Well, this is my first official blog post. I created this blog to begin tracking my journey as a... drum roll please.... a writer.
What qualifies someone as a writer anyways? Do they have to have a degree in English or Literature? Should they have a published article or a book to their name? I have neither. However, I do love to write. I don't think I'm very good at the grammatical stuff, which is why I'm not an editor. I would like to think however, that I have some talent in telling a story, conveying an emotion, and using my imagination.
Every publishing expert says I need to start getting the word out there. Well... I have a confession to make. Only a very select few know about my secret little hobby. Now that I've started this blog, it's not a secret anymore, and just the idea of this being out there makes my pulse race.
So there... It's out there now. Now you know. I aspire to be a novelist.
With that said, I've spent the last ten months writing my first novel. My first draft is done. I'm now mid-way through round 1 of the editing process. The experience thus far, truly has been a journey and I know this is only the beginning.
So, your next logical question... What is it about?
For anyone who knows me, I LOVE to read. I read every genre - romance, sci fi, history, non-fiction, young adult, fantasy and magic, but contemporary and historical romances were always my favorite.
Last summer, having given up by full time career the year before, I realized I actually had time to contemplate things other than work and family. During the rare quiet moment of a day or during my workout runs around the neighborhood, a contemporary love story started to form in my mind. At the same time, Vanity Fair had just published an article about Microsoft and the lost decade. It was an interesting and juicy article for an ex-Microsoft employee, but what stuck with me was that it was the cover story. It demonstrated that people were really interested in understanding the internal subculture of Microsoft. People wanted to buy the magazine for that article and it got a lot of press.
Well, guess what, I had personal experience at Microsoft too, over 12 years of it, thank you very much. And I had a love story brewing and coming together.
It's a contemporary romance that takes place in Seattle. It is a love story first above anything else. It's total chick lit. However, my story also provides insight into the internal subculture of .. .eh em... Digisoft. My heroine is a PM that unknowingly falls in love with a hot young CVP at Digisoft. Gasp! Yes, a bit dramatic, but what great love story isn't? She manages her love life, like she manages a project plan. She learns the hard way how not to do that.
I'm half way through my editing round 1 and will soon be looking for beta readers. I will be looking for beta readers to help me with:
1. Continuity and ongoing reader engagement of the overall story.
2. Insights into the Digisoft subculture - comments/accuracy/personal observations
3. ... and yes, the swoon worthiness of the male lead character and appropriate level of titillation for the sex scenes ;-)
Ping me if you're interested.
