December 5, 2006 | 5 Comments

Today is Tuesday, December fifth. Nineteen more Christmas or Holiday shopping days left and twenty six more days until January, 2007. I don’t know about you, but retailers in Chicago started Christmas around Halloween. I intend to spend a very quiet holiday with my family. We’re going to see Blue Man Group and I’m excited. I’ve also accumulated quite a few new DVDs, so we’ll be hanging out watching movies. I also bought the first three seasons of Smallville.

This is the time of year when we look back at what we’ve accomplished and make plans for next year. I posted my 2006 goals on the wall of my writing room, fulfilled at least three and got one I hadn’t expected. I didn’t get an agent or find a publisher, BUT, I have almost completed the first draft of the first book of a paranormal series and a submission to a black romance anthology (thank you Dyanne Davis) was accepted. I’ve made new writing friends, gained a writing change coach, Molly Herwood, through an online class taught by Margie Lawson and my critique group just keeps getting stronger and stronger. My tennis team is envied by other teams at our club and I value their friendship. They’re invading my home this Saturday for our annual holiday party and I’m thrilled they’re coming over. Party Time!

To prepare for 2007, I’ve started doing the following. I’m cleaning out my writing room, throwing out old papers, giving away old magazines to a school’s recycling bin, brought a Franklin Covey calendar system, purchased paper, ink print cartridges, pens, dusted my desk and bookcases and started developing my list of writing career goals. I’ll add different goals from now until the last week of December, finalize them and post them on my wall.

I’d like for you to share your 2006 and 2007 goals with me and I’ll post your responses here. Then in December, 2007 we’ll come back and see how much success we’ve had and what we’ve learned. Yeah, I mean to keep track.

So, if you’re willing:

1.What was one of your goals for 2006 and did you accomplish it or not? If you didn’t, are you going to move it to 2007 and what are you going to do to achieve it, this time?

For me: my 2006 goal was to finish editing my interracial romance and find a publisher for it. Well that didn’t happen. I discovered I write paranormal with multicultural characters and now that romance is being sliced and diced to be put in a separate fantasy series.

2. What is one of your goals for 2007 and how are you going to go about accomplishing it?

For me: My first goal is to send the first three chapters of my witches paranormal to agents by the end of January. The first draft is almost completed and I’ll spend January editing and getting my critique partners to look it over.

3. What are you doing to prepare to dedicate yourself to your writing career in 2007, now?

For me: Like I said, I’m cleaning my writing space, getting my writing schedule set and most important making myself believe writing is my career, so I can act like it.

Also: I need a name for my writing space. When we moved two years ago, I claimed our living room. Hey, no one every sits in the living room when you have a family room and big screen tv. I’ve decorated it, pictures, lots of books, music, computer, printer, and it’s my space. Any suggestions?

Email me at YasminePhoenix@aol.com., with your goals and suggestions for naming my room.

November 22, 2006 | 6 Comments

You know, we all talk about getting ‘the call’. To be published, how exciting it will be. Well, I’m going to be published! Not my book, it’s not ready for public viewing, but by January, 2007 it will be. I’m going to be published in a black romance anthology.

About four to five months ago, a published author friend, Dyanne Davis, sent me an email telling me to submit a short story for a black romance anthology being put together. Dyanne didn’t have to tell me once, she had to tell me three times before I pulled out a story idea that’s been rambling around in my head for some time. First off, short stories are harder than novels. How do you cram an entire plot, develop characters and have a happy ending in such a short word count? It took me a few days and Sloane Taylor even looked at it, although I don’t know if she remembers doing so. So after a few days of editing it, tighting it, mumbling and grumbling over it, I sent it in. Rejection is such a mother and I didn’t think I’d be accepted. Then Monday, November 20 I receive an email from Kim Louise, a co-editor and contributing author for this anthology, telling me I was going to be included in the collection. My short story, The Red Dress, made it through two review rounds. I stared at my computer screen for at least five minutes - stunned. I’m still stunned and excited.

My story is about a magical red dress available in a consignment shop. The dress calls to women who are experiencing self esteem and romance problems. Once they put the dress on, no matter what their shape or size, they begin to feel beautiful, because the dress conforms to flatter their body. The dress also helps their self esteem. If the woman, while wearing the dress, experiences emotional doubts the dress will constrict, pinch or do whatever it takes to make them dismiss the thought. Once the woman’s issue(s) has been resolved, she is compelled to return the dress to the shop so it can be cleansed and prepped for the next woman. Needless to say, it’s a paranormal and no, I don’t know where such a dress shop is located. However, if I ever come across such a shop, I’m wearing the dress first.

I chose the color red because it is a vibrant color. When you wear red you’ve got to be willing to have your physical flaws for public viewing. We wear black because it’s so forgiving, hiding bumps and lumps. Women have many hangups about their size and shape. Advertising doesn’t help. Add to those woes, women trying to find a soul mate, will sometimes behave in ways detrimental to their our self esteem and well being as a person.

I tried to write the story with a moral for women, and with JGirl in mind. If you truly believe in yourself, set your standards high and don’t let others intimidate you because you don’t wear a size three, you won’t so easily settle for someone who can’t appreciate your inner beauty and you won’t lower your values just to have any man.

I’ll keep you posted. The anthology is going to be published by Parker Publishing, LLC and will be called Soul Love: The Ultimate Collection “Celebrating African-American Romance Fiction”

September 22, 2006 | 2 Comments

I’ll admit it. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m a Scifi addict. I’m also a tennis addict. A couple of years ago, I was asked to play on Friday nights in a tennis league. I declined. Not because I didn’t want to play, but it was on Friday nights. I watch the Scifi channel on Friday nights. My family knows, they may not understand, but they know not to bother me from 6pm until 10pm, CST.

I, like a lot of people, got hooked on the new Battlestar Galactica series two years ago. It’s great. Hot looking women, strong women and Cylons, human looking ones and the shiny metal ones. The writing is strong, the story lines creative and introspective. Even the original Starbuck, Richard Hatch, from the first Battlestar Galactica has a juicy character.

The new season begins October 6th, and I’ve got a contest going on my website in honor of this program. Details and entry requirements are posted at www.YasminePhoenix.com/contest.

Good Hunting!

September 10, 2006 | 3 Comments

You’ve finish your first draft. You let it sit and season for a couple of weeks while you recuperate from writing. You edit it to the best of your abilities and when you’re finished, you give it to your critique partners for review and comment. You’re really excited, and think you’ve done a really great job, written a story that’s tight, has plenty of tension, sparkling dialogue, two dimensional characters and a proper ending. Your critique partners agree, you’ve got a great story and they loved reading it. However …. There are some ‘little fixes’ that have to be done.

Little fixes my a$*$! To me, a little fix is a couple of typos; making sure your headers are correct; having the correct address for the agent you plan on sending your almost perfect book to, or chipping the polish on your pinky and not being able to remember the nail color name.

Truthfully, little fixes are edits. Why can’t we just call them what they are? Little edits. Little edits that can and will make the difference between an agent thinking you really care about your work being polished enough for them to represent you and sell the blasted book, or an agent believing you wouldn’t take the time to correct the ‘little fixes’ and therefore, why should they offer to represent you. First impressions are very important in this writing business and it is your work that speaks for you. You could look like Shrek’s Princess Fiona, but if you write, edit, revise, and fix the ‘little fixes’, the agent won’t care. Well you may not be doing many speaking engagements, but in the Internet World you can promote your book, post a picture of Halle Berry with red hair, pass it off as you, and no one will care. Your book will sell, your readers will love you, your agent will love you, and it’ll all be because you fixed the ‘little fixes.’