Playing Catch Up

Image Credit: Imgur

I'm just crawling out from under the most intense writing marathon ever. My first book, Lucky in Love, took a total of 15 years and three months to write. If that duration sounds odd, it's because the three months happened after I joined RWA and started taking things seriously.

Small Town Love, my second book, took four weeks. I submitted my first chapter (pretty much all I had written at that point) on a whim to Harlequin's SYTYCW contest. I worked on the story steadily until last Wednesday, when I was notified that my chapter made the top 50. Then, I wrote my keester off, submitting my completed manuscript yesterday at 4:57 PM, three minutes before the deadline. I kid you not, I was figuratively typing "the end" at 4:23, and I still had to do my headers and front page. Ack.

The editors are reviewing the 50 finalists now and will be posting the Top 10 on November 12, when the voting opens. (Translation: A real, live Harlequin editor is reading my book. Sweet!)  Until then, I'm trying to catch up on everything I've let slide. I'm swamped, but it's cool. Keeps me from biting my nails too much.

Here's what's coming later this week, for sure:

• My first blog hop over at Nancy Gideon's Haunted Open House (and a giveaway!).
• A new, featured book review! I'll be posting them weekly and the first selection is Rachael Brownell's Holding On.

In the meantime, I'll be brainstorming what book I want to jump into next. Three books in 2013? Six months ago, I thought one sounded crazy!