Join me in welcoming Angelia Sparrow, who's with us today to talk about being prolific and balancing your life, something with which I know I can use all the help I can get. Angelia's giving away a copy of Man Hunt to one lucky commenter, so please leave a note to this post to be entered to win.
Take it away, Angelia!
Thanks to Jessica for having me over today to talk a little about being prolific.
I counted it up recently, while applying to be a guest at a convention. I have written 11 novels (9 available, 2 more slated for release very soon) and about 75 short stories in the last 8 years. Not too shabby for someone with a 50 hour a week day job. (novel 12 is about half done)
I am the despair of the Fearless Leader of The Literary Underworld (some of the best small press SF/F and horror, including Stoker award winners), my writing consortium. She looks at me every time we get together for a convention and shakes her head as I progressively take over more and more of the display racks. I do a fair few conventions, and will be in Louisville KY this weekend for Fandom Fest. (if you're in the area, say hello!)
A lot of it is actual word-count and writing to deadlines. But there is also the perception that I am more prolific than I am, because my releases tend to be scheduled in bursts. It's a hazard of writing for numerous publishers. This June, I had three very different stories come out. I had a novel in January, a short story collection and an anthology story in March, and then this sudden burst. And I have novels slated for July and October releases and an anthology story in September. This is in contrast to last year, when I only had five stand alone shorts and three anthology stories released.
We join vampire hunters Marcus and Samil as they go about theirappointed rounds. Samil is immortal and Marcus is his specially trained servant.This is a prelude to my novel Power in the Blood and gives us more time with the very ruthless, very gay Marcus, and his charge, a man who once fought against the Hittites in the armies of King David.
"Out of Options" is a contemporary in Storm Moon's 
Like it Or Not anthology. It's a nasty piece of work about a man in need and another who is used to getting everything he wants. Readers will remember Jarrett and Connor from "Color of Magic/Color of Money" which Storm Moon Press has offered to reissue when the stories from Like It Or Not come out individually.
I honestly don't write all that fast. I just write steadily. I try for 1000 words a day (Stephen King's advice). If I can't manage that, I try for 15 minutes a day, that's about 450 words at my typing pace, which I call the Flylady approach to novels (Flylady is a housecleaning system where you spend 15 minutes at a time). If I can't manage that, I follow Victor Milan's advice and write 5 words a day. But every day, some writing. There are a couple of young writers I am mentoring. They _talk_ a lot about writing. My question to them is always "What did you _write_ today?"
1000 words a day let me flesh out a lesbian collection, Adventuresses, in the space of a month. It let me finish a lot of things this spring, including the urban fantasy novel, Spellbound Desire, coming from Ellora's Cave in October. Of course, there I had Naomi egging me on, contributing her share as well. I think we wrote it in about three weeks. It happens like that sometimes.
The important thing, though, is balance. Work and sleep. Write and edit, read and craft and play, movies/TV and cleaning. Time with the spouse, time with the kids and time with friends. Try for some of it every day. There will be days when one or all of these goes by the wayside because of something else. That's fine. But try to get back in balance as soon as possible.
Last week, I fell into Editing Hell. I went to work. I edited. I avoided everything else. This week, I'm backing off and taking care of all the things I neglected. I'm off to cut some hair, do some taxes and go to the store. I'll read a little more and maybe watch a movie (I have some Errol Flynn pictures on the Tivo) before work. I'll write too, just not for the next four hours.
You can find my work at http://www.brooksandsparrow.com
You can follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngeliaSparrow , Livejournal:http://valarltd.livejournal.com/ or twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/asparrow16
Man Hunt is a little different than the usual m/m romance. Here is your chance to get a copy. Just leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win. The contest stays open until midnight, Sunday, July 1.
Blurb:
June is too fine a month for a man to die. So when Thomas Lanton is informed that he's finally facing execution for the murder of his brother-in-law, he manages a prison break and flees.
