Please check out these new releases, written by friend and fellow RR author, Keta Diablo:

Ravenous Romance is officially open for business!  Featuring new novels and short stories each day, Ravenous Romance offers good quality erotic and romantic fiction, at a reasonable price.

I have two short stories in their currently available anthology, Men in Shorts: "Until Next Week," and "Coffee Break."  Men in Shorts features a number of award-winning authors, as well as some creative new talent; one of my siblings also has a short story in this work ... try to guess which one!

I just spent half the morning at YouTube, watching trailers for the upcoming The Lost Boys sequel....

Anyone who has known me and my twin sis for any decent length of time knows that the two of us wrote and sent a sequel to Warner Bros. many years ago, when we were in our early teens.  We were huge fans of the movie, and we felt we had an obligation to write a sequel worthy of its predecessor as quickly as possible, so that no one else would write it and get it produced before us (and thus screw it up).  Richard Donner's assistant back then, a nice man named Scott Nimerfro, gently rejected our numerous pleas to have our script read.  We had no clue how lucky we were even to get a response, and we were both shattered with the rejection.  I think of what might have been, had Mr. Nimerfro decided to take a chance....

I am aghast from the trailers I watched this morning for The Lost Boys: the Tribe ... simply in utter shock at what appears to be a direct-to-video desecration of a cult classic.

Writing that was the springboard my sister and I both needed, however, to get the ball rolling on our amateur writing careers.  At fifteen, the two of us collaborated on a novel.  We finished it in a matter of months.  I have gone on to write several more novels, as well as short stories and screenplays, while Erin has turned to music as her storytelling venue of choice.

Still, I am frustrated that I think my sequel would have been better, but I didn't have the experience, age, or connections to get mine produced first.  I am frustrated that, in this business, it is all about who one knows ... and my network is small, at best.  I am frustrated because I have so many stories to tell ... and yet I have no audience.

I am a writer.  I want this more than just about anything else I have ever wanted in this world.  I know that we all go through this ... these bursts of impatience, when the years and the portfolio progress, but the doors remain closed....  I know I have no choice but to be patient, however.  I know my work will eventually catch the right eye.  I know "this" is where I truly belong....

I spend a lot of time on working on queries.  I actually enjoy it, as it allows me to reflect on my work beyond redrafts and the original creative process, to come up with better approaches to my synopses, and sometimes even come up with ideas for future drafts.  I see it as an opportunity to improve my writing, overall ... and I can only hope that those who pass on any given project of mine might see my potential and remember my name, just the same.

Rejection doesn't bother me anymore.  We all experience it, no matter who we are.  I've been receiving rejection letters for many years, now, and I think I've learned a lot in the process.  Some are form letters, but many are very positive, offering me tips, helpful critique, and encouraging me on.  Other than the few dozen I lost in a move eight years ago, I still have every one of them.  They are badges of honor.  They have thickened my skin, given me humility, and taught me just how much I want this.

I think writers should spend a good amount of time on query writing; to perfect the query is to perfect the work.

It seems like just about everyone has some kind of connection ... until actually asked to follow through with the favor of providing toe in the proverbial door.  In this industry, however, it truly is all about who you know ... and as an agoraphobic writer, that can pose some obstacles.  Granted, I'm always up for a good challenge; I think I've become rather skilled at overcoming the impossible....

A good friend of mine recently reconnected with a long-time friend of his, whose wife happens to work for Paramount.  Granted, she's not a producer, but she apparently knows a few of them.  As a favor, she supposedly will personally put one of my scripts on a producer's desk.  I took a few days to ensure that World-Mart was perfect, and sent it off.

I've had my hopes up in the past ... I even had a script almost sell to HBO several years ago.  I was still young in my writing back then, though ... my writing has taken on a whole new level since then.

I know well enough never to hold my breath ... but I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.