Interesting Facts About December 15th

1. It signifies the first day you can start counting down to Christmas on both hands!

2. The Bill of Rights was ratified on this date when Virginia gave its approval, in 1791.

3. It's the day before Ludwig von Beethoven (1770) and Jane Austen (1775) were born.

4. Exactly 10 years ago today, the San Francisco 49ers retired Joe Montana's number, #16.

5. On this date in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association declared homosexuality was not a mental illness.

6. "Gone With the Wind" premiered in Atlanta on this date in 1939.

7. It's the 349th day of the year (350th, in leap years).

8. It was the day that band leader Glenn Miller disappeared over the English Channel, in 1944.

9. It falls in the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. (Sagittarians, by the way, are "friendly, sociable, and outgoing. They have a reputation for being blunt speakers who don't worry how their opinions will be received. Like their male counterparts, Sagittarian women love to travel and are curious about other cultures. Like other fire-sign females, they are not afraid to take risks").

and finally,

10. Yours Truly was born...though the number of years ago shall remain confidential...

The Big Storm

Well, we got it yesterday: the first big snowstorm of the season. It snowed for most of the day, a good twelve hours, and we ended up with about 9 inches. Here are the before and after pictures (actually, not a true "after" picture, as it kept snowing for about 4 hours after I took it...but it was dark then):

9:00 am 12/13/07

3:00 pm 12/13/07

And hey, here's the Friday Feast!

Appetizer Make up a word and give us its definition. One of my students came up with this one (unintentionally) "ostrichsize" ( instead of ostracize)...shoving oneself off to the side (instead of someone else) and sticking one's head in the sand as a result.

Soup What is currently your favorite song? I can only pick one? OK, I'm still liking "Everything" by Michael Buble. It's just so happy!

Salad What’s at the top of your Christmas wish list this year? Stress-free, non-work time spent with the people I love. I'm not really into material things. I have everything important I could need.

Main Course Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life. Dial Soap...my hubby has always used it :)

Dessert Who is someone on television that you feel probably shouldn’t be, and why? I can only pick one? OK, then Paris Hilton - honestly, people, she has done nothing except had the luxury of being born into a rich, privileged family. She has no talent and not a whole lot of brains. Yet she has a TV show, a recording contract, and actual fans...see why I'm so sad about the world sometimes?

Books and More Books

No school today 'cause of the impending snow/ice storm ~ yippee! I think teachers enjoy days off just as much as students do!

You know, this December book give-away has been such a great way for people to stop in and visit my blog, I think I might do it every month! What do you think?

And speaking of getting free books, I'll put in a plug here for The Long and the Short of It ~ they desperately need more reviewers. If any of you new visitors are interested, go on over and let Marianne know. She's looking for anyone who'd be willing to read 2 books a month (or short stories - hey, there's a lot of those too!) and share your opinion. You get free reads, and even better, they just started an incentive program where you can earn points for every review you write...and the points can be traded in for Amazon gift certificates or cool items from CafePress, among other things. Just let her know I sent you!

Of course, one of the things you'll find as as reviewer is a wide range of stories and writing abilities...and editing polish, apparently. I'm reading a novella right now that is chock-full of spelling and grammar errors. Not cool. It really takes away from my enjoyment of the story. Sigh.

P.S. Received another wonderful email regarding Lost in Paradise, from a cyber-writing friend of mine:

"I have just finished reading your book. Just fantastic. One of the most enjoyable reads I've had for a while. Loved the characters and the situation they find themselves in-you kept the momentum going right till the end."

Thanks, Rosalie!!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Tricia Ballad

Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm chatting with Wild Rose Press author Tricia Ballad. Her short story "The Perfect Candidate" just released last month, and today it's received a 5 Book review over at The Long and the Short of It!

Hi Tricia, and thanks for joining us today! Can you tell us a little about your background?

I took the scenic route getting here. I wrote constantly in high school, but when I started considering career options and college majors, a certain well-meaning advisor strongly suggested that I focus on a career path that would give me a fighting chance at supporting myself. As I'm rather fond of having food on the table and a roof over my head - and the occasional bout of retail therapy - I majored in Computer Science. Five years later, I graduated and landed a job as a web applications developer. A few years and a few babies later, I realized my heart wasn't in the world of software development. I was good at it, but I was bored.

So I made a huge change, quit my job, and sat down to become a professional writer. Over the past three years, I've become fairly successful in writing non-fiction - mostly technical works drawing on my web development background. Earlier this year, I realized that I've been doing everything BUT what I've always dreamed of doing: writing stories. Once that realization hit, I knew it was time to focus on fiction with the intensity and commitment that got me this far in non-fiction. I wrote two short stories, to test the waters. One was rejected by a weekly print publication and the other is currently available from Wild Rose Press

Congrats on your publication! Tell us a little more about it.

"The Perfect Candidate" is the story of Caroline, a young woman who takes a big step forward in her career - only to find out that she may end up sacrificing her relationship with the man she loves. She senses changes afoot in their relationship and fears that by the time her work life settles down, her romance with Joshua may be nothing more than a lifelong regret. Caroline hopes to heal the cracks she sees forming in their relationship, before it's too late - but Joshua has other plans.



OK, now what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

Research markets and submit your work! I've known so many beginning writers who agonize over every word in their manuscripts until they are simply too terrified to actually send anything out. Accept that nothing you write will ever be 100% perfect, and that 90% of the time, you're the only one who will see the imperfections. Ok, having said that, the opposite is also true. No matter how brilliant your work is, expect it to be edited. You will get the manuscript back full of comments and suggestions from your editor - and that's a good thing. If you aren't comfortable with having your work edited, the cold hard truth is, you're not going to make it professionally. Keep a journal, write a blog, have fun - but unless you can accept constructive criticism and suggestions, you won't make it as a professional writer.

Writers have a lot of luxuries - we get to work curled up on the couch in our PJs if we want to - but that can also make it harder to take our work or our commitments as seriously as we would if we put on a suit every morning and drove into the office.

What it really comes down to is finding a balance between professionalism and artistry. That's the secret of most successful authors.

That's truly great advice, Tricia. So what do you find most difficult about writing? What do you find most exciting or rewarding?

The most difficult part of writing fiction has been my own mental block - It's taken me a long time to get to the point where I can sit down and dream up characters and storylines and honestly call it working. I've been stuck in the mindset that working meant writing non-fiction because quite frankly stories are just too much fun to write! Nothing that energizing and fun could be work, right? Once I got past that, I was finally able to set aside the hours I needed to get this story written, edited, and published.

