Breaking news from my pen
...
Another abandoned story: resurrected, edited, rewritten, edited again. Now posted.
21 April 2011
This one was unearthed, edited, then forgotten in my email until this evening. Thanks, as always, to Wilma for editing.
8 February 2011
The pen flew across the page ... posted Steele Threads: Postscript in answer to a writing challenge.
28 December 2010
Forgot about this one. I thought it needed more, so I let it languish. I reopened it, lopped off the last two paragraphs and discovered it was done. It's short, but enjoy. FYI, "Cannes" is pronounced "Can" in French.
31 October 2010
Sigh, sorry gang. Not much here lately. I've been TRYING to finish out a sequel to Holt Steele, I'm Driving, but the story seems off somehow. Of course the fact that hubby and I just bought a franchise and are getting it up and running has absolutely nothing to do with it. The other stories are floundering where I left them. Mostly I have far too much angst and not enough comedy/romance to make me happy. So you're stuck rereading the old stuff for now.
While you are waiting, go read Forging of Steele at www.steeleinprint.com. Tell Sam I said, "Hi."
16 October 2010
Digging around on my desktop, I've found that I have no less than EIGHT unfinished RS stories. That just seems wrong somehow. So I'm playing with them. A couple of them are just flat too dark for RS fic and I won't put them up. But that post-House of Steele story is coming together, as is the post Queen of Steele story. The others are loosely-formed ideas that don't really have a plot yet.
Bear with me. I'll get something up before long. In the meantime, I'm cleaning up stories on my website.
11 August 2011
At the moment, I'm sad to say I have nothing in the Remington Steele hopper at the moment. But ... I've been working on a novel of my own creation. It's much more challenging to create characters from scratch. I hadn't realized how much I could "cheat" because the RS reader already knows all the major characters and the backstory. It's fun though, despite having trashed my first two chapters three times. But, the third time is the charm and I'm on a roll. I've joined a local writer's group and have a couple of great ladies critiquing my work. While I love accolades (who doesn't!), it's also helpful to know how & where to improve my writing.
(giggle) Still laughing because when "Remington Steele NC-17" is put into almost any search engine, this website is coming up either #1, #2, or #3. You go, readers!!
22 July 2010
Playing around with a couple of story lines ... after Regency Steele, I need something short and sassy.
15 June 2010
Here we go! Regency Steele is going up today! One chapter at a time, folks. Reminder: this is NOT a work-in-process. It is a completed story that I will post one chapter per day for the next 10 days.
21 May 2010
While my next story is still being edited, I'm working on cleaning up the stories on the website. As I've learned more about HTML and web publishing, I now know how to fix some of the formatting errors that have popped up here and there--such as lines that don't wrap properly in all the browsers. I'm also taking the time to make certain I use the same formatting for all the stories and to fix the occasional goof.
A question popped up from a reader that I thought was interesting and we had a great discussion over it. The reader asked if I ever got the characters confused with the actors--especially when writing intimate scenes.
The answer is an easy "No." For me, the characters exist on paper. They existed on paper before the actors inhabited them. It's no different than Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice or Jack Ryan from Hunt for Red October. I love the characters. The actors have certainly lent a visual reference and added their own mark to the character, but they aren't one and the same.
Proof: Twice, when perusing fan fiction on the web, I've come across stories where the writer used the actors' real names. I was so completely icked out by the idea that I couldn't finish either story. To me, treating the actors as mere characters was terribly rude and intrusive on their personal lives.
When I write, I have to think about the motivations and mannarisms of the characters--not the actors. I can't watch Pierce Brosnan in The Thomas Crown Affair or a clip of Stephanie Zimbalist in Tea at Five in order write a Remington Steele story.
In any case, it was a great discussion and I thought I'd share. Feel free to email me at webmaster @ steeleholtingon.com.
1 May 2010
Okay, I finished writing the next story. This one turned out much longer than I had originally intended--but that's what you get when you try to retell Bonds of Steele and all of Season 5 in a completely different way. I jettisoned all the parts I didn't like, kept the ones I did, put Laura in a corset and gave the whole thing over to Daniel Chalmers. You'll see what I mean. But you'll have to be patient while it's being edited.
9 April 2010
I rebuilt the Home page of this website and created a link to mobile-friendly version. It's still not perfect because I'm not an HTML programmer, but hey, it's better. I've also checked it against Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox to make sure it's readable for most everyone.
Please... if you see any issues or have suggestions, e-mail me at webmaster @ steeleholting.com. I want to make this website enjoyable.
I am continuing to work on a new story. I've written the first four of eight parts and it's moving along well. Stay posted!
12 March 2010
Doing the booty dance, folks. This morning, over a chai tea latte with a double hit of espresso, I checked my site stats and discovered that you guys are awesome: 50,000 hits on this website, baby! And THAT, my friends, is why I happily spend my free time writing. If you didn't read, I would have given up writing by now.
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
Pepp
P.S. Oh, and the story is going quite well. It looks like it's going to be an 8-part story. I've written the first 2, plus the ending and the middle is moving along nicely.
7 March 2010
Kitchen is winding down ... whew! I have floors, an island, electricity and all my appliances are back in place and out of my living room. Yippee! But that's not what you want to know, right? Where's my next Remington Steele story?
