And a Happy New Year

I'm hoping that everyone reading this enjoyed the first holiday of the season and was able to spend some time with family and/or friends.  Now on to New Year's.

Some years back, I learned about the Scottish celebration of Hogmanay.  It's one of those odd holidays where they can't tell you exactly how it started or what it means, but one of my favorite definitions is that the word is a derivation of "hug me now."  There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of 'first-footing' which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink (as the gifts) are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into the middle of January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot.  One of these days that might just make a good setting for a story, eh? I have friends who have spent hogmanay in Scotland - sounds like a good enough reason to go back (as if I need a good reason).

Meanwhile, I'm making excellent progress with Living Canvas. It should be ready in time for the Chicago writer's conference.  And in case I haven't mentioned it lately {G} the tenth anniversary edition of The Treasure of St. Paul, retitled Touched by the Sun, is available for e-readers (Kindle, Nook, Sony, etc.) and a hard copy will be available by the first of the year (if not sooner). I've included links below . . .

Click here if you have a Kindle.

Click here if you have a Nook.

And click here if you have another e-reader.

To purchase a paperback copy, click here

(this concludes the commercial portion of this post).


Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

It's here!  Touched by the Sun - the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Treasure of St. Paul is now available for e-readers.  You can find it at BN.com (click here) or at the Kindle Store, and also available for Sony Readers and in other formats (including downloadable PDF) at Smashwords (click here).  The paperback version should be available at Amazon after the first of the year.  Spread the news, tell all your friends and for those folks that get an e-reader for Christmas (or are giving an ereader for Christmas), make sure you download a copy!

Now it's full speed ahead with Living Canvas.  I'm grateful for the editor who is working with me, and there will obviously be some delay through the holidays as we all take time to spend with our loved ones, but I'm excited to be moving forward once more. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah (Today!), Happy Holidays, Happy New Year.  May our lives be filled with peace, love and joy in the upcoming year. 

Forward ho!

Progress!  And on many fronts at once.  When it rains it pours, and in this case, the rain is warm and cleansing!  No, not literally raining . . . although it is literally raining.  Am I rambling?

To clarify, the weather outside is frightful - sound like a Christmas carol yet?  But the writing is so delightful.  Edits to St. Paul are significantly finished and the file is reformatted to submit for ebook distribution.  All that remains is one last look-see from me to make sure I haven't misspelled any more words or unintentionally omitted something, etc.  Woo Hoo!

Additionally, I'm moving forward with the edits on Living Canvas.  I'm working with an editor who keeps saying nice things about it, so the extra shot in the arm is motivating me to get that story done.  The end still needs significant improvement, but knowing what's going to happen will move that along fairly easily, I'm thinking.

Christmas shopping is done.  DH is back from his extended business trip - he was able to come home early.  Counting my blessings, I am.  All too soon the pace of life is going to speed up again, but until then, I'm going to enjoy this moment.

Enjoy your Christmas "present".

Ho-ho-holidays

I was given a gift of free time, and what happened? 

I got sick.

However, I'm on the mend and I did not squander all the time.  St. Paul is significantly updated and pending one last round of comments from a fellow critiquer, hoping to get the conversion to e-book started shortly.

Living Canvas has survived it's own round of rewrites, and I'm a full 2/3 the way through that and chugging forward.  I'm excited to have made contact with an editor who will hopefully help me make that one saleable shortly, and with that completed and "off the shelf," I'm looking forward to starting one of two new stories that I've outlined (but first things first).  That's the exciting news on the writing front.

On the homefront, as my friends know, I normally like watching holiday movies, etc., and this year I'm sorely disappointed by some of the really bad quality of the newer holiday movies.  I watched one last night that felt like a train wreck.  The plot was implausible, the actors were not talented or even terribly attractive, the story line didn't flow . . . and yet I watched to the bitter end.  ICK.  That's all I can say.  The themes don't vary much, and I don't imagine they can, although I saw a different take on the "It's a Wonderful Life" tack by taking a woman and fast forwarding her ten years instead of showing her how her life had impacted people in the past.  I didn't finish that one but will later tonight (DVR is a wonderful thing).

This has been a year of growth and revelations for me.  Life changing in some ways (without being too dramatic).  In line with that, the Christmas story I've been wanting to write forever has finally taken on a solid outline.  It comes as a culmination of life events this year and movies I've seen this year that I liked, maybe identified with just a little, but hoped for a more realistic angle.  It's a different kind of happily ever after - and I'm actually pretty stoked to put it to paper.  Again, first things first.  The story isn't going anywhere, and I'm pretty confident I can get it done for next year Christmas even with the speedbumps that slow me down over the course of a year (including getting Living Canvas into publication!).

