Every year around this time I start blogging about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and while I am obviously once again blogging about NaNo, I've decided to do something a little different this year. This year, instead of just blogging about how I am doing in the challenge (and it will be a challenging year as I am expecting revision notes for two different books any week now) I want to know how YOU are doing. Oh yeah, and there will be prizes(so read on!)

For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo is a month long challenge where people all over the world attempt to write 50k words during the month of November. If you have ever wanted to write a book, this is a great time and a great challenge to get you noveling. I wrote THE END on my very first novel during NaNo 2005. That novel was ONCE BITTEN, which was released this past January. So, as you can guess, NaNo is a challenge I really believe in.

Officially, the 'prize' for participating in NaNo is typically a certificate and the satisfaction of reaching the goal. While writing 'THE END' for the first time (or the second, fifth, sixtieth time) is definitely a thrilling reward, I want to sweeten the pot a little for my blog readers.

Here is what I'm proposing:
-Everyone who participates on the blog and completes the 50k word challenge during NaNo will be listed in the acknowledgments page of my February release, TWICE DEAD.
-Of those people, I will pick a randomly generated 'grand prize winner' who will receive Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King as well as a copy of my up coming release.
-Also, everyone who participates on the blog, regardless of whether they complete the challenge, will be entered to win a copy of TWICE DEAD. (I'll decide how many I'm giving away once I see how many people participate.)

Sound good?

Here is how you participate:
I will post a blog entry every day during November. In the comments section of that post, leave a quick message telling how your writing is coming and your current word count. (**Note: if you are reading this anywhere but my Facebook page or my blogspot blog, please bookmark www.kalayna.blogspot.com as only responses in these locations will be counted toward the contest.**) Feel free to talk about the triumphs and struggles as we all pound through this challenge, and I would encourage you to cheer each other on. I will comment as often as time allows, but I would love to see an active community grow through this challenge. Also, try to stop by and comment several times a week. Every new day's word count will give you another entry in drawings.

Easy enough, right? So who will be noveling along side me this NaNo season? I'd love for you to go ahead and introduce yourself in the comments here. The madness is coming, so good luck to everyone who plans to pound out some words!

You might remember me mentioning the fact I was interviewed by my local small town paper last week. Well, the article came out yesterday and I made the front page!

I know the images I'm posting are far too small to read, but I'm linking them to PDF files if you are interested in reading the full article. The paper's name got cut out of the scan (and yes, the first page is crooked--I fail at scanning) but the paper is The Country Chronicle which is part of Camden Media Co. LLC

In other news, if you've been following my twitter feed, you know that I've been reading over the first draft of the second book in my Haven series, which I wrote at least two years ago. The good news: it is obvious that I have grown a lot as a writer over the last few years. The bad news: there is very little salvageable material in the draft, so I have a lot of work to do. I need to re-outline the book (to tighten up some aspects of the main plot as well as cut a subplot that was axed from the first book and weave in trails of one that was added,) and write a synopsis. Then it will be time to pull out my word count meter and start pumping out pages, so watch for that in the next week or so.

Have a good weekend everyone! 

I found out extremely exciting news today. Over at FictionWise, the ebook version of Once Bitten has hit a best seller list! OB is currently listed as #8 on the Dark Fantasy List and #3 on the entire sites top rated list. (Can you see the smile on my face from where you are?)

To celebrate, my publisher released a new version of the Once Bitten book trailer detailing this information as well as including some quotes from reviews. Enjoy!


Also, the second print run is now complete, and Once Bitten is listed as back in stock at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Thanks everyone, and have a good night! 

Reviews are starting to pop up on blogs, and because I like to live dangerously, I’ve been reading them when the alerts come in. (Dangerous because I know not everyone will like the story, and hearing someone rip Once Bitten apart won’t be fun.) Luckily, everything I’ve read thus far has been positive, and I am absolutely thrilled.

Jackie at Literary Escapism said:
“I found out about Once Bitten by Kalayna Price a few months ago and I just recently got my hands on a copy.  I have to say, the intrigue I felt for this novel back then was definitely warranted. Price’s world is a lot different than a lot of societies I’ve been reading about lately.  She gives a whole new twist to the shapeshifter culture and their reaction to the full moon.”
      Read more here.

Hope at Hope's Bookshelf said:
“I'm anxiously awaiting the second book in this series. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Kita will end up in next....”
      (4 Hearts) Read more here.

Harriet Klausner at Alternative Worlds said:
“Urban fantasy readers who enjoy the works of Kelly Armstrong and V.K. Forrest will have a great time reading this exhilarating story. Kita is a fascinating lead character as she believes she cannot lead her clan because she shifts into a kitten and loathes the politics that go with being the Torin. Thus she remains in exile staying in kitten form so humans can adopt her until she feels she must move on to her next household. This is one fantasist who is worth the price of admission.”
     Read more here. (And yes, being grouped with Kelly Armstrong did make my day, completely)

If you post a review or you see one around for Once Bitten, drop me an email and let me know. I’d love to read it!

I have big news today (and if you read the title to this post, you probably already know what it is.)