After three false starts on various ideas, including the sequel to Queen of Steele that has entirely too much angst, even for me (I really don't want deal with the emotional fallout of Laura having sold Remington's condo, but yeah, I know I left it hanging), I'm working on a really juicy one that has me by the throat. There are a lot of sour looks in my house ... mostly from me because I'm typing madly and don't want to be interrupted. Alas, I have to feed my children.
It's longer than my usual stories, but nothing like Diamonds ... I hope. Bear with me on this one. I think it's going to be fun.
Pepp
4 March 2010
Still remodeling the kitchen. Working on a couple of RS story ideas.
22 February 2010
Added a link to Samantha Knight's website: Steele in Print under "Other Sites." Enjoy her work ... I do!
10 February 2010
Posted a new story: Rethinking Steele. It's a little different for me, I needed something light after grouting the slate in my kitchen!
9 February 2010
Haven't forgotten about writing ... but I'm remodeling my kitchen. Scraping tile up makes one a wee bit tired in the evenings. Have a week to go before life begins to return to normal. Wish me luck!
21 January 2010
I've renamed "Steele Bonds" to "Holt Fast, My Love" The previous title was too close to one published by one of my favorite authors ... a fabulous work-in-process named "Steele Ties Don't Break" that's been around forever. Thoin is still writing it and posting every once in a blue moon. My only excuse is a brain blip. I don't publish many stories without "Steele" in the title, but this one seemed to call for it.
13 January 2010
Posted a little snippet today called "Steele in Time." Also found a new website publishing software that seems to have addressed a number of issues. If you see a problem with the website, sing out!
2 January 2010
Happy 2010 to all!
Whew. I've got a little mystery I'm wrapping up, then I'm taking a short break from RS to work on another novel I've started. I still have several half-written RS stories hanging around my desktop to finish; they will get done--but maybe after January is over. But stay tuned ... I'll post this latest one in a few days.
1 January 2010
I'm rearranging my website again ... hoping to make it a little more iPhone friendly. Unfortunately this software doesn't do liquid layouts like my old one, so I'm stuck with adapting a fixed layout. Feel free to comment. I've posted Steele Warming Up to give you a little heat to carry you through Christmas!
Happy Holidays all!
17 December 2009
I've added a Story Chronology and a Steeling a Dream timeline for those interested. Nobody asked, but I was starting to lose track of what happened when in the Diamonds universe ... a really bad idea if one wants to keep writing in it. Let me know what you think!
10 December 2009
You can send me an e-mail at webmaster @ steeleholtingon.com (Be sure to remove the spaces when you type the address .. this is my way of staying out of spam engines. Thanks!)
5 December 2009
It's rare that I get so many requests for a prequel or sequel to a story. I haven't had this many since I wrote Steele Keeping Secrets. I don't know that I want to do a prequel to Queen of Steele--only because it would be horribly depressing. However, I have an inkling of an idea for a sequel. I think I can sprinkle in some back story that might satisfy everyone. Hmm. Let me work on that idea for a while.
Happy Birthday, Lovesteele!
2 December 2009
My brain needed a break but I'm back to writing again. I have a couple of ideas spinning around in my head that I want to pursue. One's a post-House of Steele story, the other is another "first-timer." Let me know when you all get tired of the latter. Just when I think I've exhausted all the possibilities ...
By the way, thanks for reading ... over 10,000 hits on the new website so far. Between the old and the new, that's over 44,000 hits since St. Paddy's Day. Thank you for making me a very happy camper!
1 December 2009.
Posted new story today: "Queen of Steele." This one is set nearly a year after Season Five. Enjoy and have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
21 November 2009
I hear angels singing .... House of Steele is posted and DONE! When you have finished reading House of Steele, don't forget to go back and read the short story "Steele Got the Touch."
14 November 2009
I've written my first crossover story: Steele Got the Touch (PG) If you aren't familiar with the concept, it's where you borrow characters from two TV shows, books, movies, etc. and write one story for both of them. This one is for my two favorite shows: Remington Steele and Castle. I hadn't tried my hand at writing a crossover, but after recently reading a truly brilliant Moonlighting/RS one and having a friend start up the Cast(le) in Steele Yahoo group, I was quite inspired.
For House of Steele fans, this story ties in directly to the end of HoS, although it is not necessary to have any knowledge of the Steeling a Dream universe to understand it.
House of Steele Chapter 3 coming tomorrow.
1 November 2009
As promised, I've posted Chapter One to House of Steele. Chapter Two tomorrow ....
House of Steele is NOT a work-in-process. It's a completed story. I will post a chapter a day unless I get
some really great bribes for posting faster!
31 October 2009
Almost done editing the last few chapters. House of Steele will be posted beginning on Saturday. That's
your Halloween treat from me ... Oh, there's a trick too. Somewhere on the website is a link to "Chapter One:
Dawn" of House of Steele. Happy Hunting!
27 October 2009
HINT: Under a Steele Dark Sky and House of Steele started out as a single story and I split it because I
needed to go in a slightly different direction with House of Steele. But House of Steele picks up EXACTLY
where USDS leaves off. So if you need a refresher ... now's a good time to reread USDS.
