I went to a wonderful meeting yesterday. I attended the first open meeting of the Phoenix chapter of Wizards of Words [WOW http://www.wizardsofwords.org/] held at the Octagon Cafe in Fountain Hills AZ. We were a small but dynamic group and our speaker was fantastic. Jerry Simmons from WritersReaders.com and Nothing Binding.com [http://www.writersreaders.com/about.php] talked for almost 1.5 hours about the publishing industry today. If we had had the time we would have kept him there longer. It's obvious that things are changing rapidly and any writer today worth his/her salt must know how to play the game.
Still being with other writers and talking about our various projects left me with a feeling that, all the more, I know I want to be a part of this crazy writing business. When writing is in your blood, you just have to write. That's all there is to it. It's write or wither and only half-live.

I am so excited about this year. My second novel is coming along. After deciding that my heroine was too young and that was why I was having trouble writing about her, I aged her about ten years. That did the trick. Now, the plot is flowing and I think the book will move forward again.

Second Chance continues to get great reviews.
http://www.thebookstacks.com/joy-collins-second-chance-book-review/

http://wryterreviews.blogspot.com/2008/06/second-chance.html

And a serendipitous thing has happened. A wonderful woman I met online has not only turned into a good friend but we have decided to collaborate on a novel together. The plot is fun and I believe will be quite entertaining. Our goal is to have it done by the end of the year.