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

I brute force my way through it, or go back and do some more brainstorming and outlining. For me, writer's block comes from one of two sources. Either I'm not prepared to write, so I need to go back and do more research, brainstorming, and outlining, or I'm just distracted by the fifteen other things that are constantly competing for my attention. In that case, I either rearrange my schedule so I can write after my husband comes home from work and give the kids the attention they need at that moment, or if it's something like the perpetual sink full of dirty dishes, I just flat out ignore it. Militantly sometimes! I refuse to allow dirty dishes to interfere with my career - after all, if I were working a corporate job, my boss wouldn't let me take the afternoon off to clean my house. My writing career is just as much a commitment and a priority as a corporate job.

That's a terrific attitude! Now let us in...describe your writing space.

I write all over the place. I got a laptop so I could work wherever the kids are playing. That way, I'm on hand to mediate disputes and I'm there with them while they play. I even took it with me to pick up my son from school this afternoon so I could work on this interview while I was waiting for him! I've had a dedicated home office in the past, but in our current home there really isn't the extra space, so when I have kid-free work time I write at my desk in the bedroom or curled up on the bed under a quilt - depending on what I'm working on and the mood I'm in!

The one thing I simply must have in order to work - aside from my laptop of course - is a cup of good coffee. It's a psychological thing, I guess. Without my cup of coffee, I can't seem to focus on the task at hand.

Ah, coffee...the life blood of many an author (and working mother) out there! Thanks, Tricia, and good luck with your future writing, non-fiction and fiction both!

If you'd like to know more about this author, visit her website at http://www.triciaballad.com/ And she'll be stopping in today periodically to read your comments and answer your questions, so have at it!

Update on the Book-Blog Giveaway!

If you've been paying attention this month, you know I'm giving away Scenes from a Holiday to one lucky person at the end of this month. The more times you comment on my blog in December, the more times your name is put into the randon drawing! Anyway, I just finished reading it, and I thought I'd share my review:

"These three chick lit novellas are an entertaining holiday trilogy that’s perfect for this time of year! The authors capture the spirit of the season – or, more accurately, the frustration of the season, for a single girl – in light, easy reads.

In The Eight Dates of Hanukkah, Nicki Heller is a successful events planner for the singles scene, who on the first day of Hanukkah breaks up with her boyfriend, opts to work late, and ends up confronting a robber and getting knocked into a coma by an over-sized menorah. She spends the next eight days trapped in Menorahville, which looks a lot like New York City filled with desperate women who can’t wait to get married. Suddenly, Nicki realizes that, just maybe, she’s been too hard on the singles in her life and on the one guy, Mark, who actually wants to commit to her.

This novella was my least favorite of the three. Nicki is a fun character, but slightly neurotic and self-absorbed. I also wasn’t crazy about the over-abundance of exclamation points in every chapter. Nicki’s highly dramatic, woe-is-me attitude got a little old. Still, her discovery at the end of the story – that she has everything she needs in her life already – was a nice, “It’s a Wonderful Life” ending to this story.

Carrie Pilby’s New Year’s Resolution follows the adventures of twenty-year old Carrie, a genius who graduated Harvard early and is now trying to develop a social life and meet a man in Manhattan. I really enjoyed this story. The first-person narrator is likable in her insecurities, and she tries so hard to find a way to meet other people that the reader has to feel for her. She does meet Nolan, a smart, well-read vegetarian who seems right for her in theory, but really, she just wants to get down and dirty with Kurt, the brainless hunk she meets in a bar one night. Still, with the help of her over-the-top, best friend Kara, Carrie discovers that staying true to herself is the best way to meet someone else. The whole story is fun and sincere.

Finally, Emma Townsend Saves Christmas is a great tribute to the charm of New England small towns that drape themselves in holiday cheer from October to January. Emma is a farm girl from Vermont who escapes to New York City, becomes a high-powered lawyer, and meets rich Eric Wesson. The only problem? Each year she has to go home to the town of Bethlehem, population 226, and help her family with the annual Christmas Faire. Emma can’t stand the event, and she wears Anne Klein heels and Diesel jeans in protest. But when she discovers that her high school crush, Tim Latch, has signed on to help with the Faire this year, things change. This story was a heart-warming look at what is important during the holidays and how touching family traditions can be. Emma and Tim make a charming if unlikely couple, and the many scenes where Emma’s pretentious attitude is turned upside down are quite funny. Emma’s cousins, along with the townspeople, steal the show and remind this character that Bethlehem, Vermont, really does embody the spirit of Christmas, flannel and all.

All three novellas in this trilogy are entertaining and heart-warming, especially at this time of year. Scenes from a Holiday reminds readers what’s important all year round: family, friends, and staying true to oneself no matter the circumstances. Enjoy!"


So keep those comments coming!

P.S. Here's the latest trailer I made~

To Get in the Mood...

OK, on this sleety and cold Monday morning, here's an old classic holiday favorite from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" - come on, you know you want to sing along!



I still can't believe Christmas is only 15 days away. I'm defintely behind on my, well, on my everything. I just got the house decorated this weekend. I ordered my Christmas cards and are hoping they'll arrive sometime before, I don't know, like the 20th. I'm about half-done with my shopping but haven't even started buying for my husband and don't have an idea what to get him this year. Haven't bought any wrapping paper or ribbon. Haven't gotten a tree. Have almost forgotten that my own birthday is coming up this weekend.

Hmm...how on earth do you find time to do it all???

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Before I forget to mention it,, The Long and the Short of It is running a "Best Romance of 2007" contest on their site. Want to enter a great romance you read this year? Email them and enter your nomination! And hey, if you feel like One Night in Boston or Lost in Paradise should be in the running, then all it takes is a single email...

An Awesome Review

So yesterday I received a WONDERFUL email from a woman who just finished reading Lost in Paradise:

"The Senator’s daughter. The repairman. Sharing a house. Desire. Friendship. All she ever wanted to do was live her life like she wants. Not the life her parents created for her. All he wanted to do was forget the past. What started out as friendship turned into love and respect. The future is theirs to have, once all misunderstandings are out in the open. Oh man, I loved this story. There were some sad moments but I loved how they both bit the bullet and professed their love for one another. Thanks for sharing your stories."

Isn't that awesome? I always loved this story, so when other people react to it the same way, it makes every minute of agonizing over the writing, or sending it out to agents and editors, or working through the edits, or trying to brainstorm new promotion, totally worth it!

Santa and His Reindeer Sing White Christmas

You remember it from last year, right? That great little clip of Santa and his reindeer (actually The Drifters) singing "White Christmas"?? Well, here it is again, for your viewing pleasure!

A Belated Friday Feast

FYI, today's work presentation went very well, better than I had hoped. "Phenomenal" and "very impressive" were a couple of the compliments we received :)

Reminder: I'm having a neat little book giveaway for the entire month of December - all you have to do to enter is post a comment on my blog! The more comments, well, the more chances you have to win~

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What was the last game you purchased?

