My brother just got engaged to his girlfriend of more than five years. She's such a lovely person, and I'm so happy for them both! The romantic in me rejoices!!!!

Skepticism and leeriness are two things that go through readers' mind when you…

1. … boldly announce that you'll put out [[[ insert some ungodly number ]]] of books per day (or week, or month, or year)
2. … proclaim that you don't have the money or resources to get good betas, crit partners, and/or editor(s)
3. … declare that you're too good to have to waste time with things like editors, CPs, etc.
4. … publish books with homemade covers
5. … publish books with one too many errors
6. … excuse errors in your titles by saying how other publishers/authors also have errors in theirs
7. … whine about how horrible your readers are because they aren't writing glowing reviews and creating word-of-mouth for you
8. … whine about bad reviews and/or attack reviewers/readers

Readers & reviewers — Want to add more to the list? Feel free.

I just realized that I may not write any new projects this year. The thought was rather startling because I was convinced I'd be able to start drafting another project.

But as it stands, I need to finish revisions on my WIP and send it to Agent, plus complete edits on The Last Slayer. The Unborn One is going to come out in the next few weeks, whether or not his timing is convenient. (It's not, but I can't wait to hold him in my arms. :) )

By the time the Boy's out and The Last Slayer edits are done, it's going to be the end of June, or maybe even early July. I have no idea how the newborn is going to impact my schedule or anything like that. Hopefully by the end of July, I'll be somewhat lucid enough to send WIP to Agent, start outlining the sequel to The Last Slayer, finalize promo plans for The Last Slayer and budget the time and money for it.

The last time I did a detailed outline for a book, it was for Carnal Secrets, and it took me about a month to do it. I think the sequel to The Last Slayer is going to take longer than a month to outline…probably two or three. So I'm thinking maybe around November or December, I can possibly start drafting the sequel, if everything goes as planned (the best case scenario). Or maybe everything will implode and I'll get nothing done.

Since I'm trying to be more optimistic these days, I'm guessing it's going to be somewhere in-between. And it's shocking that I may end this year without drafting anything new. (Outlines don't count.)

Hello, everyone. I hope you had a lovely start to your May and a fabulous Mother's Day.

We had a week-long holiday in Japan (Golden Week), and it was so pretty, with warm and sunny weather. Hero Material and I bought a new refrigerator. And sadly enough, I got really excited about it. If anybody had asked me if I'd get giddy over a new fridge 10 years ago, I would've laughed at them. Guess it's my nesting instinct kicking in…? :D

After the heart-pounding excitement of fridge shopping, I spent most of Golden Week working on edits for The Last Slayer. I'm almost done. I need to let it sit for about a couple of days and read it over before sending it back to my editor.

And speaking of The Last Slayer, it's the first book in a trilogy, which Carina Press is calling The Heartstone Trilogy. What do you think about the name? :) (And yes, it's really going to be a trilogy, not a never-ending series.)

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, The Romance Reviews hosted a book interview featuring Carnal Secrets. You can learn more about what inspired me to write the story and so on. I'll be checking comments periodically to answer any questions.

This month, I guest-blogged on The Romance Reviews about other points of view. In it, I discussed the challenges of making antagonists appear not so black and white even while using only one or two points of view (hero / heroine) in Carnal Secrets.

Toward the end of May, the lovely Stella and Lea from Book Lovers Inc. are going to interview me, plus post their dual review of Carnal Secrets. I'll post updates when I know more, get the links, etc.

Also if you're an aspiring writer, don't forget to check out Magic and Mayhem Writer's 4-in-1 critique to benefit juvenile diabetes research. If you want to learn more about our critique style, you can click on the following for details: Sandy, Amanda, Shawntelle, Yours Truly.

On a more personal note, I'm now at week 35. The Boy weighs almost 6 pounds, and he seems very healthy and energetic; he demonstrates it by kicking his mother mercilessly everywhere, including the ribs. ;) Hero Material and I are very excited at the prospect of holding the Boy in our arms soon. :)

I've updated my contact page to let people know that the response time to emails may be longer than usual, given my semi-maternity leave mode. If you're a writer and want to email me with questions specific to writing and business matters, please check the FAQ for writers before doing so. This will save both of us time. :)

If you're a reader, I don't have a FAQ for you. You're welcome to email me, Tweet me or leave me messages on my FB page. I'll try to get back to you as soon as able.

I hope you all have a lovely May! Talk to you soon.

I can't speak for other ladies of Magic and Mayhem Writers, but I'm basically not going to do any critiques this year except for Brenda Novak's annual charity and the Romance Divas giveaway. It's not that I don't want to pay it forward or help others, but I just don't have the time or energy to commit to anything that's going to require a lot of focus. I'm having a baby this summer, and I have a book contracted to come out later this year (for which I owe edits back to my editor) plus another project that I owe my agent.

So if you ever wanted me or the talented other ladies from Magic and Mayhem, this is your chance. Besides, you get to help a great cause: juvenile diabetes research!

Next week, the Magic and Mayhem Writers will blog about how we crit, so you can decide before you bid. We all have different styles when it comes to critting, so I think you'll find the posts useful, especially if you plan to bid on our item: 4 critiques in 1. :)

Bonnie of A Backwards Story has written a lovely review of A Happily Ever After of Her Own:

If you're looking for a light, funny novella, look no further than A Happily Ever After of Her Own by Nadia Lee. Lee takes the term “fractured fairy tale” to new heights, creating a story in the same vein as the Shrek movies. Upon reading this e-book, who wouldn't covet Melinda's ability to pop in and out of various fairy tales? I know I'd love to take a first-hand look at my favorite tales.

…

At first, I was surprised by the way the romance shapes up because I wasn't expecting it to come in the form it did. Lee does it in such a way, however, that it makes sense. There's a startling revelation about fairy tales that I won't spoil for you here. Overall, A Happily Ever After of Her Own is a fast, entertaining read that will give you food for thought, especially if you're a fairy tale lover!

Read Excerpt »
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