Ramble with Rayka

New website

2011-08-01T23:44:00.000-05:00

I am so excited with my new website design. Check it out at www.RaykaMennen.com.
My heartfelt thanks to Carol Webb of Bella Media Management who was so professional and a real joy to work with.
Cheers,
Rayka

Nationals

2011-07-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

What an amazing week in NYC at the RWA Nationals.
First, I just have to gush - I actually got to talk to Nalini Singh for a few minutes - lovely, gracious woman - and I was so glad to tell her how much I loved her Psy and Guild Hunter books.
After that, I had breakfast with Lori Wilde, to start off my 6 months of mentoring with her, and if that hour is any indication, it's going to be an amazing six months.
Lunch with Laurie London, who was also so gracious with her advice and support, was also another exciting memory.

I have 2 sets of requests for Heart of an Eagle (the book formerly known as Druid) and for Book 1 in my new Amesha Spenta Angel series (Cold Fire).

To all the wonderful authors I met, I will keep in touch, and I hope you will also.
Good luck to you all with your submissions, and thanks for helping to make my first Nationals such a fun time.

Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Two new books - yeah

2011-05-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

Can you do the dance of joy of with me? I have two books coming out with Entangled Publishing. September 1 is the release date for the re-release of my first paranormal novella, expanded and with a new title. October 1, the second in the series will see the light of day.
Cheers,
Rayka
www.RaykaMennen.com

I sold, I sold, I sold

2011-05-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

Hot diggity dog! I signed a contract for two books with Entangled Publishing. My first paranormal romance, published in 2004, will be re-released, with an expanded story and a brand new title. If you liked Kat and Jake's story, stay tuned for more info on the release date of September 1, 2011.
And, the second novella in that series, Gina's journey to love and acceptance of her destiny will be released October 1, 2011.

I am so excited....and very pleased with my choice of publishing house. They have already been so welcoming, professional, and I think I'm going to gushing about my editor for a while!

Come back check for fun giveaways to celebrate the release.

Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Why is blogging so hard?

2011-05-06T21:05:00.000-05:00

Now this may just be me, but I can't figure out why, when I'm as talkative as I am, blogging is so darn hard. I'd like to say its because I completed my magnum opus instead. But alas, that book hit a snag around Chapter 15 so it's back to plotting for me.

That said, I have some exciting news bubbling. Check back in a couple of days to see what's happening with my backlist.

Cheers,

Rayka
www.RaykaMennen.com

Featured Guest Betty Booher speaks: The Summer of Continuous Improvement

2010-09-05T12:41:00.000-05:00

It all started with a rejection. Two. A dismal contest score.
No.
That’s not exactly right.
It all started with Donald Maass. Washington DC. The Fire in Fiction.
Permission to get off the submit-submit-submit-keep-those-partials-rolling merry-go-round to stop, stare, play with my words again.
His advice, admonishment really, poked, prodded, needled through revisions, work on the next story, assorted conferences and writers’ meetings.
Then I decided to audition for the symphony.
I know. It was a crazy to compete with Conservatory-trained players from London, Paris, Iowa. But this wasn’t so much about competition as personal challenge. I practiced and practiced and practiced. Took private lessons. Examined every attack, every pitch, every release.
And I got better.
No, I didn’t win the audition, or even make it to the next round, but each time I pick up my horn I can tell. That intensive work, those hours in the little attic room, improved my ability, made the music better.
The tools to improve my writing weren’t nearly as obvious as playing scales and orchestral excerpts. Then Margie Lawson came to Portland to present her two day workshop. By the time that weekend was over, the reasons behind my rejections started emerging from the page like a ruddy sun ball through a coastal fog bank.
Ignoring the well-intentioned advice of some of my writer friends to return my story to the slush pile recycle bin, I made my way to the attic once more, this time armed with Margie’s lecture packets, a bag of highlighters, and coffee. A lot of coffee.
It wasn’t enough.
Don’t get me wrong. The coffee was great. It is Portland.
Margie’s lectures and exercises made me look at the page in an entirely different way. But I needed more. I needed to take the next step.
I needed to go to Colorado.
Immersion class was lecture packets on steroids. At 8888 feet.
I’m back in the attic now. Practicing scales and rhetorical devices and raising character stakes.
Margie Lawson armed me with a bucket full of new writing tools.
Donald Maass gave me permission to use them.
Thank you both!

Welcome to the next guest Betty Booher

2010-09-05T12:39:00.000-05:00

RM: Welcome to Betty Booher another talented IMCer and Emergineer. She was a working on a paranormal romance, complete with scary ghost and all. Betty has a great voice. She had also a graduate of several Margie Lawson classes so she was our go-to person when we wouldn’t quite follow something. And very patient she was too. Betty plays a mean oboe – I mean, who would have thought we would be deep editing to live music? Yes, she brought her oboe. AND, she just got her black belt…but I’ll save that for her tell you more about. She’ll be checking in to answer questions this week; don’t forget to comment so you can be entered in the contest which is on till Sep 15, 2010
Keep an eye out for this fresh voice in romance – I for one will be pre-ordering her book when it’s out!
Over to the next post and Betty Booher! Ta da.

www.RaykaMennen.com

Back to editing

2010-08-30T01:14:00.000-05:00

So this past week has been big for me on rejections. Well, I received two, from agents who had requested partials of Druid. Once I convinced myself this did not signal the beginning of the apocalypse, and that I still had a writing career ahead of me if I wanted it badly enough, I realized that as far as rejections go they were pretty good. Both agents commented on several positive aspects. But ultimately it didn't work for them. Both reminded me how subjective this business was - and I couldn't agree more. I mean, just look at the RITA winners this year. Anyway else unable to get past chapter two on a couple of those books? Now that doesn't mean the authors aren't talented - they just weren't my cup of chai. I remember mentioning this to one of my fellow Emergineers who practically begged me to keep going through one of them because she had loved the book.
So, I've picked myself back up, swiped off my dusty behind, and it's back to deep editing and re-writing sections of Druid.

Featured Guest Angela Foster speaks

2010-08-27T10:27:00.001-05:00

It all started with a book. At least that’s the way I choose to remember it. I could mention the title, but it doesn’t matter to this story, so I won’t. One night, I sat on the couch and turned the last page with tears running down my cheeks. Not the pretty heroine kind of tears. No. Big, wet ones that make your nose run and turns your mascara into a black river.

I was pissed. I was in love with the hero. And now, his life would go on without me.