My editor wrote me a couple days ago to let me know I'd probably see Once Bitten listed at online stores by the end of the week. I have been extremely nervous since then, and of course, checking the major sites a couple times a day. Well, this morning I discovered both Barnes & Noble and Amazon have Once Bitten up and listed for sale!

This news makes me both extremely happy and even more nervous. Now it's out there. People can read it. I can make a rough estimate of everyone who read it before today--it's a relatively small pool of people, and while I don't know all of them, I have some idea who they are. Now the book is out there and has to sink or swim on its own. I hope people love it, but I'm realistic enough know not everyone will.

Is there a word to describe feeling both terrified and ecstatic? I wonder if every book release will feel this way?

Okay. Time for me to stop blathering away and get back to editing my WIP.

Have a good hump day everyone!

Well, I'm back after an extended break over the holidays. (I spent most of my time lacking internet, so I'm still catching up on emails and blogs.) During the break, my publisher sent me a full cover copy of my book. Doesn't it look good? I also received and returned my Author Alterations over the holidays, so my input on Once Bitten is officially over. The book is now off to the printers, and I guess I'll see the first copy of it soon. I'm excited.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. Anyone have exciting resolutions for the New Year?

Cross posted from the Tri Mu Blog.

I usually try to post craft topics to the Tri Mu blog, but I finished copy edits not too terribly long ago, so I'm in a technical mood—humor me.

This is probably something everyone already knows, but I didn't until the copy edits came in, so I'll share. Did you know that Microsoft Words default treatment of ellipses is incorrect?

For those unsure what an ellipsis is, Wikipedia defines it as "series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word or a phrase from the original text." Fiction writers use it most commonly to indicate a character trailing off.

When writing in Word, the autocorrect option automatically shrinks an ellipsis into three tight little dots, so I always assumed that was correct. Apparently not. Once I received my copyedits, I learned an ellipsis has space between the dots  . . .

For me, space period space period space period space is not a very natural thing to type, not to mention the spaces create the possibility the ellipsis can be broken over lines. These two issues make for a frustrated author. The good news for me (and hopefully soon for you,) is that fellow Tri Mu Darlene taught me a trick to make non-breaking spaces. (Yes, non-breaking spaces, isn't that cool?) Then, to make things even easier, I figured out how to change the autocorrect feature to add these non-breaking spaces every time I type an ellipsis.

Yes, I'm going to share.

Non-breaking spaces: If you are using a PC and hold down SHIFT and CONTROL then hit SPACE you will create a non-breaking space. (You will probably have to turn on the formatting marks to see the difference.)

Correcting AutoCorrect: Select AutoCorrect Options from the menu. Under "Replace" type in your three periods like you would when writing and then under "With" use your non-breaking spaces to put in the correct  . . . . Save. Now when you type an ellipsis it should automatically change to include the proper spaces. Easy stuff!

Well, I hope that helps! Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm thrilled to say I now have an excerpt of Once Bitten posted on my site. If you would like to read the first few pages of the book, check it out here!

Happy Reading!

(Craft post X-posted from the Tri Mu blog.)

From the title, you probably think I'm going talk about searching out elusive information. Maybe even where I like to look or my favorite resources. Well, I hate to disappoint, but I'm not talking about finding the needle in the haystack. I'm talking about hiding the needle.

Okay, just to be clear, in this instance, the haystack is a manuscript, and the research is the needle. Why in the world would we hide our research?

Well, quite simply, writers learn everything they possibly can about a subject (especially if they have a tendency to get hooked on research--and it is a great procrastination tool if you are not careful) but the reader does not want the story to stop as the writer informs them of all the cool stuff learned during research. They want to absorb the necessary bits and move on.  

So why the needle metaphor? Surely the reader needs to know more than that?

Sometimes, yes. Many times, no.

For instance, in Once Bitten the main character can pick locks. When I started writing this book I knew only the obvious about locks: that the ridges on the keys matched up with something inside the lock. Not so helpful. I spent many, many hours online reading wikis and "how to" guides about locks and lock picking. I learned about the pins inside locks (the average house lock has a double row of 6.) I learned about different picks, the obligatory tension wrench, and different methods for manipulating pins. I've never held lock picks, but, in theory, I have a pretty firm idea how to go about picking a lock. (I'm obviously hitting only general points here because well...this is not a paper on lockpicking. ^_^)

What happened to the information I gathered from my hours of research? I used it in about three lines of the manuscript. That's it. Just enough to establish credibility and be clear to the reader.

How much is too much, too little? That is a tough one, and one of the values of critique partners. If they get confused, you need more. If the scene drags, it's time to cut. After all, you don't want to throw an anvil in your haystack--an info dump will blend in about that well. So, dig in and do your research. Then refine it to the finest, sharpest needle, and hide it nice and deep in your manuscript. Your reader will thank you.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Well, I found out the other day the release of Once Bitten is being postponed by a month. I'm not exactly shocked by this news--my publisher planned to break speed records to get the book out this season, but the process takes time (and a second set of revisions slowed things down.)

So, it will be a couple more weeks before the book hits the shelf. (Which means more weeks for me to be jittery and stressed.) I'll post the official date as soon as I have it. Be on the lookout!