GUTGAA- Meet and Greet Monday

I've just started the whole "contest" part of the agent search and it seems to be fun, but also really stressful. (I entered a contest the other night at midnight only to realize it was the next day at NOON!! Ugh.

But now I've entered the GUTGAA (Gearing Up to Get An Agent) sponsored by the lovely Deana Barnhart. She has put so much work into this it's unreal. I believe you can still sign up, so get over and do it if you're looking for an agent! :)

Mini Bio- I'm 33, married, and have 3 sons. I own my own photography business and read WAY TOO MUCH! Oh, and I write! :)

Now for the questions...

-Where do you write? At my laptop at my kitchen table, or at a desk in my bedroom. I've probably done the majority of my writing at the desk.

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see? If I'm at the table, it's a window outside to my backyard. In my room it's a wall with a picture my youngest son drew when he was just learning to draw people. I love that picture. 

-Favorite time to write? Morning, usually, but some of my favorite scenes been written late at night. That's rare though.

-Drink of choice while writing? Creamer with coffee.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence? Iused to think i needed silence, but about a year ago I tried writing with headphones in and loved it. I wrote faster and liked what I wrote so much more on the first try. Now I always write with headphones.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?  One day my boys and I went on a drive in our small town. We passed a farm house with a big beautiful pond with a dock. By the time we got home i had a scenario with that dock in my head. Over the writing of this book the story became real around that particular event. (Which was a FOUR YEAR process. Hopefully the next one won't take so long! :))

-What's your most valuable writing tip? Get a good critique group of people that take their writing very seriously, and are very honest with you. My girls have made me SO MUCH BETTER.

Unscary the Query!

Tuesday night I attended a webinar given by the fabulous agent Sara Megibow, of Nelson Literary Agency. It was based off of her popular twitter series #10queriesin10tweets. If you follow Sara, you will probably be familiar with this.I really enjoy reading when she does these. Us unpublished, unagented authors can easily become obsessed with any information that we think might give us an edge in the game. Even though the tweets are fairly vague (she can't legally give too much away, queries are private) it makes us feel like we're doing SOMETHING to send us further in the right direction.

Because people are so into it, Sara put together this webinar. If she does it again, I suggest you attend and enter your query. You never know, right? And the least that might happen is that you will learn something. Here are a few things I took from the class. Oh, and follow Sara HERE.

(To be clear...these are my thoughts based on the info given! :))

1. The writing is the most important thing. I know, I know. You've heard this so. many. times. But think about it. You are-in essence-submitting a professional letter to an agent to CONVINCE THEM YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK!! So of course the writing is the most important thing! If you can't put together an intelligent thought about your book, why would they believe you can actually write your book?

2. The hook has to be good. With no hook, there is no interest. Without good writing, the hook won't be clearly expressed. You're book might very well be amazing. It might have an excellent hook, but if it isn't clear and well written in your query, you can forget about it!

3. The hook should involve WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY. All of these are important. There were some beautifully written pieces that described the character and their deep emotions. She said they were well written....BUT, what happens to these wonderful characters? What do they DO? There has to be a story. An interesting character does not a book make.

4. Good writing is not subjective. We like to coat our gentle feelings over rejections with thoughts like "this is a subjective business." I understand, and in some ways it is. Genre is subjective. Character types might be subjective. However, good writing is not subjective. Any agent will know good writing when they see it. Perfect your craft and someone out there will probably be interested in your work.

5. In addition to number 4, do your research. Since agents like to rep what they like, (subjective) make sure you are querying the right people. Do not waste that agents time (and ours, those of us who ARE doing the research) by mucking up the slush pile with your query that is for sure not a good fit. Agents submission guidelines are not hard to find. Don't think you will change their mind.

6. The slush pile is brutal. I'm going to be honest, all the queries read in the webinar were pretty darn good. On any given day if I'd picked one up ALONE, I would probably have positive things to say. That being said, when we went through query after query, it was really easy to see how it could get boring. Things didn't sound interesting, characters started to resemble each other, and good all blended together. You have to make yours stand out. You do that with good writing, a great hook, and  being sure that it's the right genre for the right person.