Stuff would happen to him that I didn’t know about. All because the author had written, The End.

After blowing my nose, I sat there, fondling the book cover and decided I wanted to write. Write something so powerful that it makes girls cry, women fall in love, and readers dread, truly dread, the last page.

So, the next day… well maybe not the next day, but definitely the day after, I sat in front of my laptop and wrote my own story with my own hero. It goes without saying that he’s super hot. I’d totally marry him, have his babies, and rub his feet.

And the sex. The sex would be amazing. Start-my-hair-on-fire sex.

I read my first draft and didn’t cry. But I didn’t throw-up either so I wasn’t discouraged. People kept talking about this editing thing, so the way I figured it, I had another shot.

Turning to the internet, I found interviews with authors. Spent days reading them in hopes they’d share their secrets.

What I saw were comments like, I don’t plot or outline because my characters talk to me. I hear their voices in my head and simply translate them to the page. And the very worst thing… I’m so blessed to have been given the talent to write.

Yeah, if I ever meet that girl, I’m stabbing her with my salad fork.

But that nasty little voice in my head grabbed hold of the t-word and wouldn’t let go.

Maybe that’s why my story wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. So-and-so had passed me by when handing out writing talent.

All that enthusiasm about my hero and my sassy, yet feminine heroine fizzled. Even the thought of hair-flaming-sex couldn’t arouse excitement.

Then, one day Yahoo took pity on me, and tossed me to Margie Lawson’s website.

I took her on-line classes. I hooked up with an editing partner. Learned how to analyze best-selling authors’ work. Hung out at her house with a bunch of super talented writers. And became a Margie junkie, addicted to her brand of teaching.

And you know what she taught me? Those crazy writers who say crap like, my characters talk to me… well, they’re crazy.

Good writers may be talented but that doesn’t matter. At least not as much as I thought it did. The writers who win, work harder.

Period.

That filled me to over-flowing with hope and suffocated that bitchy voice in my head.

Because I can work hard.

Everyone can.

I can get published.

I can make chicks cry.

I can make them fall in love.

Understanding that is the very best thing Margie taught me and everyone else who is fortunate enough to come into contact with her.

That knowledge is the very best gift I’ve ever received and the one I am most grateful for.

Because it changed my life.

Forever.

The End.

Featured Guest Angela Foster

2010-08-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

RM: Angela Foster is my featured guest this week. What a gal! You know how you meet someone and they just give off good vibes and you know you can be friends? I met Angela at the IMC worskhop in August, 2010. Somehow, as we all grouped ourselves around the room to work, Angela and I ended up sharing two ends of the same card table and a writing friendship was born. The kind, where as writers, you understand (when a huge sigh gusts your way) that she was just searching for that perfect word; or (when a muttered damn, damn, damn escaped from me) that I had simply found one of those duh! spots in my manuscript and I was wondering how I ever imagined myself a writer. Angela has a great voice. Ladies and Gentlemen, yes, that elusive ‘voice’ thing that they talk about in writing workshops. She’s funny and she’ll make you cry. Her current work in progress is a paranormal romance and I loved her main characters (alas, that’s all I got to read over those 4 days). Watch out for Angela Foster – she’s going to make it big. And when she hits those bestselling lists, come bribe me and I’ll tell you a story about a gal and a wolf. And nope, you’re not getting it out me now! Plus she makes the best coffee in a French Press. Welcome Angela, the floor is yours.

Contest

2010-08-21T22:55:00.000-05:00

The Emergineers will be visiting here over the next few weeks. Post a comment in response to any featured guest's blog entry and your name will be entered into a random drawing. One lucky winner will receive a Margie Lawson Lecture Packet of your choice.

Contest rules:
Comment must be posted in response to any blog entry that has the title Featured Guest.

Contest duration: August 21, 2010 to September 17, 2010.

To be entered in the random drawing, your comment should be posted before 7 PM Pacific Daylight Time on Sep 17, 2010.

Please include your email in your post (so I can contact you if you're the winner).

If a name with no email address posted/linked is selected, the random pick will be made again (of the remaining entries), until a winner with a posted email address is selected.(Sorry folks, it's just too complicated to try and find you :o)

Good luck!

Featured Guest Maggie Jamison

2010-08-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

RM: Today's featured guest is Maggie Jaimeson. Maggie took the Immersion Master Class with me (and five others). We had a wonderful time and I asked my fellow IMCers if they would visit my blog over the next few weeks. So, my first guest is Maggie Jaimeson. Maggie is a superb writer - author of both contemporary romance and YA. Her YA novel that we had the privilege of critiquing during the IMC week is dark, tension-filled and a sure keeper. She paints a picture with her words that will draw you into her paranormal world.
Please help me welcome Maggie. Tell her what you think of her post and be entered to win a Margie Lawson lecture packet. Contest details in separate post.
Welcome Maggie, fire away! (And I am so there for your launch party ).

Maggie: Margie Lawson. She is a force of nature when it comes to deep editing power but she is also a funny, caring, positive person. That combination makes all the hard work of deep editing easier to swallow, and pushes me to be better even when I'm tired. I posted my initial experiences with the Immersion Master Class on my August 17th blog. Everything still holds true five days later. Today I want to talk about the daily implementation of what I've learned at the workshop and the decisions I'm making on how much time to expend on previously completed manuscripts.

Let's face it, most of us want to get our novels written, sold, and published as quickly as possible. We want that validation that we can make money writing--both for ourselves and for our families who wonder if we are following (and spending money on) an impossible dream. Even though I LOVE the editing process, because I can see how much better my writing becomes, it takes time--lots of time. And its hard. And its emotional because it involves cutting scenes and words I love. And there comes a point that I'm sick of thinking about it and just want the book sold..

I must admit, when I first left the class my excitement was also tempered by fear. Fear that the deep editing level required for me to be my best would require time I don't have. With a more than full time day job, my writing time is limited to a few hours each night. I was afraid that would mean my ability to turn out a manuscript would be years in the making instead of the one to two novels I have been producing each year. As much as I loved knowing that I could craft sentences and paragraphs like a NYT bestselling author, I wasn't sure I could afford the time to do so. I also had to decide whether to spend time deep editing the four manuscripts I have been marketing or put most of what I learned into my current WIP. It is NOT an easy decision for someone who wants every manuscript to be perfect.

