Galleys are in!

Finally got to the galley stage with Cassidy's War. Now, I'm just one step away from seeing the finished product.

I proofread the first 50 pages today and am really excited about getting a release date by next month. Then I can start planning book promotion.

Feeling better every day

I've progressed from walking with crutches to using a cane to get around. As a result, I can do a little more, but still nothing like my normal daily routine. But it does give me more time to write.

Since I'm waiting on the copyeditor to go over my novel and have submitted my novella and am waiting on a reply, I'm spending my time writing short magazine stories. I've completed the first draft of one and am putting that aside for a week before edits, proofread and submission.

I have two more short stories outlined, so will likely start writing one of them while I wait for the galley of Cassidy's War and an answer to my novella submission.

Having a list of projects to work on sure keeps the ball rolling. Otherwise the waiting can eat you up.

How do you other writers handle the wait period?

Final edits are in

I completed final edits for my American Victorian romance, Cassidy's War. Next come galleys, then I'll get an official release date.

I'm excited about finishing up this project and seeing my latest book finally in print. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on new developments.

Finished edits...finished story...

Just sent the second round of edits for Cassidy's War back to my editor. And I also completed the first draft of my new Civil War set novella, Cole's Promise.

And next week I'm off to vacation in Gettysburg. I've been working hard on both projects and am looking forward to a much needed break. When I return, I'll re-read Cole's Promise and start making revision notes.

In the meantime, I'll start fooling around with a blurb for the novella.

And if you scroll down, you'll see my beautiful cover for my American Victorian post-Civil War romance novel, Cassidy's War.

Want to show off my brand new cover!

Here's the official book cover for my upcoming American Victorian romance, Cassidy's War, set five years after the Civil War. This will be my third novel with The Wild Rose Press and my seventh release with them overall. How do you like it?

Blurb:

The Civil War is over, but Cassidy’s War is just beginning.

Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who’d left her at the altar five years before, returns, she’s determined not to let him upset the plans she’s set for herself.

Unknown to his former fiancée and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George’s former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn’t married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can’t reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.

Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?

Unedited excerpt:

After settling her on the wicker settee, he sat beside her, enveloping her hand and rubbing it between his large, warm ones. His sandalwood and male scent invited her to lean into his warmth, but she held herself rigid, her emotions on guard.

She had so many questions she wanted answered, like where he’d been all these years and how he made his living.

“Cassie, I know you must hate me for leaving you.”

She narrowed her gaze. “It’s hard to think kindly on someone who leaves you, no matter what the reason. I know you were hurting, but we could have made a life together. Healed each other.”

He shook his head. “I would’ve held you back.”

“From what?”

“Well...you’re a doctor. That was your dream when I returned from prison camp.”

“And look what a fine mess I’ve made of that.” She bowed her head, studying his hand wrapped around hers. His warm touch sent tingles straight to her core. But what was he doing here? Did he really come back for her, or had something or someone else drawn him to Burkeville?

“George, what’s the real reason you’re here?” She held her breath, hoping for the answer she wanted to hear.

He withdrew his hand from hers, taking his warmth with it. “I thought I should come back and check on Pa.” His dark gaze settled on her. “I didn’t reckon you’d ever want to see me again, especially after the disaster I made of my life—and yours.”

She leaned back. “George, you’re wearing fine clothing, telling us about your adventures in New York and California.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t sound to me like your life’s a mess.”

He chewed his lower lip. “I haven’t told you all of it. After I left you, I wandered for a long time. I’m not really clear on all of it, because half the time I was so drunk I didn’t know who or where I was.”

Cassidy stood. “Well, I have to say, you look none the worse for wear after all you’ve been through.”

“Cassie, I...” George grinned, lifting his thumbs to the lapels of his coat. “I always had a knack for poker. Cleaned out many fellow soldiers during the war.”

“Are you telling me you’re a professional gambler?”

He grimaced, dropping his gaze. “I’m not the type of man a physician should associate with. To tell the truth, I figured you’d already forgotten me. I expected to find you with a husband and children by now.”

“There’s no one else, George, if that’s what you’re getting at. Since you left, I haven’t exactly had a slew of suitors at my door.” She eyed him, not sure why she’d told him.

I don't yet have a release date for Cassidy's War, but you can find my other books complete with excerpts and blurbs at my website: www.susanmacatee.com

Sneak Peek at Cassidy's War

I'm giving the first peek at an unedited excerpt from my newly contracted post-Civil War romance, Cassidy's War over at Slip Into Something Victorian  http://slipintosomethingvictorian.wordpress.com/ today.

Edits are done!

I just finished up the edits for Cassidy's War. They're not due until Monday, but I plan to do a brief look over tomorrow of the entire manuscript, then take the weekend off and send it to my editor first thing Monday.

Feels good to be through the first set of edits.

Progress Report

Been busy with edits for Cassidy's War and haven't had much time to post blogs, but I wanted to post a progress report.

I'm halfway through edits, with two weeks left to go, so think I'm doing very well. I'm also making real headway with the plotting out of my new Civil War set novella and hope to finish soon, so I can start writing the first draft.

I also have two short stories I plan to give final edits and submit this week to True Romance magazine.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the blurb for Cassidy's War.

The Civil War is over, but Cassidy’s War is just beginning.


Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who’d left her at the altar five years before, returns, she’s determined not to let him upset the plans she’s set for herself.

Unknown to his former fiancée and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George’s former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn’t married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can’t reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.

Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?

Later, I'll post a few unedited excerpts from the novel.

Very productive week in writing

I'm happy to say I've completed the first 100 pages of edits on my newly contracted novel, Cassidy's War. Fortunately, since I've already gone through two revision requests with this manuscript, these mostly seem to be line edits and I have three weeks to finish up.

I also completed the first draft of a short magazine romance story. I'm putting that aside for a week before doing edits and polishing a bit before submitting.

Besides all that, I researched, wrote and posted a history blog at Slip Into Something Victorian on the Baltimore Raid at the start of the American Civil War.

I think the contracted edits are helping to get me right into my writing tasks. Before the contract, I'd sometimes have a hard time deciding which project I wanted to work on, since I always seem to have several in the works. While trying to decide, I'd waste time checking email and websites, instead of writing during my scheduled writing time.

Hopefully, I can get even more organized now. No fooling around when you have to complete edits on a deadline that's not self-imposed.

Edits are in!

I got the first round of edits for Cassidy's War on Monday. I was worried that I'd have to push my other projects aside to work on them, but figured if I can edit 20 pages per day, I'll meet my deadline with a couple of days to spare.

I did most of the work on this book pre-contract when I did two full editor requested revisions, so I'm hoping most of the work is already done. I'm hoping to complete the first 100 pages by Friday.

So, I should have time to complete the first draft on a short contemporary story that's nearly done, as well as plot out a new Civil War set novella.

Having solid deadlines somehow makes me feel more productive and efficient.

Not only did I complete the first 40 pages of edits, but I researched and wrote a Civil War blog for Slip Into Something Victorian that will be up on Friday and wrote another 500 words on my short story.

It might be because, now I have a deadline for the edits, I'm getting right to work instead of fooling around online or checking emails.

Awesome news!!!

I just signed and mailed back the contract for my post-Civil War romance, Cassidy's War. If you've read my past posts, you'll know it's taken a lot of work and determination to get this book published. After finishing the first draft in the summer of 2009, I went through three revisions and three submissions before getting a 'yes'.

Here's the blurb:


The Civil War is over, but Cassidy’s War is just beginning.

Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who’d left her at the altar five years before, returns, she’s determined not to let him upset the plans she’s set for herself.


Unknown to his former fiancée and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George’s former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn’t married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can’t reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.

Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?


This story was based on a book I had published years ago called "Under the Guns". It was a young adult coming of age story set during the American Civil War that is currenly out-of-print. This new story takes those characters a few years ahead into their adult years.
 
I'll post more on the contract details as they occur.

First goal of 2011 accomplished!

I just sent off my new novel, Cassidy's War, to my editor. And I've already started on the second goal to list 6 or 7 ideas for short stories. Just one more idea and I'll be there.

I think I'm on a roll!

The holidays are over...time to get back to work

In truth, I never stopped working, just slowed down a bit.

I'm at the final stage with my novel, Cassidy's War. I'm part-way through a proofread of the print version of the novel, then it's off to my editor. I'm eager to finish this up, so I can get back to work on my time travel novella.

Here's the new blurb for Cassidy's War. My revision changed the story a bit.

The Civil War is over, but Cassidy's war is just beginning.

Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who'd left her at the altar five years before returns, she's determined not to let him upset the plans she's set for herself.

Unknown to his former fiancee and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George's former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn't married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can't reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.


Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?

Once I send this out, I can cross out my first goal of 2011. Won't that be a great start to the year?

Finally in the home stretch

After putting aside my sci-fi romance the end of the summer, I've been revising, editing and this week completed proofing the entire file of my post Civil War romance, Cassidy's War.