14 October 2009
House of Steele is officially off to my wonderful, fabulous editor!
12 October 2009
Irritably typing with nine fingers ... except when I forget and hit the spacebar with the wrong thumb. But no
drugs today, so the story is moving along. Last chapter ...
11 October 2009
ARGGGH. Begging your pardons. I am, quite seriously, writing the last chapter of House of Steele. This
morning, I slammed my thumb into the car door--not just damaging the nail, but chipping the bone in the
process. Hence, I'm down to one-handed typing as I keep my hand elevated. I'm also on some cool painkillers
that are keeping the throbbing down to a dull ache. Typing is slow, but I shall persevere!
Bear with me if I don't answer e-mails for the next few days; it's only temporary!
9 October 2009
Had a post-writing class inspiration and am 'squeeing' to myself over a crucial development in the House of
Steele finale. Madly typing on the keyboard ....
6 October 2009
I wrote "A Steele Halloween" early this years when I wrote the rest of the "Two Holts" stories. I've been
saving it. It's October, so I've brought it out for a little fun!
6 October 2009
Just posted "Holt Steele, I'm Driving" Back to House of Steele ... working on Chapter 26. Gotta solve this
mystery!
30 September 2009
Humbly begging apologies. I took the weekend off from writing House of Steele to pen a really scorching
short story that's being edited as we speak. Yeah, I know, I gave in. It's either write the sucker or I'm stuck
dreaming about it at night. I'll post that one to tide you over until I finish House. And Shannon--you made
my day with your post on my guestbook!
29 Sept 2009
Whew. Done with the moving stuff around part and I'm back to writing the story. Chapter 24 in progress. I
can see the light at the end of the tunnel! The end is near, the end is near!
Just FYI, the opening chapter of my romance novel was well-received in writing class. I'll tackle that as soon
as I finish House of Steele. In the meantime, I'm telling myself NOT to get distracted again writing short
stories for the next couple of weeks. No, no, no.
25 September 2009
Ack! I wrote all the way through Chapter 23 and discovered that I have the timing all wrong. So--I've been
rearranging scenes, adding some and moving others, so that the story flows properly through the last half of
the book. This is why I don't post WIPs (works in progress). If I had, I'd be toast!
23 September 2009
Wrapped up Chapter 22 while waiting for the leather seats to be installed in my hubby's new truck. Thank
God for coffeeshops, Wi-Fi connections, power outlets and cell phones. It's 3:10 in the afternoon ... two more
hours of writing to go. Chapter 23 here I come.
21 September 2009
Just started Chapter 22 ... I think I only have maybe three to go and then I'm done. Whew. This coming
week should be a great one for writing as I have finished a couple of projects around the house. I have
started the manuscript for a romance novel I'm working on for my writing class. Will present the first part
in class on Tuesday.
19 September 2009
Chapter 20 is done, closing in on home.
14 September 2009
Working on Chapter 18 of House of Steele ... In the past seven days I've finished off four chapters ... making
me a happy camper. My guess is that we'll wrap this up in another five chapters or so. There won't be a
sequel to this one because I'm going to finish out this story arc ... but I might write the occasional story in
this "universe."
I'm still getting a few notes about website problems ... please keep me informed so that I can tweak it. I
know the Mac browser/floating bar issue is still out there, but I don't know if I've fixed the iPhone problem.
Beginning on Tuesday night, I'm taking a writing class so that I can pursue some original novel ideas I have in
my head. I don't know how that will affect my RS writing time... but I will keep you posted! I will have
House of Steele finished before I start writing any other novels.
5 September 2009
I have finished moving all the stories to the new website. Yay!
I've been told there are still some issues viewing this website on Mac browsers. If you are seeing problems,
please drop me a line. Also, if anyone is an iPhone user, please let me know if the website is working on that as
well. For all those who have e-mailed me about issues with the site -- THANK YOU! I want this to be a great
place to "drop by" and hang out with a cup of coffee. Broken links and weird bars that block your reading
just ruin the experience like a coffee ring on the funnies. We can't have that now!
In the meantime, I am finishing up House of Steele. Chapter 16 in progress ...
1 September 2009
I've got a short story in the works ... I'm trying my hand at a comic piece strictly as a short break from
writing House of Steele. It's being edited, so while that happens, I'm back to writing House.
13 August 2009
30,000 hits. Excuse me while I do a little booty dance (bop, bop, bop, be bop a dop bop) ... okay I'm done
now. Thank you for reading!!!
A big thank you to Lovesteele for helping me work out a major plot point on Tuesday for House of Steele.
(If you like sizzlin' hot RS fic, lovesteele's your lady -- you can find her website under "Links." No one
under 18 or with delicate sensibilities please!) I will confess that I had hit a roadblock nearly as solid as the
one I had three-quarters of the way through Diamonds. But it's gone now and I wrote nearly a whole chapter
yesterday that solidifies the story. I'm off to pay bills and do a mound of laundry (curses on the little things
that keep my family clothed and fed), then I will sprinkle more words upon the page.
