Lynn Raye Harris

Sometimes, when we are still unpublished, we think that if only we could get The Call, everything would be easier. We’d have an editor and our books would be on the shelves. And, yes, while this is true and it is a most wonderful thing, there is still work to be done. The kind of work that when you get it as an unpublished writer, you are discouraged and think you’ll never get there.

But I have to tell you that part of your life as a published author is rewriting. Successfully, regularly, and when asked. I have recently done a lot of rewriting. And right now, I’m rewriting the novella that’s due in two weeks. Why? Because my editor wanted my internal conflicts to be better. I thought they were pretty good in the 25 pages I sent to her, but she was right as always and they could be better.

So I chucked those 25 pages and started again. Now, I have only days until it’s due and a lot of pages still to write. Which means I will be scarce, but I’ll check in and report on my progress when I can.

Remember, if you’ve recently gotten a rejection with a suggestion for massive rewrites, don’t be discouraged. Published writers have to do it too. And so will you, so get used to it now and get busy.

(And can you believe that tomorrow is December already? OMG!)

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I have a lot to be thankful for this year. It’s been a great year so far, and I’m looking forward to spending it with family. Once the festivities are over, it’s back to work on this story due in December.

How will you be spending the day? Have any traditions? My mom always used to watch the Macy’s parade while cooking, and I do love to watch it too. Hubby doesn’t, LOL. He’d rather watch football, or things about football. Of course we eat all the usual foods — turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce (and I’m probably forgetting a few things!). The other tradition we seem to have is that I always make the stuffing. I stumbled on a recipe for Cajun sausage stuffing in a magazine a few years ago. And since I made it that first year, which was probably about eight years ago now, I have to make it every year. The family demands it.

So I gotta get busy cutting up the onions and peppers, frying the sausage, and getting this dish put together. Hope your day is fun-filled and joyful.

Cynthia Gander, you won a signed copy of Cavelli’s Lost Heir last week! Please email me at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com, or use the contact page, so I can send your book.

I turned in my revisions last night at about midnight. Since my editor is in the UK, that means they’d be sitting in her inbox when she arrived in the morning. What a relief to get them gone! The work isn’t done until she tells me it is, so no getting my hopes up that the book is finished yet. There may be some more work to do.

In the meantime, I have a sheikh novella to write! My lovely editor called me this morning to talk about him. I suspected there would be work to do there, and of course I was right. The novella is a new format for me, so it’s also a learning experience to try and pack all the power and emotional punch of a Presents into 25k. That story is due in about 3 weeks now, so guess who will be busy and scarce once more?

But I’m excited about the holiday this week! What American doesn’t love Thanksgiving? A day dedicated to eating and spent with family? Can’t wait. We’re going to my mother’s house, and one of my brothers will be there with his family too. I’m making my famous Cajun stuffing, and I believe I’m in charge of cranberry sauce too. Tomorrow, my mother and I are going shopping together for many of the fixins (a Southern word, for my international readers, that means ingredients).

Of course I’m going to have to find a way to write during all this festivity. And I will. I’ll write early, write late, and write whenever there’s a free moment.

I’m still looking for my winner last week! Cynthia Gander, where are you? Email me for your book!

And, speaking of books, Cavelli’s Lost Heir is officially out in the UK now! If you live in the UK, and you happen to see my book on the shelves, could you snap a pic? Email to me at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com, and I’ll send you a couple of my lovely bookmarks!

Hey, y’all! Sorry to be absent lately, but I’m working hard on revisions and I also have a novella to finish. Add in the upcoming holiday rush, a new book release (Dec in the UK and India, Jan in the US and Australia), and I just don’t know where the time goes! All I know is it seems as if I have a lot going on lately.

But, why don’t we liven things up a bit around here? It’s time to give away a signed copy of Cavelli’s Lost Heir! Leave me a comment for a chance to win. And tell me what you’re doing to get ready for the holidays!

UPDATE: The winner is Cynthia! See the comments below for details!

