Visit Leslie's alter ego Jordanna Kay.

What I’ve Been Up To

Posted by Leslie on September 14th, 2010 | No Comments

So if you’re one of the few who doesn’t follow my every move on Twitter or Facebook (*gasp*) and actually waits for me to update my blog — well, wow, who are you? I didn’t think you existed! Anyway, here’s where I’m at as we slide into Autumn….

My current work-in-progress, THE IRON HEART, is now with three agents. Two have the full manuscript and one has 100 pages of it. I’ve gotten rejections from some who had the partials and from several who only looked at the query. I also sent the query to other agents and haven’t heard back at all. Sigh. (Those are worse than a “no thank you.”)

I’m planning and plotting the next book in my Steampunk world, THE IRON KISS. I’ve just about figured out my hero and heroine and will next be outlining the plot of the book. Once that’s done, I may actually feel comfortable enough to write.

Lastly, while I’ve been waiting to hear from agents and thinking about my new story, I’ve been working on my jewelry. Fall is an active time for shows and I wanted to have new items to sell. As I showed in an earlier post, I have over 100 rings. After posting pictures of some on Facebook, I decided to open an official shop. So come check me out over at: http://www.zibbet.com/BeadsAndBooks Believe me when I say, have at least twenty times the number listed there.

So, there’s the later half of my summer. What have you been doing lately?

Finished!

Posted by Leslie on July 12th, 2010 | 1 Comment

My work-in-progress THE IRON HEART has reached “The End.” I’m surprised I didn’t cry. You see, I haven’t finished a full-length manuscript since 2005. Oh, I’ve revised and updated and edited several in those years (for agents and editors). And I wrote two short stories (which are published at The Wild Rose Press). But each time I began a full novel, I would eventually give up on it for one reason or another. I always had some excuse why the story wasn’t working.

Not this time.

Maybe it was getting an agent early on (who has sadly left her agency and I am now agent-less again), maybe it was several friends urging me on to read more. Whatever the reason, it is done.

Well, not DONE done. I still have much revising and editing and polishing to do. I might even add another scene or two. But I’ve reached the end and that is a huge accomplishment in itself.

Feel free to pat me on the back. *grin*

Today is the Day

Posted by Leslie on May 4th, 2010 | No Comments

BEAUTY TEMPTS THE BEAST is released officially in print. Hopefully, it is on the shelves of your local chain bookstores. It’s always available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, Books A Million.com, and My Bookstore and More.

The winner of my give-away contest for Facebook is Eileen Patterson. For twitter, the winner is Cara Wallace. I hope you both enjoy the book!

Another note is that I am more than half way through my current work-in-progress, The Iron Heart. It’s currently at 203 pages and 43,000+ words. It’s all downhill from here, right? LOL! As a bonus, here is a short (unedited) teaser from the manuscript:

Yearning mingled with frustration. Somehow Ella was responsible for his continued defeat. In his mind, she was the obstacle holding him back from finding Hugh. The distraction she caused led to his failures.

He must find relief from this overwhelming desire.

Bennett used both hands to pull her away from his neck. His fingers curled into her hair, his thumbs splayed across her cheeks.

Her eyes were wild, no doubt a perfect match to his own. Her passions were just as raw as his own. Even if her reasons were not the same.

“Ella,” he whispered into the cool night air. “I have to absolve myself of this madness.”

She nodded.

“You don’t understand. I can’t let you go again…not until I—“

Her lips covered his. She put her hands around his neck and pressed herself to him. Her mouth was hot and eager.

A probing tongue teased the seam of his lips, gently sweeping across until he opened himself to her.

Once their tongues touched, Bennett lost every ounce of control. He delved inside the moist fire of her mouth.

I haz a happy!

Posted by Leslie on April 1st, 2010 | 1 Comment

I have become a client of the Trident Media Agency, with Stephanie MacLean as my agent. Woot!

It’s actually an interesting story how it all came about, seeing as that I don’t have a current completed manuscript to pitch and hadn’t even thought of querying anyone.

I did learn a valuable lesson, however. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CONTACT INFORMATION ON YOUR WEBSITE. D’oh! At some point, I went through and cleaned up pages on this site and ended up deleting my “Contact Me” page. And so, when Stephanie wanted to contact me, she couldn’t find my email address anywhere on here (it’s currently on my footer). She ended up sending me something through Goodreads.

So there you have it. I have a book to finish (THE IRON HEART) and an agent who loves it and can’t wait to read more.

Woo Hoo!