Hairy Situation

I’m molting.

[That needs to be said ala the Wicked Witch of the West’s, “I’m meeelting.”]

What do I mean by molting? I mean, my hair is falling out.

Under any other circumstances, you might be able to hear me shrieking all the way from here in my little corner of Southwest Ohio.

But, for me, molting is normal.

Well, as normal as it can be.

It all started fifteen years ago with the birth of my first son. A month after he was born, the strands started falling. Since then, it happens every year around this time.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not bald, not even close. Most people probably wouldn't even notice anything unusual, even up close. I seriously have a lot of hair right now [need to make that salon appointment ASAP], and can probably actually stand to lose a few strands, or okay, several dozen. There's absolutely no need for me to go all crazy and call Sy Sperling over at The Hair Club for Women.

Yet.

And the good news is that by the time the leaves turn in the fall, my hair will be completely back to normal.

I’m not sure why this happens, it’s just one of those things I’ve accepted. Kind of like how I'll always buy white T-shirts even though I can never keep them clean, and how all my indoor plants have to droop sadly before I'll water them.

Does molting happen to anyone else? Or is my little molting club going to have only one freaky member?

~heather

What I’ve Worked on this Week: Plotting WEEDING OUT TROUBLE, the 5th book in the Nina Quinn series, and I started Chapter 1 (woo-hoo!).

Pages Completed on WEEDING: 3

Rejection, part... four, now, is it?

Well, to pick up from Diana, Michele and Maggie, rejection is just part of the business. But you know what? It's always just one person's opinion. I mean, every time I go to a bookstore and fail to pick up a particular book, on one level, I'm rejecting it -- I didn't like it enough to buy it. But just because I didn't doesn't mean 4 million other people won't. (Exhibit A: the DaVinci Code.)

And just because my first book got me a two-book deal didn't mean that was the end of rejection for me. After Murder on the Rocks sold, I got to work on another book after talking about the idea with my agent. That book didn't sell -- it got fabulous, frameable rejection letters, but it just wasn't the right thing at the right time. And then I wrote another proposal... which didn't sell. (I'll be blogging about this in more detail soon on the BookEnds blog, which is a great writers' resource -- and my agent Jessica kindly posted my original query letter there recently, if you're interested...)

But even though those rejection letters were... well, not exactly what I wanted to find in my mailbox... I learned something valuable.

Used to be I'd sit by the phone (or carry my cell phone with me everywhere) when a proposal went out, waiting for 'the call'. (The last time 'the call' came, incidentally, I happened to have forgotten the damned cell phone, of course.) After being burned a few times, though, I have a new strategy.

I start something else. Not a sequel -- God knows, not a sequel. Never again will I do that... at least not until the first book is sold. No, I start something completely different. I step back behind the brick wall I've erected around my 'writer' self (a very different creature from the 'marketing' self, which figures out what to do with the 'writer' self's products) and pour myself into my new project. Completely. Because, after all, it's the writing process that keeps me in this business. I love sitting down and dreaming up new worlds -- I get grumpy, in fact, when I don't. And I figure if the next book or proposal doesn't sell, why, I have about a hundred more ideas waiting in line. (I've learned to always be thinking of story ideas, too -- after finishing Murder on the Rocks, I panicked -- didn't know what to do next -- and learned that I never, ever want to be in that position again.)

Fortunately, my strategy paid off, and my two non-starter proposals weren't the end of the story. (Don't you love happy endings?) I just signed a three-book deal with the publisher of my dreams (I mean, Ballantine publishes J.R.R. Tolkien's books, for Pete's sake), and am -- to put it mildly -- over the moon. Which stands to reason, really, because it's a werewolf series. And I'm having an absolute ball writing the books. But you know what I did the week after that proposal went out to the editors?

You guessed it. I started on another one.