So time to break out the Christmas carols, sip some eggnog and enjoy some quiet time.  I think I'll stick with the old classics when it comes to the movies - Christmas in Connecticut, White Christmas, maybe even a While You Were Sleeping for something a little more au courant.

How do you get in the holiday mood?

The Joy of Writing

There are times when writing is exceptionally frustrating.  This is especially true when you hit a plot hole or a snag, or you get overwhelmed following dead-end tangential plotlines.  It can be downright fatal to a story in process.

And then there are the other moments.  The moments when you read what you've written and it feels like magic.  "This is the story I wanted to write!"

I have been taking full advantage of some spare time that fell into my lap to tie up loose ends and revisit old stories that desparately need to be "shopped."  The rewrite/10th anniversary edition of St. Paul is all but done and I'm still expecting to get that out there for people to load onto their new Christmas Kindles. :-) 

I've also picked up Living Canvas again, which has been sitting idly by while I got lost in those aforementioned tangents and plot holes. I have a clearer vision of what forward progress looks like with that story.  I've contacted an editor to check me (of course, I have to complete my edits first) and then I can decide if I want to keep pulling out the "resting" stories on my shelf or move ahead with something fresh.

And speaking of the a new story - I'm anxious to get to it, but I have an overdeveloped sense of order.  Compulsive finisher.  This might work to my disadvantage, not that I'm worried I'll lose my inspiration, but as I wrote a year ago, I've always wanted to write a Christmas kind of story.  My concern is that if I don't get started on it now, while the season is bright and inspiring, I might lose the Christmas angle that might fit in with this one.  Waiting for the new year could potentially lead to post-Christmas burnout, kind of like how the first snowfall is awe inspiring, but after a couple of months of persistent snow, it becomes tiresome.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas.  Christmas Crazy.  I'm listening to carols now, and it isn't quite December.  But would Christmas feel as special if we celebrated it 365 days a year?  Too much of a good thing, doncha know.

I digress.  My point today is that in all things there is both joy and disappointment.  Even the moon waxes and wanes.  I'm in a waxing period now where my writing brings me joy and feels a little less like work.  Fortunately, right now I have the time to put into it while this feeling it is on the rise, because too soon, it will be over and the waning will begin.  These phases help maintain a sense of balance, and it reminds me that through it all, writing is always one of the joys in my life.

Focus pocus

Yes, I know I'm behind in blogging again.  Sorry.  I'm very focused on finishing St. Paul again - I love the way the story still pulls me in!  It WILL be available by Christmas, so all those folks that get new Kindle Fires or some other e-reader for the holidays, be ready to buy the updated version! 

I'm also excited to start a new story, although I'd still like to dust the cobwebs off the work I haven't queried/submitted yet, so the next few weeks I'm planning a flurry of activity sending out queries and outlining the new work.  My creativity has been a little low with the "life events" that have been going on the second half of this year, but as I get back into routine and "everyday" things, the creativity is tapping me on the shoulder again, reminding me that's it's still there, right where I left it.  I'm thinking it's not necessarily a bad thing that the juices have been a little thick and not free flowing - it helps with the editing to be more objective and not try to free associate into a new story arc on something that works fine as it is.

I've added new books to my TBR pile - it's helpful to move forward when you read something you enjoy.  As a writer, reading someone else's work reminds you of those lessons easily forgotten, and it also reminds ME that you can't please all the people all the time, so stay true to your own writing.  I just read two books by one of my favorite authors, and then I went back and read the reviews on those books.  I enjoyed them - flawed though they may have been - but I read some very unfavorable reviews.  Still, this author knocks out new stories and has a loyal following (me included). 

Okay, feeling a little rusty here.  The creativity needs a little tuning to get back into clear focus.  Will try to get back to regular weekly posting - thanks for sticking with me!

Anon

Plugging away

Wow! has it really been that long since my last post? This is a case of work/life balance, with work winning the battle.

I'm still plugging away on the 10th anniversary edition of St. Paul and still editing Living Canvas. In the course of my normal routine, a friend of mine also inspired me with a new story idea, but until I can shift my focus solidly back to my writing, it will have to wait. It is an excellent story arc though! It would be so much easier to maintain my writing focus with a new publishing contract (just sayin' . . .). More query letters need to be written, however.

