chrissymunder | Entries tagged with clarelondon

I’m over at Clare London’s today! Join me as I share my love of paper and plans. Can there *gasp* really be such a thing as too much planning? Here’s to putting more “Do” in my To-Do-List in 2016!

The celebration continues all through January, so visit her blog daily to catch the latest post by an amazing assortment of well-wishers.

To help me get past my absolute and utter HORROR that the end of March is upon us, (just how did that happen btw?) I'm reaching waaaaay back and pulling out the August 2010 post of The Clare and Chrissy Show. And if you think I didn't stop and blink that more than 4 years have passed since we had fun with this, think again. I've removed the images from the original post because so much time has gone by and it's too dang hard to remember where the graphics were pulled from, but the excitment and humor we shared still remains. So grab your coffee and confetti and jump on in. Go ahead and leave a comment, and if you follow the instructions at the end of the post, I might still have some of that festive Clare and Chrissy swag to send out.

Look for more of our adventures as Waaaaaay Back Wednesday continues in the coming months!

( This way to the party )

When I'm looking for neat and interesting stuff on the web I normally head over to Chris's blog - Stumbling Over Chaos and her amazing (should be patented) Linkity posts. But today is one of those amazing days where there is great stuff everywhere. I thought I'd share just a few:

For a refreshing look at parenthood (he compares it to herding cats, one of my favorite hobbies) there's this very moving post by Leo Babauta on The Essence of Fatherhood - http://zenhabits.net/fatherhood/

How about 3 Things You Need to Stop Doing to Get Started with What You Truly Want to Do courtesy of The Positivity Blog - http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2014/06/12/3-things-to-stop-doing-to-get-started/

Win a copy of Clare London's Freeman http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwidth.org/4355374.html over at Elisa's

Remember the joys of Word Perfect and your favorite Macro? I used to be the Macro Queen and had a slew of them at my fingertips. Not much compared to the bliss of hitting a few keys and having the computer prepare an entire form letter for you. Thems were the days. :) Well, here's a free 600 page guide containing 400 Macros you can use in Word. Download your free copy of Macros for Writers and Editors by Paul Beverley: http://www.archivepub.co.uk/book.html

And then, to better understand how to use them, C.K. Macleod gives us a whole slew of helpful blog posts: http://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/category/microsoft-word/

See what I mean?

What's your favorite web find today?

But it looks like a traveling weekend for the Munders and I'll miss most of it. *is sad* Isn't that the way it always works? But you can join in the fun.

First up, be sure to visit the lovely

clarelondon as she chats Saturday over at the DSP Goodreads Group from 3 - 6 pm EST. She'll be sharing her steamy new release Compulsion, as well as a few giveaways including 2 signed e-copies of Compulsion, and 2x choice of her DSP backlist in ebook.

And don't miss the Dreamspinner Press 10K Facebook Follower Fest (#10KFFF for those on Twitter).

Nobody celebrates like Dreamspinner Press and they've promised us 10 days of free stories, contests, gifts, and fun. (Hey, I think I even have a drabble in there.) Visit their Facebook Page for updates.

The celebration kicked off today with a 30% discount code so I can't wait to see what's next.

*confetti toss time* Yay!

Clare: and Chrissy: Hello everyone, welcome to the August Edition of The Clare and Chrissy Show. It doesn't matter if you are dashing about getting ready for back-to-school, or finalizing your plans for the UK Meet (only 4 weeks to go!) we're happy to see you.

Clare: Some of you may remember earlier this year when Dreamspinner Press celebrated their fifth anniversary.

Chrissy: Confetti Time!! Both Clare and I were honored to recognized as two of their first year authors, despite our shock at realizing five years had gone by since we were initially published.

Clare: Good Lord, that means five years since we first met online.

Chrissy: Awwwwwh, sweetie. You remembered. I thought we weren't going to celebrate anniversaries?