7. If you're not getting requests....go back to the manuscript! To paraphrase Sara, once your book is written well, and edited to it's potential, it's easier to clearly pinpoint the hook and express it with your practiced writing.

I learned a lot, and really enjoyed it. Sara was fun, engaging and very passionate about the business. Agents are people, and they want to find beautifully written stories. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Querying, waiting and getting rejected is hard. Really hard. But if I had to put all the advice I've accumulated over the past few years from other authors into one piece of advice, it is this. Don't. Give. Up.

I'm not going to, and you shouldn't either. If you keep reading, writing, and working hard, it will happen.

Well said

I'm going to assume I'm the last to the party on this, but have you read Laini Taylor's blog Not for Robots?

Good Gosh, a few paragraphs in and I was on board. She could have sold me on just about anything. I was in her world, she was speaking to me. No ones thoughts on writing have resonated with me like these.

Like I said, I'm sure you've seen it, but if not...brace yourself. I've been completely reinvigorated and inspired. My feelings and process have also been validated.

I'll tell you what, if she wasn't already an amazing published author (hello Amazon top 10 of 2011!!) and I was an agent that stumbled across these little essays on writing?? I would sign her on these words alone. Truth. Such amazing stuff.

www.notforobots.blogspot.com

Paid in Full

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I paid off a whopper of a fine to my local public library. I love to buy books, but I'm a readaholic. Our budget doesn't support my habit to the fullest, so I have to borrow. Well, I used to borrow. I hadn't been to the library in about a year because I owed them $. Ridiculous? yes. It started with the usual. Overdue fees, etc. Then the biggie…my three boys accidentally destroyed one of those big Star Wars encyclopedia books. Sigh.

Why are replacing books for the library more expensive than just buying it at Barnes and Nobles or Target?? That whole "reshelving" thing? I don't know. But finally that's all behind me, and yesterday my youngest and I walked into the library and took a good, deep breath! Ahhhhh. It felt so good. We loaded our arms with books of all sorts, picture books, graphic novels, chapter books, YA. It was bliss. We checked out without question...YAY! Then, I came home and filled my online hold list with every book imaginable. In a few days I'm going to be walking out of there with a serious bag of books. (Our library system in KC is quite impressive considering I live in a tiny country suburb.)

I was thrilled to find that my small library had a book on the shelf that I had really been wanting to read.

 

While googling this, I discovered that Selena Gomez is said to be playing in the movie of this. I like her, no haters please. Did anyone else know there was a movie being made?? Very cool.

Some of the titles that will be mine in a few days!! SQUEEE!!!

 What is everyone else reading??

What a mess!

How in the world does one keep a manuscript in order? I have file, after file, after file. They go a little something like this.

• title of ms
• title of ms 1
• title of ms 2
• title of ms painful cuts
• painful cuts might use
• all new title of ms
• really new title of ms
   

How are we really supposed to keep it in order? I'm always in a panic state thinking that I'm opening the wrong file or saving the wrong file or afraid to delete any of them, lest I do something tragic!

Yesterday I was reading someone's blog...I really wish I could remember who's it was. I think it was Tamara Ireland Stone. I think!! Anyway, they (Tamara??) was saying they used Scrivener. When I went to the website and read about it, I fell a little bit in love with the idea. I haven't pulled the trigger on the 30 day trial, but I intend to do so very shortly! The way it works seems like a polished version of my lame envelope system. Like a digital companion to my very convoluted brain!

Has anyone used Scrivener or something similar??

It's 2012!!

Sadly, this is my first post of 2012!

ACK!

It's shameful, but I'm already over it.

I have missed blogging! I have missed bloggers. I have missed writers!! But I have not missed writing because I've been writing my butt off! That is the upside of my lack of blogging.

I had been nursing my wip for way. too. long. It was going nowhere fast. I was totally pantsing it. But something clicked a few weeks ago. I gave into a feeling I was having about this wip and it opened the floodgates. The writing was coming easy and it felt so good!! (Don't we LOVE that!)

Then one day I was overcome with an intense urge to plot it out. So I did...on about 20 envelopes. An envelope a chapter. I literally grabbed them off my desk and scribbled them out before the feeling passed. It has changed things for me. Having this—albeit crude—outline has made everyday writing a no brainer.

