Hi all,

Just letting you know I have moved to a new blog space at http://sami-lee.blogspot.com/. I'll keep this open for a while to give you all a chance to get used to the idea, but the other blog from my perspective is much better. I've gone with the same theme for now - it took me so long to pick the theme of this one and have it match my website as closely as possible that I wasn't going to change it yet. So Sami's Scribbles looks much the same but has a new address over at google. Please come visit. Today I've posted an update on my early morning writing experiment. It's a very short post. Sami

Last month I received my copy of RWA's newsletter Heart's Talk, and the theme of the month was finding the time to write. This is something I struggle with daily, as many of us do. So I've been making a more concerted effort this month to get back into a more productive writing schedule. Right. I thought the best way to do this would be to get up earlier. 5 am is doable, thought I. That would give me an hour each the morning at least. The trouble is, I keep waking up at 3:30 am and can't get back to sleep until after 4 am, which renders 5 am definitely undoable.

So I've tried writing at night. I got some done one night this week, but other night's results were abysmal. The touble with waiting until the rest of the day is out of the way and everyone under 2 feet tall is asleep, is that my level of concentration depends on the kind of day I've had. Some nights (okay, most nights), the brain is about as useful as a plate full of mashed potato. So I'm seriously considering the unthinkable. Rising whenever I wake up in the wee hours, whether it be 3:30, 4, 4:30... I haven't been able to bring myself to do it just yet because, come on. I do still have to put in a full day's work either at the office or at home afterward and my strictly rationed daily caffeine allowance only goes so far. Not to mention the fact that such an early wake time would guarantee I'd fall asleep before my latest trash TV favourite show, Cashmere Mafia. I guess that's why they invented video recorders.

On the promo side of things, I've been interviewed by Rachel C of Fallen Angel Reviews. I talk a little in there about finding the time to write as well, and about manuscript hopping, targeting my work etc. I'd love you to go check it out.

Next week I'll let you know how the great alarm clock experiment went.



Sami

Not one but TWO people have now tagged me. This means that I'm supposed to tell you all six unimportant things about myself. Oh and post these rule thingies:

The 'rules' are as follows :-
1/ you link back to the person who tagged you. Check!
2/ post these rules on your blog. Check!
3/ share six unimportant things about yourself. Check!
4/ tag six random people at the end of your entry. Check!!
5/ let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs. Check!

Not sure that I'll manage six tag-ees - I don't really have time to visit many blogs. But here are the six things:

1.    When I was 13 I got caught reading 'Hollywood Wives' in English Class.
2.    I h8 txt lnge. I prprly spl & pn28 my txt msgs (I probably haven't even got that right, because I hate text   language and could care less how it works).
3.    Most reality TV shows make me groan, yet I am currently addicted to 'So You Think You Can Dance?'
4.    I have a fascination with famous last words.
5.    I once spent the evening in an Amsterdam police station (not in a cell, I promise)
6.    My first 'published' work appeared in my first grade newsletter. It was a harrowing tale of seeds that, when planted, grew snakes instead of flowers.
7.    I'd convert to Buddhism for Richard Gere.

I had to put the 7th point down so I could add this...




Bye

Sami

I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that my author copies of Born Again Virgin arrived by UPS man yesterday. It was a great surprise because I wasn't expecting them. I thought they'd arrive closer to release date of March 25. But yesterday I held my first published book in my hands and it looks really pretty. Yay! Well, I needed something to cheer me up, which brings me to the bad news. My editor didn't go for In Charm's Way. Fortunately she gave me detailed feedback as to why, which gives me fuel for thought when it comes time to re-write once again, when I can bring myself to read the thing from start to finish again with an objective eye, not a defensive one. Not sure when that'll be.

Never fear, I'm certainly not one to throw in the towel easily. In Charm's Way will be published, but now I'm just not sure when. Even BAV, a much simpler book than ICW had a long and winding road to publication. It all started sometime around 1999 when I wrote the first draft in a matter of weeks. Soonafter I received a rejecion for another story I'd written the previous year, a requested full ms I'd sent to Harlequin. The confidence having taken such a blow, I didn't feel up to submitting BAV anywhere right away. I put it aside for what turned out to be several years while I went to uni and had every functioning brain cell otherwise occupied.

