I'm Getting Smart Today

I'm off to a writer's conference today - just a one-day thing, but it should be interesting. I'm taking one session on "Teaching War Through Literature" (for the English teacher in me) and one session on "Promotion and Marketing Your Book" (for, you know, obvious reasons).

Hope to have some good stuff to share with you tomorrow!

TGIF!

Welcome to my Friday Feast!

Appetizer
Name a color you find soothing.
Something in the blue or green family.

Soup
Using 20 or less words, describe your first driving experience.
I hit a bird.
(Funny, since last week I did the same damn thing. Not the same kind of bird, though...)

Salad
What material is your favorite item of clothing made out of?
My warm winter PJs - flannel
My fave warm weather t-shirt - cotton
My ultra-comfortable dressy dress - silk

Main Course
Who is a great singer or musician who, if they were to come to your town for a concert, you would spend the night outside waiting for tickets to see?
Well, I live in New York, so if we're talking anytime but the summer, when it's warm outside all night long, then no one. I'm too old. However, I do have to say I can't for all the tickets to go on sale at Bethel Woods this year (former Woodstock site) - it's 30 minutes from my house!

Dessert
What is the most frequent letter of the alphabet in your whole name (first, middle, maiden, last, etc.)?
In my real name: "L" (there are 4 of them)

Love-Love-Love

"And it occurred to me, too, that if this was a great love story, I had no idea where we were on its timeline. For all I knew, we might be nearer its beginning than its end." ~ Richard Russo, from She's Not There


A couple of days ago, Marianne brought up the question of “how soon is too soon” for a hero and heroine to fall in love, in a romance novel. She got a great response from her blog readers, and I think she’s probably going to discuss it again today.

Most people who responded didn’t have a problem with suspending their disbelief and even welcomed two people falling in love over a period of days – a couple of weeks at the most. But I just can’t buy into it. Falling in lust at first sight – absolutely. But love? Love that leads to a lifelong commitment to another person? That involves discovery, a slow, fascinating peeling away of layers until you see who’s standing in front of you (or lying beside you) and want to be with that person all the time anyway.

Now, I know people who’ve met their significant other one night, thought “He/she’s the one” and ended up happily married for umpteen years. But I’m willing to bet that, in most cases, that relationship still evolved over a certain length of time…and there wasn’t a marriage proposal after a week.

Part of the problem, I think, is that the genre requires it. You have to have a Happily Ever After – it’s what the readers expect. And no, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with an entertaining story that makes us trust that true love can happen. But most of the romance novels I’ve read recently suffer from a lack of character development. As a result, the strong, sexy hero suddenly finds himself thinking he can settle down with the heroine after a couple of dates, during which she’s laughed at his jokes, maybe stood up to him in an argument, and of course walked down the sidewalk beside him with her perfectly curvaceous body. And the heroine? She’s gun-shy of relationships but somehow decides she can trust the hero after those same two dates because…well, I don’t know, exactly.

So, can a fictional hero and heroine fall desperately in love and want to spend their lives together, in a relatively quick period of time? For me, yes – but only if the author has convinced me that a complete devotion is the natural, in fact the only, outcome for these 2 people, through their character development: I have to see these 2 people grow together and toward each other as a result of the conflicts that happen in the course of the story. Then I will happily cheer for them and feel ultimately satisfied by the ending. But to put the characters together just because the genre calls for it? That’s harder to swallow.

Actually, that’s why I’m glad the genre is changing, and why the HEA doesn’t have to include an engagement but instead an interest, a serious attraction, a desire to pursue a commitment. I’m also glad the genre of women’s fiction exists. In that world, I think, the story can be more about the main character’s journey, and while love and romance might be part of it, the author isn’t forced to shoehorn in a walk down the aisle.

Finally, I’ll leave you with this poignant passage from the book I just finished reading, She’s Not There. It’s a magnificent, complicated, touching, and at times angering memoir by a trans-gendered English professor. This is a tremendous testament to love:

Years earlier, her heart had inclined in the direction of another soul, and now, against the advice of many friends and well-wishers, she’d had the wisdom to understand that when our hearts incline – often in defiance of duty, blood, rationality, justice, indeed every value we hold dear – it’s pointless to object. We love whom we love. In the past two years, for Grace, everything had changed and nothing had changed. Her heart still inclined, as was its habit…

So...what do YOU think?

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Cara Marsi

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today's interview is with romance author Cara Marsi. Pull up a chair, refill your cup of coffee, and enjoy!

Hi, Cara! (Love the picture, by the way!) Can you tell us a little about your background?

