Harlequin's journal

Apologies for the spam, if you are also a friend of mrs_leary... ♥

As many of you know, in recent years I have been writing male-male romance novels, which manifold_press have been kind enough to publish. Given that the Press has a significant presence on LJ, I felt I probably should have, too - and so yet another journal is born!

I am now also juliebozza ...

For now I have simply listed all my currently published books over there, along with information and (ahem) buy links. I doubt that I will be very active there otherwise, though you may see me around the place commenting or posting under that name.

Regardless, if you would like to friend me, I'll very happily friend you back! And if there's anything you'd like to know about the books or the Press, please feel free to ask!

Thank you kindly, and apologies for any confusion!

Oh my, what a couple of days...

I'm delighted to announce that Manifold Press have now published a third title of mine: The Valley of the Shadow of Death. This is set in Chicago during the nineties, and features an unlikely partnership between a cop and a mobster, as they work together to bring down the local mob boss.

You can read more about it at my writerly blog or on the Manifold Press website.

And I've received a review already! Read what The Romanceaholic had to say about it here.

Meanwhile. I have a number of people to thank for all the virtual blue spiders running around on my user profiles (me 'n mrs_leary both). While I'm signed on thusly, I must particularly thank cinnatart and filmatleven.

And I'm sure there was something else I was going to post about, but I just noticed the time, and that really explains why I'm yawning my little head off... Sweet dreams, my dear friends! ♥

What would the right terminology be in America (Chicago, specifically) in recent times for the kind of cold storage that's room-sized...?

I'm writing about a very large 'freezer' in which bulk amounts of frozen food packages and boxes are stored on shelving, and there is room enough for people to walk about in. It is also cold enough to potentially kill someone via hypothermia over a period of an hour or more.

I'm guessing the terminology is something along the lines of meat locker (though frankly I don't want to be dealing with cold dead animals hanging about!), cold store, freezer... something like that.

What do you think...? All advice very much appreciated! ♥

Wow! Before I was even caffienated this morning, I read the most generous review for Albert... I am feeling rather giddy as a result! :-D

Check it out:

Reviews by Jessewave: 5 stars
Excerpt and summary: Two complex and complicated men in search for a cunning serial killer. Excellent book for patient readers. … a terrific novel, ambitious in both its scope and complexity and it is a wonder that it wasn’t picked up by some mainstream publisher. … if you have patience and enjoy the challenge and complex characters and relationships, you will be rewarded by this gem of a novel. Highly recommended

Really, I could not possibly want for more... I am lost for words.

BTW, I have a writerly blog at juliebozza.com though I have to confess I rarely know what to write about there. Every topic seems either too important or not important enough, you know...? If you have any ideas about what you'd like to see from me there, please let me know!

Woot!

Must sober up and get on with the working day now... ♥

I'm delighted that a friend of mine, theficklepickle, is launching a 'semi-pro' e-publishing venture called Manifold Press. You can find them on LJ at manifold_press, and they hope to launch a website soon. They are focussing on male-male fiction. Hurrah! XD

This is wondrous news for theficklepickle, of course, but I am even more delighted for my own sake - as we are currently talking about Manifold Press publishing a novel of mine titled The Definitive Albert J Sterne. The pitch is: 'a gay Silence of the Lambs'. The main characters are Albert Sterne, an FBI forensics expert, a special agent named Fletcher Ash, and a serial killer named John Garrett. It's set in the early 80s, so it has a kind of period charm compared to hi-tech shows like CSI!

Anyway, I am hoping that Manifold Press might publish it later this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me!



(And, no, alas - I still haven't heard back from the agent who expressed interest in my Keats novel... So it's doubly nice to make some 'semi-pro' progress in another direction.)

Oh dear! It was such a Merlin weekend that I completely failed to do a Keats post on his birthday, 31 October. He was a decent person and had a gift for friendship, though, so I am counting on the notion that he'd forgive me. And I did think about him on The Day, and talk about him, look at one of his portraits...

And I have Jane Campion's film Bright Star to look forward to. It finally opens here on Friday. Hurrah!

So last you all heard, I had sent my novel out to agents. It's been either rejections or silence since then - though one of the rejections was handwritten, so kudos to that woman! I have yet to stir my confidence up enough to send it out for round two. And it does occur to me that if I don't have the self-belief necessary to keep circulating it, then am I really just asking for trouble, even wanting to be a published author... Mmm... {ponders}

An alternative is that I convert it to a screenplay for a one-off drama, and send it to the BBC writersroom. This is the central place for the massive BBC organisation that handles input from wannabe writers. And if they think a script is worth anything at all, apparently they give good feedback. Well, I can just see a BBC production of my Keats novel - especially with Colin Morgan (who could play anyone he wanted to as far as I'm concerned) in the role of Byron (six foot tall and profile of an angel). OK, seriously though, and leaving Colin aside for now - I can just see it. And I could add a P.S. - 'Please let me write for Merlin, too. Please, I'm begging you, I'll do anything.'

Or maybe I stick to fan fic! After all, it gives far more scope for sex scenes. :-D

Much to ponder at the moment. In the meantime - Happy belated birthday, Junkets! We love you still.

'Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.'

Thus quoth some dude named Gene Fowler. I have always chuckled at this, as I am one of those awful people who usually find writing a fairly easy process in itself. Though I suppose that notion won't seem to fit with my frequent crises of confidence about this novel.

Anyway, I take it all back. At least when it comes to writing a synopsis for this novel. OMFG it's hard! I have been forcing myself to do it in bits and pieces over the past week, and haven't gotten very far at all. And, you know, there's no pressure at all, oh, no... cos the synopsis is only what sells the novel. That's all! Argh!

OK, even this post is a way of putting off tackling it again... Hope to see you all again on the other side!

Hurrah! After an extended crisis of confidence, much slash-writing, day-dreaming about Colin Morgan, travelling, and other distractions - I have finally started writing my Keats novel again. Only 267 words today, but hey the last time I wrote anything here was in early March.

Alas, Keats House in Hampstead is still closed for renovations, so I haven't been able to kick-start my muse by revisiting. I hope the house will still be the same wonderful haven once they're done sprucing it up... I have visited twice, and found the most profound sense of peace there. I realise we take these things with us more than actually find them there, but being in the places he lived and died in London and Rome has brought me the kind of awe and love that I assume religious people find in their places of worship. I trust that Keats House will be open again and available for my book launch! :-)

In the meantime, it seems that Jane Campion's film Bright Star, about Keats and Fanny Brawne, is going to be absolutely marvellous! I trust her to do well, but it seems she might have surpassed herself. Here's a video about it, and an article. Look, if nothing else, there are bluebells! I'll be happy.

Thank you to those of you - especially jakujin  and mcicioni  - who have encouraged me with my writing and helped get me through this latest crisis. In particular jakujin, who would conjure up my darling Junkets with a phrase or a quote, and remind me of all the reasons I fell in love with Keats in the first place. Thank you, sweetpea! Junkets gives his best bow, and I send my love to you and your Tem and Jam.

It's 188 years today, alas, since Keats breathed his last. In honour of which I have managed 811 words on the novel. It is my firm intention to progress that this week! (Though I'm sure Junkets wouldn't mind too much if I also managed a bit of Merlinising in the afternoons...) So I hope to have Good Things to report on the 28th as I look back at the month of February.