Here is the key.....

    I know what is supposed to happen.

Seems obvious doesn't it?? But I realize for a long time I didn't know! It was all feelings and theories. But it was not a plot. I pray that the next book I write will not require the marinating time that this one did. Please tell me that it gets easier. That ideas come quicker, that concepts come together faster!! Anyone???

The About Me Bag...A Character Analysis

    I've been over at WriteOnCon the past few days when I've been able to. It's wonderful and kudos to the ladies that bring it to us. More kudos to those authors, agents, and editors that participate. Yay!
One thing I've heard mentioned frequently is knowing your characters. It seems obvious, and at first glance you think, "Well duh, I dreamed up these characters...of course I know them!" 

    But do you??? I don't know. I thought I knew mine, but I did a little exercize with myself and found I might have some work to do. No, I KNOW I have some work to do. However, I enjoyed this exercise and I'm particularly proud because I came up with it myself. *pats back*

    So yesterday my boys went back to school (insert happy dance) and they both came home with an identical assignment. They were both titled The About Me Bag. Here is what it involves.

    Pick 3 items to put into the bag that you can present to the class. These items must tell us something about you.

This is a random google image kid, not my child! Although he is a cutie!

    So, obviously we went around finding photos of them with their brothers (I have 2 brothers), Darth Vader Lego minifigures ( I love Lego's and Star Wars), a Photo of Abe Lincoln (I love learning about history...my 8 year old is the bomb.com!) and other things that a little boy would show to represent his precious little life.
Of course one of my children asked me, "What would you put in your bag mom? A camera?"

"Hmmmmm. Probably something related to my photography, a picture of my beautiful family, and a book." I said.

They seemed pleased with this answer. All of those items fit me perfectly. I think even my husband would have chosen those three items for me. They clearly show who I am.

    Well, the writer in me started thinking about my....duh, writing. (As us writers always do) So I started to wonder what my main characters would have in their bags. Here is the scary part. I wasn't really SURE!!  *GASP* How is that possible?? I could maybe pick one or two items. Maybe. But overall, I realized that I couldn't pinpoint it exactly.

    Ummmm, I think we should know our characters that well...no?! So my mission is to figure out what my characters 3 items would be in their About Me Bag. Let's take it a stop further...what will be in their About Me Bag at the END of the story?!  *Insert dramatic oooooohhhh and awwwwww*

    If were writing a good story, I don't really think their About Me Bag should look the same by the end of the book, know what I mean?? Take this yet another step further. Imagine your character presenting them to the class. (This is especially easy if you write YA...if not, just pretend!) Who is watching? Are they nervous or confident? Do they not put what they really want to in their bag because they are embarssed? Is the bitchy antagonist in the back of the class making fun of them? What was in that girls bag??

    Point is, you can really work this idea to come up with a really clear picture of who your character is. I highly suggest it...or please share what you do to explore your characters!!

I survived...and was rewarded! :)

First off, I know you are all dying to know how the party went! It was great. Crazy, but great. My son loved the cake (i'll post pics later) and all the little Jedi's passed their training. Phew. It was a crazy weekend. Thankfully my sister was here to help me get ready. Thank goodness.

So, I've now been sitting at my computer since 5:30 A.M.

Reading blogs.

Oh well.

I feel it though! I feel the words getting ready to pour out onto the keyboard. Those many words that will in fact lead up to...MY KISSING SCENE!!!!  I just need to get there. I haven't read a book in....

11 DAYS!!  It's almost to much to handle. I haven't gone that long without reading in almost 3 years. Seriously.  Soon though, and when I do crack open a book, it will be so sweet.

In other news, super duper awesome Bryce, of Bryce Daniels Preservation Society fame gave me an award. Stop by his blog, it's a good read always!

The goal of the award is to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. The rules of the award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!


So, my pics are as follows:

Jacquline of My Greek Ambition. Now, I know most of you are writers...but this is not a writing blog. This is mainly a food and cooking blog, but this girl is great and she has one heck of a story. (I know you all like stories!!) Go read hers, it's adorable! Oh...and I'm sure you all like to eat, eh?

