Home of Author Isabelle Santiago
Two things to be awesomely excited about:
1. I received two amazing FedEx packages this morning. One was an infant car seat. The second was a matching LiteRider stroller. They’re tannish with a sage green cushioning filled with Safari Animals! They’re sooo cute! 
2. Although I may be the last person left who hasn’t seen it- I’m finally going to see Twilight! I can’t wait. I’ve heard such mixed reviews I’d really like to judge for myself.
A semi-personal, semi-professional update on the goings on of my life.
On the baby front: I’m getting huge. I’m now alternating between my ‘fat clothes‘ (so glad I didn’t throw these out and just packed them away with hopes to never see them again) and new maternity clothes. I waddle a bit when I walk. And I feel strangely round. Like, Penguin in the old Batman movie. *cringe*
I’m suffering from growing pains, which is to be expected. I can feel every ligament stretching in my belly and some days I feel like I’ve been riding a pony for 8 days and that my thighs won’t survive the throbbing. Trust me, that’s not as fun or sexy as it sounds. Funny how muscles you never knew you had make themselves present when weight starts to settle on your pelvic bone.
Despite all my whining, and I know I’m doing quite a bit of it, it’s all worth it when I feel baby C move. Sometimes, out of 
the blue, the feel of his little feet kicking my side is thrilling. At night, when I’m settling into sleep, he’s pretty active, and I can’t help but smile knowing that in just a few months, I’ll be able to tuck him into bed.
Cheesy, I know. But these are the little things that remind me these long, hormonal, particularly emotional months are worthwhile. I’m so excited.
On the writing/editing front: I was working on my fantasy novel’s sequel and came to a bit of a halt on a scene. Mostly, it’s a POV issue. I’d originally written it in the heroine’s pov. I decided it might read better in the supporting character’s pov- and it would help me set up his coming journey (he’s lead hero in book 3). I think I need him to get a little violent. To really post a threat to the current hero in order to rationalize the need for chains and locks. Either way, I know where it’s going from here, and I have up to the climax settled. Which is great. After that, it’s a bit open ended. I’ll have to sit and plot things out.
As for editing- I’ve got half of my contracted WIP done, and I’m working on the second half. I’m really hoping to have this one ready for publication by January. If I can work steadily. It’s hard to focus most days. I’m so tired and foggy. But I have to get it done before March. Once baby C gets here, I plan to go on a mini writing vacation. I’ve had a very busy year. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’m thankful for every moment.
Waking the Witch by Lisa Whitefern
From inside the stunning opal necklace, a haunting voice whispered, “Make love to him, Faith. Do it now!”
Faith Abbot is a good Puritan woman, but the magic inside an opal necklace begins to torment her with lustful thoughts.
For years her heart and body have craved handsome James Parris, a man twelve years her junior, a man she thinks should be courting women his own age. But now the magic of a ghost trapped in a jewel breaks down all her inhibitions.
When she and James surrender to the fierce erotic tension that pulses between them, her heart fills with joy.
But who is the angry female ghost dwelling within the necklace, wanting revenge?
And when Faith is accused of performing witchcraft in Salem Village, can James’s love save her from the hangman’s noose?
Consumed by cleaning, editing, writing, and life… so although it’s a day late…
Have a Happy Weekend!
A new blog feature I’m adding to help spread the word on some great books out there.
Today’s book:
“I can’t express how utterly wonderful this poetry collection is, from the excellent, lyrical word use to the theme of each poem, I really was, and still am, in awe of the fantastic talent that is Stephanie Sullivan.” ~ Wilga Hill Boomerang of Cocktail Reviews. Rated ‘The Whole Bottle’.
Would you like to win a copy of Stephanie Sullivan’s poetry ebook? Do you know a poetry lover who might enjoy a poetry ebook for Christmas? Then now is your chance to sign up for her giveaway! On Monday, November 24th, Stephanie will be awarding two lucky winners a copy of Tapestry Wings: Shades Of My Heart. All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog in this post with your name and email address OR you can email Stephanie directly at tapestrywings@yahoo.com with your information.
Good luck to all who enter!
I’m having a hard time understanding how seven days have passed since I last blogged. It’s a bit mind boggling. I swear I’m not being coy. I think I have just lost all concept of the passing of time. More and more, when someone asks me what day it is, I stare blankly. I have NO clue. To make matters worse, it kind of feels like there’s really only one date embedded in my mind.
March 3rd. Baby’s due date. It’s like countdown to D-Day or something. I’ve started birthing classes. I ask a billion questions about every possible thing you can imagine. Embarrassment has taken a back seat to curiosity and fear of the unknown. I’m really happy with the honesty and reassuring words of the instructor though. She’s fabulous.