In the past five days I've been re-editing a manuscript on contract with a short turn-around time. Because of Margie's class I've learned something new about my writing. First, I did a lot of things right before I took Margie's class. Now I can actually recognize them and name them. Second, I am able to more quickly pick up on places where my manuscript can be improved with a single line or a single word (this is beyond grammar). Some of those are small edits like adding a dialogue cue on voice tone and quality, or shifting the order of words to place the power at the end of sentences or paragraphs. Others edits are a bit more difficult like creating a fresh simile to heighten description, or adding a clear visceral response to heighten the emotion. The most difficult ones are deleting paragraphs or (hyperventilation here) several pages because a deflated the tension. As of today I'm 104 pages into a 353 page novel. I've made changes on EVERY SINGLE PAGE I'm feeling really good about the changes I've made, even though this is not a complete deep editing pass. That would take about 20 more passes, time I don't have right now.

After this editing pass, will this novel be the quality of a NYT bestselling author? Probably not. But I didn't sell it to a press that is known for turning out NYT bestsellers. If I had a couple months instead of a couple weeks would it make a difference? Definitely. But NYT? Probably not because the story isn't transcendant. It's solid. It's good. It provides a great read. But, here's the thing. Even with this quick pass this novel is significantly better than it was when the editor offered a contract. Before Margie's workshop I thought this novel was the best writing I was capable of producing. My critique group thought it was the best novel I'd written. It was. It got me a contract with a small press. But I can do better. I will do better, even with my next novel for this small press.

I suspect that even a NYT author knows her writing can be better. That's one of the battles writers face every time they look at the page. When to stop editing. When to let it go. For some of us, deadlines make that decision. For others, it is an internal one. For me, I recognize that sometimes it is better to write the next novel instead obsessing over the last one. There is also something to be learned in starting again and crafting better from the beginning. Yes, the words are important. They are what makes the story sing. The choice of words and placement and pacing may also change the story. That is when you need to decide is it better to go backward and fix all of your past manuscripts? Or is it better to move foreward and take all the lessons learned, putting it into th next novel?

My decision is to do quick editing passes of my already completed novels. I do want them to be better. I want all of them to sell and for readers to enjoy them. But, I've decided my limited time on deep editing is best spent on my work in progress and on future novels. Why? Because I am a career author. I will produce many more novels, not just the ones I've already completed. I have limited time for writing. I can't do it all. It's a tough decision but, for me, the right one.

During the master class I started deep editing my WIP from the first page. Because of this it will be stronger from the beginning to the end. I will take the time for those 14+ passes of each page. I will let the editing impact the story and the story impact the editing because I know it will make it the best novel I can produce over the next few months. Will it sell to New York at auction? It could. Will it become a NYT bestseller? It could. That status certainly starts with great writing and a great story, but is also dependent on timing, trends, and tenacity of promotion. Will this novel be the best novel I'll ever right? No. I expect I will get better. But it will be the best novel I've written to date.

Even if my WIP doesn't sell at auction, or doesn't make the bestseller list, I've learned writing techniques that will move me in that direction. I've learned techniques that I can incorporate in every new novel moving forward. I've learned techniques that will help me become a better writer with each new book. I'm convinced that there will come a point when it will payoff with better contracts and more opportunities. When it does, ya'll come to my party. You hear?

Maggie Jamison

The saga begins....

2010-08-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

Cross posted at The Emergineers

Maggie, thank you so much for setting up this new blog for us. What a great place to hang out with fellow Immersion Class members.

So here's my tidbit for the day. I have been deep editing using Margie Lawson's techniques and realized, I really have to go back and create a scene by scene story board. I hear ya (I'm groaning right along with all you non-plotters) but this is not so much about plotting as it is about helping me re-arrange my chapters for the greatest effect. The book is pretty well done (375 degrees, bottom rack, loosely cover with foil..not saran wrap. Yes, in my early cooking days, I did that once). But I digress - this scene outline (which some of the Emergineers have already developed) is integral, I mean absolutely essential to my editing.
So, I am in my study, my version of cappuccino/latte by my side, kitchen timer (courtesy of Margie Lawson) at hand, and a table in WORD started that outlines all my scenes in detail - POV, setting, theme, etc etc. I'm calling it my story board - I'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers,

99 degrees

2010-08-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

Its 99 degrees in the shade. What a great day to sit in my cool study and deep edit, while occasionally gazing out at the Pineapple Palm tree outside my window and the Gila woodpecker who visits it daily. My first 5 pages are now kick-a*#, (courtesy of revisions) even if I do say so myself.
Cheers,

nwww.RaykaMennen.com

More on the Immersion Master Class

2010-08-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

Here's another installment on my experience high up in the Colorado mountains at Margie Lawson's Immersion Master Class. I have completely (and I do mean completely) reworked my first few pages based on all the tools Margie gave us over the last 3 days. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have all this dedicated time to focus on my book. Now, the fact that there was no reception on my phone helped a great deal to keep me focused. My current WIP has been empowered and so much improved in such a short time, it has skid marks from stopping edits today as I took a flight back home. My fellow Immersioners (there were 7 of us) are fabulous writers and their comments and skill impelled me to greater heights. Stay tuned to hear from them in the days to come. They're going to visit and blog all about their experiences as well.
Have you every read over your work and known you could better but you just weren't sure how to get there? The Immersion Master Class teaches you how! Margie not only gives you tools you can apply for the rest of your life, but she and her husband (and her neighbors) treat you like an honored guest. All in all, an amazing experience. Thank you Margie and fellow Immersioners.
Cheers!

www.RaykaMennen.com

Margie Lawson's Master Immersion Class

2010-08-15T09:40:00.003-05:00

I have been on a mountain top (8888 feet to be exact) in Colorado, since Thursday afternoon, attending Margie Lawson's Master Immersion Class. If you're an aspiring novelist or heck even if you've got a couple of books under your belt, and you're wondering how so-and-so has made it to the NYT bestselling list (and you haven't), this might be the class for you.
It definitely is for me! I have learned about giving my writing more emotional punch, racking up the tension, making every page score high on that "who cares" scale - and I thought I knew how to do this!!!. Will I write the absolute piece de resistance? I hope. Will The Druid Came Calling become bigger (in terms of big story), better (emotion, tension, page turner), and make you care? I really think so.

This is a must-do class if you've reached the point where you think you've written the best you can. It's amazing what Margie will pull out of you. Besides, the tools she gives you to edit your own work? Every one of them is coming along with me on the long journey.

