Retro Blog: The Outside World Presses In-First Aired April 22, 2013

I signed my first publishing contract with Entangled Publishing's INDULGENCE line a little over a month after I wrote this blog. The only thing that has changed since I went from being an unpublished writer to an author with a contract is that I have real deadlines. The demons are still here. The questions and doubts still surface. The job is still very solitary which, for an extrovert such as myself, can be difficult. How can we overcome these realities? Read on:

Writing is a solitary profession. Period. Yes, we can meet with our writing colleagues at meetings and gather at conferences, but for the most part we act alone. No one can write our books for us. No one can revise our first drafts for us. And no one can force us to query or submit even when we are filled with doubts about achieving our goals.

Published or unpublished, we all fight demons. For the published authors there are real deadlines. That's great. Puts a fire under one's bottom and presses that author to work.

But me? No one is waiting for me to meet any deadlines right now. So I have to set my own deadlines which, to be honest, have been shifting daily due to outside world pressure and different expectations of myself as a writer.

I'm working hard, but real life has pressed in and I've had to fight for my writing time. Occasionally, I have to surrender to the outside pressure because it's immediate and important and intrinsic to the well-being of my family. And every interruption to my schedule impacts my ability to get back in the chair and diligently pursue a publication career.

And then there are my own demons. Personal ones that every writer, published and unpublished, struggle with all the time. Am I good enough? Have I really got what it takes to write well and write much? Did I say no to an opportunity only to lose the one chance I might have had to be published? Did I start too late? Is the story I'm working on right now good enough? Am I wasting my time? Am I wasting my family's time? Will I ever get paid for sitting here at this computer for hours on end to generate stories and ideas and more?

Do I care about the answers to these questions? Of course I care. However, I live in a delusional, imaginary world so I propose my own answers to these questions all the time. I need to otherwise I might quit. And if I quit, I reject myself.

Here are my answers: I become a stronger writer every time I sit down to write. I am a self-motivated and self-disciplined person who has the drive to work hard and work smart. There's more than one way to get published, and I'm not shy about looking down every avenue. I have a wealth of experience to draw from whenever I sit down to write a story. My current story will become better as I continue to revise it and mold it into shape. If I am happy doing what I am doing, the time I put into it doesn't matter. My family is proud of my endeavors and they support me just as I am proud of their endeavors and support them. I will get paid for generating these stories because I have a plan of action which I am actively pursuing every day.

How do you beat back the world pressing in? How do you fight the demons of doubt and despair?

Today, in 2014, the questions have changed a little, but my worries are about the the first book I've sold. I don't even care about the money part of this book selling. I care about reaching an audience of readers and my story resonating with them. I hope that I will touch a person's life in a positive way. I care about the characters in THE MAVERICK'S RED HOT REUNION. I love their struggle to find each other and discover home. And if their struggle to deserve each others' love and their ultimate happily-ever-after creates a deep connection with readers, then that is a measure of the heart of the story.

On this day I still answer my questions and fears and doubts much the same way. 

I become a stronger writer every time I sit down to write. I am a self-motivated and self-disciplined person who has the drive to work hard and work smart. I have a wealth of experience to draw from whenever I sit down to write a story. My current story will become better as I continue to revise it and mold it into shape. If I am happy doing what I am doing, the time I put into it doesn't matter. My family is proud of my endeavors and they support me just as I am proud of their endeavors and support them. I will get paid for generating these stories because I have a plan of action which I am actively pursuing every day.

And because I am willing to open my heart and share an emotional journey with my readers,  my stories will resonate in their hearts, too.

How do you answer the questions you have today as a writer?

CP Shenanigans: Pam Mantovani in the House!

I would not be where I am today as a writer if it weren't for my incredible relationship with Pam Mantovani. She's more than a critique partner, she's a friend dear to my heart. I've got other amazing writing friends and readers, but Pam is my primary partner in writing crime.

We met through the Georgia Romance Writers of America Moonlight & Magnolias Maggie Contest, which she chaired in 2009. I called to ask for help with their first ever online form and the rest is history. One Maggie final and five years later and we're sharing an incredible writing partnership.

Pam arrives today for one of our super charged critique partner weekends. We'll write, brainstorm, muddle our way through understanding technology together, and do it all over again. Three days to work together and encourage each other is a gift of time that I cherish. I only wish we could meet more often.

The key to a great critique partnership isn't just ability or talent, it's TRUST. I trust Pam Mantovani with my stories, the heart that I pour into them, and with ME. All of my vulnerabilities, highs and lows as a writer are entrusted to her.

This is where being a writer has been such a blessing to me. The friendships I've made with other like-minded souls. And Pam is one in a million.