The way I see it is, we writers like to write, and there will always be more ideas, and if we can just let our literary offspring go out into the world and do what they're going to do (with a little marketing help from us, of course) and focus on creating new things, I think we'll be okay one way or another. As long as we keep reading, keep writing, keep learning -- and of course, keep pushing the limits of our comfort zones.

Well. Now that I've given my little sermon on rejection, it's time for bed. But before I go, there are two things I promised myself I'd include: one, Susan Wittig Albert kindly mentioned Murder on the Rocks on her wonderful Web log Lifescapes (I'm thrilled, because she's like my mystery-writing role model)... and two, I just got word that the Cozy Library recently added a review of Murder on the Rocks. I read it, and I'm delighted. The author -- Diana Vickery, I believe -- is obviously a reader of rare talent and discriminating taste. :)

Well, that's it for now. Hope you have a fabulous week, and if you're a writer, a prolific one. I find coffee helps. By the way, one of my coffee shop friends asked me about the sandwich board the other day. Still holding out for free babysitting... ;)

Karen

The Bumps and Grind

I've been reading my Co-Cozy Chicks posts on writing.

Writing is hard work. I think sometimes aspiring writers don't quite understand how hard it is. Both Maggie and Michele make a great points about learning to take rejection (and despite what you intellectually understand about rejection not being personal, it still hurts like hell--like a kick in the guts) and about dealing with rejection when it turns into something really frightening: a lull in your career.

Of course a lot of aspiring or "pre-published writers" (as some optimistically refer to themselves) are braced for the initial rejection. We all cut our writing teeth on stories of forty-plus rejections before that glorious day when a publisher of exquisite taste and discernment (and I'm not talking about Publish America here) finally sees what Ms. Author has known all along and decides to take a risk on her book.

We all expect a slew of rejections to start with. What we don't expect is that sometimes those rejections go on for YEARS.

That's gotta hurt, as the hardboiled writers say.

What hurts even worse is initial success followed by a dry period. You'd be shocked, shocked, I tell you, to discover how common that is. At least with the initial rejections, you sort of expect it. You understand that you're honing your craft, that few first novels deserve to be published, that you are paying your dues. Rejection is not unexpected in the initial stages of the disease. It's not pleasant, mind you, and it is often what separates the men from the boys (or the chicks from the girls) but it rarely comes as a total shock. Unless you are really naive or a true ego-maniac.

But the slap in the kisser following initial success--like a three-book contract that plays out to moderate success but no awards or third print runs or a renewal...well, that's...personal.

That's an ouchie no Scooby Doo BandAid can mend.

The comforting side of that is that if you were good enough to land a contract once, in theory you should be good enough to score again. That's the theory, anyway. And one can always change one's pen name and recreate oneself and one's sales history. It's doesn't always work that way, though.

I'm in a couple of different writing groups--one group is made up of pros like myself. Actually, not quite like myself because one of our members just had her one millionth book see print. Wow. We were all thrilled for her, but I don't think she was quite as thrilled because she's rather bored with romance and she's been trying to break into the mystery genre for nearly three years. To no avail.

That's pretty scary because she's good--and she has a proven track record (though not in mystery, granted). She gets wonderful rejection letters--you know, the kind of letters you live for when you're starting out, the ones that keep you hoping and dreaming that it's going to happen for you quite soon (and, by the way, it generally does after you reach that point).

It's disappointing for her, to say the least. But she keeps on writing and she keeps on submitting--because that's all you can do. When all else fails, you have only your stubborness, your persistence to fall back on.

There are folks who will tell you that persistence is more important than skill, but I refuse to believe that. I also still believe in Santa Claus. I do have suspicions about the Tooth Fairy, however.

Anyway, my point, and I'm convinced that I have one, is that this is not an easy business at the best of times--and most of us will not have the best of times. At least not all the time. You have to keep working, perfecting your craft (which in time may even become art) and bracing yourself against the inevitable set-backs. One step at a time, like the philospher said. Or maybe it was a traffic cop. (I'm trying to remember if closing my eyes and touching my nose was involved.)

