Mission Success: Crossroads

Laurie's Journal

Writing Process Blog Hop
Thanks to my Donna and Pippa for participating in the Writing Process Blog Hop last week. It was a fun exercise and I learned things about my co-bloggers that I never knew. If readers missed our blogs, you can catch up here:

Pippa's Writing Process
Donna's Writing Process
Laurie's Writing Process

Reassignment in the Works?
A factor in every writer's career is what goes on in other areas of their life. Well, after 19 years of managing our military agency's budget at my day job, I'm in the process of requesting reassignment to another position that I think will be good for both my agency and for my stress level and creative energy. If we can reach an agreement, this promises to be a great thing all around. Please cross your fingers with me for a good outcome.

Sharon's Next Novel Releases Tomorrow!
Co-blogger and RITA finalist Sharon Lynn Fisher's second novel -- The Ophelia Prophecy -- releases on Tuesday, April 1st. No April Foolin'! Be sure to stop back here at Spacefreighters Lounge tomorrow to learn more about this very exciting new Science Fiction Romance title from Tor! I don't want to steal Sharon's thunder, but I will say this is a fabulous, imaginative story you won't want to miss!

I think Pippa Jay mentioned she also has a release coming out tomorrow! And with Donna now being an expectant author (with her first book due next February) it's a very exciting time for the Spacefreighters crew!

A December Deadline
All of this moving and shaking by my co-bloggers had me doing some mental sorting and reassessing of my own career. I had a chat with my agent to get her thoughts on possibly pursuing the agent-as-publisher option that Donna is following. (Read her big announcement here.) After kicking it around a bit, we decided that with my first novel still out to two big publishers and a dynamic smaller one, that we're content, at least for now, to await the outcome. But it's time to start formulating other strategies, so I've set December as the point-in-the-future where I'll start pursuing other publishing options if we haven't yet had a sale. Either way, come December I'll have good news...or good news! This is an exciting time to be a pre-publshed author!

Meet Echo 8
I have a fun announcement to make. In addition to my day job and writing career, I have yet a third endeavor. My husband and I raise Thoroughbred horses.

A fun and sometimes boggling part of that pursuit is finding an unique name for each of our babies that no other living, registered Thoroughbred of the same sex in North America has already claimed. With somewhere between 19,000 and 30,000 Thoroughbreds born every year on this continent, that can be a very tall order.

Ideally, we like to choose a name that says something about the foal's parents or prominent bloodlines. On February 2nd, we welcomed our first foal of the year, a fiesty little chestnut colt with a tiny white star and one white sock. That little star is more of a streak than a spot. Kind of reminds me of a shooting star, really. Like a comet. Or an asteroid.

His parents are Diabolical (sire) and Soulful (dam). His famous grandsire is the fabulous Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.

Having just finished a beta read of Sharon's third novel, Golden Heart finalist ECHO 8, things clicked into place. How so?

Here's the advance blurb of Echo 8:

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance as three lives entangle: Jake, a man shifted to an alternate Earth, where he must drain energy from others to survive. Tess, the parapsychologist trying to save him. Ross, the FBI agent torn between duty and his love for Tess.

I absolutely loved this story the first time I read it in a much earlier draft, but this latest pre-published version of ECHO 8 is one fantastic, Soulful, Diabolical SFR story, that's set in Seattle. (See where I'm going with this?)

Add the unique "falling asteroid" marking on our colt's forehead and the fact that Jake's world was destroyed by an asteroid, and *dingdingding* I think we have a winner! After getting Sharon's okay, we'll be submitting Echo 8 as the first name choice for our colt.

So world...meet the other Echo 8. And here's to a very successful future for both of them!

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