I love the Blackberry, but I don’t really know how to use it. Apart from the basics, which really, is all I NEED to know. As long as I can check email, send email, answer the phone, that sort of thing. I’m so not one of these high tech chicks whose Blackberry can open locks and hack into the FBI files or something.

So in an effort to organize myself, I started entering all my appointments for the RWA conference into the Blackberry so I wouldn’t unknowingly commit to something when I already had something scheduled at the same time. Good grief. I’m overwhelmed just looking at it.

Theron’s book…well, it’s close to being done. I’ll need the rest of this week to finish it. I have to mail it before I leave for RWA next Tuesday. Getting this close to a deadline, well, it’s never happened. I’m a freak about finishing stuff early. We were talking about deadlines the other night at the Writeminded Chat, and Amy was all about taking every possible second of her deadline and overnighting it for a gazilliion dollars. Me? I usually finish up about a month ahead of time, sometimes longer, and then I like to put it up and forget about it for several weeks. I let it percolate.

Then I go back to it, open it up, read it with fresh eyes and fix stuff, then send it off to wherever it’s going.

Well, that’s not going to happen this time and it’s bugging the holy hell out of me. I do edit as I go, and I begin each writing session with looking back over what was previously written, so it’s not like I’ll be sending some raw mass of unedited crap, but still, not having that percolating time for this book bugs me.

Shit happens. This has been a crazy summer and at this point I’ll just be grateful I got all the projects done that I was supposed to get done by Aug 1.

One of my readers emailed me and asked me about my writing process and suggested I post a blog about it. And yes, I know, many of you can’t, for whatever reason, post a comment, and I promise I’m having my web chickie look at it. We’re in the process of redoing the website and blog so I’m hoping the problem is fixed when the new site goes live (fingers crossed)

So anyway, she asked about how my books comes together or if I have any special things I do as the story progresses. The short answer is uhm no. I am pretty regimented, which Amy would laugh at and say something snotty like that I sound ANAL, but I hate change. I get used to doing things a certain way and well, I just can’t deviate from it, especially if it works.

I write by chapter. For each book, I create a new folder in my books directory, and name it whatever the book title is. Then I create files in that particular book’s folder. I might have a synopsis file, a notes file, any research I do goes in its own file etc. Then I create a file called “working full” and then I start the story with chapter 1, and it’s its own file as well. So if I have 40 chapters in the book then I’ll have 40 individual files in that folder.

As I finish a chapter, when I reach the end, I highlight all and copy it into the working full so that I have the individual chapters but I also have one comprehensive file with the story in its entirety. It’s nice to see my page count and word count without having to go back and look at each individual chapter. I don’t do any editing whatsoever on the “working full.” It’s just for show and my own personal way of keeping track of my progress.

When I finish the story and it’s time for me to edit, I then start a new file with the actual name of the book. Then I go and open each individual chapter and I edit it chapter by chapter. As I complete each one, I then paste the edited, complete chapter into the file that has the book title. So when I get to the end, I have an edited, squeaky clean (ok somewhat clean) version of the book all in one file. This is the one that gets sent off to my editor.

That’s my process. Sounds convaluted, but lord help me if I ever changed it.

It’s always nice to get good news amidst the craziness of everything else. This has been a nutty month workwise, even with taking a week’s vacation, or maybe I should say in spite of the vacation.

Anyway, I sold another project to Berkley. This one’s a bit different and it’s separate from my individual contracts with HEAT and Sensation. Shayla Black and I will be writing a duet anthology for HEAT. We’re both excited about it, as are our editors.

No idea yet when it will be released as we just closed the deal, but it won’t be any earlier than late 2010 because of mine and Shayla’s writing schedule. The good news is we both will have plenty of books out between now and then

I can guarantee that it will be hot and hopefully worth the wait for our readers.

So, waiting for me in the pile o mail when I got back from vacation was line edits for The Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress and galleys for Be With Me.

Both are due next week.

I also have a book to turn in by Aug 1 (Desire book 2 which is still unnamed) and I also have to turn in proposals for books 2 and 3 of my Kelly series to Berkley.

Yeah, I know, welcome home…

The annual RWA convention is coming up fast and since I leave on the 29th, that actually cuts three days off my deadline. So yeah, I’ll be busy for the next little while.

Today, while I would have loved to have stayed in bed to recover from the marathon writing session of the last 48 hours, has instead been spent running around like mad trying to get lots of stuff marked off my “must do before vacation” list.

Because tomorrow? My ass is out of here.

An entire week. Ahhh.

I just wish it was two.