31 July 2009
I'm nearly finished rewriting parts of House of Steele, but I took a breather to edit Sensitive Steele Redux
again. After re-reading that story several times in the past two weeks, I gave in and tightened it up.
Hopefully, you'll like the changes.
House has been a huge challenge, but now that I've cleaned it up, I'm much happier with the way it's coming
along.
23 July 2009
USDS has been posted and I have been amazed at the wonderful comments I've been getting. House of Steele
is coming along nicely and I will be wrapping it up in the next few weeks. Yes--I know what the sex of the
baby is, and yes--I have a name all picked out. Stick around. You should know by now that I like to pull one
character out of the Steeles past (from the show) and bring them around again. Hopefully that will keep you
guessing and patiently waiting!
11 July 2009
Yippee -- 20,000 hits on this website. Thank you for reading!
3 July 2009
Diamonds of Steele is now part one of a three-part story arc that I am calling Steeling a Dream. Don't
despair, part two: Under a Steele Dark Sky is being edited as we speak and I'm finishing out writing part
three: House of Steele.
I love this way this one is turning out. If the thief who stole a red diamond in 1978 would have known what he
was setting in motion--
28 June 2009
USDS is coming along nicely. I did get sidetracked by a couple short stories. Steele Nero has been posted
and the next one will be up by the end of the week.
I've been asked why I don't write mysteries since Remington Steele was a series about them. And the answer
is very simple: I'm not very good at writing them yet. I get way too sidetracked with their personal
relationship. Let's face it, I'm all about writing romance. Besides, I figure we were lucky enough to see five
years worth of how they solved mysteries together and we know they are good at it.
The other reason is that I tend to write a little too much reality into my stories--I've received many
compliments about Remington and Laura acting as mature adults with the only occasional descent into childish
behavior (as we are all capable of doing). However, it means I tend to write on the darker side of
mystery--more violence and more crime--not the light kind that made the show so popular. Quite frankly,
after Diamonds, I really don't want to take these characters down that road again.
But as things go, I do have a story in mind that will probably be posted to the "More Stories" section
whenever I get around to writing it. Our favorite leads won't be endangered in any way, but they will have a
fairly nasty case to solve.
However, it doesn't mean I won't try my hand at writing the lighter mysteries down the road. As I write, I'm
learning how to draw the right emotions out of a story. Hopefully, I'm getting better at all of it. I'm
certainly having fun with the process.
One of my favorite compliments to date on one of the short stories is that the reader "wanted to reach into
the computer and strangle both of them." Since that was the exact feeling I'd wanted, I was thrilled!
Stay tuned ...
15 June 2009
The muse has been standing over my shoulder whispering sweet nothings into my ear ... some of what I've
written lately hasn't been very intricate but it has been fun. I was issued a fiction challenge last week and
all sorts of things have spilled out all over my keyboard as a result. And no ... I haven't forgotten about the
story I was asked to write about Nero.
The novel is progressing well ... I'm in the middle and all sorts of things are happening right now.
26 May 2009
Wow! This website began on 17 March 2009 (St. Patrick's Day for all you Irish fans out there) -- as of 12
May 2009, it has received over 10,000 hits. Not bad for 8 weeks. Thank you to everyone who reads my
work!!
18 May 2009
I'm working steadily on Under a Steele Dark Sky. Approximately a third of it is written, the middle is
plotted out and I'm debating on what I'm going to do for the ending. I'm doing my best not to be distracted
by short stories so I can concentrate on the novel. (But darn it--it's hard!)
Under "Links" I am posting books by RS fanfic authors that have gone on to publish original works. Click on
the bookcover to order your copies. (I'm not making any money from this, it's just my way of saying
"Thanks!" because I've enjoyed their stories over and over again!)
I love hearing from readers! Writing makes me happy and feedback is the icing on the cake.
10 May 2009
I've had any number of comments from readers questioning the more troubling aspects of my stories. I
certainly do not condone violence or abuse in any way, but I'm not afraid to write about them and the
emotional aftermath. I also understand that we do not live in a perfect world and sometimes bad things
happen to good people. Dealing with those things can break us or make us stronger and more loving.
Remington and Laura are strong characters and the delight of writing about them is the sheer joy of knowing
their love and friendship is powerful enough to pull them through anything. Sometimes it might be a long, hard
road though ...
1 April 2009
Diamonds of Steele is complete ... and I'm still writing. Yes, there will be a sequel and I beg everyone's
patience while I work on it. Diamonds took me nearly three months to write and another month to edit with my
beta-reader, so I anticipate this one will take me a while as well. I won't start posting until the story is
complete so that I can edit and rewrite to my heart's content. I think you get a better story that way.
There will be more Two Holts stories very soon, so check back. Murphy is my favorite underrated character
and I had a great deal of fun marrying him to Kate and developing his relationship with Remington. The
couple will reappear in the sequel as well.
The good news: whenever I hit a roadblock in the sequel, I'll stop and write a short story to help me get past
it. The bad news: if the novel is moving along, I'm not writing short stories!
A HUGE thank you to everyone who has been amazingly supportive of my fan fiction. Your comments have
encouraged me to keep writing!
27 March 2009
Another abandoned story: resurrected, edited, rewritten, edited again. Now posted.