Along that thought, I just read an interesting blog from an agent that said the query letter is often more compelling to them than the proposal itself. It tells them all they need to know, and while it's a completely different skill set, it's important to note that many different skill sets are required in any job that you do - not just one narrowly focused ability. This is true in any job we do. I can apply it to my full-time, day job. With the changes in the economy and conditions on the job, people are being asked to do more, to expand their skill sets. For some folks, they say "that's so not fair!" and for others, they accept that if they want to continue in the jobs they have, it's a necessary step to survival - being able to increase their value by extending the things they can do. Certainly we all have multiple facets to every job that we do - even before the downturn in the economy, and writing query letters - as painful as it is (and yes, it IS painful!) - is a necessary supplemental skill to our primary function as an author.

My apologies for the length of time between posts. I'm working on rebalancing, which is always stomping on my end of the teeter totter to get it to drop back down. Back soon!

Somebody stop the Merry Go Round

Hi! No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, and thanks for stopping by.

During this past month, I have been busily working on the tenth anniversary edition of St. Paul. I also have Living Canvas hanging around, but with my focus hopelessly divided with personal stuff, the latter story is suffering from lack of attention at the moment. That's the business end of things.

On the personal front, I've been traveling - first to Santa Barbara (and can I say how much I enjoyed that trip!) and then to Myrtle Beach for my daughter's wedding. There has been not shortage of stress and emotions, and this combination makes it very difficult to concentrate, needless to say. I've learned new things about myself! There's something really fascinating when you can actually FEEL yourself evolve. Most of us pass effortlessly from one life stage to another - okay, maybe not effortlessly, but without an undue amount of attention to how we came into a stage and how we exit it. After years of being a wife and a mother and taking care of everyone else, I'm FINALLY entering the "happily ever after" stage of my life. Forgive me, but I'm going to indulge in a sappy post today.

When we get married, we go into it with an idealistic view. Preconceived notions. Expectations. Amazing how quickly those things change! After I I first got married (and after I adjusted my expectations), I set my life on a course toward happily ever after - but it didn't go that way. Someone was always trying to derail my train; still, I did all the right things and tried to live the right life. After a while the kids entered the mix. And then it was all about taking care of them and chasing after them. Again, I tried to do the right things, to give them a good life. Then the marriage fell apart. Someone finally succeeded in derailing the train (yes, I own up to my own part of the wreck), but I was not to be deterred. I was determined to be happy, even if it meant being alone.

When I met my present husband, I had a more "grown-up" view of the world and I set my expectations accordingly. By that same token, he had to be able to put up with me! I didn't really think about the fairy tale anymore, it was about love born of mutual respect, and companionship and having someone that was willing to share my life (with the added bonus of two children). And then something amazing happened. In spite of our disagreements, he respects my opinion. And in not expecting him to change, or expecting more than he could give, he knows that I respect him and his opinions. I am allowed to be who I am and be fully supported in that, and he is allowed to be who he is with my full support. He has had to share me for the past 12 years with two other people who sometimes made our lives challenging, but now that we can focus on just the two of us, now that I actually have time to think of myself once in a while, I've discovered - again - what a good choice I made in marrying this man.

Today, I appreciate all my sisters who, once we all grew up and learned to be humans, have stood by me through many difficult times and held my hand, and I appreciate my husband for being there to live "happily ever after" with me.

Thanks for indulging me. I'm ready to get on with MY life now (and yes, that means getting these books finished!).

Measuring Sticks

An amazing thing happened to me. I believe I posted on this very blog about a year ago that I re-read my first book, The Treasure of St. Paul, and still enjoyed it even after all these years. Maybe I should rephrase that to say I still enjoyed the story . . .

With the migration to e-books, I took a more critical look at St. Paul and was, quite frankly, horrified at some of the poor writing technique. Chalk it up to being a freshman novel, but I was quite embarrassed. AND SO, instead of pushing it immediately into e-book (for your Kindling or Nook pleasure), I will be taking another pass at it to correct some of the glaring errors in the writing and most likely to answer some of the frequently asked questions about the story. Get ready for the tenth anniversary edition!

It is gratifying to see how far my writing has progressed since that time, and yet disturbing to me to know that something so sloppy actually got published. In the meantime, I'm also still working on Living Canvas.

It has been a busy summer - summer is prime time for my writing endeavors. I'm not going to finish the edits I'd hoped for, but I've got a strong hold of what I'm doing, so I'm confident progress will be made (if a bit slower than I'd anticipated).

Next time I post, I'll give you an excerpt from Living Canvas. In the meantime, for those of you that have read St. Paul, feel free to drop me a line if there's something you think I missed on the first go-round (most-asked question - "What happened to Franco?").

Tchuss . . . A bientot . . . Hasta luego . . .fino a quando ci incontreremo di nuovo

The Circle of Life

It has been an eventful week in my world. I'd like to dedicate my blog space today to those people who need extra thoughts and prayers.

Last weekend, I lost one of my aunts. I didn't know her well, but the few times I did meet her, she was gracious and kind and loving. I know my uncle will miss her greatly, and I extend my deepest sympathies to him and to the rest of her family.

I also found out that a friend of the family was taken to the emergency room and had surgery from which he is now recovering. Thoughts go out to Author, Mary Doria Russell, and her family while her brother recovers in the hospital.

Adding one more to the list, I learned this week that someone I knew in high school has brain cancer from which she is not expected to recover. She was a fun person when I knew her, and although we didn't stay close, the testimonies of her friends and family speak to a life well-lived. It was a privilege to say I knew her "when."

Needless to say, it draws into focus the value of the relationships in our lives, and that life is too short to hold grudges or shut out the people that we love.

Today, I am celebrating some of my most valued relationships - spending time with my sisters (and thinking of another sister who isn't able to join us).

Celebrate the lives of the people you care about - you never know how much time you'll have with them. Today, I celebrate the lives of Audrey Borchardt and Chris Pomahac, and for Rich Doria, I send you wishes for a full recovery so that you can toss another caber and string another bow.

Peace.

Storms

I'm behind again. Trying to weather the storms, both literal and figurative.

We've had some interesting weather in the Midwest through the month of July. I've been blessed not to have suffered any damage through it all, although I know plenty of people who have, and the storms continue.

Have to admit that I'm also struggling with my rewrite, but this is a complicated matter. Part of it is my own state of mind these days which prompts writer's angst, and part of it is being overwhelmed by the state of the market these days. While it is nice that writer's have an outlet now that they didn't have before, the quality control disappears with everyone doing their own thing in a publishing free-for-all. Writing has always been a very competitive field, and now it is even more so with so many new authors muddying the waters (no disrespect intended).

Consider the fate of Borders Books. Like record stores. It's a little overwhelming to realize how much technology has taken over our lives. While self-publishing gives you an audience that you feel you might have been denied previously, for some people, it also opens up the door to public embarrassment - like watching American Idol without judges. Some of those people actually think they can sing and are highly incensed when they are told they are off key and offensive to the eardrums.

In a world where parents give their children participation trophies, these children have missed the lesson of learning from their mistakes and striving to correct their errors. These children have entered the age of entitlement, and those same children are the out-of-tune singers and the unconstructed writers.

I really don't mean to stand on my soap box today, but I am discouraged to struggle in an already difficult market, so for another day, probably another week, I'm going to rest my weary brain, take some deep breaths and regroup. Maybe I'll take some singing lessons (but don't expect me to try out for American Idol - I know my limitations!) Then I'll concentrate on the things I do best. I'm still perfecting my craft. I've been at this long enough to know when my writing isn't good enough to share with the general population - when it needs more fine-tuning - and I'm not afraid to seek out a professional opinion. If a pro tells me my story isn't up to snuff, I believe them. That's what they get paid to do - judge the quality of work. In an already competitive field of their own, I hope they don't disappear the way Borders did. Otherwise we're doomed to humor more of the William Hung's of the world.

Disclaimer - am I saying all the self-published authors are poor quality? No! What I'm saying is with no rules in place, it's more of a crap shoot, and I'm not much of a gambler.

Anon

Google +

Google + is still in its infancy, but I believe Facebook needs a run for its money.

If you like a blogpost somewhere, and happen to see a plus sign in the tray at the bottom of that post, please click the plus sign. I believe pluses will have the effect of bringing it to the attention of the millions of Google Plus members.

Please "+1" me.

Hot Hot Hot

Doesn't matter where you are in the country, likely it's darn hot right about now. Dog days of summer. Me? I like it hot. I HATE the humid part, but I would rather be hot than cold. Not as much as I used to, but it still holds true.

In the midst of all this hot, hot, hot, tempers flare, frustration seems insurmountable and yet determination rules. I'm bound and determined to get through my rewrite of Living Canvas and I have to tell you, rewriting a weak story is like chewing on glass. This has been one of the most painful writing experiences of my life! Normally, when I get an idea for a story, I plod through it chapter by chapter. The writer's angst kicks in somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 the way through, but then I push past to the end and it's just editing from there. On the rewrite, I'm struggling with what I wrote the first time (the things that didn't work) and what works better. Sound advice is that you shouldn't fall so in love with your own writing that you cling to the bad parts. There are some phrases that I'm particularly proud of that just don't fit the rewrite, and that's a struggle. There are also some tweaks to characterization that I need to keep consistent with. This INCREASES the writer's angst, because many times I'm sure I'm wasting my time and this story is just beyond all hope; however, I'm determined to finish it.

On the procrastination front, I have put The Treasure of St. Paul back on my plate to distribute as an ebook for the standard readers (Kindle, ibooks, Nook). That should be relatively painless, and yet it requires concentration and time to assess prior to redistributing. I'll let you know when you can get your electronic version :-)

And so it goes -

Today, in between writing sessions, I'm going to see the new and final Harry Potter movie with my son. He grew up reading the books, and I read them right behind him. Bittersweet that it's the last one. It's the last piece of childhood I can share with my now young man.

So back to work - there's a lot left to do on Living Canvas and it ain't gonna get done without me.

Cross marketing . . .

I'm busily plugging away with Living Canvas/Elusive Shadows. In the meantime, I'm taking the cheater's way out and cross marketing.

You can read my blog for this week by visiting author Terry Odell's blog (since she so graciously asked me to guest on her site). Click on the link below to find out what happens when inspiration strikes!

Guest Blogging with Terry Odell

Ebooks available for download

Ebook readers – electronic versions of Intimate Distance are now available for download!

The kindle version is up at Amazon, the iBooks version is in the iBookstore and the Nook version is available at Barnes and Noble.

• click here for Intimate Distance for Kindle

• click here for Intimate Distance for iPad

• click here for Intimate Distance for the Nook

And in answer to the question, when is the next one coming out? I’m working on it!

Busily working on edits to Living Canvas with hopes it will be done by the end of the summer. I’ll keep you posted!

Learning by Example

One of the things you always hear in writing is to show, not tell. I’ve seen dozens of articles on the topic with one-paragraph examples embedded within. It’s a fairly simple premise, and yet not always an easy thing to achieve. Description is important to the story so that readers can “see” what you’re trying to portray. As an author, I can see things in my head fairly clearly, but often those things don’t make it to the written page.

One of the things that keep us sharp as authors is to read someone else’s work. In my case, today, I’m reading Stephen King’s Dreamcatcher. I read Stephen King a lot growing up, and then I think I stumbled on one of his books that stretched my imagination a tad too far – or maybe it was something a little too creepy, so I moved on to a different author. I still think he’s a remarkable author, and as my son is now a rabid Stephen King fan, I’m borrowing some of his books.

Picking up Stephen King after a number of years, I’m struck once again at how vividly he portrays his scenes. This is a perfect example of showing your readers what you see in your head. Each character has his own idiosyncrasies so that it isn’t as important what they look like, although you do see that, as what their personal tics are. He takes you deep into their point of view and effortlessly, it would seem, shows you the world through their eyes.

As I read, these things strike me. I’ve always been a hands-on learner, and Stephen King is an excellent teacher in this regard. I finished reading a chapter the other day and sat down to my own work to do some editing. Suddenly, I saw things more clearly. “She walked through the door and into his house.” Seems a straight-forward thing to do, eh? But I found myself asking, What kind of door? What did she see when she walked in? What was she feeling when she walked in? Did anything out of the ordinary catch her eye? There are the usual other sensory responses that I tap, the feel of the door, the smell of food cooking inside, what she hears, etc. After just one chapter of Stephen King, I felt as if I’d just walked out of a seminar on ‘showing’ and, thus, I can apply the lessons to my own work.

It isn’t always easy to weave the details in seamlessly, without stopping the action and taking the reader out of the story to show them. King is a master at his craft, and at a time when I needed a refresher, I’m glad I picked up one of his books.

Home

I'm still plodding through rewrites of Living Canvas and fussing about the title.  The good part is that it feels WONDERFUL to be writing again after making half-hearted attempts for several months.  It may be rewrites, but I'm re-energized by the new direction of the story.

One of the things that I've been working on is describing the concept of "Home."  What does Home mean to you?  My main character, Audrey, is in her 20's, and because her parents had her when they were older, they're already deceased.  This leaves Audrey more or less on her own with no siblings.  It creates a very independent person, by necessity, but it also makes a sense of home a bit different.  What does home feel like?  She has a very close friend, someone who is more like a sister, but that friend is moving on with her life and Audrey is feeling left behind.  She's losing her sense of home, even though she's built a nice life for herself - alone.  This raises an interesting question, however. 

I grew up in a close family.  We continue to be close and I'm blessed that my parents are still alive.  For most of my life, we all went "home" for Christmas, or other holidays, or birthdays, or whathaveyou.  Having a character who is orphaned as an adult, it makes you appreciate these things a little more, and on behalf of the character, I wonder who celebrates her birthday with her?  What does she do for the holidays?  As an author, I have bestowed her with shirt tail relatives and, again, a very close friend that is more than a sister to her.  That helps, but isn't there still a sense of loss for all those things we take for granted on a regular day?  It's a concept I'm still struggling with a little bit.