Best of all, we get to share the "we sold" dream together. Pam Mantovani's debut novel COWBOY ON HER DOORSTEP releases from Belle Books in July 2014. If you love cowboys and romance, you'll love her story. Trust me. I've read it.

Are you in a critique partnership? If you're not a writer, who would you consider your best partner in fun and crime?

:)

Who I Am & Who I Will Become

This is a blog I posted last year. I'm reposting it because it is my birthday and this pretty much sums up who I am. I hope you enjoy it.

I have a saying to get through the bad days and moments which was "It is what it is." And that's all well and good because it means I accept the circumstances for what they are and quit fighting. But that's not enough for me. I realized this week that I'm better off saying "It will become what it will become--I will become who I become."

Then I realized that the past, mine in particular, has uniquely shaped me for the career I want to claim. My writing career is largely shaped by what I've overcome, learned, and will continue to learn. I used to think if only I had not been sent on wild and crazy detours due to life, the circumstances I had to escape, and the education I had to delay.

Not anymore. I may not have an advanced university degree with all sorts of letters behind it, but I have something of equal or even greater value. I have a PhD in overcoming obstacles. Big ones for me, not so big for others.

And I'm so grateful for the lessons and emotions and experiences I've had because they shape the characters of my stories. And for kicks and giggles I've included my three favorite shots from eons ago. I feel they show all my sides and I just love the dress.

Here is a quick rundown:

*born in the Netherlands to two people who survived Japanese Concentration camps in the 1940s. Neither of them were equipped to parent but they did the best they could.
*Canadian National Science Fair 3rd Place at 13 with project about Pattern Recognition
*figure skater for 8 years, alto sax player/second chair
*grew up in Northern mining town & experienced daily bouts of bullying because I "used big words"
*semi-photographic memory, advanced reader, IQ high but never revealed to me by parents due their own feelings of inadequacy
*"bad girl" in high school long before I did anything "bad"
*smoker, back of the bleachers party girl, skipped school and forged my teachers' signatures on attendance sheets
*ran a mini-crime ring in forging teacher's names for other "bad" kids--got caught
*spent 10th grade English in VPs office due to arguing a test question with teacher and winning my point
*on my own at 16 due to difficult home life
*high school dropout
*worked in daycare, arena concession stand to make ends meet
*worked in diner
*waitress, gas jockey, maid
*drove without a license
*ice fished, snowmobiled, cross country skied
*got my GED, learned how to sign for deaf/blind people in hope of going to college for free as interpreter
*lived in Northern Manitoba, Winnipeg, Vancouver

Taken at the top of the Sears Tower in Vancouver. So serious. 

*dated dangerous men, nice men, French men, Russian men, firemen, policemen, concert promoters, musicians and poets
*wrote poetry, loads and loads of it
*once wanted to be a foreign journalist
*once wanted to marry the Man from Atlantis--wrote an entire series about it long before fan fiction existed on the Internet
*read John Steinback, the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings when I was in the 4th grade, reread them all later
*read Ginsberg, Kerouac and wished I'd been born in time to be a Beatnik
*kissed a French boy along the banks of the Seine when I was 13
*kissed a Physicist along the banks of the Seine when I was 30
*married young, grew up with the Physicist, made a beautiful baby
*traveled to Europe, ridden the Fast Train, been weighed on a witch's scale and deemed not a witch
*the Teen and the Physicist believe I am strangely psychic--my dreams are often prophetic
*I fly in my dreams. I want to fly in reality.
*I'm terrified of fire, drowning, death
*I almost drowned on my first anniversary--the Physicist saved me
*I was threatened by a bully with a lighter in the 9th grade. She wanted to burn my hair off my head. She had accomplices. I kicked her and ran away. She grew up and had a terrible life. I grew up and have a great life. Bad Karma is a bitch.
*I almost died 3 times due to anaphylaxis
*I never wear a watch, but I have an uncanny awareness of time.
*the Physicist married me before I had a college degree. He didn't know I could cook, but I can and I do it well.

I love this shot. Very dreamy/

*I graduated with a 4.0 Summa Cum Laude Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education at the top of the Dean's list.
*I never taught.
*I've worked in radio and television
*I was a part-time model--I was the Sunshine Girl of West Vancouver
*I have camped in the Redwood forest and in the Dordogne
*when I make up my mind to do something, I just do it. If it becomes boring or routine I stop.
*writing is the only thing that doesn't bore me
*my paternal grandfather was a biologist for the World Health Organization as well as a practicing doctor
*I got an A in pre-med genetics. Only 2 people got As
*I have an uncanny ability to diagnose diseases and illnesses
*I'm more serious than people think I am
*I'm more playful than people think I am
*I don't trust easily, but I am very trustworthy. If you tell me to keep a secret, I will. There are secrets I will die keeping
*I believe in many truths. My main belief is do unto others as you would have done unto you. I have broken this rule as a young woman. And I've seen others break it now. I wait for karma to act.
*I know what it is like to lose someone you love
*I live here in the now, but I am not afraid to sift through the past for there is where real emotion, raw gritty emotion exists, the kind that can strengthen my stories and my characters
*I play to win. Failure is NOT an option.