21 April 2011
This one was unearthed, edited, then forgotten in my email until this evening. Thanks, as always, to Wilma for editing.
8 February 2011
The pen flew across the page ... posted Steele Threads: Postscript in answer to a writing challenge.
28 December 2010
Forgot about this one. I thought it needed more, so I let it languish. I reopened it, lopped off the last two paragraphs and discovered it was done. It's short, but enjoy. FYI, "Cannes" is pronounced "Can" in French.
31 October 2010
Sigh, sorry gang. Not much here lately. I've been TRYING to finish out a sequel to Holt Steele, I'm Driving, but the story seems off somehow. Of course the fact that hubby and I just bought a franchise and are getting it up and running has absolutely nothing to do with it. The other stories are floundering where I left them. Mostly I have far too much angst and not enough comedy/romance to make me happy. So you're stuck rereading the old stuff for now.
While you are waiting, go read Forging of Steele at www.steeleinprint.com. Tell Sam I said, "Hi."
16 October 2010
Digging around on my desktop, I've found that I have no less than EIGHT unfinished RS stories. That just seems wrong somehow. So I'm playing with them. A couple of them are just flat too dark for RS fic and I won't put them up. But that post-House of Steele story is coming together, as is the post Queen of Steele story. The others are loosely-formed ideas that don't really have a plot yet.
Bear with me. I'll get something up before long. In the meantime, I'm cleaning up stories on my website.
11 August 2011
At the moment, I'm sad to say I have nothing in the Remington Steele hopper at the moment. But ... I've been working on a novel of my own creation. It's much more challenging to create characters from scratch. I hadn't realized how much I could "cheat" because the RS reader already knows all the major characters and the backstory. It's fun though, despite having trashed my first two chapters three times. But, the third time is the charm and I'm on a roll. I've joined a local writer's group and have a couple of great ladies critiquing my work. While I love accolades (who doesn't!), it's also helpful to know how & where to improve my writing.
(giggle) Still laughing because when "Remington Steele NC-17" is put into almost any search engine, this website is coming up either #1, #2, or #3. You go, readers!!
22 July 2010
Playing around with a couple of story lines ... after Regency Steele, I need something short and sassy.
15 June 2010
Here we go! Regency Steele is going up today! One chapter at a time, folks. Reminder: this is NOT a work-in-process. It is a completed story that I will post one chapter per day for the next 10 days.
21 May 2010
While my next story is still being edited, I'm working on cleaning up the stories on the website. As I've learned more about HTML and web publishing, I now know how to fix some of the formatting errors that have popped up here and there--such as lines that don't wrap properly in all the browsers. I'm also taking the time to make certain I use the same formatting for all the stories and to fix the occasional goof.
A question popped up from a reader that I thought was interesting and we had a great discussion over it. The reader asked if I ever got the characters confused with the actors--especially when writing intimate scenes.
The answer is an easy "No." For me, the characters exist on paper. They existed on paper before the actors inhabited them. It's no different than Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice or Jack Ryan from Hunt for Red October. I love the characters. The actors have certainly lent a visual reference and added their own mark to the character, but they aren't one and the same.
Proof: Twice, when perusing fan fiction on the web, I've come across stories where the writer used the actors' real names. I was so completely icked out by the idea that I couldn't finish either story. To me, treating the actors as mere characters was terribly rude and intrusive on their personal lives.
When I write, I have to think about the motivations and mannarisms of the characters--not the actors. I can't watch Pierce Brosnan in The Thomas Crown Affair or a clip of Stephanie Zimbalist in Tea at Five in order write a Remington Steele story.
In any case, it was a great discussion and I thought I'd share. Feel free to email me at webmaster @ steeleholtingon.com.
1 May 2010
Okay, I finished writing the next story. This one turned out much longer than I had originally intended--but that's what you get when you try to retell Bonds of Steele and all of Season 5 in a completely different way. I jettisoned all the parts I didn't like, kept the ones I did, put Laura in a corset and gave the whole thing over to Daniel Chalmers. You'll see what I mean. But you'll have to be patient while it's being edited.
9 April 2010
I rebuilt the Home page of this website and created a link to mobile-friendly version. It's still not perfect because I'm not an HTML programmer, but hey, it's better. I've also checked it against Safari, Internet Explorer and Firefox to make sure it's readable for most everyone.
Please... if you see any issues or have suggestions, e-mail me at webmaster @ steeleholting.com. I want to make this website enjoyable.
I am continuing to work on a new story. I've written the first four of eight parts and it's moving along well. Stay posted!
12 March 2010
Doing the booty dance, folks. This morning, over a chai tea latte with a double hit of espresso, I checked my site stats and discovered that you guys are awesome: 50,000 hits on this website, baby! And THAT, my friends, is why I happily spend my free time writing. If you didn't read, I would have given up writing by now.
Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
Pepp
P.S. Oh, and the story is going quite well. It looks like it's going to be an 8-part story. I've written the first 2, plus the ending and the middle is moving along nicely.
7 March 2010
Kitchen is winding down ... whew! I have floors, an island, electricity and all my appliances are back in place and out of my living room. Yippee! But that's not what you want to know, right? Where's my next Remington Steele story?
