Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Brenna Lyons

Hi folks - welcome to another edition of Writers' Wednesday! Before we get started with today's featured author, let me just mention that my Banned Books Week contest is still going strong, and will return tomorrow with my latest featured book. In the meantime, every comment you leave on today's post counts as an entry as well...

A big hello to author Brenna Lyons, who joins me today. Brenna, can you tell us a little about your background?

I grew up in Hazelwood/Glenwood in Pittsburgh, PA...one of a few DMZs of the city, at the time. That was back when the mills were still open, and the area was a slum, if you weren't living in project housing. I was lucky enough to attend private schools from halfway through first grade on (St. Stephen's in Glenwood then the former Bishop Boyle High School in Homestead), which made life a little easier. Saying that my family was dysfunctional would be like calling one of my Night Warriors' sacred weapons a butter knife. Reading and writing was my escape from life, and I was good at escaping, even if it meant scribbling down poems and stories in a darkened room and trying to decipher them the next morning. It wasn't hard to learn that neglect was imminently preferable to abuse, and anything that kept me out of sight and mind was good. Cue writing and reading again. My younger brother was allowed to go live with my father in Texas when we were preteens, but the trade-off was that I would stay with my biological mother in Pittsburgh...I was legally allowed to 'run away from home' at 18, a month after my birthday, to be precise...After spending a short period of time living with my father and his second wife (and two of my seven younger sibs (whole, half, and step), I moved out and started supporting myself at 18, while I attended college, holding down two or three jobs at a time. My husband and I married at 19, and 20 years and three children later, we'll still married...twice, but that's another story.

Certainly a powerful beginning to your life! So when did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

I've always been a writer. I was writing short fantastical stories, from the time I could form words with a pencil in hand...probably age 5 or 6. I learned that you could rhyme words into poems at 7 and set off on that. I started writing articles at about 10 or 11 and had my first in a local newspaper at 13.

And, I started competing at 11, when I won a place in Taproot for poetry (the youngest winner ever, at that time). At 15, I won a place in the Young Poets Externship at the University of Pittsburgh. At 17, I won a $7500 college scholarship by taking first place in a timed essay competition. I moved from type of writing to type, expanding my boundaries, but try as I might, I could never get past the first few chapters of a novel in college. So, it was something of a surprise when I woke with the dream of what I thought was a short story (April Fools Day 2001) and found (4 months later), that I'd completed my first serial novel (PROPHECY). I launched from PROPHECY into FAIRY DREAMS and then into four books at once (the first three NIGHT WARRIORS books and TYGERS). Now, I have 75 completed novels and stories, more than 60 of them published and more signed. I also have more than 80 WIP, and I write in 17 established worlds.

75 completed novels and 80 WIP (works-in-progress)?! Wow! Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

The latest title I have out is a re-release of RITES OF MATING (one of my two EPPIE finalists from 2006) from my Kegin series. The latest new work I have out is FATES MAGIC, the first installment in the Fates War series. Both of those released from Phaze.

But, my release schedule is teeming. In October, I anticipate two releases: MATCHMAKER'S MISERY from Phaze (Kegin series) and CATCH ME, IF YOU CAN (Urban Grimms) from Under The Moon/Mojocastle. November is an even bigger month for me this year with three releases: DOUBLE IMAGE (Kegin) from Phaze, TYGERS (Renegades) from Under The Moon, and THE LADY'S LOWBORN LOVER (Kielan) from LL Productions. From December through March, I anticipate at least a release a month, but I still have three releases that are undated in that period, which means I can't assign them to a particular month. Those releases will be coming from Mundania Press, LLC., Phaze, Dark Hart Press, and Under The Moon/Mojocastle Press. My first writing priority for the next six months are finishing, cleaning, and editing those 12 or so releases.

Since you obviously have a lot of experience in the publishing world, what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

I could give a ton of advice, but here is some that I think will be most useful.

1) Get the butt in the seat and write. Don't try to write in order. Don't waste time looking for the perfect title or the perfect opening line. The perfect opening line will almost invariably present itself later. The perfect title may not be so perfect, in the end, and the publisher may order you to change it anyway. In short, you can't edit a blank page, so get something down. And, don't edit obsessively while you go. If you want to jot something in so you don't forget it, do it, but other than that, write first...then edit, or you might get stuck editing endlessly without getting new work down.

2) Join a critique group (online or not) that includes both published authors in your subgenre and unpublished. At the very least, join writers' workshops like MikesWritingWorkshop and EPIC-eWorkshop loops on Yahoogroups. Learn to take constructive criticism and weed out the nits of the crit partners, but more important...

3) Learn not only to hone your craft and self-edit but also about the industry. Learn how to vett publishers, about contract law (but always have an agent or lawyer for literary contract law on hand to handle NY contracts...any complex contract for you), the industry terms, etc. Hone your professional bearing. This is a career, so you want to know what the terms mean and apply them correctly. You also want to send well-edited communications to all industry professionals. Edit your communications even more strenuously than you edit your book...and the book should be thoroughly edited, to begin with.

4) Learn the ins and outs of dealing with an editor. You need to know that the editor's job is to help you make your book stronger and to protect you and the publisher from lawsuit. But, you also need to know what to do when you and the editor disagree and what to do when the editor is wrong. There is a fine line the author has to walk.

5) Learn the ins and outs of marketing, especially online marketing. No matter whether you are in NY or indie press, you have to do a certain amount of promotion for yourself. Some publishers demand a marketing plan from the author at submission time. Know what your options are and start early. Have a web site and/or a MySpace page for yourself as a writer BEFORE submitting. It shows you're proactive. Know what you intend to do, before someone asks.

That's terrific advice. Switching topics a little bit here, what kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I'm a fairly eclectic reader. I gravitate toward fantasy/paranormal/science fiction/horror, whether straight genre or cross-genre books. I will also read the occasional contemporary or historical (anything but Regency, which I've never really embraced, for some strange reason), true crime, poetry, classics, mystery... I read everything from sweet romance and YA through erotica. I don't have a single favorite author. My list of auto-buy authors is about 12 long, and my list of 'favorite' authors would consist of about 50 of them. That's not a joke. When I take a few days (or a week) off from writing and editing, I tend to rip through books, right and left. Some of my auto-buys? Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark/Were/Dream Hunters, Christine Feehan's Carpathians, Robin Owens' Celta series, Angela Knight's Time Hunters/Warlords, Rowena Cherry's Tiger Princes, Tee Morris's fantasy works, Jeff Strand's comedy horror (okay, he's too prolific to be an auto-buy, but nearly so), Harry Potter (while it lasted), Elaine Corvidae (nearly so), Jane Graves' DeMarco series, David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad/Mellorian and prequels, Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series (including the new one...Nox's book), Margaret Carter's vampires, Gloria Oliver...


Describe your writing space for us.


I write in two main spaces. My current office is an 8X12 alcove off the kitchen; the former one was a 10X10 space in the dining room/kids' playroom area. It has shelves for books and WIP along one full long wall; shelves for supplies and promo gear and my filing cabinet along the other, and my desk takes up the full short end of the room. There are a ton of mementos and pictures/paintings around, including: The Accolade, my 'muse' drawing by Robert Quill, a photo of my husband and myself when we were dating, the hand-woven rug my husband brought me home from Bahrain, the Celtic Cross shawl (brought home from Scotland for me), an Irish Blessing plaque, and a painting of a leopard's eyes that is directly above my work space (that my husband bought me right off the wall of a hotel we stayed in for our 20th anniversary, for no better reason than I liked it). I also have fairy decals on the walls and framed awards, reviews and ratings...and one framed letter from a reader from back in 2004! The other place I write is the corner of our couch, on a lap desk.