Sherry of Piquant Expressions. She writes Sci-fi and is currently talking a lot about nutrition. Plus she has 3 kids which makes me like her right away! :)

Ghenet of All About Them Words. Her blog is purdy. And she writes YA. Her blog is always a good read!

Freya of A Writer's Endeavour. She writes Childrens Fantasy....uh, awesome! Oh, and lives in the UK. Double awesome.

Alyson of Addicted to Heroines. I just found her blog and straight up LOVED the title!! :)

Phew, okay that took 2 hours...no I'm not kidding! 

Happy Monday! :)

What a DAY!

Today is one of those days. The kind that are wonderful and stressful at the same time. Where you have a lot to do....just so you can get to the good stuff? Know what I'm talking about?

My son is having a birthday party tomorrow. Here. In my house. Ugh. Now I know why we moms are willing to spend buukuu bucks on having the party SOMEWHERE ELSE. There is that whole cleaning thing. It sucks. On top of that, I decided to make him a cake. Double ugh. I actually used to be pretty decent at making cakes. People actually paid me. I quit for a reason. But here I am doing it again for my beloved son.

I was up last night making Lego Star Wars Mini-figures out of fondant. Seriously. It will be awesome though. So today I'm baking, cleaning, fondanting, and all the while planning to get the four of us (me and my 3 boys) ready to hit a huge water park this afternoon with my sister. Oh, and I have a shoot tomorrow morning at like 7 am....before the party at 2:00.

Yeah. Sounds good, right? I will enjoy the water park....when I get us there. The shoot will be fun, although it will be early. (Plus I love this family!) And I will enjoy the party....when it happens. But the stuff in between?? Not so much. After that party tomorrow I will throw on some "soft pants" (as we call slumming clothes) and curl up with a good book to recoup.


Oh wait. Still haven't written through the kissing scene yet.

AHHHHHHH!!!  Sunday + Me = SERIOUS WRITING AND KISSING!!!

Happy Friday Peeps!! :)

Dirty Little Secrets...are hard to keep

If you read yesterdays post you saw where I mentioned giving my husband back control of our finances.

Now, I'm not going to air my dirt laundry here...but we needed to button up. We've needed to do it for awhile. My husband knew this...but not to the extent he should have. I knew it too, but you see...if you are really only answering to yourself with your spending it's easy to buy a book here or there. Or decide you don't want to cook the kids lunch and head to Chick Fil-A. Those things add up, and faster than you think. When I shared with my husband the whole situation it was a relief. His words were, "Okay, but you can't spend even a penny without us discussing it."

Now, to some of you that would be a "WTF?" moment. Well, maybe at one time it would have been. But right now it is a weight off my shoulders. It is accountability. It is partnership. It's direction.

We have a plan. We are a team.

My husband doesn't realize it, but I secretly do the same thing to him with my writing. I casually voice what's going on to him. I know many of these things he really doesn't care about. But, when I voice them...I'm sharing my plan. It's not just in my head anymore...it's out there. I've said it to the universe. I do the same thing here on this blog. When you put your intentions to the world, you want to keep them. You want to work harder.

That being said, my intention was to not read another book until my two main characters kissed. I haven't read in almost a week. I'm tempted to throw a kiss in and edit it out later...but that would be lame. And weasley. No more.

Often I think my husband isn't listening when I talk about writing and kissing and blah, blah, blah. Well, last night as he was drifting off to sleep I cracked open a nutrition book. It was NON FICTION FOLKS!! That certainly doesn't count right? Well...I did feel a little guilty. About three paragraphs into protein and legumes I felt his weight shift on the bed.

"Have you written a kissing scene? Are you reading?"

"Pshhaaa, it's a diet book!"

Silence.

"Ugh."

Dirt little secrets...it's best to share.

What I know for sure....right now.

Today I'm channeling my inner Oprah. I need to do that sometimes. Don't you?


A few things I know for sure today.

Giving my husband back the job of handling the bill paying and finances has been the best decision I've made in the last 5 years. Really.

I'm desperately ready for school to start.

The last two days I've watched more TV than I have in the last year.