After three false starts on various ideas, including the sequel to Queen of Steele that has entirely too much angst, even for me (I really don't want deal with the emotional fallout of Laura having sold Remington's condo, but yeah, I know I left it hanging), I'm working on a really juicy one that has me by the throat. There are a lot of sour looks in my house ... mostly from me because I'm typing madly and don't want to be interrupted. Alas, I have to feed my children.
It's longer than my usual stories, but nothing like Diamonds ... I hope. Bear with me on this one. I think it's going to be fun.
Pepp
4 March 2010
Still remodeling the kitchen. Working on a couple of RS story ideas.
22 February 2010
Added a link to Samantha Knight's website: Steele in Print under "Other Sites." Enjoy her work ... I do!
10 February 2010
Posted a new story: Rethinking Steele. It's a little different for me, I needed something light after grouting the slate in my kitchen!
9 February 2010
Haven't forgotten about writing ... but I'm remodeling my kitchen. Scraping tile up makes one a wee bit tired in the evenings. Have a week to go before life begins to return to normal. Wish me luck!
21 January 2010
I've renamed "Steele Bonds" to "Holt Fast, My Love" The previous title was too close to one published by one of my favorite authors ... a fabulous work-in-process named "Steele Ties Don't Break" that's been around forever. Thoin is still writing it and posting every once in a blue moon. My only excuse is a brain blip. I don't publish many stories without "Steele" in the title, but this one seemed to call for it.
13 January 2010
Posted a little snippet today called "Steele in Time." Also found a new website publishing software that seems to have addressed a number of issues. If you see a problem with the website, sing out!
2 January 2010
Happy 2010 to all!
Whew. I've got a little mystery I'm wrapping up, then I'm taking a short break from RS to work on another novel I've started. I still have several half-written RS stories hanging around my desktop to finish; they will get done--but maybe after January is over. But stay tuned ... I'll post this latest one in a few days.
1 January 2010
I'm rearranging my website again ... hoping to make it a little more iPhone friendly. Unfortunately this software doesn't do liquid layouts like my old one, so I'm stuck with adapting a fixed layout. Feel free to comment. I've posted Steele Warming Up to give you a little heat to carry you through Christmas!
Happy Holidays all!
17 December 2009
I've added a Story Chronology and a Steeling a Dream timeline for those interested. Nobody asked, but I was starting to lose track of what happened when in the Diamonds universe ... a really bad idea if one wants to keep writing in it. Let me know what you think!
10 December 2009
You can send me an e-mail at webmaster @ steeleholtingon.com (Be sure to remove the spaces when you type the address .. this is my way of staying out of spam engines. Thanks!)
5 December 2009
It's rare that I get so many requests for a prequel or sequel to a story. I haven't had this many since I wrote Steele Keeping Secrets. I don't know that I want to do a prequel to Queen of Steele--only because it would be horribly depressing. However, I have an inkling of an idea for a sequel. I think I can sprinkle in some back story that might satisfy everyone. Hmm. Let me work on that idea for a while.
Happy Birthday, Lovesteele!
2 December 2009
My brain needed a break but I'm back to writing again. I have a couple of ideas spinning around in my head that I want to pursue. One's a post-House of Steele story, the other is another "first-timer." Let me know when you all get tired of the latter. Just when I think I've exhausted all the possibilities ...
By the way, thanks for reading ... over 10,000 hits on the new website so far. Between the old and the new, that's over 44,000 hits since St. Paddy's Day. Thank you for making me a very happy camper!
1 December 2009.
Posted new story today: "Queen of Steele." This one is set nearly a year after Season Five. Enjoy and have a
Happy Thanksgiving!
21 November 2009
I hear angels singing .... House of Steele is posted and DONE! When you have finished reading House of Steele, don't forget to go back and read the short story "Steele Got the Touch."
14 November 2009
I've written my first crossover story: Steele Got the Touch (PG) If you aren't familiar with the concept, it's where you borrow characters from two TV shows, books, movies, etc. and write one story for both of them. This one is for my two favorite shows: Remington Steele and Castle. I hadn't tried my hand at writing a crossover, but after recently reading a truly brilliant Moonlighting/RS one and having a friend start up the Cast(le) in Steele Yahoo group, I was quite inspired.
For House of Steele fans, this story ties in directly to the end of HoS, although it is not necessary to have any knowledge of the Steeling a Dream universe to understand it.
House of Steele Chapter 3 coming tomorrow.
1 November 2009
As promised, I've posted Chapter One to House of Steele. Chapter Two tomorrow ....
House of Steele is NOT a work-in-process. It's a completed story. I will post a chapter a day unless I get
some really great bribes for posting faster!
31 October 2009
Almost done editing the last few chapters. House of Steele will be posted beginning on Saturday. That's
your Halloween treat from me ... Oh, there's a trick too. Somewhere on the website is a link to "Chapter One:
Dawn" of House of Steele. Happy Hunting!
27 October 2009
HINT: Under a Steele Dark Sky and House of Steele started out as a single story and I split it because I
needed to go in a slightly different direction with House of Steele. But House of Steele picks up EXACTLY
where USDS leaves off. So if you need a refresher ... now's a good time to reread USDS.