Clare: It had all rushed by so fast! That's what stunned me. It seemed like only a few months had passed since I agonized over my pseudonym, set up my first attempt at a website, and dipped my stubby little toe into the rocky waters of online promotion.

Chrissy: Instead it's been years. Here's a case where time traveled much faster than a speeding snail. Wow, I'm going to need some more confetti.

Clare: Gawd, I'm going to need another margarita. This is worse than my sons' birthdays, when I start doing the maths and figuring out that if they're this age, then I'm … *gasp*

Chrissy: My lips are sealed.

Clare: They'd better be! I was a child bride, you know *coughcough*.

Chrissy: In addition to realizing it's past time to revamp each of our now-expired five year career plans (now there's a blog post waiting to be written), we also face the fact that somehow along the way we acquired a backlist.

Clare: Quite different from only having one or two titles under our collective belts.

Chrissy: Usually we don't tend to notice unless we are updating our websites, or preparing a layout of covers.

Clare: As most of our attention is firmly fixed on our latest release, and those - hopefully - upcoming.

Chrissy: There are edits to be made, excerpts to pull, blog hops, and group chats to calendar.

Clare: Don't forget reviews to be read! (or skimmed past quickly *lol*)

Chrissy: All circling us back once again to even more website updates. It's an attention-consuming cycle.

Clare: Then, just when we think we've got it all handled and we can get back to the business of writing, it's time for another new release and we start all over again. Dammit, do I sound like I'm complaining?! That's not the case, of course!

Chrissy: But when we stop and take a breath, or *cough* haven't released anything new in a while it's a different matter all together.

Clare: All we can say is, each of the older stories has already received their time in the sun. We've posted excerpts up one Yahoo Group and down another twenty-four. Chatted and given away free copies until we're convinced that there's no one on the planet who hasn't had a chance to win their own copy.

Chrissy: At what point do we figure we've beaten this poor horse of a story to death and beyond?

Clare: Welllll... This is where the advantage of age and experience comes to the fore.

Chrissy: As in, old age and treachery beats youth and skill?

Clare: Less of the old from you, Munder. The thing to remember is that the web world is not only fickle, but distracted as well.

Chrissy: Add in the veritable onslaught of new titles released every week now compared to a few years ago and we begin to understand that despite our personal perceptions - and hopes! - our work may have only reached a small percentage of our intended audience.

Clare: And the audience changes as well. It's interesting to check the number of members in any online group and realize how much they've grown over the years.

Chrissy: Many of these members are not only new to the group, but also new to the M/M genre.

Clare: We authors love a reader who tries one of our stories and then goes on to investigate our entire catalogue of work.

Chrissy: But there are just as many readers who pick and choose, depending on what's caught their eye for moment.

Clare: Chrissy and I love to get together and participate in online chats at some of the various group sites.

Chrissy: They're a great place to have some fun, expose older excerpts to lurkers, and get to know more of our audience. We also post excerpts of older works on our websites, offer holiday deals, and celebrate our older work on our blogs.

Clare: No matter the venue, each time we've dragged some of our backlist out into the light we always have someone chime in and tell us….

Clare: and Chrissy: "I hadn't heard of that story!"

Clare: Rather sobering actually. Reminds me there's little chance of me becoming an internationally-famous household name at this rate ... but I daresay that's character-building! LOL

Chrissy: We're lucky in that unlike authors who tell us they can't stand to reread their older work, it's a pleasure for us to sit down after a chat or blog post, reread an older work, and get to know the characters all over again.

Clare: Sure they may be a few things we cringe over, or wish we could change (e.g. my becoming-notoriously-legendary overuse of exclamation marks, for example!!!), but those just go in the big list of things to do on a reissue. Well, assuming there ever *is* a reissue. :)

Chrissy: In the meantime we have the joy of introducing these characters to an entirely new audience.

Clare: As well as remembering why we liked them so much and deciding they probably merit penning a sequel ... or two.

Chrissy: That happens all the time! Then I tell myself that no, I have to finish the story that's in progress now, then I can get back to them.