Love the pics! OK, when you write, do you use the computer or compose by hand, oral dictation, or some other method?

When I write fiction or poetry, I tend to write longhand, two lines to a college-ruled line, with gel ink. I prefer blue ink, but I'm also fond of dark purple and dark green. I use black and other colors, when I have nothing else available, which is often, since I go through pens pretty quickly. I use red mainly for edits on paper ARCs/galleys.

Second draft consists of me taking the scenes I've written... I don't write linear. I don't know what's coming on the next page, let alone the last, unless I've already written the last, which is never a sure thing, because I may add more content to what I think is the end. I'm a pantser/organic writer, which means I don't plot or plan. I don't do outlines until the book is finished, if they are required. Pitching on spec means a couple of paragraphs (no more than a page) of rough story ideas and characterization. Since I always start with the character and follow the character, I have a firmer hold on character and motivations/complications than I have on particulars of the storyline, at the beginning.

Back to the subject of second draft... I take the scenes I've written and put them in order in a binder, fill holes and use the margins to add more detail.

Third draft is typing the book or story into the computer. At this point, I add as much as 33% to the book or story, just fleshing out detail. I've also been known to write a new scene directly into the computer, while I'm typing it in.

After that, edits start. I do a visual edit then an auditory edit...then a cleaning edit. At that point, the work is ready to submit. Somewhere around third draft, I've written blurbs for the book/story. If I require a query letter, synopsis or other work-ups, I do them at this point.
When I write articles and classes, I tend to write directly into the computer. These go through the same editing steps that my fiction does.

Brenna, thanks so much for sharing your writing life and experiences with my readers today. If you'd like to know more about this prolific writer, visit her website.

And have a great day!

BBW Contest - Day Two

"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too." ~Voltaire

OK, it's Day Two of my Banned Books Week contest, in which I blog about a banned book I've read from this list and you either (a) comment or (b) add a banned book you've read or (c) both. What can you win? The rest of the details are here.

Today's Banned Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I understand why this one was banned, in a vague sense: racism is central to the plot, and there's quite a bit of profanity as well. There's also the issue of rape.

But it is also one of the most honest, beautifully written books that tackles tough issues while also creating some rich, wonderful t characters. Do we really think that by keeping it from young readers, we're preventing them from exposure to the kinds of words and thoughts they hear every day? Shouldn't they be able to read about characters in tough situations and gain something from understanding how those characters deal? Are we going to pretend that racism never existed, that it never affected human relationships - and the justice system - in this country?

Whenever I mention this book's censorship history to my students (who have already read it), they inevitably say, "Are you kidding? That was the best book ever!"

So? What about you?

A Contest for Banned Books Week!

Did you know that the last week in September is always named "Banned Books Week" by the American Library Association? Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year:

"Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4).

"BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met.

"BBW is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of American Publishers, National Association of College Stores, and is endorsed by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress."

Want to know more about BBW? Click here.

In honor of Banned Books Week, I'm holding a contest this week to celebrate! Because, honestly, as an author myself, I cannot imagine someone else passing judgement on my works to the extent that they decide someone else should not be able to read them.

Want to enter my contest? It's easy. Every day this week, I'm going to be blogging about a book I've read that's listed as one of the Top 100 Banned Books 1990-2000. Every comment you leave on my blog this week will earn you a contest entry. Even better: add the title of a book you've read, also from this list, and your thoughts on it, and I'll give you a second contest entry.

What can you win? A download of my novel One Night in Memphis, plus your choice from my overflowing library of gently loved books, and a really cool hand-beaded key chain (a crafty friend just hooked me up with some lovely ones).

I'll draw names randomly from all contest entries and announce 2 winners - yes, 2! - right here on Saturday, October 4th. This week, let's celebrate the wonderful freedom we enjoy to read whatever books we choose - and encourage others to continue to allow this freedom to exist!

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Today's Banned Book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I first read this book in my 7th grade English class. We later watched the movie (starring a young Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell., Emilio Estevez...just thinking about that cast makes me want to go out and rent the movie again). I thought - and still think - it's a terrific portrayal of teenagers trying to figure themselves out and fit in despite society and class differences keeping them down. Best of all, it was written by a 17-year old girl!

Why was it banned? Well, I'm guessing because it focused on kids from broken homes and talked about drugs and alcohol. There's also some violence and profanity. I don't remember any of that from 7th grade, though. I just remember loving the story.

RIP Paul Newman

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'” ~Erma Bombeck

A moment of silence today for the passing of Paul Newman. As I said to my husband last night, Now there was a life well-lived.

Help Me Help the Animals

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~Mahatma Ghandi

I'm slowly but surely making progress on my revisions of One Night in Napa...just about halfway through now, and the word count is close to 68K. My goal is between 70 and 75, so I have a bit still to go. I'm trying oh-so-hard to be better at adding dialogue rather than inner thought (one of my constant areas in need of improvement), though I just finished a long section in which the hero is by himself, so that's a challenge sometimes!

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In other news, I'd love for you to help me collect votes for the animal shelter where I volunteer...they're participating in a contest where the grand prize is $10,000 - and all you have to do is click this link and vote for them. Could you vote? And then help spread the word? Thanks!

Book Signings Tips

Those of you who are regular blog readers here know that I've talked pretty extensively about my experiences at book signings over the summer. But Samhain author Maria Zannini is hosting a special event today at her blog: she has a collection of tips from many different authors, and so we hope people are blog-hopping today to peek into new blog corners and perhaps gain some book-signing experience.

So...in no particular order, here are my top tips for throwing yourself a successful book signing ('cause you are going to have to do it yourself, you know, unless you're Stephenie Meyer or Nicholas Sparks...)


1. Choose your venue carefully. It can be exciting to plan your first book signing. But consider the where and when first, and be a little choosy. I’ve attended signings where I’ve sold 20+ books, and I’ve attended others where I didn’t sell any at all. Think about the cost-effectiveness: is it worth it to travel a long distance to a signing, where few people might know you? Or will you do better locally? If you go somewhere far from home, make sure you have a “hook,” or a connection to that location. Are you scheduling your signing for the opening night of a popular movie? (I learned this one the hard way, unknowingly trying to compete with the premiere of “Sex and the City”). Will the store do enough publicity to draw people in? What is their publicity plan?

2. Contact your venues well in advance. Three months is good; they need time to plan and publicize, and so do you!

3. Send promo items to help the bookseller publicize. Bookmarks, a poster, flyers…all are good things they can put on a desk or near the cash register, for customers to pick up. ASk them if they'd like you to send a press release they can use, too. And of course, make sure you’re doing your own share of getting the word out. Post notices on your website and blog, send out an announcement if you have a Yahoo group or newsletter, tell people at work, mail postcards to the people on your holiday card list…you get the idea!

4. Find out whether the bookstore can order your books, or whether you will have to carry them in yourself. Sometimes if you’re published with a small press, stores won’t be able to order them from your distributor. Make sure you know this ahead of time.
Be courteous to your host(ess). Both in the early planning stages, and while you’re there, be kind. Bring a small gift to show appreciation. Write a thank-you note after you leave.

