How to Keep Your Sanity While Editing Multiple Books

by Chris T. Kat

Thanks to the Blogger Girls for having me back! Dreamspinner Press will publish my new release, Secret Energy, on August 29th. Secret Energy is a shape-shifter story, and the sequel to Secret Chemistry.

To date, Secret Energy is the longest book I’ve ever written. It’s also the one I’ve re-written multiple times. I knew the editing process would be long and exhausting but that’s okay, some books are like that. But… then I received an e-mail informing me about the start of the editing process on Secret Energy. So far, so good. Then, I received another e-mail, informing me about the start of the editing process on Tidal Change. In that very moment, I succumbed to a light panic attack.

Now, how did I keep my sanity?

• Told my husband about it, while trying not to hyperventilate. I received an amused smile, and he said, “I guess you won’t be bored then.” I reciprocated with a death glare, which gained me a massage later that night. 😉
• Bought some new books to read, so I wouldn’t think about the upcoming edits. Because pretending the edits won’t magically appear in my inbox is always so realistic, right? Anyway, I got loads of awesome books.
• I wrote another book, hoping if I lost myself in that world, the edits wouldn’t show up in my inbox. Naturally that wasn’t the case but hey, I got lots of writing done while I waited on my edits.
• The main reason why I kept my sanity was my editor Erika Orrick. She knew very well I might be overwhelmed with the editing of both books, so she staggered them. I was never without work for more than a few days but it was do-able. So there, an awesome editor is worth a lot!

What do you do when you’re overwhelmed by work? Push through or try to hide? Eat chocolate or go for a run? I’m curious to learn more about your strategies!

About Secret Energy

When wolf shifter Robin agreed to cover for his older brother Tim and Tim’s lover Jay, he never imagined feeling so stifled. Tim’s overprotective attitude suffocates him. Pressure from within—the urge to find his own mate—mounts daily. With a little help from Jay, Robin finally convinces Tim to let him go for a run alone, but he has no inkling that his life will change forever as a result.

Unexpectedly, he finds his mate Peter Brannigan, an old and special soul, and the one shifter who can bring balance to Robin’s life. The new couple spend days together, developing their bond as mates. Yet even as they explore and cement their relationship, crisis looms just ahead when an old enemy of the pack shows up and kills someone Robin loves.

Available for pre-order at: Dreamspinner Press, Amazon and All Romance Ebooks

An Excerpt from Secret Energy

Robin held his breath as he waited for Tim’s reaction. He scooted closer to the bear, and the bear sat down behind him, resting his heavy head on Robin’s left shoulder.

Tim shifted so fast that Robin recoiled. He pressed his bare back against the bear’s massive bulk, savoring the soft touch of fur on his skin. A wave of need rolled through him, rushing from his head to his crotch, pooling there. Robin covered his hardening erection as inconspicuously as possible.

“No,” Tim stated in a low voice. “No, he’s not. He’s a bear.”

Robin kept his eyes averted as he answered, “I think he’s a were-bear.”

Someone giggled, and Robin redirected his gaze toward Jay and Tim. Jay had shifted to his human form and lay on his side, trembling and white-faced. He was also the one emitting the giggling sounds, even though he tried his best to stifle them. Robin’s lips twitched into a smile.

Tim stepped over Jay and knelt next to him. The protective gesture wasn’t lost on Robin.

“Stop giggling. What’s so funny here?” Tim muttered.

“A were-bear. It rhymes.”

Confusion showed on Tim’s face as he said, “Great. So my brother is a poet and an idiot.”

“Hey!” Robin bristled.

The bear moved behind him, sliding even closer. Robin pushed back a little, relieved at feeling his mate’s presence. He still didn’t understand why the bear didn’t talk to him, but the silent support helped, more than it probably should given that he didn’t know anything about his mate, not even his name.

“I don’t believe he’s your mate,” Tim said.

“Why not?”

“He’s a bear.”

“A were-bear,” Jay corrected.

Robin caught Tim throwing an irritated glance at Jay. As quickly as it appeared, the glance disappeared because Jay was trailing his fingertips up and down Tim’s right forearm, calming him.

“He’s not going to mate a bear, nor is he going to mate a were-bear.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Robin shot back hotly.

“You’re my little brother. Of course I’m making the decision.”

Stunned silence settled around them for a moment. The bear huffed and lifted his head from Robin’s shoulder. Robin immediately grabbed for the bear’s neck to pull him back. Jay coughed harshly, drawing Tim’s attention to him. Behind Tim’s back he gestured toward Robin’s crotch.

Gulping, Robin adjusted his legs so his half-hard cock was hidden from view. He mouthed ‘thank you’ to Jay. The bear sniffed, his head lowering until he came close to Robin’s erection.

“Uh, no sniffing there now,” Robin whispered. When the bear didn’t react, Robin added a desperate “Please.”

The bear moved his head away, though he swiped his tongue over Robin’s nipples as he did so. Robin groaned, closed his eyes, and pressed back into the wooly fur. Blood pulsed in his cock, filling it.

“Do that again,” he demanded.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tim yelled.

Robin’s eyes flew open. Shit! Just for a few seconds, he’d forgotten where he was and, more importantly, who was there.

“I-I…,” Robin stuttered. His cheeks burned.

“Stop this crap and come over here!” Tim shouted, the anger contorting his face.

“You stop this damn awful big-brother show,” Jay interrupted.

Tim swiveled his head around to look at Jay. “What?”

“Robin found his mate, and we won’t act like jerks and tear them apart. I’m not happy about being injured, but Robin’s right, I shouldn’t have attacked right away.”

“But—”

“Tim, you fought for me even though I’m a hybrid. Why is it so difficult for you to accept Robin’s mate isn’t a pure werewolf either?” Jay asked so softly Robin had to strain his ears to hear him.

“He doesn’t resemble a wolf in the slightest!”

Jay shrugged. “Neither do I.”

“Yes, you do, and anyway, that’s beside the point.”

“Is it? Why?”

“Because….” Tim tucked a stray strand of Jay’s chestnut hair behind his right ear before he bent over to kiss Jay tenderly. When he straightened up again, he said, “You should shift back. The earth is moist around here, and you’re already freezing.”

“I will if you promise to stop being such a prick.”

The bear snorted, and Robin coughed. When Tim glared at them, Robin whispered, “Shh, don’t set him off again.”

The bear rubbed his head against Robin’s face, eliciting a contented sigh from Robin. He felt safe with the bear surrounding him. His mate would protect him no matter what, Robin was certain of that.

“Robin?” Jay called out. “Go with your mate.”

“What? No! I have a say in where he goes—”

“Shut up, Tim,” Jay responded. He accompanied his response with an exaggerated eye roll, causing Robin to chuckle.

“Jay! He’s my baby brother, and I—”

“You will act like the great big brother you are and let him go with his mate. We can’t change the fact his mate isn’t a pure werewolf, Tim. Your parents are working hard on installing new laws and changing people’s perspectives. They’ll find a solution,” Jay said, although his voice didn’t hold much conviction.

About Chris T. Kat

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there’s any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

Check out more about Chris on her Blog, Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook and Amazon Author Page.

In this giveaway, Chris has decided there will be FIVE prizes! Each winner will get one of the awesome five magnets Chris is giving away!

The giveaway starts now and ends September 2, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Don’t forget to check out Nikyta’s review of Secret Energy to see what she thought of it!

Good luck!