Kudos, Margie and thank you.

Back to deep editing - I have one more day here, yeah!

PS: Did I mention the food? Oh my! can you say gourmet?

www.RaykaMennen.com

All that DRM stuff

2010-08-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

I had read tons about Digital Rights Management, and I wasn't sure I really got it. Then you know how you read something and poof, suddenly, it's as clear as you could want it to be? Cory Doctorow's piece on the PW website did that for me. Well done, sir.

www.RaykaMennen.com

Going all e-books

2010-08-08T10:40:00.000-05:00

If you've been resisting the various e-book readers on the market (the Kindles, Nooks, etc), this may be the time to start accepting that e-books are here to stay. Dorchester Publishing has announced they will move to only e-books and print on demand starting this Fall. Since I started out in the e-book market, I have a fondness for it. Personally, I love my Kindle but I've heard others rave about the Sony e-reader and the IPad. Happy reading!

www.RaykaMennen.com

Journal of Popular Romance Studies Announces First Issue

2010-08-05T10:28:00.000-05:00

Kudos to the JPRS team. The first issue is interesting and covers a wider range of topics (and yours truly has already commented on their website).

Journal of Popular Romance Studies

Cheers! Here's to a new academic department and adding my novels to my academic CV.

www.RaykaMennen.com

Lackluster report on Georgette Heyer

2010-08-04T11:25:00.005-05:00

Two posts in day? What can I say - people seem bent on making news (and not great news, either).

NPR ran a story about Gilded Romances Of Dashing Dandies, Brooding Beaus by Helen Simonson. Now anything that even remotely concerns Georgette Heyer arouses my intense curiosity and many times my ire. Read the rather lackluster report which persists in seeing Heyer as a romance author who, by the way – gasp! – also gave us some historical facts.And stand up for not calling reading a romance a damn guilty pleasure!
Heyer, even given her few historical inaccuracies around the Regency period (and who hasn't taken a few liberties in their writing?) and the fact they she wrote primarily romances, remains an incredibly gifted writer who can make me cry and laugh out loud on the same page - and this during the twentieth reading.

www.RaykaMennen.com

Texas screening e-book pricing

2010-08-04T11:16:00.001-05:00

In my Publisher’s Lunch daily I see that Texas is one of the state making inquiries into e-book publishing prices. (....the Texas investigation we reported has been conducted in secret, and has involved extensive compliance efforts from multiple companies served with civil investigative demands: PL Aug 3, 2010). Now why does the news that the state of Texas is going anything in secret start to give me shivers, and make me want to hug my book rights to myself? Paranoid? Don’t think so…this is the state that is mandating which text books teachers can use, after all.

You can subscribe to and read more about this at Publishers Lunch

www.RaykaMennen.com

And I can't sell a romance novel?

2010-07-29T11:31:00.002-05:00

According to the USA Today (my trusted source for all things trivial):

• 75 million: The number of Americans who read at least one romance novel in 2008.

• 91: percentage of romance readers who are female.

• 31-49: Age range of the typical romance reader.

• 7: Number of days it typically takes a reader to begin and finish a romance novel.

And a few numbers from the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list:

• 13: The percentage of total book sales that romance novels have accounted for in 2010, up from 10% in 2009.

• 25: The average number of romances that have appeared each week in the Top 150 in 2010, up from 19 a week in 2009 and 17 a week in 2008.

The article can be read here: Romance genre sweeps readers off their feet

My left thumb

2010-07-28T12:04:00.004-05:00

Who knew how much my left thumb did for me? I mean this is an integral part of my body and all this time I've been treating it like a stepchild in a fairy tale - worse perhaps. So what brought on this epiphany?
It all began...it wasn't quite a dark and stormy night...in fact it was ultra-sunny (this is AZ, so what's new). I was looking for my car keys in my purse as I walked to the parking lot, stepped off the curb. Simple enough, you say? Yes I say, but note that when you usually step off the curb, your brain or your conscious is expecting said step. Mine was buried inside my LL Bean bag. Ergo, I tripped, ripped the top of the very nice new red sandals I had on, and landed on my rear end and my left hand. [Digression: isn't that a cool line, Margie Lawson's lessons, you know ;o)
Now, I am not sure how this all played out on camera or to any interested watchers, my entire focus being to soften the hit that my computer was going to take. That said, I have strained (my diagnosis and since I have not officially and legally practiced diagnosing any medical condition for 15 years - this could really be anything else) my left thumb. Which brings me back to how many things my left thumb is crucial for - it leaves the bloody scrape on my right knee quite in the dust!

Getting 30 pages ready to submit to the agent who requested it. I wonder if my body is subtly helping me procrastinate? Oh, there's another book idea - a world where the body is sentient separate from your mind. Sure no one's done that yet? It could be the next Twilight. Anyone listening?

Have a good Tuesday.

Progress - maybe

2010-07-27T00:30:00.004-05:00

So! Almost a year since my last post. Mind you, I've been busy. Its not easy writing 6 chapters of various books. LOL.
At long last, I've settled in with one work in progress, tentatively titled A Druid Came Calling. What is this, you ask? An urban fantasy with strong romantic elements that has only been re-written about 17 times. Okay, if you know me, you know by now that's my exaggeration number! Still, its been rewritten a few times.
And I like it. It remains to be seen if the powers that be - agents and editors too.
I pitched Druid (as I fondly call it) at the Desert Dreams conference in April this year, and got 4 requests for a partial, and one for a full.
Sending those out, I thought - what the heck? (not always a good thought by the way) and also sent 11 more queries. Cold queries, slush pile queries. What was I thinking?

So anyway, here's the update:
15 queries sent
5 rejections
1 request for a partial (cold query response).

The nail biting continues.

nail biting time

2009-10-24T19:34:00.001-05:00

Whew! The synopsis and first chapter of A Druid Came Calling are now with an agent.
I may not have any nails left in a few weeks.
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Announcing winner

2009-08-30T12:19:00.001-05:00

And the winner of the Amazon gift certifcate for the Chronic Condition post is....drum roll.....Ginger Simpson.

I will send the e-certificate to your email, Ginger.

Cheers,

Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Do you share this chronic condition?

2009-08-26T12:28:00.004-05:00

Ugh! I think I have a chronic condition. It's self-diagnosed, mind you, but it's there. The symptoms are as follows:
~unable to concentrate on one story at a time
~a secondary character begins a rain dance in my head wanting his/her story told (usually it's a HE) - tap, tap, bounce, jump, jump, circle - repeat cycle;
~waking up at night with a great line or scene running through my head and thoroughly confused as it which story its for.