So I'm asking for other viewpoints.  How do you define "home?"  If I use your definition in the story, I'll send an autographed copy of The Treasure of St. Paul! 

All good things come to an end

I've been on vacation for the past week.  From the day job.  This means bonus time with the writing which I have been fast-tracking.

Elusive Shadows is becoming more focused and tighter.  I'm amazed at the amount of work that still needs to be done with it, but that's what happens when you step away from a story for a period of time.  I still find myself emotionally invested in it, and one of the common pitfalls in writing is becoming "married" to a scene.  There was so much I wanted to show in this story that wasn't needed, for instance, a character tie-in to my first story (The Treasure of St. Paul), which I overdid, and melaleuca trees.  I find their origin and history of melaleuca trees in Florida quite interesting and I had tried to work them into the story.  I'm sure I still could, but I'd forced it the first go-round, so unless I can determine a better use for them, they've fallen on the editing room floor for the time being.  I've also developed a much stronger bond with the characters, who were still introducing themselves during the first writing.  I know them better, I understand them better and their personalities can now come through more clearly.

Back to work tomorrow, but I'm still cruising along with the editing.  With the summertime allowing more "at home" time, I can continue with my forward momentum on the story.  Of course, there are still the outside distractions to contend with.  The weather has been marvelous.  Having the vacation time, I was able to budget mornings for outside activities and/or chores and the afternoons (heat of the day) for inside, butt in chair, hands on keyboard.  Then there was still time for the evening stroll around the neighborhood with DH.  Hours in a day - its how you allot them.

I've done it for 20 years - balancing writing with working a "real" job.  For me, this is the part of the year where the balance tips in favor of writing.  I'm planning my time with a project in hand.  While it would be outstanding if I could take these three months to completely devote to my writing, vacation time, like all good things, must come to an end.  Fortunately for this writer, that doesn't mean an end to the writing.

Anon

First and foremost, Thank you

. . . to the men and the women who stand in defense of our country.  As one of my friends put it, "land of the free because of the brave."

I'm on a tear with Living Canvas, which is now tentatively retitled Elusive Shadows.  Couldn't shake that Night Gallery influence, and actually found a better application for it.  What can I say?  I used to scare my babysitters when I was little, watching Creature Features and One Step Beyond, and Sixth Sense.  Heck, I even scared myself one night while I was babysitting watching some of those old scary shows. 

The weather has been cooperating with my burst of creativity - first by presenting a full day of rain and thunderstorms (don't worry, laptops don't always have to be plugged in) and today by stifling heat and humidity.  I still managed to go outside to soak up some of the sun, but took pen and paper with me to compose a new chapter.  Tomorrow, more gloom and doom in the form of rain promises another productive day at the keyboard.  My creative ship is sailing along with a favorable tailwind!

After wandering around in author limbo for a while (largely due to the imposition of having to work for a living), it's hard to get motivated to move ahead with the writing.  Everyday life can be exhausting.  I get bogged down with responsibilities, coupled with the business end of being an author and the competition that I'm up against, but then my time frees up, something triggers and ZOOM!  I'm off again - I can't help myself.  It is an innate part of me, as it is with the community of authors.  We threaten to quit.  We're going to give up because it's not worth the effort.  Then the lightbulb flickers on in our brains and we can't help ourselves.  There is a story that needs to be told.  This is who we are.

To paraphrase, there was a musician who said something to the effect of "If you have to ask yourself if you're a musician (insert "author" here), find something else to do.  For those of us that are called to it, there is no doubt."

And so it goes.  My muse is tapping her foot impatiently as I blog, but she'll have to wait until after dinner now.  After all, authors have to eat, too.

Moving ahead so life won't pass me by

I heard someone reference Jim Croce the other day, and the person they were talking to had no idea who Jim Croce was.  Kind of like "Who are the Beatles?" (ok, maybe not quite).  Anyway, it was only natural that this lyric popped into my head.

The pace of life has been exhausting, even with the end to insanity at the day job.  There is still work to do, events to prepare for (congratulations to my daughter who is now officially a college graduate, and on with the wedding planning).  As such, I am (again) behind in posting.  AND let's not forget those Chicago Bulls!  Sorry, but I AM setting aside some of my free time to watch them.  They are "for real" this year and I hope they can make it to the end. 

With all of these distractions in my life, my muse is taking a well-deserved break, although tapping me on the shoulder frequently to remind me that, like my children, they are never far from my thoughts.  The juggling act continues.  Priorities are reset.  I see my writing buddies moving ahead and making progress/having success and I feel like I'm lagging behind, but my Wonder Woman cape is at the cleaners along with the super powers it contains.  On the plus side, I have a couple of (in my opinion) strong stories on the shelf to keep me pushing ahead.  I have scheduled days with said muse at the beginning of June so I can sit down and review the good work we've done, push it to the next level, and move on to the next project. 

I'm still working to get the stories from my shelf onto a bookstore shelf - I'll keep you posted as these progress.  However, I am not contemplating any new projects until after the aforementioned wedding.  I don't think the Wonder Woman cape will be done before then (although one never knows . . . )

Expect to see Living Canvas and/or Epitaph sometime this summer!  Thanks for sticking with me and I'll keep you posted!

Tell me how to breathe with no air . . .

For most of America, today is tax day.  For the tax accountants around the country, this is the end of mayhem for them - the light at the end of the tunnel.  Some days I wish I worked in the tax department, but I don't.  I work in audit.  All things said and done, I prefer it this way, but on April 15 (or for this year, April 18), that light at the end of the tunnel is still a ways off, and then I'm envious of the tax folks.  Each tax season takes on a life of its own.  Some are horrendous, some are fairly smooth and virtually ripple-free.  This year has been a rough one.  One where you question your sanity and wonder why you work in such a seasonal job.  The hardest part is that the seasons seem to be running longer.  From the audit side of the business, I remember the days when they said it would be easier from a business standpoint if we could maintain some level of business throughout the year with less seasonality.  I'd like to say they've accomplished that goal.  There is much greater coverage throughout the year, but the seasonality is just that much more intense.

Enough whining.  Sanity levels are still in question, but yes, that light is in view and somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking about my writing.  With three books still on the shelf - to be published - I'd very much like to move those OFF the shelf, one way or another.  There was a fourth, also, but it was destined for the shredder almost from its inception.  Some ideas are just not meant to be and I recognized that almost from the beginning with that one, but it kept me moving forward at a time when my inspiration was running low.

So mostly I guess I'm just rambling today, but figured I better come up for air and let y'all know I'm still alive.

And now for the PSA of the day - support your Red Cross.  Those volunteers offer hope to disaster-stricken places around the world.  While I suffer through the insanity of working until my brain explodes, the people in Japan and the North Carolina are faced with not having a bed to sleep in at night, or a home to call their safe haven from the world.  Mother Nature has taken those things away from them.  Kinda puts things in perspective, doncha think?  So before I get too preachy - lend them a hand. 
Donate to the Red Cross by clicking here

March Madness

Operating on overload - creativity sapped.

Back soon!

My Funny Valentine

Okay, it's a Hallmark holiday.  But it's still an opportunity to share your love, so Happy Valentines Day!

The rejections continue to pour in.  I received in interesting one the other day.  Evidently this particular agent had a bunch or responses printed that explain that due to the changes in the industry (and the volume of submissions), they aren't taking on new clients.  It's time to send out a new batch of queries, and I'm sensing that finding an agent is even more challenging than in the past.  This is still a labor that's worth the effort for me.  I still believe I can benefit from the expertise of someone who knows the ins and outs of the industry.  This isn't like travel agents, folks (yes, they still exist).  Maybe somewhere down the road literary agents will be as rare as travel agents, but I do believe there will always be a market for them.

This is the hard part.  The "Chumbawamba" part (I get knocked down/but I get up again).  I'm still plugging away.  Whoever said writing and getting published was easy?

Flu Season

Well, I've survived the blizzard of 2011.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) I missed out on it as a result of Influenza, Type A.  I don't normally get sick, so I didn't get a flu shot.  Reconsidering that position for next year, especially as this persists. . .

Another rejection for the scrap pile.  This is disheartening, since I think the query is pretty sharp, but I'm still plugging away.

My mission for this year is to get the stories I have sitting on the shelf either market ready, or permanently retired.  With all this down time courtesy of the flu, one would assume I would have lots of spare time to dedicate.  Sorry.  Not the case.  Hard enough to concentrate without trying to be creative, but my goal remains.  Living Canvas remains my modeling clay - that story still needs work, so I can still shape it the way I need to.  Epitaph is pretty solid, although it can always use some tightening, and Legend People is 90% ready IMHO.  That being said, the latter two are strong contenders and ready for the shopping process (which is started).

Back to Living Canvas - this is the story without a strong focus.  I've twisted it and turned it and actually had some passing interest from one agent.  I think there's hope for it yet, and in this world where we all have some symbiotic connection (people come into your life at a particular time for a reason), I'm renewing my interest in the focus that interested the last agent.  The symbiotic connection?  That's a story unto itself that you wouldn't believe if I told you.  Life fascinates me sometimes, but I'll save that for a later post.  In the meantime, I have to continue my road to recovery - this flu won't let go! 