Anyway, there are bumps and potholes in every road. You don't give up the journey because it's a rough ride or it's taking longer than planned--because on this particular road trip it's about the journey, not the final destination.

A Writer's Path has lots of curves

First, let me say I second all the good advice Michele just posted for writers who want to follow this winding path. And I'll add this: find the best writer's group in your area and start attending the monthly meetings and critique groups. Most of us writers start off laboring in the dark all alone, often making mistakes we could avoid if we were networking with other writers. I know I did. And I got nowhere.

It wasn't until I moved to another state and connected with a dynamic writer's group (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers in Denver, CO) that I began to make real progress toward my goal of becoming a published author. If you're interested in details, check out my website www.maggiesefton.com and click on "About Maggie."

There are wonderful writing groups scattered all over the U.S. We're fortunate in Colorado to have two outstanding groups, RMFW in Denver and Pikes Peak Writers in Colorado Springs, CO. Both groups offer monthly newsletters packed with information, monthly meetings with presentations, critique groups in every genre of fiction, regularly scheduled craft workshops and --- this is the biggie -- yearly conferences with panels and workshops and speakers on everything a writer could want from the basics of craft to crime experts to marketing strategies.

Plus---editors and agents attend both conferences and are available for short, 10-min "pitch" sessions. That means when you're got a novel that's ready to be submitted, you can actually speak with a real, live editor or agent.

So, check online for the regional writing groups near you and get going. I know that often means driving. I had to drive regularly from Northern Colorado to Denver to all of the RMFW activities, but it was worth it. That's where the writers were, and I was a writer.

There's another reason to join a writer's group and that's for the friendships you'll make. No one understands you like another writer. They're trying to capture characters on the page every day just like you are. The friendships you'll make there will help you through the dark times when you're not selling and celebrate the good times when you are.

I've been writing novels for over 20 years. I was first pubbed in 1995 in historical fiction (again, see website for details). Then I was back on the bench for years until the knitting mysteries came out. That's why I'm so overjoyed with their success. Both KNIT ONE, KILL TWO (June 2005) and NEEDLED TO DEATH (December 2005) made four national bestseller lists. In fact, NEEDLED was the #1 bestselling paperback mystery on Barnes&Nobles bestseller list. Believe me, overjoyed is an understatement.

One of the things that got me through all those years on the bench was the support of my fellow writers. Writers that I had met through those writing groups I mentioned. There's no substitute for the fellowship of friends.

The List (Not) on how to get Published

Hi Everyone,

First off, I want to start by "saying," that this group of women writers I am a part of, is a kick ass group! I feel honored to be on board, and I hope the readers enjoy what we write.

Being that this is my first post and some of you may not have a clue who Iam, I write The Wine Lover's Mystery Series. My first book MURDER UNCORKED came out last October and the second book in the series, MURDER BY THE GLASS, was just released on June 6th and as of last week was #44 on the mass market mystery B&N sales! It's been quite a journey and continues to be one. When I speak at writers' conferences I am asked frequently, "How do you get published?" I love this question, because I can remember being at several conferences wanting to know the answer, too. I always wanted the laundry list to publication, the a-z, 1-10, whatever the list was, I wanted it. Well, there is no list. There are certain things you need to do and certain things you probably should not do, and so in a sense I guess there is a bit of a list (I just contradicted myself--something you will find a lot of in writing and life, in general, I believe).

So here is my list, not so list--Start with learning your craft as much as you can before exposing it to agents. Read books on writing, read books in the genre you want to write in and outside the genre (READ, READ, READ), go to workshops and ask questions (for years I was too shy to do this--don't be, because no one will bite your head off and even if they do, they're jerks and should not be teaching.) The next item is to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! This one is the VITAL one. You will learn more from what you put down on the page than anything else you do in this psocess. You have to be disciplined to glue your butt in the chair everyday and write. Now, that doesn't mean you have to churn out ten pages a day or even one. Start with a paragraph and it will grow, but to be a writer, you have to write. So many people like to be able to say that "they're a writer," but then when you ask them what they're writing, they give all kinds of excuses why they aren't writing anything at that time. Horse pucky!!! I can find a gazillion excuses not to write and I bet the other Cozy Chicks can, too--anything from washing the clothes, dropping off the kids, head hurts, gotta get the groceries, ooh and my nails look crappy, a manicure would be nice(need I say more?).