Now, I don't yet have a name for this condition. Figured if I was going to have it all my life, may as well think hard and give it a sexy name, eh?

Fellow writers, do you share this condition with me or perhaps some version of it? Post a comment and I will randomly select a winner on friday after 5 PM pacific time for a $10 Amazon gift certificate. Please don't forget to add your email address so I can contact you.

Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Many thanks Ciara Gold

2009-08-10T12:48:00.003-05:00

So I just received a Blog Award from Ciara Gold. An awesome writer and one of my critique partners. Check out her site for her brand new book and blog. Thanks Ciara. Now this will inspire me (please, please, I hope) to blog again.

Cheers,
Rayka

The Move Part 2

2009-06-12T19:58:00.002-05:00

So, we're here in Tempe, AZ. Its hot as Hades. Yes, I was warned. Perhaps the singular event that helped me realize I had made the right decision happened the evening we got to Tempe. Walking from the car to the lobby of the hotel, I took a deep breath and smelled jasmine. Yes, honest to goodness jasmine bushes full of fragrant white flowers lined the drive. That scent, so evocative of summers at home in India. And I knew I could live here!

The drive from Chicago to Tempe, was mainly uneventful. We saw a gazillion cops but none deemed it necessary to stop us (thank goodness). Somewhere in Oklahoma we passed the world's largest rocking chair (now, I ask you....). And in Texas, the world's largest cross and the 72 oz steak. New Mexico was as barren and beautiful as ever. But north eastern Arizona surprised me - we went through 2 national forests - beautiful copper mountains interspersed with green forests - I hadn't expected it to be so mountainous.

For those of you who wondered if I would be in withdrawal from the Chicago restaurants, wits not so bad here.

Next week, we'll be closing on the house, unpacking about a million boxes, and starting new jobs. Stay tuned.

Cheers,
Rayka

Thanks Sandy

2009-06-12T19:56:00.001-05:00

Many thanks to Sandy Lender and those who stopped by to visit with her on her blog tour.
Cheers,
Rayka

Choices Meant For Gods Excerpt

2009-06-07T13:48:00.003-05:00

Choices Meant For Gods: Not even the gods noticed when Chariss was born with the mark of The Protector. Now she and her wizard guardian seek shelter from a mad sorcerer in a household not just full of secrets and false hope, but watched by the god who will unwittingly reveal her role in an impending war.

When an orphan sets aside a lifetime of running and fear to accept the responsibilities of guarding an arrogant deity, can she face the trials in the prophecies she uncovers? Will Nigel Taiman of her latest refuge dare to use his dragon heritage to bind her to his estate or to help her in her duty?

Choices Meant For Gods: Excerpt
This is a romantic scene as Nigel Taiman and Amanda Chariss ride from the estate at Arcana to Arcana City. Her wizard guardian has already clued her in to the fact that Nigel wants to court her, and she's upset over it. The scene mentions the bear-like ryfel creature that nearly killed Nigel in the training arena...Nigel frowned at her. Spurring his horse slightly, he reached out to take hold of Shadow’s bridle. Bringing them both to a stop, he turned in the saddle to face her.

“Hey!” she objected.

“Indeed. Have I done something to anger you?”

Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

“’Manda?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“By the gods, Woman. All right, I’ll look at your horse. ’Manda,” he said to Shadow, “what have I done that’s made you angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

“You’re not a liar,” he spoke to Chariss again.

“All right, so I’m a little angry. It will pass.”

“And you don’t want to tell me what it is?”

She couldn’t blame her reticence today on worry over Drake. She also couldn’t blame her health because she’d completely recovered from her telabyrinth poisoning. With Hrazon and The Master attending the summer festival, she couldn’t blame some sort of timidity at being ‘alone’ in the city. No, she had to take a deep breath and be honest with him. Considering the number of suitors she’d sent packing in the past few years, this should have been an easy thing to do again. It wasn’t. She sighed, closing her eyes as if she could make the scene disappear.

“Do you agree that you’re my friend?” she finally asked.

He watched her open her eyes then, realizing where the conversation must be going.

“Yes.” It was said with exasperation.

“And that I’m your friend?”

“Yes.”

“And does that please you?”

He sighed, but didn’t get a chance to answer.

“You see, Nigel, it pleases me. I appreciate your kindness, and I would be disappointed if we hadn’t built such a…such a…”

“Friendship?” he retorted.

“Such a rapport.”

He rolled his eyes. “A fancier word with even less affection.”

“My stay at Arcana is much more pleasant because I have this relationship with you. But someone has tried to convince me that your…your…”

“Feelings?”

“Well…your…”

“Intentions?”

“Well…your opinion of our relationship might be somewhat different from mine.”

“’Manda, just say what you’re thinking. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

She looked miserable then. “I don’t want to say what I’m thinking.”

“Good!”

“No, that’s not good. Hrazon thinks you’re…Hrazon believes you spend time with me because…” She paused, searching for the words.

“Because I’m in love with you?”

She nearly fell backward. “Just blurt it out!”

He chuckled slightly. “This is uncomfortable, isn’t it? I’m sorry to embarrass you. This conversation would be better in a darkened corner of Arcana’s parlor. ’Manda, I’m not going to lie to you. Hrazon has every reason to believe I’m after his ward because I am. It’s no secret to anyone I enjoy your company. What, where are you…You’re the only woman I know who can scoot that far away on a saddle without falling off.”

“I don’t think you should say those things.”

“Aye,” he sighed, watching her fidget with Shadow’s reins. But he made a decision to press the matter. “I’m going to say them and get them out in the open. Then we can decide if you’re to die of embarrassment, or slap me across the face.”

She couldn’t help smiling, even though her heart beat as if it would burst through her bodice from the tension she felt.

“I enjoy being with you because you’re my perfect match,” he said. “Have you noticed that we agree on almost everything? And the few things we don’t agree on are intriguing to argue because you make them intriguing. There’s no one at that entire estate, The Master and every intelligent student combined, who can hold my attention as you do. None of them compare.

“I’m attracted to everything about you, including your compassion. Even now, when you’re on the verge of falling off a horse with embarrassment, your concern is for my feelings, not your own. Godric, who doesn’t deserve to wash your feet, who finds every excuse to correct you, gets your respect because you remind yourself that he’s your benefactor. Do you know what strength of character that shows? Do you know how it endears you to me to know you bite your tongue after his arrogant remarks to save my mother’s feelings?”

