WordPlay

by Doranna

I swear I would have.

Actually, it’s my own self-imposed deadline for the first draft of LYNX REVEALED, so no one’s wringing their hands or cursing over me.

I’ve already made word count, and I’m days away from meeting and beating my Friday deadline–which was generated with the knowledge of how long it should take me vs. polishing the results vs. other working obligations.

Part of being a self-employed writer is knowing how to juggle all these things, and that means such deadlines–even self-imposed–really do matter.

And then, lo…copyedits.

These are for CLAIMED BY THE DEMON, so I’m really excited to see that book making its way toward the shelves.  But…they’re short-turnaround (I should have two business weeks; these are due in four business days after receipt).  And I had no notice, so…I had other work scheduled.  Other appointments.  ‘N stuff.

A view of the CE process, thanks to Word(spit) and very much thanks to Mouse Without Borders

Let’s not talk about taxes.

Well, I wrangled a few more days to get it done, but basically everything I take for CEs will be taken away from my time to do proofs.  Yay.  So for several days, I’ve tried to do both first draft and CEs–much to the detriment of my health, my cognitive ability, and my other obligations.

Today, I’m giving up.   LYNX REVEALED will have to wait.

Let’s not talk about how the muse feels about this.  (Hint: temper tantrums.  Mourning.  That sensation of being riiiipped away from immersion in the home stretch of the story.)

Deadlines, even self-imposed ones, are important to me.  This one was especially so–after years of household transitions and relocation, I’ve finally found a writing routine that works for me.  In winter, anyway–I’m not sure how it’ll turn out for summer, when the heat dictates the timing of other activities.

After years of writing at night, with a natural window of between 10pm and 4am (not kidding, though I haven’t allowed myself that one for a while), I’m now writing the very first thing in an early day.  It still kind of boggles me.  But it’s working, and I’m racking up words the way I used to before all the transitions, and it was…

REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT to me to make this deadline.

A view of the LYNX REVEALED workspace about 10K words ago… “Come back–! Come back to me!” Can’t you hear it?

I coulda done it.  I swear.

by Doranna

I’m slow off the mark on this one. I should have been celebrating out loud at least a week ago.  But it turns out that TAMING THE DEMON should have gone into production right about the time Sandy hit, so by the time they were able to get to it a couple of weeks ago, the time crunch was pretty crunchy.  And that means I’ve just done two weeks of back-to-back production rush.

*blink*  What day is it, anyway?

So I have good news, and I have good news!

For starters, I’ve just signed on to do four more Nocturnes.  Two will be in the Sentinels series, and the remaining two have yet to be decided.  We get to see how things go–after all, next year will see the release of the Demon Blade series.  Who knows?  Maybe we’ll decide to play in that seriesverse some more…

And speaking of the Sentinels…there’s a new book in the line-up, oh yes there is!  KODIAK CHAINED just hit the shelves!

by Doranna

Things are starting to pick up in DuncanHorse World.  But first, a random bit of goodness:

Tiger Bound from England!

It’s an overseas version of Tiger Bound!  How cool is that?  I’m supposed to get copies of all international versions and I usually do (I have a small batch of foreign language books here that I admire every now and then), but this set came pretty promptly on the heels of the US version.  Neat!

Ahem.  So back to the big white pony, who is still dealing with flares from his severe reaction to the spring shots (which he’ll likely never get again, aside from tetanus).  A week or so ago I ordered him some $$$TransferFactor$$$, since my consulting vet has seen it work wonders for situations like his.  I wouldn’t know yet…they don’t seem to be in any great hurry to send it.

HURRY UP, PEOPLE!  Duncan and I are waiting.

Consulting Vet is ConneryBeagle’s chiropractic vet, and we’ve had some helpful casual conversations about Duncan’s situation over the summer.  I decided to make it official so I could really grill her (without friend-guilt!), so here we are.

Last week Consulting Vet also came by to poke around his furry white sides, chat about his diet, and ponder how to best manage the ongoing symptoms.  Duncan was sleepy in the sun in his early winter coat, and so willingly gave blood, schmoozed, and let himself be admired.