It was 2004 before I picked up again. I thought it still had some good stuff in it, and figured my best chance for publication was with Mills & Boon Sexy. I re-wrote the story, targeting it more to that line. I got the really fast rejection letter, the one that comes after only six weeks. It said my book wasn't suitable for their line. This was not a surprise, as I never actually felt right about the re-writes. I started thinking about other lines. Harlequin Temptation was the one I thought most suitable. Then I read that Temptation had changed their guidelines. Now they only wanted urban stories. No place for my baby there. Silhouette Desire, I thought. What? They've changed their guidelines too? Now they only want stories about wealthy heroes. Where, thought I, do all the stories about regular joe carpenters go?

E publishing, I responded to self. I once again did a re-write. I pretty much returned to the style and feel that was in the original draft because I'd felt all the re-writes morphed the story into something it was never meant to be. What I ended up with was basically the first draft, but much better. I liked the look of Samhain Publising, so I sent it off.

I'd never had an acceptance in my life. I had to read it at least four times, while I searched in vain for the dreaded sentence that began 'Unfortunately...', 'However...', or 'On this occasion...'

I couldn't believe it. There wasn't one. And yesterday I held my published book in my hands. If I think about it, really hard, it still seems surreal to me.

I wonder how the rest of In Charm's Way's story will go?

Sami

I was told several months ago that JERR (Just Erotic Romance Reviews) had reviewed Fijian Fling. I read the review, it was very nice and detailed too. However it was not yet uploaded onto their site so I couldn't announce or link to it.

Well at last they have uploaded the review onto their site. Yay! Tallyn Porter has reviewed it and said some nice things about it. So once again tooting horn...

Sami Lee has created a delightfully sensual, emotionally intense and romantic tale about two people whose light hearted affair becomes a great deal more... I really enjoyed the detailed scenery in this story making me feel like I was definitely in a paradise atmosphere; all that’s missing is a margarita in my hand.  Fijian Fling definitely provides the sandy beach, paradise resort and a hot romance! What more can you ask for? 

Full Review

And apparently my shower scene is 'yummy'. I never suspected one little shower scene would create such a stir - especially considering I wasn't going to put one in. But as my characters had just been swimming I thought 'yuk, all that salt', and figured they'd have to wash it off before anyone should put their mouth anywhere or I just wouldn't be able to stop thinking about sand being stuck in all the wrong places.

My pragmatic side coming to the fore. I always figured it hampered my love scenes, if anything. Perhaps not.

Sami

Hubby is doing a bit of a Spring clean at the moment. In his travels he came across an old OLD manuscript of mine, one I sent in to Harlequin in 1997, as I recall. I had no idea I'd kept the draft copy and couldn't resist having a read. I'm happy to say it was terrible.

A strange thing to be happy about, perhaps, but to me seeing how bad was the writing of this novel I'd penned ten years ago showed how much I've improved in the interim between then and now. Still, I surprised myself to discover the occasional snappy line or well written paragraph (at least in my humble opinion), in 'Kissing Kate' (God that title! Ugh! Wasn't it a musical or something?). In amongst the too frequent exclaimation points (eg. 'But I'm not interested in a relationship! You egotistical man!'), the inexplicable bursts of temper (my heroine seemed to have a permanent case of PMS. Which perhaps would explain her tendency to yell everything she said), the cliched plot devices (I actually had that poor girl faint into his arms at one point), and the unwitting plagarism (I had the hide to steal and paraphrase that line from Gone with the Wind when Rhett remarks over Scarlett's tendency to cry and her disproportionate dearth of hankerchiefs), was the occasional moment where I saw the beginings of my voice emerging. I didn't recognise it at the time of course. I was trying to write a tortured hero (I suppose I'd read that they were popular), but he kept coming out with cheeky comments that weren't in line with the character I was trying to create, a rich, morose type who was riddled with guilt because he felt responisble for the death of his brother. Basically he was a smart-ass whom I never let out of the tightly structured plan I had to make him a dour Mr Rochester type. How little did I know, and how much I thought I knew. They must have gotten a laugh over at Harlequin out of that ms - I shudder thinking of who quicky it must have been cast aside.

But like I said, I'm glad the manuscript was terrible. It's all about improvement. Now, most of my heroes are smart-asses. For that matter, so are my heroines. They say there's a little of the writer in every character...

Sami

Yes, I'm here, just busy. Posting my latest man pic to keep you going until the next blog topic...



I thought I'd go with Colin because I'm reading Jane Eyre (almost done) and he was so cute as Mr Darcy (and Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones. Gimme some of him). Yes, I know Jane Eyre is not Jane Austin etc. But there's sort of a link with time period. They were both around like, ages ago, right? Do I sound sufficiently clueless about historical accuracy?