I'M A NATIVE OF DELAWARE. I ESCAPED ONCE BUT I CAME BACK. I'M A CORPORAT DRONE AND CUBICLE DWELLER WITH A ROMANTIC SOUL. I WAS A MANAGER AT VERIZON FOR MANY YEARS, AN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL JOB. NOW I WORK AT AN INSURANCE COMPANY. I READ AND WRITE ROMANCE TO STAY SANE IN THE DRUDGERY OF THE CORPORATE WORLD.

When did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

I'VE WANTED TO WRITE SINCE I BEGAN READING. AS A YOUNG TEEN I ADORED THE YA ROMANCE NOVELS OF ELIZABETH HOWARD AND THE JUDY BOLTON MYSTERY STORIES. I WANTED TO BE LIKE JUDY AND THE HEROINES IN THE ELIZABETH HOWARD NOVELS.

Ah...so tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

MY LATEST PUBLISHED BOOK IS LOGAN'S REDEMPTION FROM THE WILD ROSE PRESS. I LOVED WRITING THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE MY CHARACTERS. I HAD TO FORCE MYSELF TO END IT. LOGAN'S REDEMPTION HAS BEEN GETTING GREAT REVIEWS WHICH MAKES ME VERY HAPPY. I'VE RECENTLY COMPLETED A PARANORMAL INVOLVING A WITCH, A WEREWOLF, A DEMON AND A KICK-ASS FEMALE BOUNTY HUNTER. MY NEXT BOOK WILL BE ANOTHER TRADITIONAL ROMANCE FOR AVALON BOOKS. MY FIRST BOOK WAS WITH AVALON.

What wonderful writing success - congrats! With all that experience, what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

READ THE TYPE OF BOOKS YOU WANT TO WRITE, TAKE WRITING COURSES, JOIN ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA, ATTEND CONFERENCES, LEARN THE BUSINESS SIDE OF WIRTING AND NEVER, EVER GIVE UP.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I LOVE ALL KINDS OF ROMANCE, CONTEMPORARY AND TIME TRAVEL IN PARTICULAR. I ALSO LIKE HISTORICALS. I HAVE MANY FAVORITE AUTHORS BUT THE ONE WHO TOPS THEM ALL IS HEATHER GRAHAM. I LOVE HER HISTORICAL ROMANCES. I MET HER AT A CONFERENCE ONCE. SHE IS VERY GRACIOUS.

OK, now the question everyone wants to know the answer to: how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

ITS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT. I WORK FULL TIME. I HAVE A HOUSE AND FAMILY. I WRITE EVERY LUNCH HOUR AT MY DESK. I LET A LOT OF THINGS GO AT HOME. I DON'T READ AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE. IT'S VERY HARD, BUT I WOULDN'T GIVE UP WRITING FOR THE WORLD.

What is your favorite movie? Did it inspire your writing in any way?

I LOVE THE OLD ROMANTIC COMEDIES OF THE THIRTIES AND FORTIES. A BARBARA STANWYCK-FRED MCMURRAY MOVIE INSPIRED LOGAN'S REDEMPTION. MY FAVORITE MOVE IS "THE MORE THE MERRIER" WITH JEAN ARTHUR AND JOEL MCCREA (HE WAS YUMMY). ANOTHER FAVORITE IS "CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT" WITH BARBARA STANWYCK AND DENNIS MORGAN (ANOTHER YUMMY). I GET A LOT OF INSPIRATION FROM MOVIES.

Cara, thanks so much for being here and sharing your story with us today! Readers, don't forget to visit Cara's website...or perhaps read the 5-star reviews of Logan's Redemption and then pick yourself up a copy!

Blast from the Past

"I thought my life would seem more interesting with a musical score and a laugh track." ~Bill Watterson

Yesterday I was sorting through my junk mail when I stumbled across a postcard from my high school's Shakespearean Society - they're having a 50th reunion this spring. And wow, if that didn't bring back memories...They've even put together a website, and I was lucky (unfortunate?) enough to find a picture of me in the only Shakespeare play in did in high school, my senior year: The Tempest. Take a look:

Two things I remember most from that play: my line "Oh brave new world, that has such people in it!" and the fact that I had to "fall asleep" on stage for about 5 minutes, but the sleeves on that Elizabethan dress were so tight that my arms would fall asleep no matter how I tried to arrange them. Anyone else ever acted on stage? It's a trip, what actors go through behind the scenes. One time, in college, I was in a crowd scene on the second floor of a set and the main character leaned too far and almost took a tumble. I had to grab him by the back of the coat and yank him back into place.

