April 26, 2005
My best friend Josh and I just returned from a fun-filled trip to San
Antonio, Texas, where we celebrated Fiesta with Nicholas and his family. 

After a morning event for the Museo Americano Smithsonian, we joined the museum staff and fellow guest Mario Lopez for a delicious lunch at Mi Tierra restaurant in the Market.  To see more pictures from our trip, click here.

April 25, 2005
I had a chance to look over the final revisions of the Desert Blood manuscript, and it should take all of a few minutes to do.  Then we’re off to the copy editor!

Here’s some good news:  Desert Blood now has an official ISBN number. 
It’s 1-4169-1156-1.  I’ll let you know just as soon as the book is available for pre-order...sometime this summer, I believe.

April 20, 2005
Received the executed contract today.  Everything’s official now.  I also got my first advance check!  So it’s really real.

Bethany is done with the edits.  Apparently, I have a few minor words to tweak, and then the manuscript is off to copyediting.  The new title they’re playing around with is Desert Blood 10PM ET/PT.  They’re going for a Hollywood-TV feel.  We’ll see how that works out.

No definitive word on the cover yet, but they’re leaning towards a shot of the billboard with Gus and Lalo in front of it.

I also need to come up with a photo and bio for the Simon & Schuster catalog that will be sent to book buyers this fall.  Yikes.

March 31, 2005
I’ve posted the first chapter of Desert Blood on the site.  Read all twelve pages of the book’s opening here.

March 25, 2005
I spent the last week working on the edits and incorporating Bethany’s recommended changes.  I absolutely LOVE the way the manuscript is shaping up.  It is much leaner and better paced now.  I’ve sent it back to her and am now eagerly waiting to hear what she says...

March 22, 2005
I finally got around to signing the contract.  Yay!  I used a special fountain pen my mom gave me for Christmas, which made the event extra special.  Plus, we celebrated the occasion with cake...always a good thing.

came to the city with me, so the three of us sat in the front row and cheered Josh on.

While in New York, I had a chance to stop by the Simon & Schuster offices to meet Bethany in person and discuss Desert Blood.  She gave me the marked-up manuscript for review.  Luckily, the changes are exactly as she said:  nothing too major.   Easily doable.

March 17, 2005
Bethany at Simon Pulse has finished editing the manuscript and has forwarded me her edit letter, which was quite complimentary!

Here’s some of what she had to say:

Dear Ron,

We are so excited to be publishing your first book. Desert Blood is a real page-turner, and I think our readers will find it tremendously compelling. Gus and Nick have a wonderful relationship; it seems very realistic, and I think they are characters that the reader will care about. Your writing is right on the mark; you’ll see that my edits are almost entirely for pacing, rather than for language or dialogue. You’ve done a great job on Gus’s voice; it feels very true. His worries and insecurities come across very well, too.

I think the mystery itself is very well done. I know it’s a big challenge to keep all those loose ends straight, and you seem to have done it with ease. I found all the explanations plausible, and having so many suspects really made it fun to read. I was sure all along that Eddy was behind it, but there were points when I thought, hmm… Becky? C.J.? Aurora? Todd?  And I think that is the perfect way for a mystery to go. I never really knew who it was, and obviously wouldn’t have guessed...!

Sounds like I’m on the right track, anyway.

March 14, 2005
My parents came into town for the weekend and we got together with a few dozen of my friends and coworkers for a celebration!

March 13, 2005
I got my first taste of being a published author today when I was invited to speak to a group of writers at a workshop sponsored by Book Passage Bookstore in Marin County, California.

The workshop was titled “Writing for Children and Young Adults”, and was one I took myself back in 2003!  It was certainly an honor to be included as a member of the faculty this time.

My family and friends were there to offer their support and cheer me
on.  See some pictures and learn more here.

March 7, 2005
After almost a month of negotiating and waiting for the contract, I received word today that Bethany Buck, the Editorial Director at Simon Pulse, will be editing Desert Blood personally.  This is wonderful news, as Bethany brings 20+ years of experience to the task.  Caryn and I are both confident that the book is in excellent hands.

February 9, 2005
My agent, Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, received an offer today from Simon Pulse to publish my first novel, Desert Blood.  Pretty exciting stuff!

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Media Resources

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