My book is now mine on Amazon! They spelled my name wrong in the UK, but hey, I’ll take it. That’s easily corrected compared to them having the wrong author. Amazon is a behemoth, and they move at the speed of molasses, but they actually did this quite fast considering I started my complaint campaign on Friday. I’m pleased, because I am not just an author but also a frequent Amazon customer. I’ve spent tons of money with them over the years, and not just for books!

Here’s the US link and the UK link. It was quite disheartening to see my book attributed to someone else, and to get the run around as I tried to find a human being to communicate with, but it all worked out in the end. When I found a human, she was very helpful and apologetic and she followed through. And I don’t discount the involvement of Amy Wilkins and the Harlequin Retail Team either. I’m sure they were on top of this and helped to get it changed.

So, things work out when you’re patient and persistent. Thanks to everyone who emailed Amazon on my behalf! I’m sure those emails helped too, because you proved it wasn’t just one small author who insisted this book was hers. Your belief it was mine helped swing the balance.

Have you ever battled a behemoth? Did you get them to fix whatever it was they’d done wrong? (I did once get a 10 yr old television fixed for free because Hitachi gave me the run around.)

I am so irritated with Amazon at the moment that I can hardly write this post. I’ve recently found out what it’s like to be a published author with a book coming out that Amazon attributes to someone else. I keep trying to change the information, but so far they aren’t budging.

The Prince’s Royal Concubine is MY book, due out in March 2010 from Mills & Boon Modern. It will also come out in Harlequin Presents in the months after. Yet Amazon seems to think that my book belongs to Lee Wilkinson. How do these things happen? I wish I knew, but I’m having a heck of a time correcting it.

Want to see for yourself? Here’s the US link and the UK link.

Nothing like slaving over a book and having it attributed to someone else! How would you feel? I know they can’t forever call it someone else’s, like when the cover comes out and they can clearly see it’s mine, but I’m still pretty ticked off about this.

Amazon, give me back my book!

QUICK UPDATE: Thanks for all your words of support! I truly did not expect for folks to email Amazon on my behalf, but I do appreciate it! It seems as if they are in the process of correcting it right now. Hopefully it will be completed soon!

I began to notice last week that a post I wrote in 2007 was getting a lot of traffic. I don’t know why, really, but of course I clicked over and reread it. And I think there’s still some wisdom in there.

June 11, 2007: Saturday was the Heart of Dixie RWA meeting. Have I said how much I love HOD? This is a committed, enthusiastic, sharing group of women (and one man). The group boasts more than one NYT bestselling writer as well as some fabulous authors who will get onto that list someday I am certain. And I can’t forget the unpublished writers who are dedicated and professional and who will also sell books and have careers because they won’t give up on their dreams. A talented, inspiring group to say the least.

Saturday, our guest speaker, a computer professional, talked about websites for writers. Very informative! I learned a lot. (My website, for instance, is in serious need of revamping. I’ll have to work on that.)

But you know what he said that had me thinking? He said that blogs are a timesink and not usually worth the trouble (I’ve talked about this before, but hearing it from a pro made me think about it even more). They can be, when the author has a clear purpose and a goal (such as promoting upcoming releases, holding contests, etc). As daily diaries, not so much. They take away from the writing.

And then I started looking around that room at those NYT bestselling writers. Not one of them has a blog. So I thought about the other published authors in the room. Only one that I know of blogs. The rest do not.

Other NYTBSWs do blog, so that’s not necessarily a definitive example. But it’s something to think about. Writing comes first. (And I’ve already spent at least half an hour editing this post. Things that make you go hmmm.)

Obviously I got the website revamped! And some of those unpublished authors in that room are now published — and a couple of them blog. Blogging takes time. And I have cut down on the amount of it I do. I used to blog every day. But, really, I don’t have something to say every day anymore (I am the first to admit it).

So, I try to blog when I have something to say, want to ask you all a question, or have an observation I want to share. And of course now that I’m published I get to blog and giveaway books! That part is quite fun.

Have you noticed that blogs aren’t as prevalent as they once were? Do you spend more time on Facebook and Twitter? I sure do. It’s easier to stay connected with soundbites, I think, than to write an entire post every day (especially when the post should be interesting!). Do you have any favorite blogs you visit regularly? How many people are blogging there? One person, or several?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!