I made a deal with myself that I couldn't read another book until the two main characters in my ms have their first kiss. I haven't read anything since last Thursday!!! OMG!! (Hence the tv watching.)

I haven't been able to write because I've had so much picture editing to do. Ugh!!

My little puppy is almost one. He is still a brat! We love him anyway.

I'm feeling rather optimistic about everything lately. It's a good feeling.

The heat here in the Midwest is getting OLD!!

Having my work email give me issues has become a real problem. When you aren't getting your emails, you are just SURE that the ones you're missing are very important. I'm sure I'm missing a local celebrity asking me to shoot their wedding. I'm sure of it!

My wip has suddenly developed a new piece to it's puzzle that I'm very excited about. Don't you love it when your characters reveal a part of themselves to you that you didn't see coming??  Now....if I could just get some time to write!


Happy Tuesday to you!

Can't find the rhythm.

My brain has a little problem. It goes like this.

I read a book in first person present...and then when I go back to my novel words don't sound right anymore! I get confused, things don't make sense. Wording seems awkward.

I just finished up the novel Anna and the French Kiss...which I LOVED! Don't get me wrong, it's not Anna's fault. But all I can hear is 1st/present. The end.

Does anyone else have this problem???? How can I switch my brain back?

Sometimes you have to Steal!

That was a hook of a title...no? Sorry, I didn't mean it. I should have put borrow. But that didn't have the same zest at 7:00 AM on a Tuesday morning where it's already 83*.

Speaking of the heat, it's HOT. Like, hope my AC does freeze up hot!

Summer does not equal creative process for me. At. All. I have to literally suck the words from my over-processed brain. It's tough. Very tough. Anyone else have this problem? It may be the heat. It may be the kids. It may be the desire to do other things...go to the pool, vacation, nothing.

Anyway, two of my favorite bloggers recently had excellent post that inspired me. I thought they might inspire you too. Hence the stealing/not stealing. I'm actually referring you. You should get to know these gals if you haven't already, because they are the shiz!! (Sorry, too much iCarly as of late.)

Heidi Willis of Some Mad Hope did a great post on Motivation. Loved it. There is no story without motivation, and she gives you some things to think about. (We're talking your characters motivation here...not your own!!) Plus, she is currently getting her MFA, so she might sorta know what she is talking about!!! ;) I love reading her posts every time!


Natasha Hanova of Writes By Moonlight has a post on being stuck. I can relate to this and she has an excellent set of questions to ask yourself about your "stuck scene" that I love. Sometimes you just need a little something to get the wheels turning again. Check her blog out, she always has good stuff. Oh, and I've read her writing so I KNOW she knows her stuff!! :)

I've mentioned this blog before, but it deserves another mention. Stephanie Morrill's blog Go Teen Writers. Don't be discouraged by the name adults, there is some seriously  awesome content on this blog. And Stephanie will welcome you even if you are 45. She is just like that. I love what she is doing for young writers though. Giving them a place to share and learn. She holds contests that encourage their creativity and sharing and I think that is so awesome. If I would have had access to Stephanie fifteen year ago it would have been a game changer! She has done a whole series on writing a novel and it is great. Locate the info by the tabs at the top of her blog. Good stuff peeps. Oh, and check out Stephanie's awesome series here. I've read it and LOVED it.

Sometimes you just need something to light the fire...I know you can find something with these ladies!!

Happy Tuesday!

Dreaming Big

There is something magical about hearing that another writer has been signed or gotten an agent excited! I feel it in my gut. It's similar to that feeling you feel when your going down a roller coaster. A little light headedness. A little drop. Even though it's not YOU, you're hearing about. (damn) It's someone...and that means what?

It's possible. It can happen, and it can happen to you.

I love hearing these stories, because more than likely...that person really deserves it. No one else knows how hard writing is than another writer. It's not for the faint of heart. It's hard, grueling, cry inducing work. (Okay, for me it is anyway!) After I hear these stories I imagine my own. I can't help it—you know you do it too!! You have too. The only way to keep going is to maintain the dream.

So here we go. Close your eyes. Dream it. Share it with me. These dreams will motivate us all!