Once you've finished your book, let it sit for a bit (I call this marinating). As the book marinates, start jotting down ideas for another book (maybe a few weeks of this). Then, go back and revise the heck out of that first book. I usually revise anywhere from 4-12 times before I feel fairly satisfied with a book.

When, you feel the book is polished, it's time to get out the list of target agents and submit, and be prepared for REJECTION. Be prepared for possibly a lot of rejection. It sucks, but it's the reality and if you're a writer, you'll allow this rejection about two seconds of your time and then move on. Keep submitting, writing and learning the craft. Take heed in what agents may tell you in their responses. If you receive the standard form letter, accept that it is totally normal and not a reason to jump off the nearest bridge. Agents are busy people and don't always have time for a personal note.

You may find (I did) that through the process you start with a book and you hide that book under the bed and you write another and another, and you send it out and you get standard rejections, so you write another and you send it out and you get back some nice notes, but still rejected, so you learn from the suggestions and you keep reading, writing and learning, and then one day, after you've written a lot, read a lot, learned a lot (there is always more to learn. This process is ongoing) you will get a call or letter from an agent who wants to represent you. That is a great day. This happened with me with Bookends (who also has a great blog at www.bookends-inc.com), and my fingers are crossed that this will happen for you, because it can and it will, if you are a writer and if you have faith and intend for this to be your path.

Cheers,
Michele Scott

Please check all of us Cozy Chicks out:
www.maggiesefton.com
www.karenmacinerney.com
www.girl-detective.net
www.heatherwebber.com
www.michelescott.com

Ch-Ch-Chaaaange

Change, I’ve found, is hard.

Go figure.

There’s some things about myself I know I have to change. As in my out-of-shape-ness. Next month I will possibly be hiking up Mt. Washington.

Need. To. Get. On. The. Treadmill. Now.

Or bring an oxygen tank in my backpack. I may be on the petite side, but I have no stamina whatsoever.

I also need to stop procrastinating. Every New Year’s it’s on my resolution list. The fact that it’s on my list every year should tell you how well that resolution works for me.

Another thing it’s time for me to change is my self-delusion in regard to manuscript length.

It never fails—about two or three months before a manuscript is due, I always calculate my goal at 300 pages (double-spaced, courier new, 1”margins). So, as I’m procrastinating, I tell myself, “Okay, you have 50 pages left to make 300 pages. You’re good. You can put off writing today, to, oh, finally clean the fish tanks since it’s been four months.” (A little algae never hurt anyone!)

The problem with this?

I never, ever (and I mean ever) come in at 300 pages.

I’ve just finished the latest Nina Quinn mystery, Trouble in Bloom… You’d think I’d have learned my lesson by the fourth book, right?

Wrong.

At the RT conference in May, I still had a month before the book was due, and I kept telling myself, only 50 pages to go. My bravado kicked in: 50 pages is nothing. Ha! I laugh in the face of 50 pages.

Fast forward two weeks when I realize I’m at page 260 with 40 pages to go. Panic starts to set in. 40 pages in two weeks? I’d have to buckle down, really stick to a schedule. Because even though I had confidence I’d be able to get 40 pages done, I still needed time to edit before sending the book off. Editing takes me forever.

Only…

40 pages turned out to be 90 pages.

Why? Because I conveniently forgot that I cannot write a 300 page book.

I was going to bed at 1 AM, getting up at 6 AM. I forgot to eat, missed several of my son’s baseball games, the house looked like a sty, and my wrists hurt.