For a while, Thomas's good luck holds out, and the attractive and lonely farmer in whose barn he hides takes a serious liking to him. But as Thomas soon discovers, not all chains are made of iron, nor all prisons built with stone. Indeed, sometimes blue eyes and soft words can be as effective as bars, and love can be too heavy a piece of baggage to take on the lam...
Click the link below for a steamy excerpt from Man Hunt. Please note, this excerpt is Not Safe For Work. By clicking this link, you certify that you are eighteen years of age or older, and that it is legal for you to view sexually explicit material.
Excerpt:
...Thomas made himself even more useful in the next days. He hoped Hank had told the truth. He wanted to make sure Hank kept misdirecting the fuzz. But he couldn’t help his temper.
He was out in the barn, working while wearing only his pants. The shirt was just too hot for July. He’d been pitching the hay they’d cut the week before into the loft, and the labor had raised a sweat. He was in a mood that day, wanting to hurt and work and stretch. When he was done, he was going to go up to the house, bend Hank over the table and fuck him until he yelled.
He had just paused for a drink when a hand on his shoulder startled him. He slammed the ladle upside the intruder’s head and shoved him up against the wall. For a moment, he was right back in the common cell, and the big guy he hated had designs on him.
He blinked and it was only Hank, breathing hard, his eyes huge behind his glasses as he stared down at the pitchfork Thomas had pressed to his throat. Sweat and well water rolled down the side of his face. A red streak on his cheek showed where Thomas had hit him with the ladle.
Hank turned the big eyes up to Thomas and whispered, “Please…”
Thomas let out the breath he was holding and threw the pitchfork aside. “It’s just you.”
“Yeah, just me.” Hank punctuated this with a nervous nod.
“You startled me. You shouldn’t do that.” Thomas liked the look of him this scared. It made him want to do bad things, to push Hank into acts that would humiliate and hurt and bring them both to shattering climax.
“I’m sorry.” The breathless sound of Hank’s voice tempted him. When he felt Hank’s hard cock pressed to his thigh, he gave in to the temptation. Hank shuddered under his hands, and this time his voice was almost pleading. “Thomas, I’m sorry.”
Thomas could hold back no longer and lunged in for a kiss. Hank opened right up to him, moaning as he shoved his tongue into Hank’s mouth.
“Down, now.” He grabbed Hank’s shoulders and shoved him toward the pile of hay. Hank went easily, shedding his clothing as he moved. He had the overalls unfastened, but Thomas yanked them right down and pushed him facedown into the hay.
Hank rolled over and scrambled to his knees. Without warning, he undid Thomas’s pants and sucked him in, trying not to choke on the size and suddenness of the movement.
“That’s right,” Thomas said. He stroked Hank’s hair, the first edge taken off his arousal. Hank made a pleased sound and ran his hands over Thomas’s belly. He liked the shivery sensation Hank’s hands sparked in him. “Such a good little cocksucker. Get me nice and wet for your ass.”
Hank looked up at him, giving him the big eyes, which seemed to swim behind his little glasses. The sucking turned slurpy and sloppy and wet as Hank obeyed the order.
“Oh, you like that idea.” Thomas chuckled to himself a little. He knew exactly what Hank liked best, and a firm hand made the farmer hotter than the hayloft at noon. “I thought you would. Yeah…” He fisted his hands in Hank’s hair, pulling him down more on his cock, making him suck more of it. Hank sent him the big eyes again and Thomas knew he wasn’t going to last more than a minute longer. “Turn over and let me see that ass.” He was being as crude as possible, wanting to see how far he could push Hank...
Whoo! *fans self* You can't stop there, Angelia! What happens next? Guess we'll have to buy the book and find out.
Well if the rest of the bookis like the excerpt you have a winner !! O
I look forward to reading your work.... Best of luck !
Posted by: Dee | July 13, 2012 at 05:51 AM
The excerpt is just...whew. Very, very nice!
Posted by: Trix | June 28, 2012 at 06:30 PM
Wow, sounds like a whirlwind, Angelia. I like what you said about keeping balance. That really does seem to be the key.
Posted by: Allie Ritch | June 28, 2012 at 09:38 AM