Grand Rapids Region Writers Group

Creativity And Its Privileges

2012-02-02T09:23:00.003-05:00

Being a creative person has its privileges, let's face it. The fact that we're all creative in one way or another doesn't seem to register with a lot of people who spend their lives in chosen professions that don't require a lot of imagination or creativity, and they count creativity as a process involving the arts, literature, music, etc. without seeing what creativity they bring to their own lives in other areas.

This came home to me a few years ago with my husband. He's an engineer and he must bring his own ideas about designs etc with the added knowledge of load structure etc. to keep the project from collapsing. He has or had because he's retired now, ideas out of his head to create ides and solutions and make sure they worked. His creativity required a great deal more discipline and specificity than most areas. A school teacher is a prime example where she must use creativity to teach young people in a fresh and effective way. The lawyer must get creative in order to do the best job for his client. His failure to a good job can affect his clients freedom or even life and death. I could go on. The point I want to make is that this creativity exits in a box as it were, it's parameters are tight. There are rules in their creativity, certain boundaries that can't be stepped over, even in the name of creativity. The worst example of this kind of control over creativity existed years ago in Russia where art and music and literature had to reflect the politics of their country. Many great artists fled Russia, as they have other oppressed countries, because of these restrictions.

Yet, even under those circumstances, when the artist's very heart and soul was being squashed, and their work discredited, people held them up to a very high esteem. Those creative giants could say or show things within the heart of men, that others could not. Their esteem was deserved.

But what about us, writers here in America? Writing is a 'have to' thing for most of us, but sometimes, we demand more accolades than our work demands. We lean on our rights as creative artists. Do you know who I am? some irate writer might exclaim to a hapless waitress or busboy who hasn't a clue because it's her/his first book and it just isn't making a major impact on their world.

I think we need to thank God for our creative forces, be humble for having them and enjoy the privileges that go with it. What are those creative privileges? We get to do something we love doing and we have an audience for it, which makes us feel empowered enough to keep on. I think that's privilege enough.

From NaNo to Novella

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will be an exciting dayfor me. My third novella will be available at Astraea Press. Aegean Intrigue isa story I began three years ago during GRRWG's first Winter Nano challenge. Theprevious summer I had gone on a ten-day trip to Greece, where my daughter hadgone for a semester abroad to study writing. Of course, I had to check out theschool and her living conditions, so I convinced a friend to travel with me tothe island of Paros, in the Aegean sea. We went in May, just when the warmspring made the colors vivid and the air balmy and comfortable, but before thesummer crowds arrived.

My daughter mentioned somethingthat stuck in my mind. During the day, we would see local women as they wentout on their daily tasks. But in the evenings, the only locals we saw were men.The women we encountered in the restaurants and shops had come from othercountries. Robyn told me that Greek women were not outgoing toward strangers,and she and her female classmates found it very sad. I came home and did somereading and found several references to that phenomena. What would it be liketo live in that culture? I decided to write a story about two people who hadbeen affected by that in different ways. And Aegean Intrigue was the result.

I came up with Francie, who is halfGreek. The men on on her father's side of the family are typical overbearingmen who expect total obedience from their wives and are yukky. Her mother'sparents are French Canadian, and Grand-pere treats his wife with love andrespect. And she's gone to school in California, so she has experiencedAmerican views on relationships. She's also had a difficult relationship with aGreek man.

Alex is also half Greek. He hasseen his mother treated poorly by his father, and vows he will not be the same.But in a past relationship, he's had a woman take advantage of him, so he'salso leery about starting a relationship. Besides, Francie is the main suspectin a case he's investigating.

I threw in a bit of a mystery andsome archaeology (I don't know how I come up with these professions thatrequire me to delve into a lot of research, but I seem to be a glutton forpunishment) and three years later I have a novella. The story doesn't look muchlike the first draft, but it's done.

So this year I'm going into theWinter Nano challenge with a new story line. Hopefully I'll have enoughmaterial to shape into something I'll be able to submit someday. But if not,I'll have bits and pieces I can use elsewhere. The point is, if I don't writesomething, I won't have anything to use anywhere! So when we meet on the 11th,come with your laptops and ideas and be prepared to write! We'll have food andbeverages, and there will be people who will be able to answer questions. Butthe best way is to just put words down, and ask later.

The war in my mind

2012-01-24T13:58:00.003-05:00

There’s a phenomenon that I don’t quite understand.
I was really pumped last weekend. No obligations, plans, or urgent to-do list. I decided early last week that I would “write like mad” on Saturday and Sunday. Treat it like a work day, except I’d be home writing.

Except I didn’t wake up excited. I felt a little nervous (and really overwhelmed), and talked myself into getting a few things done for a new business that I’m starting (which will hopefully allow me some freedom in the long term for more writing), and then I’d pursue my writing in the afternoon. It related to writing, I rationalized, but still, I wasn’t writing. Afternoon rolled around and I was stressed out by a website and Vistaprint and random other snags. I decided lunch would be a really good idea. How can I write if I’m not rejuvenated? Then I got a bit drowsy after lunch so I needed a cat nap. That’s just a sampling of how Saturday and Sunday went on. It got to be rather ridiculous. I talked myself into shoveling snow since it really should be done in case we get another storm, and there’s not a lot of time on weeknights for that. Shoveling snow!

By Sunday night I was disgusted with myself. Disappointed. Ashamed. Self doubt. I thought, maybe I’m not a writer. What sort of writer finds everything to do except write? I had been so excited about finally having a whole weekend to write. Everything was “perfect”. I finally had the time.

I’ve been a writer my whole life, but this is my first serious attempt at writing a novel. I’m a beginner novelist and I feel overwhelmed. So much to consider. Dynamics, background, setting, facts, plot lines, character development, and to put together a string of that many words and paragraphs that work well together and are inspiring, exciting, captivating? What if I can’t do it? I think I figured out my problem. Well there’s more than one when it comes to the fear that a writer battles. The war it wages within the mind. But my biggest underlying fear last weekend? What if I write a novel and then find out that I’m not good at it? What if I’ve deceived myself all these years into thinking I could write a good novel, but I can’t. THAT is my biggest fear. …So if I avoid writing it, I can keep living that dream of “hey I bet can write a novel!” and then never get the opportunity to prove myself wrong. But then I realized, if I never attempt it, I also lose. If I never confront the fear, never just go ahead and do it, I also lose.

Finally, late Sunday night, I sat and wrote for forty five minutes. I don’t know what the magic trick was. Only change was that my husband came home from being out of town and I liked his company. So maybe a quiet house with tons of time isn’t the “perfect” setting. I don’t know.

I also had one of those flashes of insight. A simple thought, but it was what I needed. I spend so much time and effort with every word and sentence being “good enough”, that the whole process loses its charm. The simple thought? “Just tell the story” Tell it horribly, tell it however you want, but at least tell it. So that’s my mantra right now. “Just tell the story.”

Goal SettingI

2012-01-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but without setting goals, I don't seem to get as much done. It's even more helpful to see a visual representation, which is why we created the GRRWG Goal Board.

I thought I'd show you how we're doing so far compared to the end of last year. Keep in mind that this is only one month worth of goals. I can't wait to see how the board looks next month with February's goals included.

You've got until February 1oth to complete your goals - how are they coming along?

Never give up. Never surrender.

2012-01-20T11:38:00.002-05:00

That video clip is from one the most best Sci-Fi lampoons of all time, Galaxy Quest. While that line might not be as revered in cult-classic circles as Alan Rickman's "By Grapthar's Hammer," it's what's motivating me to meet all my goals this month, even if not in a timely fashion.

Case in point, this post. I didn't actually post it on the 20th of January. I'm posting it from the future, on the 21st. See, I made a goal this month to make all of my blogging commitments. I won't miss a single Wednesday post at Three Wicked Writers Plus Two. I'll keep up with my personal blogs that are currently active (though I'm not quite ready to commit to daily posting), and I have an unusually high volume of guest blogs to pump out this month, including one on the 26th at Reading For A Cure, which is such an amazing idea and I really encourage everyone to check it out and become involved, if possible.

I've digressed from my original point. I've made it a goal to make all these commitments, because I'm guilty of seeing blogging as just this thing you maybe might do if you have the time. But it's a vital part of a writer's career these days. But even though I set that goal, twice now there have been times when, through habit and laziness, I've forgotten to do my blogging. This is one of those times.

While it would be easy for me to blow things off and say, "Ah, I've already messed up, I might as well just give up," I'm not going to do that this time. I'm not going to give up, I'm not going to surrender. First of all, I don't need to feel Captain Taggart's disappointment in me. Yes, it's imaginary disappointment, but I assure you, it would crush me. Second, I don't need to disappoint myself. Only I can achieve my goals, and every one of them, even something that seems as small and extraneous as blogging, has to be important to me. Otherwise, it's not a goal, it's a thing that I might do sometimes if I have a minute and I think about it.

So, I'm not giving up, I'm not surrendering, and I'm making this blog post a day late and fudging my time stamp, because if I've learned anything from Galaxy Quest, it's that you can have absolutely no idea what you're doing and mess up countless times and still come out on top. That was the moral I was supposed to take away from that movie, right?

Being Meticulous

2012-01-18T13:12:00.002-05:00

Yes, being meticulous about some things in life is a must. Taking that extra bit of time to attend to details makes life better. Especially if you're a writer. Nothing is worse than to have a savvy reader write to tell you how you missed some pertinent or minute fact and they will. You can research a book exhaustively and sure enough, that one little mistake is caught by someone. Where do these people exist? When I'm reading a book, I'm so into what the author is telling me, I'm not questioning her background research, but some people do.

Today, I'm crawling all over google trying to find background information for Arabian bride. I need to know all sorts of things to make her come alive to the reader, her religion, her position in life, her environment, rural or urban, traditions, language, mores, etc. etc. At the same time, the hero is an East Indian Prince who must become a pirate in order to regain his throne. More research! What would my story be without the richness of research?

We live in an age when such research can be accessed right from our desk tops, so there's no excuse for us not to be meticulous in said research.

Organize, 0rg@n1z3, organ----what?

2012-01-17T00:01:00.003-05:00

If you’re like most writers, you’re never without a notebook nearby to jot down that amazing idea that will propel you into Stephen Kingville or Amanda Hockingtown.

Between writing, working full time, shutting down a house and planning phase two of my career, I’m besieged with things to do. My list grows longer every day. The trouble is, I’m not very good at organizing them in one failsafe place. When I’m at work, I scratch everything down on scrap paper and shove the list into my purse. When I’m at home, I’m too busy to remember I had a list. Consequently, I write it down again the next day and the day after.

I’ve tried using a smaller notebook where I can divide my ideas into WIP, write reminders for Cheryl, Inc. and Sterling, Inc., but the notebook is one more brick to cram in my purse (alongside my Kindle, twelve store cards, gum, seven dollars in quarters and the vitamins I forget to take).

I recently bought an app for my iPad. It’s similar to a bulletin board in that you can stick virtual Post its to it. I had great hopes for this system. Different colors for different parts of my life. Headings of “Today”, “Tomorrow”, “Soon”, and “Later.” The problem is, I don’t always have my iPad with me, and I don’t want to start carrying it around (another brick).

Recently, our writing group had a discussion about Scrivener, which I’ve owned for a couple of years but never used much. After the pros and cons were weighed, I went back into the program and pulled together all the odd notes, the scraps of paper, the website url’s, etc. and added them to the scant notes I had in Scrivener. I'm amazed at what I now have for each story. It’s a great tool, and I plan on using it for every project I’m working on, writing related or not.

Now, if I could just solve the scraps of paper in my purse dilemma…

How do you keep track of everything going on in your life?

Musings on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

2012-01-16T10:45:00.003-05:00

I didn't realize that my day to blog would fall on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. Perhaps that's because I haven't gotten this particular holiday off in over a dozen years. (Which isn't all that big of a surprise, after all my job is in IT and we typically do our biggest work on days when no one else is working.)

So, I started looking at some of his quotes. Everyone knows this one and it remains my absolute favorite:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was young enough when he was killed to not really get the importance of his death. Kids tend to be too self-absorbed to get some of the bigger events in their life. At the time I was more concerned about my math homework and recess than anything else. It wasn't until later on that I figured out how important he was.

This quote always gets me thinking about doors opening and paths not taken:

"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are times when I'm involved in various groups that I wonder if Dr. King truly understood what he started for the rest of us. The Stonewall Riots came just a year later, helping bring the homosexual community together to take on the oppressive laws throughout the US (of which many are still on the books to my great dismay). Just two years later the first Gay Pride marches were held in LA, Chicago, and New York.

I believe our lawmakers have tried to make laws that will protect us all from discrimination, I'm just not sure they work well. Perhaps that's because some lawyers want to interpret the intent of the law, while others look for loopholes. Why don't we try simpler language? For instance: "A company is to interview all skillfully qualified candidates." (Already the lawyer in my head has a dozen questions). Can't we just use common sense?

The year that Dr. King died, women were given protections from sex discrimination by an Executive Order, and affirmative action plans were required for hiring women. A year later, my home state of California, adopted the "No Fault" divorce law, allowing divorces by mutal consent. In contradiction, men still had legal control of whether or not their wives worked and where they would live - in California of all places! Luckily that law has since been axed. This was the year I started paying attention to women's rights as I had one grandfather who constantly told me what professions were "appropriate" for girls, of which a Veterinarian was not one, and another one who told me girls could be anything we wanted to and that my chavenistic grandfather was full of it.

"Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.
Martin Luther King, Jr. "

This quote always brings to mind several friends who are talented, outspoken people, many of who are Gay. While minorites and women have come a long way, the Gay community as a whole hasn't seen as much progress. And the sad part is, they've been there for the rest of us all along. It is fairly well understood that making progress for one oppressed group helps bring the other groups forward as well. I was quoted over the summer as saying something along the lines of "It is now our time to stand up for the LGBT community, as they were there for women in the 70's". I do feel responsibility to be an ally and to help move understanding of this community forward. And it makes me incredibly happy to see the current generation being more tolerant in general when it comes to orientation, skin color and gender.

However, I don't think we are quite at the point where people are judged for the content of their character. We seem to be sliding backwards on that one. Perhaps technology is to blame for as we put more and more focus on what people look like (regardless of skin color) and less on who they are. Televeision, YouTube, and the anonymity of the internet, have made instant judgements incredibly easy, without forcing people to take the time to truly think things through. Bullying has skyrocketed and too many teens and young adults are committing suicide over violent vitriolic posts on social media sites.

Still, on this particular holiday I have great hope that someday Dr. King may be able to look down and smile upon a nation that finally accepts people as they are and for who they are. Even though we may be taking a few steps back, we are still miles down the road from where Dr. King started.

When Is Enough Rejection Enough?

2012-01-15T09:24:00.002-05:00

I’ve been undergoing an Existential Writer Crisis for about the last year. I thought I’d be over it by now, but it just keeps getting worse. In fact, it’s really starting to feel like that “I give up entirely” feeling.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. It’s my first memory (drawing a book); it was my identity in elementary school through college (Tanya Wants To Be A Writer); and it’s been the driving force in my life. Every experience I’ve had has been filtered through a writer’s experience. Knowing that I could write about something helped me be more adventurous, and it’s helped me cope.

With my 1^st book, I self-published, knowing that the market was saturated with Chick Lit novels. Agents loved it, but no one wanted to invest. When “Blunder Woman” was published by Champagne Books, I thought my chance had finally happened. Once people discovered my work, they’d love it and I’d finally get those big contracts that many of my colleagues have.

Then the sales started rolling in. And by rolling, I mean barely a trickle. High hopes turned into sober reality. Not only were my books not the staggering success I really thought they’d be, they were virtually invisible in a world where a book is published nearly every second. I’ve probably sold less than fifty books; maybe closer to twenty-five.

I’ve done all the things you’re supposed to. I’ve built up a platform on Facebook and Twitter and my Blog. I’ve “engaged with my readers”. I’ve joined writer groups and attended conferences where I’ve pitched my novel, received requests, and then had a response of silence. I’ve written through pain and loss and love and beauty. And I keep writing.

The question is…do I keep promoting? How long do you keep sending your work out until you realize that maybe your best is only second rate? When is enough rejection enough?

I don’t know. I struggle with this every day.

I try to remain upbeat and positive, but lately I feel pummeled. And it’s coming from all sides. My kids are in a moody difficult phase. They don’t like anything I cook. They don’t like anything I do for them. They’re annoyed by me. Husband has been sick for two weeks and is not himself and grumpy. Teaching is good, but it’s still a one-year contract, so maybe I’m not good enough for a real-long-term job. Narrating is going well, but I can’t seem to get work at any other companies.

It’s like I’m doing okay, but am consistently second-rate. And it’s making me tired.

Now I’m asking a real question of myself: how much has my pursuit of this dream kept me from actually living? If I look at everything through a writer’s lenses, does it separate me from everyone else? And when is it okay to give up?

I submitted “Foodies Rush In” to three online presses. It was through a pitch session. Two writers from this pitch session already got offers (within 24 hours!). I’ve heard nothing. I’ve made a last ditch effort with Foodies…had it edited, have someone creating a cover for it so that I can self-publish this too. But it does feel like the last gasp before dying. I’m putting the last of my belief and energy into getting this book out there. I never wanted self-publishing. I wanted to be a ‘real’ writer. I know the arguments. Everyone will say “You ARE a real writer”. But that’s not what I wanted. I wanted a contract. I wanted my books in a bookstore. So, I guess the dirty shameful secret is that I didn’t want to be JUST a writer; I wanted to make a living at it. I really thought I could.

It’s not happening for me. I’ve seen friends appear on NY Times Bestsellers lists, NY Notables, books distributed nationally, highlighted as Michigan Authors, even a guy I dated in college was on the Daily Show. I can’t even get my books into a local bookstore and give a reading because I’m ‘just a local author’.

When is it okay to let go?

I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m just tired of constantly working and trying. Maybe I just need a vacation from being a writer for a while. And I need to go out and win a ribbon for something. Anything. I just need something besides yet another rejection after decades of rejection.

I’m sure some of you can relate.

Why I Don't Bake...

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

The picture pretty much says it all.

Those are supposed to be scones. They aren't months old, found hidden in some warm, moist, long-forgotten drawer. I made them this afternoon.

I had an issue with the blueberries. They may have been shoved in the back corner of my freezer for much longer than they should have. So when I mixed them in, the berries turned the whole batter purple, which after baking created this wonderful moldy-looking confection.

My son says he doesn't like green muffins. I'm not sure I find them appetizing either.

Laws of Attraction

2012-01-12T07:53:00.003-05:00

If you've ever read (of been on Netflix and have seen) The Secret, you should. It deals with the "strongest force in the universe" which is the law of attraction. Don't worry, they explain and it's pretty compelling. It discusses how you can live your best life now, filled with abundance and positive thinking.

But I like to overreach. I know, you're surprised. I liked the presentation of the law so much, that I decided to apply it... EVERYWHERE!

Case in point: Bronwyn Green (love you honey, but we all know this is true), has a freak magnet. Strange strangers approach her all the time to tell her random personal stuff. John Denver stuff. Hanging out, trapped, in the car repair shop stuff. Reading over her shoulder stuff. It's hilarious. I propose that she knows it's going to happen, expects it to happen and therefore "by the laws of attraction!" (attach echoing announcer's voice to that), she brings it to herself.

Having used that as my example, then, you can understand why my ridiculous dating experience is all my fault. Like Bronwyn, I attract my own brand of freaks. Now, I'm not saying that my following script is freaky because someone has a...leaning, but because the guys I talk to don't seem to know their audience. Or try to know their audience before they hit me with the big guns.

Another case in point, ala true story:

~Mia

Mia Watts also writes as Katie Blu. You can find her at www.MiaWatts.com, www.MiaWatts.blogspot.com, Twitter: MiaWatts, Facebook: Mia Watts, and on Thursdays www.ThreeWickedWriters.blogspot.com

New Releases: Nailing the Boss, Katie Blu (EC for Men line, EllorasCave.com)
Upcoming: Skin Deep, Katie Blu (Resplendence Publishing, January 25th)

The Big Race

2012-01-11T07:36:00.002-05:00

Writing, like any project or goal, is like a race. There’s a beginning, middle, end. Training and preparation make for an effective start. I’ve been working on my routine lately, going so far as to create what I call a World Class Routine. (I heard that phrase recently and became immediately infatuated.) Committed to this routine, I’m back in the race, so to speak.