Love and Movies

I love, love. I love it in books, I love it in real life, I love my job because of it. Shooting weddings and families makes me happy.

When I read a book, I must have it in some way. I can't easily do a pure mystery or thriller. I can, and I have, but I'm not naturally drawn to it. Therefore, I don't write without it. I don't know if I could. Sometimes I consider trying to write (just as an excercize for myself)a purely horror short story or something. Just to test myself and strengthen my skills. I do that with my photography sometimes. I shoot something in a completely new way just to see if I can, and then to see if it helps me in my "normal" work. It usually does.

Does anyone ever try this? Write something that feels foreign to you? Obviously we were forced to do that in school...but that was a LONG time ago. I remember times in school when I would hear the assignment and groan only to find that I was actually pretty good at whatever was assigned.

That's my tip this week (hmmmm, I don't usually give tips) I'm going to write a couple of pages of something completely out of my comfort zone. It will have to be thriller or mystery. I encourage you to do the same. Let me know how it goes for you!! I'd even love for you to post and link it.

Also...has anyone seen the movie Midnight in Paris? If you are a writer, you will get a kick out of it. I wouldn't call myself a Woody Allen fan, but I adored this movie. Check it out!

I need another A-Z

That challenge really had me on a roll with blogging. It was good to have something that made me more accountable and actually have something to blog about. Even if it was totally random.

The good thing is that writing has been happening. Yay! I think it's because the weather in Kansas right now plunks right into the setting for my wip. I find that really puts me in the mood. Makes it real.

Do you find it hard to write about a place or season that you aren't currently experiencing? I think I could write about the beach in winter if I had too...but it would certainly be more enjoyable to write about the beach while at the beach. No?

I'm glad nobody protested violently to the fact that I'm not currently writing a YA. But it sure is a whole other ball game writing adult. I think I like it!

Snippets of Information

* I wrote 2000 words today. Yes I did. I'm slightly proud of it. It was the good of kind of writing too, the kind that just flows and before you know it your plot has taken on a new dimension you hadn't seen coming. I truly believe it's those days that help us to slog thru the rest. Hear, hear?

* Having my nails painted makes me feel so much prettier and feminine. Seriously. Am I alone?

* The only way I can enjoy the presence of my puppy is for him to have a bone to chew on. The end.

* Muddy backyard + puppy + hysterical woman + carpet = disaster.

* I'm out of bones.

* Sometimes when you run your own business, you should wait for a clients check to clear before paying your own bills. (grrrrrrrrr)

* My children have 2 more days of school. I'm terrified and excited at the same time.

* My heart breaks for the people in Joplin and Reading.

* More storms are on the way. I will sleep with my hard drive. I have peoples weddings on there!!!!

* I'm going out of town with another photographer friend this weekend to a small town in western Kansas to shoot a wedding. I'll be gone all day Friday, Saturday and be back Sunday.

* Yes, western Kansas is exactly what you would imagine. Remote...but the people are so darn friendly and when your children are not around and you have a friend to laugh with—it's as good as paradise.

* My wip is not a YA. Can you forgive me? Should I change my header?

Way Too Long

I apologize. I seemed to have taken a blogging hiatus. Sabbatical. Vacation. Break.

I think I'm past it. Maybe.

It's just May. May  is busy!! I'm busy with work. Seniors are needing stuff for the end of year, moms want photos of their kiddo's in the flowers, etc. Busy with school stuff. Every activity is having a "end of year" get together. Cub scouts, preschool, talent show, music program.

The main thing though? BASEBALL. Baseball is in full swing. (hardy har) Because of that, we are on the go like crazy. With three little boys in ball this year, we are living and breathing it. 4 games a week, practice. It doesn't stop. The schedule is insane. I told my husband...the first boy that shows the sign of "not really being  into it." is OUT! I'm not putting myself through this for some kid that isn't into it! Got me?