I like how playful and free I look here. It's how I feel today.

*If someone tries to stop me from winning out of spite, I will draw back, coil in my den, and wait to strike
*never mistake my desire to be kind as a weakness--never
*I was once a dreamy, intellectual little girl who read big books and said big words because the mind was valued in our home
*I was almost drowned in snow banks for being that little intellectual girl. I know what it is like to feel cold snow melting on your skin while you're desperately gasping for air and there is no one, no one to help you.
*A boy in the second grade used to chase me and punch me in the stomach daily. I put my book underneath my jacket and he punched me and broke his hand.
*I learned to be a "dumb blonde"
*When I was in university, if you came up to me after a test, I could give you all the questions on the test verbatim as well as my answers.
*I worked as a night aide for a lady with Parkinsons disease. She told me her love story every time I came to sit with her. When I got engaged, she gave me her silver gravy boat which she had received for her wedding over 50 years earlier. I still have that gravy boat.
*I'm a dreamer, but I'm practical and serious. I believe in myself, but I also believe only hard work and tenacity will get me to where I want to go. But I WILL BECOME WHAT I WILL BECOME!!

If I, a person who started with so little could come so far and find such joy and a wealth of opportunities, then I'm proof that anyone with a little luck, some tenacity and brains, can succeed.

Follow your hearts, mine your pasts, become who you will become.

The Time Capsule: Opening Up 2000 in 2012

Me and the College Kid with the Time Capsule

 Twelve years ago we made a Time Capsule and we have carried our makeshift tube of information from Virginia to Alabama with the express purpose of wanting to open it on New Year's Eve in 2012. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about opening it. We each had put in a goal and resolution which I thought I'd probably not achieved. The thoughts of facing that unmet goal freaked me out. Still, I had to face this capsule even if it meant facing my failure. Because only through trying and risking failure will we find success.

Where's the Polly Pocket?(College Kid retrieved it a few years ago).

The College Kid was in first grade when we made the capsule. She loved Polly Pocket and Disney and exploring. The Physicist was growing his career with the government. I was a Stay-at-Home Mom with dreams I'd yet to fulfill. But being a mother and handling all the Commander-in-Chief House duties kept me busy and happy.

Throughout the years many things changed. Three of our parents have passed away. Friends have passed away as well. We moved to Alabama and I'm still adjusting to the changes. My daughter grew up and flew away to college. My husband's career rose which means he's traveling more and more. And I have been actively pursuing my elusive dream of publication.

 The College Kid and I opened the capsule. Inside there was a newspaper with a headline about the Baltimore Ravens's push for the Super Bowl. Political news about Clinton also screamed in the headlines. The Polly Pocket my College Kid stuffed in there had been retrieved--she confessed--shortly after she had stuck it in the capsule. And there were three single sheets of paper with our hand written notes.

The more things change, the more they remain the same:
The Physicist's resolutions match in 2000 and 2012.  

 Here is the Physicist's page. His favorite character was, and still is, Bugs Bunny. His favorite singer was Garth Brooks. His favorite TV Show was Who's Line is It and Golf. Who's Line is canceled. Golf, unfortunately--or fortunately--depending upon who you are in this house, is not. He still works for the same company. And he makes a bit more money now. His new year's resolution is the same this year as it was in 2000: Lose weight and get into shape. Maybe this will be the year he conquers that beast!

And so the more things change, the more they remain the same for him.

As usual, I'm introspective,
but when I read this I was happy with how far I'd come.

She still wants to be a Disney Imagineer.
Dreams evolve, but they never have to stop being dreams.

Next up? My sheet. Favorite books? I still love Nora Roberts and just about any Harlequin Presents book I can get my paws on. My ambitions were simple: become a travel writer and/or write one book (maybe). Becoming a travel writer was laughable. I am so not a detail oriented person and setting is to this day my last layer of writing in my manuscripts. But did I write that book? Not that year. But I did write one in 2005 and I haven't looked back. I started small and I've grown. My new year's resolution: to become focused on my personal and academic growth as a writer. To have a better sense of who I am and where I am going and how I am getting there. Pretty introspective. But I do know who I am now. I am a writer. And I know where I am going. And my goals have gotten much more refined throughout the years.

I saved the College Kid's page for last. For she wrote it when she was so young and her life was just an acorn waiting to become a tree. Her favorite singer was Britney Spears, she loved watching The Wild Thornberry's, and her favorite movie was the current Disney film The Emperor's New Groove. Now she's into indie music, Super Natural is her favorite television show (and other creepy shows, too, like American Horror), and she's into watching endless hours of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Her resolution was smart: to go see Opa and Oma. And she did see them. And finally, her dream. What did she want to be when she grew up? An animator. You know what? That has evolved into becoming an Imagineer for Disney or a Visualization expert for television and film. Her dream evolved, but the core? It's still the same.

So this was our Time Capsule: Dreams captured, careers evolving, people growing and changing. What were your dreams? Did they change? Did you change? And do you believe that dreams can transform you even if reaching them might be impossible?

Cats, Cookies & Characters

I've been a taking a break from blogging for three reasons:

Tonks loves the hutch but she loves to make trouble as well!

1. Character Rebellion: I have two strong characters. I know my heroine. She's fantabulous. My hero is amazing and sexy and wonderful, but NOT TALKING. I was floundering in the 4th Chapter because my hero and heroine felt like marionettes and not people. I know what happens at the end. I know what she and he must go through so they can have each other, but my hero has NOT been cooperating with his story. And after a day of reading and chilling and thinking, I finally figured him out. Well, poor guy just is scared witless. Now I know why. And I can't wait to reveal his secrets to my readers.

I made 4 plus dozen cookies. Yum!

Tons to repackage and sell.

2. Cookies: In addition to being a writerly momma, I am also a DRAMA MAMA. I have banded with three other Drama Mamas to help bring folks into our teenagers' benefit play. They're trying to raise money to get to the South Eastern Theater Conference in Chattanooga where they'll represent Alabama. Pretty cool beans. Which means I am baking lots of cookies and other sundries as part of their fundraising efforts. What is so wonderful about all this is that the moola they raise helps ALL the kids. This is a group who takes care of each other. Kind of intense because my current characters are involved in fundraising as well. But their fundraising is to raise research money to search for an understanding and a cure of a yucky disease which is killing their best friend. Love my teen and her crew. Love my characters, too.

Tonks is so relaxed!

 3. Writerly Cats: The household felines have been taking over the new writing space. When I opened up the office, Tonks found all kinds of new caves to be cavelike inside. And she is chasing the paper, the paper clips and more. She is up to mischief. And speaking of mischief, the Teen's cat MISCHIEF has also returned to the office. A tentative truce is set up. Missy and Tonks are trying to get along for the most part. Much like my characters, it is an uneasy alliance, but they do it out of love for me.

Mischief has returned to visit the office.

She and Tonks are reluctant allies.

And so that is the way of the world in my corner of the universe. 

What's in your world today?

Crossroads, Forks and Detours: Goals Reevaluated

I'm approaching another end of a quarter and am reevaluating my priorities. I do so every 3 months. I've decided to work up a mini-fix for the month of June because this quarter has been a wild one. I'm only 2 months into the quarter and it feels like it has lasted 6 months! I must step back and regroup so I can strengthen my focus. Basically, I'm de-cluttering my mind of useless stuff so I can tackle the important events coming up this month.

This quarter I started strong with an R&R out the door and the rest of the story to revise. It's been about 2 months since I sent the R&R out and I am in "wait mode." So much of this business is about waiting and being patient, but while writers wait we must do only one thing: write some more. So I finished the rest of the revision, sent it off to my CP, and tackled her critique 3 chapters at a time. I have three more chapters to go and I'm finished this round. That's on the table for the first part of this week.

While I revised this book, I entered another contest (which still requires an entry LOL), learned I finaled in the Fab Five, and attended a great workshop. I returned home in mid-April ready to work my tail off. Then the first detour in my road occurred. Sick kid. Mono. She's been home for about a month and a half now. I've got to admit, it's put a cramp in my writing style. You see, I am a bit spoiled. She's a teenager who drives so I was used to the days being mine to do my work. I had to work around her doctor appointments, caring for her, organizing school work, and canceling a lot of her "life" till she got well.

But as Nora Roberts says, glass balls are more important than rubber ones. My daughter's health, my daughter period, is glass. Fragile, precious glass I cherish. Writing will always come second to my child. Always. She needed me. I was there for her. I still am. I managed to revise a bit more, but a week after my child's diagnosis, the skies opened up and all he!! broke loose in Alabama. 28 tornadoes in 1 day. The most terrifying day ever. I don't think I'll ever forget the sirens, the dark skies, the sudden pop above my head after an eerie silence, or the complete sense of helplessness.

We were lucky. We didn't suffer any damage or injuries and I'm so grateful. But my writing did suffer a setback. Not just because of the time lost, but because my heart was aching. I was sore. Sad. I just wanted to reconnect with my friends. Talk. Sleep. Be still. Pray. And so I did. I gave myself permission to take a bit of a break.

