From The Pages of Kassandra Lea

Thanks to one of my publishers, JMS Books (JM is totally awesome!), I have found my way to Coffee Time Romance & More. They have such great opportunities and I'm looking forward to exploring their website more. You should take a moment to check them out. Last month my brother took me ghost-hunting. Talk about a fantastic experience! We went for the VIP trip; which might have made it even better. While there I had the fortune to meet the acquaintance of a man who may be a big help in regards to my writing. Definitely excited about that! Also, if you've never gone ghost hunting, you definitely should! The Odyssey Paranormal Society is amazing, great hosts, and I will hopefully get the chance to investigate with them again in the future. We spent that weekend at Edinburgh Manor, a former asylum out in Iowa. Loved it, and yeah, it gave me a few ideas. Now I know that I've been gone a for a while, but I'm trying to get back into the groove of things. I'm also...

I have been doing relatively poorly so please excuse me for my lack of updates. Ugh. I'm also way behind on my word goals for the month. Maybe putting it down here for everyone to read will kick me in the patootie and make me accountable for my procrastination! Born of Stars - 8990/85,000 This one has grown by nearly 4,000 words, so I suppose that isn't too shabby. In His Arms - 5,587/70,000 I need to do work on this! Feather - 0/70,000 Yeah...haven't done a thing. Oops. In The Shadow of Trees - 2,721/70,000 Hey, at least it's a start! And for the novellas... Summer Loving - 10,796/30,000 Yay! A third of the way to the intended goal. Alice - 0/15,000 Yep, another one I've slacked off on. And I think it needs a new name. Cowboy Music - 0/25,000 I really need to bust my butt on this one because it actually has a deadline. For the end of the month. Like He Does - 1,201/10,000 Decent progress. Just need to make some changes and get back to it.

March has almost come and gone and I swear, it started yesterday! By the way, I'm aware that the saying is "In like a lion, out like a lamb". Well, March did come in like a lion as the winds blew and the trees swayed, and it looks like it'll be going out with a couple days of rain. Me, however, I came into the month lazy as a lamb and am now fighting like a lion to make sure things are done. This girl has big plans for April! Very excited to see them under way. Even though I'm bothered by the fact that it's already going to be April. Holy crap... Last year the published, Torquere, closed their doors. In late January/early February another of my publishers closed their doors. There will be no more selling to Wayward Ink. Though I am saddened by this I have at least found a publisher willing to take the short stories as a collection, just have to add a few new pieces to make it enticing to readers. So if you haven't yet purchased any of my work, there will...

How is that a month of 2017 has already gone by? When did that happen? It was an interesting 31 days that included going to the movies, getting sick, arguing with my boss (I'm sure she hates my guts, whatever), and lots of writing. Unfortunately, there wasn't much in the way of snow. This girl is still waiting for her first blizzard. Of course, the highlight of the month was my interview with USA Today's Happily Ever After blog. Yay! And then I got some tweets and mentions by Sinfully Gay Romance Reviews; which was equally as awesome. Here's to hoping that both of them help out my sales and in building my name. So how did January go for me? (I'm going to try a new set-up here...) January's Writing in Review The month didn't start off with much promise. I was sick and that put me behind, plus a lifestyle change left me fairly tired. That left me scrambling the last two weeks or so to get my work done by deadlines. But I learned I was up to the task if I...

First of all, I want to leave here the link for the interview I was fortunate to do with USA Today. Many thanks to my publisher for this! How exciting! May it see a rise in my sales. Fingers crossed. It also has me hell bent on getting some big projects done! Yay! Interview! Of course, this means a bit of tweaking of my schedule, but hot damn, I'm more excited than ever to get some of these stories out the door and see to it that they get published. Oh yeah, don't forget to go purchase a copy of A Christmas Kiss. A Christmas Kiss And also, you can now get the whole quartet of Blackstone Manor in print format if you so desire. Blackstone Manor quarter

Now that 2017 is upon us I have gone back to take a gander at the list I put together at the start of 2016. These were goals related to my writing that I had hoped to meet over the last 12 months. Truth is, I probably didn't stick to it as well as I wanted to, but I think the list is good enough to carry over into this year, with a few minor updates. I've also got a few personal goals that I would like to tackle as well. So let's get the ball rolling... Write More (From last year) I did fairly decent on this one and it will always be at the top of the list. If I don't constantly write, I don't get anywhere! And I go slightly crazy. Publish More (from last year) My goal was to sell more stories in 2016 than I did in 2015; which was 13. Well, I suppose I can't complain when it turns out I sold 13 last year. I want to up that this year so I'm shooting for 20+. Finish 3 Novels This is sort of like a goal from last year, but tweaked. Turns out I got too bus...

As you can see I've changed the header to promote my newest story. 😁 Consider me ever so pleased to inform you of the soon-to-be available A Christmas Kiss, the first in the Sugarbush Series  to be published by Totally Bound. Yes, you read that right. Series! I'm so excited. It'll be composed of 6 novellas that follow Clara and Asher and the townies of Sugarbush. Make sure to get your copy of A Christmas Kiss  when it comes out. You don't want to miss the beginning of this lovely series. On that same front, A Gargoyle Christmas will be out before too long and it wraps up the quartet of novellas featuring Io and Cinder. The publisher will be compiling all 4 stories into a paperback to be titled Blackstone Manor ; which you can get in print. How exciting is that?? I can't wait to get my author copies. Make sure you get this!! Also, from the same publisher I have a lovely holiday story coming out titled Love Speaks . Go buy that one, too. I'll make sure to post ...

Sorry I've been away. Guess you could say that it was the written word that kept me busy. There has also been some unhappy news on the non-writing side of things. Turns out I may be loosing one of my furry friends this week; which is utterly heart breaking. My adorable (appropriately named black cat Frodo) may have cancer. He's going into the vet on Wednesday for a closer look. I love him. My critters mean the world to me and it just... I don't want to think of him going so I shall keep my fingers crossed that he's going to be okay. It's not as bad as the vet says... On to the writing bits. Guess what?? They liked the rewritten The Christmas Foal !! Yay! And they're interested in the rest of the series as well. Super excited about it. Sure, it won't come out until February, but you know what that means? I have time to get a few more of the novellas done, like 3 or 4 of the 6. Can I just say it again and again? The contract hasn't officially been sign...

I did it. Very early Tuesday morning I packaged up all the lovely documents required to send in The Christmas Foal. The manuscript, the series outline, the synopsis (have I mentioned how much I hate writing these??). Now comes the long (impatient) wait for an answer. The editor I work with at the publisher was previously interested if I lengthened the story to 30k and added a 6th book to the series, both of which I have done. So here's to hoping... Fingers crossed! This is officially available for purchase, make sure you get a copy. All the proceeds go to charity. Love is Proud Now I've got to get out Boots & Spurs, Promised and Paid For  all by the 15th. Most excellent. And also get at least 2 chapters more done on my novel. Alas, this morning I was turned down for one of my horror stories. Feeling a bit upset about that since I would like very much to branch out further from romance. I'll keep hoping for the others I've sent out. Oh, and if you haven...

When I got my part time job five years ago it was to help pay the bills. Ah, the very meaning of life, money. It was meant to be temporary while I worked on my writing and got my career as an author off the ground. Now here I am 5 years later and working full time. I hate it. My writing is suffering and it's the heart of my depression. This needs to change. I need to find a way to take back my life, immerse myself in writing like I used to do. Because working my FT gig is not my dream. Writing is. Today I finished up a round of edits and a galley proof (that it turns out they got the title of my story wrong). Now I'm trying to finally finish up The Christmas Foal. Fingers crossed I can get it sent out again tonight. I've sent a few horror shorts out, those calls close at the end of the month. Let's see how that goes... I've got so much work sitting on the desk waiting to be finished. Stories to be done by the 15th of August, one of which needs to be 15,000 wor...