Persistence

They say it pays off in the end.  One of my favorite quotes is "Life's real failure is when you do not realize how close you were to success when you gave up."  Often, that keeps me going, especially when I get one of those polite rejection letters that says "I really liked it, but I can't take it on right now."  The nice ones.  The ones where they aren't just xeroxed form letters that are cold and generic and faceless.  If someone takes the time to write me a personal note, even if its a rejection, they generally stay on my agent list.  I figure the cold, generic letters don't care, aren't even slightly interested.  The handwritten ones - the personal note that shows they've read your proposal - those are the agents worth remembering.

They say an agent should be like interviewing a friend.  You want someone you connect with, someone you feel will represent you well and that "gets" you.  I sent out a new batch of queries last week, and now I play the waiting game.  I'm still waiting for some from my first batch, but I feel I've got a much stronger query letter now.  My first batch was largely email queries, and the second batch is snail mail, and might I say that I'm amazed at how many agents still prefer snail mail!  That being said, one agent that I queried maintains a blog that shows the status of queries to the agency.  Interesting little piece of information, they have over 150 email queries still to sort through and 0 (yes, that's a ZERO) snail mail queries.  Makes you kinda think maybe snail mail wouldn't be so bad for those agents that are taking both.  On the other hand, in the interest of being "green," it's a lot of paper (and some expense) to go the snail mail route, so email is more environmentally friendly.  However, it might not be as agent friendly considering the glut of proposals they have to sort through.

And so, as I've said, I'm back to waiting.  Feeling good about my proposal - better than with the first batch of queries - so hoping for the best.  And while I'm waiting, I think I'll go back and sharpen my proposal for Epitaph.  I didn't do proper shopping for that one because I was so excited about moving ahead with the Legend People, so time to slow things down a bit and do the business end of writing for a while.

I'll keep you posted . . .

Anon

. . . the behinder I get

Trying to keep up as the pace of life picks up once again.

The good news is that I'm nearly finished with my edits of The Legend People.  The semi-good news is that I haven't received any additional rejections - yet.  My process is to send a handful of queries out (cream of the crop, if you will) and wait for them to come in.  If no nibbles on the first go-round, check for improvements in the query letter/synopsis and send out a new batch.  I'd begun to jump the gun a bit on improving, but I'm exercising some patience (although still reviewing for "better").

In addition to trying to keep up with myself, I'm attempting to honor my New Year's resolution of losing some poundage, I'm involved with a family wedding which entails Bridal expos and bridesmaid's dresses, etc. and busy season at the day job is right around the corner just waiting for the dam to burst.  It's an exciting time of year, to be sure.  The adrenalin is pumping!  So apologies ahead of time if I get behind in my blogging.  I promise to keep you up to date as new information becomes available.

Staying motivated

I started my New Year sending out queries, doubtless like thousands (if not millions) of other authors.  My process is to send out a handful at a time, more or less to test the water.  If I get flat, form letter rejections, I know I need to tweak things a bit.  Then again, the agents are likely being overwhelmed and are more likely to send those flat, form rejections. 

So far, I've received two rejections - both with form letters.  The amazing thing is the amount of time it took to get them back.  Often, it takes a month or longer to hear back on a query.  The fact that I got them both back within a day or two tells me those agents are inundated and don't want to spend the time.  On the other hand, it also shows me that I could improve my query somewhat.  I'll wait until the rest of my handful comes back, but in the meantime, I'm rethinking my query letter.

In the meantime, my new Christmas gift - my Kindle - has inspired me to put Intimate Distance on Smashwords (an e book site), so anyone interested in picking up an electronic version of that book can now buy it in multiple formats for the low, low price of $0.99!  And just to make it easier for you, here's the link Click here for Intimate Distance, the e-book.

Editing continues on my Legend People book, and I'm still excited about it, although motivation dwindles when rejections begin to float in.  The thing that pushes me on, however, is that I'm still excited about the story.  I've written six books to date.  Some of them I never even tried to market because even I didn't think they were very interesting.  A couple of them I like, but I believe they could be better, but I haven't been this sure of a story since my first one - this engaged with it.  Maybe its subjective interest - like with everything involved with this business.  Enough to keep plugging along with the mundane part of writing.  At the end of the day, if you don't believe in your writing, its hard to convince someone else to like it.  As long as I'm still interested in the story, I feel confident I can interest someone else in it - enthusiasm is contagious.  So the process continues  . . .