The book came in at 350 pages, and through editing, I whittled it down to 333 pages. I had two days to edit, and I made it to the UPS store with 10 minutes spare in order to overnight my latest manuscript to my editor.

Needless to say, I’ve decided to start the 5th book in the Nina Quinn series right away (no procrastination!!). Here at The Cozy Chicks I’ll share my writing process, progress, and the ups and downs of writing full-time, along with the usual-type topics, which with me can range from reality TV to me sharing a name with a soap opera character.

Until next week,
Heather

Frappuccino samples and other occupational hazards

For three years now, almost every weekday morning I've driven to a nearby coffee shop (three guesses which one), plopped my derriere into a squishy armchair, and proceeded to write a whole bunch of words. Originally, I handwrote them (I typed them into my computer later, at home) -- now, to save time, I just take my handy-dandy little laptop with me. It's kind of like having an office, only better -- I mean, what's not to like about a place with an endless supply of Frappuccino samples and no desks? All in all, I spend an hour or two alternately working and chatting, and come away feeling like the morning has been well-spent.

Someone recently learned of my coffee shop habit and offered me a spot in a new "Writers' Space" she's putting together -- a nice, quiet place where writers can work without interruption. And all I could think was -- ugh. While I like the idea of having a set place to work -- after all, I do have a favorite chair -- I don't know if I could survive without the buzz of people (LOTS of good people-watching to be had), the coffee -- and in particular, the feeling that I'm not trapped in a windowless cell somewhere. (I read once that Colette had her paramour lock her in a closet until she'd produced a certain amount of work -- that's one way to do it, I guess, but wouldn't be my choice.)

On the other hand, I'm starting to see that there are some benefits to be had with the closet strategy. At least in terms of productivity.

Time was when I was just another face in the caffeine-dependent crowd. Sometime after the 900th latte, though, the cloak of anonymity began to unravel -- and now I have several "coffee shop" friends, all of them intriguing and tremendous fun to talk to. (There's also the friendly barista who swings by with Frappuccino samples every eight to ten minutes -- Tom, when I can't fit into my clothes anymore, I know who to blame).

I must admit, however, that recently my word count has suffered just a hair. And since I have multiple deadlines, it's an issue that must be addressed.

So I've come up with a cheap solution to my productivity problem: a sandwich board. I'll write "Working" on one side and "Chatting" on the other. The plan is, I'll start with "Working", and only switch to "Chatting" after I've hit my quota. (In the interest of my waistline, I may need another one, too -- "Samples" and "No More Samples".)

The other option, of course, would simply be to spend more time in my writing chair. So if anyone's up for a little free babysitting (hint, hint), let me know. I might even be able to throw in a few Frappuccino samples!

Just Killian Time...

Okay, okay. Pretty bad, I know. I was toying with Diana's Ditherings but that's liable to edge too close to the truth.

As Karen mentioned, I've been writing like a maniac for the past few weeks. (Although Karen courteously refrained from using the word "maniac".) According to my husband, I do pretty much everything like a maniac, but I am particularly obsessive when it comes to writing. I'm always writing something. Some of it is commercial and some of it is not--for some reason I'm always most passionate about the non-commercial projects.

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Diana Killian and I'm a Writaholic.

I write the Poetic Death series. It's about the adventures of a thirty-something American high school teacher in the English Lake District. That sounds like a set up for a bunch of sweet romantic stories by D.E. Stevenson, but Grace Hollister's adventures always involve murder. Her boyfriend is an ex-jewel thief with a very mysterious past, so death and danger is all part of the job description. As for the "Poetic Death" connection, each of the books ties in with one of the Romantic Poets--in fact, the prolog of each book starts with the death of the featured poet. So far I've done (in) Byron, Shelley and Dr. Polidori.

The books are not actually written in verse, as I am occasionally asked at book signings. (Generally mall signings where folks are half-dazed anyway, and mistake me for the Information Booth lady.)