5. Have something to say. If you have the opportunity, consider holding a question and answer session. Or a general discussion of your book. Even better: read from your book, and leave customers hanging. This was one of the most successful things I did to entice readers to buy my book.

6. Things to bring: promo items (bookmarks, magnets, business cards, etc), a good pen for signing your books, water to drink, book stands to prop up your books, and chocolate. No one can pass up chocolate!

Where Would You Go?

"Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer." ~Anonymous

Well, the inevitable has happened: school has started, and I'm already looking at our calendar to see when the vacations fall and where I might like to go...

My question to you is this: if you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?

I have my favorite spots, of course, and a list of ones I'd still like to see (plus I keep thinking if this "One Night..." book gig works out, I might be able to write off trips in the name of "research." You know, like One Night in Paris, One Night in Madrid...)

So where would you go? I'd love to know. Back to a place you've already been? Or to someplace new you've been dying to see?

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Anthony Barnett

Welcome to another Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm pleased to host author Anthony Barnett. Enjoy...


Welcome to my blog, Anthony! Can you tell us a little about your background?

Hi, Allie, I’ve been a published writer since 1994. My stuff has been mostly aimed at women’s magazines and summer specials, although I’ve also been lucky enough to have stories published in international competitions, recorded for ‘Talking Newspapers’ and broadcast on primetime radio.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

The title of my novel is ‘WITHOUT REPROACH’ – Working class Jenny, from middle England, inherits a share in a finca (hacienda) from Spanish aristocrat, Juan García. However, she’s never heard of him, is not related to him and has never been to his hacienda. The problem is she finds a nude painting of herself in the entrance hall.

I wrote WITHOUT REPROACH as a mystery, but it’s been hi-jacked by the media as a ‘steamy novel’, and Amazon have classed it as a ‘contemporary romance’, so what do I know?


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

I make a full dossier on each character before I begin to write. I draw up every facet, not only physical, but mental, to better understand how they’ll react in a given situation. I cut out pictures from magazines to suit my characters and pin them on my wall so I’ll not forget how they look. I also build an inventory of clothes and fashions taken from adverts in magazines.

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

Well, I generally advise new writers to not only read as much as they can, but to purchase a textbook on creative writing, so they’ll understand techniques behind writing. My philosophy is, artists, dancers, actors, all spend years studying and perfecting their craft. Why should writers be different?

Describe your writing space for us...

I use a spare room, but also work with my laptop in the lounge or even in a bar if my wife is at the hairdresser. I’m afraid my actual space is always cluttered. I’m not a tidy person, yet I always know where to find things. The worst is when my wife decides to ‘tidy’. I can find nothing after.

Hah...I think many of us could relate to that! Now, when you write, do you use the computer or compose by hand, oral dictation, or some other method?

I always write directly onto computer. I can’t handle writing stuff out twice. Editing becomes a pain if it’s not on computer. I’ve promised myself a recording device, but haven’t got around to it yet.

Great interview, Anthony. Anything else you’d like to mention?

Just that WITHOUT REPROACH magically made the Amazon.ca best selling list for just a few hours of ONE day a while ago. I don’t know how or why. But thank you Canada. It’s sinking rapidly, but at least I made it once.

That's terrific! Readers, if you'd like to know more about Anthony and his work, visit his website or his blog. And have a wonderful Wednesday!

Cool Things about Life on the Web

"The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom." ~Jon Stewart

It's interesting, the online world. Here are a couple of quirky things I've noticed recently:

1. My trailer for One Night in Boston is in the top 6 "Most Watched Previews Today" on Preview the Book nearly every day I check. Considering that the number of trailers there must top 100, I find that both thrilling and odd. I can't figure out where people might be linking to the trailer, other than the obvious places I've put it, to keep watching it. Of course, when something's on a "Top Whatever" list, I suppose people are more likely to be intrigued and watch it, rather than fish around in the general list of trailers. But even when it falls off the list for a day, it's almost always back up 24 or 48 hours later. Strange.

2. Random people from the writing world have found me through my blog and contacted me. Oh sure, there are the various crazies I don't know who want to friend me on Facebook, and the advertising loonies who want me to spend $2000+ a month for a banner and a link on their site. But I've had a couple of New York print authors' publicists contact me about link exchanges too (mostly if they're trying to come out of the dark age and set up a website for the first time). And yesterday, a publicist for the book Naughty Paris emailed to ask if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing her book on my blog. Heck, why not? A free book? So that's rather cool as well.

3. Speaking of advertising, Smart Bitches-Trashy Books offers a nice deal for a banner on their site (plus the girls there are really, really nice to work with). One month prices are under $100 depending on size, and what I like best is that they send you a report each week about how many impressions it's had (mine's a revolving ad, switching out with other authors), and how many people have clicked through to my website from the banner. It's a great way to have concrete results about whether people look and then act on your ad.

That's all the wisdom for today...see you here tomorrow for Writers' Wednesday!

How to Make Bookmarks

"Today the greatest single source of wealth is between your ears." ~Brian Tracy

I promised a quick "how to" for anyone out there interested in making bookmarks using VistaPrint's oversized postcards. I've ordered from them several times and been really pleased with the results, so while the design process might be a little labor-intensive, for me it's worth it to save $$.

Now, there are many sites that offer bookmarks, so I encourage you to look around a bit and compare prices before you order. I arrange 3 bookmarks per oversized postcard and then cut them on a papercutter myself, which means I'm getting 150 bookmarks for every 50-postcard order. (Staples will also cut them for you, I've been told). If you've ordered from VistaPrint before, you know you get email specials about every other day. 50 free oversized postcards is ALWAYS one of the specials, so you'll only pay shipping. If you choose slow shipping, it will cost you roughly $7.00 - 9.00 for 150 bookmarks. Note: you can order these special deals as many times you want in a single day, to get the best price (in other words, if you order more than 50 at one time, larger quantities aren't free).

One other word of warning: as of yet, I haven't figured out how to rotate the postcards while I'm designing them, which means I have to proofread the darn things sideways. No matter; I've always been happy with the way they turned out.

I choose the blank template, and my design looks like this (I made double One Night in Boston for this order because my book signings at the time focused on that book):




I upload my book cover (ask your editor or cover artist for a 300 dpi version of your cover; they're the sharpest in quality). One nice thing about VistaPrint is that once you've uploaded a graphic, it's in your collection forever, so you only pay to upload once. Beneath that goes a brief blurb about the book. Beneath that go 2 or 3 reviews, whatever I have room for. At the bottom I put my tagline and my website:



On the backside (choose gray scale unless there's a special for free black and white glossy or color) I put my name, tagline, and website address again:

And that's it! The quality is good, heavy duty with good, clear color on the graphics. If you have more questions, or if you've never ordered from VistaPrint before and would like a link to their freebie specials, drop me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com. And if you have other tips for making bookmarks, including other websites you really like, let me know. One of the best parts of the industry is sharing ideas, as far as I'm concerned :)

Sunday News

"I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Quick promo today: my author friend Dayana Knight is sponsoring a very cool contest on her blog for the month of October, so go on over and check it out! Also, a heads-up: I'm participating in the Raven Halloween Hunt again this year, which will also begin October 1st. Many cool prizes to be given away (and mine is a free download of One Night in Memphis + an Amazon gift certificate. How can you lose??)

(Nope, the link isn't live yet...but isn't that a cool graphic?)

