Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

After my holiday I was having trouble settling down to write again. It’s so easy to waste time on the Internet, and that’s exactly what I was doing. I decided to take radical action, and for the last week, I’ve been turning off my laptop and writing on my alpha smart. It’s working! I’ve written 10,000 words since Wednesday (with the weekend off).

I’m expecting edits from my editors on two separate manuscripts this week, so my progress will slow, but I’m definitely going to continue using this strategy. I check my email in the morning and don’t turn my laptop on again until the evening. With three different manuscripts underway, if I run into a wall on one, I swap to another to make my word count. I figure one way or the other, I’ll end up with three complete manuscripts ready to sub.

Samhain Publishing have a brand new newsletter. The monthly newsletter will feature upcoming and new releases – both in eBook and Print – as well as free downloads and contests. Follow this link to subcribe to Samhain’s newsletter and keep up with all the news.

Do you limit the amount of time you spend on the Internet? How do you do it? How long do you spend on the Internet each day?

Congratulations to Mary K who is my blog participation winner for Nov 2009. Mary, your prize is in the mail.

Congratulations also to Ilona F, Carol B and Jacqueline R who are my newsletter winners for Nov 2009.

Remember, if you would like to receive my newsletter, complete the signup form to the right of this post. Your address will NEVER be sold, nor will I do anything shady with it!

Congratulations to the following:

Gayle O – The Shadow
Valerie B – The Second Seduction
Ruby D – The Shadow
Clare N – The Second Seduction

Thanks to everyone who entered my newsletter contest – I’ve notified the winners via email. If you don’t receive my newsletter and would like to, subscribe by filling out the form on the right (at the top of my blog). I don’t share your addresses with anyone, and I promise not to fill your inbox with mail. I send out my newsletter every one to two months.

It’s hard to believe it’s the first of December tomorrow (in New Zealand) and it’s almost my birthday again. During the month, I have lots of special guests to help me celebrate. And, since it’s my birthday, there will be presents.

I’ve had a great year with ten releases – Cat Burglar, the tenth one is coming out on 31 December. I’m going to give away one download of each of my releases. That’s ten winners, one for every release. All you need to do to go in the draw is comment on one of the posts. Of course, the more comments you make, the higher the chance of winning a prize.

I’m also taking part in the Samhain Holiday Hunt that starts on 1 December. Details are available here.

And finally, I’m running a contest over at Author Island. The details are here.

One more thing – the Nov/Dec version of my newsletter will go out this week. There’s a special member’s only contest plus a sneak preview of Cat Burglar. If you’re not already a member, there’s a sign-up form on the right sidebar. Don’t delay!