A Great Week for Progress!

The Great …

The great part of the week began with

• Black Raven's (from Black Raven Reviews) 4 star review of my erotic romance Benefits of Sharing.

"... While the message is strong, the journey is the most intriguing part in Benefits of Sharing. If you’re looking for a well-written, fast-paced, sexy romp, where the lust is intense, the love is endearing between husband and wife, the sex is sizzling, and the truth will give you a new perspective on life, then Benefits of Sharing by Leslie Lee Sanders is definitely the book to read. It’ll put a smile on your face while making you hot and bothered in all of the right places." ~ Black Raven, full review here.

Then it progressed with

• a great revelation about the direction of my writing career and where I need to focus. It was a huge confidence boost and I can't wait to apply what I've learned.

On it went when I received

• a response to the email I sent to my newest favorite author of the successful sci-fi Wool series, Hugh Howey. Where after writing to tell him my emotional experience with his book Wool, he begins his response hinting how my letter needs to be framed. Nice! Made my day.

The Progress …

I then found the time and motivation to

• finish the first draft of Before the Darkness! Yeah, I smacked "The End" on that baby. I still have to do the rewrite and also do some polishing on my next erotic romance Tongue Tied which will be available sometime this spring.

The week's not over but already I've completed a lot and have so much more to look forward to. And I can't wait! J

30k Words and Counting

I'm making progress! Making progress is something to be excited about, coming from a woman who wears many hats and have the tendency to procrastinate.


I've hit 30k words in my latest WIP Before the Darkness. I have a goal of hitting 50k (and therefore completing the novel) by February 1^st 2012. I will do it, no doubt.



Also my new short Tongue Tied will probably be released sometime in February too. Hopefully around Valentine's Day which would be awesome. Now I say probably because with so much writing and revising I have to do, the date of release for Tongue Tied is still uncertain. Tongue Tied is an M/M erotic romance with a few MFM and Interracial scenes (all pivotal to the plot).



Speaking of Tongue Tied, I've seen my first proof of the cover. It is awesome but needs a little tweaking. I can't wait to share the cover with the world. Cover art is amazing! I think all writers love cover art.



Now, enough writing about writing. It's time to actually get some writing done. I got a lot planned for 2012. Time to get on it, huh? J

Before the Darkness: Book Progress

So I took a break from writing my post-apocalyptic, MM, Erotic romance novel Before the Darkness to spend time taking care of other responsibilities. But now I'm am ready to continue writing the novel!

I feel like I am at the halfway mark in the novel, (about 23K words) there's still so much that needs to be written. However, I am glad to (slowly) get my ideas out of me.

My characters have veered off course a little and did some things that I didn't expect them to do. Especially in one scene where one character's injury prompts them to make a detour. This detour was nowhere in the original outline but I'm not gonna fight with what the characters think needs to be done.

I surprised myself but I like the story even more now due to the little detour. I can't wait to get back to writing it!

Before the Darkness Progress

I am officially at 21,233 words written in my upcoming MM, post-apocalyptic erotic romance story, Before the Darkness. This story revolves around two survivors of an asteroid impact who are forced to confront their pasts in order to appreciate their second chance at life and possibly make for a better future.

Currently, I'm at a critical point in the story, (or the most critical) the climax. Which is good! That means I'm almost to the end.

The problem?

Well, I'm not quite sure where I want this story to end. The initial ending I had planned for it might end at 30k words. However, another possible ending wouldn't be met until about 50k words.

If I go with the initial ending, readers might want an extension. Which will result in a series that I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to. There's other stories I want to complete too.

If I go with the other ending, it may take longer than I want it to, it would require tons to rewrite and edit, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that either. Not to mention the climax I'm about to write will probably be just one of the big incidences that move the story forward to the "real" climax.

When I outlined and started writing Before the Darkness, I had it all set in my head; the beginning, middle and end. Now, the story's kinda taking on a life of its own (including the characters) and I'm a bit afraid of where it might lead me.

I'm not good with unpredictable. I like to have a plan and stick to it. Anyway, we shall see where this takes me. Who knows, maybe it will turn out to be better than I imagined if I just tell the story that wants to be told, instead of limiting the story by keeping it confined to my outline.

Leslie Lee Sanders

Before the Darkness Progress

Currently, I am at 12,500 words in my latest WIP, Before the Darkness. The way the story is going I expect to finish it somewhere around 20k-30k words, although it can be longer. I can't seem to find the time to work on it as much as I want to. I hope this weekend I can write a big chunk of it because I want to finish it before the end of the year.

The elevator pitch:

After an asteroid strikes Earth, sending a wall of ash and other debris into the atmosphere, Elliot meets fellow survivor Adam and together they take advantage of the next few hours, learning to appreciate their second chance at life and live it to the fullest.

The problem:

The research.  Asteroids are tricky to write about, especially an asteroid impact with Earth. Even though the story focuses more on the inner conflict of the main characters, the impact is what sets the story in motion and contributes to the story's tension, adding suspense, raising the stakes and providing exterior conflict. Therefore, it's very important that the impact and the effects of impact are realistic.

I hope to finish the first draft before the end of the year. Hell, some writers can do it in thirty days. That would be nice!

Pre-order Benefits of Sharing Today!

Currently, I am at 12,500 words in my latest WIP, Before the Darkness. The way the story is going I expect to finish it somewhere around 20k-30k words, although it can be longer. I can't seem to find the time to work on it as much as I want to. I hope this weekend I can write a big chunk of it because I want to finish it before the end of the year.

The elevator pitch:

After an asteroid strikes Earth, sending a wall of ash and other debris into the atmosphere, Elliot meets fellow survivor Adam and together they take advantage of the next few hours, learning to appreciate their second chance at life and live it to the fullest.

The problem:

The research.  Asteroids are tricky to write about, especially an asteroid impact with Earth. Even though the story focuses more on the inner conflict of the main characters, the impact is what sets the story in motion and contributes to the story's tension, adding suspense, raising the stakes and providing exterior conflict. Therefore, it's very important that the impact and the effects of impact are realistic.

I hope to finish the first draft before the end of the year. Hell, some writers can do it in thirty days. That would be nice!