Today: writing (short teacher story to submit to anthology), revising (One Night in Napa), and grading (lots and lots of English papers).

Tomorrow: a brief "how to" blog post on making bookmarks using VistaPrint's oversized postcards. See you back here then!

Ah, Reviews...

"It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it." ~Benjamin Franklin

Busy, busy weekend ahead! I'm writing as much as I can, thanks in part to my very good friend who saved me from yesterday's dilemma and scanned my hard copy to a Word document that I can play with to my heart's content! Thank goodness for technology.

And I should probably order some new bookmarks from VistaPrint, now that I have some good reviews back for One Night in Memphis. Speaking of which, how much do you consider reviews before you buy a book? In the past, I never *really* read them, until I became a published author. Now I see that good reviews seem to be one of the best things to have in your back pocket when it comes to promotions. In fact, I met an author a few months back who went into her local Borders to ask about doing a signing there - she was told to come back when she had some reviews they could use to promote her and her book.

Having said that, I know that many review sites are so backed up with requests that many authors (yours truly included) wait months upon months for them. It's amazing.

Oh! But speaking of which, Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction is a relatively new site and has a pretty good turn-around time. They've reviewed all 3 of my books, each one in under a month. So if you're an author looking for another review, send them an email. I've found them to be quite friendly and professional.

Enjoy your Saturday!

The Story of a Story

"If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee -- that will do them in." ~Bradley's Bromide

One of the projects floating around my periphery, when I'm not revising One Night in Napa, is writing up a teaching story or two to submit for this anthology.

Interestingly, about 10 years ago, I wrote about 30,000 words on this topic, a collection of stories/vignettes from my early teaching days in Cleveland. Last weekend I went looking for it--and actually found a complete hard copy I'd printed out at some point. (Gotta love the forward-thinking moments we have every once in a while.)

Finding any kind of computer file that I could actually revise was a different story, though. I do still have about a dozen floppy disks sitting in an old case on my desk. Of course, my newest computer, and my laptop, both just have USB ports, no place for a disk at all. I have another, older laptop that DOES have a disk drive, so I checked out the files on those old disks. Lots and lots of stuff for school, lesson plans and handouts and such, but no story.

Sigh.

I do have the hard copy, which is good. But now I'll have to retype everything in (or I guess I could scan it...might give that a try first).

Of course, the deadline for this submission is less than 2 weeks away, which means this weekend I need to put in some serious time if I want to send something.

It was fun, though, rereading what I'd written all those years ago. Some good stuff, some horrible stuff, and a lot in-between. I hope I can salvage some and turn out a good story.

In the meantime, back up those files on USB drives...until the next storage device comes out and makes them obsolete as well!

Check out The Samhellion

"No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance." ~Confucius

A bit of a cop-out today, since my life seems to be busier than ever:

Go on over and read The Samhellion, Samhain's monthly newsletter. This month's theme is "What I Did Last Summer" - and yes, I have an article in there!

So go forth and enjoy. I'll see you back here tomorrow...

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Toni Sweeney

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm chatting with author Toni Sweeney...enjoy!

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

I was born in the State of Georgia, some time after the War Between the States but before the Vietnam War, lived in the Midwest for the rest of the Millennium, and decided to start a new century in South Orange County, California. I had wanted to be a professional student but ended up graduating in spite of everything, with a Bachelor's in art, English literature, drama, and music--which has sometimes come in very handy in my writing. I aspired to be a stage actor but didn't have the voice projection-capacity and ended up playing dead bodies or "crowds" or part of the dance ensemble. I studied dance for 13 years and actually did it professionally for a brief time, until an auto accident ended that career choice. Somewhere in all this mishmash, I married, had a son--and that was the happiest day of my life--and divorced. My son has supplied me with a grandson and a granddaughter whom I adore.

Sounds like some great adventures! So when did you first begin writing?

This is a round-about answer. I wrote my first novel when I was 9. My parents bought me a portable Smith-Corona for my birthday. I loved to read, and still have some of the books my parents bought me when I was an infant, cloth books which have been gummed until most of the pictures have dissolved. From ages 8-12, I was totally horse-crazy and wrote horse stories. Since I had no idea how to do it, I folded the paper into the size of a book page and typed on each side--front and back--then made a cover for the book, copying the ones I owned. I also wrote and drew comic books. During high school, being a writer got one laughed at, so I down-played it. After I graduated, I worked in the English Department at the college and the chairman was working on a novel, so I used his manuscript as a model on how to format everything. My cousin liked to read also and I asked her to read whatever I had written. Then, I got married and writing got packed away for a while.

Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

I can't pinpoint one actual thing. I just read and thought, I wish I could do that, and decided to try. Usually, I didn't let anyone know what I was doing. I was very shy and my family had a habit of laughing at things I did and I didn't want something I really cared about laughed at. It took a lot of courage for me to finally ask my cousin to read what I'd written. Luckily, she was kind.

There was a time in my life, however, after my auto accident and my divorce, when finances got tight. There was barely enough money for food much less for buying books. During that time, I started writing again, just for myself, so I'd have something to read. I shared my manuscripts with co-workers who also liked to read and one of them me to send one to a publisher. I did. It was rejected, but I was hooked. Several of the books wrote during that time have now been published, 30 years later.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

My latest published book is Sinbad's Last Voyage, which came out in late 2007. It's another of the manuscripts I wrote back in the '70s. I would say that Sinbad is my favorite of all my heroes--he's tall, handsome, brave, tragic, and madly in love with the heroine (and loves kids). I've got lots of titles coming out soon: Three Moon Station, to be released by The Wild Rose Press in December. It's written under one of my pseudonyms, Icy Snow Blackstone, and is a futuristic romance. A witness to a murder hides out in a group of women being transported to another planet to work as Domestics. She thinks she's hired by a rancher to be his housekeeper. Then she discovers the paper she signed wasn't an Employment Agreement but a Marriage Contract and the rancher expects full marital benefits!

I also have a sequel to Sinbad's Last Voyage--Sinbad's Wife--which will be out this summer from Double Dragon Publications. That one is a space opera, but it has a lot of romance. With a title like that, it would have to have, wouldn't it? There are two black rosettes--"Love, Vampire Style" (September 24) and "Demon in Blue Jeans" (October 29) which will be coming out soon from The Wild Rose Press, also. I recently signed contracts with Lyrical Press for three novels--Earthman's Bride, one tentatively titled When the Condor Returned, and Jericho Road. These will also be Blackstone novels. I also recently learned that I finalled in the paranormal division of the Maryland Romance Writers "Reveal Your Inner Vixen" contest. Wow--didn't see that coming!

Congrats - what a wonderful, growing career. Now, how do you go about developing your characters?

Good Question--difficult to answer. Sometimes, they emerge full-grown--like Minerva came from Zeus' brain. Sometimes, I have the bare outline and after the character is on paper, it begins to grow. I've gone back and edited stories I wrote when I was younger in which the characters aged and I've put more depth into them because I'm now at the same age they are. When I wrote them, I was too young to understand how someone older would feel about certain things. A few characters started out in one form and after I began writing, changed altogether. Riven kan Ingan in Blood Seek(the Chronicles of Riven the Heretic, Book One) started out as a Boba Fett-type outer space bounty hunter. He ended up as a heretical knight in a sword-and-sorcery series. Aric in Blood Sin (the kan Ingan Archives) was originally a Spock-like character with emotions so tightly controlled, he was like an android. He evolved into a womanizing, hard-drinking, ne'er-do-well who ends up getting exiled for having an affair with his uncle's life--quite a departure from the way I first envisioned him!