That picture brought back more memories, though, so I went poring through my old photo albums for some other pics from my days in the high school musicals:

Ah, yes, the sweet Laurie singing to her cowboy Curly in "Oklahoma" ( what do I remember about this one? that some of the jocks in our school decided to sign up to play singing/dancing cowboys and promptly disappeared during rehearsals to get drunk in the school parking lot)

And my favorite role: Rose, the crazy secretary from "Bye Bye Birdie." This is the scene where I interrupt an uptight Shriner's Meeting and dance on the table. The last night of this performance, that skirt started tearing at the side slit and everyone including myself was wondering if I could make it offstage without showing too much leg.

Ah, memories...

I had a friend in grad school who always said teaching was like being on stage. It's kind of true; you have a captive audience, and you have to keep their attention. But you can also see that my love for great stories and happy endings goes back a long time...

Time for Some Introductions

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say." ~Sharon O'Brien

Ah...I finally had a chance to get back to working on One Night in Napa yesterday. And I thought, since I'm pretty happy with the way the plot is progressing (for a first draft anyway), I'd share my hero and heroine with you. Now, be prepared: they're in their first stage, of course. But they're developing minds of their own, which is always a good thing, so I thought I'd spring them on the blogging world this Monday morning.

Without further adieu, I present to you...Grant and Kira(the first time we meet both of them). Hope you enjoy!

10:00 am
Grant Walker knew it was going to be a long day when he woke up and couldn’t remember the name of the woman lying beside him. His head throbbed. His stomach roiled. Late morning sun slanted across his face, and he squinted. Ran one hand over his stubbled jaw. Rolled over and stared at a digital clock he didn’t recognize.

Then he heard the sound again: his cell phone, beeping with a message unanswered. He groaned.

“Babe?” A manicured hand snaked out from the covers and caressed his bare chest. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” He slipped from the satin sheets, planted one foot on a throw rug, and ended up on his ass next to the bed.

She giggled.

He swore under his breath and pulled himself up. Naked, he searched the bedroom until he found the golf shirt and shorts he remembered wearing the night before. Shots of tequila, he recalled. And a blonde at the end of the bar, with a gorgeous rack and pouty lips, who wouldn’t stop staring at him. His two vices, served up neatly at Mick’s, the local bar conveniently located at the end of his block.

Grant glanced out a window swathed in pink gauze curtains. He had no idea where he was now. Clothed, he palmed his cell and checked his voice mail. And then was sorry.

“Grant? Where are you? It’s past nine.” His father’s clipped voice, cool and disapproving, sliced across the phone line.

“Shit.” He clasped his watch and glanced at the body still lying under the covers a few feet away. A perfect body too, as he recalled, all curves and soft spots and sweet smells. For a moment, he considered tossing the phone out the nearest window, stripping down, and spending the rest of the day rediscovering the places he’d visited last night...


11:00 am
Traffic noise outside her bedroom woke Kira March from a fitful rest. She rolled over and pushed her face into the pillow. She’d gotten what, four hours of sleep? Maybe less. They’d finished editing the final scene of Scott’s indie film sometime close to dawn. The last thing she remembered was the sun breaking over the Sierra Buttes outside the warehouse’s dusty windows.

Nonstop work for almost a month. Writing, filming, cutting, editing, all in a mad blur to get ready for the upcoming film festival. Kira yawned as a siren wailed. But it would be worth it. Scott Chapin was a film genius, as far as she was concerned. Brilliant vision, brilliant technique. She’d been lucky to find him in the tiny town of Yuba City. Or fated.

Thought I was moving here to get away. The notion wriggled its way into her mind, the way it had so many times before. Yet one hundred miles from home, she’d run right into someone who made it impossible for her to forget her former life. Kira ignored the irony.

Someone knocked on her door, and a blur moved inside. “You up?”

Kira reached for her glasses, and the blur’s edges sharpened into her roommate Ayasha. “Depends on what you mean by up. Barely awake, yes. Functional, no.”

Ayasha pulled at the long black braid that hung over one shoulder. “I started some coffee.”

“Drank about a gallon of it last night.” In fact, Kira could still feel it sloshing around her stomach, and she’d be lucky if the lining of her organ wasn’t beginning to peel itself into pieces. Should really try to cut it down to a few cups a day.

Ayasha sank onto the overstuffed, purple velour chair in the corner or Kira’s room. Her eyes brightened. “So did you finish it?”

Kira nodded. She pulled her glasses off again and rubbed at her eyes. Her fingers came away black with mascara.