I made a list of everything I wanted to improve or add in my life, getting back to my work-out schedule, daily writing, flossing, drinking enough water. All those areas in my life where sometimes I did, sometimes I didn’t. Then I started with my morning routine and figured out where my weak areas were and addressed those first. I realized that my biggest problem was leaving my important activities for the end of the day, after I’d gotten home from work. So I’d stay up late and try to get everything done while trying to relax and unwind at the same time. It’s not an effective combination.

My biggest change is going to bed at a decent hour so I can get up and work out. Once that’s out of the way, my evening gains at least an hour. Not that I always worked out at night, but feeling the pressure of leaving my walk and exercise undone put a real damper on my evening.

All this to say that I equate my new routine to the training phase of a race. Once I’m at the starting line, whether a real race, a new chapter in my novel, or even a writing conference, I experience the giddy excitement of beginning. The excitement doesn’t last too long because the work begins. During this part of the writing or big race or any big project, looking at the end-goal will get me through the tedium of the middle. Crossing the finish line is exhilarating! Then it’s on to the next accomplishment.

I never want to be a wannabe. If I want to accomplish a goal, I want to find a way to make it happen. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of making a couple small changes to get on track. What do you do to get yourself back in the race?

Paint Job and a Contest!!!

2012-01-10T01:45:00.001-05:00

Nearly there!

There's a corner of our family room that used to have a tall entertainment center bolted to the wall. When we got rid of our old TV and replaced it with a flat screen last year, we no longer had use for the old furniture. When my hubby removed the screws, it left large holes in the wall. It took several months - okay, it took nearly 10 months - for me to get around to spackling them.

Then I had to find the right paint on the basement shelves to match the family room walls. The trouble was the paint was 7 years old, and wasn't quite the same anymore, which was obvious after I painted over the spackle.

I took the can to Home Depot and they mixed up some new stuff based on the numbers on the sticker label on the lid. After applying several more coats to an increasingly large area, it was obvious the color was wrong - too orange.

Did I mention these are deep red walls that took 6 coats of paint originally to get the depth of color I wanted? The chances of matching this color is practically nil.

But I wasn't defeated yet. I went back to Home Depot and grabbed about 20 paint sample cards in deep red. The family voted for their match, and we bought a small sample jar.

I've applied 3...4? coats over the past few days, trying to replicate the layered textured look of the original color. It's getting closer, and in poor lighting it's barely noticeable. The trouble is that in daylight it's glaringly obvious where the line of demarcation is. After applying the last two coats, I've used a wet washcloth to try to smudge the line. It's sorta working.

If this room wasn't so big with so many cut-outs (cut-ins?), I would have just given the whole room a new coat of paint. But that was way more work than I was looking to do.

So in the meantime, I sit here and watch paint dry...and pray the color will match.

What about you? Any home improvement projects planned for the new year?

CONTEST!!!

Today's the last day to enter to win a Kindle Fire from 6 erotic authors.

To learn more and enter, please visit my blog here.

Good luck!

Television Writing

2012-01-08T20:34:00.003-05:00

Do you remember what families used to be like several years ago? When I was growing up, I remember how I'd go to school and race home to tell my mom about my day. Then, we'd make dinner and sit down and eat as a family at the diner table. Afterward, there would be time to play outside, complete homework, and then sit down as a family and enjoy watching a good television program.

How I miss the television programs of the past. Do you remember the following programs:
Cheers
Home Improvement
The Bill Cosby Show
Life Goes On
Seinfeld
Family Matters
Alf
Boy Meets World
Friends
These are programs that almost everyone loved.

In regards to television programs and movies of today, it seems the writing has changed. Now, don't get me wrong, there are several good programs. It just seems the writing overall isn't as good as it used to be.

Look at the movies that are made today. Most of the movies are quickly written, produced, and sent to the theaters by Hollywood. Many of the stories have been retold over and over. For example, Spiderman, Little Red Riding Hood, Footloose, etc. are movies that keep being remade. Many movies, if not retold, are also created from novels. Examples are the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, and Nicholas Sparks books. Some of these stories are told in a very positive and enjoyable way. But some tales just don't stand out as an exceptional story.

Especially focusing on this new year, I hope writers who are trying to make their mark in the world, telling a good story in a new light, are able to become published and noticed. Though I don't mind some of the television programs or the movies that are occasionally produced, I wish we could become more family oriented with a positive and inspiring message for the younger generations. Or more so, I wish writers who have a story to tell with a different way of telling the story, are published. A new year, a fresh tale, and lots of remarkable programs would be great.

To those who continue writing and striving to become published, please don't give up. It's stories like yours that we need to hear. :)

Happy Writing!

Balancing Act - Life, Writing, and Responsibilities

2012-01-07T13:11:00.004-05:00

It's the beginning of a new year, resolutions are being made, celebrations and decorations are winding down and nearly everyone hopes things will be better in 2012. I'm no exception, but the changing of the years can also bring time for reflection or sometimes it just the ball life throws at us at a point in time that causes the reflection.

I think on the Writer's Evolution Blog it lists me as a rookie - the newbie - I kind of like it, because it means that I'm still learning and there is a huge path ahead of me. Sometimes it's fun because no body really knows what you're going to do next, but sometimes it sucks.

2012 for me is about regaining balance in all facets of my life. This year starts with a promise to myself to set goals and to work towards my goals and to reduce the clutter - physical and emotional - in my life. Part of it starts with reclaiming my office and my life. Because I let it go chaotically haywire - even if I couldn't control what happened to me, I absolutely can control how I react and reacted - I have to work twice as hard to regain trust, to regain lost abilities and lost confidence - from myself and others.

Most of my non-writing goals for this year center around regaining my balance and relearning to be me. It'll be a hard journey, but it will absolutely be worth it.

Vanity or Self

2012-01-05T23:54:00.001-05:00

After sending my 2 children's books to only 4 different publishers that accept solicited material, and getting rejected - I thought of trying to get an agent. Because not very many children's book publishers will even look at any material without an agent. So I took advantage of an opportunity to attend a Writer's Conference to meet an agent. The agent had informed me that it is always better to have an agent to submit material to publishing companies, because the material goes directly to the person that makes the judgement instead of getting weeded out by interns. The agent also said they would love to work with me, so I emailed per request TWICE and no feedback. So I began to ponder the best solution to get my books published. The first question was about whether or not I truly believe in my books, and would I enjoy reading them to my child. HECK YES.... My only personal issue was my own personal drawings, I wasn't happy with them. So if I'm not happy with them, then why in the heck should I expect anyone else to be. Thinking of having someone that is a stranger draw pictures for my books bothered me a bit knowing my mother and sister are the artists in the family. So I finally talked my mom into drawing the pictures, and I am absolutely happy with them. The next step was to figure out if I should self-publish or use a vanity publisher. Self-publishing takes alot of hard work and motivation. After talking to a few authors that have done self-publishing, I began to wonder if it truly is the best option. Self-publishing does not get much marketing without a publisher, but you do get to keep 100% of the profit. It is actually a catch 22.

To Self-Publish you need to:

Set up a publishing company
Get ISBN numbers
Set up distribution
Get Edited
Figure out cover design, color, and picture quality
Printing of the book (print on demand) could be an option (ebooks)
Marketing
Copyright (optional)

Self-publish means that you have to do all of the work, unless you pay do get help. To use a vanity publisher, there is a flat fee and a percentage of royalty for books that sell. Grant it, it's a percentage, but it takes care of everything up front.

To use a Vanity Publisher:

Get approval of books
Publisher does the marketing
You own rights to do what you please, and sell your book whereever you want
Editing is included
Cover design, color, and picture quality is included
Have publisher name on books the help sell for first time authors
Copyright included

After some research, and even reading the book by Richard Paul Evans "The Miracle of The Christmas Box" I realized that it is very difficult to get your book into stores to sell if nobody knows who you are. Which makes perfect sense. Stores are more willing to sell a nobody's book with a publishers name rather than no publishers name at all. So I came to the conclusion to use vanity publishing to have everything done for me through one place to get the extra marketing and publisher name.
2 Moon Press has approved of my children's books and is in process of publishing them now. My first book "Sammy and his Lucky Hat" should be ready to sell by February 2012. This has also been a dream of mine for over 15 years, and I am finally doing something about it. This is very exciting to see the beginning stages of my cover. Woohoo......

Jamie Chester
Sammy the Frog

Motivation and Pity Parties

2012-01-05T08:12:00.000-05:00

By W.S. Gager

Today I thought I would whine for a while. No, don’t stop reading. I really have a point but first I get to develop a bit of sympathy before I move on. This past couple of months have been incredibly frustrating and painful for me. I’ve had a shoulder problem for over a year and thanks to “I can fix that easy” doctor, my calcium deposit in my right shoulder turned into a full blown hole in my tendon resulting in rotator cuff surgery before Christmas.

The thing is that I could have lived with the annoying pain for a while. (Yes, it hurts a bit but I can still function.) The quick fix turned into a I can’t even think pain. (Stabbing bursts that shoot down my arm on a regular basis or at least whenever I tried to type or move my appendage.) Enter doctor number two who showed me the hole, the reason for the pain and loss of strength and two weeks later I had surgery. Recuperating with lots of family and holiday distractions kept me from my computer. However the last week I’ve been waking up early with lots of great ideas running through my head and no idea how to capture them. Holding a pen for very long really kills and my family hid the laptop which I’ve now found. The stabbing pain is mostly gone except when I do something stupid, like try and lift my arm for anything. Have I mentioned it was my right arm and guess what handed I am? I have this lovely sling that I must be in for at least three more weeks that straps my arm at my side to protect it from injury while it heals, according to my doctor. It has two straps that wrap around and over me and another two that Velcro across my arm making my lower armed affixed to my side with great force.

The good news is my mind and imagination are back. Pain is not conducive to creativity and the last couple of days I’ve been trying to get back to the keyboard. That d$&# sling blocks my arm and my short fingers from reaching the keys. This morning, thanks to that great imagination, I woke up at 5 a.m. with a great idea how to defeat the sling. I’m still wearing it as ordered but tipped my laptop down at a 45 degree angle and moved my arm a bit further out of the sling than it was designed for but I’m not out of the sling. Typing this only gave me a few tingles. No pain, at least not yet and the doctor said I could type but not for long periods of time at one sitting. I don't think he figured that I would defeat the sling.

If I could, I would be doing cartwheels but I’m pretty sure that is not in my recommended list of activities. And since it is very early morning and my kids can’t see me work, they still have to cook and clean and all those activities that poor mom can’t do because she can’t move her arm. Yes, I’m still whiney but just for the kids’ motivation. I’ve figure out how to write and that is the best medicine! When you are a writer, the most painful thing of all is not being able to. If I can write with my arm in a sling, you can find a minute to jot some words down. What more motivation do you need?

Come met me in person and hopefully without the sling from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Literary Life Bookstore & More, 758 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids.

W.S. Gager has lived in West Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman's golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted and write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter single-mindedly hunting for a Pulitzer Prize. A Case of Infatuation won the Dark Oak Contest in 2008 and A Case of Accidental Intersection took first place in the Public Safety Writers Contest in the unpublished category. She loves to hear from readers at wsgager@yahoo.com or on her blog at http://wsgager.blogspot.com/. Check out my blog later today and maybe I will put up some photos of me in my sling!

A New Toy...err, I mean, A New Tool

2012-01-04T00:13:00.001-05:00

I'm entering my fifth year as a writer - whew, where has the time gone? - and I've decided to take a step up from relying solely on a word processor to create my works of fiction. A fellow member of this writing group started researching novel writing programs in December and was excited to show me what she found. It got me thinking of how I could really use something like that to create a Series Bible for the new set of books I want to start writing this year.

After poking around online myself, I decided to download the trial version of Scrivener. The demo version is good for 30 days, and those are actual days of usage, not 30 consecutive calendar days. It comes with a brilliantly written tutorial that I've been making my way through because if I'm going to spend my money on something like this, I want to know what all the features are and how I can best use them. It's a very flexible and easy to learn program, and I'm excited to import my material to start playing, err, working with it.

I've never been one to use note cards, but these virtual ones look like so much fun, don't they? The ability to split the screen in a huge variety of configurations is amazing. And the Research feature allows you to import pictures, video, audio files, and other files. Plus, they have a writing mode that blocks out everything else on your screen, other than the page you are writing on, and you can customize the background image.

So for me, the new year means a new writing toy...err tool, to bring better organization and a little of the fun back to my writing.

2012 is MY year

2012-01-03T00:01:00.011-05:00

Like most people, I make New Year's resolutions on January 1 each year that are usually skipped by January 7 and totally forgotten by February 1. I'm sure I'm not alone. Most people can't remember what they resolved the previous year except that it was probably something about starting a diet or a healthier life style.

But this year, that's going to change.

The crazies keep telling us that the world is going to end in 2012, so if I'm ever going to accomplish my dreams, this year is it.

No, I'm not talking about a diet or losing weight...good Lord, I've worked for decades to build this shape, why would I want to mess with it now? Besides, if I'm going to spend Eternity without cheesecake and coffee, I'm sure not going to deprive myself of them now -- and Prime Rib, got to have Prime Rib and Carrot Cake and cream curls -- yes, definitely cream curls. Oh and we can't forget M&Ms and Lake Perch dinners and ....

Okay, so maybe I could work on that food addiction, too. :D

But seriously, whether the world ends or not (NOT!) I absolutely refuse to waste another day making excuses. I've given myself a bad case of Paralysis by Analysis over my writing by comparing it to my favorite authors, other member's writers, and some vague ideal set forth by my inner editor. Well, this is it! Let this serve as notice to Ms. Inner Editor that you are being sent on a long term vacation. I will summon you when I am ready to see you. I will no longer be dictated by your whims. So tale off for Cancun, Cabo or wherever you choose to go because you are no longer welcome to reside in my head.

My mother used to tell me: "How you begin the new year is how you will end the year." So, New Year's Day, I decided to spend the day relaxing and writing since those are the things I enjoy the most (after my wonderful family of course). The day was wonderful. I hated for it to end. Mom, I hope you are right, and I'll finish the year having just as much writing fun.

Hope all of you have a wonderful 2012, too. May all your wishes and personal dreams come true!

~ Stephanie

2012-01-02T10:38:00.002-05:00

What a Year Brings!
So here we are on January 2nd, our second day into the new year and it's my birthday as well, so surely a time to contemplate what the last year brought and what the new year might bring. First off, I sold a bunch of e-books which made everything feel better! Our writer's group had a successful writer's conference which was great. We'd talked about doing it for several years from the time of our first forming, but had somehow always decided the time wasn't right. Finally, some enterprising gals took courage in hand and went at it with focus and determination. They were unbeatable. I was very impressed by their efforts and the final results. Altogether a fun year with strong women that I've grown to love and admire. Plus there was a lot of success in our writer's group which inspires you in your own efforts.
On a more personal level, I got new knees which took away a lot of pain and makes life better. I've enjoyed my family more than ever and I think life is wonderful. Oh yes, did I mention I'm a bit of a Pollyanna, better than being a grumpy ass.
My goals and expectations for the coming year are to get my books out in a timely fashion, to write better than I ever have and create some truly memorable characters. My second goal is to lose weight, damn it! My next goal is to bring about world peace and make sure every child has a loving home and food to eat. Though I say this lightly, I truly wish I could impact some of the misery in the world, especially to children who are the first to suffer in almost every instance.
I want to love my family more and be a good Samaritan, to clean all the clutter corners in my house and attic, to be more organized, less procrastinating and more thoughtful to friends and family. I want to curb my shopping fetish and spend more time on more meaningful pursuits. I want to become a better speller. I want to figure out what God put me on earth for and what He's waiting for me to do to fulfill my potential as a human being. I want to understand more of everything, to be less judgmental and more accepting of others and all their foibles. I want to protect everyone I love and even those I don't know. I want to be a super hero and have my house sparkling clean all the time. I want to grow more as a human being and I want to thank all those who are in my life and help me do that. I try hard not to be greedy, but I want God to give me gobs of years yet, so I can enjoy life for a long time. I guess I just want to thank God for the good life, good friends, wonderful family and in the end the promise of His salvation. It's going to be another great year, isn't it?

It's the Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-01T20:57:00.004-05:00

Water Dragon from ctnews.com

Growing up in Grand Rapids I was raised with Christian doctrines, so I didn't really learn much about the Chinese zodiac except what I read on Chinese restaurant menus. But as I met and became acquainted with my Japanese relatives I learned the twelve signs of their zodiac play a very important part in their everyday lives, and I started to investigate. I'm not sure I will ever totally buy into all the system, but it's fun to take a look and see what some people say will happen.

According to the Asian calendar, 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. To be more specific, it's the year of the Water Dragon. Each of the twelve signs of the zodiac has an association with one of the earth elements - water, wood, fire, earth, and metal - so the year 2000 was the year of the Metal Dragon, 1988 was the Earth Dragon, 1976 was the Fire Dragon and 1964 was the Wood Dragon. The "New Year" actually begins on January 23 and ends on February 9, 2013. Having checked out a few sources it looks like this will be a great year for creativity - and that's a wonderful thing for people like teachers, musicians and authors. For people who spend time in all three fields, that's wonderful news!

While the western world views dragons as fearful, fire-breathing creatures, the Asian view of a dragon is more benevolent in its power. They are viewed as wise and intelligent. All are great attributes for those of us who write.

Elephant Journal had an interesting proclamation: "If you have an East facing door, sleep to the East or your home faces the East this will be a good year to meet a new lover and is also good for getting a book published." I'm not too eager to meet a new lover, but the book publishing deal sounds good. It might be worth turning my bed around.

Whatever your beliefs, whatever your motivation, here's a toast to you and your endeavors. May your accomplishments be many and your pitfalls few. May the fire in your dragon be filled with power and benevolence, and may your every need be filled.

Happy 2012!

A Christmas Story:A Writing Challenge

2011-12-31T11:12:00.000-05:00

Tanya Eby a fellow member of GRRWG challenged us to write a short story about a Christmas party. Here's my entry, starring Gabe and Betty, from Tall, Dark and Slayer, available next week from champagne books.