Believe it or not, I can't even remember. Maybe an updated version of Scrabble? Not including the educational games I buy my niece and nephew, of course :)

Soup
Name something in which you don’t believe.

Negative thoughts.

Salad
If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?

Wentworth Miller - he's yummy to look at and he's a Princeton graduate. I would mop the floors if he asked nicely :)

Main Course
What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

To think before I open my mouth, especially when speaking to my superiors. In fact, I'm still learning that lesson!

Dessert
Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.

Dark and quiet, with a masseuse nearby...

Updates

Update on the trailer biz: I just finished one for my TWRP editor, who has a novel out herself, Dancing on the Edge. I'm pretty pleased with it. Take a look:



Update on Summer's Song: This is my latest WIP. It's been kicking around for a while, but I'm tackling some serious revisions these days. I was planning on targeting NY houses and agents, but I think I've changed my mind and may submit it to The Wild Rose Press instead. My thinking? It will be close to 90K words, which means it should go to print with them. Also, it's a sweet (well, more sensual) contemporary romance, not anything terribly ground-breaking, and I'm not sure it's unique enough to break into the big presses. And finally, I've been pleasantly surprised with how well Lost in Paradise has sold with TWRP. If I can develop a following there, maybe I can set the stage for snagging an agent later down the line. Anyway, I'm really hoping to finish and fine-tune Summer's Song by the end of the year!

Update on the rest of my life: Yeah, I do have a day job - at least until Oprah calls :) So I probably won't be blogging tomorrow, since I'm scheduled to give a presentation with a colleague to the State Education Department on our teaching programs and what we do. Kind of a big deal, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Anita Davison

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm talking with British author Anita Davison,. Settle in and enjoy the interview!

Hi Anita! Can you tell us a little about your background?
I don’t really have one, not professionally. My first real attempt was to write a series of children’s stories for my son when he was very ill with chicken pox. I still have those stories.

Tell us about your latest writing project.
My debut novel is a coming of age story set in 17th Century Devon. Helena Woulfe waves her father, uncle and elder brother off to the Monmouth Rebellion, expecting to see them return as conquering heroes. But the Duke of Monmouth is defeated at Sedgemoor and suddenly Helena belongs to a family of traitors. She and her younger brother, Henry leave the city of their birth for London, to forge a new life for themselves.

Sounds like a great story! How do you go about developing your characters?
I try and put myself inside their heads. What would they do in a certain situation is this or that event happens. How would they feel, react and solve the problem. Then I gave them different personalities so those reactions would differ. I have lived with them for some time and know them as well as, or even better than, my own children. They are real to me.

What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?
Join a critique group. I didn’t like the sound of that either at first, because suppose they hate it? I shall be so discouraged; I’ll hurl my novel into a corner and never write again. But then, I told myself I could always hide behind the internet and no one would know it was me, so I applied to the group with a sample of my writing. My first submission attracted not only constructive criticism, but a lot of praise too, and far from wanting to discard it, I couldn’t wait to get back to my laptop and implement some of the ideas and rules they gave me. The group moderator, Anne Whitfield, who is also a wonderful author herself, told me I had a good story, I just had to learn how to write it.

Thus I ventured into the world of literary jargon where terms like PoV, active versus passive voice, gerunds, weaving backstory, how to avoid info dumps, dialogue tags, exposition, are bandied about amongst the initiated. Slowly, my manuscript went through an evolutionary process and Anne was right, the story is still there, but now benefits from some intensive polish. Now it reads like a proper novel! I learned so much from critiquing the work of the others in the group, all of whom submit a wide range of historical fiction from ancient civilisations to Regency England.

What an accurate description of the process! OK, what kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?
My favourites are historical fiction writers of course, like Suzannah Dunn, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and Michael Jecks, who writes medieval detective stories based in Devon. I also enjoy Harlan Coban detective stories and Kathy Reich’s forensic thrillers.

What do you find most difficult about writing? What do you find most exciting or rewarding?
Discipline and momentum. I either write manically, not stopping to eat or wash up the breakfast dishes and work for hours on end. Or I can only manage an hour of consistent composition because I get distracted easily and go off to check my Bebo and MySpace pages for notes and comments. Both great vehicles for procrastination and time wasting.

Very true! So how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?
Badly, for the reasons listed above and the fact my husband and I are trying to run a business, are selling a business, and buying a totally different type of business in another country. Fortunately I don’t have any school age children - our son and daughter are grown up, well sort of, or I would be even more chaotic.

Do you ever suffer from writer's block? If so, what do you do about it?
Not for scenarios, I always have an abundance of them and my critique group know where to come when they run out of plotlines. Each chapter has to have a structure, with character growth, conflict and goals. Sometimes I have difficulty getting those objectives into a chapter. Usually because I am in the wrong mood. I cannot write sad scenes if I am upbeat, they turn out wooden and emotionless. What do I do to darken my mood? I just open my credit card bills. If I need to be on the verge of manic hysteria I open my husband’s.

(Big grin) Describe your writing space...
Sitting on the sofa in my sitting room with a laptop on my knee. I have been known to write sitting in hotel lobbies between meetings, on planes, even in Starbucks. When ideas, a phrase or a description appeals to me, I need to get it down. I have lots of ‘Notes’ files on my hard drive and I am onto my third laptop. I wear the letters off the keyboard!

What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Reading historical fiction novels, scouring Borders and Waterstones for research material. My husband keeps reminding me that now the kids have left home, we should do things together, rather than just sit at my laptop. So we go to see films, have dinner and just sit talking in pubs overlooking the Thames. So I make myself stop writing and go out – and he’s right, I enjoy our time together.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book(s)?
That I can actually write. No honestly, I had no confidence in my work at all. For years I really thought no one else would see any merit in my stories. My critique group changed all that. I’m still flaky though. When my editor at Enspiren sends me edits, I always e-mail her asking, ‘Yes OK, but what do you really think?” She must think I’m a nightmare.

What is your favorite movie? Did it inspire your writing in any way?
Steel Magnolias, and No. Wrong time, wrong country. But it’s a film I can watch over and over again.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Promotion is the hardest part of being an author. You have to be shameless about it and being English, that’s not easy for me. I’m happy to talk about my books and my characters endlessly, but not about me. After all, the reason I create complicated scenarios in the 17th Century, is because my own life is fairly mundane. Not unhappy, just not very interesting to an outsider. But Helena Woulfe, well that lady is fascinating and beautiful. She’s worth reading about.

Oh, and the sequel to Duking Days Rebellion, Duking Days Revolution, will be released by Enspiren Press early in 2008.

Great interview, Anita - thanks!

Duking Days Rebellion by Anita Davison is available on Lulu in print and e-book, at Fictionwise as e-book and at Amazon.com as trade paperback, October 2007.

And if you'd like to find out more, or leave this author a quick note, visit any of her sites:

Anita Davison’s Blog
Anita Davison’s Website
Anita Davison’s Bebo

Contests Galore!

Hey, if you haven't already, check out the contest page over at The Long and the Short of It. Lots of cool prizes to win!

And take a visit over to my newly-set up YouTube Channel, where you can see the latest trailer I did for fellow WRP author Tiarie Vaughn-Lazzar (The Diary of Castaways Island). You can subscribe to the channel too, and find out whenever I put up new trailers (I know you're just dying to, right?) I'm not sure about the pink background on the page, but I figured for now since I'm mostly doing romance, it'll work. What do you think?

Guess what? Lost in Paradise just made it onto the Wild Rose Press front page, overall best-seller list! It's hanging on at #1 over on the Champagne Rose Full-Length List, but I'm psyched to make it onto the "big" Top 10 list, especially since that features all lengths, and books that are in print as well. (By the way, you can read a review of it today, too). Yippee!

The 5 Things I Learned

OK, here they are, the 5 things I learned from going to the Book Fair on Saturday (there were probably more, but these 5 stand out):

1. Smile. Really, at everyone, especially if you're new to the business and you don't know who's who. The person wearing jeans and hauling around boxes to get everything set up could very possibly be the best-selling author sitting at your table. And people are more likely to stop and at least look at your things, maybe pick up a business card or bookmark, if you smile at them, make eye contact, and say hello.

2. Looks are important - when it comes to your promo items and your table, anyway. Don't overdo and bring 15 different kinds of items. It clutters the space. Do arrange your books nicely (one of the authors had a black velvet throw that she put under her books, which were all set at different levels on the table. Looked cool.) Do bring something unusual if you can, that relates to your books. The author next to me had a scented candle made by some woman who has a side business, and this author does a lot of promo packages - buy a book AND a candle. She said she sells more of both than you might guess. And more people stopped to smell the candle than stopped to pick up a book, at first glance.

3. Be prepared to listen to people talk about the books THEY'VE written. I heard more people talk about the next best-seller they had lying at home, than I can count on both hands. At least three people said, "Oh, it's fresh and original. There's nothing else like it out there." Then they went on to talk about it...and it wasn't, not really. But that's OK. People who like to talk about writing are usually readers, so you have a chance of convincing them to buy your book. A chance, anyway.

4. Even if you don't sell a single book, the networking at these public events is priceless. In six hours, I made more connections with other authors, publishers, and book distributors than I have in probably the last 6 months. I have promo opportunities for 2008 that I didn't have when I arrived there. And getting your own name out there is just as valuable. Now they know me, and hopefully they'll remember me when they see my name in other places. On the flip side, it was amazing to hear how many authors do little to no promotion once their books hit the shelves.

5. Chocolate is always a hit. I had a tin of Hershey's kisses in front of my display, and almost every person who walked by took one. And a majority stayed as they unwrapped it, to look at what else was on the table. Chocolate. Every time.

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Finally, I'm running a contest for the month of December: every time you leave a comment on my blog this month, I'll put your name into a drawing for Scenes from a Holiday. I bought this book to read and review for The Long and the Short of It, so it's a brand new copy. Hope to have the review done soon, too, so you can read it before the winner is announced...right after the first of the year!

Pics from the Book Fair!

So I survived my first public appearance as a writer, yesterday, at the New York Small and Independent Press Book Fair in Manhattan! Had a good time, met some fellow authors, and best of all, met Dru, one of my online fans and fellow bloggers. It's always cool to finally put a face with a name, when you've been chatting in the virtual world for so long. I have a great picture of the two of us, but I know some people don't like their faces up posted in Internet world, so I won't put it on my blog unless she gives me the OK ;)

View from above: looking down on the main floor of the Book Fair

At our balcony table - isn't the banner behind us great??

Me chatting with Tilly Greene (on the left) and Stella Price (on the right) - both very cool, very friendly authors. I'm hoping to do some more PR events with them next year.

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I'll be back tomorrow with a longer post about all the wisdom I learned (along with a brand new giveaway contest that I'm running for the whole month of December)...so stop back, OK?

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P.S. It's snowing like crazy here, the first real storm of the season!

And the Holidays are Upon Us...

Got this one from Judy - you've got to see it to believe it!



I'm off to the NYC Independent and Small Press Fair today...and while I'll admit I'm a little intimidated, I'm trying to keep an open mind and just learn from the whole experience. The other authors I'm sharing a table with are way more published than I am (Stella Price, Cat Johnson, and Samantha Sommersby among them).

But then I remember that one year ago at this time, I didn't even have a publishing contract. Now I have my second novel on the top of the Champagne Rose Novel Best-Selling List! Not too shabby for a year in the business, huh?

I'll share pictures and all the wisdom I learn today on a later post...stay tuned!

TGIF!!

I'm so glad it's the end of the week! How is it possible that around holiday time, things always, always, get busier than any other time of year??

Ah, well...

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?
Roller coasters, definitely. Though I prefer the ones that loop upside down to the ones with all the stomach-losing free falls.

Soup
How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?
Turn red and wish I were somewhere else? I do OK in them, I think.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?
Depends on the person and the topic. I had a friend in college (a philosophy/religion major) with whom I regularly stayed up all night discussing them (wow, I miss those days. Not a whole lot to worry about except class and what you were doing on the weekends...). So I'll give this one an 8-ish.

Main Course
Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?
Yup, I do every year. I'm a teacher - lots of germy hands out there!

Dessert
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?
I don't think I'm TOO bad. Probably around 6-8 hours/week.

Happy Friday!

I'm One Happy Girl!

Here's my interview, in my hometown paper! (Under my right hand...well, on the left from this view...go ahead, squint really hard until you see it)

And here's my beloved cat, who got a clean bill of health from the vet on Tuesday. Actually, the vet was surprised to see that his heart had decreased in size (it was abnormally enlarged back in August)...which never happens. He said, "Usually, we just hope for it to stay the same. But in almost every dimension, it's reading normal."

Hooray!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Ilene Schneider

Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm talking with Ilene Schneider, author of the Rabbi Aviva Cohen Mystery Series.

Hi, Ilene! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I was one of the first six women rabbis ordained in the U.S. I also have a doctorate in education, and most of my professional life has been spent in education and academia. I’m currently coordinator of the Jewish hospice program of Samaritan Hospice in Southern New Jerseey.

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

I’ve always loved to write, and my undergrad degree is in journalism. My goal was to become the first woman editor of the New York Times, but I got a bit sidetracked.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

My first novel, a cozy mystery called Chanukah Guilt, is, not surprisingly, about an aging baby boomer rabbi in So. Jersey. (Sound familiar?) When a young woman Rabbi Aviva Cohen counseled commits suicide, Aviva is drawn into investigating what may have led to the suicide. But it's not a grim book, or a thriller. It's got a lot of humor (I hope) and realistic situations. You can read all about it at www.rabbiavivacohenmysteries.com. I’m also currently working on a non-fiction book called Talk Dirty: Yiddish, slated for release November 2008 by Adams Media. And I’m developing the next in what will be a series of mysteries featuring Rabbi Aviva Cohen.

