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.

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Have a great Sunday!

A Wintry Saturday

Well, I woke up to a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground this morning...guess summer is officially over, huh? Darn...

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I'm off today to help out at a big adoption event for the animal shelter I work with. Hope we can find some of those cute furry faces a permanent home!!

Words of Inspiration

I finished A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas this week, a really touching memoir. Here's a passage I wanted to share (there are beautiful ones just like it throughout the book):

I didn't start writing until I was forty-seven. I had always wanted to write but thought you needed a degree, or membership in a club nobody had asked me to join. I thought God had to touch you on the forehead, I thought you needed to have something specific to say, and I thought you needed all that laid out from the git-go. It was a long time before I realized that you don't have to start right, you just have to start. Put pen to paper, allow yourself the freedom to write badly, to get it wrong, stop looking over your own shoulder. You idiot I would say to myself after half a page. What makes you think you can write, and then I'd crumple it up and aim for the wastebasket. The one day somebody told me a story about a daughter at her mother's funeral, and something in the story caught in my mind and wouldn't let go of me. I tried to write it and failed, but instead of throwing it away (you idiot, give it up), I tried again, from a different angle. I realized that I had been imitating the voice of the woman who told me the story, but it didn't ring true coming from me. I decided to make the funeral my own, and to imagine one of my daughters as the narrator, and after three hours I had three pages that I actually liked. I was off and running. For the first time a story was more important than my ego, and the know-it-all voice that told me not to bother held no sway...

Great words, right?? Good to stow away and remember when that fiend writers' block or his friend doubt comes to hang over your shoulder for a while.

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And here's the Friday Feast!

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?
Depends if I'm in a sweet (Junior Mints) or salty (popcorn) mood!

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?
Yikes, I'm not sure...probably around 1997, when I started my first full-time job.

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)
"Allieay" - kind of fun, right?

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.
My students' work in English class. I'm really old-fashioned when it comes to grammar!

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ____ ____ yesterday and I ____ ____ today.
I woke up late yesterday and I woke up early today (probably 'cause it's Friday and payday and the beginning of a 3-day weekend!)

Have a great Friday!

Guess What?

I have my galley for Lost in Paradise! The galley is the PDF file that I have to go through with a fine-tooth comb, checking for any typos or last errors in formatting. Of course, I've read the first chapter and already I'm itching to change this wording, or that action, which I can't because all the content editing is finished. Why do we always see things we want to change, even at this point? Sigh. Oh, well. Once I do finish proofing the galley, and send it back to my editor, I should have an official book released sometime soon!

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Guess what else? I have a short story featured over at The Long and the Short of It, today. I don't normally write short stories (it takes me longer than a few hundred/few thousand words to get a whole plot developed). But "Schoolyard Love," interestingly enough, came out of a random prompt at one of my writers' groups. I sat down and wrote this story (it's very short, about 200 words) in less than an hour. And I really liked it!

So go on over and check it out...then you can come back here and tell me what you think :)

Wriers' Wednesday: How to Write Last Lines

Author interviews return next week on Writers’ Wednesday! Today, though, I thought it would be interesting to look at last lines.

Yes, you heard (read?) me correctly.

As authors, we often struggle with the opening lines of a book much more than we do the final ones. We must get that “hook” just perfect, we think! We must reel in the reader right from the start! And indeed, we do.

But last lines have power too, perhaps more so than first ones. I blogged a few weeks back about ways in which to wrap up your novel. But the structural or thematic ending is somewhat different from the literal one. You can get your emotional point across but fumble with the words you use to do so. You want those last words to echo in the reader’s mind, to stay with the reader long after he or she has closed the book. No pressure there, right?

So what makes a great last line? Well, over the weekend I read an article about this topic, and the co-writers were at odds. One nominated the final lines of Charlotte’s Web as the best in modern literature:

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”

while the other thought The Great Gatsby’s final lines were better:

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

Both are powerful, I think. Both thud against your heart in just the right way. So I started thinking about how to apply this idea of last lines to my own writing, and here’s what I came up with. You could…

1. Re-emphasize the theme of your book. That’s what E.B. White does masterfully with Charlotte’s Web. We’re reminded, finally, of the power of true friendship along with the rarity of true talent and devotion. Fitzgerald does it equally well in Gatsby, with his final commentary on the futility of trying to find one's place in the world.

2. Show the main character’s growth. One of my favorite last lines appears in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (Mark Haddon). To me, these lines are a glorious celebration of the success this narrator (an autistic teenager) experiences:

“And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery of Who Killed Wellington? and I found my mother and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”

3. Send the reader a lesson or moral. This does not mean “be preachy.” It does mean share a thought with, or challenge, your reader. I’m pretty pleased with the last lines of Lost in Paradise (Yours Truly, coming soon!), because I’d like to think they’re a reminder that stepping outside of one’s safety zone is where the most fun/learning/thrill/reward takes place:

“I know now that being lost is sometimes that best thing that can happen to a girl. Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump.”

4. Remind the reader the promise you made at the start. A romance novel by Jenny Crusie promises a happy ending:

“The evening was turning out much better than she’d expected.” (Welcome to Temptation)

One the other hand, a horror novel by Stephen King promises a gory, terrifying, unpredictable ride:

“Of course it’s impossible, but it was all impossible to begin with.
I keep thinking of George LeBay in Ohio.
His sister in Colorado.
Leigh in New Mexico.
What if it’s started again?
What if it’s working its way east, finishing the job?
Saving me for last?

His single-minded purpose.
His unending fury.” (Christine)

5. Leave ‘em hanging. Especially if you plan to write a sequel, frame those last lines so that you give away most of the answers, but not all. Or introduce just enough element of wonder so the reader will need to pick up the next book to find out what happens. Or leave something about the characters’ lives unresolved.

It can be tough, when you really think about it, to get those final words just right. But that’s part of the creative process, isn’t it? Because when you do, and when you type the words “The End” at the bottom of the last page, that feeling of perfect conclusion can be magic.

Happy Writing!

So This is Cool...

Over the weekend, I got an email from someone who saw Diane Craver's book trailer for A Fiery Secret on Youtube (that's the one I made for her), and the woman asked how much I would charge to make one for her! Whoa. Um...I wouldn't even know where to begin guessing. Still, I emailed her back and said I'd be glad to work with her. Hey, if I can make a little extra $$ doing something that's creative and fun anyway, why not?

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WOW's ezine has a great issue this month: The Agent in the Middle, all about finding the right agent. I haven't had a chance to read all the articles yet, but it's on my list to check out this week. "99 Blopics" and So You Want to Write a Romance" look like good blog posts, too, so take a visit over there!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Hooray! I got the good news from my editor at The Wild Rose Press that Lost in Paradise is finally in its last production stages and should be released by the end of this month.

Things were at a standstill for a while, but with my upcoming appearance at the Independent and Small Press Book Fair on December 1 (free to the public, by the way!), they're pushing to have it ready for electronic sale there.

That would be nice.

So I'm in a bit of a crunch this week, trying to do all the final editing. It's interesting because with my other publisher, I didn't do any of the formatting. But with TWRP, I have to go through the manuscript and check spaces after periods, single vs. double quotation marks, formatting of em-dashes, etc. I guess it's because they're a very small press and they don't have someone solely assigned to that job.

I also have to think of cool promotional things to do for this novel! Hmm...yet another thing to add to my overflowing "To Do" list.

BUT...you should be able to purchase the electronic version before the holidays - exciting, right?? And in case you haven't scanned my sidebar in a while, here's a reminder of how yummy the cover is: