Get a sneak peek at the pretty, back cover art for DOUBLE PLAY!

When I first saw this back cover art, I gasped. I love it; it's so pretty and the perfect finishing touch for the cover. While the front exemplifies Sophie Pope, the main character, the back cover art gives a taste of David Savage. The vlog is the only place I'll be posting it, so here's your chance to see the back cover before it releases in January!

Enjoy!

Cover Reveal FOR ME! Playing for Keeps!

Remember a year ago when I wrote this post? (You probably do. I reposted the link just a few days ago!) The great thing about writing that post you always wanted to write--the one about your book getting published or landing an agent--is that you get to keep writing posts you've always wanted to write.

Like your very own cover reveals!

Without further adieu...

I was able to look at some mock-ups of my cover a few weeks ago, and when I saw this one, I was absolutely smitten. I think my exact words to Christina, my cover designer, were, "I want to kiss it and marry it."

When I first started writing PLAYING FOR KEEPS, it was originally titled Marry Me, Anthony Rogers, and the cover I pictured was a girl holding up a sign at a game with the title on the cover. Fun, right? :) Then I realized I hated that title and my friend Kaylee helped me come up with a new title, "The Game Plan." At that point, the cover above is pretty much exactly what I pictured--a game plan drawn out with hearts and O's I ahhhhhhdore the title font--the cute hearts and the cursive "for."

It's really just perfect. So. Perfect.

Covers are one of those things you give up control over when you go the traditional publishing road, and it was the only thing that worried me about going that direction. With my novellas, I'd been able to choose exactly what I wanted. I was so worried about what this cover would look like. I should not have been. They actually gave me four really good options that had elements I really loved too.

You want to know the other AWESOME news about this? You can actually pre-order PLAYING FOR KEEPS on Amazon! When my friend Jenny showed me that yesterday (and ordered it--she's SO fun. I love her) I almost fell off my chair. My book. For preorder. I am so legit. :)

So ENJOY. And share my cover everywhere so people will see it's awesomeness and want to go buy it.

The Blog Post We All Dream of Writing

I have written this post in my head a million times. I can't describe to you how excited I am to finally actually post it today. Okay. So before you all die of impatience, the GREAT news.

Covenant has accepted my LDS Romantic Comedy novel, THE GAME PLAN, for publication!!!!!

And now the backstory.

THE GAME PLAN's story began quite a few years ago. I was watching an interview with BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette and they interviewed his girlfriend. I wondered, how does a girl end up dating a guy like that and how does he know it's for real and she's not just a fan.

And since I'm a writer, that was the birth of a story. I started working on it, changing the star basketball player into a star football player because I just adore football. And the girl took shape before my eyes, someone who absolutely knew football and used it against the object of her affection. And then fell for him.

I had a baby in there somewhere, so writing went kind of slow at times, but I did finally finish. My husband kept asking why I was writing something new--totally new! I'd never written straight-up romance before--when I was still querying for my superhero novel. I didn't know. It just felt really right.

In January or February of 2013, I signed up to go to the LDStorymakers conference. I knew I wanted to pitch it there, and at this point THE GAME PLAN had only been read by two readers and my fabulous CP Kaylee hadn't even seen it yet. So I got my rear in gear and got to work editing. By the time I went to the conference in May, it wasn't totally done. The conference is a whole other post (that I think I've totally written...) but right off at the boot camp I got AMAZING advice from Becca Wilhite and my co-boot campers on my MS.

I was supposed to pitch just to Lisa Mangum at Deseret Book/Shadow Mountain, but when some extra sessions came up with Covenant, I begged to get in. After making sure everyone had a chance, Melanie Jacobson got me a pitch session with Kathy Gordon. It was fate, guys. I pitched her my book and she was excited about it. That in and of itself made going worth it, to have someone in the book biz be excited about my project. My friends and I shared a lot of excitement when I got out of that pitch session.

But once back home it was back to work. I'd learned a lot of things at the conference and also decided to change the tense on the book. Eeek. Over the next couple months I worked harder than I ever have on a book. I analyzed every scene with a mid-view approach I learned in Annette Lyon's master class on self-editing. (So awesome, really.) Then finally, on July 24th (I remember because Sarah Eden pointed out to me that since that's kind of a holiday in Utah, I probably wouldn't need to worry about hearing back that day...) I submitted. And then I sat back to wait. I'd discussed Krista Jensen's story of submitting to Covenant with her a lot. I knew it would take some time, so I got busy doing other things. I wrote two more novels. (Dang, didn't catch Krista! But in all fairness, she had 9 months, I only had 7.5.) I revised and overhauled another YA novel. I did some mom things. I moved to Alaska.

In January I emailed just to check up on things. It had been over six months. I got a very nice email from a submissions editor that said some nice, positive things about my book and she said she hoped it would be about another month and they'd let me know. Cue more waiting.

This morning, I got up just like normal, oddly enough, not thinking about getting any special emails today. My mind was mostly on a lunch I was having with my friends and the fact that we still don't have a signed contract on the house we're buying even though it's been well over a month since we accepted their counter-offer. Also, that is another blog post. I did my mom thing, getting my kids all ready for school and stuff, and then grabbed my phone on the way out the door to drop them off. When I picked it up, I saw a notification for an email from Covenant.

I gasped. My heart started pounding and my hands shook. This was probably the email. Maybe you remember this morning about how terrified I was to open it. I texted my husband and my mom, hoping someone would give me the strength to open that email. Finally, about thirty minutes later, after dropping the kids off at school, I sat down at my computer and opened my email. It was kind of anti-climatic. I saw the "Congratulations" snippet before I opened it. I only read two lines before I ran around the room screaming with joy.

I'm so excited, guys. SO EXCITED. Covenant has been my dream publisher and they said yes to me! I feel like I get to join a really fun club with some other really fun people that I know and admire and who write great stuff. I feel like I'm not quite sure how this can be real, that I can actually join in. But let's just say...

THIS IS GOING TO BE SO AWESOME. In the words of my brother, D.J. (who consequently, kind of deserves a co-author credit on this book...), "Zigga zigga woot shiminy yowza yowza moooooolalalalalala yayayayayayayayayay."* Yep. That's how I feel.

*Yes, D.J., I had to do a teeny bit of editing to that text.

Coming soon! GOODNIGHT KISS, a Sweet Kisses Story for the Holidays!

So my best writing buddy Kaylee and I have this fun little project: The Sweet Kisses Stories, and the first one, GOODNIGHT KISS by yours truly, will be out soon. As in, I am putting the finishing touches on the whole thing right now.

It has a cover that I just *sigh* adore.

Cover (c) 2013 Ranee` S. Clark
Image “Happy Young Couple in Winter Park having fun” copyright Vladyslav Spivak


When Chase sees Clare during her brief Christmas visit to their hometown, he knows it's his chance to make things right between them. Considering he all but ignored her while on his mission, it's a tough task. After having her heart broken by him before, Clare is wary of a holiday romance. But a long-awaited goodnight kiss might change her mind.
**If you're interested in obtaining a review copy, use the Contact Me form**

UPDATE! GOODNIGHT KISS is now available on Amazon!

The Writing Process Blog Tour

What? An actual post on ... something other than book reviews? From me? Yes, in fact. Thanks to the lovely Charlie Holmberg, author of THE PAPER MAGICIAN, coming soon from 47North, who tagged me and ran off somewhere...

(I do have to tell you how me and Charlie *met* [and when I say met, I mean how we came across each other on line since I have yet to meet her in person]. I was part of a getting to know you blog tour, can't even remember where it started, and Charlie commented on my post about my then current project, THE GAME PLAN, and being at BYU during the Jimmer Fredette craze. I followed her on Twitter immediately. CLICK.)

1. What am I working on?

You know how when you are submitting your stuff they tell you to write and get on with life while you wait? That's what I'm working on. Waiting. Oh, yeah, and that writing stuff too. Actually, I'm editing the companion novel to THE GAME PLAN, which is the story of one of THE GAME PLAN character's best friends. Everyone who has read this book for me loved David and insisted that he needed his own story. I agreed. I wrote the first draft a few months ago and let it sit (at a disgustingly short 43k words). Now I'm back to combing through it, adding conflict, rounding out the characters and such.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I've been told by a few people, including an editor, that THE GAME PLAN is unlike any other romance they've heard of. I'm actually not totally sure why. I think it's funny, but there are other funny romances. The characters are a bit younger than most LDS romances like it--it almost borders on an NA. Ty, the (female) main character of THE GAME PLAN, is different from most heroines I've read in romances. She goes in with a goal of winning Anthony's heart and she's forward and goes after the guy she wants instead of initiating contact and letting him come after her.

3. Why do I write what I do?

I've written lots of YA and fantasy before and found myself almost always focusing on the magic of the love story. So when I first got the idea for THE GAME PLAN (my first, straight-up romance), I went with it. At first it was hard for me to fill in the story with only the romance, but I kept learning and talked to who I thought was the best at it, and I'm getting a lot better. I still love to write YA fantasy, and I have a special place in my heart for a YA magical realism novel I'm working on, but it seems as though Romance might end up my primary genre.

4. How does your writing process work?

I get random ideas from everything. Songs on the radio. (Oh, oh, there's a story in that!) History. What I make up about the people I see around town and in stores. I write down my basic ideas in a "notebook" on my iPad and let them settle. Especially if I'm already working on something. Then, when I'm ready, I take that idea out, dust it off and do a basic outline. I used to be a pantser, but I always ended up with so many issues with pacing and not finishing, that I started outlining, like Charlie, with the Save the Cat method. I don't do post-its though, I use a note-taking program on my iPad. (I like to have it with me wherever in case I can sit down and write.) Once I have that basic map, I start writing. Because I don't go into minute details while I outline, I usually end up with a first draft in the 30-50k range. I let that sit for a few months before going back to fill in details--usually I work on adding more conflict and subplots. (My first drafts are usually just the basic plotline, everything revolving around the original idea.) This is the point where I use post its. I write down every scene on a post it, color coded to the POV (usually pink for female POV and blue for the male). I use little post-its to add in scenes I know I need to put in, then as I edit, I'll use them to add the scenes I've just put in. It allows me to see the story as a whole and know where the best spots for additional scenes, conflict, character development, etc. is. 

Then I do another read through for basic consistency before I send it to alpha readers. Again, it sits while that happens and I work on other projects--either new drafts or editing others. When I get it back, I'll edit in depth again and send it to beta readers. When I can, I like to send my "just before the final" draft to my critique partner Kaylee. She's really great at helping me fine tune it. (She's also really great at finding the problems, so sometimes I have to send her earlier drafts.) Once I've gone through all my readers I do a very detailed edit: searching for words I overuse, cleaning up the prose, etc. I read it aloud to find awkward sentences and mistakes I missed. Then I get ready to submit to ... wherever I'm going to submit that project. ;)

Well, there you have it. And I know you want to hear about how other people work it too. How about Gina Denny and Kaylee Baldwin?

**Now Availiable** A LADY AND A SPY by Ranee` S. Clark

It went live last night on Amazon. :) I'm still working on the paperback formatting and Smashwords though. 

Buy it Now

Blanche Audley's old-fashioned grandfather cut off her mother after she married Thomas Audley and his millions of "new money," and for the last ten years since her parents' deaths, Blanche has lived under the gloom of his disappointment. So when she recklessly loses a thousand dollars to Etta Channing in a game of baccarat, she will do anything to keep her foolish actions from him. Except he oversees every penny she spends of the wealth her father left her, leaving her no way of paying the debt without his knowledge.

Until Etta offers her a deal. Alexander Whealdon, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, needs a companion to shepherd his younger sister through her first season. Etta wants Blanche to take the position and use it to infiltrate the household and pass along information that will help Etta get her hooks into the reserved Mr. Whealdon. It seems like an easy way to pay off the debt and save face at the same time. But the more Blanche sees of Mr. Whealdon's playful side, not to mention his surprising generosity, the less she wants to help Etta win him over.

Backing out means humiliating herself and disappointing both her grandfather and Mr. Whealdon, not to mention losing Miss Whealdon's trust and friendship, but if she goes through with her promise to Etta, she will lose what might be her last chance for love.

If you would like to review A LADY AND A SPY for your blog, Amazon, or Goodreads, please follow THIS LINK and fill out the form.

Coming Soon: A LADY AND A SPY

I have to be honest with you guys. After the first few weeks A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION was on sale and I remembered to go check my stats, the number of copies it had sold astounded me. It was awesome to think that so many people wanted to read my novella!

The idea for A LADY AND A SPY had been kicking around in my head for sometime and I thought, "This means it's time to get to work." So I did. With a new baby and all it took me a lot longer than I wanted, but I'm now working on edits and confident that A LADY AND A SPY will be released in Spring 2013. (Way to be specific ... right? I figure that gives me anywhere from March to June -- and the way life is going right now, anything could happen!)

How about a peek at the cover. I'm not absolutely positive this will be final, so how about giving your opinion?

Image (c)  YuriyZhuravov  Cover Design (c) Ranee` S. Clark

As Jolene can attest, I went through a lot of versions before I came to this -- thank heavens for her wisdom! (Though one of the earlier versions might still end up on the paperback ... we'll see!)

And of course, you all need some back-cover love:

Blanche Audley's old-fashioned grandfather cut off her mother after she married Thomas Audley and his millions of "new money," and for the last ten years since her parents' deaths, Blanche has lived under the gloom of his disappointment. So when she recklessly loses a thousand dollars to Etta Channing in a game of baccarat, she will do anything to keep her foolish actions from him. Except he oversees every penny she spends of the wealth her father left her, leaving her no way of paying the debt without his knowledge.

Until Etta offers her a deal. Alexander Whealdon, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, needs a companion to shepherd his younger sister through her first season. Etta wants Blanche to take the position and use it to infiltrate the household and pass along information that will help Etta get her hooks into the reserved Mr. Whealdon. It seems like an easy way to pay off the debt and save face at the same time. But the more Blanche sees of Mr. Whealdon's playful side, not to mention his surprising generosity, the less she wants to help Etta win him over.

Backing out means humiliating herself and disappointing both her grandfather and Mr. Whealdon, not to mention losing Miss Whealdon's trust and friendship, but if she goes through with her promise to Etta, she will lose what might be her last chance for love.

AND that's not all the love I'm giving out. Have you reviewed A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION either on your blog, Amazon, or Goodreads? (Are you going to do it right now...? :) If the answer is yes, comment on this post (with a link) and I'll give you an early-release copy of A LADY AND A SPY. No drawing. No random pick. Just you get one if you've reviewed it.

2013 Writing Goals

I was thinking about the goal I made last year, which was to do everything I could to be on the road to getting published. I sort of kept that goal. Some things got in the way.

* I focused most of my querying attention on my YA Superhero novel. I did do a lot of stuff with it. Queries, Contests, etc. I only got two requests. And from every *How I Got My Agent* story that I've ever read, the writer was getting requests and still getting rejected. I was just getting rejected. So I decided to put it aside and think about it. I have decided to completely rewrite it. I'm confident it will be better for it.

*I had a baby. Which is the end all, be all excuse. :)

BUT I did get published. I published myself, anyway. You might have heard of it around here? My Regency era novella, A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION.

So this year I don't have so much in the way of goals as I do in plans.

*Get Baby Boy to sleep in his crib so I can write more. ;)

*I'm attending Storymakers in May and plan to have my LDS contemporary romance at least pitch ready.

*I'm working on another historical romance novella that I'm really excited to release.

*Rewrite my Superhero book and shove it back into the world of queries.

Preview the first two chapters of A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION

Chapter One

London

June 1816

It does not signify, Lady Iris Colburn insisted, but her jaw remained clamped shut as she watched Dominick lead a tall girl with shining brunette locks out onto the floor for a country dance.

Lady Lettice Morgan, Iris’ best friend, stiffened beside her. Lettie had enough sense not to comment, but Iris knew the thoughts running through Lettie’s mind. The same ones plagued Iris’. Dominick had danced with this unknown girl twice now. Why was he singling her out when everyone knew he would propose to Iris?

A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION Launch Extravaganza

So maybe you guys have noticed some really crazy stuff going on around here. Like me publishing my Regency novella, A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION. Here's the pretty cover:

And the blurb: 

After Lord Dersingham spurned her last season, Iris Colburn promises to never allow him back into her heart, despite his excuses, his long-standing connection to her family, or the fact that she once loved him.

But upon her return from Paris, Iris finds it is more difficult than she expected to keep Lord Dersingham at arm's length. His presence at nearly every social function Iris attends reminds her more of their blissful past than the sting of his rejection. Worse, she fears she is falling for him again.

If it wasn't for his outrageous behavior, that is. He asks Iris' father for permission to court her -- again -- but then showers attention on the disreputable Miss Halliday.

Iris doesn't know what kind of game Lord Dersingham is playing, but with her heart and her pride on the line, she will do anything to win.

I'm in the mood to throw confetti and give away things. Like, well, obviously, copies of A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION (both ebook and paperback) and, in honor of me attempting to write regency, I'm also going to give away something from a true master.

The Next Big Thing

Have I ever extolled the many virtues of Kaylee Baldwin? Well, she's my critique partner and totally awesome. And she tagged me for a post called "The Next Big Thing" about your current WIP.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have always loved historical romances, but never considered myself one of those people who could pull it off -- until I wrote a half-historical, half-contemporary romance about a girl who travels back to 1909. Once I realized that, oh yeah, I am a historian and I can do this, I took a stab at Regency.

The inspiration actually came from a scene in a Georgette Heyer book -gah, can't remember the name, but I know it's one of my favorites. One of the love interests talks about always intending to offer for the heroine. She doesn't end up with him, but it got me thinking. How would a girl respond to a guy who's been charming and in her life, wooed her a time or two, but never made the big step until it was too late for him. Eventually the characters all evolved into a crazy different story!

Coming Soon! A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION

Cover Image copyright Raisa Kanareva 2012

After Lord Dersingham spurned her last season, Iris Colburn promises to never allow him back into her heart, despite his excuses, his long-standing connection to her family, or the fact that she once loved him.

But upon her return from Paris, Iris finds it is more difficult than she expected to keep Lord Dersingham at arm's length. His presence at nearly every social function Iris attends reminds her more of their blissful past than the sting of his rejection. Worse, she fears she is falling for him again.

If it wasn't for his outrageous behavior, that is. He asks Iris' father for permission to court her -- again -- but then showers attention on the disreputable Miss Halliday.

Iris doesn't know what kind of game Lord Dersingham is playing, but with her heart and her pride on the line, she will do anything to win.

My Query Letter

Actually, just the last two paragraphs. I've participated in a bunch of stuff to polish up my query of late and it has, seriously, been critiqued to the bone. I've learned something. Queries are much like manuscripts. You will not please everyone, no matter how hard you try. I've gotten so many conflicting opinions -- (Things like, "How did Finna become guardian? We need to know so we understand why she's not very powerful." VS. "How Finna became the guardian is unnecessary. Cut it. Just let us know what her responsibility is. *Ranee` runs screaming from the computer, vowing to NEVER WRITE ANOTHER QUERY AGAIN.*)

Buy HAVEN on Amazon

My speculative fiction romance story HAVEN is now available on Amazon. It's only $0.99, so of course I think you should all head over and BUY IT!

Here, I'll make it easy: http://www.amazon.com/Haven-ebook/dp/B008YFXBXG/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1345144099&sr=1-2&keywords=Ranee+S+Clark

The IT'S A LOVE THING anthology is still available in both ebook and paperback forms. (You can buy it at a bunch of places: 
Amazon (print)
Amazon (ebook)
CreateSpace (print)
Barnes & Noble (ebook)Smashwords (ebook all formats) 

IT'S A LOVE THING Launch!

It's almost here. That's right. My first published work. (Well, unless you count that article I wrote in college that got published in the online history journal.) HAVEN and all the other stories of IT'S A LOVE THING will be released TOMORROW!

I got my copy a couple days ago. With all the stuff going on in this joint, I've only had time to proof my story. I'm looking forward to cuddling up with the rest of them. I haven't organized a give-away here yet, but there may be one in the works over at the Mommy Authors blog. (IT'S A LOVE THING's launch happens to coincide with some fantastic, new things happening over there. You should drop by in the next month to check everything out!)

So, TOMORROW IT'S A LOVE THING will be available at SO many different outlets you will have absolutely no excuse not to pick one up.

At Amazon:
Paperback
Kindle

At Smashwords

At Barnes & Noble

We'll definitely do some fun things here. A give-away of course. Keep an eye out, I'll let you know. And if you want to review it for your book-blog, shoot me an email. I'll hook you up. ;)

Check out the IT'S A LOVE THING book-blog and my really cool publishers, Prose By Design. AND there's already a contest going on. :)

Cover Reveal!

I promised I'd tell you more as I knew it, right? Remember how I told you my short story HAVEN would be published in the Prose by Design anthology IT'S A LOVE THING? Well, today I get to show you the IT'S A LOVE THING cover!

Awesome, right? The book will be released June 1st, and I am super excited about it. (Of course.) 

News Flash: "Haven" a short story by Ranee` S. Clark to be published!

I am SUPER excited to share some really great news with you guys: my speculative fiction romance Haven will be published in an anthology called "It's A Love Thing," tentatively scheduled for release June 1st by Prose By Design!

Here's the teaser: 

"Angel" is now on Amazon!

Did you like my Short Story Saturday feature "Angel"? It's now available through Amazon for Kindle. And from today (April 12) to Saturday (April 14) it's FREE!

So go now!

Buy from Amazon

AND "Angel" is also part of the Kindle Lending Library for the next 90 days. If you own a Kindle, you can "borrow" Angel to read.

Variety: Personal Essay by Me

Just a few years ago--really--when I was in college, I took a creative non-fiction class. It really pushed me. My voice is not meant for non-fiction. My voice is quirky and fictional and very commercial, so non-literary. I've known about my non-literary voice for a long time. I'm okay with it. But then I had to take creative non-fiction and figure out what my literary voice was. 


So below is an excerpt of an essay written about the birth of my first child. I laughed as I read it because I think it might be the most complete description of that very long moment that I have.


Untitled Personal Essay
by Ranee` S. Clark
Written March 2007

When I think about the less-than-blissful hours I spent in labor with A.J., I don’t just wonder, I seriously question how I actually came through it alive, or for that matter, why I’ll even consider doing it again! Nobody wants to hear a story about thirty minutes of labor and a six pound baby.  Nine pounds, six ounces, that’s a good story. A kid with a head as big as his chest (fourteen inches)? That’s something people’s ears perk up for. Twenty-one hours of labor that climaxed in a full two hours of pushing? That is a good story.

Short Story Saturday: "Angel" Part 6

Read Parts 1-5.


Abigail's shattered life finally starts coming back together, just in time for her to realize exactly who her "guardian angel" is.


Angel: Part 6
The conclusion.