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

Be patient; be persistent; don't take the rejections personally, unless they specifically say, "You are a terrible writer!" or words like that. Then, show them you aren't! I've only gotten one rejection which was intentionally nasty and I've always wanted to write that editor and inform him that the story he dissed so vilely was later bought by Amazon.com!

What do you find most difficult about writing?

Finding time to write. I have this weird habit of wanting to have a roof over my head--food isn't as important to me--so I have to do what's laughing called a "day job." That takes up a lot of time.

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

I started writing seriously about 1976. I'd come home from work, make dinner, set my son at the table and disappear into my "office." From the other room, I'd get this plaintive, "Mom, when are you going to be finished?" until my son fell asleep. That was the way it went until he left for college. Afterward, it was just me and the poodles and they didn't complain, so I just kept on typing. Needless to say, I don't have much social life. Presently, I have cataracts and can't see to drive at night and don't go out much anyway, so it balances out.

Describe your writing space (or include a picture!)

I rent a room in a private home. It has a bed, a TV and a space for my computer desk and computer. I have an e-machine with a 16" LCD screen, a scanner, a digital camera for teleconferences, a wireless printer, and wireless keyboard and mouse. Everything in the world a writer could need--reference books, notes, scribbled pieces of manuscript, pens, pencils, a can of pop, a half-eaten jar of unsalted dry roasted peanuts, several folders with research information, and a headset--are piled onto that computer stand. My reference books and reading books are in 7 bookcases which my landlady lets me keep in her garage so I run out there with a flashlight if I need to check something.

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

Because of that auto accident so many years ago, I'm a very sedentary person. I like to read and watch TV, do a little gardening. When my granddaughter lived nearby, she and I used to go shopping together and we always cooked dinner together on Saturday nights (she's 6 so you can imagine she was a lot of help!) Before my accident, I was very active--horseback riding, swimming, hiking, laying tennis...and the aforementioned dancing.

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

That the characters can take over a story if you don't watch it. I learned that when I was writing the Sinbad series. One of the main characters ran away from home as a teenager, lived a dissolute light, contracted a terminal disease. I planned to have him as a dying adult, come home, make his peace with his parents, be told there was a cure for his illness, and live happily ever after, just like the Prodigal. So...I got him home, the parents took him back, told him he needn't have run away, they understood, etc, and then...he died. The minute I wrote that he walked through the door to his parents home, I knew there was no way he was going to survive. I sat down and cried, and yelled out, "But I don't want to kill him off!" Did it anyway. I realized that was the way it'd happen in real life. Shook me up just a little. Sometimes, you have to use a whip and chair on the characters to make them behave.

Anything else you’d like to mention?

When I was hospitalized after my auto accident, I couldn't walk, couldn't even sit up. I was so sedated I couldn't watch television, but I was able to read. If I hadn't loved books so, I don't know how I would've managed being bedridden for nearly a year. If I didn't write, I don't know how I could survive...at all!

Toni, thanks so much for giving us a peek into your writing world today. Readers, check out her website if you'd like to know more!

Still Thinking About NaNoWriMo

"Write only if you cannot live without writing." ~Elie Wiesel

I was interested by yesterday's blog responses, especially those that said, "Yes, do NaNoWriMo, but make sure you plot a little bit first." Actually, I didn't know plotting was allowed! I thought you were supposed to do *everything* within the month of November: character charts, outlining, thinking, writing... I do have a rough scene guide of the story I want to tackle, so I might give it a try. Still thinking, though.

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The Long and the Short of It runs a weekly contest - did you know? And today's featured trailer, which you can see right here (no personal promo or anything), can lead you to an extra entry in the contest. Or, if you're an author, you can contact them about having your own trailer featured on their site. Hey, extra promo is extra promo!

A Good Chuckle for Monday

Well, if you didn't catch the skit parodying Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton on SNL this past Saturday, you missed out. Say what you will about its political commentary (and many already have), Tina Fey's resemblance to Palin is downright eerie, and her timing and delivery, along with Amy Poehler's, is perfect. I thought the script writers lampooned both women pretty equally, too. Take a look by clicking here.

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So I'm considering attempting National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short). It's basically a challenge to write a 50,000-word novel during the month of November - to let control and serious editing go and just write for 30 days. I have a book I'd like to tackle, so it might be good to jump in and see what happens. As they say on the website, you'll probably end up with a lot of crap, considering there's no time for true editing (or even conscious thought), but you also might produce the kind of raw, unique stuff that shows up in situations like that too.

I know other writers out there have done it...any words of advice??

Update on Book Signing...

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

Hooray! Good day at Borders yesterday: I sold 12 books in the 3 hours we were there. It was so nice to be in my hometown bookstore and have friends come in to see and support me (a couple of students, too!). It also made me anxious to come home and write - something I haven't done enough of since school began.

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Trailer I recently finished for Devon Gray's upcoming release:

Fingers Crossed for Sales!

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you." ~Mortimer Adler

Booksigning today at Borders ~ wish me luck!

Random Friday Thoughts

Some random musings on this Friday morning...

There's a great independent book store in Port Clinton, Ohio, that welcomes author's bookmarks and will promote you and your website link on theirs: The Book Exchange. If you're an author and you'd like their contact info, email me and I'll pass it along.

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A hearty congrats to my fellow writer Chandler Marie Craig, who right now is tossing around not one but TWO offers of representation from literary agents. Way to go Chandler!!

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Brand new author Kimberly Huff is celebrating the release of her really funny chick lit novel, Tall Skinny Cappuccino (and I can say that 'cause I got to read + review the ARC).

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I'm finishing up a trailer for Devon Gray's upcoming release, Playing for Keeps, and a freelance article for WOW- Women on Writing about the Price Sisters, who write via IM and email though they live on different continents.

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And I'm trying to revise One Night in Napa for the NJRW Conference at the end of October...it's going well but not fast enough!!

In Memoriam

“I fear that all I have done is awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”~Admiral Yamamoto after the Pearl Harbor attack, December 7, 1941

Just a quick post today...mostly to say that I'm cheating and sending you to read my Samhain Blog post instead of writing anything intellectual or witty or profound here.

It won't be up there 'til after 3:00 pm (EST) today, but please check back and comment. The post actually means a lot to me.

Please take a moment and remember:

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Maria Zannini

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm thrilled to have fellow Samhain author Maria Zannini join me. Her debut novel, Touch of Fire, recently released, so I'm happy to have her here, celebrating and sharing her experiences. Enjoy!



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

If you were to list all the things I've done in my life you'd think me a Jill of all trades. I have been an artist, graphic designer, homesteader, vet technician, and art director. I've raised dogs, ratites, and blood pressure.


Not necessarily in that order.

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

It was an accident! I sent a letter to the editor of a country living magazine and he tracked me down and called me. By the end of our phone visit, he asked if I'd be interested in writing an article for his magazine.

I was.

It got a big response from the readership and realized I might be on to something. It would be several more years before I got into fiction, but I was definitely hooked.

