Tired but happy Camp NaNoWriMo winner, right here.

Posted: April 30, 2014 | Author: Renae Rude - The Paranormalist | Filed under: *Writing & Editing, Bugaboo Road, Horror Writing | Tags: camp nanowrimo | 11 Comments

According to the Camp NaNoWriMo validation counter, I wrote nearly 31,000 in April. According to my count, it’s closer to 20,000 words plus 25 hours of outlining and structuring and such but, by either count, I met my goal of writing the equivalent of 30,000 words during the April 2014 camp season.

Of course, this is all a bit subjective, because I’ve been equating an hour spent working with the detailed outline of Bugaboo Road as 386 words of draft. (I’ll tell you, that’s actually a lot slower and harder than just writing all-out. Taking the time to do it, though, has cut down on sections that will just need to be scrapped in the end. At least, I think it has. We’ll see when this draft is done and the revision starts.)

I’ve been doing a little of both each writing day, with the outlining being most of the work at the beginning of the month, and straight writing being most of the work in the last couple of weeks. But now I’m nattering on about numbers and proportions when what matters is the project.

Here’s what matters:

I proved to myself that I can write a comprehensive outline, and about a quarter of a decent first draft of a 90,000 word project, in 30 days. And THAT is a big deal.

I’ve hit the 50,000 word goal in a normal NaNo month in the past, but the draft was darn near useless when I was done. This project, in contrast, has legs.

Now I just need to keep it walking.

I’m tired, and I have to work at the #paranormalhotel this evening. So I’ll draw this to a close so I can get a couple hours of sleep. Good luck to anyone who is still trying to hit goal. No matter what, though, remember tomorrow is another fresh, new writing day.

Interview with Hunter Shea: on THE WAITING and the true-life ghost-story that inspired the novella.

Posted: April 26, 2014 | Author: Renae Rude - The Paranormalist | Filed under: Books & Authors, Ghosts & Hauntings, Horror Writing, My Novels, Photos & Video | Tags: ghost story, ghosts, haunt, haunted, Hunter Shea, paranormal, Renae Rude, The Paranormalist, The Waiting, true ghost story | 8 Comments

As promised (and just under the wire) I present part one of my interview with Hunter Shea. This segment focuses on his latest release, the novella THE WAITING … and the true-life experiences of the author which inspired the ghost story.

Grab a favorite beverage (we chose to drink pale ale during the interview) and join us for the next 17 minutes or so. Then hit us with any questions or comments you have below.

By the way, we managed to not spoil the book’s ending, so don’t worry if you haven’t read it yet.

The Waiting is available for instant download, for just $2.66 right now, on Amazon.

Go buy it.

Work (#paranormalhotel)! Work (writing horror)! Work (interviewing Hunter Shea)!

Posted: April 25, 2014 | Author: Renae Rude - The Paranormalist | Filed under: Books & Authors, Horror Writing, My Novels, The #ParanormalHotel | Tags: camp nanowrimo, Horror Writing, Hunter Shea, Renae Rude, The #ParanormalHotel, The Paranormalist, The Waiting | 8 Comments

Thank God I love the kind of work I do, because – lately – there’s been plenty of it!

Paranormal Hotel:

I’ve returned to working full-time at the #paranormalhotel – at least for the next few weeks. (A staff member has had a family emergency.) I’d always hoped I’d be able to go back part-time this summer, but I wasn’t expecting this. Because I recently trained Langston for the job, I was almost completely up to speed when I was called back, but there was some adjustment required.

Highlights:

there’s new staff & new linens
we have a laundry room for guest use now
rates have gone up
the commercial dryer is dying (which makes doing the laundry even more time-consuming)

Otherwise, most everything is the same.

Camp NaNoWriMo:

When I found out I’d be going back to the hotel, I feared I’d fail to meet my Camp NaNoWriMo goals, so I took a deep breath and plunged in. I’m not at goal yet, but I’ve managed to get an awful lot done and I think I’ll make it. I haven’t been taking the time to properly track anything (or participate in the camp festivities) but I just did a quick tally of hours spent story mapping and drafted words and come up with 23,137. Tell me that’s still within reach!

Bugaboo Road

Hunter Shea’s book tour:

Just five minutes ago, I finished reading Hunter Shea’s new novella, The Waiting. This is a good thing, because – in about an hour – I’ll be settling in with him on Skype, to do the first official interview ever for The Paranormalist.

In a way, I’m glad I had to hustle up and get the reading done in one sitting, right before the interview. The details of the story will be fresh when I ask him all the questions I have roiling around in my brain. My plan is to have at least one segment of that interview packaged and available for viewing here tomorrow. Right now I can tell you it’s a fast, tight, eerie read which still manages to be emotionally affecting.

By the way, I want to thank you all for making the book giveaway I recently sponsored a great success. The winners have all been notified, and – as far as I know – the books are winging their way to their new owners.

Earlier this week, as we were arranging our interview time, I asked Hunter to decide what we’d be drinking tonight. Now, I have to run over to the liquor store to see if I can find any Captain Lawrence pale ale. As a cheap-American-beer-drinker, I’m glad he didn’t suggest Guinness.