Two years ago, I had amazing momentum. I’d not finalled in the Golden Heart that year, so I entered a ton of other contests. I finalled in several, the Maggies, Hot Prospect, PASIC, Romance Junkies. I got a few requests, including Susan Litman wanting to see DLB (which I was still writing), Hot Shot again, Brenda Chin suggested I send Hot Shot to Victoria Curran with her recommendation, Berkley wanted to see Surface, and the one who would become my agent also asked for Hot Shot.

School was starting, it was hectic, but I felt I was on the brink.

Then I signed with my agent and everything came to a screeching halt. She wanted me to work on one story at a time. While she worked up the revisions for Hot Shot, I finished DLB and sat on it, except to enter it in the GH.

For a year, I didn’t write anything new. I tried, started BD the following summer, but the urgency, the momentum, was gone. I did maybe 3 rounds of revisions – I lost count. Then I went to National, met with my agent, who wanted MORE revisions, which would have removed the only original bit of the story. I was devastated.

After we made our agreement that she’d send out my other books, including that year’s GH finalist, I joined Nano. I hadn’t written anything new and I flew through that story. I still love it, though it needs a ton of work.

Ghost Hunters was tougher. BD is the toughest yet.

Worse, I’ve lost my momentum. I had a terrific work ethic before – I had to with those requests rolling in. but while I waited for my agent, I got lazy. Why write something new if it was just going to join the stack of mss waiting for her to be satisfied with Hot Shot?

Now I’m trying to make a plan. I’m taking an online class (I know – I don’t like getting overwhelmed with all the email, but it was free) called “Write 50 Books a Year.” I’m actually inspired by some of the obstacles people overcome to write, and I made my plan yesterday. I put it on a calendar and everything.

I’m going to FINISH BD before school starts (3 weeks.)

I’m going to START Vamp Hunters so I can enter it in some contests coming up the end of August (only 25 pages, I can do that. I have 11 already.)

I’m going to REVISE Ghost Hunters, Vanished, Spy Girl, Breaking Daylight and Vamp Hunters before I start anything new after Vamp Hunters.

I’m going to send SURFACE to Kensington.

I’m going to QUERY Bantam and Medallion Press.

I’m going to enter SOMETHING in the Superromance contest.

I’m going to enter Hot Shot in the Gather contest.

I’m going to enter my paranormals in Gateway to the Rest and Fiction from the Heartland.

I’m going to enter my STs in Golden Rose (?), Golden Pen (?), Golden Palms, Suzannah (?), Emily (?) and Linda Howard.

I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for Maggies, From the Heart, Cleveland Rocks and Golden Opportunity.

I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for a request from Susan and some of the agents I’ve submitted to.

EDITED TO ADD: Hot Shot was rejected by Superromance today. I think I'll enter that in the Gather contest, then.

This is the calendar I'm using to keep on track. Let me know if you like it.