Ayasha spun the silver rings on her fingers. “Is it amazing? Is it going to win?”

She shrugged. Sphinx was the best thing she’d worked on so far. She’d known it would be, from the moment she read the script over two years ago. But would it win any awards at next month’s festival? Who the hell knew. Too much relied on favoritism, and on who was due. Who’d put in their time. And who was new and sexy on the scene and would pull in the votes because it meant a cover shot on People.

Kira knew that better than anyone. She’d grown up in the business, though by birth and not by choice. No way. Yet while she’d vacillated over the years, at first loving and then loathing the spotlight, she had to admit that the film industry was so deeply rooted in her, she couldn’t imagine life without it...

Ah, Sunshine!

"April weather, rain and sunshine both together." ~English Country Saying

Yesterday was SO glorious here: 70 and sunny. Finally! I worked outside as much as I could and even tackled that rock wall which took a bite out of my finger a couple weeks back. Slow progress, but worthwhile. Today it's supposed to be cooler, so I hope to get some writing done!!

Speaking of which, Women On Writing has its April ezine issue up - and the focus is Freelancers. They also have something new, a monthly ezine you can subscribe to for $2 that provides info and contacts about all kinds of freelance writing gigs. I firmly believe that writing of any kind (articles, blogs, reviews, stories, etc) can help authors get their name into the public eye. So I may check it out; you might want to give it a look too.

Happy Sunday!

I Know I Live in the Country, but This is Ridiculous

"Accident is the name of the greatest of all inventors." ~Mark Twain

I'm a country girl by location, if not by heart. I grew up in a very small, rural town, spent a few years living in various cities during school, and now also live in a small, rural town, though this county is actually the fastest-growing in NY. While there's still lots of farmland and open countryside, we also have a few larger towns and small cities scattered around.

Since I live on 10 acres on the side of a Catskill mountain ridge, though, I'm used to seeing deer in my front yard, groundhogs under my porch, rabbits and squirrels amid the birds, and the occasional flock of turkeys parading across my driveway. Fine.

I am not, however, used to giant turkey vultures dive-bombing my car.

Yesterday morning, I dropped hubby off at work (we work for the same school, though 2 locations about 3 miles apart), where he picked up his car and went to grab something for breakfast. I was heading across town when all of a sudden this giant black shadow appears over my windshield. Then there is an enormous thud.

And then everything slows down as I try to process what just happened. This is my brain, in the span of about 5 seconds:

What the he** was that? Did I just - did I hit something?

Wait...the windshield is completely shattered.

Was that a - deer? But it fell onto my car. Some kind of bird?

Holy crap, did I just hit a person???

(Oh, and I should mention that of course this is hubby's BRAND NEW car that he's had for 3 months, that I was driving because my own needs an inspection sticker.)

So I pulled over and called 911. I would love to hear that recording again:

Me: "Um, yeah, I'm on ________ and I'm not really sure what just happened? I think I may have hit an animal?

911: "Do you see an animal anywhere around?"

Me: "Well, no, but, my windshield is shattered and..."

911: "Is there glass inside the car?"

Me: (Looking down at my lap for the first time) "Um, yes. (covering my lap and on the passenger seat. When did that happen?)

911: "Are you injured?"

Me: (Looking into the rear view mirror just to be sure) "No. I'm fine."

911: "Okay, I'm sending someone right now. Just stay right there."

Like I'm going somewhere?

The cop arrived about 5 minutes later, and I swear he was 12. Okay, maybe 16. What's the minimum age for the police academy these days?

Cop: "Ah, hello, there, miss."

Me: (so grateful he didn't call me ma'am) "Hi. I think I hit an animal."

Cop: "Yup, that's a deer strike."

Me: "Are you sure? Because it felt like a huge bird."

Cop: (leaning over the windshield and picking something out of the glass) "Oh yeah - look at that! Those are feathers."

So he goes up the road to check it out, and meanwhile hubby has come to my rescue. I will tell you that I am very proud: I never cried. I was shaken up, but I was quite pleased with whatever part of me was able to rationally make the phone calls I needed to and proceed on to school a few minutes later.

Cop comes back a few minutes later. "Looks like you hit a turkey buzzard. It's flat now." Chuckles.

Well, I am an animal lover, and I did say a little "I'm sorry...go to the Rainbow Bridge" to the bird, but I've gotta say, I wasn't overly sad about killing it. It clearly dove directly into my windshield.

To wrap up this saga, hubby and I switched cars, and the windshield was fixed by yesterday afternoon. Insurance is an amazing thing, in this case; New York has full glass coverage, so it didn't cost a thing.

