Turn the Page

I have been very preoccupied as of late. I've made a life decision, and as with any major decision, it comes with it's share of insecurities.

You know that feeling when everything seems to come together? When just the right amount of bad things happen, and they're counterbalanced with an equal amount of good things that all figure into a decision you've been contemplating? No? Not eloquent enough?

There are times I hear a higher power speaking to me, and this is one of them. The decision to leave my day job has been one I've entertained numerous times through the years. *Now* is that time. It's time to turn the page. I've faced life decisions before, some of them good decisions, some of them not so good, but even the not so good ones helped shape me into the person I am today.

I'm ready for this new chapter. I'm writing a book that's different from what I've done before, but something I've always wanted to do, and I'm expecting that once I've settled into a new routine, my muse will choose if this new book is just the beginning of the road leading a different direction, or a labor of love dedicated to the people who taught me how to make those life decisions (acknowledging the good and taking responsibility for the bad) who will forever be a part of my life's journey.

So congratulate me. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life.

Hotter Than Billy Blue Blazes

This has been an interesting year, from temperatures that dipped well below the freezing mark, to triple digit heat waves. Maybe I need to move to Santa Barbara, where the temps don't vary much from season to season.

I do enjoy the changing seasons. When you're freezing in the winter, you appreciate that in a couple of months you'll be hot. When the earth comes back to life in the Spring with brilliant shades of green and a spectrum of colors with flowering buds, you remember that in a couple of months everything will change colors, to flaming reds and golden yellows as leaves die and fall to the ground.

So now, while we are in those "hotter than billy blue blazes" days of summer, I'm hiding in the comfort of my air conditioned space writing, where I can breathe without gasping. Outside time is limited to early morning or late evening when the weather isn't quite so threatening.

Last weekend we took a trip up to visit One Young Son and his Lovely Bride and what do you know? We walked a nature trail in the summer heat. I'm not one to miss out on an adventure, no matter what the weather. Even though we chose the shaded trail, it was still hot. Folks waded in the stream and sat beside the small waterfall to cool off (You can see the waterfall here).

We have friends coming for a visit next month, and we have lots of outside adventures scheduled. Here's hoping the weather cooperates, but if it doesn't, well, I'm not one to miss out on an adventure (and I certainly don't want to disappoint my friends, either!).

How does the weather affect your plans? Or does it?

Feeling Pretty Proud of Myself

I've been getting back a chapter at a time of the upcoming audio book for COOKIE THERAPY. Listening to it has been like reading it all over again.

During the writing process, reading the same story every day, editing what you've written, anticipating where the story is going and then doing the final proofing and editing can be very wearing. When it's all said and done, I'll have read the same book MANY times and it stops being a story and becomes a "project" that needs to be finished. When that final proof/edit is completed and I send my baby out into the world, I rarely go back to re-read, unless I'm looking for something in particular. Upwards of ten times is plenty, thank you.

Buy it here.

Now I'm reading along with the narrator to make sure she hasn't missed something or that she hasn't read something incorrectly (nice to know that doesn't just happen in print!), and I'm discovering that I still love the story. After every chapter, I have a moment of, "Did I write that? That's pretty good!" I suppose this falls into the category or writing a book you'd like to read. I'd definitely buy this book! 😁 I'm feeling pretty darn proud of myself.

The audio book is contracted to be completed by September, but if my narrator keeps at it the way she has been, it could be sooner. I'm pretty excited, more than I thought I would be considering how long it took me to dive into this new-to-me medium.

I hope you'll all love it as much as I do! Can't wait to share it with you.

Using "real life" in fiction

Many of the things authors write about stem from real life experiences, to varying degrees. While it's certainly true we have vivid imaginations, inspiration starts somewhere.

Sometimes its a simple event. Today I learned my nephew is engaged to be married! (Congratulations, you two!) No, that probably won't creep up in my stories, but consider all the elaborate proposals you've seen on YouTube or elsewhere. As a romance author, I'm always looking for a fun proposal, although I doubt sincerely I'd take my characters to such great lengths.

Likewise, I've used work experiences. You've likely seen memes talking about not making the author angry because they'll write you into their novel and kill you off! Yes, I've done that. Exactly once.

Real life can also backfire on you. I had a friend while I was growing up who I had a not so pleasant relationship with. I often refer to her as my best worst friend. She was always there for me, but on the flip side, she also caused me no small amount of grief. While we haven't spoken for years, I did model a character after her, and people did not warm up to that character (for good reason). As an author, it's my job to rise above petty differences and irritating people. I have to take a closer look at why they are the way they are. Even antagonists have motivation. They are people, like everyone else, with experiences that shaped their lives. A good author will develop "sympathy for the devil." Which doesn't excuse his behavior, just helps people understand it a little better.

And here's a funny tidbit. Years ago, when I wrote the "reign of terror" at work into one of my novels, I took that person who we had all designated as evil and fashioned him after a famous person (artistic license) with questionable motives, someone who, at the time, I didn't know much about other than the profile fit. Today, that famous person is even more famous and those questionable motives are even MORE questionable, which makes me feel almost clairvoyant!

So yes, real life creeps into fiction, but it is usually distorted to fit the story rather than a recounting of actual events. A random odd phrase. An unexpected response. And yes, sometimes a way to release that inner turmoil.

When an Author Writes a Review

I was recently given several books to read/review, and was especially excited that these "random" books fell in my wheelhouse of favorite genres. I read the first book and was very excited for the opportunity, giving it high marks.

Then I read the second one. And another one. And another one. And my enthusiasm waned.

As an author, I want to get lost in the story. I don't want to get pulled out by odd phrasing or typos or "let's stop and describe everything I see before we jump into the action." Stopping to describe something does exactly that. It stops me from reading. Authors need to sneak that stuff in unobtrusively. Also, as an author, I tend to see things your average reader might not.

Hand in front of face, eyes closed, deep breath. Forget everything I know and enjoy the story. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

I recently read a period piece, something set in a foreign country where the characters use a ton of dialect, and I found it very distracting. You know who did that well? Diana Gabaldon. We heard Jaime's Scots dialect, but not everything he said was mired in Gaelic accent. I, myself, struggled with writing that very thing in my first book, Touched By The Sun, set it in Italy. As I go back to read it now, 20 years later, I roll my eyes at the goofy dialect, too (and I did try to correct some of that when I re-released it on its tenth birthday).

When asked to write a review, I try to focus on what an author does well and turn off my inner editor. I go back to check other reviews of the book to see what I missed or if I'm in the minority. As an example, I read a book several years ago about a woman's journey after she discovers her husband is cheating on her and her return to independence after being a wife and mother for twenty years. I thought the book was awful, unrealistic, overdetailed, lots of "bad" things. In short, I hated it pretty much from cover to cover. Aside from that, she used exclamation points so often you had the impression everything in the book was meant to make you gasp. I went back to read the reviews, and there were people who absolutely loved it. Lots of them. On the flip side, many readers saw the same flaws I did.

At the end of the day, reading is subjective, whether your eye is overly critical, as mine can be as an author, or if I am reading it without my inner editor. I've read some very successful novels that didn't resonate with me, and in those instances I will only review the parts I liked, or not review the book at all. Where there are clear points I can make that might help the author, I will add those, because we all grow and learn from our mistakes, but where it might just be me... I'm a minority of one. I can keep my "I didn't like this book" opinion to myself.