I took a look at the crossroad in front of me and went left instead of right. I enjoyed the journey. I played with a new story idea, came up with plot points, index cards, and just had fun. I ignored the revision for a bit. And that was great. I reevaluated my future writing projects. I relaxed. Well, I relaxed for me. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a "relaxed" kind of gal. In the midst of all of this there was still the sick kid, still the doctor visits, still the desire to create, still the household to keep up, still the new diet to cook dozens of meals for......... and so the relaxation was more of a pit stop here and there punctuated with bursts of work.

Of course, my part of my idea of relaxing was to take a break from revisions and plan a new story. In the midst of story boarding my next novel, I managed to snag a couple of great editor and agent appointments at the RWA National Conference. Usually Nationals are in July, but this year the conference is June 28-July 2. I have very little time to prepare for it because of, oh, the above paragraphs. But that's okay. I can pull it off. I plan on pulling this off after I finish the first draft of my next book, and after I tour two more colleges with my darling teen (who is slowly mending despite another minor health setback).

See, this post is just a rambling thing about LIFE. Life is happening. All The Time. And somehow, we writers, we must continue to write despite the many distractions. And the only way I know how to do that is to have a plan. A map. Of course, the map can't prepare us for every detour and crossroad that comes our way, but it can give us a place to refer to when we get a little lost. And sometimes a new map needs to take the place of the old map.

That is what I am doing this week. I'm gearing up to make a new road map. I'm reevaluating my goals, my priorities, my ongoing "to-do" list.

How often do you reevaluate your goals? Do you tweak them regularly or only change them once a year?

The Top 5 Priority List Times Two & Professional Goals for 2011

On Wednesday I realized I needed two top 5 priority lists. One list for my personal life and one list for my professional life. At what point did that change? There wasn't one point. There were tiny steps made along the way and they built into a mad dash. What started as a dream five years ago has slowly evolved into more than a dream. 


It is my reality.


What is your dream? What steps will you take to make it become a reality? I've shared my ways and the lessons I've learned from other great mentors. I credit Cheryl Richardson's LIFE MAKEOVER book for helping me to focus on the core of my dream. I challenge you to find your core this year. Find a way to make your dream become your reality. Start taking those baby steps. And please share them with me. Remember, what is working for me won't necessarily work for you. But the deal is to figure out what will work for you and live your life with intention and purpose.


This year's top 5 lists for the quarter and my affirmation statement are:

I enjoy being organized and streamlined as I focus on pursuing my professional writing career, personal, and family life goals. 

Top 5 Family Priority List for 2011/First Quarter (Jan.-March)

1. Continue building a healthy lifestyle through exercise, diet and fun.

2. Darling Teen's extra-curricular, education and college preparation under control in areas of online courses, parking, room fix, school trips and testing.

3. Household chores streamlined and a grid made to which all will adhere to help me keep house clean and under control.

4. Create a Comprehensive Schedule based on career and personal obligations to incorporate goals and life events.

5. Build a social community of friends which will enhance our family and marriage as well as bring joy into our lives.

 Top 5 Career Priority List for 2011/First Quarter (Jan-March)

1. Write every day and work on four book series with emphasis on first book.

2. Schedule built to incorporate writing, volunteer, marketing, building brand name, and business objectives.

3. Professional development through querying, submitting materials, entering contests, learning technology, building brand name, ongoing craft classes.

4. Maintain online workshop information/courses, develop personal and prof. blog schedule, send one newsletter article in per month to HOD Newsletter editor.

5. Attend at least two chapter meetings per quarter regardless of chapter to maintain positive writing connections.

PROFESSIONAL WRITING CAREER GOALS FOR 2011

*clean and organize office to get ready for the new year

*Finish discovering 4 book series and characters

*Write 5^th book 1^st Draft and Revise

*Start work on 6th book in 4 book series/Discover/Draft/Revise

*Query 10 agents a month

*Revise 4^th book full and resend to agent

*enter 4 contests at a minimum with at least 3 manuscripts at all times including the GH

*Attend Moonlight & Magnolias

*Attend RWA National Conference

*Pitch at both conferences

*Revise 1^st book for fun

*build name bible of all names I’ve used in my books

*maintain personal and guest blogs

*continue learning about WordPress

*build my brand name via social media, newsletters and workshop

*work on retreat idea with writing friend

*get an Agent

*get a publishing contract

*find a professional mentor

*streamline writing and business of writing with proper schedule

*Review digital and e-publishers for submissions

*take at least two master classes in craft

*judge at least two writing contests

*set Top 5 Priority Lists and review every quarter

*coordinate online workshops for HOD

*read for fun

*continue learning and growing in my craft with online courses and craft books.