How do you go about developing your characters?

The ubiquitous "they" say to write what one knows. Physically, Aviva resembles me, but otherwise our lives are different. I did not base any of my characters on any one person (a point I emphasize to the members of my husband’s congregation – he’s also a rabbi), but they are composites of types. Sometimes the characters turn out differently from what I first thought, but I let them dictate to me, not the other way around.

What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

While writing Chanukah Guilt, I read lots of advice, and then ignored most of it. Find your own voice. And persevere.

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

Mostly fiction, mostly mysteries with strong female protagonists, interspersed with “literary” fiction. I have too many favorites to pick just one.

What do you find most difficult about writing? What do you find most exciting or rewarding?

Most Difficult: sitting down and actually writing. I compose largely in my head, but then have to remember what I came up with and get it down on paper, or, rather, hard drive. Most exciting: when I’ve gone off on what seems to be a tangent, and it turns into a major plot point.

How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

I don’t.

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

I sometimes find myself in a plot dead-end, but I can often come up with a scenario that solves the dilemma when I’m in the shower. I was very clean while writing Chanukah Guilt.

Describe your writing space for us.

Usually, I write on a laptop on the dining room table, where I can spread out any research materials (for the non-fiction) and stare out the window at my bird feeders. Sometimes, I use the desk top in the very cluttered second floor study. Other times, I take the laptop to a place like Border’s and look impressive (or, more likely, pretentious). And everything is backed up on both computers and on a flashdrive.

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

I’m a birder and a sort-of gardener.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book(s)?

That I could actually write something longer than 200 pages.

Thanks for joining us today, Ilene! If anyone's interested in finding out more, or inviting this author for a book-signing, leave her a comment here or visit her website. And have a great day!

A Trip I Don't Want to Take...

Some of you will recall that I had to take my poor sick cat to the (super-expensive but worth it) animal hospital back in August. While he's doing SO much better now (yay - gotta love drugs!), today I have to take him for a follow-up visit.

Not looking forward to it.

It's about an hour's drive, and he doesn't do well in cars. He used to, once upon a time; we used to drive back and forth from graduate school to my parents' house (about a 6 hour trip), and he'd just curl up on my lap or on the passenger seat and sleep. Not anymore. He will howl first, then throw up, then look forlorn and howl some more. I'm stocking the car with paper towels and hoping I only have to stop once to do a clean-up. I'm seriously considering asking the vet to drug him after the appointment, for the return trip.

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And this is exciting news: of all the bazillion press releases I sent out in the fall for One Night in Boston, one was picked up, and I was interviewed by one of the local papers near the town where I grew up. The link is here. Cool, right?

Happy Monday!

First of all, a big congratulations to Sarita Leone, who was the winner of a free download of Lost in Paradise after this weekend's excerpt and trivia question contest. Thanks to everyone who played!

Second, I'm thrilled to share the news that Lost in Paradise is currently #2 on the Champagne Rose Full-Length Best-Seller List (and #6 on the Champagne Rose best-seller list for all lengths)...and that's three days after its release! So thank you, thank you to everyone who went out and bought it. If you've read and enjoyed it, go ahead and write a review for me at The Wild Rose Press site, would you?

Finally, recently I've been approached by a few authors who are interested in having me make book trailers for them, which is oh so cool since I enjoy it anyway! Here's one that I finished over the weekend, for TWRP author Patrice Wilton:

This Weekend, Get a Little Lost...

Okay, on to round 2 of this weekend's Lost in Paradise trivia contest. Remember, just read the excerpt below and email the answer to allieb@allieboniface.com to be in the running to win a free download of my novel! (By the way, after only 2 days, it's up to #3 on the Champagne Rose Full-Length Best-seller List! Let's keep it going!!)

“Nice place, huh? I mean the house, the street, and all.” Eddie waved to the ceiling above them as he leaned back, settling himself into the cushions.

Ash followed the movement and noticed strong, calloused hands, with scars on the knuckles, and one pinky finger bent in an odd way. Warmth filled her belly. She always noticed men’s hands. Maybe that’s why she found baseball players and cellists so sexy. She liked hands that looked powerful and rugged. Hands that could take on the world and throw it into its place when need be. Strong hands that turned soft when they wound their way along her body late at night. Eddie’s hands looked like that.

The warmth reached her cheeks again, and she willed it away, afraid it would betray her.

“So how’d you end up moving in here?” Jen asked him.

“Mm…long story.”

The bleach-blonde propped one elbow on the back of the couch. “We’ve got time.”

Eddie’s face changed a little, and he switched the subject, smooth as cream. “What about you, Jen?”

“What about me?”

“You and Ashley-what’s your story? You guys from around here?”

Ash cringed a little when he said the name. Ashley. Her alias. The one she’d just made up, to take the place of her true identity for the next few months. Already she felt guilty about lying to the guy who would be sharing her house. Darn it. Why couldn’t things ever work out the way she planned?

“Not really,” she began, with a quick glance at Jen. How did she answer his question without revealing too much? “I mean, we just graduated and…”

“We’re from Boston,” Jen finished when Ash trailed off into silence. “Ashley decided to take a summer to herself before jumping into the big bad world. You know, enjoy some peace and quiet. I’m just along for the ride.” She leaned in closer. “That, and to interview any housemates she might have. To make sure they pass inspection.”

Eddie looked over at Ash. “And do I pass?”

She felt her cheeks warm and wondered if that was answer enough.

Jen smiled. “Oh, I’d say you do.”

Trivia question: What does Ash find so attractive the first time she meets Eddie?

Email the answer to allieb@allieboniface.com - and check back here tomorrow to see if you're a winner!

This Weekend, Get a Little Lost...

Time to celebrate the electronic release of Lost in Paradise! (which, by the way, is currently 4th on the Champagne Rose best-seller list...maybe we can move it up a few notches...) Just read the excerpt below, then email the trivia question that follows to allieb@allieboniface.com. The contest runs today and tomorrow (different excerpt tomorrow!), and the winner will be announced here on Monday.

What do you win? A free download of Lost in Paradise, of course!

Willing her feet to step one in front of the other, Ash followed Jen to the front porch. “What am I doing? What if this was a stupid decision? What if I’m really supposed to open my own law practice, go into politics, like Jess and Anne? Like Dad?” Like everyone else in my family? Her knees felt funny, and she sank onto the bottom porch step.

Jen tried the door. “You’re not,” she said over her shoulder.

“How do you know?”

“Because you spent the last two months of law school miserable and because you needed a change.”