Clare: Hmph, my characters aren't nearly so well behaved or willing to wait.

Chrissy: Well, that is one way to shine the spot light on an older story we didn't discuss - write the sequel!

Clare: Works every time (*starts doodling a scene for Red and Carter...*).

Clare: and Chrissy: Tell us what you think!

Readers, do you scour an author's backlist or are you happy to pick and choose from the latest offerings? Does it bore you to tears when an author continues to flog a story from years past, and do you just wish they would stop?

Authors, how do you feel about publicizing your older work, and do you ever feel a story has been overexposed? Have you ever been proved wrong? And what about those you think have been neglected? What do you do to bring older works back into the public view?

Everyone who comments to this month's post will be entered into our random drawing for some of our Free and Festive Clare and Chrissy Swag! Winner to be announced at our next monthly blog post.

SPECIAL NOTE: We're gearing up for a special "open forum" episode of The Clare and Chrissy Show later this year. Do you have a question about one of our posts? One of our stories? Love or Hate our characters? Interested in our favorite music? Reader's choice! All Clare, all Chrissy, all questions will be answered. But fear not shy soul, no names will be used, only questions.

You have between now and September 30, 2012 to think of a question you'd like answered and email it to chrissymunder@yahoo.com. Be sure to mark which one of us the question is for, and then sit back and get ready to learn all.

July Winner: egret17- Congratulations! Please choose a story from one of our backlists, and then send an email to Chrissy at chrissymunder@yahoo.com for your free download.

Missed a month? Follow the sticky post for these rambles of ours HERE

And to learn more about us:

Here's Chrissy! website // blog.

Here's Clare! website // blog.

pic credits: savage chickens/doug savage

... gives us something to write about!

A writer's life isn't all margarita's and two-hour foot massages. The seeds of inspiration are found all around us. Watch out! That person sitting beside you on the bus might use you in their next story.

Join us over at Clare London's Blog for the July Edition of The Clare and Chrissy Show.

Chrissy: Hello, and welcome to the June edition of The Clare and Chrissy Show. A big thank you to everyone who came out to cheer us on during both our recent Pride Month Chat over at the Beth Wylde Yahoo Group, and during Clare's recent forays into the Dreamspinner Blog and Facebook chat.

Clare: No matter where we are on the 'net, we always appreciate your support!

Chrissy: Have you had a good time trying out the variety of promo platforms in your web travels?

Clare: It's been interesting. Just when I think I'm on top of things there's a whole new platform to try out or panic over how to use. Not that I panic, of course. *cough*

Chrissy: Of course. Now, if you're a discerning reader of our monthly blog, you might think we are going to smoothly segue into a discussion on online promotion...

Clare: ...which isn't a bad idea. But this month we decided to turn our gaze to an even more interesting aspect of our writing life.

Chrissy: The technology involved in the writing process itself.

Clare: Because just like everything else in life now,

Clare: and Chrissy: There's an App for that! Writing that is. Seems like everywhere we look someone wants to tell us there's a better, smarter way to write. Forget the mousetrap, today it's all about building the better novel.

Chrissy: Some of us may have started our careers with nothing more than good old pen and paper as our tool of choice. Remember the smudges? Especially if we were left-handers. There was no way to hide the tell-tale smears of graphite or ink smeared along our hand, and then everything else we touched by default.

Clare: As we progressed we discovered the joys of typewriters and white-out. Correction tape and carbon paper *surreptitiously wipes hand on jeans*.

Chrissy: You need strong fingers to build up any speed on a manual typewriter. It's a workout in itself. Hmmmm…. I wonder if there's one still in the basement?

Clare: You can have at it. I prefer to get my calorie burn in other ways. *lifts frosty margarita glass* Thankfully, manual gave way to electric, electric gave way to word processors, word processors gave way to computers and the joys of writing software began.

Chrissy: Some of us may prefer the simplicity of a basic word processing program. Cut and paste, drag and drop. With easier ways to create headers and footers, change fonts and margins, and our friend "find and replace", a good word processor is a wonderful tool and one it would be hard to do without.