The only Christmas cards that concerned me two nights before the big day were the queens of hearts, clubs and spades I gripped and the possible straight my ex-lover held. If he was bluffing, I’d win a pound of cashews. If he won, I’d have to sacrifice my Kona coffee. I’d be damned if that happened, so I didn’t have time for distractions like the dozen or so guests – half of them vampires – crammed into my Brooklyn apartment, the rapidly disappearing seven layer dip or Christmas cards.
Not true. One card preyed on me like a safari hunter on the Kenyan plains. It taunted me from where it lay, half propped against the toaster, oh so casually reminding me its sender.
Al Banks. My biological father, although I say it as if I had been adopted and had another dad waiting in the wings. No such luck. Al had brought me up on the road as he ran one scam after another, teaching me the tricks of the trade along the way. I could only imagine what scheme was tucked into the card along with the season’s greetings and pictures of snowmen.
“Your turn,” Vince reminded me. He snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Betty, are you with us?”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” I laid the worthless three on the table and drew another card, hoping for the elusive queen of diamonds or another eight to make a full house. I hid my disappointment as a five showed up.
“Call, and raise you a vanilla scented candle.” I moved the gift bestowed on me earlier that evening to the center of the table. Hey, I was all about re-gifting.
As Vince drew his card, his face unreadable, the hand of my current lover settled on my shoulder. I didn’t turn around, but warm fuzzies settled over me. Gabe had that effect on me.
“You two about done? Rachel needs a ride home.”
He’d said the words too loud for a whisper as he leaned forward to kiss my neck. I glanced at Vince and caught the flash of excitement and the even briefer flash of resignation on his face. Excitement because, strange as it seemed, he’d honed in on Gabe’s sister the minute I’d broken up with him. All the better for him as she had a ready-made family, and I’d danced around commitment for months. Resignation – well, now I knew he didn’t hold a winning hand. Hello, cashews.
He didn’t even try to bluff further but laid down his cards, one short of the straight I thought he had. He pushed the cashews toward me even as he reached for his coat, slung over the kitchen chair.
“Nicely done,” I whispered to Gabe as I stood.
He placed a hand on my arm. “You okay? This party isn’t too much for you, is it?”
How had he picked up on my distraction? I’d admit I’m not the most social of creatures, but a Christmas party? Pffft. A call to the local deli and the help of my best friend, Darcy, who happened to be Vince’s sister and a Vamp, made things easy-peasy.
“Everything’s fine.”   I dealt with vampires every day, but a harmless Christmas card spooked the beejesus out of me. I kept my gaze from the that portion of the countertop.
“If you’re sure.”
“No problem. Let me say good-bye to Rachel.” I loved Gabe, a new phenomenon for me, but I didn’t need him hovering over me like…like a father.
Don’t know what that’s like. Al hadn’t exactly been the poster boy of great dads. I couldn’t understand him sending me a card, unless he’d already embroiled me in another of his schemes. I hadn’t recovered from the con he’d tried to pull over Halloween. I didn’t know whether to admire or curse his gutsiness.
I found Rachel in the bedroom, extracting her coat from under a mound of others. I pushed aside a stray pillow and snagged her scarf.
“Thanks for doing this,” she said as I handed it over.
“What? You need a scarf. It’s colder than a witch’s – ” For once, I stopped my stream-of-conscious mouth. I really didn’t know her that well.
Her gray eyes, so like Gabe’s, locked on me. “Not for that. For hosting the party. We never had good Christmases growing up. He might not show it, but it does make a difference to Gabe.”
“Oh. Yeah, of course.” I recovered quickly. I’d agreed to a party for selfish reasons. I’d made it a point to celebrate the holidays since I’d established a permanent place. Fixing Gabe’s childhood trauma hadn’t occurred to me, but it should have.
“I knew you’d understand.” Unexpectedly, she hugged me. “I never had a sister.”
A sister?   Until recently, she’d been a customer, ordering Heat-N-Go artificial blood from me. I guess it was time I started thinking of her as family. A disconcerting thought.
“Thanks. I never had a sister, either.” I extracted myself as diplomatically as possible and was saved from faking intimacy or saying something stupid by the entrance of two other guests.
Vince’s eagerness to take Rachel home had signaled the breakup of the party. I spent the next few minutes retrieving coats and wrapping leftovers. Saying good-bye, surprisingly, hit me harder than I’d thought. I’d grown to like these people – my lawyer and his wife, Rachel, even Marcus, Gabe’s enigmatic ex-boss.
Gabe closed and locked the door behind the last guest. I’d switched off most of the lights, only the tree remained on, its twinkling not enough to hide snowflakes swirling outside the window.
He enveloped me in his arms, and his familiar scent of cloves and leather drifted to me. We stood in the darkness for several moments, enjoying the quiet and each other’s company. We hadn’t been alone all day.
“You gave a great party, Betty. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Thank you.” He snuggled me closer.
“Hey, Mercer, you’re not going all sentimental on me, are you?” The party had been a little stressful, the arrival of Al’s card even more. I didn’t need a lover with shaky emotions to round off the evening.
He chuckled, and I felt the vibration. “I’m a vampire slayer. Nerves of steel, remember?”
Right. Mr. Tall, dark and slayer, international man of mystery. “I’ve seen your softer side.”
He grunted in a macho, you-are-so-wrong way. “Don’t blow my cover, okay?” He nuzzled my neck, and my knees threatened to give way. “Good party. Good food. Good friends. Thank you.”
“’Twarn’t nothing, sheriff.” I tried to keep the tone light. A lump of emotion clogged my throat.
“Uh-huh. I know you’ve been distracted.”
His hand under my sweater distracted me. The rasp of his beard against my neck distracted me. Anything else? Pffft. “I can think of one or two ways to make me focus.”
Gabe moved, drawing me with him. But instead of heading toward the bedroom, he led me into the kitchen.
“I think the whipped cream is gone. Unless you want to do something kinky with the leftover cranberry sauce, but I’m warning you, that stuff stains like crazy.”
“Betty, you’re a nut.” He stopped and reached across me. A moment later, he held up the Christmas card.
Thoughts of romance crashed around me like broken crystal. “Oh.”
“Time to face the truth.”
“Gabe – ”   I couldn’t understand his motive. He’d seen the destructive side of my father.
“It’s like pulling off a Band-Aid. The quicker you do it, the sooner you can heal.”
“I don’t need him. You’re my family now. You and Rachel. Vince, in a weird way sometime in the future. Darcy and probably Marcus, though I’ll never understand that attraction.”
“Stop babbling and open the card. It can’t be as bad as your imagination thinks it is.” He waved the card under my nose.
“Oh, I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination.” His gray eyes showed no mercy. I snatched the envelope from him. “All right. Al Banks didn’t raise a coward.”
Gabe leaned against the counter, smugness showing in every pore. He snapped on the light over the stove.
I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the card. The front pictured two teams of snowmen playing hockey. I flipped it open to read the message.
A smaller envelope dropped out. I grabbed it before it hit the floor.
“More trouble.” It had the weight of an anvil. Or sword. Or bomb.
“Maybe not. Did he write anything on the card?”
“’Sorry I couldn’t be there to help celebrate your first Christmas together.’ A good thing if you ask me. Not a sentimental man, Al Banks. We probably won’t see him for a couple of years, or whenever his luck runs out.”
“Such a cynic on Christmas Eve Eve.”
He enjoyed this too much. I glanced at the stove clock. “Christmas Eve now.   I suppose I can’t put this off any longer.”
I unfolded the packet and froze.
“Betty?” Gabe surged toward me.
My hand shook as I held out the contents.
Gabe held them up to the light. I watched his face change from suspicion to awe.
“Open ended tickets to Hawaii?”
“He does have a lot of air miles.” I couldn’t believe the old man had coughed up such an expensive present, but he’d always treated me like a princess when he’d been flush. “I hope he didn’t scam anyone to get them. They are in our names, right?”
Gabe glanced at them again, then he froze.
“Gabe?” What had he seen?
I snatched the tickets from him. The first read Gabriel Hawk Mercer. The second –
“Elizabeth Mercer?”
A smile transformed his face. I’d never seen him look so pleased. “I like the sound of that. A lot.”
Our relationship had never been traditional, why should his proposal be ordinary? I’d expected panic, but this felt natural and right.
I let the cards and tickets drift to the floor. I’d pick them up later. “I do, too. A lot.”
Family is where you find it, and I’d finally found mine.
(to read how Betty and Gabe met and their adventures to this point, purchase Tall, Dark and Slayer from Champagne Books after 1-2-12.)

On Author "Sigh-nings"

2011-12-30T06:00:00.002-05:00

Posted for Lori Lapekes:

After my debut novel was published a year and a half ago, I had an author signing (my first!) in, of all places...Denver. A friend of mine who lives there organized it. I was on a panel with four reasonably well-known writers, and I was terrified! We all had to pass around a microphone, talk about and answer questions about our novels to a grand total of---(drum roll) perhaps thirty people. And that was with five authors present!

Although the experience was fun and educational, I think I sold a grand total of five books that day. I’ve since learned that is not unusual.

I read about one hopeful author who, at his much promoted first reading and signing, was dismayed to discover that only one fan showed up. Yet he decided that, by golly, a fan was a fan and he did his presentation as to a room full of people. Afterwards, the writer lavishly thanked that one fan for coming. Horrifyingly, the fan then lowered his eyes and admitted, “Well, actually... I’m the volunteer who was supposed to introduce you.”

Yikes!!

Thank goodness humiliation can at least make a great story at the bar or family gatherings.

So now, after several months without a book signing of my own, I have another. An editor from a new Grand Rapids magazine called “Around Town” contacted me about my book for an article on local writers, and are coinciding it with a book-signing Saturday, January 14th at the Literary Life Bookstore on Wealthy St. Come one, come all! I plan on having fun, no matter the outcome. I love writing. I love bookstores, books, and all the lovely people who love them.

(Oh, and the signing of “For a Short Time” is from 2 -4 --if anyone would like to introduce me…)

Lori Lapekes

Building and Preparing for a New Year

2011-12-28T00:31:00.002-05:00

Looking back at 2011: We had a blizzard at the beginning of the year. Japan suffered from a tsunami. There was an uprising spring of revolutions in the Middle East while Governments were overthrown. Earthquakes were devastating. The European debt crisis has been a hardship while Americans struggle to improve their own financial difficulties. But through the midst of turmoil, there have also been positives. People try to reach out to help others live healthier lives. William and Kate married this summer. Scientists believe they’ve found life on another planet. In small ways, there have been successes learning how to cure cancer. Secret Santas helped pay layaway bills, and many people were kind to give presents, food, money, and anything else needed to help their fellow neighbors. Together, we all survived the year. Through the negative there was positive, and we can be proud of the experiences we were part of in 2011.

As great as 2011 was, I especially look forward to the year 2012. A new year allows for new experiences, positive changes, and a brighter future. We have the opportunity to make anything we want become reality. For some people, they hope to find their way home to family and being true to themselves. Others seek a job to support families. Many people hope to shed a few extra pounds while other individuals strive to make their personal dreams come true. For several of my friends, they welcome their bundles of joy into their families and are blessed with wonderful marriages. They are grateful for careers, friends, family, and happiness. And most importantly, they are thankful to God each day for the wonderful life that has blessed each and every one of us with.

Without God, we would be nothing. With God, we are everything. For this coming year, I strive for a few self-improvement goals. I am also thankful for the wonderful people in my life, and I hope to give back to those in need. Whether we reach out to neighbors by showing love, dedicating time, donating money, or helping in any small way; I hope this year is dedicated to working as a community, helping one another make our world a safer better place, and a world where we honor God and allow His light to shine not only on us but through us for the betterment of everyone striving towards a better world as well as a better year.

Traditions that Teach

2011-12-23T12:40:00.002-05:00

By Diane Kniowski

When the holidays arrive, the biggest thing I think about it the past. I think about many Christmas celebrations and the fun I had. I think about my favorite gifts received. I think about all the great food consumed. I think about my family. I think about how it has changed over the years.

We start out as the child. We become the parent. We become the Aunt, Uncle, Grandparent.
The constant in our lives is the Holiday itself. I think the best gift is to be able to hold that day and those people and that exchange of celebration and happiness in our hearts forever.

I would like to offer some of the ways that I make sure there are memorable moments that make the day special. I would also like to share ways to celebrate Christmas past in the Christmas present.

Here are my top 5 things to make the holiday more fun and carry it to the next year.

1.) During the opening of the presents, give someone a paper and pencil and write down the exact quotes and expressions that are being exclaimed. Later at dinner, have everyone around the table read at least one or two of the expressions and words used during the gift exchange or the Santa moments.
It is really fun to have the family read out load the silly expressions and words used and try and guess who said them. In my family, you may hear things like...."Is this candy or is this a bar of soap?" or "Are these underwear or is this a headband?" Or my personal favorite, "I love that you think I am a size small." Make sure to date the writings. I save them we laugh as I read these the next year.

2) I save all the Christmas Cards from the previous years, especially if they are from loved ones that are no longer with us. I sit down with the family while the lights on the tree are twinkling and quietly we take turns reading the cards and tell a thoughtful or funny story about that person and how they impacted our life. It is a wonderful way to honor our past and teach our children how important the people around us shape us.

3) My family was fairly poor, so my Mother and my Aunts used to gather leaves, pinecones, thistle and milkweed and use bits of nature to decorate our table and our tree. I continue to bring nature into my home and every year I spray paint, spray glue and glitter in the memory of my Mother, Louise and her sisters, Kay and Angie. I make sure to save some of the sprinkling of glitter for the young nieces. Each Christmas I take them into the garage and have them sprinkle glitter on the leaves and pinecones that we are going to place on the dessert table. It gives me an opportunity to tell them all about my Mother and her sisters. I love to share the stories of how, for very little money, my Mother found ways to make Christmas happen for days as we gathered the pinecones, pressed the leaves and prepared for the paint and glue days ahead. We always helped put our finished decorations on the table and tree and beamed with pride at a job well done. I didn't realize until later that the finished product wasn't the real joy. It was the time together learning how to make anything special by getting creative.

4) I love to take pictures. I take pictures all day long. I take pictures of the trees, the gifts, the food, the cookies, the cats, the snow. I make sure that I print a few of the photos and put them in a folder with the Christmas cards and funny Christmas morning sayings. I date the folder, and the next year, I show everyone present the Christmas just past.

5) I like to hide presents around the house and put clues on the Christmas tree. Every year, I save one present for each person that I hide. They must look for clues on the tree and guess the location of their present. If you do this for each person, it makes the present opening time last so much longer.

The holidays are what you make them. For me, the holidays are a celebration of everyone and all great memories from my life. The ornaments on my tree are directly tied to memories. I view my Christmas Tree as a celebration of my life and the people in my life.
You must make the holidays what you want them to be. Find ways to make them special for you and everyone in your life.

May these holidays and all remaining holidays bring you closer to your dreams and bring your family members closer to your heart.
Happy Holidays.

2011-12-23T12:27:00.002-05:00

2011-12-23T12:27:00.001-05:00

2011-12-23T12:25:00.001-05:00

Green Family Traditions

2011-12-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

We're a family full of holiday traditions. For instance, the tree goes up as soon as possible after Thanksgiving. It gives the cats more time to play in it.

The boys and I bake cookies on Christmas Eve. Even though they don't buy into the "Red Fat Man" anymore, they still want to bake cookies with me (and eat them!) and leave some out for Santa. I'm cool with that. I like baking with my kids. We'll also make our edible peanut butter and birdseed ornaments and hang them outside for the critters.

There are the special holiday decorations I love to get out every year. This is the hand print wreath banner I made with my kids many years ago (I had all of my daycare kids make one for their parents that year, too - best gift ever - directions at the end of the post) the Christmas castle my Grandma made for me, the holiday stockings I've cross stitched for everyone in my family. I'm making a new one for next year since my brother got married in March. Luckily, his wife knew exactly what she wanted so I'm hard at work on it. Hopefully, I get it done in time!

That's another tradition - handed down from my mom, and her mom before her - scrambling to finish making presents at the last minute. Yeah...that's how we roll around here. When we were little, we'd frequently get gifts of fabric or yarn from Mrs. Claus and a note saying how Mrs. C was too busy to finish our presents but that she knew our mom was handy and wouldn't mind helping out.

Of course, my favorite tradition is spending time with my family and friends. I have no idea how I got so lucky to be surrounded by these wonderful, amazing people, but I'm beyond grateful. I hope you're all able to enjoy the traditions you have and the people you share them with!

DIRECTIONS FOR HAND PRINT WREATH: This hand print wreath is the easiest project ever. Get a piece of muslin and some craft paints. Hem the fabric then paint your kids' hands and have them press their hands on the fabric to make a circle - overlapping is fine. Berries are made with paint-dipped fingertips. Tack on a bow, if you like. Attach ribbon tabs at the top and hang from a dowel or a branch. Easy peasy and people treasure them. My mom still hangs hers up every year, too.

Letting go..

2011-12-19T16:52:00.004-05:00

I bought a magnet as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine. It's a very simple tile with a small flower that says "Let go" in teensy letters. She's been an amazing support in my life, reminding me to take good care of my self, encouraged me to get involved in meditation, and also happens to be a co-worker, so she "gets it." We have emotionally challenging jobs and in a lot of ways, I view her as a "war buddy" who's been in the trenches with me. You develop a special bond that's hard to explain to others.

I like how Christmas inadvertently has helped me reflect on the special people in my life and in this instance, I wasn't obsessing over "what do I get her" like I often do when it comes to gifts. Instead, it was a pleasant surprise to find it, think of her, and be reminded of what a good friend I have. It was also a nice reminder to "let go." As a recovering perfectionist, I've been working on letting go by giving up certain holiday activities, doing simpler gifts, fewer decorations, and being okay with sending out-of-state cards a bit late.

Keep it simple. That's my mantra in everyday life, but especially helpful lately. Part of letting go is about reducing, simplifying, foregoing, and so on, but it's also about not beating yourself up when you don't "do enough", when you make mistakes, or even when you do slip up and find yourself stressed out at Hobby Lobby over what color, texture, and size craft paper you're going to buy for a Christmas project. (Guilty party!)

It can be a challenge because as much as I want to do x, y, and z, and hate giving them up, if I simplify, I allow more room for, well, you guessed it, writing! I'm taking some time off of work over the holiday and planning on doing a little extra writing. (I can't wait!!)

Now back to my prioritizing and seeing what I can let go of during the home stretch of Christmas. What can you let go of this week?

About that thank you blog...

2011-12-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

This blog entry was going to be a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to serve as your president during the last three and half years. I had all kinds of witty things to say about your talents and energy and persistence in pursuing your dream. (all true) I was going to dazzle you with the numbers of our growth (from 22 to 38 members, a slightly more than 72% increase when the average loss per year of professional organizations is around 40%, which means we grew a jagillion times more than others).

I still think you are an amazing group (clap, clap, clap) and will continue to narrow the gap between published and unpublished members. But something happened today that turned my blog entry in a different direction.

I spent part of the day shopping. In a little place in Rockford, while buying unique and perfect gifts for family members, my husband bragged to the shop owner about me being “a published author, don’t you know”. Those who know Larry are aware he’s a big fan and will talk the leg off every sales clerk he meets. What was interesting is the response he received. The owner, Jeannie, also writes. Great! A kindred spirit. I gave her the URL of this blog, and we chatted about the changing industry, etc. As we identified with writing in the zone and not remembering it later, the only other customer in the shop was nodding her head. Another writer! Three out of the four people in this tiny spot had something in common and we might never had known it.

My point? Start talking about what you do. Don’t be shy or ashamed or think you’re bragging. Why not brag? Aren’t you proud of what you write? If you can’t pontificate about your own work, mention that you belong to a fabulous writing group. Give them the URL of the blog. Throw out a title or name or two. Mention the support you receive and our all around awesomeness. Invite them to join us at a meeting.

You never know the paths already laid out for us to cross. Sometimes, we don’t need a conference to make connections. Sometimes, it can be done over homemade mittens or soaps or cheeseball mixes. You’re not only a member of GRRWG, you are also one of its ambassadors. More importantly, you’re an ambassador (and head marketing director) for You, Inc.

Marvelous wonders await. You just have to look for them.

p.s. It HAS been an honor and privilege serving as your president. Don’t ask me to do it again. Kidding. Not. No shop owners or husbands were harmed in the writing of this blog. Gratuities accepted in cash or chocolate. Go GRRWG!

Strange Christmas

2011-12-16T20:01:00.001-05:00

This Christmas has been a roller coaster. First, it's been crazy busy at my regular gig, I've been sewing like crazy for my etsy shop, we have our first real Christmas tree in a dozen years (make that 2 I feel in love with a 2' fat tree), I made my first official sale on my etsy site, and then, unexpectedly, we lost a dear friend to cancer.

It's hard to put my full emotions into words. She was my husband's "work wife" year's ago. An amazing woman who overcame lots of obstacles in her life (poverty, stuttering), she was wickedly brillant, a total sweetheart, and a fearless, tireless fighter. She'd been fighting for 7, 8 years now (honestly I've lost track) and the news of her passing came as a big shock. At the same time, having a Grandmother who went through cancer treatments for a big chunk of her adult life, it's a bit of a blessing that she's no longer in pain.

I discovered why she hadn't texted me back with answer to my question I'd posed about a week before. I found out why she hadn't when I learned of her passing. That sealed the decision. My character that needs the rename is really happy with my choice. And I know my friend is too. She'd read the first chunk of my book awhile back and had really like Molly (my character's old name). Other than the fact that Molly's a red-head, they're pretty close in other ways.

Both of them are fighters. Molly's in her 40's, as was my friend, and she loves life. She's also a bit of a Cougar, hooking up with younger men on a routine basis. But she's fun, strong, brilliantly smart, wickedly funny, and fights for what is right. I think it's a pretty good match.

The interesting uptick to this is I've had a deluge of ideas for all of my book series. Now I just need to find more time to write, along with decorating the trees, finishing up baking, packing boxes to ship out West, and a frantic rush to wrap up my projects at work before I take some much needed vacation time.

