Friday, February 11, 2011

All Kinds of New Things

"For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work." ~Doug Larson

I had the best of intentions of blogging every week when 2011 started, I really did. But oddly, I discovered that time, like money, does not grow on trees. And the free time I used to have through the day at the old day job no longer existed with the new one. And while I’m enjoying the new job at CCS (Canadian Cancer Society) it is a hundred times busier than life at ING. Hence no time to squeeze out a quick blog post through the day. I’m lucky if I find time to break for lunch. My, how things have changed…

And given how the commute has eaten a half hour out of my writing time, there is little time in the morning to squeeze a blog post in after writing.

But I am determined to still manage a weekly post and get out and visit all my blog pals who I have sorely neglected this past month. I’m going to carve time out each week ahead of time to do just that.

So here I am, squeezing! And there is news to report. Last night, Romance Writers’ of Atlantic Canada were hosted by Charlie Mac Productions/Media Inc, EnviroWeb Consulting, and Bconnected Progressive Networking Organization for a great evening of networking and promotion. The event was held at Argyle Fine Art Gallery’s new location. Despite a brief snow squall shortly before the event started, we had a good sized crowd and a good time was had by all. It was my first opportunity to get out there and promote THE OUTLAW BRIDE. Here’s a pic of me holding the cover. I received the file a couple days before and managed to whip off photos of it to take to the event.

Which is the other big news – my cover. I’m waiting for the final file from Carina Press to post the cover, just in case they have a few last minute changes, but you can get sneak peak in the picture above.

As for the writing, it was a little slow going for the first month trying to find a balance with the new routine and limited amount of time. I’m still tweaking it to maximize my writing time, but it’s getting better. I’ve finished taking Angela James’ course on self-editing, Before You Hit Send, which was great. I’m currently using that to clean up SALVATION FALLS before I send it off to Sally Williamson (hopefully next week). Turns out Harlequin lost the partial I had originally sent, which is why I hadn’t heard anything back in so long. My writing bud, Donna Alward, checked in with Sally Williamson and discovered this for me, and Ms. Williamson suggested I resend to her direct. But after taking Angela James’s course, I want to ensure SF is in the best possible shape, so I’m taking a week to clean up before I hit send.

Then I’m on to finish INVITATION TO SCANDAL and THE WIDOW BRIDE before the conference in NYC which I am booked for, hotel room secured and flights arranged. Can’t wait! Then, after conference, I'm going to spend the second half of the year working on something new and different which I'm pretty excited about.

Oh – and the last bit of news – my website revamp is completed! Take a look: www.kellyboyce.com. And thanks to AnneInspired for the great work on the design.

10 comments:

Janet said...

Great new look to the blog, Kelly. And great news about the cover - that must up the excitement level that much more!

Wishing you the best with the partial you're about to send and with tweaking your writing time :)

Unknown said...

Kelly, best of luck with Salvation Falls, hope Sally loves it.

Julianne MacLean said...

Had a great time last night, Kelly - and it was so great to see your new cover, which is absolutely gorgeous. Can't wait for release day!

Julia Phillips Smith said...

...psst...got a little misty when I first laid eyes on your cover last night...

Lilly Cain said...

I love the new site - and I love your new cover! Congratulations and welcome to the Carina Press team! :)

Lilly

Jennie Marsland said...

Great new look, Kelly, and I love your cover. Best of luck with this year's writing projects, and with juggling it all. Exciting times ahead!

Patricia Preston said...

It's good to hear from you, Kelly. I definitely know what it is like to start a new job that's a huge change from the old one. I have no internet access at my new one but it is much less stressful than my other job, so I guess that compensates. Stay in touch. I can't wait to read your book! Almost An Outlaw has done pretty well, especially the reviews.

Unknown said...

I can't wait to see that book cover! And I love your quote. Loooove it. For what it's worth, I find that when I have less time to do things, I waste less time too. Also I want to waste some time:) Good luck finding your new groove.

CK Tutoring said...

Everything looks and sounds great!

LA Robitaille said...

Kelly the cover looks amazing from here! Can't wait to see the real deal in person.