Clare: *rubbing accountant's hands together in glee* Don't forget a spreadsheet program for plotting, scene outlines, and character detail. Instead of hunting through multiple notebooks studded with sticky notes and a never-ending supply of lists, worksheets are easily searchable, printable, and most importantly, changeable. So much less fumbling than plotting with index cards. And the joy of watching word count grow!! (hopefully)

Chrissy: Like all good technology, writing software has continued to evolve and become more specific. The choices available to an author are pretty impressive, everything from basic text editors to story development tools and combinations of the two.

Clare: Just do a basic Google search and prepare to be amazed. All kinds of options will come up including Scrivener for both Mac and Windows, Liquid Story Binder, WriteItNow, NewNovelist, and MyNovel to name just a few.

Chrissy: They all look so tempting. It's almost as bad as the latest office supply or gardening catalog. How are we supposed to choose?

Clare: Most programs offer a demo version to try out, and there are plenty of review sites out there with a wide range of opinions. But in the end, it seems to come back to personal preference.

Chrissy: *gasp* You mean ...

Clare: Yes, dear. You are going to have to make a decision.

Chrissy: The horror. But before we even get to that dreaded point there are other considerations to be made. Do we want software that's hard drive based or Web? Does everyone tease you your head is always in the clouds? Now your writing can be too, with Google Docs, LitLift, Yarny, and online storage/access programs such as Dropbox. Don't worry if you are away from your office when the muse attacks, just whip out your favorite device and keep typing with the iPad, iPhone, or Android versions of MyWritingSpot. The wealth of options is enough to make me dizzy.

Clare: *coughs*

Chrissy: I am so ignoring you right now. Many programs have free versions, such as ywriter5, Storybook, or Storybox which gives you the choice of using the program for a free, never-ending trial or paying for it if you love it. (pssst. Self-pubbers – check out their TrackerBox software to track sales and import reports from major resellers).

Clare: Now I'm getting dizzy.

Chrissy: Heh. Of course, we can also just keep using Word, but take advantage of add-ins such as Writing Outliner and their corkboard features, or sit back and wait to see what the next advance will be.

Clare: I'm waiting for the brain-to-hard-drive-interface. No more struggling to get the words out, I'm just going to think my next novel.

Chrissy: Suuuuure you are.

Clare: Well, a gal can dream, can't she? :)

Chrissy: After buying software licenses for an entire office, the prices on most of these seem quite reasonable. And I'm more than tempted by a couple of the free versions. The question is, which one?

Clare: Yet another author distracted by the shiny.

Chrissy: I can't help it. I like this bit of one, and that bit of another. I guess I'm waiting for the build-my-own option.

Clare: Just keep on waiting, sweetie.

Clare: and Chrissy: Of course, it doesn't matter how much a program may cost, or the number of bells and whistles it may offer, it won't do any good if we don't sit down and use it.

We want to know what you think (and help us make up our minds). Do you have a favorite writing software? Have you tried any of the software listed, but decided against using them? Is there one you love that isn't listed? Are you excited to do your writing in the cloud, prefer to keep your office supply store in business with your pen and paper purchases, or a combination of all options?

Everyone who comments to this month's post will be entered into our random drawing for free download from either of our backlists. Winner to be announced at our next monthly blog post.

SPECIAL NOTE: We're gearing up for a special "open forum" episode of The Clare and Chrissy Show later this year. Do you have a question about one of our posts? One of our stories? Love or Hate our characters? Interested in our favorite music? Reader's choice! All Clare, all Chrissy, all questions will be answered. But fear not shy soul, no names will be used, only questions.

You have between now and September 2012 to think of a question you'd like answered and email it to chrissymunder@yahoo.com. Be sure to mark which one of us the question is for, and then sit back and get ready to learn all.

Keep Calm picture credit to keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May Winner:

samikitty- Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to Chrissy at chrissymunder@yahoo.com for your festive Clare and Chrissy Swag.

Missed a month? Follow the sticky post for these rambles of ours HERE

Be sure to catch the latest from Clare London. 3 Sexy Shorts featuring the men of True Colors.

And to learn more about us:

Here's Chrissy! website // blog.

Here's Clare! website // blog.

And to learn more about us:

Here's Chrissy! website // blog.

Live and somewhat in the virtual flesh over at the Beth Wylde Yahoo Group.

Come say hello and be entered in the draw for any of the prizes offered by our generous authors! We'll announce the winners on Thursday to allow for readers to catch the fun on Digest.

>>Prizes include:<<

Clare London – choice of shorts backlist, including new release Timeslip
Chrissy Munder – A Simple Life or Brush with Desire
Josephine Myles – Insta-Love and Twinkle Twinkle
Neil Plakcy – Rashomon at Green Park Tube Station (exclusive)
Theda Black – Beneath the Neon Moon or Vampire's Boy
Missy Welsh – choice of backlist
Ellis Carrington – Feeling Neighborly
Karenna Colcroft – A Little Kiss
Josh Lanyon – choice of shorts backlist
Lucy Felthouse – choice of lesbian titles backlist

June is Pride Month and there's no better place to celebrate online than with the Wylde Bunch and their annual month-long event. Have you checked out the list of participants yet at the Beth Wylde Yahoo Group?

clarelondon and I are booked for Tuesday, June 5th, from 12-6 EST. We'll be joined by an amazing variety of friends and fellow authors as we celebrate the art of the short story, "Short and Sweet". Remember you'll need to join the group in advance to participate.

Bring your coffee, some confetti, and be ready to have fun with lots of chat and chances to win free ebook downloads and our fabulously festive Clare and Chrissy Swag.

Hope to see you there!

Join us over at Clare London's Blog as we discuss disapointing our readers, and the differences between TCACS and Mythbusters.

Clare: and Chrissy: Good morning! Welcome to the April Shower Edition of The Clare and Chrissy Show. Being a new quarter, and a new month, we're feeling motivated! Let's grab our coffee and jump right in.

Chrissy: Wait! Wait!

Clare: What?

Chrissy: We need a confetti toss!

Clare: Really?

Chrissy: *opens mouth*

Clare: Forget I asked. Toss away, dear. Just let me duck first.

Chrissy: Wheeeee! It truly is the little things. You must need another vacation.

Clare: Holiday. The proper term is Holiday.

Chrissy: And there is our British-ism for the day. *wink*

Clare: One of the miracles of writing life is that there are just as many different readers and their personal preferences as there are writers eager to fill them.

Chrissy: But no matter how hard we might try, we can't please everyone.

Clare: It's guaranteed at one point or another an author will receive a comment from a reader who finished a story and didn't find it to their sexual taste.

Chrissy: Rather like Goldilock's porridge - some may find a story too hot, others may find the same story too cold.

Clare: (Porridge?? *shakes head*) Add to that we run right up front into the very solid wall of misperception if we write M/M…

Chrissy: …as for many readers, M/M fiction equals Erotica.

Clare: Despite our blurbs, despite the use of the word Romance…

Chrissy: …there are those who still haven't realized that there are just as many heat levels in M/M fiction as there are in any other type of fiction.

Clare: It's frustrating, because as authors, we welcome the opportunity to write a variety of romantic encounters between our main characters.

Chrissy: And as a reader, it's a pleasure not to have to skim through page after page of detailed sex, no matter the gender, when I'm not in the mood.

Clare: You're a skimmer?

Chrissy: There's been days. Sometimes life's too short and my head's just not in the game, no matter how sensual the writing.

Clare: The things we learn. *shakes head*

Chrissy: Pfffft.

Clare: One of the first questions we hear from many new authors is a simple one.

Chrissy: How do you know how much sex to add a story?

Clare: This always makes me chuckle, as I picture us sitting at our computers with aprons on and a large wooden spoon in hand to start stirring. This isn't a recipe we're following.