Heck, I'd planned on getting this post written early this morning, but got waylaid with issues at a client site and am just now squeaking out the time to get this done. It just means I'll be baking cookies into the wee hours of the morning.

Writing Challenge

2011-12-15T07:38:00.002-05:00

by Tanya Eby

So it's the holidays and who isn't slammed with holiday planning, shopping, stressing out, and general angst? Or is that just me? That's why I'm going to pose a holiday challenge. (Wait for it.) Why now, you ask?

For me, especially when I'm really stressed out, writing can feel like slipping into a warm bath. It transports me somewhere else, lets me walk around in other people's lives. It takes me far away...and when I'm done, I emerge feeling fresh and clean. Yeah. Maybe I extended that simile a bit far. But you get what I mean.

So here is my holiday challenge to you. Write a short story about The Holiday Party. You can interpret this any way you want. It can be sweet, O'Henry style, or knock out naughty. Whatever you want. Make some time for yourself and slip into a new story. Try to have it done by New Year's.

I'll even give you an incentive. You write The Holiday Party, post it here or share it within the GRRWG group, and I will give you a $5 gift certificate to Amazon. That's right. FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS. That's enough to buy five cheap ebooks, or one expensive one.

That's the challenge.

And happy holidays.

Oh. Legal stuff....this is for members of GRRWG. At least the 5 dollar part. I can't give out 5 dollars to everyone out there because I'm a struggling writer myself.

Love,

Tanya

Holiday Cookies

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Last year, I posted my favorite holiday cookie recipes on my blog. Since I'm feeling especially lazy this year, I'm going to send y'all over there to fulfill your baking needs. All the recipes are super yummy and easy enough that I can make them.

Happy Baking!

Holiday Cookie Recipes.

Bad Blogger

2011-12-12T08:33:00.002-05:00

So, I've been a sucky blogger. My apologies. I have every intention of posting something and every month it gets away from me. Since this is December, and I recently posted a Thanksgiving tribute over at Three Wicked Writers (where I blog every Thursday), I thought maybe I should do a Christmas tribute here.

I'm not a huge fan of Christmas. I think that might make me a party-pooper, but here's the thing, I grew up overseas and Christmas was in the dead of summer. It's hard to get all festive, fire-crackle, nog drinking cheer when you're sweating. It just is. We still celebrated with a fake tree and lights. Mom still brought out the ornaments and dad cued up the Christmas music. Mom and every youth group I ever attended insisted on caroling (Have you ever tried caroling to people who have no idea what that tradition is or even speak your language??). If you know me, you know I can't sing my way out of a paper bag and was kicked out of choir as a child. You know, that age when everyone is "supposed" to be nice to you because your tiny and have a future of dreams filled with candy-apple promise? Yeah. Crushed. Although, I used to look like a little German boy complete with sweater vests and maybe they thought my alto was a bad mockery of tenor.

Anyway, I digress. My kids haven't grown up in a house that's decorated to the roof, but we do celebrate and they do have their favorites. We were talking about our favorite memories this week, and I found myself marveling that their fondest memories were things that would have shamed me if I didn't have them for perspective. Funny. I remember my mother saying the same thing about my memories.

So, I thought maybe I'd share my Tiny Tim story. Back a couple of years ago, we had nothing. I was the only parent employed and supporting the family on royalties. I had been for a couple of years at that point, as I paid the ex's way through seminary (He wasn't an ex at the time. I'm not that big of a boob to pay for an ex to go through four years of school.). That Christmas we didn't have a tree or ornaments. There were no lights and we didn't own a cd player or iPod or anything that spits out nifty music. We'd begun our move there a few months prior living off of tomatoes, zucchini, squash (I won't touch zucchini and squash to this day), cucumbers, bacon, and green beans. We had gardening neighbors with too much produce. Bless them. Anyway, there wasn't "extra" to buy supplies for a holiday that would last a week or so. We couldn't justify the expense.

That year, I went to the dollar store and bought a green padded table cloth and a red padded table cloth. My girls and I cut out the green one into the shape of a tree. We super glued it to the red one to create our Christmas wall tree. It was a little pathetic and we laughed at it, but having already gotten into the spirit, the girls and I cut out a star and snowflakes. We used a highlighter to color the star yellow and we attached it all to the tree.

A lady from our church had some old ornaments that we taped to the faux branches and when we hung the disaster on the wall over a table, that became our living room focal point. The four gift-boxes went on the table "beneath" the tree and we left it up all season. We couldn't spend the money on a turkey or ham and all the fixings, but we discovered that Chinese restaurants are always open on Christmas, so we had our Christmas meal at the local Wok.

Until recently, I counted that as my lowest family moment. My kids? It's their favorite. Hearing it from them amid the giggles of youth and the "remember how"s and the pleas that every Christmas result in a new International restaurant experience has changed my opinion. Sometimes we need kid-approved glasses to see how special a moment really is. We need to step out of our adult skin and take a look at it through a child's eyes, where different is exciting and all family moments are special if they're had together.

They teach me something new all the time. Here's to another Christmas of memories and praying that each of you make moments to cherish with your families this year.

~Mia

Expect the Unexpected - Holiday Magic

2011-12-11T11:25:00.001-05:00

Every year someone asks if I’m heading home for the holidays. “Home” is Denver and I always reply that the holidays are too hectic for a real visit. We’ll find out if that’s true this year. 2011 will find me home for a double helping – Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Maybe I’ve made peace with my hometown but I find I’m definitely looking forward to being there.

We are not the Waltons. Likely, with three distinct households, there will be three separate celebrations. My brother will have his family, I’ll probably be with my sister, and my parents will take it easy, my mom venturing out to join us for a couple hours. The teenagers – that’s shorthand for all of our kids now – don’t need much time to unwrap their gifts … gift cards and cash, for the most part. I’m bringing something homemade (it’s a surprise!) but gifts aren’t the real focus anymore. Thank goodness.

Special times for me don’t have much to do with the actual holiday. Hanging out with my sister, talking for hours, sitting on the side of the tub while she puts on make-up or does her hair … that’s special time for me. My mom and I like to go to the movies – she saves it up for me, I think. So an afternoon matinee with lunch or coffee somewhere – that will be my mom time.

Chinese food with my dad and heading down to see my brother and his family at some point … that about covers it.

Friends … as in, spending time with them – a real treat for me living 1,300 miles away from some of the most important people in my life.

Christmas – the celebration of Christ’s birth – that’s my personal time with my church. Beyond the malls, lights, missed expectations, sales, lists … I’ll make time to join my church family to celebrate this holy day.

New Year’s Eve. One of my favorite holidays of the year – I love the emotional “saying good-bye to the past” and “hello to the future” aspect. 2011 has been an amazing year and it started with a magical New Year’s Eve turning to New Year’s Day. I’m looking forward to unexpected magic again this year – it’s one of those elements that can’t be planned.

I’ll tear myself away from Denver and return to Grand Rapids to greet 2012. Maybe that’s why I haven’t visited as often; it’s so difficult to leave. Returning to my Michigan home, I’ll leave part of my heart in Colorado. I always do.

A Perfect Time for Remembrance

2011-12-09T13:18:00.004-05:00

Today would have been my grandmother's 99th birthday, so I decided it would be a perfect time for remembrance--after all, the holidays have always been a time for family. Every Christmas Eve night was spent with my grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins. Gifts are given, food was eaten, and joy was spread. Heck, my cousins and I even tried putting together a Christmas play. Sadly, we were never able to pull it off. But it's the thought that counts, right?

Frederick Mathias Homrich and Katherine Mary Nickels were simple people, raised on the farm. My grandpa has regaled me with stories of milking cows and chasing chickens. I distinctly remember a story about a young boy (grandpa) going out and “helping” his dad by bopping chickens on the head. He apparently thought it would help them lay eggs. Unfortunately, it only helped by giving them concussions. OOPS! Hopefully they got dinner out of it instead.

Living during the depression, they learned the art of frugality. I remember when we would help grandma make cookies or cake, fully expecting to lick a spoon or bowl. My grandma was definitely a waste not want not kind of lady. By the time it came to lick the bowl, there was nothing left to lick. Trust me, I’m not complaining. I’m proud of my grandparents. Their frugality helped them survive tough times, including a devastating tornado that destroyed their home back in 1965.

I just want to thank my grandpa and my grandma for all the wonderful things they did for their grand-kids. I couldn’t imagine life as a kid (and as an adult) without them.

Love you Grandpa and Grandma! You will always be remembered.

Back to Writing

2011-12-09T05:01:00.000-05:00

Back to Writing

During the holiday season, I have not only been inspired to give and help others but I managed to find my writing abilities. It has been a long season of writers block. Attending writing groups helps motivate. Listening to successful writers inspires. But sometimes that isn’t enough to kick yourself in the butt and write something.

Here are a few tips if you are struggling to get into the swing of writing again:

Remove some of the stress in your life- it will help improve the creative thoughts.
Make sure to get enough sleep- it doesn’t always help when trying to write exhausted.
Eat healthy- it makes you feel better.
Start writing. Give up on writing a novel. Start small and let the words flow onto the paper.
If you’re like me and have difficulty writing on a computer (because you like the old fashioned way of writing with paper and pen) work on breaking that habit. Only so much can be written with paper and pen while the words fly onto the screen typing.
Don’t judge what you are writing. Just do it!
Find a setting that you enjoy (like going to a coffee shop where you can sit by a fireplace, enjoy the jazz music playing, and get comfortable with a big, cozy, leather chair, and type your heart out).
Make sure to find time and exercise. This not only keeps you healthy but it can also help improve creative thoughts.
Have classical or jazz music playing in the background as you write.
Go back and read your work later. Don’t do it right away because you will criticize, try to change things as you go, and then the process of writing stops.
If you’re struggling with writing what you normally write, try something else. (Writing articles, songs, short stories, poems, novels, screenplays, etc. Writing is writing; just get something on paper because you’ll probably use those new thoughts later on.)
Also, take time to read. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand.
And if none of this works, make a game of it. There are plenty of writing games. (ex. Fill in the blanks with random words to come up with stories. Or you write one section, let someone else write another section, etc. until the story is complete). These are fun. The stories barely make any sense. They make you laugh, but they also help you stay creative, fresh, and give new ideas.

Happy writing!

Holiday Blessings

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

It’s the holiday season. It is a time of giving, a time of enjoying family, and if you are religious a time of honoring Jesus’ birthday. The season where we decorate our homes with beautiful lights, put a Christmas tree with lights up in the house, fill the underneath part of the tree with presents to give to our loved ones, a time to enjoy family (along with a few occasional fights), especially the season where people like to attending church services, and it is also a time where we go out of our way to give to others to brighten there holiday season.

I am so proud of my co-workers. They selected a family that was in need of daily supplies along with Christmas presents needed for their children. As a whole, my co-workers were able to give food, clothes, basic house supplies, a Christmas tree with decorations, gifts for the children, and a few more things. When I passed by the table where all the presents were it was a beautiful sight. This family will have a brighter holiday season because of the items people were able to give.

It is the season to love and help others. Everywhere you look, it seems someone needs help. If we volunteer to cook a meal, sometimes give a few extra bucks, help with buying needed items, or do something small to make a difference, we share the spirit of giving. That in turn can be passed to the next person. And hopefully the spirit of giving continues not only through the holiday season but for the rest of the year.

Lessons Learned From My First Blog Tour

2011-12-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

By W. S. Gager

For the last 10 days I have been blogging with 14 other authors on the Mystery We Write Blog Tour. It has been a great experience. This is my first blog tour as well as doing one with other authors. Each day I have tried to visit everyone’s blog, read the posts and comment. I’ve tried to post information to Facebook and Twitter on who’s at my blog and where I am appearing.

I wanted to share some things I have learned. Try and have a gimmick when you do a blog tour. For my blog, I have had my main character, Mitch Malone, interview each of the author’s character. Many have liked this unique approach. The other blogs have followed various themes such as writing on setting, a valuable lesson learned or having each author write the same subjects. This showcased how each author is unique and different. The hardest one for me was to post a piece of writing I was most proud of. That was a really difficult choice.

Just before I went on the tour, I took a blogging class. This was important because it told me what I needed to do to have my blog ready. One of the things it said was to make it easy for others to spread the word about your blog. Make sure they can follow you through Netblogs. Also have buttons to post easily to Twitter and Facebook. Many of my fellow blog mates didn’t have that. I couldn’t put something out to my followers on each of their blog posts--just not enough hours in the day without the easy share buttons.

I’m not sure if I’ve sold very many books with the blog tour but I do know that I met a lot of really generous mystery authors. Also the people that have seen my Mitch Malone Mystery Series have grown exponentially. That’s all I can ask. I’m happy with that. Have you participated in a blog tour? What were the lessons you learned?

I have four more days of the tour and I would love you to check out my blog and where I’m a guest. My blog is http://wsgager.blogspot.com/

I will be visiting these blogs:
Today: http://blog.benrey.com/

Dec. 6 http://pbrowning.blogspot.com/

Dec. 7 http://johnmdaniel.blogspot.com/

Dec. 8 http://aliceduncanblog.blogspot.com/

W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman’s golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn’t adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted with her life and that was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and won’t let anyone stop him, supposedly. You can follow Wendy on her blog:

W.S. Gager on Writing

It's beginning to feel...

2011-12-04T13:36:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you're all filling in the blank with "a lot like Christmas", but for me I'm just not feeling it yet. Perhaps because I have done very little so far to get ready for the season.

It's the second week of Advent, but the first Sunday I've made it to church. My youngest, Simon, was out of commission for two weeks after having his tonsils and adenoids removed. It was two weeks of reminding/encouraging/forcing him to drink liquids every 20 minutes so he wouldn't get dehydrated. So we missed the 1st week of Advent last Sunday.

My hubby does the grocery shopping every week. (Thank you, darling!) So, I've been missing the whole commercialization of the season with the canned Christmas muzak and specialty green and red decorated items in every aisle.

The weather has been unseasonably warm for West Michigan, which has been fabulous for not having to wear a heavy winter coat, but 50 degree temps with light rain doesn't put me in the mood for singing Christmas carols. I've never lived in the south, so I expect my Christmas to come with lots of cold air and snow.

I've barely begun to shop for presents. The boys have submitted their Santa wish lists, but I haven't had a second to look through them. Thank goodness Christmas is on a Sunday, and I have the whole week before to get gifts shipped to my house.

And finally, there's no Christmas tree standing in my family room. We always go out a few weeks before to chop one down as a family and engage in a snowball fight, but we have no snow! It just doesn't feel right to drag a tree through the mud to the car.

But now, I've just returned from picking up my eldest from Youth Group, and I caught the last 10 minutes of the film they were watching. Suddenly, I feel my mood uplifted and the wonder of the season flows through my veins.

What, you ask, were they watching that could turn things around so suddenly?

It was Santa's sled being powered by the spirit of the season as a crowd of disbelievers - turned believers - sang Santa is Coming to Town, as an oversized Santa's helper hung on for his life.

Know the film?

Yep! It was Elf. The perfect antidote for any Scrooge-like feelings this season.

What gets you into the holiday mood?

Wishing you a lovely holiday with your family.
Andrea

My Favorite Things

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, here we are already in December. If you're like me, you probably had a shock when you looked at the calendar and realized that Christmas is only a few weeks away and the New Year is not far behind that! So, rather than dwell on how I am soooooo not ready for Christmas, I decided to blog about all my favorite things.

First and most important is my Family. It never ceases to amaze me that I could have had only 3 kids, but my family now has expanded to include: 2 daughters-in-law; a son-in-law; 4 grandsons, 7 granddaughters, and this year, we added a cute-as-a-button great-grandson. We also added my spoiled princess of a dog, Sophie. It is wonderful day when I can be surrounded by them. I'm so proud of all of them. They are unique and wonderful individuals, although some days I'm not sure about the furry one.

Books, books, books! Like most writers, I love to read and have books in EVERY room of my house. Last month, I got to spend a lot of time with my grandkids and had the pleasure of discovering how much they all like to read, too. Having them ask if they can borrow books from my numerous bookshelves was music to this reader-and-writer's ears. One weekend, six of the grand were over and all but one of them had their nose in books or eReaders rather than watching TV or playing video games. Hurrah! I also helped introduce one of my younger grandkids (a previously reluctant reader) to the pleasure of reading on my Kindle (TM) over Halloween weekend. He took to it with such pleasure that his parents actually bought him an eReader for his birthday last week. Yes! I love that their parents' love of reading (and mine, too) has passed down to them.

I love the Holidays, especial Christmas. I love the decorations, the lights, the food, the traditions, the liturgies, the music -- although maybe not quite as much as my daughter who has an entire CD filled with various renditions of "The Carol of the Bells." I also have a huge collection of angels (ask Chel and Chris who went through my place one time and tried to count them all). I keep them out for most of the year -- Angels aren't just for Christmas, you know. There's nothing I don't like about the holiday, except maybe gift wrapping. In my humble opinion, the unknown person who invented gift bags is truly an unsung modern day hero! Seriously, the time spent with family and friends this time of year are always full of laughter and fun, and I love every moment of it.

Okay, as those who know me will tell you, no list of my favorites would be complete without at least a mention of two more things.
One is Office Supplies:

I'd like to say that my love for office supplies goes with the territory of being a writer. I'd like to say that, but I suspect I'd still buy office gizmo and gadgets even if I never wrote a word. In fact, I know I would. Of course, the grandkids love it, because there's always paper, scissors, tape, colored pencils, markers -- you name it, I got it -- available for craft projections when they come over. Most of the time, hey also get to take home a cool journal or set of colored pencils, too. It's like Jello, there's always room for more.

Finally there's my passion for SHOES.

I love them. It's as simple as that. Although some, who shall remain nameless (Chel), have hinted that it's an obsession. there's a reason why I love shoes. I'm not very tall, less than 5'1". For most of my life, I've worn 3" heels just to be considered short. Especially when all my kids and family tower over me. I wear them just to be able to see something more than their belt buckles. Besides, shoes are so pretty! All those styles and materials and embellishments! Ferragamo, Loubouin, Choo, Weitzman, Vivier...their designs make me drool. Unfortunately, the years of wearing toe-pinching, arch-stretching styles have made me turn to more comfortable shoes like ballet flats, but I still adore beautiful footwear. So much so, that one of my WIPs is a mystery about a shoe-store owner. Okay, maybe I am just the least little bit obsessed!

So now, I've told you my faves, so what are yours? Fill us in! I'd love to ear.

~ Stephanie

Christmas, Old and New

2011-12-02T09:09:00.002-05:00

The Holidays are indeed a time of looking back as well as forward. For some reason, the memory of my very best Christmas comes to mind lately. We lived in southern Missouri, just over the boarder from Arkansas. I had just finished second grade when my mom and dad had a terrible crisis in their marriage and separated. Dad took my brother and sister and me to his mother's farm way out in the boonies in Arkansas.
In some ways it was a fun summer and in some utterly miserable. The good parts were that we got to play with all our cousins and Grandma made fresh dinner buns every day, oh how I loved those buns, and we got to go swimming in the sluice ditches for the rice fields Grandpa was experimenting with. We had to watch out for snakes and Grandpa stood guard but that only added to the excitement that we were doing something unusual.
As the oldest I was supposed to help watch out for my brother and sister and I took my duties most seriously, even getting mad at Grandma and bawling her out. when my brother fell and hit his head and she didn't cuddle him. That sassing netted me a sit in the corner, and I admit I hold a grudge, so I was never as close to grandma after that. I thought she was mean and mom and dad were far away. She further annoyed me during a tornado when she sat in her rocking chair through a tornado, her rockers squeeching on the hard wood floors, while she gripped the rocker arms and chanted a litany that she wasn't afraid, that she was ready to go to heaven if the Good Lord wanted to take her. She was more scared than we little ones were. But I remember thinking, I'm not ready to die and go to heaven. I willed her to be silent in case God heard her and took her up on her words.
Well, the tornado passed and so did the summer. I became tired of staying with Grandpa and Grandma and began to pester her about when my dad was coming to get us. She informed me that Daddy wasn't coming back for us, that he and mom were getting a divorce and we'd have to live with her the rest of our lives. I was devastated. I'd already put Grandma down as a heartless woman who didn't love us and didn't want us. It's a miserable way to live.
Then miracle of miracles, my dad came down the dirt road, hanging out the car window waving at us with a huge grin on his face. My father was a very handsome man, Black Irish with black wavy hair, beautiful blue eyes and flashing white teeth. My first hero. I cried when I ran into his arms and asked him if he was taking us home. He assured us he was. Summer was over and we had to start to school. He and mom were not going to divorce, in fact, they had worked things out and had moved into Blythesville where they had a new house for us to move to. I was so happy. We left that very day and I never went back for a visit with grandpa and grandma. Mom and Dad were understandably upset with her.
That fall just kept getting better and better. I started my new school and loved third grade. Mom and Dad smiled a lot. Our house was so happy, then came Christmas time. They got a big tree and we helped decorated it with lots of ornaments and strings of lights, then mom wrapped angel hair all around it. Angel Hair isn't used now because it's considered too much of a fire hazard, but back then it was all the rage. I loved the angel hair on the tree. It diffused the lights and made the tree beyond belief beautiful. I would stand and stare at it with awe. On Christmas morning, Santa Claus found us at our new house and he brought lots of toys. I got a baby doll that I adored and dishes for my dolls. My sister and I had tea with our dollies and yelled at our brother when he bumped into us with his cars and trucks.
No matter how old I get and how wonderful each Christmas, I still remember that magical Christmas time. We were safe again with our mom and dad near by watching over us. Oh sure, there were arguments again and making up and tears and sometimes I hated my parents for it, but only later did I understand, they were a volatile combination and they loved each other very much. They were married until my father died and mother never remarried. I think she missed him very much. No matter what emotional upheavals we go through, we have to look back at the wonderful magic that life holds. My mom and Dad gave me that and I'll always think of Christmas through a veil of Angel Hair.