*attend at least 2 chapter meetings per quarter

*finish WE ARE NOT ALONE

*send in one article per month to my HOD newsletter editor

*be courageous, strong, and focused in pursuing my dreams and goals.

The last goal is my favorite. Be courageous, strong, and focused as I pursue my dreams and goals. 

I wish you all the same as you pursue your goals and dreams. Be courageous. Take risks. Fly. Soar. Be strong. Build a network of support. Gird yourself with knowledge. Be focused. Put your dream first and make it a reality. 

And know that one's definition of reality is personal and fluid.

May 2011 be your year to shine!

Break Out the Bubbly & Dark Chocolate--Celebrating Amy Atwell's Debut Novel LYING EYES!

I'm very happy and excited to open up a bottle of my best champagne for my fearless GIAM (Goal in a Month) leader Amy Atwell. Amy is an inspiration to me as a mentor, writer, and friend. We're celebrating her debut novel, Lying Eyes, which releases today! 
Pop! Pouring bubbly and breaking out the dark chocolate.


Hi Amy, welcome to the veranda. 
Thanks for inviting me to join you and meet your readers, Christine.  The verandah, by the way, is lovely.
How did you end up becoming a writer?

.

A rather circuitous path. I wrote throughout my childhood and adolescence.  Poems, songs, short stories.  I was fascinated with dialogue and comedic timing on television and would scribble notes while I watched shows.  In high school, I joined the drama club—and no, it was not nearly as cool as Glee, although it was a lot of fun.  But that led to studying theater and Shakespeare and then years of working in regional and community theaters. Play scripts and the stories in them were my love, and one day I realized that what I really wanted to do was write.  I quit the theater and got a job and started writing my story ideas in my free time. Back then, it hadn’t occurred to me to try to make a career of it.

What is your favorite genre to write?

No fair!  I love all the genres I write.  I started writing Regency period historicals because that’s what I read for years and years. Then I had a crazy notion to write a romance about the theater scene in New York.  Then I moved to Chicago, so I wrote about Chicago. Then even though I know next to nothing about medievals, I wrote a medieval romantic suspense.  And then Cosmo knocked on my door, and I wrote Lying Eyes.

 

I'm intrigued already. Can't wait to meet Cosmo. Are you a plotter or do you follow the muse?

I see characters and scenes in my head.  Maybe because of all the years in theater, I hear dialogue very clearly.  So, I generally let the muse run free for much of the first draft.  Then I roll up my sleeves for some plotting analysis.  Lying Eyes was different because I had editors waiting to see that story.  Most of the material in that story—except the opening 30-40 pages—is close to first draft.  I plotted a few chapters ahead as I wrote and prayed my critique partners would help me clean up the mess if I derailed the story.  They kept telling me it was fine.  My editor agreed.

How do you relax after a writing day?

Don’t laugh. I run an online writing community, and I have a lot of little tasks that make me feel like I accomplished something. I like to check things off lists, so these little tasks make me feel successful and relaxed.  Oh, and I can do most of them over a cup of coffee (morning) or wine (night).  I’ve also been known to turn off the computer AND the phone for Mad Men, Dr. Who, The Office and 30 Rock.

As a member of your community, I can say it's a great way to unwind. The *cyber support* is balm to a writer's soul. 


What do you read? What are your favorite genres? And your favorite authors?

I read anything that has a story that captures my famous.  I love romance and women’s fiction, but I also enjoy a good mystery or thriller. And I find I’m peeking at some YA stories to see what all the hype is about.  Favorite authors?  Jenny Crusie, Madeline Hunter, Jane Austen, Jean Auel, Tom Clancy, Dorothy L. Sayers, Dick Francis, Georgette Heyer, Elswyth Thane (I’m dating myself with those last five).  A new author who stunned me with her work is Therese Walsh.
What is your current project? What can we look forward to reading next?

I’m currently working on the sequel to Lying Eyes. This one is Cheating Hearts and features another of Cosmo’s daughters.  Of course, I also have a mainstream historical set during the Wars of the Roses calling me. And then there’s this pesky pair of characters out in San Francisco who have the beginnings of a great suspense story I’m jotting down. 

You have a lot of ideas and stories floating in your head. Fabulous! I can't wait to meet Cosmo's next daughter. What is the most difficult part about writing for you? 

Oddly enough, the hardest part for me is focusing and getting started on one story.  Once I’m into a story, I’m all there.  But if I’m multi-tasking life or additional stories, it can be a bear to get me to sit down and write.  (And I can name a dozen people who will read this and agree.)

I completely understand how multi-tasking zaps focus. 

Where do you get your ideas for your stories?