The blood work is just to eliminate certain concerns, after which we’re likely to do what I’ve been doing all summer–daily reality checks for the three subtle signs that he’s at the front edge of a flare, and tossing dexamethasone at him if I find anything.  It only seems to occur every couple of weeks–the heat seems to be a problem, so maybe winter will help, too–and at those doses, the steroids aren’t a big issue (barring ugly results on the blood work–I hope to know something this week).

Meanwhile, we’ve had some brisk mornings, and he does seem to be feeling a little better, yes he does.  But if a picture is worth a thousand words, a video…even better! Although I’m just now realizing that all the captions I put in the dark area in the video editor do not show up in the YouTube conversion. Oh, for pete’s sake..

(Don’t you wish you had that kind of energy?)

Every once in a while, publishers tell authors what’s going on.

Things like shifting publishing dates, changing word count expectations, and radically changed deadlines.

But not usually.

So I wasn’t really surprised when I was bopping around B&N the other day and I ran into the cover for Kodiak Chained (December release), even though I’d never seen it before, had no idea it was out, and would have gladly shared my glee over it had I known.

On the other hand, that’s the kind of surprise I don’t mind getting.  Because, look!  It’s Ruger!  And look!  Isn’t his bear self just awesome? (I think his human self pretty much stands without comment.  Maybe a moment of appreciative silence?)

It’s interesting to see what they did with the blurb, too…it’s like being on the outside of the book looking in…

One mission. One night. One costly misstep….

Don’t miss this scintillating romance from Doranna Durgin! [note:  that's me!  Scintillating!  wow!]

A mighty Kodiak shifter, Ruger is more than a Sentinel warrior. As a Healer, he willingly risks everything defending the sick and helpless. But after an ambush nearly kills him, he can do only so much-until a sensual lady black bear shifter arrives to provide him backup….

In human form, she is called Mariska. Feisty and self-assured, she has finagled her present assignment helping Ruger chase down a rising new threat. The moment Mariska scents the heroic, battle-scarred grizzly she knows he will be her only weakness…and greatest desire.

Mariska will do anything to aid Ruger-even if confronting the enemy puts everything she holds dear in jeopardy.

Ahhh, impending book release!  Can’t wait!

I hope you’ve had some good surprises lately, too!

“Goodies” in this case means “all the cool news and friend freebies” from my August newsletter.

I can’t reproduce the whole thing here or include the clickies, but if you like the idea of being up-to-date with book news and if you think it’s nice to have a smattering of pointers to author “Try Me” free backlist promos, then you should follow the link to the latest newsletter.

What the heck, maybe you should clickie on the link to sign up for the newsletter!

Either way, here’s the teaser graphic!

(And here’s the link to the live version again!)

Well…THIS shapeshifter, THIS book…THIS fictional world…

All mine.

Except for the part where I’m sharing with the world.  TODAY!

Tiger Bound

Sentinels Book 4
READ AN EXCERPT

ORDER PRINT: Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | IndieBound | The Book Depository

ORDER EBOOK: Harlequin | Kindle | Nook

Two wounded souls courageously unite to vanquish a ruthless predator in Doranna Durgin’s highly emotional new romance…

Like the Siberian tiger whose form he takes, Maks Altán is a strong, ferocious fighter, and incredibly protective of his Sentinel kin–but thanks to a debilitating injury, he feels anything but capable. That is, until he’s sent to guard Katie Maddox, a gorgeous healer who awakens a dangerous lust within him. The problem is, in the shifter world, Katie’s deer alter ego is easy prey…and much too tempting for Maks.