Christmas Traditions

2011-11-30T18:54:00.001-05:00

I'm no Martha Stewart, but I loveto make things for Christmas. One of my holiday traditions is to make stockingsfor each of my children and grandchildren. They're not huge stockings - justbig enough for a candy cane and several pieces of chocolate. I decorate themwith whatever strikes my fancy. Sometimes it's an embroidered design, sometimesit's something painted on, and other times it's something pretty tacked on tothe side. The kids always take their stockings home, so I don't know if they'rekept or not. But they've learned to expect their stockings, and I'm happy tomake them.

This year, I have another project I'm very pleased to share. It's my holiday novella, The Christmas Phoenix. It's a story about an overworked single mom and her new neighbor. I picked some unusual occupations for this couple - she's a snowplow driver, and he's an ice sculptor! It's gotten some decent reviews so far, so if you're looking for a cozy holiday read, I'm hoping you'll reach for this one! It's available at Astraea Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Here's my lovely cover, designed by the mega-talented Elaina Lee:

Here's wishing everyone a very merry Christmas!

Patty Kiyono

The Spirit of the Holiday -- Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T01:10:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We have a German exchange student living with us for the year. It has been a great experience and it really makes you think! We were talking about the holiday and explaining why we celebrate it because she had never heard of it.

I’m a bit rusty on my U.S. History and all I could think off at first was turkey and then my mouth started to water. (As I smell the turkey cooking now, I’m at the same place and can’t wait for dinner.) I finally pulled my brain out of my stomach and explained about the Pilgrims and Native Americans celebrating their friendship and sharing the bounty of the harvest.

In the spirit of our American ancestors, I want to thank all my fellow Grand Rapids Region Writers for their support, humor and enthusiasm for writing since its inception. It’s a terrific group! I have learned much from each of you.

I’d also like to thank a group of mystery writers who asked me to tag along on their blog tour that starts tomorrow. The Mystery We Write Tour features 14 authors with great books and fantastic characters. My main character, crime-beat reporter Mitch Malone, interviews characters in the books every day and has some insightful and entertaining reactions. You can catch the tour’s line up at W.S. Gager On Writing.

America is a terrific place to live and raise children and I’m grateful for the friendships and freedom to write what I want when I want. I’m also appreciative that we were able to open our doors to another and be able to see things through her eyes. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Award-winning mystery writer W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman's golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted with her life and that was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and won't let anyone stop him, supposedly.

Thoughts on Taking a Pen Name

2011-11-22T12:04:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I think pretty much everyone knows what you see is what you get with me at this point.

Well, except for the name. When I first started considering writing erotic romance, I knew I wanted a pen name. My kids went to a super conservative school and the last thing I wanted was them to be in any way singled out because "their mom writes porn." Middle school is damn hard enough without that crap added to it.

Now that my oldest son has a girlfriend, (eep!) I'm really glad I have a pen name. Most every conversation with her starts and ends with, "I'm gonna die if I don't know...what's your pen name?" The girlfriend is awesome and I adore her, but she has a Kindle and she's a book buying fool. (Which is fantastic - I approve!) However, her parents who are extremely strict would stroke out if they knew what I wrote, and that would be the end of her relationship with my son. Again, I'm not interested in making my kids' lives miserable because of my job.

The great thing is that she asked Killian once for my pen name and his response was, "How much respect would you have for me if I gave away a secret that was important to someone else?" She grudgingly admitted that her respect level would drop. Then she said, "Okay. I get that. I won't ask you again. But I'm totally bugging your mom." He laughed an told her to go for it. So she does. She told me straight out that she hopes someday I'll give in and tell her. I told her I would when she's 18. This didn't make her happy, but oh well.

If other people ask - people that I'd prefer not know - I usually just say something along the lines of "I prefer to keep my personal life and professional life separate. So far, that line is working great.

So what about you? Pen name or no pen name?

Here's a traffic tip for you bloggers out there...

2011-11-20T18:42:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time, a very crafty writer came to visit our group, and she told us that every time she talked about Alan Rickman on her blog, her web traffic went up. People would be searching for Alan Rickman, or they would have some kind of psychic alert that somewhere, someone was blogging about Snape and they instinctively followed some kind of migratory pattern to her blog.

I tried this out myself, and the results were pretty clear. Talking about Alan Rickman is a surefire way to draw blog traffic.

So, I'm going to try out a little accidental viral traffic corralling technique of my own. I present to you, something funny I saw on wikipedia and photoshopped into a higher existence:

Now, it's a silly little joke, it's nothing special, but I can now take this image and pin it to my pinterest.com account. My Doctor Who joke might tickle someone else's funny bone, and they might pin it to their account. And so on and so forth. And anytime someone clicks through to the source, they're going to wind up here. I can do the same thing on facebook. I share a link to this blogpost, someone goes, "Aha, that's funny! And also Jen is quite brilliant and probably a dynamo in the sack," and they share the link.

HI PEOPLE WHO WOUND UP HERE THROUGH TRICKERY AND DECEIT! HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO WRITE OR JOIN A WRITING GROUP IN MICHIGAN? THIS IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!

This is a really simple trick you all can use to direct traffic to your own blogs. Now, you can't do it all the time. But every once and while, you can shamelessly exploit other peoples' interests to align with your own nefarious ends.

2011-11-18T13:03:00.000-05:00

Dealing With An Age Old Problem by Temple Hogan, author of The Pirate Booty Series, Enchanted Island, Dark Secrets and coming soon, The Black Pirate.

I have a saying I’ve tried to live by for most of my adult life. If there’s a problem, there’s a solution. The solution may not always be what I want it to be, but it’s an answer to a seemingly unanswerable problem. When hit by something that seems to be overwhelming or even paralyzing, I first try to calm down and look at the problem logically. I consider myself a very logical person, although my husband, my knight in shining armor tells me, that ain’t so. Still, I try to hang on to that self-image.
Back to the problem, I try to see what needs to be done to solve the problem and how to go about resolving it. I consider intellect more powerful than emotions. I know it’s not so, but as an emotional person, I have to feel I have some control in my life, so I tell myself intellect will out.
So to my problem. Procrastination. Throughout my life I have seen how procrastination causes problems and exacerbates them, so I try really hard to overcome that fault in my otherwise sterling character. I am given to a love of clichés, but we’re not dealing with that today. I guess that would be my first approach to a problem is to focus on it and see what it takes to undo it. And never, NEVER be too proud to take advice from others, if it’s relevant.
So, the problem I want to focus on is my procrastination and how it affects my writing. Days can go by and I don’t even turn on the computer. But when you’ve made a commitment and a book is due, you can’t do that. You have to produce a not just acceptable manuscript, but a smashing bestseller with every book. That’s what I aim for anyway.
Well, to overcome this very real problem. I had to face my procrastination and admit that in this case, it was nothing more than mental laziness. So I took advice from a friend and added some other gems of advice gleaned over the years and found a formula that works for me.
First and foremost is to study my plot, my characters and what must happen next in my book. If I haven’t developed my characters thoroughly, it’s hard to know how they’re going to react to given scenarios. If I haven’t thought through my plot so I know exactly what my characters will face and how they’ll get through all the conflicts ahead, I can get bogged down with a whimpy beginning, saggy middle and unsatisfactory ending. I don’t think this is a real problem for me, since a reviewer for my second vampire book commented on sexy love scene and a lot of plot. Sounds like a book I would read!
So, if you have your characters figured out and your plot outlined, you should be able to go, but suddenly, it just seems a little overwhelming. I always give myself over achiever tasks, like today you’re going to write 5,000 words and every word will sparkle. Suddenly, writing becomes a daunting task.
A friend, whose output is truly amazing, revealed her approach to writing. She said she sets an easy daily goal for herself and everyday she writes that goal, even if she has to do major edits or throw the whole thing out later. That gets you writing and once you start writing it gets easier. After all, we are writers: that’s what we do. So I gave myself a goal of 1,000 words a day, every morning when I have the house all to myself and my other duties could be shoved aside. Without my self demands to perform, I began to relax. Every word I’ve written is not set in stone. I can change things if I have to. I tend to self edit as I write which can be anathema to your flow. But then the magic began to happen, I looked eagerly to my morning writing, the words came easier, my characters were absolutely brilliant (which meant that I must be) and the book was progressing. I even found I didn’t want to stop writing when my prescribed number of words had been reached. At first I made myself stop. As the author of more than 30 books, I’m all too familiar with burn out, so I approached this new schedule warily. After a time I did allow myself to continue on, but not until I was depleted on thoughts and ideas and words. I stopped at a place where I knew what was happening next and I was eager to write it. That made coming to my computer the next morning something I looked forward to and that brought back the joy of writing.
I know many non-writing friends who think writing is such a glamorous thing to do, those of us who actually write know the truth of it, yet we’re driven to tell stories and create characters and plots. We are avid readers who exalt in the talent of other writers. We aspire always to improve our skills, to reach for greatness in the written word and always it starts with our daily battles to overcome our procrastination and sit in front of our computer and produce.
I just don’t to be anything else than a writer!

If only I had time to write

2011-11-17T20:34:00.001-05:00

If only I had time to write.

You’ve said it. You’ve thought it. If only (the dog wasn’t sick, the kids didn’t need a chauffeur, I could blow off this meeting, I didn’t have a headache, my parents would stop calling me; fill-in-the-blank) then I’d have time to write. I could plot and outline and bust out word count, keep up on social media, and implement that marketing plan I now have time to put together.

Get over it, Ginger, you’ll never have a golden bubble to write in. Time is a bus, you have to catch it when you can even if it’s not your stop.

I should know. I started writing when my kids were tweens (don’t you hate that term?) I swear I had more output than now, when they are living on their own. Music lessons, swim, Scouts, paper routes, we did it all. I had a full plate of Mom duties, but I also had a critique group that demanded (in such a nice way) a chapter a week. I got it done.

The key is not to dream about that far-off day but to take advantage of what you can do now. I won’t give you a rah-rah speech, or tell you to set goals or any other motivational clichés. Instead, think of writing as a mission.

Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to write from your heart and never forget why you started this crazy business in the first place. Yes, there will be days (or weeks) when you write garbage or not at all, but that’s okay. You’ll get back to it, I know you will. And it will be fabulous, just like you are. Now stop reading and go write something.

One of those Mondays

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Note: The Turkey Drop for Mel Trotter is happening the same day this post goes live, so I'm writing this ahead of time as I will be doing that and most likely forget...which is why it's about my Monday. Thanksgiving is around the corner and it always reminds me to be thankful for having a roof over my head, food on the table, people and pets that love me, and my hubby. He's a Saint, although he'll never admit it!

I'm having one of those Mondays...the kind where you dash out the door with wet hair, knowing full well you'll be late to your first meeting because you just KNOW you'll hit every red light on the way there. Which was close...I was 10 minutes late, but due to a McDonald's truck who got himself a bit stuck trying to basically make a U-turn out of the McDonald's and onto the freeway on-ramp. (Drivers in Michigan don't seem to understand that big rigs can't maneuver like cars and have really bad blind spots, yes lady in the Hummer that got in his way, I'm talking to you!)

So, it comes as no big surprise that I accidentally posted today's JC Hanks blogpost on the GRRWG blog and vica versa. Thank God for cut-and-paste!! I'm hoping no one wandered by while it was live...not that there's anything to hide, but I think anyone would be confused by my reference to my character's names.

The rest of the day will get better though. I will finally get my exposed molar covered appropriately with a new crown this afternoon(I wish it was a sparkly one for my head instead!), and I'll get to snuggle up with a blanket and my laptop for some more writing after that. Plus I have another vintage machine that I'll be doing some work on the bentwood case for and cleaning up the old girl for resale to someone who simply wants her for decoration. Which is even better as I need to steal parts from her (and why I bought her to begin with).

And in 4.5 days I will be on vacation for the first time in over a year! I'm not going anywhere, as I have writing to do for NaNoWriMo and ROAR. But, I will get to see some of my favorite recent college grads while they're in town and have lunch with a few friends that I haven't seen in months.

Wiggle Room

2011-11-15T06:37:00.002-05:00

By Tanya Eby

Soooo….I took a few months off of the GRRWG blog. Not because I don’t love GRRWG. I do. But I got a little busy/overwhelmed with wedding planning, back to school, and then life in general. But I’m back and trying to figure out, once again, how to balance it all.

I still haven’t figured it out, but I’m trying.

In terms of writing, I’ve decided to take a break from novels for a while. I’ve been writing short stories. I’ve written a literary story, a scary story, and a sci-fi story. (If you haven't read the scary story yet, check it out HERE.) Next up is another sci-fi story with a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to it. It’s so different from my comedic writing, but I’m finding it really enjoyable. I like how finite a story it is. How it’s just a zeroing in on a particular time and place and event. But I think it’s good muscle exercise for novels.

Still trying to find an agent. Still trying to get the new book published. Still working full time and then some. Still a mom. Now a wife too. Still cooking for the family. Still moving on. Still writing in between it all.

I guess it really isn’t a balancing act at all. You don’t have to juggle everything at one time…It’s more of a wiggling act. Wiggle something in this way, wiggle something in that way. Wiggle a little more time for the things that are important.

GRRWG is important to me, and even though I could do a hundred other projects right now, I’ve decided to do my monthly blog. And then I’ll move on to the next thing.

One benefit of wiggling with all these things, I have to say, I’m rarely bored. (Plus, wiggling is stimulating. Especially when you wear tight pants. Ahem.)

Now…time to wiggle in some exercise and then write a little more.

It's a Family Tradition.

2011-11-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

I'm much younger than my brothers and sisters, so as I was going though elementary school, they were getting married and having children. My family has always done big family get-togethers for Christmas and New Year's, but Thanksgiving was a chance for all my siblings to visit their in-laws.

Now that I am the age they were, their children are getting married and they do their own family celebrations. So my husband and I are starting to sort out ours. His family is in Florida and Minnesota, so traveling to visit them, while fun, isn't just a quick car ride.

Last year we spent the day at home and he smoked a turkey and the kids refused to eat anything. (Ah the joys of small children.)

This year I don't know what we will do. I am planning to run in a Turkey Trot that I haven't trained for, so that could set the tone for my day at least. I could be tired and too achy to move the rest of the day.

Despite not having any plans, I am looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. Four whole days where my husband doesn't have to work. Possibly picking out a Christmas tree (although we should get a fake one because of my son's allergies. boo.) And finally having time to relax.

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving weekend?

Start and Go!

2011-11-11T14:41:00.002-05:00

The hare should have won the race. After all, he had everything going for him: initiative, speed, good intentions. He had the kind of excitement that seizes all of us when we start out fresh, setting goals or writing New Year’s resolutions. Everything is easy at first. It’s after the excitement wears off and a little boredom creeps in that our attention wanders.

Laziness. Procrastination.

Call it what you will. It’s important to start. But what’s most important to the process is sticking with it. Take my marathon for instance. I followed a training plan for four and a half months, walking in the heat of summer, taking my long walks on Saturdays when the heat and humidity were both in the nineties, chalking it up to training. One August walk lasted until after 1am because I wanted to avoid the rain, beginning a sixteen mile walk at 9pm.

I wasn’t looking for speed – I knew my pace would be fine. The day of the race dawned rainy and cool. I packed with extra care, taking two pairs of socks in case mine got wet, protein bars for fuel, my iPod, phone, and sunglasses. (I am an optimist.) I wore cotton gloves to keep my hands warm and a hooded rain jacket that I could tie around my waist if need be.

Picking up my registration packet on the Saturday before the race was dramatically different this year than last. Last year, registered for the half-marathon, I felt like I was walking in a daze. Everything seemed surreal. This year I felt energized and confident – fully prepared for 26.2. At mile 11, I ended up with a severe charley horse that stopped me in my tracks. Walking through the muscle spasm’s pain slowed my pace. I had the option to quit. I did not quit. I walked, sometimes limping, sometimes grimacing, but ended up getting to the finish line while the clock was still up.

It doesn’t have to be a marathon. It can be writing a book or writing a poem. Painting a picture or starting a diet. Take a lesson from the hare and begin with speed and excitement. More importantly, take a lesson from the tortoise. Keep going. Imagine yourself crossing the finish line or seeing your book on the shelf at your favorite bookseller. Whatever your dream, keep heading toward it until you can wrap your arms around your accomplishment and say, “I did it!”

I Couldn't Have Done it Without...

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Our illustrious president wrote athank you to those who helped make our first conference a success. It reallywas a great weekend, and couldn't have taken place without so many hands doingso much work. We are fortunate to have many members who are willing to offertheir expertise in so many areas - calling and making arrangements, sitting atthe computer and creating logos, posters, and other promotional materials,appearing on television and promoting us, stuffing giveaway goodie bags, andthen sitting at the registration desks and greeting people as they arrive.

But now that the conference isdone, we have work to do. Now the writing begins—or continues. Networking isgreat, instructional sessions are helpful, and inspirational speeches spark usto go on. But the actual writing has to take place as we sit alone at ourlaptops. Several members are participating in NaNoWriMo, or National NovelWriting Month, pledging to write 50,000 words between November 1 and November30. My goal isn't quite that high, but I plan to work on and complete aproject.

This is where we need the help ofour personal cheerleaders. In my house, there's a guy who would rather watchhis sitcoms all the time but is willing to not watch it once in a while so thatI can think in silence. There are critique partners who go over my writing witha fine tooth comb and look for ways to make the writing tighter and moreappealing to editors. And there are kids and grandkids ready to cheer me onwhen I succeed. So I'm thankful for the support I have to pursue my dreams andgo for my personal goals.

It's Thanksgiving. Time to givethanks. Remember to thank your personal cheerleaders. Personally.

Patty Kiyono

A thank you letter to the members of the Grand Rapids Region Writers Group

2011-10-23T18:10:00.001-04:00

It’s the day after our first “I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book” conference. As president, conference committee member, GRRWG member, author and reader, I could not be more proud of the professionalism, enthusiasm and pride shown by our participants. Whether sharing their knowledge in a workshop, moderating or simply taking the time to make sure a first time attendee felt at ease, they showed themselves to be first class all the way.

Friday evening’s wine tasting started the weekend’s success. The private setting allowed us the freedom of getting to know strangers, share stories and much laughter. We enjoyed the wide selection of Michigan wines provided by Kent Beverage Co and the expertise of their representative. Nothing could have set the tone better.

Saturday’s workshops were informative, fun and varied. Thanks to all the presenters, moderators and attendees. I heard a lot of laughter and positive comments.

The Radisson provided an awesome, varied buffet of delicious food for both breakfast and lunch.