See you soon

Sami

This week I've been asked to do a final read through of Fijian Fling and locate any errors/typos I want fixed before it goes to print. Yay, print! I haven't gotten to the task yet because I've been busy the past couple of days - with all the usual as well as writing. I got another 6000 words added to The Enchilada Story, a vast improvement on five. I got to the first kiss, which was a lot softer and sweeter than I'd expected. I've also received a couple of nice reviews lately for Fijian Fling, which is always good. Better than finding out someone in cyberspace has labelled you a grade A moron who has no business publishing a book (hasn't happened to me yet, although everytime I do a search for new reviews I'm seized by the terrible dread that it will).

First Maggie from Romance Review Today Erotic gave it Muliple O's (yes I think that O stands for what you think it does), which is their second highest score according to their rating scale. Here's a snippet from the review:

Crystal waters, tropical breezes and hot, sizzling sex help in setting Nick and Sophie on a path of discovery and wonder. Romance is alive and well on Fiji. Sami Lee is very good with words and descriptions so a fan might help when reading FIJIAN FLING. It is recommended.

Full review:
http://www.rrterotic.com/2007%20Reviews/Nibbles/samhain_nibbles_2007.htm



A fan huh? Hmmm.

Then Mandie from Love Romances and More said some nice things:

The palpable connection between Sophie and Nick makes this an enjoyable read.  The way they respond to each other and Sophie’s attempts to deny her attraction to Nick keep the story moving.  The beautiful tropical setting keeps the reader in tune to the surroundings of the characters. 

With likable characters and a romantic setting and overtone, not to mention incredibly hot sex, this reviewer would recommend FIJIAN FLING to others looking for a steamy summer read!

            


http://www.loveromancesandmore.com/reviews/Dec07/fijianfling_mandie.htm

Anyone who follows the link to the full review will discover that Mandie also said the ending of the story was a little abrupt, and not as fluid as the rest of the book. Hence the three stars out of a possible five I suppose. It's a small criticism I take on board. Being a short story the word count restrictions forced me to cut the original draft of FF significantly. I didn't want to lose any of the build up, because I thought it developed character. I didn't want to cut any of the sex because... well it was supposed to be an erotic romance, and I thought each sex scene showed Sophie and Nick at different stages of their relationship. So all that was left was the ending. There was a much longer angsty scene leading up to the final chapter but it had to go. So perhaps some fluidity was sacrificed, but I'm still fairly happy with the result overall, especially as short stories don't come that naturally to me. I waffle far too much.

On the reading front I'm devouring Jane Eyre at the moment. I've read it before but had recommended it to Rachel so thought I would give it a flick through again. Now I'm buried in it and enjoying the languid prose. Don't think I'll get a classic a month read this year, as some others have vowed to do, but I've started the year off with a good one.

What are you reading?

Sami

Yes, I thought that heading would get your attention.

That's the grand total of what I've written this weekend. In fact, it's all I've written in about five days. Average = 1 word a day. That's the trouble with taking a break - it makes it so difficult to get back into a routine. Well, that and I've been very busy with other things.

Hubby and I had our 10th anniversary this week, so we spent a night in one of those swanky places where you can lay in the bath until you prune and nobody asks when you're getting out (we had the Princess babysat of course), and you can order a steak dinner and immediately flop onto your king sized bed and work on nothing more difficult than digesting it. Ahh.... We also went shopping and bought ourselves a new bedroom suite, a long overdue purchase. Now all I want to do is sit in my bedroom it looks so fabulous. We've had relations visit as well, so writing has taken a back seat the last couple of weeks. I wish I'd gotten more written than 'The waitress delivered her enchilada', but every journey starts with one step. Or every book starts with five words. Five words that you stare at and stare at, willing them to be more revealing, more witty, more special than a bland rendition of what someone is eating, while the cursor blinks at you, laughing at your ineptitude.

But then I thought about what that line actually reveals.

1. She's eating at a Mexican restaurant.
2. She's eating a fattening dish at a Mexican restaurant, so she's probably not someone who obsesses about calories.
3. In the context of the scene, she's eating a fattening dish while sitting at a Mexican restaurant with a man who is sitting with her and not eating. He's playing the tough guy and glaring at her. So, she's also the kind of woman who, when her dining companion says curtly that he already ate, says to herself *$%# him, I'm hungry, and orders a huge %$^&(*@ enchilada.