That's such a great "discovery" story! OK, now tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

Touch Of Fire is out now! It's a fantasy set 1200 years in a future Earth where technology has been replaced with Elemental magic. An ancient alchemist's book has surfaced and threatens to bring weapons of mass destruction back into their society. Leda, a young Elemental mage is ordered to find it and return it to her elders. Her search leads her to Greyhawke Tams, an ex-soldier turned scavenger who will do whatever it takes to keep her from completing her mission. But it isn't long before they discover someone wants them both dead.

There's sex, adventure, huge obstacles and great sacrifices. And there's sex. Did I mention that? I love this book! It was great fun to extrapolate the roles of common, everyday things and ideas and show how they would be perceived in the future.

Congrats on your release. So how do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

You mean I had to balance them both? Rats! I don't think I got that memo. :o)

I will give one piece of advice to anyone who is not published yet. Get your blog and website in order BEFORE you sign that first contract. I mean it! You will not have time once that ball starts rolling. You want to build your internet presence long before there's a book out there. Trust me on this. I am still playing catch-up.

Absolutely true; I agree 100%. Now, describe your writing space for us...

[This is where I live most of the time. The painting above the desk is one I did of two of my babies, Isis and Nacho, when they were alive.]

I suffer from sciatica and cannot sit for long periods of time, so I use a balance ball as my office chair, both here and at work. And I think I've started a trend. Several of my friends at work are now using one too.

Since I still do artwork, my desk is also set up with a Wacom tablet and a scanner.

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


I am a garage sale junkie! I love to haunt tag sales and have been known to scrounge interesting "junk" from back alleys and dumpsters. Many of the antiques in my home have been lovingly restored and saved from the landfill:

[The desk, chair, even the pillow roll were found objects that were refurbished.]

People tell me I have very eclectic tastes. I think that's code for eccentric. And that sounds about right.

Maria, thanks so much for being here today. Readers, don't forget to check out Touch of Fire and visit Maria's website and blog as well!

Thanks for having me on your blog, Allie!

Why I Love my Small Press

"Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book." Stephan Mallarme

So this-coming Saturday, I'm doing a group book signing at the local Borders. I was really looking forward to this one, since it's my local Borders and a decent amount of my friends are planning on coming by.

Then I get an email yesterday afternoon from the author who set up the signing, saying that Borders waited until the last minute and won't have any of our books in stock. Thus, we should carry in our own books for sale. Now, this would normally not be a problem...if I had known ahead of time. I have exactly 4 copies of one book, and 0 copies of the other, in my house right now. And again, this would normally not be a problem if it weren't my local store and my friends weren't planning on coming.

So at 5:30 in the afternoon, I send a semi-crazed email to the women at Samhain in charge of ordering, with a plea to look into rush shipping if it's available. I figure, I won't hear a thing 'til the next day at least, considering it's well after 5.

Ten minutes later, I get a call at home from the Marketing Director, telling me exactly how much $$ 20 copies of One Night in Boston, ordered on a rush job and shipped 2-day air, will cost me. Then she spends another 10 minutes on the phone with me trying to figure out how to lower that $$. Finally, she puts in the order for what seems to us both to make the most sense and also promises to call the woman at the printer tomorrow morning to tell her how desperate I am.

And that is why I love my small press.

Royalty Statements

"Money is the root of all evil, and yet it is such a useful root that we cannot get on without it any more than we can without potatoes." ~Louisa May Alcott

So over the weekend I received my royalty statement for the month of August - and while I can't quit my day job yet, at least I'm out of the red. You might recall that last month's numbers were nothing to cheer about, and since Samhain gives its authors an advance, until you "sell out" your advance, you get nothing except a red number of how much you still owe them at the bottom.

Thankfully, this statement included some print sales of One Night in Boston, which bumped me into the black column (I'm still not sure exactly how that works, since I thought I only saw print sale numbers twice a year...I'm hoping Diane will drop by and enlighten me). The ebook numbers for One Night in Memphis still aren't terrific by any means, but I've come to terms with the fact that my readers are going to buy my books in print much more than they're going to buy the electronic versions.

Anyway, I can put gas in my car this week, thanks to this royalty statement. So onwards and upwards!

The Right to Choose

"Censorship reflects society's lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime." ~Potter Stewart

Pop quiz: what do the following books have in common?

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Blubber by Judy Blume
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Christine by Stephen King
Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Cujo by Stephen King
Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Decameron by Boccaccio
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fallen Angels by Walter Myers
Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John Cleland
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Forever by Judy Blume
Grendel by John Champlin Gardner
Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Have to Go by Robert Munsch
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Impressions edited by Jack Booth
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
My House by Nikki Giovanni
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
Night Chills by Dean Koontz
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
One Day in The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Separate Peace by John Knowles
Silas Marner by George Eliot
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Bastard by John Jakes
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth
The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Snyder
The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks
The Living Bible by William C. Bower
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsman
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders
The Shining by Stephen King
The Witches by Roald Dahl
The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Snyder
Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff
Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth

Answer: VP candidate Sarah Palin tried to ban all of them from the Wasilla, Alaska, public library while she was mayor of that town.

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This, anyway, is what one of those circulated emails that I got last night said. True? I really hope not. I mean, I heard that she tried to get "a book" banned...but all of these? Some of which are recommended reading for most of the high school students I know? (C'mon...Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird?)

Anyone heard about this? 'Cause censorship is a dangerous, dangerous thing. Once you start restricting access to words/thoughts, you take away people's ability to decide for themselves what should be read, what's important and what's immoral and what should be kept from the eyes of children (your children, anyway). And shouldn't parents be having those conversations anyway? What happens when you take away a person's right to *choose* what they'll read, and what they'll allow their children to read? Doesn't enlightenment come from having discussions about difficult topics?

I've played this here before, but it's worth a repeat, because author John Green says it so well:

10 Things I've Learned

"Often, when I am reading a good book, I stop and thank my teacher. That is, I used to, until she got an unlisted number." ~Author Unknown

Three days into a new school year, and this is what I've learned so far:

1. It's easier to get up at 5:30 am than I thought it would be, especially if you can use some of that early time to squeeze out some writing.

2. It is a delicate drill to find the exact time to leave the house in order to avoid all school buses on the way to work.

3. Lunchtime comes a lot earlier (according to my stomach) than it did during the summer.

4. Those muscles in your legs that keep you upright on two-inch heels all day long? They stop working in the summer and have to be re-trained, come Fall (ouch!).

5. Same goes for the vocal cords.

6. Some people will be over the moon-happy to see you back in the halls and classrooms.

7. One or two people will be jealous of the fact that you manage to have a life (i.e., writing success) outside of school and will try to make your life miserable as a result.

8. In those cases, it's best to end the days with (a) a good long run; (b) a good tall glass of wine; or (c) a good conversation with a close friend. Ideally, all of the above.

9. Unlike John McCain's claim in Thursday night's speech, I do not believe that public education is a "failing institution."

10. Standing in front of a group of students who are excited to see you and interested in what you have to say is still the best way to spend a day :)

Advice About Class Reunions

Wow, yesterday's blog question definitely prompted some good and thoughtful responses. Thanks! When I was going through final edits of One Night in Memphis, I was actually surprised by the number of times I had characters swearing. It was always either the bad guy, or male-male conversation. And in both cases, I think, it was realistic dialogue. Still, I cut out probably 1/3 of it in the edits, and I also emailed my editor asking whether she still thought it was too much. I'm not sure what or who else she edits, but she (somewhat laughingly) replied that she thought it was fine. If you check the Samhain page, though, there's still a warning for "Mild profanity." I figured I just wanted to be safe.