I really am fine, though I do realize I'm fortunate that I wasn't hurt. And on the bright side, I figure it was good research, should I decide to write a car accident scene in an upcoming story. I'll post a picture or two of the damage, when I find where hubby put the digital camera. You've gotta see it - as windshield breaks go, it's a pretty glorious one.

So...how was your Friday?

Promo $$ and Eyes Crossing in Despair

I'm dashing out the door (late) this morning, and that darn chef over at Friday's Feast decided to take the morning off, so I don't even have a clever meme to fall back on for today.

I will say that I've been getting serious about my upcoming promotions, since Release Day is less than 2 months away, and this weekend I'll be putting together my next major efforts at promotion: 2 formal ads for One Night in Boston and Lost in Paradise. This will be the first major thing(s) I've spent $$ on, outside of excerpt booklets and smaller giveaways. It's amazing how much you can spend on advertising. I know I've talked about it before, but I've watched so many authors over the last year or so, trying to figure out what REALLY seems to work to improve name recognition and drive sales. With these print releases of my book, I plan to try my best to track when ads release and how my sales do in comparison. Otherwise it's just like opening my front door and tossing a fistful of cash into the wind.

I do believe, however, that consistently writing good books is the #1 advertising an author can do for herself, which is why I also need to sit down this weekend and make 2 plans: one for finishing the draft of One Night in Napa (yes, progress has slowed down a bit) and one for fine-tuning Summer's Song and getting it out to agents and editors.

First, though, I'm off to get together my Romantic Times ad (they say this is the mother of promo places for romance writers, so we'll see) and my Romance Sells ad (this one goes to librarians and booksellers across the country).

See you tomorrow!

I Felt a Little Like Socrates

"Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued." ~Socrates

Okay, to fully understand my absolute pleasure at what happened yesterday, you first must know how incredibly LONG winter has been here in the Northeast US. Not only did we get socked with snow/sleet/ice multiple times, so that we had 6-foot drifts along our driveway for months, even when the snow melted, around March, the weather never warmed up. Until this week, it was down around 15-20 degrees every night. And gray. So gray. Never any sun.

So finally, FINALLY, yesterday, we had a day that felt like spring was really here. The sun came out, and it was up in the 60s.

And my students asked if we could have class outside.

"Are you kidding?" I said. "I'll be the first one out the door."

So with the usual caveats of If you don't behave and stay focused, we're coming right back inside, and this will never happen again, we headed out to the park next door.

And for an hour, we sat in a circle in the sunshine and read poetry together. I have to say, it was a near-perfect day. There was something so organic, so very cool, about engaging 20 teenagers in conversation about language with the trees around us and the sun on our backs.

Of course, tomorrow they'll probably cry about the workload, or beg for a grade change, or I'll get called into the principal's office for taking them off school grounds without prior permission.

But I don't care. For a day, anyway, it was what being a teacher is all about. It's true: I felt a little like Socrates, surrounded by pupils engaged in earnest discussion. Except, you know, not nearly as brilliant. But otherwise...

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Colin Harvey

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today's interview is with author Colin Harvey. Enjoy!

Hi, Colin! Can you tell us a little about your background?

I’m 47, married to Kate for almost 20 years; no kids but two spaniels. I worked for Unilever for over twenty years before being made redundant last August. Since then I’ve been freelancing.

We're glad you're here today. Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

I have two!

The Silk Palace is an epic fantasy which has gone top five on the fictionwise (electronic) chart even outselling JK Rowling and Terry Pratchett for a week! The print copy has been selling well, as well, partly because the Library Journal said of it: “Harvey brings to life a compelling world of flying machines, wizardry, and divine magic.” While Bruce Boston, Bram Stoker Award winning author of The Guardener's Tale, said of it, “Harvey fashions a richly textured magical kingdom that is ripe with sensuality and filled with both wonder and horror. Intrigues, betrayals, murders, love affairs, transformations, and revelations combine to create a narrative of epic proportions.”

And at the end of this month I move into non-fiction! Katy’s Cookbook is a collection of recipes that have been gathering dust in our kitchen in a hand-written book.

What wonderful reviews and selling success - congrats! So what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

i. Write. Write some more. Write every day – small amounts regularly are better than huge binges on an irregular basis.
ii. Finish what you start.
iii. Remember, nothing works equally for anyone, so any advice you’re given should be tried, but if it doesn’t work for you, discard it.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

SF / fantasy, and crime.
Two favourite authors; in SF it’s Alfred Bester, and in crime it’s Rex Stout. Apparently they lived next door to each other for a while!