Keynote speaker Jacqueline Carey admitted to not being a "professional speaker", but she had us fooled with an eloquent, very funny tale of her writing career. She showed that hard work, perseverance and good writing can pay off.

A big thank you to literary agent Michelle Grajkowski. She was gracious, funny, classy, and most importantly, approachable. I heard a lot of talk in the hallways of proposals she’d requested and encourage everyone to submit as soon as possible (all the quicker to be accepted as her newest client).

Thanks also to those who donated raffle prizes. They underscored the generosity of our group.

Lastly, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to the conference committee, Jennifer Armintrout, Bronwyn Green, Temple Hogan, Sydney Ayers and Ginny Hebert. Without your hard work, dedication and ability to perform miracles, this conference never would have happened. You are classy ladies, and I was privileged to work with the very best!

Cheryl Sterling,

President, Grand Rapids Region Writers Group

What to wear? What to wear?

2011-10-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

How do you decide how to dress your characters in any given scene?

My characters personalities, professions and time period dictate their clothing choices. You're not going to see my DNR characters wrangling black bears in a ballgown or a tux. They're going to wear their uniforms. Just like you're not going to see the yoga instructor/new age store owner wearing a Chanel suit.

I try not to go overboard describing clothes unless it's integral to the plot. There's a certain author that I know of who goes to great and torturous lengths to describe every intricate strap, every buckle or grommet on her character's impossibly tight, black leather dresses. The same amount of detail is paid to her legion of male characters. Every silken ruffle, every scrap of lace and every pair of tight leather pants is described. Often for paragraphs. Unfortunately, none of these descriptions are integral to the plot. When I was still reading this series, my frequent thought was, "OMG, I don't care how high the slit is--just fight or have sex already!"

In erotic romance, we kinda need to see what's being taken off, shoved up or pushed down. It's not only part of the genre, but it's also part of the whole atmosphere of the sex scenes. However, we don't need to know there are mother of pearl buttons...unless of course they're being ripped off and are rolling across the floor, because that right there (done right) is kinda hot.

Also, on an only vaguely related side note, someday, I will write a story in which the heroine gets to wear this dress. Because I love it.

Daydreamer...

2011-10-20T09:24:00.005-04:00

(I apologize this is late!!)

I'm a busy lady. Most women writers are. They work full time jobs, they're 24/7 moms, or a combination of both. I fall in the first category.

My creativity-- or maybe my alter ego-- gets frustrated, even jealous of my demanding job. Sometimes it pouts. Sometimes it whines. But lately it's found a new tactic- and it's working quite well. It interrupts, but in a good way.

I daydream more than I used to. When I'm driving to work in dreary rainy weather and the coffee hasn't quite kicked in, I allow myself the luxury to daydream my next story. When I realize there won't be any spare time that day to devote to writing, I daydream. Maybe it's while I wait in line at the store that I'll start imagining a character's appearance. Or it's while I'm falling asleep that I formulate their motive. It might be a brief flash, an image, or an intuition. I never know what to expect. It also helps me stay in touch with the story and it keeps it fresh and vivid in my mind, so that when I do have time to write, it's right there, ready for polishing.

I may not always have access or time for pen, paper, or actual writing, but my mind is always with me- and on those high stress days when the mundane tasks of life feel overwhelming and endless, I indulge in a daydream. Like a morsel of dove chocolate. A guilty pleasure. And really, who can resist that?!

My alter ego won't be whining or pouting this Saturday. It gets to indulge in a whole chocolate fountain of creativity- The GRRWG writer's conference, hosted by this awesome group. An entire day on the topic of writing! No need to daydream. I'll be IN my dream.

Inside a Writer's Conference

2011-10-17T00:01:00.005-04:00

The day after this post is published, I'll appear on live TV. Not something I had planned on when I volunteered to be on the conference committee. Sure, we planned promotion, but the 8 West appearance took on a life of its own. Before I could say, "hey, wait a minute", I'd been volunteered as one of the spokespersons for the conference. I'm not stressed about it (yet) because I've had training in Toastmasters. And also because I have had no time to obsess with it. But y'all owe me (and Mary) a drink because the show won't be taped, as it was first presented, but LIVE.
The conference committee has been busy behind the scenes, but I have every confidence we'll pull off a successful conference, and you'll be so jealous of not being part of the cool committee that you'll volunteer next year. (hint, hint)
Here are some of the things we've tackled in the last few weeks that you otherwise might not know about because of our awesomeness:
* the possible loss of a major speaker due to a family situation. How would we fill the empty spot on the schedule? Plan B is in place if the speaker can't make it, but we're good as of this moment.
* an unexpected expense
* whether to lease the audio/visual equipment for all three rooms (we're only using it for one room and have shuffled our schedule to accommodate the speakers who requested it and the needs of the conference)
* questions regarding the meal and where it will be eaten
* arranging a room for the agent to use for pitches (why didn't we think of this earlier?)
* coordinating who's doing what when and with whom
I'm sure there are other things we've all been doing that haven't been communicated. None of these are earth-shattering, just last-minute-itis. On top of our individual writing schedules and getting promo material together, we're handling it rather well. The panic level is low (speaking for myself).
All in all, I think putting on a writer's conference is a lot like writing a book. There's an idea of what you want, and end in sight, some false starts and detours. Characters are willful, someone in the background says, "I have a better idea" and it never quite turns out the way you thought it would. But like writing, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
(well, maybe a second free drink)(hint, hint)

Riding the Rails

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

At the time that this will post, I will be on a train from Salt Lake City to Chicago. My real job is sending me for a tech conference next week, at which time my brain will be full of techno-geekery instead of characters. I'm hoping to get some serious chunks of writing done on the train however, and am hoping gorgeous scenery will provide additional inspiration. Either way, I hope to have some fun stories to tell from the trip.

My latest inspiration has been coming from vintage sewing machines - of all places. The Scot - a.k.a. Stewart has been popping up every time I win a new vintage machine. It's really hard to not bid on something he's excited about, and it's fun when I do bring something new home. To give you a peek into his mind set, take a look at the machines he "talked me into" getting.

The newest toy, a Singer 99K came home today. He's really excited about this one as it'll just take a bit of cleaning, new grease and oil to get it running. Best part for me is I've already got it sold once it's cleaned and running properly. It appears to have been in a cabinet previously, but I'm thrilled it's not in a case as it's being shipped across the country later.

This next one is the first machine he really pressed me to get...mainly for the cabinet. But I think he knew something I didn't, because when I opened it up I found it to be in great shape, and it has all of the original attachments with it. Who knew that attachments would be harder to find than complete machines?

And the one that started it all, my grandmother's machine...which is now known as Black Betty. It was when I first began to dig through closets to find her again that he popped up. He loves a challenge, and I love to tinker. Since I can't have a project truck, I now have project sewing machines; a much cheaper hobby than car restoration.

I must admit I've neglected her terribly, but Stewart assures me we'll get her working again. He's taken to sounding like Scotty from Star Trek - he jokes with me about "She can't take any more Capt'n". I love it when my characters make me laugh, no matter what the subject.

My only worry know is how am I going to get writing done for 4 characters and fit in the vintage machines. Anyone got a good cloning device yet?

Conference Countdown

2011-10-04T01:49:00.000-04:00

Before I joined my first writing group, I'd always thought of writing as a solitary profession. Just you, the typewriter/word processor and the paper . Times have changed greatly in the years that I've been writing, and now we tend to think that it's just you and your PC, Mac, or iPad competing against every other writer in the universe, jealously guarding whatever trade secrets you've gleaned along the way.

Well, I was delighted to discover it's not like that. There are a lot of wonderful writers out there, working at day jobs, pounding keys at night, and excited to share the things they've learned, tips about markets, and what agents and editors to avoid. The energy and excitement in that first group was great. We talked, we laughed, we bounced ideas off each other as we ate a meal and discussed writing. That afternoon, on an adrenalin high, I went home and wrote an article that I sold the next week to Working Writer Magazine. Sadly, that publication is no longer around, but the adrenalin rush I get around other writers continues to motivate me.

Nowadays, I belong to GRRWG (Grand Rapids Region Writers Group), and I'm pleased to say I get that high on a nearly daily bases through our meetings, group email loop, and blog. The GRRWG Writers' hard work and dedication to the craft of writing is incredible! The group has quickly grown from the four pioneers who started it to three dozen writers of various ages. What is more incredible is the volume of published work the authors are turning out. Every meeting seems to have at least 2 or 3 new releases announced. That sure spurs on the rest of us to go home and write.

Thanks to GRRWG writing is no longer the solitary profession I'd thought it was. It's a group of friends supporting you, cheering you on, and ready to jump in when you draw a blank or hit a wall. Through GRRWG, I renewed some old friendships, made new ones, and found my two critique partners. When we meet, there's food, fun, and friendship, and I recharge my creative batteries with every contact.

Have YOU ever wanted to write a book? Do you imagine it as a solitary existence and don't know where to turn to learn the ropes? Are you trying to figure it all out by yourself? Well, it doesn't have to be that way.

GRRWG is putting on it's conference (I've Always Wanted to Write a Book!) on October 21 and 22. Circle those dates on the calendar. There will be panels, seminars various types of books (romance, mystery, Young Adult, etc.), and a book signing with many of our published authors. Our key note speaker at lunch (yes, the price includes your meal) is popular author Jacqueline Carey. Later there will be a book signing with many of our GRRWG authors.

If you've ever considered writing a book, do yourself a favor, and join us at the conference -- or come to one of our meetings -- I know you'll be glad you did.

Happy writing!
Stephanie

Imagination is Funny

2011-10-02T12:21:00.002-04:00

This blog was written by Temple Hogan

I think that was an old favorite from a by-gone era. I’m talking fifties or earlier, but it comes back to haunt me now and then. I get caught up in the many elements of writing and always I think of imagination as first and most necessary. With imagination, man has been able to soar above and beyond his present reality. Without imagination, we wouldn’t have Ipods or electric cars or a hundred other technological gimmicks that make our lives better and sometimes more hectic. Without imagination we wouldn’t have the wonderful music and literature that calms or excites our souls and our imagination. Without imagination we wouldn’t have little girl tea parties or little boy Lego mania and so much more. Without imagination we wouldn’t have erotic romances. At least I think so. Maybe some writers are just writing down their own experiences, but some of us have to use our imagination.

Imagination is funny, but without it our lives would be dull and static. Without it we couldn’t see the beauty and joy beyond a given moment. When I have a writing block, oh yes, that famous writer’s block, that I write about so often, I realize that I haven’t let my imagination take over and do its thing. When I’ve given free rein to it, I can sit back and try to keep up with the story and characters my imagination is creating. Maybe that’s the heady thing about writing. When all the elements are right, you can’t stop, just like you can’t stop imagination. Everyone has one, everyone uses it. At least, I think so. I can’t imagine not using it, it’s such a basic part of our very psychic. I’ll bet if Freud had put his attention on man’s imagination rather than the id, he would have found a kinder understanding of who we are. Anyway, I have to go now, my imagination is running wild and I have to get it down on paper, uh, on the computer.

The Clock is Ticking!

2011-10-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Only three weeks left until the "I've Always Wanted to Write a Book" Conference! It's going to be great. All the GRRWG members are excited to be a part of it. I'm going to moderate two sessions, and I'm looking forward to sitting in on several others. So what's in it for you?

At the top of the page are several tabs. One is marked "Conference Schedule". On that page you can view all the sessions. As you can see, a wide variety of topics are covered, and several genres are represented. There are sessions for those of you who have yet to write your first rough draft, as well as those who have a completed manuscript and want to find out what to do next.

When you've decided to participate, click on the tab marked "Conference" and register! It couldn't be easier. We're looking forward to meeting you! You CAN do it! Mark your calendars and join us in beautiful downtown Grand Rapids. If you've always wanted to write a book, here's your chance to make it happen!

Patty Kiyono

Inspiration on a Rainy Day

2011-09-28T08:35:00.003-04:00

I may be a few hours late, but I wanted to take a few minutes and write. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed the rain. There is something magical about the rain. Though it can be a pain, there can be something wonderful about it as well.

Also, if you haven't gotten a chance to check out Artprize, it is quite inspiring. Some of the artwork you see is breath-taking. And some of the artwork is interesting. :) But overall, it is very worthwhile to check out the designs, support our local artists, and enjoy Grand Rapids.

Lastly, inspiration is a wonderful thing. You never know what will inspire you, when you will be inspired, or how you will be inspired. Always keep your eyes open and your mind available to all sorts of possibilities. I'm learning, anything is possible.

Happy Day! Til next time.

(P.S. how do you post pictures on this site? I've wanted to post pictures several times and I can NEVER figure out how do to do. Also, I haven't been able to figure out how to write, save the writing, and have it post automatically on a certain day and time. Any tips?)

Fancy a pomegrante?

2011-09-22T00:34:00.001-04:00

The myth of Persephone has always been one of my favorites. It doesn't hurt that it involves pomegranates, one of my all time favorite foods. In fact, I love both the fruit and myth so much, I decided to do my own retelling of it.

Last month, Resplendence Publishing released my short story, Does Your Mother Know?

Here's one of the first reviews (4 hearts) from Sizzling Hot Books:

Does Your Mother Know is a quick read that steams the pages! Hades has been tormenting Persephone with these sensual dreams. The dreams quickly become a promise that must be fulfilled. It was hard for me to picture Hades as a hot guy at first. The Disney character kept popping up in my head, blue flame hair and all!! But once he created this romantic seduction scene and began to pleasure Persephone, I was the one on fire!

We don’t get a lot of extra information in Does Your Mother Know due to the shortness of the story. But the author’s words and description of the scene allow you to visualize it happening around you. If you enjoy a book filled with passion and romance, without all the extras, then read Does Your Mother Know. It will give you a different perspective on the story of Hades and Persephone. Just make sure you have a tall cold glass of water to cool you off!!

Here's the blurb:

Lured from the overprotective, controlling grasp of her mother, Persephone journeys to the Underworld to meet Hades—the sinister man who’s invaded her dreams. Dark and dangerous, he brings to life desires she didn’t know existed. But in satisfying the cravings of her flesh will she lose her soul?

Excerpt:

She walked away from the snug, stone cottage nestled in the valley. With each step, the weather grew colder. The leaves around her changed from soft greens to vibrant golds, burgundies and oranges, flaming brightly against the painfully blue sky. The sky faded as the dwelling became a tiny dot on the horizon. The blue, that once hurt to look at directly, darkened to a pewter gray as the leaves drifted from the trees, becoming dry and brittle before they even touched the ground.

Her mother was in fine form today. The more she raged, the more quickly the land died.

Persephone sighed. It didn’t change anything. The woman could throw as many tantrums as she liked, but Persephone had had enough. She loved her mother, of course, but she’d been held hostage to the woman’s unfulfilled dreams for too long. Just because Demeter chose to live a miserable, bitter existence didn’t mean she needed to trap her only child within it.

Persephone drew her cloak more tightly around her shoulders as she continued to push forward. The overly sweet, sickly scent of rotting apples filled the air, clinging to everything around her. She wouldn’t be surprised if the sheep, looking for shelter from the buffeting winds, reeked of the decaying fruit.

Dark storm clouds roiled overhead, throwing needle-like raindrops to the earth. Icy wetness seeped through the thin wool wrapping her body, and she shivered beneath the increasingly heavy weight. She could put a stop to this. If she returned home, all would be forgiven as if it had never happened. In fact, her mother would pretend it never had happened then light and warmth would return to the land. But Persephone was tired of being a captive in her own home. She wanted more than to tend the gardens and fruit trees. Her mother might be content to cut herself off from physical contact, but Persephone wasn’t.

She wanted things. Things she couldn’t even name. Dark things. Things that made her body ache with needs she couldn’t describe, let alone explain. Needs that kept her awake at night and distracted during the day. Needs that twisted her dreams into writhing, pulse-pounding visions of equal parts torment and ecstasy. Needs that became more pronounced every time she saw him. Needs that made her cross from the land of the living and into the dead.

Fall Inspiration

2011-09-21T20:49:00.004-04:00

On Labor Day I went for a walk at Ludington State Park and took my camera. While my photos are still locked in my camera, I remember walking along the path, with my family and a very active imagination.

It was easy to imagine riders on horseback pounding through woods. Elven archers passing along the paths hoping to not be seen or bandits that are hiding along a bend in the path.

The walk was a great way to spend time with my family and rekindle my imagination and motivate me to get back to writing.

Caley.

Inner Demons

2011-09-19T12:38:00.004-04:00

I think most writers have fought the battle. The internal battle. But I'd never thought much of it until now. I've been a practicing procrastinator for ten years and recently had the brilliant insight that I'd much rather be a writer than a procrastinator! However, there was a reason my procrastinator made himself at home- setting up his tent in my mental front yard. Annoying squatter!

I refer to them as my inner demons. Most everybody is familiar with them, but they seem to battle the most with Artists, or so that's my theory. These are the "voices", sometimes loud and sometimes faint that tell you you're not good enough, that your pride and joy piece of art actually sucks, that you're too slow, and that you aren't a "real" writer. (By the way what is a "real" writer? I have yet to met a fake writer!) These are the constant streams of thought, like a tape recording- running through your mind- sometimes without your awareness. These demons can be paralyzing and I have a sneaky suspicion, are largely responsible for writer's block.

So, as I'm making changes in my life, and starting to write again, I've found these demons resurfacing full force- willing to use biological warfare if needed.

I stare at a blank page.
"There's millions of writers out there. How can you even begin to compete?"
I start anyways.
"That sounds too professional, like you're at work. You've lost your creativity."
I sigh and try again.
"Your style needs adjusting. I'm bored of it."
I finish a page.
"What?!" it taunts. "You think you're the next Nora Roberts?"
That's it. I put it away and get a bowl of cookie dough ice cream.

Score 1 for the demons.
0 for me.
The problem? I BELIEVED those voices, demons, whatever you want to call them.

It was such a faint whisper, but a couple of weeks ago, right before joining GRRWG, I heard a refreshing new voice.
"Maybe you do have some potential as a writer."
It might not sound super positive, it's a bit tentative yet, but it felt like a flash of insight because I BELIEVED that statement.

I still have bad days and battle my inner demons. I still eat ice cream. But I also have a new belief to hold onto and the murmurs of positivity are growing louder, which breeds hope and self confidence. And of course it helps that I'm doing what I love!

Inspiration is all around me!

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been obsessing over vintage sewing machines. I even picked up 4 more to work on, while restoring my grandmother's old Singer 15 (made in 1942). During all this work, a new character quietly snuck into my mind...this time it's a male. Big surprise for me! All of primary characters to date have been female or gay men. This guy's completely different.

I'd been referring to him as "The Scot" as he sounds a bit like Sean Connery, but he had yet to reveal his name. Then during a fun writing exercise at our last meeting, he finally "showed" himself to me. I'd no idea what I was going to do with him, what he did for a living, or much other than that he's somewhere in his 70's, he's a widow, and he fixes vintage sewing machines. (Which is a really big problem for me, because if I see something "pretty" that I like he has to chime in and encourage me to "save" it).

Thanks to the questions we had to answer during the writing excercise, I now know so much more about him. How he was/is a spy for the US, helped out pre- and post- World War II, and how his enemies have not forgotten what he'd done to them or their families. I know what his late wife looks like, how he still talks to her, and that his granddaughter will soon be wed. I'm not sure yet, where the story is going, but the first part is rather interesting. I think he'll be fun to write.

I also received some very helpful feedback on my first book. It's exactly what I needed to hear, and I'm already looking at rewriting the first chapter, and huge parts of the first book to make it better for the readers. While I've always known the whole story, I could never tell if it made sense to anyone else. Maybe I'm weird, but I'm thrilled to be going back into Jess' first book and tearing it apart to make it better. That's what I like about this group, it's more than just about how to get published, it's also about fine tuning the craft.

Our conference is just around the corner and I'm eager for it to get here! I hope to come out with a head full of chaos, new ideas, and tips for making my writing better.

It's My Birthday!

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

Normally I don't prepare anything special for my birthday and am disappointed when the day isn't even a normal day. It's usually one of those days where everything is a little bit off. The kids are crabbier. They have extra poopy diapers. The dogs are whinier and everything that can have a bump in it will.