Everywhere.  Honestly, I trip over ideas.  I have a lengthy list of them on my computer.  For Lying Eyes, the title came when I was listening to Eagles’ song on the radio one day.  Liked the title, realized that “lying” would be an important factor. More than that, I wanted everything in the story to be a lie of some form or another.  That’s when Cosmo Fortune, my heroine’s father, popped up and announced he was a magician.  A master of illusion.  Then I made my heroine not just a jeweler but a costume jeweler. I just keep piecing things together that work. What doesn’t work, I toss.  

Cutting ideas is part of the creative process. *sipping my bubbly* Ah, but it is necessary for writers to learn. 


How long were you trying to get published before you got the “call?”

Ten years, give or take.  I took a couple writing breaks.  I had a big corporate job transfer that stalled my writing for over a year. Then my mother died suddenly in 2005. About nine months after her death I stopped writing for nearly 18 months. I stayed connected with my writing friends through WritingGIAM and when I returned to writing, I came back determined.  Still, it took nearly two years to sell Lying Eyes. When we first marketed it, Carina Press didn’t yet exist. In publishing, part of the equation is timing.

Amy, I am sorry you lost your mother. *hugs* But I'm very glad you returned to your writing with the determination to get published because now we get to read your stories. 


What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Write. Write what’s in your heart. Study. Study the market, but don’t it let completely change those stories of your heart. The market is always changing. Your stories are you and no one but you can tell them. Share them with the world.

Oh, and find a support network. It may be local, it may be online. But connect with other writers. Writing is a very solitary endeavor, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.  I would have given up writing if it weren’t for GIAM.

What encouragement can you give writers who face rejection?

Let me be your poster child!  I swear, I’ve been rejected by top editors and agents. I’ve received painful comments about my work from industry professionals and contest judges.  If you’re familiar with Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart® contest, I had one entry that received a “9” (their highest scores) and a “1” (their lowest score). 

Reading is Subjective.  Repeat that. Not every reader will love your work, but in publishing it often takes only one person to get behind you to turn the tide.  A rejection is nothing more than a single person’s opinion of a specific submission on a given day. 

Thanks so much for having me, Christine!  I’d love to offer up a digital copy of Lying Eyes to one of your readers. 

I'm so glad you joined me on the veranda. Thank you for offering a digital copy of Lying Eyes to one of my readers. I can't wait to see who gets their name pulled from this week! Congratulations on your release!!  

Amy Atwell worked in professional theater for 15 years before turning from the stage to the page to write fiction. She now gives her imagination free rein in both contemporary and historical stories that combine adventure and romance. An Ohio native, Amy has lived all across the country and now resides on a barrier island in Florida with her husband and two Russian Blues. Find Amy online at her website, What’s the Story? blog, Facebook, Twitter and GoodReads.

Lying Eyes is available from Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online booksellers.

My Cyber World

I love to blog because it is an outlet for my writing soul. But the main reason I love to blog is because I have met some very fun people and created a wonderful little Cyber World of friends. I'm not going to mention every blog in this post (too long--check out my blogs I follow or look at the sidebar on my page).
But I do want to share the few that have made me laugh out loud or taught me a thing or three about writing or technology.

First up, the Petits Fours & Hot Tamales made me LOL with their most recent post about Thongs. Then I zipped over to my good friend's blog, The Edited Life, and learned about Mind Mapping. She's always coming up with interesting topics. The other day I chuckled when I read one of my chapter mate's blogs about the Dunking Booth in Okay, Listen Here. She's new to the blogging scene, but not to writing (actually, she's two people). I always love to read my group blog, Romance Magicians. And I've added a few new friends to my Cyber World, including Jody Hedlund, Ellen Brickley (over in Ireland!), Karen Gowen, and Justine Dell.

I also read agent blogs, blogs about publishing and blogs that are just plain fun. I don't read every blog I follow every day (I'd never get any writing accomplished). But I do like to touch base with my Cyber Buddies on a regular basis. This is my coffee break time, my office chatter with other writers and my way of feeling connected to others when I'm slogging away on my computer and writing.

Writing is a solo pursuit. But it doesn't have to be lonely, especially in this day and age.

Christmas & Writing through the Holidays

Up until last year, I used to take time away from my writing from Thanksgiving until the New Year. And, especially after the pushing out of GH babies, goodness knows I'm over all the long hours of writing and ready to play. But the problem with staying away from my writing that long was the problems I had getting back into the characters' heads in the new year. Valuable time necessary for pushing ahead was spent in relearning my peeps.

Not good. The solution? Easy. Last year someone posted on another blog about a great way to keep one's head in the game without losing the holiday spirit of fun and laughter. Give a little, not a lot, each day to the writing until the tinsel is torn down and another holiday is put up for the year. For some that means word count. If you write a minimum of 250-500 words a day (except on very special days), then you'll have a 1000 word scene every 4 days (or 2 scenes if you're ambitious).