She merely nodded, her eyes cast down.

“And do you know how it endears you to me to know you would fight to the death for little Kaylin?”

She nodded again.

“And do you know how it endears you to me to know you instinctively threw yourself into healing spells to save my life?”

“You shouldn’t assume that means—”

“I remember sliding toward death that night, life spilling out of me, and poison seeping into me from that thing’s claws. But do you know what I remember most distinctly? I remember you commanding me not to bleed to death…and I remember your hands afterward. Once I was healed, once Master Rothahn became preoccupied with the dead ryfel, you crawled over to me and put your hands on me again, as if you had to be sure He’d done a good enough job of healing me. But you would’ve done it for any member of my family. I daresay you would’ve done it for any student in the school. And it’s because you care about others, and you want the best for everyone around you. And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

The last comment caught her off guard. It didn’t seem to fit with the logical argument he tried to make.

“I fail to see how these things tell you you’re in love. Kaylin enjoys my company. Mia enjoys arguing with me. I saved Sorne’s life once. Does this mean they’re in love with me?”

“If love could be explained that easily, it wouldn’t be real.”

“But what makes you think it’s real now? If you can’t explain your feelings, how do you know you’re not misled?”

“How does the rose know to bloom in spring?”

“Oh, now that talk I’ve heard before. I didn’t believe it then, and I don’t think you should let yourself believe it now.”

“’Manda, I’m telling you the truth and I’m telling you what I know. If I’ve made you angry by falling in love with you, you’re just going to have to deal with it. Because you’re not currently interested in me, you have to give me time to change your mind.”

They were silent then; he waited for some sign that she wasn’t going to cast him aside, she waited for her heart to stop beating so loudly in her ears. As far as she was concerned, she was often a foolish girl, but her intentions at the beginning of this conversation were foolish beyond compare. She realized—with alarm—that the blood rushing through her veins, the lightheadedness, the excitement at getting to spend an afternoon with him, were all signs she had chosen to ignore.

She swallowed hard against the fear in her throat, and, with as much calm as she could muster, said: “What gives you the idea that I’m not interested in you?”

Interview with Sandy Lender

2009-06-07T13:39:00.006-05:00

HI Everyone

Below is an interview with Sandy Lender, who is here promoting her new release, Choices Meant for Gods. My apologies for getting this up late today. Moving weekend was not a good time for me to agree to do this! But without much more ado, here is Sandy.

Welcome Sandy!

Interview With Fantasy Author Sandy Lender

1) RM: Sandy, I’m amazed at the diverse reasons authors state for getting hooked into fantasy/futuristic/sci-fi writing. What were yours?

Sandy Lender: Hi there, Rayka. Yes, we all have something that pulled us in. And you’re right to ask me what “were” the reasons I got hooked into writing fantasy. I have a few. A couple of the minor reasons are that I love dragons; I get a thrill out of my funky dreams with faeries and trolls and dinosaurs and people whipping out swords; I need a way to channel all the Old English literature and Anglo-Saxon angst bouncing around in my brain; and I’ve enjoyed reading the genre ever since my dad brought home a copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE HOBBIT when I was in the fourth grade. I just ate up David Eddings’ BELGARIAD and MALLOREON series and Elizabeth Moon’s PAKSENARRIAN series and the like. Reading or writing fantasy is like taking a vacation someplace you can’t get a plane ticket to.

But the big reason I got hooked was Amanda Chariss. She’s the heroine of the CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS trilogy and she’s amazing. (Just ask Nigel…) The bad guy of the series showed her to me years ago and I’ve been in love with her ever since (as has Nigel). If it wasn’t for Nigel and Chariss pressing me to get her story out, I wouldn’t have so much invested in the fantasy realm. I mean, that’s where her story takes place. That’s where and when she lives. That’s where and when she had to fight the battles she encountered. And that’s where and when Chariss had to make her choices…

2) RM: In Choices Meant for Gods, you have various mythological beings and creatures. How do you go about researching information for these characters?

Sandy Lender: In the world I created for CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, I have two categories of creatures, if you want to look at it that way. One set of beings are what I’d consider traditional and “expected” in fantasy. I left a lot out—I don’t have any elves or trolls in my series; faeries are (sadly) extinct. But I’ve included your humans, your wizards, your dragons, your shapeshifters, your sorcerers, and then normal animals like certain birds, sea turtles, horses, pigs, wild cats, and even a domestic cat that young Kaylin Taiman keeps as a pet. (That cute little kitty is quite important to our heroine, Chariss, in Book II.) You have to have some “ordinary” elements with which the reader will immediately and easily identify.

Then you wrap the extraordinary around these elements. That’s where my second category comes in—the creatures I made up. I manufactured demons called edras and ryfel that can cross between the spirit and mortal worlds and who bow to the ancient evil goddess Julette and obey her commands to harass the hero and heroine. I made peaceful, artistic, humanoid creatures called the Ungol who guard the prophets and the prophecy scrolls in an underground set of caverns known as Tiurlang. I created my own pantheon of gods with nobility who serve them in their secluded city…until a few have to walk among the mortals for our story, of course. And Geasa’n instead of “people with magic” populate my fantasy world because I made up my own source of power for the “good guys” in the world of Onweald.

Now here’s how I research these two different categories:
For something as popular and traditional as dragons or wizards, there’s always the Internet and Google searches and online groups to throw questions into. But I also own scads of books with established “rules” on what has been done in fiction before. (But remember what Elizabeth Swan learned from the pirates about rules—they’re more like guidelines.) I’ve got research books like THE MONSTER HUNTER’S HANDBOOK—The Ultimate Guide to Saving Mankind from Vampires, Zombies, Hellhounds, and Other Mythical Beasts by Ibrahim S. Amin (2007, Bloomsbury); DRAGONS—A Natural History by Dr. Karl Shuker (1995, Simon & Schuster); THE BOOK OF THE DRAGON by Monte Sant/Ciruelo (1992, Paper Tiger); GOBLINS—A Survival Guide and Fiasco in Four Parts by Ari Berk/Brian Froud (2004, Abrams); THE SWORD IN ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND by H.R. Ellis Davidson (1994, Boydell Press); THE DRAGON CHRONICLES by the Great Wizard Septimus Agorius (2002, Pegasus Publications); DRAGONOLOGY by Dr. Ernest Drake (no relation to the sorcerer Jamieson Drake) (2003, Candlewick Press) and a bunch more that I’m just too lazy to list for folks. There are a variety of magazines out there that give excellent information and ideas as well. I’m waiting to see how the new version of REALMS OF FANTASY turns out before I say anything about its predecessor. (It may be a professional publication now. Insert cheesy grin here.) Then there’s the lovely FAERIE MAGAZINE INTERNATIONAL, produced quarterly by the folks at http://www.faeriemagazine.com/. They don’t know me, but, as a national magazine editor, I admire their publication.

