has some recommendations for you! (And–sweet!–one of those covers looks familiar…)

Hi, everyone!  Just wanted to check-in quickly.  I’m working feverishly (really!) on my current WIP. My deadline is October 1,  and I am racing toward the end of the story. If you’d like to learn more about this story, head over to the Danger Women Writing Blog.  I posted some teaser info there.

Some news:  DEADLY FEAR was named as a Fresh Pick by Fresh Fiction (thank you!), and I was also notified that DEADLY FEAR had won a Coffee Time Reviewer’s Recommend Award (CTRR)–thank you to Matilda and all the great folks at Coffee Time!

Hi, everyone! It’s release day! BELONG TO THE NIGHT is being re-released today in mass market form.  So if you haven’t read this hot paranormal anthology yet, here is your chance (or it’s your chance to convince a friend to buy it at a low price!).

I am joined in this anthology by super fabulous authors, Shelly Laurenston and Sherrill Quinn.  Inside this book, you’ll find hot vampires, powerful witches, and sexy shifters.  Come on, doesn’t that sound like a good time?

Here are the full blurbs for you:

“The Wolf, The Witch, And Her Lack Of Wardrobe” by Shelly Laurenston

Jamie Meacham has enough trouble controlling her supernatural abilities. There’s no time for lust, or for Tully Smith, even with his smoldering amber eyes. But Tully’s grappling with his own animal instincts as a powerful shifter-wolf, trying to protect all his territory…

“In The Dark” by Cynthia Eden

FBI agent and leopard shifter Sadie James’ undead ex, Liam, still arouses her deepest desires. By teaming up with Liam, Sadie has a better chance of tracking the brutal rogue shifter who is terrorizing Miami, but as passion consumes them, she stands to lose more than just her heart.

(You can read an excerpt from my story here.)

“City Of The Dead” by Sherrill Quinn

Dori Falcon is a witch with a plan: get to New Orleans, locate her missing brother, and recover a mysterious and powerful amulet. Her plan never included falling for sexy Cajun cop Jake Boudreau; but without his help, she may never find the key to her family’s survival.

***

This anthology is perfect for putting you in a paranormal frame of mind (and getting you ready for the Halloween fun that is going to be upon us soon!)

Have a great day!