I also write the Corpse Pose series. Well, that's the name of the first book, not the series, but I have to call it something. Series #2 just doesn't have that Bestseller Waiting to Happen ring to it.

So the CP series is about as far from the Poetic Death series as New Jersey is from the English Lake District. It's about A.J. Alexander, a slightly jaded and very stressed out freelance marketing consultant who inherits a yoga studio (in fact, a yoga empire) when her beloved auntie is murdered.

The first book isn't even due until April '07 (is that wild or what?) so I don't really have to get cracking until say...March. Juuuuuust kidding. September is actually what the Day Planner says. Meantime I'm working on Mystery Project X and Mystery Project Y, playing Celtic music with my talented sibs at various festivals and fairs, still holding down a fulltime job, doing my damnedest to save my English Cottage garden from the onslaughts of a California desert summer--and catching up on my fellow chicks multi-award-nominated books.

What are YOU reading?

Maggie's Musings

Hello, Everyone---Since this is my first time posting to our blog, I'll give a quick self-intro. I write the Berkley Prime Crime Knitting Mystery series which debuted last year. KNIT ONE, KILL TWO came out in June 2005, followed by NEEDLED TO DEATH. I've been absolutely delighted and overwhelmed with the response to both books. The third in the series, A DEADLY YARN, will be out this August as a Featured Release.

I feel like I've been on a roller coaster ride ever since June of last year. With the first two books coming out six months apart, it was unbelievably hectic. I tried to do booksignings wherever I could---my home state of Colorado, of course, and anywhere else I could persuade someone to let me sleep on the sofa, or in the garage, or with the dog. I wasn't picky. The few times I went on the road, I called it "Maggie's Freeload on Friends and Family Tour." (Thanks again, Karen, for your wonderful Austin hospitality. And I didn't have to sleep with the dog----uh, rabbit, in this case. I got to sleep in a genuine "Princess bed..") I'll let Karen explain that one.

I actually love traveling and visiting bookstores and knitting shops (and anywhere else that'll have me). I love meeting people and making new friends. But---the downside of all that promotional activity is having to create time for my writing. It got pretty squirrelly there for a while. My schedule was running me. Then, last fall, I decided to take back control, and I felt much better. If I don't get enough quiet time for writing----well, it's not pretty, that's all I can say.

And, after racing around celebrating holidays and promoting NEEDLED TO DEATH in December and January, I burrowed into my little prairie dog hole and wrote. And wrote. I love that time of the year. There's a lot of "dormant" energy or something we can tap into. Whatever. I don't want to get metaphysical on you folks. Let's just say I was happy in my little hole. I'd poke my head up every now and then, see what the rest of the colony was doing, then disappear down my hole. :)

Of course, springtime and writing conferences and promotional venues arrived mid-April. I spent a whirlwind 10 days going from Malice Domestic mystery conference in Washington, DC (KNIT ONE was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery Novel of 2005. Didn't win, but I was happy to be invited to the dance); then on to New York City for Mystery Writers of America events; then on to Los Angeles for the LA Times Book Festival---fantastic fun! In mid-May, I made a brief appearance at the Book Expo America in Washington DC.

And in between all this, I was revising and revising and revising book #4 of the mystery series, A KILLER STITCH, which was due on my editor's desk the end of May.

On May 30th, I express mailed the manuscript to NY and dragged my tired butt to the airport for a "red eye" flight to JFK, then on to catch a nonstop to Dublin, where I spent 12 glorious days in Ireland on a looooooooong-needed vacation.

I needed to refill the well, and that's my advice to everyone. Take care of yourselves. Talk to you later. ----Maggie

Watch this spot

Well, it's hot as heck here in Austin. I hope it's a lot cooler where you are -- although when I go to my favorite coffee shop and close my eyes, at least I can pretend I'm somewhere else. Somewhere where you can't cook breakfast on the hood of a car.