I’ve also been reading up on all things baby related and working on that baby registry. That has to be the funnest part of this whole process thus far. I mean, I’ve been at Babies R’ Us pushing strollers, learning how to safely tie in a car seat, checking out cribs and armoires, and ‘oohing’ at baby clothes. Especially anything involving a sweater vest. Because those in baby size with baby curdoroy pants are the most ADORABLE thing in the whole world. Forget pink ballerina outfits. They’ve got nothing on sweater vests.
On top of all of this baby madness which has turned my brain to mush, I’ve also been working on the sequel to my fantasy novel. Book 1 is out on submission. It’s been a little over a month and not hearing has made it difficult for me to focus on much of anything but pulling my hair out. So I busied myself with the sequel, hoping to have something to show in case they inquire about it. Just when I found my writing groove on that, or at least felt I was going in some sort of realistic direction, I got back a second round of edits from my editor. So, I’m going to jump into those first, be sure to get them done in a timely fashion.
Can you see why I completely missed that my last blog was a week ago? *blushes* Talk about topsy turvy.
Now if you’ll excuse me. I have tea with the Mad Hatter. I’ll check you guys out soon.
So they took round one. I’m woman enough to admit it. Though it does peeve me to no end. I decided the best thing for all involved (including the characters who were *this* close to getting deleted) was to take a step back from the project. I was obsessing. That’s never good. I start questioning everything, losing perspective.
Now, I’ve gone back to work on my futuristic romance which to my great surprise is actually more than halfway done. Now it’s all about resolutions. Tying up loose ends. Pointing fingers. All the good stuff. I’m at over 51k. That makes me very happy. The only thing- and it’s perfect irony really- is that I’m having trouble focusing on this because my mind is still on the fantasy story that I stepped away from! Evil characters.
Round 2 will begin shortly. I can tell. I won’t be able to resist them long. But I plan on winning the next round. Characters everywhere, be warned.
So, it strikes me as odd that despite having a scene outlined and knowing the gist of what has to happen, I cannot for the life of me get the words on paper. I have tried all day, for the last two days, to get this scene written and all I’ve managed are a few unrelated paragraphs and thoughts that won’t gel.
Now, I’m going to be kind to myself and say it’s the baby brain. It’s making me fuzzy. My characterization feels off and I’m incapable of ‘creating’- I’m just reciting the story at this point. (If that makes any sense).
BUT- let’s say for argument’s sake that it’s not the baby brain. That I’ve lost something somewhere along the lines. My characters, two in particular, (yes, K and P, you know who you are) are NOT cooperating. So I’ve devised a plan.
Cookies. And no, I’m not bribing them. We are so past that.
They’re getting a mouthful of warm, chocolately fists. I’m going to knock them both out and render them helpless if they don’t cooperate with me soon. So help me God, I am their maker and they must yield to me. Or I will set the room they both reside in on fire.
The end.
November is a busy month for writers.
Between NaNoWriMo, Fast Draft, and Sven, authors are adding huge chunks to their manuscripts, starting new books, and looking to finish projects by the new year. The crisp fall air tends to inspire, to remind us of those far off resolutions we had to finish and sell that book we’ve been slaving over!
I wasn’t deluded enough to think I could handle something like NaNo this year. I’m in the middle of edits for a novella, I’ve got my fantasy novel out on submission, I’m working on its sequel, and I’m a week away from being 6 months pregnant. I have yet to fix up the baby room (I try not to panic when I think of the fact that our small place is going to be difficult to rearrange), and I’m still promoting and trying to sell the print book I had released in September.
But I won’t lie- the feel of the writing season, the itch to do the impossible and prevail- is contagious. Everyday I wake up wanting to get at least 2k on paper, if only to see a finished project by December 1st. I don’t know how likely that is, but I do know that I’ll try.
I hope the rest of you are typing along and keeping yourselves busy fulfilling your dreams!
What a blast. I haven’t had a rush of adrenaline like that in years. It was thrilling to be able to talk to people about my characters, the time period, why I wrote it, what my inspiration was, etc. And they were so enthusiastic!
I got into several discussions about old classic movies (which I love). One in particular that served as a big inspiration while writing Dark Hollywood Nights was A Philadelphia Story. I’m all about witty banter between main characters.
Either way, the experience was unlike anything else. I admit, I was terrified of it being a huge failure, but I’m proud to say I sold all of the books we had available and they’re going to try and order in about 20 more (some people had to order theirs because by the time they got there, we’d sold out)! I’d call that a success.
So here are a few pics for your enjoyment:
And of course, the book shot!
What a rush! I had a fantastic time. The staff at B&N were so helpful and attentive. The event ran smoothly and we all had some great chatter and laughs. It was a good time all around.
