Chasing Butterflies

Here, I thought I'd have SO MUCH free time on my hands, and that isn't the case.

In the past month, we've had lots going on, and I figured this week was going to be a "what do I do now?" week. Funny how things keep showing up on my calendar. And if that isn't enough, the chapters for the audio book are populating for me to approve, and I'm caught up in listening to COOKIE THERAPY all over again. Still one of my favorites! (although all my books are my favorites, but I do have a soft spot for this one...) Hopefully, I can make an announcement next week, and if you're a newsletter subscriber, watch your inbox for news!

LEGO exhibit, Morton Arboretum 

Then, there’s the matter of the book I'm currently working on. Having decided to steer back into my lane, I have work to do on that one, but with guests and audio and whatnot, I've been distracted. And then a friend suggested a movie/book to watch/read for ideas. So I've been reading. I've already got my groundwork laid, however, and although I'm enjoying the "reference" book, I tend to take a more subtle approach in my writing. It is, however, sparking my creative processes. Now, I just need to apply myself to the story I'm writing! Instead, I'm chasing butterflies. With all the distractions, every time I go to open my file and start in, something else pops up to distract me. Fortunately for me, I'm not on a deadline. Yet.

Digging my heels in, preparing the new book for you, but the audio book will release first. Can't wait for you to hear it!

Write what you know

Every author is hammered with the concept of "write what you know." What exactly does that mean?

For years, I thought it meant don't write about topics you aren't familiar with. Welp, I threw that out the window with my very first book. I wrote about Pompeii without ever having visited Italy, much less the famous site, but I have to tell you I spent MANY weekends in the library reading and looking at travel brochures - even learning Italian. And I interviewed people who had been there, including one woman who said "you absolutely can NOT write about it without having seen it." This is where I tell you she was impressed with my research when she actually DID read the book I refused to not write.

Recently, this warning has taken on a new meaning for me. I’ve been toying in a new genre, something I’ve always wanted to try. This wasn’t my first attempt, but this felt like my best shot. What I learned: write what you know means more than writing about your areas of knowledge. It means writing in your own voice. Sticking with the way you are geared. The genuine you.

The genuine me knows what goes into the genre I wanted to cross into, was raised in such a way as to understand and embrace what I needed to write, but my inner voice, my genuine me, doesn't write that way. I can slap in the "this goes here and that goes there," but that doesn't make the story relate-able, it makes it forced, at least for me.

Having finished the first draft, I sent out some queries to shop agents in my new market. One of them pointed out to me that what I'd written would be a tough sell. As written, there isn't really a market for it, in the first place. Interesting. I didn't realize the genre was that restrictive! Then I had a friend who writes in that genre check me, and beyond the market issue, she pointed out genre issues. Can I fix it? Yes, but this is where I'm going back to write what you know.

I've read books in this new-to-my-writing genre and enjoyed them, but that isn't how I write. In this experience, write what you know translates to "write in your voice, the genuine you." Not as a doctor writing medical romances or as a lawyer writing a legal thriller, but those are great examples. I'm not a doctor. I wouldn't be good at writing a medical romance. I'm not a lawyer. I wouldn't do well with a legal thriller. I'm just me, a hopeful romantic who looks for rainbows and personal connections and sometimes likes to search out the ghosts hiding in the corners.

Where does that leave me? The good news is I can work on my first draft and steer it back into my lane. That also means more brainstorming as I consider which of those things that drive my writing I want to incorporate.

Beep beep! Lane change! Time to write what I know.

The In Between

I'm at the point again. In between projects.

I've finished the first draft my latest book and started shopping it. With that being said, there is still editing to do, but it's in the "resting" stage until I can go back to it with fresh eyes. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the end result.

And then there's the audiobook. As my narrator, the talented Vicki Pierce sends me chapters of COOKIE THERAPY, I'm reminded how much I loved that story. I'm still struck with "I wrote that?" moments. I'm hoping to release the book next month - I'll keep you posted as production continues.

In the meantime, I'm "in between." Time to address those things I've let slide while my attention was focused elsewhere, and to get ready for friends who will be visiting next week. I'm still settling into a new routine and exploring the new things I want to add to my day that I didn't have time for before - there are so many!

What do you like to do with your free time? (beside read my books, of course...)

Being Good at What You Do

Now that I'm embarking on my writing career full time rather than part time, I stopped to consider some advice that I'd given out recently. Sometimes I'm pretty darn smart, doncha know? Someone asked me, "Do you think I can do this job?" and my response was, "If you believe you can, so will everybody else." It's the truth. Some folks might say that equates to fake it until you make it, which might be partially true, but in the end, you need to have the chops. And you need to KNOW you have the chops.

It's about time I applied that to my writing job. One of the hardest things we do as authors is promote ourselves. I mean, how arrogant are you when you tell someone you wrote a really good book? But wait a minute. I was expected to tell people what a great manager I was at the day job as part of my annual evaluation, so how is this different? And yet we second guess ourselves all the time. I know I can do this job!

One of my friends recently handed a book in to her editor and she's in the throes of writers' angst. What if her editor tells her it's awful? This is an author who has dozens of books to her credit, who has sold thousands of books. She is established. She has arrived. Maybe she's not a NYT Best Seller, but she writes really good books, and yet that writer's angst kicks in every time. Why? Because everyone's a critic (I'm NOT advocating withholding reviews with this remark!). With the hundreds of reviews we get on our books, which one is the one that sticks in our head? "That one review" where the reviewer criticized something that isn't even in the book! That one comment that says "eh, it wasn't for me." Those are the ones we take to heart. But you know what? My books aren't for everyone. That doesn't mean they aren't "really good books."

At a luncheon recently, I spoke to someone I don't see often who said she was excited for my next book. "Oh? You've read my books?" I ask. (see, I'm supposed to be telling people what a kickass author I am in the first place, not waiting for them to bring it up.) She tells me she got the first one as a gift from her book club, and she was hooked. Brilliant marketer that I am, what do I respond with? "Did you like them?" Well heck. If she didn't, she wouldn't have bought more, would she? (Thank you, Samantha! I'm really excited you like my books!) But this is something I need to do better.

With my attention now focused squarely on the writing, it's time I get out there and tell people I know what I'm doing without blushing and ducking and "aw shucks-ing." I'm good at my job. I've had lots of excellent reviews. I've done well in contests. With more time and attention to get in front of more people, I can show the rest of the world that I'm good at this job!

Buy it here

Wouldn't you know it? As I was writing this post, I received notification that THE TWINS (Epitaph 2) was Awarded Finalist in the Romance: General category of the 2019 American Fiction Awards! I must be doing something right!

If romantic suspense, or romance in general or ghosts aren't your thing, my next venture takes a step outside those boxes into what I consider women's fiction (or some might see as new adult) - its an inspirational novel that I'm pretty darn proud of (but I have to finish it!). A couple of my favorite romance authors have stepped out into women's fiction with varying degrees of success. One author has excelled at it, the other is still writing her trademark romance into her WF novels. Let's call it what it is ladies, and stick with what you do best. Part of me wonders if people will say the same of me (stick with what you do best), but this is a labor of love. Can't wait for you to read it and tell me what you think! Is it really good? Yes! Is it what you want from me? Well, that remains to be seen, and if it doesn't resonate with my audience, I can still be an excellent writer and go back to what my readers want from me. I have plenty of stories waiting to be written, in whichever genre people want to see from me. I hope you'll let me know which of my books you like best!