“My parents are going to kill me.”

Jen joined her on the step. “To tell you the truth, I think your parents have other things on their minds these days.”

Like explaining to the press why my father was caught with drugs and a nineteen-year-old prostitute in his car? Two months before he was about to receive the Democratic presidential nomination? Ash dug her toe into the pavement, tracing cracks and watching ants scurry.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Suddenly, her decision to leave Boston and the center of the Kirk family scandal didn’t seem like the worst decision in the world. In fact, when she thought about it, it seemed downright practical.

She eyed the car and wondered how long it would take her to unpack. Not that long, she decided. The apartment was supposed to be furnished, and she’d brought only a few clothes and books. Most of the memories she’d put into storage or burned.

Jen worked her fingernail beneath some peeling paint on the porch railing. “Just because your father and both your sisters went into politics doesn’t mean you have to. Even if you did graduate from Harvard.”

Ash hugged her elbows. “Yeah, but it would make things easier. How the heck am I supposed to explain that I turned down a job at one of the best firms in the city?”

Jen shrugged. “You’ll figure something out.” Her voice softened. “Besides, you need this. You need a summer to yourself. You need to be…” she paused, searching for the right word. “…away.”

“Away from the media circus? Or away from Colin?”

Trivia Question: Why has Ash just left Boston?

Email the answer to allieb@allieboniface.com

It's My Release Day!!

Yes, it is 4 am - and yes I am up at this ungodly hour, blogging. Why?

Well, it's Black Friday, and though I don't hit the stores and the sales every year, this year hubby and I have some Christmas deals to buy that can't be beat. So we'll be out the door around 4:30 to try and arrive ahead of the crowds.

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More exciting, though, is that TODAY is the electronic release of Lost in Paradise, my fun contemporary romance with The Wild Rose Press! This book has a special place in my heart, since it was the first one I ever wrote. Over 6 years later, it's seeing publication. I'm so thrilled!!

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A breeze kicked through the living room, one of those warm summer gusts that sweeps in from nowhere. It lifted the hair off her neck and blew a puff of dust across the doorstep. For an instant, the room seemed to widen, to swell with warmth, and sun flooded the space.

Wow. Maybe Jen is right. Maybe he is perfect. Eddie wasn’t tall, but the faded green t-shirt he’d put on outlined every muscle she could see. Sweat lined the creases in his forehead, and brilliant blue eyes met hers. Their color startled her, so bright they made the summer sky seem shady and dull. The more she examined them and tried in vain to match them to a Crayola color that had never existed, the more she felt a strange tumbling in her stomach that she didn’t like at all.

God, what’s wrong with me? He’s just a guy. Pull it together, Ash.

Taking a deep breath, she shifted her gaze to the doorjamb above him "Hi, Eddie. Come on in."

He didn’t move for a moment, just stood and studied her. Cocking his head, he wiped his forehead against the sleeve of his shirt, then stepped across the threshold and into Ash’s life. Maybe it was the sun, maybe the odd wind that had picked up at just that moment, but suddenly she had the strangest urge to reach over and touch him, to run one finger along his brow and down his cheek. She studied a wrinkle in the fold of his shirt and wanted to smooth it. Something hovered in the space between them, and a strange sense of closeness pierced her throat and stopped her words.

Eddie reached for Ash’s hand. "Nice to meet you."

She placed her palm in his, for a moment only, but she liked the way it felt. Warm. Safe. “I’m-uh--Ashley. Ash.” She altered her first name, and didn’t offer her last, in case he’d been watching the news lately. And who hadn’t?

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You can also view the totally awesome (and revamped) trailer for the book, here:



So, as part of your holiday shopping today, why not go over to The Wild Rose Press TODAY and buy your very own copy of Lost in Paradise? Or, if you're feeling lucky, I'm running a little contest this weekend to celebrate my release. Check back here tomorrow and Sunday for additional excerpts and trivia questions. Email me the right answer, and I'll put your name into a drawing to win a free download of Lost in Paradise!

P.S. - If the book isn't up on TWRP website when you visit, keep checking back through the day...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Here's a new way to prepare your Thanksgiving Turkey!

1. Cut out aluminum foil in desired shapes.

2. Arrange the turkey in the roasting pan and position the foil carefully. (see picture below for details)

3. Roast according to your own recipe and serve.

4. Watch your guests' faces...

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, EVERYONE!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Annmarie Ortega

Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm happy to welcome erotica author Annmarie Ortega to share her story with us.




Hi Annmarie! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Well, I am a published erotica writer from Chicago, Illinois. I have been going to school to complete my Bachelor's Degree in Fiction Writing, and I first got published in October of 2005. I am currently published with New Concepts, Whiskey Creek Torrid, The Dark Castle Lords, Red Rose Publishing and Resplendence Publishing. My work is available in both ebook and print.

Wow, that's great! Tell us about your most recent work.

My most recent release is called Deal With the Devil from Resplendence Publishing. It's a story about a woman who makes a deal with the Devil, but instead of wanting her soul, he wants her body. I will also have a short story out in time for Christmas at Whiskey Creek Torrid called Jack's Frost.

What advice can you give to new writers, who are just starting out?

My advice to new writers is to always keep writing... Don't get bogged down on rewrites, you can always go back and fix things. Also, don't be afraid to submit your work. Go for it and see what happens.

What kinds of books do you most enjoy? Any favorite authors?

I love reading romances and erotica. My favorites are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Madeline Hunter, and Marianne La Croix. Marianne writes for Ellora's Cave and I met her back in 2005, and we've actually become very good friends.

OK, the million-dollar question: how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

When I'm not writing I try to fit in the rest of my life. I spend time with my family, try to catch up on reading, and watch television. I'll go rent movies and try to play catch up on what's been released on dvd.

How do you compose? Computer, by hand, dictation...?

When I write, I usually start out writing everything by hand in notebooks. When the first few chapters are written I'll enter everything into my computer, then go back to the notebooks.


Thanks for joining us today, Annmarie!

Want to know more about this author and her work? Visit her at her Myspace page!

Check Out My New Trailer!

I've been playing around with my trailer for Lost in Paradise (released this-coming Friday!!), and here's an almost-finished version. I thought I'd see what my blog readers today think. There's a bit at the beginning that's sans music...I'm still trying to decide if it works.

What do you think?