Big question, now: how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

My wife would tell you that I don’t balance it….but seriously, every writing minute has to be quarried out of life. Take lots of breaks – I work for 45 minutes, break for 15. On again – then off again. Exercise. I walk the dogs twice a day and go to the gym a couple of times a week. It’s important to exercise as much as you can, because writing is a sedentary, lonely occupation. But walking gives you time to think, as well.

Ah. Well, do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?

I suffered for about twenty years. It ends when it ends, but I think the key is to convince yourself that it doesn’t matter. Take the pressure off yourself; write little bits and bobs – “thequick brown fox ran through the lobby of the hallway…” then see where it takes you.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I think about writing….



Colin, thanks so much for being here today. Readers, make sure to visit Colin's website and MySpace page - and have a terrific day!

My Gardening Woes

"Science, or para-science, tells us that geraniums bloom better if they are spoken to. But a kind word every now and then is really quite enough. Too much attention, like too much feeding, and weeding and hoeing, inhibits and embarrasses them." ~Victoria Glendinning

I have never been a gardener. I have never even pretended to be. I know some people love it, the planting and the tending and the reaping, and they all have lovely gardens that I envy whenever I drive by.

But I just cannot find the energy or motivation to join them, despite the promises of fresh air and exercise and meditation that comes with gardening. For one, any spare time I do have, I'd rather be reading or writing or running or walking - all of which I can also do outside. For two, gardening takes an awful lot of work, and vision, and patience, and I have discovered that I really don't have the hours or the creative ability to nurse plants and flowers over months at a time.

Having said that, I do try mightily each year to plant something new, to try again to coax flowers to grow. And I do love the moment they emerge from the ground in early spring. There is something so encouraging about green shoots poking up from bare earth, where there had only been snow for so long.

So I share with you my early spring pictures. And if anyone has suggestions for foolproof (and deer-resistant) plants and flowers that aren't too difficult to grow, I'm all ears.

The very first daffodil to begin to show its face (it's in the premiere spot, in full sun right in front of the house)

Snowdrops doing their best to survive still-cold nights...

...and an interesting occurrence: the daffodils in the back of this bed are, obviously, healthy and ready to bloom. The ones in the foreground, well, I laid all that black weed fabric in this bed last year and completely forgot I had early perennials there (we've only been in this house 2 springs). So not only were these guys fighting against the fabric, I had also laid a couple of fieldstones squarely over them. When I noticed a bump in the mulch a few weeks ago, I decided to investigate. Whoops. Poor things (I know uber-gardener Marianne will be angry with me...). But isn't it amazing that they continued to grow, despite all that? I'm waiting to see if they'll actually bloom.

My Next Book to Read

"In the end, people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out." ~from "The Lessons I'm Leaving Behind" by Randy Pausch


Did anyone see the featured author/book in the Sunday Parade issue yesterday? The main article was on Randy Pausch, a computer science professor who's 47 and dying of pancreatic cancer. He gave his final, farewell lecture at Carnegie Mellon a few months ago and has turned it into a book: The Last Lecture.

Among other comments quoted in the article:

"At the end of [one] semester, I presented a stuffed penguin to the team that took the biggest gamble while not meeting its goals. The award came from the idea that when penguins jump in water that might have predators, well, one of them's got to be the first penguin...Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted. And it can be the most valuable thing you have to offer..."

"As a professor, I've seen how disruptive it can be for parents to have specific dreams for their children. My job is to help my kids foster a joy for life and develop the tools to fulfill their own wishes. My wishes for them are very exact and, given that I won't be there, I want to be clear: Kids, don't try to figure out what I wanted you to become. I want you to become what you want to become. And I want you to feel as if I am there with you, whatever path you choose..."

You can read the whole article, or watch his last lecture, here.

I've definitely put his book on my To Be Read List. Kind of reminds you what's important in life, doesn't it?

Last Chance for Spring Showers!

"It's not true that nice guys finish last. Nice guys are winners before the game even starts." ~Addison Walker

Well, here it is: the last week for the Samhain Spring Showers Event, over at Coffee Time Romance. I have another excerpt posted, from One Night in Memphis - where hero and heroine meet speak for the second time. (Remember to scroll down to subsequent pages if it's not on the first one :)

I loved writing Ethan, the hero in this story. He's a non-Alpha male, the sweet, quiet guy who's forced to step beyond his comfort level when he falls for crazy Dakota. Ooh, seeing the story again makes me wish for July to be here, so the book can officially release! (Yes, Devon, I will try my hardest to give you the heads-up before it does and before Samhain sends it out for review...)