That's a horrible thing to say, but it's true. Lately I have been dealing with the horror that is self doubt. Most of it is born from the fact that I'm struggling with a novel. One that I have started a number of times, toyed with it, added scenes, removed some, etc, etc. The problem now is that I have become stuck. And that crack allowed the voice of doubt in. What if my failure to finish a novel is because I simply can't carry a story that long? Isn't that a troubling thought? It keeps bouncing around in my mind, chipping away at my confidence and leaving me afraid to attempt another novel. But I forge on because this is what I live for, this is my passion. So I get around to trying to outline a handful of stories, some of which need to be done sooner rather than later. One of which is a novel with an idea I absolutely love (and allow me to toot my own horn, I think it might be an awesome movie). BAM! There's that stupid little doubty voice again. Then...

So here's an update of my 2016 writing goals. Write More I suppose you could say I've been good at keeping to this one. So I shall keep going! Publish More So the goal behind this was to publish more than I did last year. In 2015 I sold 13 stories. As it stands right now I've contracted 8 stories and it's only May! So I think I am right on track to crossing this one off the list! Write 52 Stories 17 down, 35 more to go. Two Months = One Novel Yeah, let's just say this one hasn't been working out for me. But I have a fresh idea that might help me get a couple novels written this year. Two Months = One Novella I've written quite a few novelettes.  But I guess this hasn't been accomplished either. Publish 1 Story in Another Genre Success!! The contract has been signed. Publish My First Novel Haven't done this either... Review 20 Stories I've done at least one. I have just been so busy writing. Definitely need to start getting into the hab...

I'm terrible at remembering things sometimes. This should have been included in my last post, but then again, maybe I should start doing individual posts for released stories. Ah, there's an idea! So out now, just recently released into the world, is my short story Hardwood.  Another gay romance from the wonderful publishers over at JMS. The inspiration was mostly my own Construction Guy and the fact that I've fallen in love with "Property Brothers". You should definitely pick up a copy . And a wee side note on a different story... All but 1 story from January were rejected and I finally got word on the remaining piece. They wish to hold onto it a little longer for further consideration. Of course I said yes. This could be my first non-romance publication. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Yet again time has slipped away from me and I find myself lax in keeping this blog up-to-date. Such is life when you're stuck working a day job at 40+ hours a week. But this isn't a place for me to vent about my unhappiness there, this is for writing! Lots and lots of delicious writing. Which is another reason why I haven't been here. So where do I start on what has been going 'round my end of the keyboard? I may have put out only 2 stories in March, but able to shove 8 out the door in April. To be fair, 4 were old pieces that I hoped to find homes for. No such luck. 3 of them I have no word on and 1 has sold. So for April I managed to get out 21,867 words . Definitely not a shabby way to spend the month of April. One of the pieces that went out was A Rescued Heart.  Finally. Only took me forever to see it done. Fingers crossed! Selling it would officially make it my longest piece. Unless of course I manage to finish The Christmas Foal  and sell it first. My sold co...

Oh, it's been almost a month since my last post! Sorry! The task of writing has kept me fairly busy and I finally found some time to sneak in an update. Of course, there have been other things going on besides putting words on paper (the screen?). There has been a deal of hurt caused by the betrayal of a friend, feeling let down by my brother, and the passing of a horse I worked with briefly (what a sad story!). But through it all I managed to keep some form of sanity by retreating into my writing. Now I'm not quite sure how it happened by I only put out 2 stories in March. Weird. I could have sworn I wrote more than that! Did the month really just go by so fast I was unable to get more work done? Who knows. Maybe I'm forgetting something? I've been trying to keep track of the word count for each month along with the stories sent out on submission. Here's the breakdown. January - 11,268 words/5 stories (none published, mostly for contests and 4 didn't make...