What I Love (and Hate) About NYC

Yesterday I drove down to Manhattan to visit a dear old friend of mine (well, the friendship is old, not the friend). Spent the day walking the Upper West Side, having brunch and catching up - it was really nice. Even better, this is *the first time* I've ever driven to the city all by myself; I've been down there many times since moving to this area, but always with someone else in the car or via public transportation. And I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with how I navigated myself. I love the city, but it totally intimidates me. So the fact that I managed to get myself there, and find a parking spot without too much trouble, was a happy moment in my adult life :)

Having said that, I almost got side-swiped a half-dozen times by random yellow cabs, which reminded me of some of the reasons I'm glad I don't live there, year-round. Here's my list, of sorts:

What I Hate About NYC:

1. The traffic - See above re: yellow cabs. Driving in NYC is literally taking your life into your own hands. You have to be fearless, pushy, and willing to cut across two lanes of traffic as lights are turning red and pedestrians are jaywalking and buses are cutting you off. It's a blood pressure nightmare.
2. The pollution - Yeah, it smells bad a lot of the time. And sometimes when you're crossing the bridge into the city, you can just see the smog hanging over the skyscrapers. Not pretty.
3. The homeless - Though it's not honestly as bad as other cities I've visited, there are still a lot of bums sleeping on subway grates.
4. The parking (or lack thereof) It's horrific to try and find a spot on the street, metered or not. And if you give up circling and park in a garage, the prices will turn your hair white. That's why most native New Yorkers don't own cars in the first place.
5. The prices - Just about everything is 15-20% more expensive than where I live. Gas prices, food, movies, lattes, you name it, it costs more there.


What I Love About NYC:

1. The people - So many, and from so many walks of life. You want to find inspiration for a character in your book? Park yourself anywhere in downtown Manhattan and just take notes for a couple of hours.
2. The buildings - Old or new, they're gorgeous, really. The Statue of Liberty, or the Empire State Building, or the brownstones, or the skyline itself, lit up at night - they will all take your breath away.
3. The energy - It's like no other place I've visited. There is something about the size, the variety of neighborhoods, and the city's distinct sense about itself that it is one of the powerhouse urban centers in the world, that is overwhelming.
4. The opportunities - For jobs, shows, mammoth events (think the Macy's Day Parade or the NYC Marathon), culture, star-watching...truly, there's something here for everyone, no matter what you're seeking.
5. The restaurants - Yum! Any kind, any ethnicity, any flavor, any atmosphere, any price range - and often within one square block. Tell me somewhere else you can find that kind of culinary variety!

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Reminder! I'll be back in NYC at the Small Press Book Fair on December 1 - at West 44th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues. Only $1 to get in the door - and books, books everywhere, as far as the eye can see! Hope to see some of you there!

I Just Found Out...

...that I have two articles featured in the November issue of my publisher's newsletter, The Samhellion. I had submitted them but wasn't sure when the editors would be using them. Anyway, check it out; they're titled "Groovy Love: Woodstock Lives On" and "Sexercise 101: How Step Class Can Steam up your Sheets" (I know you want to read that one!)







And did you hear about the very romantic true-life story about a guy who saw a woman on a subway train & was so enchanted he launched an Internet search to find her again?! You can watch the interview with the couple here. Every once in a while, a happy-ever-after happens in real life, too!

What I'm Reading this Weekend

It's Marianne's newest release!




Another historical romance by Tori Phillips (I read Halloween Knight back in October)...I'm about halfway through and enjoying it just as much as the first one I read by this author.



I just started this ebook, a paranormal romance, but it's really good so far. Only problem? Whatever Adobe file it's in doesn't allow me (or my computer) to scroll down and move ahead in pages. It's like a Power Point: you click, and it goes to the next page. That means every time I open it again, I have to start from page one. (If anyone knows how to remedy this, please let me know!)

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I'm also tackling 16 contest entries for my local RWA chapter. I scanned them last weekend (not too bad, as a group), but now I have to go through and actually score and comment.

What are you reading this weekend?

TGIF!!

So I just started reading a new book to review for The Long and the Short of It - and I'm impressed. Really. Most of the books I review for them are decent, pretty good, but not great...but I'm incredibly picky. I was an English major in college and graduate school, after all.

But this book? Outstanding. I love the characters, I love the plot (and I desperately want to know more...), and the writing is strong too. No, I'm not telling you the title - yet. Let's hope it continues to be a good read.

By the way, LASR is looking for more reviewers. You get free books, and you get to mouth off about them (well, nicely). If you like to read, why not do a review or two every once in a while? There's a link on their site if you want more info.

And I forgot to mention that I have an article on dealing with rejection, featured on their site this week too. Check it out here.

Without further ado, here's the Friday Feast:

Appetizer
What was your first “real” job?
Oh, this is a good one: I spent one summer inserting the syllable breaks into words for the Smith Corona typewriter that had the auto-dictionary feature. Boring as all get-out, but I worked in the same area as a bunch of their engineers (and I was 16), so it was fun.

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?
This is totally bizarre, but when I was growing up, we had an old rural cemetery less than a mile from our house. I loved wandering around, checking out the headstones and thinking of the people and the lives they must have led; plus it was quiet and really beautiful. I spent a lot of time sitting and writing in notebooks there.

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…
Actually, since I've grown up I rarely get embarrassed. Maybe I have a tough skin because I teach high school.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?
What values didn't they instill in me?! Hard work and an open mind, those are probably the top two.

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years .
Oh, boy. Um...big hair, acid washed jeans (rolled up at the bottom in a very cool and precise manner), and those little plastic bracelets strung all the way up girls' forearms ( a la early Madonna). Can you guess the decade? :)

I Have a Release Date!

Hooray! It's official...Lost in Paradise has its electronic debut on November 23!!

Yes, that is Black Friday, super-shopping day for those crazy people living in the U.S. who want to follow up a day of gorging with a day of emptying their wallets. But hey, if you're going to spend a little money next Friday, why not work Lost into your shopping list?

Now I just have to think of a cool promotional idea. It's a Champagne Rose release, but I'm not sure bottles of bubbly ship so well. Hmm. Must think on this.

Must also work on the trailer I'm making for Lost. TWRP has a spot on their website now for Book Trailers and Podcasts. Those forms of promo are really picking up.

Hey, for anyone out there who's a WRP author, do you think you'd be interested in having someone (like I don't know, me) make a book trailer for you, to go on the website? Ever since that woman emailed me about making her one last week, I've been thinking about the possibilities. I could offer a super-low fee...I just wonder how many people would take me up on it. I think some would, if they want one but don't have time to make one or the energy to figure out how. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy the creative process. There are a bunch of sites out there that charge big bucks to make book trailers. I'm thinking a fellow author asking a teeny tiny fee might have some takers...

Just a thought.

Counting the days 'til my release date...ticker and all!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Kelsy George

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today we're featuring an interview with mystery novelist Kelsy George. Pull up a chair, enjoy the conversation, and be sure to leave Kelsy a comment when you're through!

Hi Kelsy! So tell us, when did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

I wrote for a living a lot of years ago – then got sidetracked to breed and show horses and dogs. Once my knees told me to quit (or else!) I went back to work in a ‘real’ job – hated it!. Finally decided I was better off at home and signed up to take a creative writing course at the local college. I lucked out there – my instructor was TOR published author Candas Jane Dorsey. I guess she saw something worth pushing – she took me under her wing, gave me a job in her publishing company (literary fiction) and taught me everything she knew.