To research the second category of creatures for CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS, I can’t rely on the pros who’ve gone before me. I can’t pick up a clever and colorful book about the ryfel or the edras and write out their descriptions for my readers. No, those poisonous demons are in my head. But they still involve research. I have to know my world’s legends, and I have to be able to separate the legends from the actual events that took place in Onweald history.

Here’s a good one for you: When I first created the Ungol years ago (this trilogy has been a long time in the making), I called them the Lognu. It’s in some of the spiral notebooks hidden in the back of the closet. I decided I didn’t like the way that sounded when I read it out loud and I turned it around. Ungol pleased me. The high priestess of this group had some unpronounceable name (of course) and the scenes in Tiurlang took FOREVER to get through. (Thank God for editing. We can’t have Chariss away from Nigel that long! He’d go insane.) But to form these underground people, I needed to figure out what their occupation was. I had to figure out how they got food. How did they sleep without catching pneumonia underground? How did their children grow without sunlight? For that matter, how did they create their art without light? Enter the research phase of fantasy writing! I created a language for the Ungol that focused on beauty and peace and companionship. (Of course, I don’t include their whole language in the books. I’m not expecting readers to learn Klingon or anything!) I started learning in my mind about specific Ungol families and their family units. I borrowed “technology” from the ancient Egyptians so my Ungol could position large mirrors in their underground growing and gathering rooms to capture light from tunnels to the surface. And I made these graceful people excellent hunters who would go out on “haas luna” (hunts by the moon – or night hunts) to kill only what meat they needed for their tribes. By the time I finished researching all they needed for their society, I had this loving, beautiful place for my main character Chariss and her guardian wizard to seek refuge one dangerous winter when the sorcerer Jamieson Drake first sought Chariss to kill her. The flashback to a scene of the kind old wizard teasing young Chariss about worms falling on her head in the underground city is touching and sweet. And where would that scene be without all the research I’d done to create that atmosphere for them?

Imagine my horror when I learned this past spring that J.R.R. Tolkien had a society in his works called Ungol. I was livid with him once again. I already hold a grudge against him for taking the greatest dragon name EVER. Smaug. Sigh. But, I guess that’s why he’s the god of fantasy literature, right? And I guess that’s why his story THE HOBBIT is one of the reasons I got into the genre.

Thank you for the thought-provoking questions, Rayka. I got a little long-winded there…but it was FUN! And thank you for hosting me today during my online book tour. If anyone wants more info, they can leave me a question here in the comments. I’ll be checkin’ in!
“Some days, I just want the dragon to win.”

RM: Sandy, great responses. I can only imagine your feelings finding out about Tolkien. LOL. I for one am really looking forward to reading Choices Meant for Gods. I am also posting an excerpt and a blurb about the book next. Thanks for visiting, Sandy.

Cheers,

Rayka

The Move Part 1

2009-06-05T10:45:00.002-05:00

Packers are in the house - they have already completed 1 and a half rooms already, and....drum roll...I am not quite contemplating a long walk off a short pier. This is very promising indeed!
Cheers,
Rayka

So you write romance? I say, how delightfully droll.

2009-06-04T19:32:00.005-05:00

I am little behind on catching up with my reading; and oh so sorry that I did not see this post earlier - purely for the sheer joy I might have experienced in reading this earlier. The Eroticization of Equality and Social Justice by Hillary Rettig. Go Hillary!!!!! I do wish I could have been at the Princeton conference.

To everyone who ever smirked or laughed (or still does) when I say I write romance (and yes, they are critiqued and pulled apart and edited and re-edited before they ever get published) - I say to you, So there!

And to my friends and select family (you know you are) who supported me from day 1 and have bought and passed around my books, I humbly bow to your superior judgement.

Cheers,

Rayka

Hilarious

2009-06-04T17:48:00.006-05:00

I must link to these discussions - Jessica Faust at BookEnds Literary Agency talked about angry responses to rejections. Made me laugh though I am sure if I were receiving as many as she does it probably wouldn't be so funny! Are writers nuts?

And do check out the link on Mantasies at EditTorrent . All I can say is I am so glad I was not eating or drinking or had anything liquid nearby that I could knock over as I rocked in my chair, overcome with laughter. Oh dear...

Cheers,
Rayka

Opportunity of a life-time #1

2009-06-02T20:21:00.010-05:00

So one of my winning bids on Brenda Novak's Auction for Diabetes Research was a read of my first 3 chapters by Cherry Adair. I thought it would take a while for this to come through, but Ms. Adair emailed me today. She sent a lovely message confirming I had won her critique, and asking how 'honest' I wanted her to be in her critique. She was gracious when I asked for more time (I was in a panic, wanting to go back and search for every darn adverb in my WIP). So stop by again - I'll be updating you on my WIP and critique. I am sure my awesome writing partners will be working double-time with me - so thanks in advance to these wonderful women Vicki Gaia, Phyllis Campbell, Ginger Simpson, and Ciara Gold.

I discovered Ms. Adair is also taking part in the 3-day walk for breast cancer in honor of her mother, Petal, who died of breast cancer.

I know its a tough economy out there, but just think of those people with cancer and no resources. If you are looking for a cause to support, remember every little bit helps in the fight against cancer.

Thanks for stopping by,
Rayka

My secret addiction

2009-06-01T08:30:00.005-05:00

Who knew? Its online auctions! I won’t know what to do with myself now that Brenda Novak’s online auction to support diabetes research is done. Last night was the nail-biting finish. Picture this…Sicily, 1942…oops wrong story. Picture this…introduction to a pretty well-known agent who will review your work. Down to the wire – 50 seconds to go and someone makes a bid which automatically extends the bidding on the item for another 5 minutes. Who made that rule? Ack! What do I do? One the one hand, this would a great opportunity in my writing career (it would also, hopefully, get Irene Muse to stop disappearing), I get to support diabetes research. You can see the choices were all one-sided. So I bid again, muttering that for the sake of my sanity, I would stop it now. I got it! So now, I really, really, really have to get my act together and write. I owe Vicki a review of the rest of her book – Mikela’s Reckoning – a lovely book with a yummy angel hero. And then I really have to find my groove.