So what have I been up to since my last update? Writing and working, of course, what else? I think I'm finally getting the hang of my new work hours (nearly three months after starting it) and that's allowing me to figure out a proper writing schedule. This is good because I have big plans for this year in regards to what I'm kicking out of the writing folder and with fingers crossed I will be sharing most of them with the world. Since my last post I sold my first story of 2016, another gay romance short to JMS books. It's a naughty piece. My first zombie romance was finished and sent off. Waiting anxiously to hear whether or not they liked it. Should the publisher (they actually bought a previous story) take this piece it will be the most I've ever been paid for a single story. Besides, I absolutely adore this piece. Hey! I'm getting to like my own writing more and more. Is that a good sign? Right now I'm trying to finish the rewrite of my novella, Th...

Maybe it's just my job but the days seem to be going by much too quickly and I haven't yet covered the ground I hoped to with my writing. I keep promising myself that I will be more disciplined, focused, get the work done in a timely manner, and instead I wind up spending my down time relaxing. Such is the pitfall of working so many hours. I wanted to have Leaving Hoof Prints done by now. Thanks to my mom I have a printed copy of the novel to read at my leisure; which hasn't yet happened, though I've figured out how to change the opening. That counts as progress, right? Never mind the fact I haven't yet actually written the new opening sequence. It'll happen! At present I am seeking to finish a 10,000 words short story with a quickly followed up 5,000 words short story. Both gay romance. There are two pieces that need to be done in March. One of them is a highly anticipated (at least on my part) new Samuel and Flynn story. Just need to find the perfect ...

I really don't know where to start this blog. My mind is so tired all the time and I can't seem to keep my thoughts focused. Everything has changed since taking on a new-ish position at work. As I feared my writing has gone drastically downhill. Some days I barely get any writing done and on others it's completely non-existent. Is it possible that my dream is slowly slipping out of my grasp? When I am at the day job all I can think about is writing and how I can't wait to have free time so that I can do it. But when the free time rolls around there are other tasks that need tending or I'm just mentally tired. My brain is constantly on the go, a computer that never sleeps. Just about any desire to write has slowly seeped out of me during the course of the day. Am I losing it? Is the passion I once held for my writing, for my desire to be an author fading? Part of me thought getting a planner would help in some way, though aside from watching deadlines come sc...

I live in a northern Midwestern state and the last few days have been single digit cold, if not colder. So of course it makes sense that I would stay inside as much as possible to get some writing done. I'm making great progress on my novelette-turned-novella. My intended word goal is a minimum of 30,000 words and right now it stands at just over 6,000 words. Hopefully I can double that by the end of the week. I am also working on my romance novel, Leaving Hoof Prints. The intended word goal is 55-60k and it's just under 30,000 words. At present I'm doing a little editing, rewriting, reformatting, then I'll see about finishing off the story. Not sure if I want to make a series out of it, but perhaps... Yesterday I enjoyed watching Murder She Baked: Peach Cobbler Murder, based on the book by Joanne Fluke. It's always a joy to watch Cameron Mathison and Alison Sweeney. And in my opinion Hallmark Channel is doing a great service to authors. Their Murders & Myst...

A new anthology!! Yes, I'm excited to announce the release date of the next anthology featuring one of my short stories. When the Sun Shines  is another M/M story. A beautiful, sweet piece inspired by a recent bout of depression. I have been considering doing a give away, but am not sure what I would be offering. Actually, strike that, I do have an idea, just need to send an email or two to get some things sorted out. I'll keep you in the loop! On the writing front, I have started a rewrite of a short story/novelette I sent to one of my publishers. They made me an offer and it is definitely something I am very excited about. As usual, I'm trying to stay mostly hush-hush about it until the situation is more concrete. Let's just say it will be awesome! And I've gotten back to my romance novel, Leaving Hoof Prints , and hopefully it'll end up being the first novel done this year. As always, I've got a considerable amount of projects lined up and read...