What's up Wednesday

What's up people?

 What I'm reading
Hmm. A few things. I finished Tides by Betsy Cornwell. Really nice. It centers around the myth of the selkie. Also reading an arc of Hexed by Michelle Krys and the Boneshaker by Kate Milford. All good stuff.

What I'm writing
Hmm, at the moment, I'm tinkering around with the second book we sold, tentatively titled the Mesmerist. I'm waiting for the characters to speak to me. They're being a little stubborn. It's a different world than Hoodoo, but still an historical novel. That's all I'm saying.

What inspires me right now
Other writers.  I joined the Fearless Fifteeners, a group of debut authors with books coming out in 2015. It's a really wonderful and supportive group. I'm amazed by the commonalities we all share.

What else I've been up to 
I'm actually watching Bates Motel on AMC. Corny and addictive. Also listening to the new Goldfrapp album. Do you know her?

I'm also waiting with itchy fingers for editorial notes from my editor. Wow. I said that.

I've also spent a number of obsessive hours playing around with different website platforms including Squarespace, Wordpress and Tumblr. I want to update my look, you know? I like the Tumblr themes but I'm not sure if I am one to reblog stuff. I'm not even really sure how it all works. So if you find something cool on Tumblr you reblog it on your Tumblr with a credit? 

That's it for me. I hope the Muse shines Her light on you today.

 Check-out my post below with Lee Kelly, author of City of Savages, coming out this year!

Want to participate in What's up Wednesday? Go here.

24 comments:

Mina Burrows said...

Wow, you've been busy! I decided to pass on Bates Motel. I binged on House of Cards and now I'm just on TV overload.

Ronald L. Smith said...

Hi Mina,

I tried House of Cards because it seemed like something I would love. Alas, I didn't. I stopped watching after two episodes.

The original House of Cards is on Netflix. Maybe I'll check that out.

I certainly know what you mean by TV overload!

Lexi G said...

Ron! I just saw that your agent sold your book! Hoodoo will be in print soon! OMG, I can't wait. So many congratulations!!!!!

Laura Clipson said...

Good luck getting your characters to speak :)

Unknown said...

Good luck combatting those itchy fingers, and good luck with your progress on your sophomore novel too.

Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on Hoodoo! That's great news!

Johnell said...

One of my favorite kids' movies is Secret of Roan Inish. Also about a selkie. Sounds like an interesting book.

Kris F. Oliver said...

Now you have us all curious about the premise for the Mesmerist. (Great title by the way)

And I'm with the comment above Secret of Roan Inish is a great selkie story, makes me want to read Tides.

Hope you have a great week and that your muse looks like an absinthe but behaves herself. ;)

Miss Cole said...

Happiness is my favourite Goldfrapp song ^_^

Hope those editorial notes come in soon. Ooh, it does sound exciting. Progress!

Have a wonderful week.

Jaime Morrow said...

I think if I was going to do a total blog facelift, I'd probably switch over to WordPress. Their stuff just looks so nice and professional. I have a Tumblr account, but there's something about the look of it that I just don't love.

That book about selkies really intrigues me. I really kind of love that whole myth.

ELAdams said...

I have a Tumblr account, but I mainly use it to reblog other writing/reading-related posts and I don't really use it for promotion. I've heard good things about Wordpress, but I'm using a free Weebly site as my author website at the moment.

Editorial notes are exciting! Have a great week! :)

amy said...

I'm happy that Bates Motel is back. I needed another distraction. Ha. Your MG novel sounds fantastic. I have a Tumblr account but usually I just reblog stuff. Good luck with your second book. Have a great weekend!

Angel Leigh said...

Congrats on your upcoming book. I use wordpress for my website. I played around with a few themes. Eventually i brought a theme I loved just because it had heaps of options to play around with it.

I totally get the feeling of wanting change.

Tracey Neithercott said...

Your book sounds adorable. Is it up on Goodreads? (The only way I can possibly remember all of the books I want to read!)

I use blogger for my blog, but I used to have a health blog and used Wordpress. I think it's easier to use and it seems to have nicer themes. I also have a Tumblr, but not for my regular blog because there seems to be so much less you can do with those themes. (At least with my little skill.)