I do like this woman in my enchilada story (I think this will now be my working title: The Enchilada Story). So I hope I have enough energy after a full day's work tomorrow to make her do something more interesting than eat. Maybe she'll have a swig of Corona, too. Really live life on the edge.

Now I have a craving for Nachos. I think I have some Doritos somewhere...


Sami

I don't make new year's resolutions anymore. They nearly always involve something boring and impossible like losing weight and/or getting fit, or not swearing when some moron cuts me off in traffic. Like I said - impossible. But it's probably a good idea to take stock of the previous year's highlights and achievements. We're so often too busy trying to reach the next target to assess how many milestones we've reached in the past and give ourselves a much needed pat on the back. So in the tradition of the Sami's Scribbles Top 5, I've decided to list my top 5 highlights of 2007.

1.    Had my first book published. That has to be number one of course. Born Again Virgin came out as an e-book in May of this year, and it still feels kind of strange to me. I knew nothing about promoting my own work and I've had to give myself a crash course in that. I think I'm a little more prepared for the promotional side of the writing game now, just in time for the print release of BAV, which is scheduled for March this year.
	2.    Wrote my first short story ever and had it published. Fijian Fling was the first short story I've written since they used to make me do it in high school. Not that my high school English teachers would have been impressed with me handing in something like FF all those years ago. Fortunately, Samhain Publishing saw something in it and included it in their Midsummer Night's Steam series. One thing writing a short story taught me a lot about is tightening my writing. Or to paraphrase Elmore Leonard 'leaving out the parts that people skip'. FF is due for print release as part of an anthology with three other authors in May.
3.    Attended the RWA conference in Sydney. Not only did I get a trip away that didn't include deciding whether or not to pack the high chair, I got a chance to meet a great bunch of like minded writing geniuses (or is that genii? There appears to be contention on the Net about this). I had a great time and learnt heaps. I met some great writers like Barbara Hannay, Anne Stuart, Caitlyn Nicholas, Jess Dee, Anne Gracie, Denise Rossetti... the list could go on. And that's not to mention number four...
	4.    Got to meet Jenny Crusie. Yes, I know it's probably cheating separating those two things but it was such an action packed 3 days that I think the distinction is warranted. Her workshops were not only inspirational, thought-provoking and informative, they were also laugh-out-loud funny. I was totally in awe, evidenced by the fact that I actually approached her for an autograph. I haven't asked anyone for an autograph in about 20 years, so that's saying something. I've blogged previously about how witty and urbane I was. Yeah, witty... Welcome to Temptation was great too. Perfect Christmas reading.
5.   I'm surprised to find there's actually a couple of highlights I could pick as number five. I wrote my first longer novel with a mystery sub-plot and managed to get it off to the editor. That's In Charm's Way, but I've already blogged about that so I'll make number five... Had a full manuscript requested by Mills & Boon's London office. It happened so long ago I'd almost forgotten about it (almost, but of course that's not something a writer can forget completely). The full ms of Three's a Family went on its way to London in April 07. I'm hoping I'll hear something either way in the next few months. It's always a thrill to be noticed in the slush pile, and I can only hope they decide my little story about an uptight accountant, the chef who nurtures her and the baby who needs them both finds a home with harlequin. I'll certainly keep you posted.

Well, that's it - at least for writing highlights. This list of course doesn't include life's other great moments, like the first time Princess Two said 'I love you Mummy', or did a poo in the potty. Never thought human excrement would be worth dancing and applause but there you have it. Discovering new authors like Jessica Bird and Jennifer Crusie (yes, I only discovered her this year). And not to mention teaching myself how to set up a blog! Hubby is in charge of the website, but everything to do with this blog is my domain. Never thought I'd be comfortable doing anything tech related, but there's another 2007 acheivement to be proud of.

Now, you go and think about your own achievements. Write them down. It doesn't have to be getting a book published, it could just be finishing a book, or finishing an outline of a book or taking a writing course you've always wanted to take. Just finding the time to read, let alone write, is an accomplishment in itself. Those who participated in the Nano and actually wrote the 50,000 word quota did a lot better than I on that score. You guys definitely ought to be proud of yourselves.

Whatever you do, if you love to write keep doing it, even if you only manage 100 words a day. Every highlight and achievement I've listed above came about because I didn't stop writing, even though there were times (more than I can count) when I came dangerously close to building a bonfire and burning every scrap of work I'd ever done. Now that I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere, I'm infinitely glad I didn't strike that match.

Here's hoping we all have a glorious 2008.

Cheers,

Sami