By the way, my faithful blog readers will recognize Devon Gray's name because she likes to hang around my blog and say nice things about my writing :) She's also a reviewer for Fallen Angel Reviews AND even better, she's a romance writer herself who just got some great news from a editor who's interested in publishing her first book! So drop her a line of congrats on her blog if you get a chance.

***

Did some good writing on One Night in Napa yesterday: I'm finished with the Midnight chapter and hope to do a little work on 1:00 am today. We'll see. It's supposed to be a really nice day here, though, so the weather (and my flowers trying so hard to bloom) might tempt me outside.

Have a wonderful day!!

This is Cool...

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." ~Albert Schweitzer

So most of my regular readers probably know that I've been participating in the Samhain Spring Showers promotional event over at Coffee Time Romance (if you didn't, you can jump over there right now and take a look at an excerpt of the upcoming One Night in Memphis - I even posted a second excerpt, in the comments section, when readers asked for one...)

Here comes the cool part. I don't usually do a lot of chats or yahoo group excerpt posts, because I really don't have the extra time. It takes a lot to stop in every hour or so, check the comments, respond, etc. Plus I can't access any kind of board or group at work, so Mon-Fri is out anyway.

But I've had fun with the Spring Showers Event, as much as possible, and I've realized how cool is it to chat with actual or potential readers of your book. When I posted excerpts from One Night in Boston, several people commented positively, and said they had to put it on their TBR list. But my favorite comment by far was, "I have this book, and it was great!"

I still get a little heady (and disbelieving) when I hear something like that, that some random person I don't know has bought my book and read it. And liked it!

When I posted my One Night in Memphis excerpt, with the disclaimer that it wouldn't be out in ebook until July, I got actual dismay on the part of some commenters, that they had to wait so long. Definitely a warm fuzzy.

Sorry...I'm blowing my horn too much, maybe. But I just wanted to share. For someone who's spent a lifetime wanting to write and be published, it's pretty cool to have your dreams come true :)

TGIF!!

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. " ~Emily Dickinson

Did you know we're in the middle of Borders Educators' Week? Any current or retired educator (and this includes Sunday School teachers, homeschoolers, etc) gets 25% off every single thing they buy, now through April 8. I wait for this week every year!

And now, the Friday Feast...

Appetizer
Invent a new flower; give it a name and describe it.
How about the New England Beauty? It survives the most wicked winters and blooms a bright red and pink through the snow. Nearly indestructible.

Soup
Name someone whom you think has a wonderful voice.
I'm a Josh Groban fan...

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how clean do you keep your car?
I'd say around a 7. I don't wash it as often as I should (especially in the winter - what's the point?), and it tends to collect pieces of my life as the weeks go on...extra gloves, receipts, overdue books, running clothes in case I'm motivated after work...

Main Course
How do you feel about poetry?
Interestingly enough, though I'm an English teacher and a writer, I'm not a huge poetry fan. I do like to read it occasionally (love ee cummings), but I don't like to teach it, and I'm not very good at writing it. I tend to enjoy it on the surface level, rather than analyzing it for all its hidden meanings.

Dessert
What was the last person/place/thing you took a picture of?
Lots and lots of new and exotic cars, at the International Auto Show last weekend. Missed that blog post? Here they are!

Three Links You Should Visit Today

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about little puppies." ~Gene Hill

Just a quickie today (well, no, not that kind of quickie, though hey, your imagination can go where it wants to...and as a matter of fact, yesterday I wrote the first kiss scene for One Night in Napa and ~ yummy! But I digress...)

Three links for you to visit today:

1. The Wild Rose Press April Newsletter - They did a really nice job, I think. Love the whole layout and design. And a little side news: I just found out that my novel with them, Lost in Paradise, releases in print on May 23! I don't think you can pre-order that one, but I'll definitely let you know when it's available.

2. The Long and the Short of It - This review site is giving away a book every single day this month! All you have to do is comment.

3. Oprah's April 4 Show on Buying Puppies - This one has nothing to do with writing, but it's a good effort to raise awareness about puppy mills and how awful they really are. Her show this Friday is devoted to exposing these mills!

Have a great day - I'm off to heat up the action from that first kiss in One Night in Napa (31K words and counting!)

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Marty Kindall

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm interviewing Marty Kindall. Enjoy and leave a comment when you're through reading...

Hi, Marty! Thanks for being here today. Can you tell us a little about your background?