Have a nice week!

prerna pickett said...

I love Selkie myths! Why have i not heard of this book?!? Congrats on joining the Fearless Fifteeners! Exciting times ahead :)

Betsy Cornwell said...

Hi Ron, thank you for the mention! I am seriously looking forward to reading your book; I'm hoping Lynne will let me read it in advance so I could do a blurb for you? Anyway, it just sounds so cool. Thank you again!

Ronald L. Smith said...

Hi Betsy! What a nice surprise. That's a very kind offer. Let's see if we can make that happen when the time comes!

Ronald L. Smith said...

Thanks for coming by everyone.

Hey Grizinski--Yes. Pretty cool, eh? Thanks for your feedback on the ms.

Laura--Yes, characters are weird that way. They're still as little unformed but I will whip them into shape!

Thanks, Kate and Kirsten. Congrats to both of you on on your novels!

Johnell--I don't think I've ever seen the Secret of Roan Inish. I've certainly heard of it. I'll have to look for it. Another good one is Ondine with Colin Farrell.

Funny that you mention absinthe, Kris. It's in the Mesmerist!

I'm glad I found a fellow Goldfrapp fan, Miss Cole! Her new album is nice. Dark and melancholy (like me!) lol

Jaime--thanks for the tip. And for coming up with the fabulous What's up Wednesday!


Thank, Emma and Amy!

Angel--sounds like a lot of votes for Wordpress. I'll have to look into it further.

Hi Tracey. Thanks for your kind words. The book isn't on Goodreads yet, but I've seen a lot of blank covers with "Image coming soon," so I'll have to look into it. I heard you have to have your publisher's permission or something.

Prerna! Yes. Great book. Pick it up asap.

Colin Smith said...

For what it's worth, I'm a WordPress-er, and I've been very happy with the platform, despite the fact that Google doesn't support it. I try not to complicate life too much (I have 6 kids--life's complicated enough as it is!), so I tend not to adopt new things unless I need to. That's largely why I don't do Tumblr, Pintrest, Facebook, etc. I have my blog, my Goodreads account, and my Twitter account. Right now, that's enough for me. :)

I hope your characters talk to you soon, and the edits from your editor are helpful and easy to act upon. :)

Connie Keller said...

Congrats on joining the Fearless Fifteeners! And I hope your characters start talking to you. There's nothing more frustrating than stubborn characters. (It reminds me of a scene from Stranger Than Fiction where the main character is forcing the plot to find him.)

Ronald L. Smith said...

Hi Colin! Six kids. Wow. It's admirable that you get so much writing done. I like your thoughts on blogs. After a week of looking at Tumblr and playing with design themes, I finally stopped and said, Self, what do you want to accomplish with this blog anyway?

Which is actually the first thing you should do when embarking on a new endeavor. Thanks for dropping by.

Connie. Stranger than Fiction--one of my favorite films of all time!

Michele Thornton said...

Goldfrapp. Never heard of her, but now I'm Googling and not writing. Why, Internet? Why? And Ron, Mesmerist will be amazing.

Unknown said...

Hi Ron,
Just wanted to say 'hi' here. I'm onto the next Wednesday, the 12th, plus I'm 5 hours ahead of you in Italy (no daylight savings till the end of the month). I just finished the Heartsong of Charging Elk by James Welch. It's about a Sioux who ends up in Marseille in the 19th C. He's an amazing character in an unlikely world and has left me appreciating the steady balance of modesty and fortitude.
What inspires me now? LIGHT! Spring is appearing and the days lengthening…
Rome too. Margot has a class trip since they've been studying ancient Rome this year (last year of elementary school!) It will be an overnight with moms, probably staying at a convent, quintessential Italian retro style. We're going to stop first in Ostia to check out the ruins and take a boat up the Tiber! About to start the series I, Claudius to paint the picture a bit.
VERY curious about your next historical novel - not to mention Hoodoo!
Best of luck with the edits!

Ronald L. Smith said...

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Michele, you great crit partner!

Hi Catherine!
Heartsong sounds very interesting. I'll have to look for it.

Rome, the Tiber, Ostia...sounds wonderful Thanks for writing and we will see you in Italy soon!