14 October 2009
House of Steele is officially off to my wonderful, fabulous editor!
12 October 2009
Irritably typing with nine fingers ... except when I forget and hit the spacebar with the wrong thumb. But no
drugs today, so the story is moving along. Last chapter ...
11 October 2009
ARGGGH. Begging your pardons. I am, quite seriously, writing the last chapter of House of Steele. This
morning, I slammed my thumb into the car door--not just damaging the nail, but chipping the bone in the
process. Hence, I'm down to one-handed typing as I keep my hand elevated. I'm also on some cool painkillers
that are keeping the throbbing down to a dull ache. Typing is slow, but I shall persevere!
Bear with me if I don't answer e-mails for the next few days; it's only temporary!
9 October 2009
Had a post-writing class inspiration and am 'squeeing' to myself over a crucial development in the House of
Steele finale. Madly typing on the keyboard ....
6 October 2009
I wrote "A Steele Halloween" early this years when I wrote the rest of the "Two Holts" stories. I've been
saving it. It's October, so I've brought it out for a little fun!
6 October 2009
Just posted "Holt Steele, I'm Driving" Back to House of Steele ... working on Chapter 26. Gotta solve this
mystery!
30 September 2009
Humbly begging apologies. I took the weekend off from writing House of Steele to pen a really scorching
short story that's being edited as we speak. Yeah, I know, I gave in. It's either write the sucker or I'm stuck
dreaming about it at night. I'll post that one to tide you over until I finish House. And Shannon--you made
my day with your post on my guestbook!
29 Sept 2009
Whew. Done with the moving stuff around part and I'm back to writing the story. Chapter 24 in progress. I
can see the light at the end of the tunnel! The end is near, the end is near!
Just FYI, the opening chapter of my romance novel was well-received in writing class. I'll tackle that as soon
as I finish House of Steele. In the meantime, I'm telling myself NOT to get distracted again writing short
stories for the next couple of weeks. No, no, no.
25 September 2009
Ack! I wrote all the way through Chapter 23 and discovered that I have the timing all wrong. So--I've been
rearranging scenes, adding some and moving others, so that the story flows properly through the last half of
the book. This is why I don't post WIPs (works in progress). If I had, I'd be toast!
23 September 2009
Wrapped up Chapter 22 while waiting for the leather seats to be installed in my hubby's new truck. Thank
God for coffeeshops, Wi-Fi connections, power outlets and cell phones. It's 3:10 in the afternoon ... two more
hours of writing to go. Chapter 23 here I come.
21 September 2009
Just started Chapter 22 ... I think I only have maybe three to go and then I'm done. Whew. This coming
week should be a great one for writing as I have finished a couple of projects around the house. I have
started the manuscript for a romance novel I'm working on for my writing class. Will present the first part
in class on Tuesday.
19 September 2009
Chapter 20 is done, closing in on home.
14 September 2009
Working on Chapter 18 of House of Steele ... In the past seven days I've finished off four chapters ... making
me a happy camper. My guess is that we'll wrap this up in another five chapters or so. There won't be a
sequel to this one because I'm going to finish out this story arc ... but I might write the occasional story in
this "universe."
I'm still getting a few notes about website problems ... please keep me informed so that I can tweak it. I
know the Mac browser/floating bar issue is still out there, but I don't know if I've fixed the iPhone problem.
Beginning on Tuesday night, I'm taking a writing class so that I can pursue some original novel ideas I have in
my head. I don't know how that will affect my RS writing time... but I will keep you posted! I will have
House of Steele finished before I start writing any other novels.
5 September 2009
I have finished moving all the stories to the new website. Yay!
I've been told there are still some issues viewing this website on Mac browsers. If you are seeing problems,
please drop me a line. Also, if anyone is an iPhone user, please let me know if the website is working on that as
well. For all those who have e-mailed me about issues with the site -- THANK YOU! I want this to be a great
place to "drop by" and hang out with a cup of coffee. Broken links and weird bars that block your reading
just ruin the experience like a coffee ring on the funnies. We can't have that now!
In the meantime, I am finishing up House of Steele. Chapter 16 in progress ...
1 September 2009
I've got a short story in the works ... I'm trying my hand at a comic piece strictly as a short break from
writing House of Steele. It's being edited, so while that happens, I'm back to writing House.
13 August 2009
30,000 hits. Excuse me while I do a little booty dance (bop, bop, bop, be bop a dop bop) ... okay I'm done
now. Thank you for reading!!!
A big thank you to Lovesteele for helping me work out a major plot point on Tuesday for House of Steele.
(If you like sizzlin' hot RS fic, lovesteele's your lady -- you can find her website under "Links." No one
under 18 or with delicate sensibilities please!) I will confess that I had hit a roadblock nearly as solid as the
one I had three-quarters of the way through Diamonds. But it's gone now and I wrote nearly a whole chapter
yesterday that solidifies the story. I'm off to pay bills and do a mound of laundry (curses on the little things
that keep my family clothed and fed), then I will sprinkle more words upon the page.