As unnamed danger lurks just beyond her awareness, Katie has doubts–about her abilities, her role in the Sentinels, and the strong desire she feels toward her new protector. But somehow, the wounded predator and his wary prey must ignore their instincts, their fears, and their dangerous attraction to each other in order to defeat their common enemy…

Reviews for Tiger Bound:

“…creative ideas, ground-breaking characters and emotionally charged conflicts.” –Amelia Richards, Cataromance 4 Stars

“Maks Altan and Katie Rae Maddox couldn’t be any different if they tried…Maks and Katie are fully fleshed-out characters readers will love. –Alexandra Kay, Romantic Times 4 Stars

Reviews from Wolf Hunt, Sentinels #3:

“Durgin returns to the world of the Sentinels and the evil Atrum Core with a novel that nicely moves the story along.  Her characters are particularly well drawn.  Nick is clearly an alpha male, and Jet comes across as strong and determined in spite of her insecurities.” – Romantic Times; Four stars

“WOLF HUNT is a spellbinding combination of supernatural magic, emotional passions, and perilous danger.” –CataRomance 5 Stars

“If you enjoy your shape shifter books with equal parts of action and romance, then this book is one that you should definitely check out.” –Fresh Fiction

Because you should buy ALL the books!

Well, it would be possible to buy all my books on sale at Smashwords, anyway.  But only for another week, and then it’s over!

This is where you can go to find all the books, all the descriptions, and all the links.

And while I’m at it…I’m pretty sure that Tiger Bound has hit the shelves. But I’ll restrain myself from gushing about more than one book thing at one time.  See?  I have restraint.  Yes I do.  Excuse me while I go polish it up to a nice shine.

*moments of pained, restrained silence…*

GNAAAAURGH CAN’T STAND IT MY BOOK IS OUT MY BOOK IS OUT AND MY OTHER BOOKS ARE ON SALE!!

Erm.  Derp.

Got excitement?

 Well, there’s not much more to say than this…go for it!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Sentinels

by Doranna Durgin

Giveaway ends July 23, 2012.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

PS With apologies, the giveaway is limited to those within the US.  It’s a budget thing…

These. They're clicking.

I’m supposed to be writing.

I’m supposed to be finishing a book.

But the trees are clicking.

Kodiak Chained:  I am due TOMORROW.

Clicking Trees: Figure me out!   You know you want to!

Internets: I know it seems obvious that searching for “clicking junipers” should come up with the reason that the trees are suddenly clicking, but…good luck with that.  I’m busy with trendier things.  Did you know Courtney Stodden made a video in which she pretends to be a cat?

Me: No, and I did not want to know.  Come on, now.  Clicking Junipers in New Mexico.  How often does that happen?

Kodiak Chained:  TOMORROW, do you hear me?

Clicking Trees: Get your nose out of my branches.  How rude!  There’s no reason you have to see my–

Cicadas: WE ARE HERE!   But have fun identifying us.

Internets: LA LA LA LA

Me: Quit wiggling, cicada!  That tickles!

Sandia Mountain GuideBook:  See this lovely cicada photo?  It’s not the one you want.  There are some cicadas in the Sandias that sit in junipers and click, but I’m not going to show you those.

Internets: LA LA LA *evil chuckle* LA!

Kodiak Chained: Are you NOT LISTENING?  TOMORROW!

Southwestern Guidebook: We-ell, there are things called desert cicadas and they look a little like yours but aren’t found in the same place.

Internets: Desert cicadas?  Well, damn.  Let me cough up something moderately useful, like a family name.  You’re on your own for species, though.

Me: Platypedia!

Platypedia: Will you let me out of this glass now?  You’re not going to get any closer than that.  Deal with it.

Kodiak Chained: GET OVER HERE YOUNG LADY AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Platypedia Body Double for Our Cicadas.

My head is a scary place sometimes.  But honestly.  The trees are clicking–!

(Are YOUR trees clicking, too?)

It’s my own fault.  I waited a couple weeks, and then I put that new book release schedule on the blog this past Monday morning.  Right out there for the world to see.

And lo, Monday afternoon, I exchanged a few words with my editor, in which we counted on our fingers, looked at what remained to be done, and decided that July for Tiger Bound was just a leeetle too optimistic.

So that book is now an August baby, and my editor and I get to keep our sanity.

Except for the part where I run around my web site, blog, FaceBook, newsgroup, and Twitter, cleaning up after that July thing!

The Sentinels

Night of the Tiger (Bite): Dec ’11
TIGER BOUND: Aug ’12
KODIAK CHAINED: Dec ’12

Demon Blade
Demon Touch (Bite): Sept ’11
DEMON BLADE: ’13
DARK BLADE: ’13:

No, really.  I MEAN IT!