I know that sounds mean, but really? So far, all three boys are doing well. And truthfully, I wouldn't let them quit easily. Two of them are still a little too young to know if they really don't like it. They haven't got to the good stuff yet. I happen to like baseball, so it's really the only sport I will go through this crazy schedule for. I enjoy the ball fields in summer. Especially in a small town like ours. It's the epitome of summer to hear the crack of the bat on a warm evening. Kids running around in the background. People you know surrounding you. My kids begging for nachos from the concession stand. I love it. Would I get three boys up at 5 am for a day full of freezing soccer games in October? NOT A CHANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, all of this is to say...Sorry. I've neglected this blog and I'm ready to get back on the ball.

My WIP is also in a happy place. I've been writing daily and I told my writing group girls that it must be completed by the end of summer. MUST. It can't go on after that. I won't let it. Hold me to it.

Speaking of my very talented writing ladies, they are back from OWFI and had awesome connections with agents that I'm praying turn into something amazing. I'm so proud of all of them and so very honored that I have them to share my writing process with.

The need to Read

Yesterday I started reading Stephen Kings book titled On Writing.  (thank you Dawn!)

Wow. I fell in love with him, which is funny because in my life he has represented fear! I remember being about 9 and seeing Cujo on televsion one evening with my mother. I have been scarred ever since. (I also loved it!)

In 6th grade all the boys I knew were reading The Stand. Their arms would bow out beside them grasping their Trapper Keeper, science book, and the hugest book I'd ever seen. I couldn't fathom any 6th grader (except me, ha!) reading a book that big. When my brain made the connection that the author of that massive book was the same mastermind behind Cujo I began having graphic fantasies about what those boys were reading. I remember watching one boy in particular one day. he had finished his assignment and pulled open his monster novel. I watched him closely — just sure that he must be terrified. Sure that he must be reading of blood and gore and very scary things. I was waiting for him to shut the book in terror....unable to continue. It didn't happen.

Want to know a secret? To this day I have no clue what The Stand is about. I'm assuming it's a good book.

So, back to me reading On Writing. Last night I read one part that really resonated with me. He talked about the importance of reading. He stressed his theory that NO ONE can be a good writer without reading. I already agreed with this totally. It just makes sense to me. But I've often questioned my desires to write throughout my life. I even did it through the beginning of this book. Stephen talked about writing all through his adolescent years, his early adult years. Submitting, writing, submitting, rejection....blah, blah, blah.

We've heard this story before. Famous writer wanted it all their life...so they DESERVED to be published. They were better. They wanted it MORE. (That's what we're thinking right???)

Did he want it more than I do? Well, in many ways yes.

I learned to read when I was three. Not because I was a child prodigy, but because my mother devoted herself to it. I remember living and breathing flash cards and repition. I loved it. I was good. I slept with my books, I organized my books. I LOVED my books. Reading was my life. I wanted to write early. I knew that I would be a writer. It was that simple.

I was always thinking of story ideas. I was always writing down little stories and creating characters. All the while I read like an addict. 

My desire to write had a long draught. It didn't dry up completely...but it was sparse. In those years I went to high school, worked, met my husband, had babies, stayed up all night with said babies, stressed, made snacks. Does this story sound familiar? To some of you it will. Here is the deal, during those years....I wasn't really reading. Sure I read the basics for school...The Scarlet Letter, Red Badge of Courage, Killing Mr. Griffin. While my boys were young I read the Harry Potter books as they came out. I loved them too...but I wasn't really reading for pleasure on my own all the time.  Consistently.

About three years ago, when my youngest son was three, I started reading again. Like a maniac. It was a problem, I was taking in books like I was starving. I had been. My husband was all, "What is with all this reading, the laundry hasn't been done in 2 weeks!" I wanted to tell him, "This is who I've always been!!" I'd just been dormant. (As young mothers often are.) The writing desire came back almost immediately.

IMMEDIATELY.

Funny enough, when I finally told my husband after a while that I was kinda sorta writing something. He wasn't at all surprised. It seems I had been a reader all along...I just didn't allow myself the indulgence. Life had gotten in the way.

Last night I read this in Stephen Kings On Writing.

Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.

Thoughts? I'll tell you what I thought. Stephen King was giving me permission to stop beating myself up over the fact that for years writing wasn't a priority. It didn't mean that I wanted it less, or was any less capable of being a writer. I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I wasn't reading.