This year I'm attempting to avert that scenario. I'm going to celebrate and try to plan for good things, so the rest of it doesn't stand out. I'm having a party and you're all invited. I'm doing a big giveaway, so check out my blog for details. (http://joselynvaugh.blogspot.com)

And if worse comes to worse, Grandma and Grandpa are coming so I won't have to deal with the bumps alone.

Hope you have a great day.

The Impact of a Day

2011-09-11T18:30:00.001-04:00

Ten years ago a single day changed a generation. I’m torn between wanting to remember the heroes and victims of that day and not wanting to memorialize such an atrocious act of terrorism against our country. Of all days, today we took my mom to the airport for her return trip to Denver from Grand Rapids. A tiny thought crossed my mind, “what if …” and I immediately squashed any idea of something happening to a Frontier flight from Michigan to Colorado. What significance could an airplane full of ordinary people have in the eyes of terrorist history except for the extraordinary effect those ordinary people have in our lives? I still prayed for their safety.

Yet, there are lessons we can remember. We never know what will happen between the time we say good-bye to those whom we love and when we see them again. Seeing them at the end of the day, after work, at the bar, in the grocery store, in car-line … all this we take for granted.

I’ve been married twice. During those years – all seven of them – I remember arguments that lasted beyond good-nights and even good-byes. But after the tears and frustration, and underlying the conflict, flowed a river of love. Never in my angriest moment would I have wished for my husband to never cross my doorstep again.

There is always a place for apology and forgiveness and I pray that we search for it before closing the door behind someone we love, whether a husband or wife, child, brother, sister, friend, neighbor.

Make time to tell someone you love them, especially if you haven’t said it for awhile. If you need to apologize, believe that the rewards are greater than the hesitation.

We really don’t know what tomorrow holds. God willing, tomorrow will not bring tragedy, but let’s do what we can to be sure that the last thoughts someone has of us are of love, not anger.

Coming Out This Month!

2011-09-10T19:26:00.004-04:00

As I wrote the title for this blog, I thought how appropriate to use 'Coming Out' in regards to my next release. Never Letting Go is truly a coming out story about best friends, Leila and Ree.

Never Letting Go

Available at Resplendence Publishing

September 21

Blurb:

Ree has been Leila’s best friend since her first day of work at the nonprofit research organization five years ago. They bonded immediately with a mutual interest in science and technology, as well as shared addictions to chocolate and Thai food. Being in the minority in a male-dominated field made their friendship even more precious to Leila. She couldn’t risk losing her best friend by exploring this new desire, but as desperate feelings of something wonderful slipping out of her reach flooded through her, she wondered how she could ever let go.

Excerpt:

“Wait! I’m not dressed yet.” Leila used her elbow to keep the dressing room door closed while holding up the front of the purple strapless gown.

“What? You think you’ve got something I don’t?” her best friend Ree quipped as she pushed her way into the small changing room.

“Fine. Since you’re here, help me with this zipper.” Leila faced the mirror and watched Ree in the reflection.

Ree’s gaze slid over Leila’s exposed skin as she raised her hands to the small of Leila’s back. A shiver ran across Leila’s skin as she considered her friend’s eyes. Was there hunger in that look?

Slowly, Ree dragged the zipper up. “Lift your hair.” Her voice was husky and sent tingles swirling in Leila’s stomach.

Leila removed one hand from the front of the gown, tilted her head and swept her long black hair to the side. As she watched in the mirror, Ree bent forward. Her blonde hair tickled Leila’s shoulder as she brushed her lips across Leila’s bared neck.

Shocked, she froze as the sensation of both watching and feeling Ree’s kiss penetrated her brain. Before she could respond, Ree finished zipping the dress and stepped back as far as the tiny square room allowed.

With a half-smile, Ree stared at Leila’s reflection in the mirror. “You’re beautiful. Patrick is a lucky man.”

Leila’s gaze flicked from the aubergine dress that complemented her olive skin to Ree’s face. Sadness swamped her. She didn’t want to wear this dress for Patrick, or for any man. She wanted to wear it for Ree, to see the appreciation that now shone in Ree’s eyes as she spun around the dance floor with her best friend. They’d make a striking couple with Ree’s fair coloring and Leila’s darker looks.

She swallowed the words she wished she had the nerve to utter. Instead, she said, “Are you bringing Tony to the charity ball?”

Ree shrugged. “I might go solo this year.”

Solo? Maybe it was time to finally set Patrick adrift if Ree was willing to take that step with Tony. They’d both been dating their men about the same length of time, nearly four months, and for the past three months, Leila had known Patrick wasn’t her one true love.

Leila turned to face her friend. For a moment, she allowed her thoughts to fly free as she lost herself in Ree’s sky blue eyes. How wonderful would it feel to surrender to this magnetism and give herself to Ree?

Then reality grounded her as she thought about what the stodgy conservatives from their office would say about two female employees attending their biggest fundraiser of the year as a couple.

Print on Demand Help

2011-09-10T16:48:00.001-04:00

Ok, I am trying to figure out which is the best route to go in order to get my childrens books published. I had submitted my books to 4 publishers and all of them have been rejected. My pictures are a bit elementary - so not sure if that was an issue or not. However, they are childrens books. I am thinking that going "print on demand" would be a better route to take, especially since I do not have an agent. What are the options of who is the best? And what are the what not to do's? Any advice would be very helpful.

Labor of Love for Writer

2011-09-05T01:28:00.004-04:00

I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day. My labor will be one that I love. I’m taking a much needed break with my family but also working on my next book. At least that is my plan…

I’m cheating and writing this ahead because I will be on Drummond Island for the weekend and internet access will be doubtful. I’m combining this family time with research for my fifth book which will take place on the rural island filled with wildlife in Lake Huron. (Book 3, A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES came out last month) My crime reporting sleuth, Mitch Malone, will be taking vacation in this book but haven’t decided if it is forced upon him or not. Details of the book are still sketchy but will open with a body washing up on the rocky beach near where Mitch is staying. Smuggling will play a part in it but what contraband you will have to wait and see. (I haven’t decided yet. I’m waffling between using all the detail I learned about jewels over spring break and a big smuggling problem in Michigan with its sin tax. ) I don’t have all the details yet. I start with a very basic idea then the characters hijack me and take over. We will have to see what Mitch finds. Maybe it will be both.

Weather for the weekend has some rain and I’m hoping for a storm. I want to see how it blows up and what it looks like on the lake. I can picture that opening scene and a storm will be blowing in when Mitch literally stumbles over the body. If not, I might have to plan another trip. Isn’t that a terrible work-related job! Enjoy your Labor Day!

W.S. Gager
www.wsgager.blogspot.com

Are you still here?

2011-09-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I posted on my FB status: "The last week of summer vacation is like the last week of pregnancy...you just want them to get the hell out." And boy, I must have hit a common nerve for Moms! I had over 25 people Like or comment on that post.

Really, I should feel a little bad about that post because my boys are actually awesome. They almost never fight. They can feed themselves (mostly). They entertain themselves with the TV, computer games, Wii, reading!, and playing outside with friends. So why the FB post?

Because I'm ready for change.

I'm the type of person who craves changes. I stagnate when my schedule remains constant for too long. I start to feel itchy in my skin and lethargic, losing my desire to be creative or productive. I NEED change in my life, which makes working a regular 9 to 5 office job make me feel suicidal. Fortunately, my hubby loves to go to work consistently everyday while I get to do a variety of part-time entrepreneurial endeavors to add the decorative icing to our financial cake.

My latest endeavor is returning to teaching as an Adjunct at a local community college. I'm absolutely thrilled to be returning to the classroom. And get this! The two classes I'll be teaching are on the condensed schedule. Instead of regular 15 week classes, I get to teach 12 week classes! The perfect arrangement for someone like me who is "regular schedule-challenged".

So I'm definitely ready for a change in seasons, not that I want the temperatures to get any cooler though. That's one thing that I wish would stay at a constant 75 degrees.

Dog Days of Summer Gone For Another Year

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

Posted for Peggy Hanchar

Wow I can’t believe we’re back to September already. Summer is literally gone. In a few days the kids will go back to school, if they haven’t already, the trees will begin to turn, the final flowers in their bed will wither and die. The boat has to be taken out of the water, the dock brought in, the patio furniture stored. The pace of life seems to quicken. We begin to plan ahead.

Somehow to me, this seems like the start of the New Year! I assess what has happened so far and what I’d like to happen in the coming months. These thoughts used to center around my family and in many ways they still do. But they also have to do with my writing. Yes, I’m looking forward to long uninterrupted mornings when I can get my writing quota in. More than that, I become more active. I’m especially open to new things in the air, as I suspect most of us are. First of all there’s that age-old need to harvest the produce of God’s green earth. Apples and pumpkins and squash. The need to make a display as small as a dining room table offering to something at the end of the drive around the mailbox of pretty squashes, fallen leaves, Indian corn and even bales of hay and cornstalks and scarecrows.

These things add to my feeling of well-being. All is right with the world. There’s a rhythm in the early fall that reassures. It brings a contentment different from that felt at any other season. So I do count my blessings. I look ahead to how I’ll spend those long dry fall days, of what I’ll do on the first snowfall, (make soup of course and home-made bread).

August for all its dog days was an amazing month for me. I got a fantastic cover on my last From the Sea Series, ENCHANTED ISLAND and I finished the second in my Taste of Darkness Series, DARK SECRETS. I got a new knee, met a deadline on completing my last book and sold enough books to keep me happily at my computer for months ahead. My plans for the coming months are to enjoy the beauty of a Michigan fall, get another new knee, write like crazy and meet the deadlines I’ve set for myself, try to lose ten pounds, do more to promo my books and enjoy the sweetness of life. I hope all of you have similar plans. I hope you’re feeling the joy of being alive! Because after the dog days of August, this is a special time~

Goodbye, Summer

2011-09-01T08:29:00.005-04:00

It's Back-to-School month, and again I'm gearing up for another semester. I'm reviewing my text, typing up my syllabus, and looking over my class lists. My job as an adjunct professor allows me to have more time to write in the summer (especially since my kids are grown), and it's been a very productive summer for me. I got one manuscript published and another one is almost ready to submit!

But now that I'll be preparing lectures and grading papers, how am I going to keep the momentum going? I'm getting a little worried, especially because I started another project that I hope to finish by the end of October. And the novel I started six years ago is almost ready to start editing. So what am I going to do?

I guess the first thing is to prioritize. I've attended workshops on time management. I know what I have to do. I just have to do them! I really don't need to check facebook every hour to find out what everyone else is doing. I don't need to play word games on my phone. And I REALLY don't need another snack.

So now I'm going to have less "free" time. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that having more to do doesn't mean I'm less able to do the things I really want to do. Sometimes I can multi-task. For example, when I'm walking with my friend, I can get her input on plotting problems, or character development. She actually helped me come up with a title! And sometimes, having less time actually makes me work faster! If I know I've only got a half hour to write, I'll churn out a scene or a chunk of dialogue. I might not use it, but it helps me get to know the character.

How do you fit writing in with your busy schedules? I know some people record their ideas in notebooks, on their smart phones, or on sticky notes. Some people get up before dawn to write while their families are still asleep (I prefer to stay up late). Some people spend chunks of time plotting and planning so that the writing is just a matter of "putting it all together" like a research paper.

Whatever your method, I think the key is to make it a habit. Something that you HAVE to do rather than WANT to do. My way of doing this is by writing every day at 750words.com where I can keep track of how many days in a row I've written (it's amazing how motivated I am by these little badges given out for different milestones) as well as how fast, and how often I'm distracted. Once in a great while I forget to go to the website and write. And then I have to start all over. Bummer. So I start again, determined to break my record of 150 days in a row!

I guess this is my September resolution (who needs to wait until January?): I WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE, no matter how busy I get. I'll be back next month to tell you how it goes.

Introducing R.A. Evans - One of Our Awesome Conference Speakers

2011-08-22T00:34:00.001-04:00

I'd like to introduce R.A. Evans to everyone. He graduated from my alma mater, Grand Valley State University. By day, he's a marketing and public relations whiz. By night, he writes creepy fiction laced with blood and dark humor.

He'll be presenting a workshop at the I've Always Wanted to Write a Book conference on October 23, 2011 on "How the Genre You Write Matters as Much as the Story." I, for one, can't wait to hear his presentation!

His novel, Asylum Lake, is a good old-fashioned horror novel — accessible, creepy and eminently readable. It tells of a writer, Brady Tanner, returning to his home-town of Bedlam Falls, Michigan. Brady’s recovering from the loss of his wife and is trying to pick up the pieces of his life. Well, he’s come to the wrong place!

Bedlam Falls is a town that’s witnessed some terrible events over the years. And over it all looms the specter of the shuttered asylum. Readers learn more about the gruesome incidents that have beset the town by way of flashback — related through three generations of the Tanner family, all of who have been consumed, in one way or another, by the town’s sinister secrets. As the story unfolds readers learn why the asylum and its denizens continue to cast a shadow over the town. And why Brady Tanner is now being targeted by a sinister supernatural force.

So pick up your copy now! It's available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Schuler Books.

You, Inc.

2011-08-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

This blog started out a lot differently. Originally, it was: “Your writing as a business”, and I had a laundry list of things you should do. But one of the major no-no’s of writing is telling, not showing, so I’m going to show you what I’m doing (or attempting) for the way I treat my writing as a business.

I’m in a different stage of life than most of our members. My kids are grown, and I have buckets of free time to write. I also have a bad case of procrastination and referenceitis. I can spend hours doing anything but writing, and in order to kick start myself, I’ve formed a corporation - Cheryl, Inc. You won’t find it registered with the state or on a domain, but it’s very real.

Cheryl, Inc has an agenda. There are things to do, and goals and timelines. Cheryl, Inc. has one employee who holds the positions of CEO, CFO, Marketing Director and Chief of Communications. Her salary is zero, and sometimes she grumbles, but she still shows up for work and tackles her lists.

Cheryl, Inc. has a brand. “Romantic comedies set in alternate realities.” It’s specific, so her readers know what to expect with each book, but it gives her leeway to write about elves, fairy godmothers, vampire slayers or aliens (all of which she has done).

Cheryl, Inc. has a timetable. “The Apprentice Fairy Godmother” was self-published at the end of July. An ebook reissue of “What Do You Say to a Naked Elf?” will be published in September. It’s sequel, tentatively titled “Roberts Rules of Disorder" will be published in November. “Tall, Dark and Slayer”, by Champagne Books, in January. And so on. A book approximately every other month.

Cheryl, Inc. uses social media. She has a blog and Facebook account and Tweets under her alternate persona, writerslikeme. She follows over a dozen industry-related blogs, but needs to work on leaving comments to be recognized. She realizes you can’t win readers by hitting them over the head with “Buy my book", but by building a relationship. (Read “Tribes” by Seth Godin (or anything by him) to learn about marketing relationships and how to target them).

Cheryl, Inc. embraces her tiny business status. In the words of http://www.ittybiz.com (marketing for businesses without marketing departments; a fun, great website to follow):

I am building a business. I am building a company. It’s a small company, but it’s a company, and it’s mine.

Are you building your company?

This Writing "thing" is Hard Work!

2011-08-16T16:27:00.001-04:00

The nice thing about my slot for this blog is it usually falls after our monthly meeting. So this month I get to write about all the stuff I learned that I'm doing "wrong".

This month's topic was a question and answer session with lots of really great questions that I've had myself. Things like "does it hurt your chances with an editor (or publisher) to self-publish an eBook?", and who holds the copyrights, how much it costs to get your own copyright, traditional publishing vs. eBook-only publishing and on into writing styles.

As our fearless President and others spoke about new writers and their first chapters, I realized that my first book in the Jess Barker series is probably all wrong. Apparently we're not to use flash-backs in the first chapter (strike 1) and we should keep some of the back story a mystery to scatter about the book (strike 2) and point of view is a big deal as is editing (strike 3 - I'm terrible at editing my own stuff). Oh, and a plot should really be hammered out at some point (strike 4!) and grammar is a must! (strike 5). I never did learn my comma rules or how to diagram a sentence, sorry Ms. Bush!

I warned Andrea about all of this as she's volunteered to read my first book and offer me some suggestions. And I still have to re-write my Synopsis for Tanya to give another once over for me, although I'm sure she won't mind if it takes a few months as she's busy getting ready for something way more fun - her wedding!! I'm also looking for a critique group that is willing to put up with my main character's swearing, LGBT themes, and other various screwed up 'quirk-ery' (yes, I know that's NOT a word but I like better than the alternatives) traits, and at the same time I worry about wasting everyone's time. Lucky for me Andrea's okay with all that Jess has going on - so far. I'm sure she'd like it better if there were some steamy sex scenes, but none of that is in the first couple of books. At least none that I know of at the moment. I never know as my characters take off on occasion in directions that I never anticipated.

We also came up with new terms of "plotser" and "plantser" for the combination style of plotting and pants'ing writing. I'm definitely a pantser as I never make any plans for my characters, they have their own definitive agendas. Outlines were not one of my skill sets in school either. (I'd cheat and do them after I wrote the report/story/assignment.)

I'm also beginning to panic about the two titles I put in for our ROAR contest and how I'm ever going to get the rest of Collie's story banged out in time to get some real editing done. My summer is going way too fast, and is far too busy at the moment for me to get much writing done. I did learn, however, that it may not just be me whose characters "talk" to them. Mine can get pretty demanding though, and that's when I have to write just to clear some space in my head for all the technology related stuff that I need to hold onto for my paying work.

All in all, this writing thing is hard work and I'm a horrible procrastinator who's been sewing, studying and gardening in my precious few free moments lately to ultimately avoid what I know must be done: put on my big girl panties, turn on the laptop, and hunker down for a long writing spell followed by some hard core editing. I guess I really don't have to sleep every night.

A Novel Idea

2011-08-15T06:45:00.003-04:00

by Tanya Eby

All right...so last month I missed my blog posting. I'd like to say I had a really good reason for it. A reason like "I was so busy working on my new novel that I just couldn't stop!" or "I was busy filling out all the paperwork for a publishing contract!" but the truth was closer to "I was watching a marathon of 'Chopped' episodes while eating Cheetos and complaining that I'll never fit into the wedding dress I bought."

Yep. That's closer to the truth.

Ah well. I took a month off from writing. I did. And I'm okay with that. Why? Because everyone needs a vacation, even a Type-A writer like me. (I think I'm probably a Type-B personality, except with writing. In writing, I'm all Rambo edges and Wall Street Stock Investor cruelty. I don't know why.)

So I took that vacation.

Now I'm having a little trouble getting started again. I'm still trying to rewrite my 4th book "Foodies Rush In", but I've gotten discouraged with the lack of response from agents (though eight or so have read the first 50 pages). I upped the conflict in the book, and it's better now, and it's sitting with two editors from a major publishing house, but I just feel like I've lost my mojo for this story. I want to move on.

I especially want to move on because I have a novel idea. That phrase makes me smile, because it is an idea for a novel and it is an idea that feels fresh and new to me. Oh, the potential of a new project! Characters to discover! Plots to develop!

Writing is like forming all these new relationships. Poor "Foodies Rush In", though. I feel bad for her. If she doesn't wrap herself in plastic wrap and show me some boobies soon, then I'm moving on. This new novel is so tempting...that I can't wait to get started.

Instead of getting started, I thought I'd blog instead. Just delaying the satisfaction, I guess.

And still hoping that "Foodies" still has some twinkle for me. She used to, I just lost a little faith in her.

Sliding in here

2011-08-11T14:36:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I'm a day late with my post, but since I didn't see Sharon's up yet, I decided to slide in here. Anyone have a problem with that...? Anyone? Anyone here?

Well, assuming someone's reading this, I'll continue.

Having written a number of menage a trois erotic romance novels and even some with menage a quatre, I have decided to scale back my love relationships in my next novel. So I started to think about the kind of love story I'd like to write.

You know how once you pick a movie from Netflix they give you recommendations based on it? Well, I don't remember what started the recommendations, maybe having watched the entire series of The L-Word with my hubby, but I found myself with lots of lesbian movie choices. After watching several, I decided I wanted to write a lesbian erotic romance story, but first I needed to clear it with my publisher.

For whatever reason, F/F erotic romance isn't nearly as popular as M/M among heterosexual women, but it seems to be growing. At least that was what the Executive Editor said when I asked if I could submit an F/F story.

My theory about this growth is that M/M is no longer pushing the boundaries of kink for most heterosexual women who read it on a regular basis. I think women are looking for the new taboo, and what could be more taboo for a heterosexual woman than imagining herself loving another woman?

So my lesbian romance is nearly finished. I will be submitting it to a new line of shortie short stories at my publisher. I'll let you know what my editor thinks.

FYI - If you're looking for some great lesbian movies, I recommend:

The Gymnast

A Marine Story

Elena Undone

Bit of Complication Mixed with Happiness

2011-08-08T19:20:00.003-04:00

I can't tell you how many paragraphs I've written thinking I'm going to stick with this topic for the blog. Yet, I change the topic. So this is the sentence I've decided I'm keeping because it allows for change.

There is so much on my mind. I have more than enough words to write with ideas flowing quickly and not the ability to type fast enough. But not all the ideas flow together. So, I suppose I'll start with the most prominent thought at the moment.

Life is difficult. The older I get the more I'm realizing life will never be easy- as there is always something that causes a complication for most adults. Yet, the adults that stay positive, focused, and strong, they seem to get through any situation. I admire those people, and I hope to be like them.

I've finally taken the rose-tinted-glasses off and accepted that this is one of the hardest times in my life. I'm working on improving my health. I'm also trying to get back in shape- as being down and out for 10 months does have its setbacks. I'm in transition trying to meet new friends while staying close to family. I'm also tired of feeling alone but don't know where to begin to meet people. I'm accepting the fact that a relationship I valued is officially over- not by choice- and it is time to move on. And I don't want to work more than 1 job. So, maybe there are options to consider. Can any of you relate to having hardships like this? If so, how did you overcome everything to become the strong individual you are today?

Now that I am starting to accept there are hardships, I would say it is time to start doing something about it. I have a few ideas on what to do. First thing first, understand everything comes with small steps. Make a plan, go slow, and work towards the final goal.

However, I'm struggling with meeting people. How do you meet people? I'm hoping to meet young adults- professionals in their late 20's or early 30's. I'm no longer in college. Most people at my place of work are married. And though I'm involved in a gym and go to a coffee shop occasionally, I haven't been able to meet any friends. Have any ideas on how to improve your social circle?

These are things I have been thinking about as of late. I write about it because I figured you might have some advice to help with meeting people and becoming successful. You are all writers, living the dream, with wonderful friends and family, while mastering your personal goals. Have any helpful tips? :)

Staying positive and wanting to end with a fun story, I must tell you about this past weekend. I finished a camping trip at Sterling State Park in Monroe, MI with my family. I realize I have been blessed with a wonderful family! I can't tell you how much I love my brother, sister-in-law, nephews and niece along with the family friends. Plus, the outdoors, nature trails, and the sun are great... however, a little sun can go a long way. And, I'll take a tent over a pop-up-camper any day- as using a tent is the real way to go camping. And don't forget, ALL technology must stay at home: no cell phones, computers, or electronic games. If you haven't tried it, I would recommend it. Being in fresh air, with lots of exercise, nature surrounding you, and swimming in Lake Erie, it is wonderful. Then, end the evening with a campfire and stars twinkling above. Oh it is beautiful! Even when the rain hits, there is something magical about the whole event. A little swimming, a little relaxing, and then a little sleeping, how it heals the soul. Vacation equals priceless.

Happy thoughts and happy writing! :) Next blog, I'll probably share a small portion of one of the stories I'm working on. Until then, I hope all is going well for you, and I can't wait to see you all soon.

Cats, Bats, and Deadlines

2011-08-07T07:00:00.007-04:00

It's that time again and I had absolutely no idea what to write about. I could've stolen one of my posts from one of my other blogs and posted it here, but then reality struck and I wasn't stumped for an idea anymore.

I went to bed early (anything before midnight, is early in my book) at like 11:30, because the words were starting to run together on the screen, which is rarely a good sign. At 1am, a very nice, black and gray flying rodent decided that I needed to be visited. Now, I don't mind bats - OUTSIDE or in a cage or someplace NOT in MY house and certainly not in my bedroom.

After much flapping around it found its way into the living room - on the other side of the house. I turned every light in the house on except Bug's, who's bedroom door was closed, and made my way out to the living room. The living room and office ceiling fans were on, the lights weren't. Ducking and dodging the bat as it zoomed its way around my ceiling and head is so not my idea of fun.

My cat, Tuarwen, decided that the bat was either a new friend to play with or food. While in mid-flight, kitty jumps about 4-6 feet up (old house with like 10-12 foot ceilings) and snags it and pounces it to the floor - there is much squealing from the bat. It escapes and flies some more. It's kind of like a game of tag or tackle football. Tuarwen sits and waits and pounces when the bat gets close enough. The third time she gets it, it flies up and disappears.

With the light on, Tuarwen is staring at the bookcase looking for it. I see what looks like a bookmark. But no, it's the bat. It did land on the Harry Potter books, so maybe it wanted to read about witches. I tossed a towel over it and a book, and went to get a container. It found a hidy-hole behind the books and I decided it could stay there until morning.

Two games of spider solitaire and staring at my current work-in-progress, which is under deadline, and I decide writing is not a good thing then, because the flying fur-ball will most likely end up in the book and I don't want to write about them.

In the morning the bat goes nicely into the container, which has holes in the lid. I call the veterinarian and the nature center. Nature center doesn't want it and says to let it go and the recording for the DNR says to call back during normal business hours. Now, I want to know if it has rabies, because it was playing with the cat - by the way the mouth is really tiny - creepy, but tiny. The vet doesn't want it. I certainly don't want it. Bug wants to see it and pet it. We took pictures and let it go on the university campus, which admittedly is less than a mile from my house, by it's still NOT my house.

The bat is free and Tuarwen got to see the vet tech and get a rabies shot, even though she's up to date on her vaccinations. Now we get to watch her for the next 45 days and if she gets sick, we have to go back to the vet.

The work-in-progress - I'm working on it. I'll make it - as long as there are no more late night visitors.

In the meantime, read and enjoy the sweltering days of summer.

Simone

The Anatomy of a Book Cover

2011-08-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

My third Mitch Malone Mystery called A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES is out but it could have been delayed a long time because of issues with the front cover. For some reason the cover was a real deal breaker. Let me know what you think of the process Oak Tree Books uses to create the final cover.

First, my publisher asks for a written idea from me of what I think the cover should look like. (Please realize that each publisher has their own way of creating covers and this might not be the same for others.) After that, I will get a website to look at. It will have anywhere from six to twenty photos using my words. For this cover, I wanted photos of a bluff and a river running below it. That is what I picked as the key issue in the book.

After looking at the photos, I sent her my two favorites with the reasons why I liked them. My books are set in Grand River, a fictional Grand Rapids and many of the rivers don’t look like Michigan. After that I was sent two covers and I comment on them. They have the photo I liked best but the designs are different. I again send my comments and wait.

Usually at this point the cover has some small tweaks and is done. For A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES, we weren’t done. I got another email from my publisher asking me to look at another cover. She didn’t like what was done and only realized that maybe the cover shouldn’t be of the bluff where the climax takes place but of the town which really works against my crime beat reporter Mitch Malone.
After a few minutes of surprise, I realized she was right and the book revolved around Mitch’s hometown and needed to be featured on the cover. With that agreed on, we were ready to go to print, only a week later than planned! What do you think of the covers? Which would you have chosen? Would you match up this synopsis with the cover?

When Pulitzer-nominated reporter Mitch Malone's editor presses him for a favor, Malone breaks his vow to never return to his hometown. It seemed simple enough--lead a seminar for Flatville, MI's newspaper, keep a low profile and get back to the city post haste. But memories of his parents' death swarm him, and, to avoid solitude, he stops for a beer. In the crowded bar, Mitch is dismayed to see many of his former classmates--including the still-lovely Homecoming Queen, Trudy. Once the object of his teenage crush, Trudy joins Mitch. He quickly realizes she is upset and inebriated. Always the gentleman, Mitch sees her safely home, and returns to his B&B, still trying to shake memories of his parents' sad demise. The next day, he is stunned to learn Trudy was murdered and he is the prime suspect. The locals treat the murder charge as a slam dunk, and Mitch realizes he must track down the real killer to keep his butt out of jail. As he investigates, facts he thought he knew about his family unravel, and danger ratchets up. Can Mitch discover the truth that will allow his parents to rest in peace, or will he be resting with them?

www.wsgager.blogspot.com

How do you get your sparks flying?

2011-08-04T06:34:00.001-04:00

I watched a delightful romantic comedy today called My Girlfriend's Boyfriend. The hero is an unpublished writer who has just been given the final death blow to his writing dream...until he meets the heroine at a cafe. She provides the inspiration and passion to propel his work into the publishable reign.

It was a cute and clever (you'll never see the twist coming) look into a writer's life, and really highlighted how passion in a writer's personal life can influence his/her art.

So my question to you is, what happens when you lose or forget that passionate feeling? How do you bring it back to your consciousness? Do you watch movies, read books, remember your first date with your loved one? Or do you go out and seek that passion in a new relationship?

Keeping Up With Your Characters

2011-08-02T14:28:00.001-04:00

This blog was written by Temple Hogan, posted by someone else.

Nothing is more gratifying than to have a fan who loves your book and even more loves your characters so they become real. They even remember the secondary characters! So it’s disconcerting when you’re talking to a fan and they refer to a character that you can’t remember. You see the disappointment in their expressions. You can see them thinking but this person (character) is so important to me, why is it no longer important to the writer who created him? Well, here is my answer.

Creating a character is a heady process. You live with this fictional person for months, you go to bed and get up with him and brush your teeth with him. The is ever in your mind. You’re finding out every secret, every thought, every flaw that character possesses and you’re deciding his fate. Is he good enough, strong enough to be the leading man, does he possess enough courage to see the story through to the end. Will the reader love him or find him too aggressive, too passive. As a writer, you begin to know the shape of his body, the way he smells, the husky rumble of his voice. And the heroine? Oh-la-la! She takes you over. You’re no longer a writer hunched over a key board trying to bring this story along, you become the heroine with no aching knees or torn ligaments, no tired feet, no dishes in the sink or toilets to be scrubbed. You don’t have to worry about what’s for dinner or if your son forgot his homework of if the dog just chewed up your favorite pair of designer shoes.

New Challenges

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

I don't consider myself a "techie" but I do spend a lot of time on my laptop. Aside from writing, that is. My kids tease me because I know more about their friends than they do because of the time I spend on facebook. And I have my online games. Scrabble, Solitaire, Boggle, and Wheel of Fortune are my current favorites. Each one soaks up a lot of time that I probably should spend writing. But I read somewhere that doing these word games helps sharpen my brain power and could keep me from getting Alzheimer's eventually. So I guess I could argue that this time is actually "preventative therapy"!

After getting the nod from Astraea Press, I've been working on promotion. I ordered (online, of course) bookmarks and magnets to hand out to people. I figured out how to set up a fan page on facebook. And then I decided to set up a website. I have a daughter and a grandson who both have experience doing that, so I wasn't worried. I figured I could get a nice site with a minimal amount of money. So I bought the domain name, and then shopped around for hosting. It turns out the company I bought my promotional materials from offered it, and I could have my site match my business cards and bookmarks, so I chose them. I got my webmistress to come over by bribing her with a nice dinner, and we got started. But we ran into a glitch, and Customer Service wasn't open on Sundays. So I had to call them the following day.

On my first opportunity the following Monday, I made my phone call. I found out I had to follow a two-step process involving "domain pointing". So I made another phone call. Five minutes later I had a live site! I went back to Vista Print, found their Web Builder, and started working. Fifteen minutes later I had a website with five pages! I sent the link to my daughter at work, who was duly impressed.

So my point is, you never know what you're capable of until you try it! I never thought I'd be able to set up my own website, but I did. Eventually, when I get rich and famous, I'll be able to pay someone to design and maintain something that really advertises my many, many books. But for now, I've got something that's easy for me to keep updated. I think it reflects who I am and the materials I produce. And I'm not out a lot of money! It's amazing what you can do. Like I told my daughter, as long as there's a help button and a customer service rep, I can handle this.

What new challenge have you tried lately?

Getting Back on Track

2011-07-27T19:22:00.002-04:00

I apologize for forgetting to blog the last several times; however, I can say I am working on getting back on track. I'm also learning personal hardships may set us back, but it's how we choose to overcome the hardships that allows us to grow as individuals.

Looking back on the past ten months, I feel like I have been a walking disaster. I broke my foot. By the time the foot was healed and I was getting back to a normal lifestyle, I broke my leg. I am just starting to get back to a healthy lifestyle again, but I'm learning it is important to take things slow.

Having my life back, I feel great. My attitude is positive, health improving, exercising is good-- I am back to running a mile for now- but still no tennis, I enjoy work, I'm back to writing in the evenings, and am realizing how blessed I am to have a great family, friends, and job. And to top it off, I have a few small vacations coming up that I am looking forward to. Yeah!!! :)

Though this may be my story, I ask individuals to look to themselves. How do you feel? Are things going good for you? And if not, why are things not good? It is surprising when you actually take a few minutes to breathe, take a step back, and take a glance at your life. Even when you think things are difficult there is always positive in the midst of doom. The object is not to focus on the doom but focus on the positive. Even though we all have our personal struggles, the struggles make us stronger and usually bring strength and positive outcomes to our lives.

As of late, I have come across many people that are struggling with a problem. These people get so down on themselves. They think they are the only person with problems. Reality check, talk to other people. Volunteer to help out with whatever is personally found interesting. Turn the frown upside down and find a positive each and every day. And don't give up on personal dreams and goals. We must remember, if we want something bad enough we must be willing to work for the final goal.

To conclude this short topic, what made you smile today? What was something you enjoyed or you feel successful accomplishing? Or what was something wonderful that happened in your day? I guarantee there has to be something, even if it is something small. And by thinking about a positive don't you feel happier, blessed, and successful? Remember, anything is possible with the willingness to work and the right attitude.

The Lesser of Two Evils

2011-07-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

I write erotic romance. It's fun and it's a good way to make a living. Of course, I don't always come out and specifically say it's erotic romance to people who ask. Honestly, it depends on how well I know them. My friends are, of course, supportive. My family varies between supportive and slightly bewildered or downright horrified.

Recently, at my brother Andrew's wedding, I had a fantastic conversation with my cousin Sarah and my brother Tim that perfectly illustrates that there are always worse things that I could be doing and that apparently writing erotic romance is the lesser of two evils.

Sarah: I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else.

Me: Holy shit - you're not pregnant again, are you???

Sarah: God, no!

Me: Whew. Okaaaay, what's up then?

Sarah: How do you feel about adult entertainment?

Me: What do you mean?

Sarah: Well, Jason (her younger brother) and I decided to open up a strip club next to the casino that just went in.

Me: (trying to close my mouth)

Sarah: Mom won't talk to us at all. We told her we're going to give ten percent to St. Mary's. She said, "Just don't let Father where it came from!" But I told her he'd probably figure it out since it would be covered in glitter.

Tim: (pats me on the shoulder) Hey! Check you out - you're not the biggest sinner in the family anymore!

Sarah: Yeah, I tried to think of a way we could market your books, but there aren't any pictures, and well, nobody in this county knows how to read.

I like to think these conversations take place in other peoples' families. But Chris informed me that she's pretty sure that they don't.

Can't wait to see what happens at the next family gathering

Beat The Heat

2011-07-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

There is a heat warning for the rest of the week. Temperatures are sky-rocketing and people without Air-Conditioners are being warned to find cooler-locations. It's Michigan -- it can be hot, cold, snowing, raining and sunny at any given point in the year - or day. On the lake shore, our weather is determined more by Lake Michigan than anything else and it's generally really humid.

Hot and humid weather tends to make people cranky, which can interfere with how much writing that actually gets done.

The increase in temperatures can require a change in how we write. Because my house doesn't have air-conditioning I had gotten to the point where I slept through the hottest part of the day and worked through the night with the fan blowing on me. But recently, a friend of mine let us invade their house and soak up the air-conditioning, so now I'm back on a normal schedule. With school around the corner, it's needed. But even in the AC there can be changes, for me there are extra people around and it's not my house, so I'm not as comfortable, which translates to not as much writing getting done.

I still find it amazing at what creatures of habit most humans are. I like my chair and my desk, I don't like the easy chair at my friend's house as well. I want to play music whenever I want and watch the TV shows I want, not the ones they choose. My habits make my writing a bit easier. It's also harder to write since my friend's mother-in-law shows up every day. And lately she's been sticking around so I can help them work on their family trees. Fun and interesting, but doesn't allow for much me time or writing time. One affecting the other. I'll be happy when the heat wave breaks and I can go home.

Caley

A Hot Sultry Night

2011-07-18T08:18:00.002-04:00

This blog was written by Temple Hogan.

Yeah! It’s one of those nights where nothing moves, not a leaf, not a blade of grass. The heavy air holds you prisoner in its insidious grip so you feel unable to move. You can’t breath. Your chest rises and falls rhythmically, but no air comes into your starved lungs. I look at him, a dark hulking shadows that shatters my tranquility, my sense of self. The dark, murky emotions are too much. I look at him and feel the sweat rolling between my breasts. The fan completes it arc and fans my flushed face. He has a question in his eyes, the eternal question between a man and woman on a hot summer night and you long to answer the call, but dammit, you have to write this blog so the girls in your writing group won’t think you’re a total loser.

So how to refocus your thoughts. You wipe the sweat from your upper lip, fan the back of your neck with a list of character names and pray for inspiration. In the dead of night, when there are no stars and no breeze, when you can hear yourself sweat, there is no answer, no easy out. You just have to slug along and pray whatever words you use to fill up your page will make sense to someone else.

You think about your characters, do they suffer nights like this? Do they ever feel turn off by the heat, the crying children, the bitch playing the radio too loudly next door? No, they have castles in dreamy locations, like an enchanted island in Ireland. There are no crying children and if there were, there would be a nanny, a wet nurse and various other servants to do your every bidding so when your king comes home at the end of a long hot day, you’ve just finished with a cooling, scented bath, your chores are all done, the meal is served, the children are put to their little beds. Peace reigns, so of course you have time to abandon yourself to his breathtaking lovemaking. You can think of fantastic things to do to him, but I deal with reality.

I need to finish this love scene. The dog just threw up on the floor, the temperature is rising, the barometer is doing the same. I carry a towel around with me to mop my face and between my breasts. My brain can’t come up with anything new and exciting. It’s been fried from the heat.

So what happened to those hot, sultry, summer nights when two people find each other and their mingled sweat is an aphrodisiac to their sensual longing. Reality. Excuse me while I wipe the back of my neck. I have a brilliant idea. I’ll use the weather, almost as another character, as part of the background, a motivator. Now let’s see----- It’s one of those nights where nothing moves, not a leaf, not a blade of --

Love is in the Details

2011-07-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

I’m scheduling this post early, because on the 17th I’ll be “Up North” celebrating my wedding anniversary to DH. Thinking about what keeps us together and makes every day fresh made me realize love is in the details.

And also the strengths you bring to the partnership.

Let me explain.

DH is a natural caretaker. He takes care of people for a living and takes care of me the rest of the time. He knows when I have a headache before I do and he makes sure I don’t order something stupid off the menu. It’s details like these that strengthens our relationship.

I’m a learner. I read everything, and I always look for a story to share with him. I also love to make him laugh. If I can tell him something new and make him laugh so hard he can’t breathe, it’s a good day.

What does this have to do with writing? If you’re writing a love story, you need to show the details. The story has to go beyond what happens between the sheets.

For example, in my book, Tall, Dark and Slayer (Champagne Books, January 2012), the heroine is plagued by feline visitors slipping in through her cat’s door and making themselves at home. The hero notices and one day installs a new door controlled by a microchip embedded in her cat’s collar. He probably doesn’t realize his feelings at the time, but the reader has that “aha” moment. They know this detail is small but significant. This guy is going to stick around in her life.

Partnerships should be give and take, with emphasis on the give. An exchange of strengths, shown in details, ensures the health of a relationship.

Are you including details in your story? Have you shown how your characters care for each other? If not, go back and add a few details. After all, love is in the details.