Today I plan to print out the file, then put it aside for an entire week. Then I'll proofread the printed copy to try to catch any typos or mistakes I missed on the Word file.

After that, it goes back to my editor. I hope when I hear back on it, I'll be able to announce a new book contract.

My next post will be my list of writing goals for the new year.

Revision's Finished!

Of course I'm not completely done with this manuscript, still have to go back and do line edits and a final proofread before submitting, but I'm relieved that this revision is over. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The trick, after reading my editor's revision request, was to put the manuscript aside for the entire summer, while I worked on other projects. When I came back to it in October, I could look at it in a whole new light.

I'm taking a week off from this manuscript and will start line edits the Monday after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I'll catch up on blogging and revise, edit and polish a short story.

I even revised the blurb of the manuscript called Cassidy's War.

The Civil War is over, but Cassidy’s War is just beginning.

Cassidy Stuart longs to attend medical school. Her training under her physician father and her time serving as a nurse during the war, have only increased her desire to be a real physician with a practice of her own. When the man who’d left her at the altar five years before, returns, she’s determined not to let him upset the plans she’s set for herself.

Unknown to his former fiancée and her family, George Masters is now a Pinkerton agent sent to investigate a physician now living in George’s former hometown. When he finds Cassidy hasn’t married, he hopes he can have another chance with her, but can’t reveal his real reason for returning, at least not until his mission is accomplished.

Can love be rekindled with a doctor bent on revenge against them both?

I hope to have this completed and ready to submit by the beginning of the new year, if not sooner.

Writing Break Day!

I've just sent off my historical romance, Cassidy's War to my editor after an extensive revision and now plan to take a day off from writing. I'm going to spend this afternoon watching a baseball game.

And tomorrow I'll have the delicious task of deciding which of my works in progress to start on. I have two contemporary short stories that I've started first drafts on, a time travel novella I've started plotting out and a full-length science fiction romance, still in the plotting stage, but I do still plan to start writing this as my summer book project.

So, which one will I choose?

I'll be back tomorrow with an update.

For now, it's off to the ballgame!

Revision's done!

I finished up the revision for Cassidy's War and put the manuscript aside for a week before giving it a final look over. I hope I now have a stronger version of the original story that my editor and, down the line, readers will love.

I put a lot of work into this sequel to my out-of-print young adult Civil War story, Under the Guns. I loved these characters and had a great time revisiting them. Although Under the Guns is no longer available to readers, this new story can stand alone. It's set five years after the war ends.

For this week, I'm working on a few short pieces. Since it's been 5 months since my last release, I can't be a slacker. I think short stories will be a way to keep fans happy and keep those releases coming.

For any writers out there, do you like to write long or short, or do you like to mix it up?

Have to clear the decks...

I'm starting an online workshop on Monday that I hope will help me figure out the fuzzy middle of my new science fiction romance. I've decided to change the title from Jason's Honor to A Pirate's Honor. What do you think?

I still have to finish up the revision on Cassidy's War. I'm a little past the half-way point, so I've decided not to work on any new projects this month. I'll have enough on my plate.

Hopefully, I'll finish that revision and get it back to my editor before the end of the month. My goal is to start writing the SFR on June 1st as part of a summer book challenge. Don't know if I'll get the entire first draft completed by Labor Day, but I hope to have most of it in the bag.

A rejection on a dark, rainy day

Just got a rejection for my latest manuscript, Cassidy's War. But you know, it's not all that bad. The editor had a lot of great things to say about the submission and only had one problem, but gave me a lot of ideas on how to fix it. And although fixing that problem will require a whole lot of rewriting, I've decided I'm going to do it.

The suggestions will make the manuscript better, so why not put a little more work into an already good manuscript to make it great!

For now, I'll put it aside until I finish up some other projects, then I'll tackle it head on. If you're serious about writing you have to learn to write and revise, revise, revise.

Sent off my latest project today

It took about a year from first planning to final proofread, but I finally finished up my post Civil War historical romance, Cassidy's War.

After sending my query and the synopsis, I got the request for the full. So, it's sent off and I can take a much needed breather.

But I'm already thinking ahead to my newest project. A science fiction romance that I've been struggling with for over a year. I've decided I really like the characters in this new story, but want to make some major changes to the plot.

It's really exciting to finish off one project and dive right into a new one.

But I also need to work on some things I've neglected as of late, like blogging and book promotion for the books I've already had published.

Have to work a bit of time in for everything, I guess.

And since I'm snowed in yet again, I've got time to reflect on what direction I want to go next.