31 July 2009
I'm nearly finished rewriting parts of House of Steele, but I took a breather to edit Sensitive Steele Redux
again. After re-reading that story several times in the past two weeks, I gave in and tightened it up.
Hopefully, you'll like the changes.
House has been a huge challenge, but now that I've cleaned it up, I'm much happier with the way it's coming
along.
23 July 2009
USDS has been posted and I have been amazed at the wonderful comments I've been getting. House of Steele
is coming along nicely and I will be wrapping it up in the next few weeks. Yes--I know what the sex of the
baby is, and yes--I have a name all picked out. Stick around. You should know by now that I like to pull one
character out of the Steeles past (from the show) and bring them around again. Hopefully that will keep you
guessing and patiently waiting!
11 July 2009
Yippee -- 20,000 hits on this website. Thank you for reading!
3 July 2009
Diamonds of Steele is now part one of a three-part story arc that I am calling Steeling a Dream. Don't
despair, part two: Under a Steele Dark Sky is being edited as we speak and I'm finishing out writing part
three: House of Steele.
I love this way this one is turning out. If the thief who stole a red diamond in 1978 would have known what he
was setting in motion--
28 June 2009
USDS is coming along nicely. I did get sidetracked by a couple short stories. Steele Nero has been posted
and the next one will be up by the end of the week.
I've been asked why I don't write mysteries since Remington Steele was a series about them. And the answer
is very simple: I'm not very good at writing them yet. I get way too sidetracked with their personal
relationship. Let's face it, I'm all about writing romance. Besides, I figure we were lucky enough to see five
years worth of how they solved mysteries together and we know they are good at it.
The other reason is that I tend to write a little too much reality into my stories--I've received many
compliments about Remington and Laura acting as mature adults with the only occasional descent into childish
behavior (as we are all capable of doing). However, it means I tend to write on the darker side of
mystery--more violence and more crime--not the light kind that made the show so popular. Quite frankly,
after Diamonds, I really don't want to take these characters down that road again.
But as things go, I do have a story in mind that will probably be posted to the "More Stories" section
whenever I get around to writing it. Our favorite leads won't be endangered in any way, but they will have a
fairly nasty case to solve.
However, it doesn't mean I won't try my hand at writing the lighter mysteries down the road. As I write, I'm
learning how to draw the right emotions out of a story. Hopefully, I'm getting better at all of it. I'm
certainly having fun with the process.
One of my favorite compliments to date on one of the short stories is that the reader "wanted to reach into
the computer and strangle both of them." Since that was the exact feeling I'd wanted, I was thrilled!
Stay tuned ...
15 June 2009
The muse has been standing over my shoulder whispering sweet nothings into my ear ... some of what I've
written lately hasn't been very intricate but it has been fun. I was issued a fiction challenge last week and
all sorts of things have spilled out all over my keyboard as a result. And no ... I haven't forgotten about the
story I was asked to write about Nero.
The novel is progressing well ... I'm in the middle and all sorts of things are happening right now.
26 May 2009
Wow! This website began on 17 March 2009 (St. Patrick's Day for all you Irish fans out there) -- as of 12
May 2009, it has received over 10,000 hits. Not bad for 8 weeks. Thank you to everyone who reads my
work!!
18 May 2009
I'm working steadily on Under a Steele Dark Sky. Approximately a third of it is written, the middle is
plotted out and I'm debating on what I'm going to do for the ending. I'm doing my best not to be distracted
by short stories so I can concentrate on the novel. (But darn it--it's hard!)
Under "Links" I am posting books by RS fanfic authors that have gone on to publish original works. Click on
the bookcover to order your copies. (I'm not making any money from this, it's just my way of saying
"Thanks!" because I've enjoyed their stories over and over again!)
I love hearing from readers! Writing makes me happy and feedback is the icing on the cake.
10 May 2009
I've had any number of comments from readers questioning the more troubling aspects of my stories. I
certainly do not condone violence or abuse in any way, but I'm not afraid to write about them and the
emotional aftermath. I also understand that we do not live in a perfect world and sometimes bad things
happen to good people. Dealing with those things can break us or make us stronger and more loving.
Remington and Laura are strong characters and the delight of writing about them is the sheer joy of knowing
their love and friendship is powerful enough to pull them through anything. Sometimes it might be a long, hard
road though ...
1 April 2009
Diamonds of Steele is complete ... and I'm still writing. Yes, there will be a sequel and I beg everyone's
patience while I work on it. Diamonds took me nearly three months to write and another month to edit with my
beta-reader, so I anticipate this one will take me a while as well. I won't start posting until the story is
complete so that I can edit and rewrite to my heart's content. I think you get a better story that way.
There will be more Two Holts stories very soon, so check back. Murphy is my favorite underrated character
and I had a great deal of fun marrying him to Kate and developing his relationship with Remington. The
couple will reappear in the sequel as well.
The good news: whenever I hit a roadblock in the sequel, I'll stop and write a short story to help me get past
it. The bad news: if the novel is moving along, I'm not writing short stories!
A HUGE thank you to everyone who has been amazingly supportive of my fan fiction. Your comments have
encouraged me to keep writing!
27 March 2009
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Steele Holting On
Steele
Holting On