Why, as creative minds, are we always judging ourselves against others? It is a disease! More on that tomorrow.

A-Z Challange WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME- and some REVIEWS

For some reason the last week or so of this A-Z challenge has been, well, a challenge! Really. I flew right along at first, now I'm struggling. Not really to come up with anything, but just to make myself do it. Hmmmm. That seems to be a recurring theme in my existence.


So, anyway, I've been reading a lot of first person woman's fiction. Some more literary...some even a little chick littish....sorry. But recall, I've confessed to being a romance junkie so you really shouldn't be surprised.

Without further ado....here is what I've been reading.

Bloodroot by Amy Greene

Named for a flower whose blood-red sap possesses the power both to heal and poison, Bloodroot is a stunning fiction debut about the legacies—of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss—that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today.

I LOVED this book. The voice was amazing, and by 6 different narrators no less. This was fascinating, and she did it so well. The imagery she created was so real I could feel and hear it. This story was intense and haunting and I loved the way it all related. It made me think of my own past  and how connected we are to our heritage by ways we can probably never appreciate. This kind of book is right up my alley, and it's getting really good reviews. Check it out!!!


Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn 

First-century Rome: A world of depravity, blood, and secrets. The ruthless and enigmatic Emperor Domitian watches over all, fearing assassination from every direction . . . but not from the woman who fascinates him most.

Passionate, musical, and guarded, Thea is a slave girl from Judaea. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea becomes her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life - but their affair ends quickly when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

Oh my gosh!!! I just finished this book last night at midnight....I'm in love with Kate Quinn. I want to be her. I LOVE HISTORICAL BOOKS! I love them. If a book has me getting up and google searching it's facts, I'm all good. If the author is spot on...I'm in heaven. Of course she took some liberties, she admits that...but it's a fiction book. BUT, Emperor Domitian is real and she did him so well!! Thea and Arius The Barbarian....I was in love. They were fictional but you could believe every word of it. I loved the scenes of the Gladiator games. So graphic and realistic. She didn't hold back and you could imagine every second of it. This world was brutal, in fact if you're easily offended it might not be your cup of tea. It's very honest in the telling of what life would have been like for a slave or child in this time period. I love reading about things like this, reminding us of where humanity has been. Relating it to where we are now. I'm in awe of Kate Quinn...she is good, people. Real good.

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, this book could not go wrong. (Well, yes it could...but it didn't, phew!!) Love, passion, emperor's, Rome, Colosseum, Traitors, Fighting, GLADIATORS!! Yes, you need to read it.

The Provence Cure for the Broken Hearted by Bridget Asher 

Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbot, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of the France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for a mending hearts since before World War II. There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother's "lost summer". As three generations collide with one another, with the the neighbor who knows it all, an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and laughter amid the vineyards, and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal them all?

The cover of this book pulled me in immediately. Traveling is my dream. The idea of a mother having a "lost summer" spoke to me immediately. As did the idea that a mother and child were alone after the loss of  their father. I've been there. I've written previously on this blog of the need to escape after that loss. So, this book was an easy buy for me. Once I started reading I was a little concerned. Something about this book wasn't pulling me in right off the bat. It was a little too witty. I'm not really sure what I mean by that...but it reminded me of a Gilmore Girls episode. For the record, I hated Gilmore Girls. The whole witty banter was so over the top It made me cringe. This wasn't THAT bad...but it was giving me that vibe.

Thank goodness I didn't cave right then and there. I ended up really enjoying this book. It was a feel good book. With that being said, she described some very real, very spot on emotions of pain and suffering. I could get a good feel for Heidi's grieving. I'm not sure if it's because I imagined my mother or she just made it very believable. I'm thinking both. Once they got on the plane to France, I was all in. Captivated. I loved the relationships, and I loved the imagery. Who couldn't picture themselves living in a little home on the side of a mountain in France surrounded by vineyards? Seriously! This is a perfect summer read. You'll want to get out your passport!

FYI, Bridget Asher, Juliana Baggot, and NE Bode are all this same woman! :) You're children might have read her Nobodies books. This woman writes a lot! Cheers to her!! 

Has anyone read any of these books...or read something good lately???