Chrissy: *gasps* What? You mean it isn't a case of mix two parts sex to every one part plot? Hmmm, or is that the other way around … I never remember.

Clare: As humans, we're lucky to enjoy the full spectrum of human interaction…

Chrissy: …why wouldn't our writing reflect that?

Clare: When asked, our answer is to write the amount of intimacy the story requires. No more, no less.

Chrissy: All right, we hear all the groaning out there. But that answer isn't a cop-out, it's true.

Clare: Common sense wins the day. We know the story, we know the characters, and we know the context. What heat level will those combined items support?

Chrissy: Maybe this is more like cooking than we first thought. Where did you put those aprons?

Clare: Down girl.

Chrissy: We've all heard the complaints from readers eagerly engrossed in a nail-biting scenario of imminent danger. The main characters are moments away from either a successful escape or dreadful discovery. Of course that's when they are suddenly overwhelmed with passion and drop their drawers, despite their approaching potential demise.

Clare: Gawd, I've written that scene myself *g*. But unless this is written in a framework informing the readers that the author is deliberately giving the characters one last opportunity for a quick shag before a horrible death, it tends to nullify all the hard work the author put into creating the nail-biting scenario in the first place.

Chrissy: And leaves the reader crying foul.

Clare: Or even worse, giggling.

Chrissy: We can examine our stories in the Winter Warmers anthology as examples.

Clare: In Chrissy's story, Butterscotch Kisses, Matthew and Andrew come to know each other through a series of brief encounters over the course of a single week. The gentle pace of their relationship and the sweet promise still to come would have made a suddenly graphic sex scene a jarring addition.

Chrissy: Or perhaps, turned the story into an example of a Penthouse Forum Letter.

Clare: Naah, if that were the case they would have only met once, and never exchanged names. And the adorable hats would be some weird kind of sex aid.... .

Chrissy: *cocks an inquisitive eyebrow*

Clare: *clears throat* Or so I've been led to believe.

Chrissy: Clare's contribution, Lucky Dip, gives us a humorously modern take on second chances. Greg and Andy already have an intimate history together, and the sexual tension sparking between them kindles into a satisfying rendezvous despite a few misadventures along the way.

Clare: In either case, the circumstances of the story appropriately support the heat level - and I'd say, so does the limit of the word count.

Chrissy: Could we decide beforehand what heat level we wish to write? Sure. But then we would deliberately tailor elements of the story to enable the desired intimacy.

Clare: We also need to factor in our comfort level when it comes to writing intimate encounters.

Chrissy: Some authors can make us tingle with just a single kiss.

Clare: Others make us wish they had stopped there :).

Clare and Chrissy: So we could say that the level of heat in a story depends on four C's: Characters, Context, Comfort, and Common Sense.

Authors, what methods do you use to determine how graphic a story will be? Readers, are you skimmers of intimate scenes or do you savor every syllable? And, just like in real life, does it all come down to our mood?

Leave us a comment and share your point of view. All entries will be used in a random drawer for some festive Clare and Chrissy swag. Winner to be announced during our next monthly blog post.

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SPECIAL NOTE: We're gearing up for a special "open forum" episode of The Clare and Chrissy Show later this year. Do you have a question about one of our posts? One of our stories? Love or Hate our characters? Interested in our favorite music? Reader's choice! All Clare, all Chrissy, all questions will be answered. But fear not shy soul, no names will be used, only questions.

You have between now and September 2012 to think of a question you'd like answered and email it to chrissymunder@yahoo.com. Be sure to mark which one of us the question is for, and then sit back and get ready to learn all.

========

March Winner:

sandra_lindsey- Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to Chrissy at chrissymunder@yahoo.com for your festive Clare and Chrissy Swag.

Missed a month? Follow the sticky post for these rambles of ours HERE

Be sure to catch the latest from Clare London. 3 Sexy Shorts featuring the men of True Colors.