Gabriella Hewitt

On one of my writer’s loops someone posted a link to 100 Essential Tips & Tools for Writers of the Future. It looked pretty cool and I wanted to pass the information on to others.

The List is divided into categories: Markeing and Branding, Organization and Project Management, Business and Career, Collaboration, Brainstorming, Finding Work, Web Tips and Tutorials, Niche Writing, and lastly, Staying Cutting Edge. For each category there are anywhere from ten to twenty links that lead to software programs to help you write and stay organized, or to blog posts aimed at boosting your writing confidence and skills. With 100 tips to go through, there is bound to be something you can use to enhance your own writing. I want to check out the links on the list to Ubernote (#24) and Wridea (#25). They sound like good tools for organizing stuff. I’m always looking for ideas on organizing because I am terrible at it!

Check it out. Tell me what you think.

I read Soulless by Gail Carrriger over the Christmas/New Year’s holidays. I intended to put up a review but since Suzanne Lazear over at Steamed beat me to it with this fabulous post I decided to link to her review instead.

In Soulless you have paranormal meets Victorian age meets steampunk. It all blends together in an intriguing plot with quirky, likeable characters.

And if you enjoy Soulless, get ready for Changeless, the second book in this entertaining series, available March 30th.

I’m relatively new to the term Steampunk. Yes, I grew up watching reruns of the Wild Wild West with their funky gadgets. I even read a novel set in late 18th century Britain this Christmas that was full of similar inventions and atmosphere. (I’ll have to do a review of that book soon.) Still, I had no idea the term steampunk existed to define these types of stories.

I then ran across this Steampunk for Beginners post that laid it out quite clearly. And by the way the whole blog behind that post (Steamed-Writing Steampunk Fiction) is dedicated to all things steampunk. Check it out. I’ve bookmarked it.

Have you tried googling the word Steampunk? The hits go on and on. I had no idea so many people were into not only the stories, but the fashion, inventions, and so on. In my search I ran across a jeweler, Simply Willow who makes Victorian and steampunk jewelry. Take a look at these examples of her work. Aren’t they gorgeous? These two in particular caught my eye. I encourage you to click on her name and check out her pieces.

In Japan, it’s tradition to watch the first sunrise of the year and then visit a temple to offer prayers and wishes for the year ahead. I’m fortunate to live near the sea. It makes for a spectacular sunrise.

I just spent 30 minutes agonizing over this post, going over every little word, writing and rewriting. I tried to post my fabulous letter to all of you (and it was fabulous, take my word for it) and it disappears into cyber oblivion. Do you think that’s an omen for 2010? Okay, let’s not go there. I’ll keep it short instead!

May all your dreams come true this year and all your resolutions be met!

And for whatever challenges you set for yourself: THINK BIG

According to this new press release from prnewswire.com, Harlequin is going to launch a digital-only publishing company, to be named Carina Press. This will be a separate entity from its core publishing business. This is certainly exciting news. It adds an additional competitor to a growing market, but with the entry of a prestigious player like Harlequin the stature of e-publishing can only continue to rise.

Harlequin is a powerhouse in the publishing world, particularly in women’s fiction. It will be interesting to see how it uses its knowledge base to leverage its position and gain immediate market share. What’s further exciting is to see Harlequin hire Angela James, formerly of Samhain Publishing, as Carina Press’ new Executive Editor. As a Samahin author, I came into “contact” with Angela through emails and her blog posts. She comes across as intelligent with a wicked sense of humor and a superb editor. Harlequin’s willingness to look outside its organization to find someone with Angela’s skill set bodes well for this new digital publisher’s future.

Carina Press will issue it’s first releases in 2010. They are open for submission, so check them out.

My son took first prize with this costume. He’s on top of the world. Hope your day is a fun filled one with few tricks and lots of treats!

My absolutely brilliant web designer, Frauke at Croco Designs, has outdone herself. What do you think of the purple borders? I hope you love it as much as I do.

This is only going to be a brief post. However, I plan on putting up soon a post on some of the books I’ve read recently. Until then…

I’ve been a bad girl, I know. Work and family became consuming and I let the blog slide. Then when I went to update I discovered that I couldn’t log in to my own site. Apparently my website decided I didn’t have permission to touch it. Talk about hitting a brick wall. Fortunately, my fabulous web designer, Croco fixed everything.

This summer I’ve been working hard on expanding my novella, Heart of the Nile into a full-length novel. The whole world I created has grown to include numerous species and a more complex back story and story arc. My goal is to finish it in the next month or so and interest an agent or editor. Then I’ll be starting a story aimed for Silhouette Nocturne, which I also plotted out this summer. It’s just a matter of writing it, but one thing at a time.

I’ve also done a bit of reading this summer and will try to post a few book reviews of books I recommend.

Hasta Luego!

Amy S.

Congratulations!

Check out LM Gonzalez. She is next on the blog tour.

http://www.freewebs.com/lesmora/

The tour wraps up with Tracy Montoya

http://tracymontoya.blogspot.com/