End of the week - finally! And among other things on my plate, I have taken on the task of planning my high school reunion (and no, I'm not telling you how many years. You'll have to guess. And even then, I won't tell you if you're right). So...any advice from anyone who's done it? Even better, any advice from anyone who's gone to a class reunion and either loved or hated the way it was set up? Share, please!

A Question About the F-Word

"When angry count four; when very angry, swear." ~ Mark Twain

First question: How do you feel about profanity in writing? In the novel I'm working on now, the hero swears every now and again - mostly to show that he's sort of a slacker, a little insensitive, not a great guy at the start...but that's why his change is dramatic later in the novel. One of my readers was offended by the language (specifically, the word "Christ" used twice on the first page, and the f'-word later in the first chapter). She thought it was likely people would put the book down upon reading the first few pages, and I'd be alienating an entire group of people who might otherwise enjoy the story.

Now, the villainous character in One Night in Memphis swears quite a lot, especially as the novel goes on and the danger/conflict heighten. He, of course, isn't a likable guy, and so maybe those language choices are slightly more appropriate or acceptable.

What do you think? Does profanity in dialogue bother you? Does the genre/character/plotline matter at all? Do you have a certain tolerance for it, or none at all?

Reviews Sometimes Come from the Nicest Places...

"The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think." ~Author Unknown

Hi folks, I'm taking today off from Writers' Wednesday...but the weekly feature will be back next week with Samhain author Maria Zannini!

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In the meantime, check out this video about the different treatment a "sexy" girl vs. a "plain" girl gets. I've seen the same thing with a fat vs. skinny woman, but it's always sort of a jolt to realize how much looks matter in the world. Still.

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Here's a question: when a friend/coworker/boss prefaces a conversation by saying, "Now, this isn't personal..." don't you think it usually is?

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Hey, this is cool: yesterday at work a fellow teacher greeted me and said, "Why can't I buy One Night in Memphis in print yet? I can't wait until next May!"

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And a former student emailed me to ask about college/grad school advice and said, "I just wanted to say I finished One Night in Boston and loved it. I even cried at the end!!!!"

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Those kind of reviews and feedback, from people I know whose opinions I value? That's cool.

Prison Break Gets a Thumbs-Up!

OK, so I LOVED the first episode of Prison Break's new season, last night. I wasn't sure...I mean, they've already covered a lot of territory, but it seems as though the writers have a decent plot planned for this 4th season. The best part, though? Sarah, the love interest of main character Michael, is back. And they didn't try to hide her for too long - the two were reunited within the first 10 minutes or so. Amazing how a little love in the air can color a story so differently :)

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Also thought I'd mention this cool fund-raiser: Unleash Your Story for Cystic Fibrosis. You can either sign up to read, write, or donate money to those doing so during the month of September, all in the name of a pretty good cause.

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I'm off to the first day of school ~ wish me luck!

A Day to Rest - For Some, Anyway

"Labor was the first price, the original purchase-money that was paid for all things. It was not by gold or by silver, but by labor, that all wealth of the world was originally purchased." ~Adam Smith

So today is Labor Day, here in the U.S. - the official day off for working citizens in this country and the symbolic end of summer. Falling on the first Monday in September, for me it means school begins tomorrow. We always begin the Tuesday following - and why, oh why, did Labor Day have to fall on September 1st this year? Why couldn't August have stretched into the week by just one lousy day, so that September 1st fell on a Tuesday, and Labor Day fell on September 7th, and the first day of school on September 8th?

Sigh.

Well, I hope you all have a chance to do something relaxing and enjoyable today, even if it's only for a few minutes. I'm keeping an eye on the Gulf Coast and Hurricane Gustav, and saying a fervent prayer that it doesn't cause the kind of damage Hurricane Katrina did. All those people - all those businesses - all those lives that lie directly in the storm's path. I really hope somehow it loses speed before it makes landfall.

Prayers, all~

"Find"-ing Your Way Through Revisions

Just a quick tip for my fellow writers today:

Learn to appreciate the "Find" feature when you're revising your work. So often, we use the same words and phrasing for a good portion of our story. Using "Find" forces us to locate exactly how many times we've done that and rework the sentence (or image) to make it stronger. In my first-ever manuscript, one of my beta readers pointed out that my characters sighed a lot. When I did a search for "sigh," I discovered how right she was. Being forced to find another dialogue tag or body language action made my writing, and the individual characters, stronger.

"That" is another dangerous word. It often turns up as filler in a sentence and can be eliminated, tightening the phrasing. What about your descriptors of characters' appearances? Too often, writers will use a favorite term for, say, hair color. When it becomes over-used, you're going to pull your readers right out of the story. So check that too. I'm reviewing a story right now that has a decent plot, and the writing itself is pretty good, but the hero uses the same term of endearment for the heroine over and over again. While the author might be trying to make a point, I fear instead she's falling into the trap of not varying her word choice enough.

OK - that's my tip for today! I'm off to work on One Night in Napa. And yes, using the "Find" feature will be one of the ways I'll tackle it :)

TV and Movies I Can't Wait to See!

So with the coming of fall and the start of school, at least there's a bright spot: TV shows coming back on and new movies coming out. Here are the ones I can't wait to see:

TV:

Prison Break - one of my favorites! Even though last season wasn't great, I heard a rumor that they're bringing back Sarah (the love interest for Michael, the main character), so that should improve things. See: a little romance even helps an action show!

The Office - love this comedy. The only problem is that it conflicts with Grey's Anatomy, which I stopped watching last year because I was so tired of hearing Meredith whine. I still haven't given in to paying the $$$ for DVR/TivO - but maybe I should.

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Movies:

(Careful: if you visit the links, you may see spoilers!!!!!)

"Burn After Reading" - by the Coen brothers, looks quirky and stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

"Blindness" - Julianne Moore plays the only person who can see in a city where everyone else has gone blind for some strange reason. Mark Ruffalo is also in it, the real reason I want to see this film, but it sounds potentially intriguing.

"The Express" - this one will be the feel-good sports movie of the fall, about the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy (that's college football, for all you non-sports fans)

"Changeling" - Angelina Jolie plays a woman who's sent to a mental institution after she meets a boy and doesn't know if he's her son or not. Already has Oscar buzz.

"Milk" - Sean Penn stars in this one, the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office. Same director as "Good Will Hunting," by the way.

"Defiance" - period piece (true story) about Jewish brothers who fought the Nazis during WWII.

"The Curiuos Case of Benjamin Button" - based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who is born old and gets younger as he gets older; Brad Pitt stars.

So there you go - you saw them here first! We'll see which ones actually turn out to be good.

And I never talk politics, and won't really here, but after this week, isn't the Presidential race shaping up to be an interesting one??

Thank You

"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over." ~Gloria Naylor

Thanks, all, for your cyber-hugs and kind words yesterday. It's amazing how blogging can create this community of people you feel you know whether or not you've ever met them in person or have any idea what they look like. I think anyone who has a blog, or who visits them on a regular basis, has made this discovery as well. And it's a very cool one, in my opinion :)

While life goes on, regardless of the complications and crap, I've set a goal of finishing my revision of One Night in Napa in time to pitch it to an agent at the New Jersey RWA Conference in late October. I'm looking forward to the conference itself (and am going to participate in their Literacy Fair, selling my books) ~ and though I've never pitched a project to an editor or agent, I think it's probably a good time for me to give it a try. So fingers crossed and wish me luck...I have about 6 chapters, or 15000 words, to go. So it's managable. I just have to find the time!!

