Spam Watch: 07/26/10

Every week when I come back to work on Monday, the spam filter of my office email is usually chock full of spammy goodness. Occasionally, the subject headers make me giggle. So I thought I'd share them with you.

I'm skipping all the overt Viagra spam, because, well...Viagra. Now, on to the rest...


"Life is too short to waste it thoughtlessly."

You're right. ::delete::

"was a loud bang and a dreadful shriek, and then all was still"

Oh, low blow. That's catnip to a suspense writer...must be strong... ::delete::

"hello."

Goodbye. ::delete::

"57% off. Famous Watches."

Famous? What did those watches do to become famous? Is it tabloid famous or real famous? Eh, I have a $20 watch I love. When it wears out, I'll get another $20 watch exactly like it. ::delete::

"lprs n8r"

C U L8tr. ::delete::

"Give your partner a one-way ticket to ecstasy-land."

One way? ONE WAY? That'd be unwieldy... ::delete:::

"what?"

::delete::

"66% off High-end Watches"

Better deal than the famous ones, I guess. But is famous better than high-end? Eh, $20 watch I love. ::delete::

"Earn more for a superior life. adamite agronomics albuminolysis"

Step slowly back from the dictionary and nobody gets hurt... ::delete::

"Your Amazon.com Order"

Came about a week ago. Thanks. ::delete::

So, there's Spam Watch for today. Did anybody get any interesting spam over the weekend?

Online Class: Pitch, Pile or Public

If you're an aspiring author, you might find this online course given by three friends and chapter mates of mine helpful:

PITCH, PILE, OR PUBLIC: THREE PATHS TO PUBLICATION

Dates: September 13-27*, 2010

Instructors: Kira Sinclair, Kimberly Lang, & Lynn Raye Harris

Cost: $20

Sponsored by: Heart of Dixie, RWA

Register at: http://www.heartofdixie.org/

Summary:

There is no one path to publication; no one way to get an editor or agent’s attention. In this workshop, three authors draw on their own experiences to prepare you for success on the three most common paths to an editor or agent’s desk.

The Pitch: Kira Sinclair’s pitch led to a request, then a sale. Kira will go over the basics of how to craft a short, informative pitch designed to showcase your book’s best bits and leave the agent or editor requesting more. Kira now writes for Harlequin Blaze.

The Pile: Kimberly Lang is a slush pile success story. Since your query letter is the first thing an editor or agent reads, it needs to be the very best it can be. We’ll build on what we learned from Kira’s pitch lessons to build a query letter that encourages the editor or agent to read on. Kimberly is a USA Today bestselling author for Harlequin Presents/Mills & Boon Modern Heat.

The Public: Lynn Raye Harris got an editor’s – and the public’s – attention in a big way when she won the Harlequin-sponsored Instant Seduction contest. Lynn will share her tips on how to make your first chapters pack the punch needed to get judges, editors, agents (and eventually readers!) wanting to see what happens next. Lynn is a USA Today bestselling author for Harlequin Presents/Mills & Boon Modern.

Class format includes lectures and Q&A. Some students may have the opportunity to have their pitches and/or query letters critiqued by the instructors for the benefit of the participants.

For more information contact online@heartofdixie.org

*Please note the change in dates from the earlier post. I was given the wrong dates before.

I want to believe, but...

I'm blogging today on the Intrigue Author's blog, going all spooky, talking about the paranormal. Are you more Scully or Mulder? Let's hash it out, The X-Files style.

What I Did for Summer Vacation

Just took a much-needed week off of work, partly for my birthday on the 28th, partly to take advantage of a freebie day off for the 4th of July. It was largely a lazy vacation, which I loved. I've been on vacations where every single moment was filled to the brim with things to do and places to go. That can be fun, especially when you're younger, but as I get older, I find that I prefer a nice, lazy vacation where I do exactly what I want when I want.

Nevertheless, I did have a few things I needed to accomplish before I went back to work. (Lots of new pages on the book-in-progress come to mind). But I made sure to give myself plenty of down time, too.

So here's what I did on my vacation, in no particular order:

WRITING:

• Wrote 72 pages on book 2 of the current 3-book contract
  
• Rewrote synopsis for same book to take into consideration changes made in the actual manuscript.
  
• Made corrections to first three chapters based on critique partner's edits to get it ready to go to my editor by 7/15.
  
• Wrote two blog posts (including this one)
  
• Scheduled two future guest blog posts and a guest post for an online writer's conference.
  
• Edited and updated my website.
  
• Attended my local writing chapter's special program featuring Carina Press editor Angela James (and won a historical novel as a doorprize, which I quickly traded for a contemporary because I generally prefer them to historicals).
  
• Rewrote synopsis for book 1 of current 3-book contract to match actual events of the story, which diverged* significantly from original selling synopsis (I didn't include it with the manuscript I sent in on the due date).
  
• Wrote Cast of Characters and dedication for book 1 as well.
  

READING:

• Caught up on some of my favorite blogs.
  
• Read some articles in this month's Romance Writers Report.
  
• Read about half of Under Orders by Dick Francis (read it before, but it's as good the second time).
  

CATS

• Have become convinced that Mina, the half-Siamese kitten is actually a male. Renamed him Miko. Will ask the vet to be sure on the next visit. Cat may develop identity problem before it's all over.
  
• Much snuggling. Much, much snuggling.
  
• Did I mention the snuggling?
  
• Cleaned litter box several times. Cats grateful.

FAMILY/HOME LIFE

• Had barbecue take out for birthday. Yum.
  
• Watched multiple Psych and Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes on DVD with younger niece.
  
• Hung with Mom. Napped a lot. Both excellent occupations.
  
• Fielded two calls and a couple of emails from work. Not bad for such a long span of time away from the office.
  
• Watched School of Rock—subversive and hilarious movie.
  
• Watched lots of court shows with mom. Am horrified.
  
• Watched series finale ep of Angel on early morning TNT. Wept when Wesley died needlessly and cursed Joss Whedon and Tim Minear.
  
• Watched second episode of Memphis Beat on TNT. Not as poignant as first episode but funnier overall. But also missed Justified (as it aired in same time slot on FX during regular season).
  
• Watched season (mid-season?) finale of In Plain Sight. Hated the ending.
  
• Watched predictable Lifetime movie. Is the husband ever NOT the bad guy? Wished fervently that Harlequin and Lifetime would pair up to produce Intrigues as movies.
  
• Wore sloppy clothes all week. Loved it.

So, that's it. Was that a great vacation or what? I kinda hate to go back to work tomorrow.

(*Thanks to the lovely Rebecca York for catching my mental lapse in using converged when I clearly meant diverged. Vacation brain!)

One Tough Marine now available on eHarlequin

I can't believe I didn't post this yesterday. My only excuse is that I'm on vacation from my day job, writing 8 pages a day on my current WIP and keep getting roped into watching marathons of Psych and Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD by my eleven-year-old niece.

Anyway, if you're inclined to buy early (and often!), here's the link to my August book on eHarlequin, now available for actual, get it in the mail in a few days purchase.