I was born and raised in Ohio (Go Bucks!), in a house with hundred of books. I went to college in Michigan and Arkansas, and moved to North Carolina a decade ago. I work as a history professor and college administrator. I like to travel--especially to the beach.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

My latest novel is titled "All in Good Time" and is available, like my other titles, from The Wild Rose Press. All of my stories are in the Vintage Rose line, and they're interconnected because they're set in the same town. "All in Good Time" is set in 1948, and tells the story of Elizabeth, a Yankee school teacher, who moves to this small southern town to become a spinster. She doesn't count on falling for Jake, who is struggling to overcome a scandalous divorce (all divorce was scandalous in those days) and raise his young son, Charlie, alone.




Ooh, sounds like a great story. So how do you go about developing your characters?

My characters--at least one of them--usually come to me fairly fully formed. My stories are character driven, so I spend some time developing them. I try to find images and music that represent them, and I develop their voices by writing a first-person biography for each. I use some of the character charts and interviews if I'm still feeling at a loss, and to keep track of the character arc, I use the GMC method, which also helps me develop strong areas of conflict between the H/H.

Based on your experiences, what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

WRITE! Write anything--every word on paper is a learning experience. Without "doing it", you can't grow and develop. READ! Read for entertainment, but also for education. Read the genre you write, the publisher you're targeting, the authors your love, all with an eye toward what they're doing that works for you. Also read craft books, whether for information or inspiration, and consider meeting other authors (online or in person) to make friends, share information, and encourage one another.

That's terrific advice, for sure. But what do you find most difficult about writing? And what do you find most exciting or rewarding?

For me, the most difficult thing about writing has been handling the "business" side. Writing is a creative process, and business is...stressful. Be careful that you don't let the practicalities of publishing sap creative energy. I'm lucky to be with a great publisher who has helped me keep a good balance.

The most exciting thing is the process of developing and writing a story. Getting what is in hour head onto the page--you can lose yourself in another life, adventure, or love for hours at a time. The rewards of writing come when people let you know they appreciate your work, they connected with your story or characters.

Marty, thanks so much for your insight. Readers, make sure to visit Marty's website and MySpace page.

And thanks for joining us today!

Happ April Fool's Day!!

A blind man walked into a store, lifted his seeing-eye dog over his head, and started swinging the animal in circles. A saleswoman hurried over.

"Sir, is everything all right? Can I help you with something?"

"No thanks. I'm just looking around."

###

...and that's my attempt at a joke on this April Fool's Day...

By the way, The Long and the Short of It is holding a TERRIFIC contest this month: they're giving away a book every single day! All you have to do is leave a comment on a review post - but you only have one day to do so. Check here for more details.

Finally, a big congratulations to Virginia, the winner of my March blog-book giveaway! Virginia, email me at allieb@allieboniface.com so I can get Outlaw Bride sent off to you!

Happy April, everyone!

Don't Forget the Kids...

"Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves." ~Virginia Satir

A few months ago, there was an article in my hometown newspaper about a writing group that had formed at one of the local high schools near where I grew up (not my alma mater, but close by). I thought, well, that's cool...I should drop them a line and congratulate them, and tell them about my own success as a writer.

It took me a while, but I finally did. And this is the email I got in response:

Thank you so much for the beautiful card and note that we received this past week. Some of the writers in the...group have seen the card and were so moved. The others will see it on Thursday when we meet next. I heard comments like, "Oh my gosh a famous writer knows about us now" and "Let's get her book and write with her." This was really huge to the kids to be recognized this way.

You, like others in our community, are showing the students...that you value their gift of writing and that our group is important to those outside of the school. Most of these children have not excelled in sports or other areas and have really been somewhat lost in the hustle and bustle of high school life. This group has given them a home to share their thoughts, their losses and their dreams. I can tell by what you wrote that you understand how important having a place like this can be to someone who writes.We are all so excited about your upcoming book. Please let us know where we can get a copy, and if you are in the area, maybe we can meet...

So this is my latest message to anyone looking for different kinds of promotion: consider making contact with the high schools in your area. I don't think it really matters *what* you write (OK, maybe erotica would be out). I do think the fact that you're a writer, and that you've struggled to express yourself on paper, appeals to people of any age. And I believe (being a teacher myself) that giving kids someone to talk to and maybe look up to, is valuable in more ways than one.

Check and see whether or not your local school has any kind of creative writing group - even a newspaper. Writing for any audience requires similar talents. Send an email or a letter. I bet you'll be surprised at their response. And hey - it's one more way to get the word out about your own work (in case you're out of the loop, pre-teens and teens talk to their friends. A lot.)

Cool, right?