The rest of this week is devoted to finishing up packing. Next week (if I have survived the packers) – Digression warning…last time this happened in Salt Lake City, I remember contemplating the ground fondly from my 11th floor balcony; I had to call Pat to help me calm down, which she did with her usual good sense and cheer – so, if I have survived, I will be driving to Phoenix on a brand-spanking-new adventure.

Come back by on June 7th when I will post an interview with Sandy Lender. The first book of her the first book of her Choices trilogy, Choices Meant for Gods, is now available.

Cheers,
Rayka

Sandy Lender Book Tour

2009-06-01T08:30:00.004-05:00

On June 7th, Sandy Lender, will stop by here on her blog tour for her new book: Choices Meant for Gods, available now and receiving great reviews.

Cheers,
Rayka

Brain Mush

2009-05-27T16:37:00.005-05:00

My brain is shot all to hell. Bad enough that I have to sort through 5 years worth of junk (that I swore I would never again accumulate) before we move to Arizona....my muse won't let me be. There I was, tootling along, writing my urban fantasy. At least I thought it was urban fantasy. Then I began researching the genre more as I discussed this very issue with my writing partner. I back-tracked rapidly to 'paranormal romance'. A little harder to say fast (not quite in the she sells seashells category, however), but still, doable. So there I was, writing, albeit still slowly, my paranormal romance, when Irene Muse, strikes again. Now, I have a romantic suspense series -- dancing the lambada -- in my head. And not one where the main gal has any ordinary profession. Oh no, that's not Irene's way! Its something I have to do ooodles of research on -- OODLES! No, I'm not telling just yet . Hey, I need a blog topic for later.

In course of said research, you know in that strange way things have of cycling back (yeah, I've had the seven karmic reincarnations awaiting me dinned into my brain by Mom), I found these two good articles on urban fantasy and the future (and present) of paranormal romance.

Back to research.

Cheers,
Rayka
www.RaykaMennen.com

Rahela's story

2009-05-18T21:42:00.003-05:00

Have you ever started out on the internet, pursuing one bit of information, then find yourself reading a heart wrenching story about something quite unconnected? I found myself in such a situation earlier today. My feelings were mixed - outrage on behalf of the young woman and her family, thankfulness for my own life and rights, and a weary helplessness that I cannot do more.
Read the story, tell me what you think. Rahela's Story.
Peace,
Rayka
www.RaykaMennen.com

The weekend

2009-04-24T09:07:00.004-05:00

Yes, just Friday I know, but it's the weekend, dash it! My cautious peek around the curtain hiding their world from ours, shows me preparations for revelry. There seems to be a festival of sorts in the making. Even the Dream-Maker is back there. For a longish weekend perhaps? Anyway, he seems content, away from his self-enforced exile in the human world. I think I'll join them too. See you all on Monday.
Cheers, Rayka
PS: wonder if the fae folk eat cotton-candy? I love pink cotton-candy.

www.RaykaMennen.com

Almost the weekend

2009-04-23T14:47:00.003-05:00

Well, I have been working and working and working on a killer beginning(pardon the pun since there is a killing on the first page) for my new book. And I think I am almost there. I'd be there faster if I wasn't so distracted by all the wonderful blogs I have a hankering to read every day. Take Pub Rants for example - Agent Kristin Nelson's accounts of the book fair across the pond are fascinating. And there's about 10 others I lurk around in hoping to glean wisdom about this somewhat fickle industry. And I click on a link and it takes me to another page and another page and before I know it, I am reading, open-mouthed, about the cure for fatty livers or some such thing!
Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Monday's Hit List

2009-04-20T10:49:00.002-05:00

Things I must get done today.....besides all the regular academic tasks, I must complete the new beginning for my new fantasy. I read it over the weekend and thought it needed some spiffing up so here goes.
Cheers
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Ack! I must get highlights

2009-04-17T13:43:00.003-05:00

So, did anyone read the piece about authors' looks being important to selling and being reviewed?
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/trends/author_photo_confidential_113420.asp

So my writing must be supplemented by.....a super model look? Why am I wasting time? I need to call the salon for a makeover!

Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

Romance novel sales up in recession

2009-04-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

Gee, it certainly was a pleasure to read that sales of several sub genres of romance are up in this recession. Whether it be escapism (something endorsed by both the New York times and the LA Times) or the 'bodice-ripper' fantasy (thank you Meghan Daum at the LA Times but we actually left that term behind a few decades ago), I was glad to see sales are up. Not for my books mind you, but I am glad for my friends and acquaintances whose books I hope are selling!
I was curious about the hairy, very-male looking arm pulling out a romance novel in the New York times photo that accompanied the article! Does this mean readership has changed too? Oh no! is nothing sacred to us gals anymore? http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/books/08roma.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&emc=eta1

Cheers,
Rayka

www.RaykaMennen.com

What I am working on now

2009-04-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

After almost a year and half's dry spell with no substantive writing done, I am back on track. My muse has returned from extended vacation. The book I am working on now is a contemporary fantasy. Based partly on myths of ancient Ireland, readers get whisked between Chicago, Ireland and a mythical land of elves (located behind a water shield). Riona, who thinks of herself as a garden variety witch, is hardly prepared for the events that follow the fleeting shadow she sees on her porch one night. Cian, top detective and pragmatic crime-solver, is suddenly thrown into a world of witches, renegade elves and other beings he never knew existed. Their paths are destined to cross, but will they find love along with adventure?
Stay tuned for more on this story. Visit my website for contests and other information and to see my back list.
Ciao,
Rayka

The day before

2008-12-13T20:40:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Rayka's Blog. I hope this is place that you will visit often in the days to come. I thought this was a good time to get started with a blog. I've resisted doing this as I was afraid I would run out of things to say, but hey, a writer shouldn't have that problem...yes?
It's the eve of our 18-day trip to India. It's strange to be packing light shirts and linen pants and planning for 95 degree weather over Christmas. Which reminds me, I should be packing these things not writing about them.
Stay tuned for news about our trip, information about upcoming books and contests.
Cheers,
Rayka