Funny How All the Bad Things Happen at Once...

Readers, I'm plumb worn out today. All sorts of stuff going on in my non-writing life, some of it not so good, so I'm taking the day off from blogging.

I will say, though, that if things calm down in the next few days, I'll be sending out my September e-newsletter. If you're a newcomer to my blog and haven't signed up for it yet, there's a form right over there, on the sidebar.

See you tomorrow~

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with M. Jean Pike

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm chatting with author M. Jean Pike - sit back and enjoy!

Thanks so much for being here today! Can you tell us about your latest writing project or published title?

Thank you, Allie. My latest novel, a literary love story called IN THE SHADOW OF THE DRAGONFLY, will be released in October from Black Lyon Publishing. Here’s the blurb:

From above the shadows ... light.

Orphaned and impoverished, Gray Baldwin is a lost soul in search of a home, a life, and most of all -- love. Kicked from foster home to foster home, at last a restored motorcycle and the onset of adulthood give him the means to leave behind all the old threats, struggles and losses that haunt him. When he accepts a job at Hanwell Construction, life's promising new start is both his hope and his torment.

The spoiled daughter of a well-to-do business owner, pretty Hope Hanwell has a past to reconcile and a few tragic secrets of her own. She wants for nothing -- and everything, pushing love as far away as she can until love pushes back. When Gray and Hope meet, theirs is a story of heartbreak, redemption and fate at its most devastating.

Sounds like a terrific story (and I love the cover!). How do you go about developing your characters?

When a character starts to take shape in my mind, I spend a number of hours thinking about him or her before I even start writing. I get a feel for what they like, how they dress, speak, and react to different scenarios. I think about their backgrounds, where they live, what their families are like. Once I start writing their stories I become obsessed with them. I lie awake at night creating obstacles for them to overcome and I go through my day trying to see my life and circumstances through their eyes. My characters are constantly evolving and they are full of surprises. After spending months, and sometimes years carrying them around in my head, I know them as thoroughly as I know myself. They become a part of me and they never really leave me, even after I’ve moved on to other projects.

Yes, that sounds familiar! OK, what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

There’s a whole lot of advice out there and most of it can be pretty mind boggling. I guess if a new writer asked for my two cents, I would offer these suggestions. Firstly, don’t be afraid to seek the help of a more experienced writer, be it through a writing course, books on the craft of writing, or critique partners. Secondly, know your market and don’t ever submit blindly. This will waste all kinds of time and the process of getting published is slow enough as it is. If you want to write for a specific publisher, read their titles, get a feel for what they like, and then do your best to give it to them.

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

A true book worm, I like all different kinds of books, from romance to suspense to classic literature. I love any author who can take me by surprise, make me cry buckets, or laugh out loud. Favorites? I have hundreds. The list includes Lee Child, Barbara Delinsky, Elizabeth Berg, Patricia Cornwell, Gail Godwyn, Eudora Welty, Maeve Binchy, and most recently, Emilie Richards.

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

I think every writer runs into trouble at one time or another. I wouldn’t say I get blocked, just sort of lost sometimes. When that happens, I handle it the same way as when I get lost in an unfamiliar city. Panic will do no good, and you can’t very well just sit with your motor racing dithering over what to do. I simply keep going in the direction I think might be right until eventually I find my way back to my story.

When you write, do you use the computer or compose by hand, oral dictation, or some other method?

I do my best writing when I’m in a completely relaxed state of mind. For me, that means grabbing a pencil, a spiral notebook, and a good, strong cup of coffee and heading to the back porch. My back yard is my own private sanctuary; five acres of woods, water and wildflowers. I’ve been known to stay out there scribbling for hours when I’m chasing down a new story.

Oh, that sounds like an ideal place to write. Is there anything else you’d like to mention for our readers today?

I have excerpts of each of my books posted on my website, as well as news, contests, blogs, and upcoming events. All are invited to stop by!

Readers, I just wanted to mention that I read another of M. Jean Pike's books, Winds of Autumn, and loved it. This is one talented author ~ and I highly recommend adding In the Shadow of the Dragonfly to your "To Buy" list. It releases October 1st!

Revising: Switching from Narration to Dialogue

"I think the hardest part of writing is revising. And by that I mean the following: A novelist has to create the piece of marble and then chip away to find the figure in it." ~ Chaim Potok

OK, this is the morning I settle down and get back to revising One Night in Napa. First order of business? Fixing Chapter 2, which my critique group said was too narrative-heavy. Sigh. Of course, they're right, to an extent. So that means killing off some babies today. But I do have an idea that will change some of the narration to dialogue, tighten some of the setting and character details, and bring part of Chapter 3 into Chapter 2, so we get things moving a bit earlier. We'll see how it goes.

By the way, I'm reading a short story for review right now that has some beautiful narration, but it's trying too hard to be self-consciously different and beautiful. The first few times, I admired the language. Now it's just getting in the way. One of the top rules in writing: if the sentences draw attention to themselves, the reader is jolted out of the story ~ not a good thing.

And *that* is something I'm still working on learning, myself...

What about you, my fellow writers? What do you find most challenging when you begin to revise?

Monday Morning Meme

Here's an interesting meme ~ Diane tagged me for it.

Rules:
I am going to list three categories of books: 5 MUST Read Books, 5 Books on Your Nightstand, and 5 Look For These Soon. Anyone I tag should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. (I've highlighted my additions) Then they should tag at least 5 more bloggers. It will be fun to see how the lists change as it goes around the blogosphere. Please come back to this post and leave a comment so I can see how the lists are changing as they go around the blogosphere!

(Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009.)

5 MUST Read Books:
It Only Takes A Moment by Mary Jane Clark
A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson
Cast in Stone by Kerry A. Jones
Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon

5 Books on the Nightstand:
Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson
Nightswimming by Rebecca James
Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey
From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison
Trading Dreams at Midnight by Dianne McKinney

5 Look For These Soon:
Wanted by Shelley Shephard Gray
Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
After the Fire: A True Story of Friendship and Survival by Robin Gaby Fisher
Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah
The Hood Life: A Bentley Manor Tale by Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond

And I'll tag these 5 bloggers, if you want to take me up on it!

Liz
Chad
Chandler
MaryF
Charlotte

Home Again, Home Again

"If you come home as happy as you leave, you have had a good vacation." ~Anonymous

Ah...it's always a nice feeling to sleep in one's bed, after a week away...

What I'm Reading Now ~ The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak ~ I bought this book a couple of years ago and am finally getting around to reading it. It's won all kinds of awards and is considered YA fiction, I guess, though it's tremendous so far and definitely fit for adults as well. It's the story of a young girl growing up in Germany during WWII - and it's told from the POV of Death. Fascinating, with a really unique writing style, and I'm loving it. Anyone else read it?

What I'm Writing Now ~ This week I'm finishing up some reviews, working on an article I'm writing for WOW about author collaboration (I'm interviewing The Price sisters, who write novels via IM/email, since they live in the US and Ireland - how interesting is that?). And I need to get back to revising One Night in Napa.

What Else is on Today's To-Do List ~ Laundry! And grocery shoppping, and catching up with email, and paying bills, and getting ready for school tomorrow (I teach half college courses and half high school - the college ones begin tomorrow)...

So, what about you?