Candas pushed me to write something other than romance (I’d signed up for RWA and kept trying to push out a romance novel but it just wasn’t working!) I kept getting sidetracked into mystery plot elements and taking off on those. Add a little paranormal and I was happy as a clam. My first full length mystery with romance elements finaled twice in the Golden Heart – 2004 and 2005 – unfortunately it didn’t make it into the RITAs because my publisher delayed the print version until it was too late to make the contest deadline. I would have loved to see if it could take the hat trick.

When we moved to our island retirement home (think full time living in an RV on Canada’s west coast) I got really serious about writing and was able to spend as much time as I wanted at the computer. My view was the ocean shore which occasionally got me off track but it was also the source of the idea that became my latest WIP – now being sent to NY agents and editors – a few at a time until I see what happens with them – the book crosses three genres and has a heroine WAAAAY outside the box.

Wow, very cool. How do you go about developing your characters?
Something I see, read or hear will make me think “Oh, that would be good!” and off I go. With my current WIP – Limits – it was someone I met who walked with the aid of a prosthesis. A couple of days later I saw a fishing boat off our little stretch of beach and watched what they were doing – found out they were diving for clams. Voila! A story is born.

OK, so what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?
Find a mentor. Obey the rules until you know them well before you start breaking them. Know what genre you want to write and research the daylights out of it. Expect rejection. Accept rejection and try and learn from it. (If you’re lucky, they’ll tell you why they rejected it – don’t just assume they’re right but consider that they may be.)

Don’t expect to be an overnight success – one writer I heard about took 20 years to get her first contract!


Don’t let your reviews go to your head. Before I learned to accept what was written – I took sentences like “this is even better than James Patterson” (about Blind Justice – my GH finalist ms) to mean I was so good I’d sell right away in NY. NOT!!! It’s just one person’s opinion (for which I was deeply grateful) but it doesn’t mean anything more than that.

Do balance your writing life with the rest of your time. Have an exercise program and stick to it (diet if you need to lose weight) – sitting in front of the computer vegging out just isn’t healthy. Try not to let your writing life destroy your health.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?
Mystery – especially if it involves horses or dogs and paranormal – guess that’s why I like writing it too! Favorite authors would be Dick Francis (mystery with horses) and Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld series)

Now the question everyone's trying to figure out: how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?
For a long time I put everything else on hold while I wrote – but a heart attack in 2004 (yeah, I know, bummer for one so young! J - it was 7 weeks before the RWA National to which I was supposed to be going) got me to organize my time. I had to make time to do the necessary exercise to get myself back in shape. I’d gained a lot of weight when I quit smoking (13 years ago) and become sedentary while writing – so I took up biking. Riding my 21 speed mountain bike all over our corner of this somewhat mountainous island and dieting helped me lose 60 pounds (20 to go) and get in such good shape that when I had my second heart attack this past February there was NO damage done to my heart. And they tell me all that exercise has nearly eradicated the damage from the first one. Now, between diet, exercise and the necessary meds, I’m in the best shape I’ve been in since I showed dogs and horses.

I got a little carried away at first with the biking – it was such fun I frequently rode to the beach and didn’t bother to write for days on end. Now…I’ve got it better organized and I get some writing done most days.


I also added horseback riding into the exercise mix – hadn’t done that for a long time so had to remember how to do everything – but again, because I was in shape, it didn’t hurt that first time I climbed on board.


I also bought myself a moped to make slightly longer trips than I could bike (I bike 30+ kms/20+ miles at least five times a week – but with the moped I can do my grocery shopping, go the library, travel to my favorite beach spots – without burning up gas and polluting the atmosphere. Unfortunately, a truck pushed me off the bike route I was on back in August and I crashed – that’s made me out of the running for ANYTHING but sitting – I’ve been in somewhat bad shape due to getting a bone infection where the road removed the flesh on my ankle down to the bone. Bad news! Has just about healed and any day now they’ll allow me back on the bike, the horse and the moped.

And finally, what was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book(s)?
It surprised me to find out I was good at what I did. Selling what I wrote was the part I hated, but the writing? How good it feels to create an entire world on paper and know that somebody else will get to read it, and maybe like it.

Thanks so much for joining us today, Kelsy!

Want to know more about this author? Visit her website or her author page!

An R-Rated Post

Just because I thought it was funny...

Why Mom Fainted at the School Play

You Can't Tell a Vet Just By Looking

You Can't Tell a Vet Just By Looking

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carrier didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth whose behavior is outweighed in the cosmic scales by four hours of unparalleled bravery near the 38th Parallel in Korea.

She is the nurse who fought against futility in Da Nang and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years.

He is the POW who left one person and came back another.

He is the drill instructor who has never been in combat, but has saved countless lives by turning no-accounts into Marines.

He is the parade-riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the white-haired guy bagging groceries at the supermarket, aggravatingly slow, who helped liberate a Nazi death camp.

A vet is an ordinary and extraordinary human being — someone who offered his life's vital years in the service of his country.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. We will never be able to repay the debt of gratitude we owe.


—Author Unknown—

Why We Love our Animals So Much

Well, yesterday's adoption event was interesting. Since it was freezing outside, I was really glad I got to be inside with the cats, rather than outside with the dogs (I don't care that they had a heated tent, there was still snow on the ground!). We adopted out 2 of the 14 cats we brought along...not enough, but at least a couple have new homes. Mostly, people wanted to look at the cats (or open the cages and pet them without really asking to see if it was OK)...and then tell us about the 4 or 5 they already had at home. Or to complain that the $95 adoption fee was too much (yeah, but it includes the spay/neuter costs, all the shots, and microchipping...you know how much that would cost at your regular vet's??).

I got to do a "home check," where I actually drove out to this family's house to fill out a checklist and see if they'd be good parents. They had already pretty much passed, in the store, by filling out the 2-page application and having their vet talk to us as a reference. Plus their 2 kids were over the moon about this cat and really good with interacting with it.

Still, I had to drive out with them just to check and make sure, you know, they weren't running some kind of secret cat-testing facility or feeding small animals to coyotes or anything. We got there, and 1 of their 2 dogs had broken off her run and was dancing in the middle of the road. The mother was HORRIFIED. "Really, we don't ever let them off their runs when they're outside, I don't know how this happened, we take care of our pets..."

They got the cat.

And since this is in keeping with today's blog topic, and I wanted to post this when Marianne shared it back in October, here's a great (and true!) read for you:

Excerpts from a Dog's Daily Diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary:
Day 683 of my captivity:

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow - but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded!

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.... for now.

##

Have a great Sunday!