Happy 2nd Anniversary to The Keep!

Happy Anniversary to The Keep, my message board forum for the Stories from the Mist!  On March 27th, it is our 2nd year of creativity, camaraderie and mayhem!  I absolutely adore my members, whether they be the real deal or the characters created there.

In celebration of this milestone, I am holding a contest and will be giving out various goodies and sundries that are Keep-related.  All you need to do is to login to The Keep (or register, if you're a first-timer) and head for the Great Hall.  There, under that forum, you will find the Anniversary thread.  All you need to do is post a comment and leave the rest to Fate. :)

We will be drawing random Post#s during the first week in April and will be giving away:

~A signed copy of "The Sagittary"
~A signed copy of the next book in the Stories from the Mist series
~T-shirts, mugs, mousepads and more!

While you're there, please have a look around the halls and corridors and see what you can uncover.  There is everything from member-posted stories, poems, art, photography, etc to character play in the Towers.  Review movies, books and TV shows, or hang around in the Jester's Court and share the latest joke.

Click on the title of this post or on the link in the side bar to find your way through the mist to our door.

Hope to see you there!

TMS

Is it Spring Yet?

Anyone else ready for Spring?  As I look outside at the almost 2 feet of snow we got hit with this past weekend, I'm more than ready for the rebirth of the earth.  The only good thing about all this nasty weather is that I get some additional time to finish off my current manuscript!

Venom is coming along very nicely, and we're a good three-quarters of the way there.  Things are now escalating within his world and quickly coming to a head.  I'm anticipating finishing sometime in May, and if all goes well with the re-read and edits, possibly have him out by the end of the Summer.

Once that is done, I can go back and revisit "Daughter of the Aire."  We had to shelve poor Toryn and Keirah as there were too many revisions that needed to be done, and a little more fleshing out of the characters.  But the story itself is in good standing; we just need to finish it off a little more before we let him loose in the Mist world.

Our official Message Board, The Keep, is celebrating its 2nd Anniversary this month!  We are planning some contests and will be giving away a signed copy of "The Sagittary" along with some other goodies like mugs, mouse pads and T-Shirts!  So if you haven't joined us yet, please do!  We've got a wonderful group of talented and creative members.  I'll be posting more once the contest is all set up.

Just a note on "The Sagittary:"  The publisher has dropped the price some (thank God!) and it is also available on Kindle for a fraction of the paperback copy.  The book continues to receive straight five-star reviews!  I'm awed and grateful for all the wonderful comments. They really mean a lot to me!  You can find the book at Amazon.com and also take a peek inside!

Well, I just wanted to check in, as its been a while.  Please feel free to leave comments here, or you can email me at: tmsulsona@storiesfromthemist.com

Stay warm and happy reading!

TMS

Happy Holidays from the Mist!

Just taking time out from family and friends to wish my readers a wonderful holiday season! Here's to health, luck and prosperity in 2010....lord knows we all can use it in light of the economic and pandemic year we've had.

Our "Keep Cookbook" is now available at The Mist cafepress shop. All proceeds from the sale of this wonderful book goes to help the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a cause that hits close to home for me. The book compiles recipes gathered from the forum members at The Keep and are their best-loved and tried-and-true recipes, including appetizers, soups, sauces, breakfast items, entrees, pasta, breads, desserts and of course, drinks and libations! Please help this worthy cause and fill your plates with warm goodness by purchasing this cookbook. And while you're there, be sure to check out some of the other great stuff we've got up for your perusal enjoyment!

"The Awakening" is about 2 months away from having its first draft completed. Then the fun starts with the re-read and re-write. This book promises some hot reading...Venom is sexy and dominating; Mally is his perfect foil. Together they learn about each other and grow. The first Chapter can be found at The Keep, along with a bunch of teasers that are sure to get your interest up and humming.

On that note, I'm off to celebrate the holiday with my family. Best wishes to all for a safe and happy holiday. *hugs and kisses*

TMS

When The Puzzle Pieces Fall Together

So, as most of you already know, I'm in mid-first draft of "The Awakening," and for the past, oh week or so, the flood gates have opened up and Venom is flowing onto the page like water. I don't know how it works for you other writers, but I get bits and pieces of scenes, dialog, names, places etc. and then I'm supposed to make some sort of sense out it.

I've been plodding along on this project, writing a bit here and a bit there, making no great strides to speak of, but writing enough to keep the juices flowing. Scratching my head as I put scenes together, not really understanding WHY I'm supposed to put this one next to that one, but I do it because that's what my instincts tell me to do.

Then WHAM!

I get this new character (or in this case a special GROUP that is a character) and suddenly as I discover who they are and what they do, all the strange bits and pieces I linked together up until this point make perfect sense. These guys are the key to the story, the link that threads throughout the storyline.

I am once again amazed, not at myself, but at how the subconscious mind always seems to be way ahead of the game and knows what it is doing. I refer to this alter-ego as my Muse, and so far she (or possible he) has been spot-on.

So I am a writing fool these days, making like a Ghost at my usual haunts and at The Keep. I really hope they don't think I'm ignoring them, cause I'm not. It's just that Venom and The Muse are such demanding taskmasters at the moment.

On another note, it seems that my publisher, BookSurge, is merging into Create/Space, and the new company seems to have more reasonable rates and pricing for their books. This is a great relief as I am most annoyed at the pricing they placed on "The Sagittary," causing those who would normally buy, to back off. And that really sucks. I am looking into revising "The Sagittary" into a shorter version, taking out a lot of the book that, while not intrinsic to the story, definitely fills it out and gives it a 'real flavor.' I hate to do that, but I have to in order to make the pricing more palatable. If I do this, I would probably post those 'deleted scenes' up in The Keep. So I'll keep you posted on how that goes. But in the meantime, I'm watching my page count this time around so "The Awakening" will be as cheap as I can make it without sacrificing the meat of the story.

As usual, I've been posting 'teasers' at The Keep. So if you want to get a little taste of Venom and see what he's about, head on over.

That's it for now...back to the keys. Read happy!

TMS

Winter Hath Cometh Early

We had our first snowfall of the year yesterday. Snow coming down like all hell...but not sticking, thankfully. At least not in my neck of NJ. I know a few people who were coated with up to 2" of the white, wet, heavy stuff. (No, that's not a picture from NJ....just one taken from a trip to Scotland...but I thought it appropriate for the topic!)

Snow.

In October.

WTF?

Seeing how we've had a very wet year already, this early snowfall doesn't bode well for a light winter. I think we're gonna get snowed under!

Which, on the other hand, is perfect reading weather! I've loaded up (or should I say reinforced?) my TBR pile, moving it from the little box to a great big Rubbermaid bin. So go ahead Old Man Winter, and do your worst! I'm set!

We've hit a snag with "Daughter of the Aire" and that novel is being moved to the back burner for now. It needs some heavy editing and right now I don't have the time or the inclination to start tearing that story apart. My editor, Kimi, seems to think there was some weird crap going on in my life at the time I was writing it. Quite frankly, I really don't remember what the hell was going on two years ago! (Let alone yesterday...*slinks off*)

Soooo, I'm putting all my energies into working on "The Awakening." (That title is going to be changed...I hate it. But for now...) Kimi has already read the first five chapters and she loves it. Which is a good thing. I was getting a little nervous there after her review of Daughter. *wipes brow* So Venom it is. And you know what? I'm sure that was his plan all along. Sneaky reptile that he is. Have I mentioned how overtly hot he is? No? Well....let me tell you....I sweat when I'm writing his scenes. Don't let the serpent references put you off.

Let's see....what else....

We had our Keep Clan Gathering down in Washington DC this past weekend, and it was a blast! It was great to finally meet the faces behind the posts from The Keep. Everyone was great and I think a good time was had by all.

Speaking of The Keep: We are still taking recipes for our charity Keep Cookbook that we hope to have published by CafePress and out in time for the holidays in December. So please, if you have a good recipe to share and want to have your name in print, stop by the Keep and drop it off in our Kitchen thread. While you're there, check out the rest of the board. Book lovers and writers abound, sharing their reviews, criticisms and camaraderie. It truly is a great place to hang out. I've got the best members in the world. *sends out the luv to my Keepers*

OK. Well I guess that's about it for now. It's football season and that means running around to practice and games with my son. (Their record at the moment is 4 -1. Mama and Papa are very proud! :))

Wherever your wanderings take you, stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy life. Muuah!

TMS