Edie Ramer and I did a talk on blogging at our local chapter of RWA this past week. This is the first time I did this sort of public speaking and I thought it went well. Blogging (right now) is a relatively new promotional tool that writers are discovering. I personally find it very effective. Not only do I blog on MagicalMusings on a weekly basis, but I also try to do a blog here as often as I can (and not as often as I should). I also do one every six weeks at the Samhain Publishing Weblog. That’s a very good one, by the way. With a different author each day, it makes for a diverse subject matter.

I’m trying to put together a list of blog sites that I visit regularly. I don’t comment at each and everyone (time constraints, y’know), but I do read them over and find a lot of them to be very informative and enjoyable. Here’s a list that I’ve compiled so far. Keep in mind that this is an on-going list to which I am adding to regularly.

http://www.magicalmusings.com
http://www.edieramer.com
http://www.michellediener.com
http://samhainpublishing.com/blog
http://zoewinters.blogspot.com
http://www.karintabke.com/blog
http://romanceworthkillingfor.blogspot.com
http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog
http://www.romanceunleashed.com/blog
http://www.susangrant.blogspot.com
http://www.leighwyndfield.blogspot.com
http://www.writemindedblog.com
http://katesterling.blogspot.com
http://www.murdershewrites.com
http://maryjanicedavidson.blogspot.com
http://pubrants.blogspot.com
http://www.vickyburkholder.com

Just remember that with a lot of these are sites I’ll drop in from time to time. If I comment, I don’t always get a response. With some of these you’ll notice that a new post hasn’t been added in quite awhile, but when a new blog is posted, its usually worth the drop in.

For myself, personally, I like getting a response to a comment I post on a blog. To me that’s just common courtesy. I find that I don’t post a comment on sites that I’m unlikely to get a response from. I might drop in from time to time, but not as often as I would to a blog where there is a lot of interaction between the poster and the postee … if that’s the correct phrase.

What do you reckon? What are some of your favorite blog sites? I’d love to know because although time limits where I can wander, I enjoy learning of new blog sites where I might become a regular.

I’ve been reading books on vampires lately. While I love vampire books, they are not my favorite … well, it depends on which author, I guess. I love Christine Feehan’s, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s and Charlaine Harris’ vamps … and, of course, Laurell K. Hamilton. Who can mention a vampire book without referring to Ms. Hamilton’s wonderful series? Some people feel that her books have far too much emphasis on the sex, but if you’re a devotee to the Anita Blake series, you’ll see that this is tapering off and the stories are going in a new direction. Yay! I have no problem with the sex, but I confess, I’ve skimmed here and there (only to back up and read more carefully because LKH tends to bury information within her scenes).

I’ve read a couple of Lindsey Sands vampire books … sorry, Lindsey, but I just couldn’t get into them, and I’m in the middle of reading Kathy Love’s “I Only Have Fangs for You”. Loved her first two books “Fangs for the Memories” and “Fangs but No Fangs”. She has a humorous twist to her vamp stories.

I wonder who is it that made vampires so sexy? Bram Stoker? Not really, although Dracula sure seemed to like the ladies and there was a pseudo-love story there. Ann Rice? Maybe. Vampire books seemed to take off after “Interview with a Vampire” hit the screens. (Who’da ever thought Tom Cruise would make such a perfect vampire?)

Whoever started it … I think sexy vampires are here to stay. I have a problem with reading about angsty vamps who bemoan their undead existence. If it’s so flippin’ bad … just walk into the sun and get it over with, okay?

I actually have an idea for a vampire story cookin’ at the back of my head. It’s not fully formed but its pretty darned close, thanks to a plotting party I participated last September with a number of writer friends in Virginia. It has gone from fairly directionless, to a nearly completely plotted out book. Highly unusual for me since I’m a strictly “write by the seat of my pants” sorta author.

What do you think? Are you a vamp fan or no? And if so, are there any authors you can recommend?

I’m beginning to feel a little anxious. I’m supposed to get my pre-edits soon from my editor and I’m not quite sure what to expect. A friend who works with Angie said that these are fix-its to the story line and will need to be done before the actual edits begin. With “Forget About Tomorrow” coming out in electronic format in April, I’m hoping (but not holding my breath) that the edits will not be extensive. Between working full time and handling the family, I don’t want to make myself nuts with the dreaded “deadline”.

While I’m waiting for the edits to arrive, I’m also trying to put together a cohesive plan for promotion. Internet … that’s a given. The loops are a wonderful place to promote your book, but I don’t want to become one of those obnoxious individuals who never come on the loops unless they have a book coming out. Because of time constraints, I do a lot of lurking, but I do try to participate when I can.

Since “FAT” is coming out in April, I will be attending the Romantic Time Conference in Houston. The timing is too good to pass up. This is a reader/writer conference which is perfect for a new author.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading and listening on the loops about promotion. There are a lot of good ideas out there … some clever and some not so clever. It’s going to be difficult to pick and chose which ones to use. The most important thing is to get the most bang for your buck.

So if you have any suggestions for promotion, let me know. I’m interested in hearing what other writers use or what they think would work.

Here we are in the new year … what are you going to make of it?

Think of it as a clean slate, a chance to start over. I know that I have a number of things I would do different … or plan to do different. Ain’t gonna bore you all and list them here, but I do plan to revamp my eating habits. I’ll admit that I’m at the age where I can just eat anything that I like. Gone are the days of a bag of Doritos and a can of Coke for breakfast. I have to think more along the lines of a bowl of healthy cereal and milk. Ewww!

Gotta avoid that candy dish and all that fried stuff and pay more attention to those yummy fruits and veggies that you can find year-round. (Can you tell I’m trying to convince myself? And having a hard time of it.) Actually, I do love fruit and vegetables.

To go along with this new regime of healthy eating, I intend to walk more. Right now, from April until it gets too cold, my friend, Beth and I walk around 3.5 miles five times a day (weather permitting). The rough part is that we do this at 5:00 in the morning. Sorta tough to talk yourself into getting up that early every day.

Still, Spring is coming and I’ll look forward to it. In the meantime, I’ll walk when I can and eat what I should.