Speaking of somewhere else, I've been reading about a married couple who took a tent, skis and a couple of 400-pound sleds to the polar ice cap to track wolves (and polar bears). In winter. Did they have a team of huskies to pull the sleds? No, they didn't. They pulled them ALL BY THEMSELVES. And after a tough day of pulling an overloaded sled up and down big chunks of ice? They relaxed by camping in 45-below temperatures -- in a TENT -- with polar bears walking around outside. On an ice floe that started cracking, and almost landed one of them in the icy drink with several tons of frozen water crashing down overhead.

So I mention this to my husband -- about how interesting it would be to go that far north (or south), and he just looks at me like I've grown a second head. And having just read the paragraph I typed, I can kind of understand.

By the way, although I'm the early-bird blogger, we're putting together a regular schedule, debuting with Michele (I just spoke with her a few minutes ago) or Diana or Heather (I can't remember) tomorrow. Michele's plotting away on her next horse mystery -- and although she's in writing mode today and not near an Internet connection, look for regular posts from Michele and everyone else -- not just the lunatic who thinks dogsledding sounds kind of intriguing -- soon.

Happy summer wherever you are... I'm off to cook dinner!

I'm jealous of Maggie

Okay, so I'm going to start off by saying how INSANELY JEALOUS I am that Maggie's in Ireland and I'm... well, here. Surrounded by stacks of paper and 100+ heat. Although in August, when I'm cool as a cucumber in Maine, she'll be in... well, gorgeous, breezy Colorado.

Grrr.

Talk to me when you're freezing your tootsies off in January, Maggie!

(I poked around and found a picture of a moody Irish landscape and some sheep, just so I could pretend I was with her.)

As far as I know, the rest of us are all ensconced at our home computers. I talked with Michele today -- she's writing away on her second horse mystery, which sounds just fabulous, and to the best of my knowledge Diana's got herself twisted into a pretzel working on the first yoga mystery. Heather e-mailed me that she's in rewrite land (deadline this week -- ick), and as for me? I've got some manuscript touching up to do and some heavy-duty recipe testing for the second Gray Whale Inn mystery, Dead and Berried, but I'm spending my mornings working on my new chick-lit werewolf mystery and having a ball. I spoke with Allison Dickens, my editor at Ballantine, today -- apparently the book is tentatively on the schedule for September 2007. Now, if only I could come up with a title! (A Wolf in Chic Clothing must change, alas... which is a shame, because I LOVE that title.)

On a different note, I was at a signing last week when someone asked me a number of questions about writing stories. And those questions made me think a lot about the process, and what a strange blend of conscious and unconscious shaping the whole book-writing process can be. Good timing, actually, because I just volunteered to teach a four-week workshop at the Writers' League of Texas about writing your first novel; chances are, I'll be musing about that process here as I start putting things together. Unfortunately, I realized this afternoon that I may be teaching a month-long class on writing mysteries (U.T. Informal Classes) at the same time.

Now the question, I'm sure you're all asking, is when will I find time to write my own riveting prose? Fear not... I have a system, you see. It involves mornings, coffee, and quotas. And only occasionally do I bag it and go see a movie.

For now, though, I'm off to daydream about Ireland... while reading about living with a wolf pack in Alaska.

Ah, research...

Welcome to the Cozy Chicks!

Welcome to the Cozy Chicks -- the online 'coffee and chat salon' of chick-lit/cozy mystery authors Heather Webber, Maggie Sefton, Michele Scott, Karen MacInerney and Diana Killian.

We'll be here almost every day, talking about our writing, our passions, our works-in-progress (think eclectic: food, wine, yarn, yoga, gardening, history, shoes... even werewolves!), where we'll be, and what's new in our lives.

In the meantime, if you love cozies and chick lit and can't wait to read more, feel free to check out Diana's Girl-Detective blog, Karen's blog Poisoned Pen Letters, or the Little Blog of Murder, a group blog that Heather contributes to regularly.

Again, welcome... lots more coming soon!