I'm usually in the midst of revisions during this time, so word count doesn't really help me. For those of us not in first draft, the best idea is to put in time. Tell yourself you'll commit to writing for 1/2 an hour or an hour a day. Sometimes you'll not write at all, but other times you'll write for more than an hour. I managed to keep going through my GH final pages in this manner, and by the time the time the new year hit, I was totally on my game. I finished the revision by January 23rd. Now I also set a goal to be finished before I started an awesome course, Book in a Week, (which lasts a month in prep work and actual writing work), at the end of the month. By working a bit every day, sometimes a lot more (hey, everyone's asleep around here but me), I managed to reach my goal.

This year I am even more motivated to get this MS finished and revised before February. My DH needs a hip replacement. He's getting it February 4th, 2010. My poor knight is in serious need of new armor!! Now I can write first draft with interruptions because I learned not to go back at all during the Book in a Week Course. If I stop, I know exactly where I need to start again. With revisions, no way. I am cutting and pasting and reconnecting pieces and chunks of MS into a whole new world order. If people interrupt my thought processes during revision, they had better be bleeding or have broken bones (ask my DD).

DH will be in pretty major hospital and post surgery ickiness. Constant interruptions will abound. And I must put him first. However, there's no reason I can't hide in my first draft as I anxiously await his surgery to be completed, and afterward as I wait for him to get his therapy. And, as he is noted to be the world's worst patient, I KNOW this will be a time of *ahem* great jumping around and earning my wifie golden points.

Regardless, I must be working on something even if it is sporadic, to keep to my goal of writing 3 category lengths a year (or 2 STs and 1 category). I'll need my fictional peeps to keep sane. And I can write first draft anywhere.

There are people who say they'd love to write (or draw or do ... whatever), but they simply don't have the time. I say boo on that excuse. I learned that a girl can accomplish a lot in a half an hour. Seriously a lot. Set the timer, don't dilly dally on the Internet or play Farmville (why do people do this??), and you'll be surprised by how much you can accomplish.

So my goal is simple: keep writing through the holiday season. Devote a minimum of an hour a day during the weekends and at least 3 hours during the week. That way I've got time to be a friend, a wife and a mom who is pleasant to hang around with and who enjoys her holiday season.

Do it. Have a goal. Finish it. Be firm and committed. Take care of your characters during this holiday season.

Man Underfoot!

I have had a wonderful weekend with my friends as they celebrate their only child's graduation from High School. Good times were had by all. Now it is time to get back in the saddle and write.

Only one problem: darling husband had to burn two weeks of vacation or lose them by May 3oth. He was fine last week. Only interrupted me a few times (hello? I am NOT on vacation--I'll never make money writing if I don't keep writing).  But now that week two has rolled around, he's becoming grumpy. 

He wants company. 

I am not giving up my writing time. Or am I? I ended up taking time off to investigate two gyms with him -- and then it was back to work after mollifying him. 

I hope that's the extent of my duties. 

Meanwhile, finished revising chapter 11 (I have no idea how). Not entirely pleased, but made a note on my pages to go back in AFTER I get to the end of the doc.

*sigh* so many problems, so little time.

And school lets out soon--company will start descending upon our household--and I'll be trading my writing cap for my hostess cap regularly.  

Guess I'll Just Read About Writing this Week...

Last night my daughter puked all over the bathroom--literally. Argh. And I had cleaned it yesterday. This is why I shouldn't clean house. Any rate, my DH believes it might be food poisoning. She threw up on the hour for 3 hours, then stopped. No fever. But in the meantime, she is on an antibiotic and this is one of the sideeffects... grrr. But DH had some tummy trouble as well and as I am not sick, I guess it's their lunch meat or the lettuce on it that did them in.

And it's Science Fair today! And she's in it. Regionals. Argh again.

Now I have to chaperone/drive the other kids, check on her, see if she can make the judging phase of the fair, make a dr. appt. to follow up on the antibiotic (cause I am NOT giving her this one anymore), and get a doctor's note for the schools (only 5 parental excuses allowed -- triple argh).

So life is just hijacking me left and right and it is driving me batty. I have a dumb form I have to fill out for determining if I am eligible for regaining my Dutch citizenship and I have no idea about 80 percent of the info as my dad is gone and my mom is, well, a NUT, who I avoid like the plague. And I and I and I...

No this isn't about writing. It's about life when you want to write and can't.

Yesterday I managed to read a bit in my RWA Report magazines and jotted down info about publishers. I think I may have to go the e-publisher route as it is virtually impossible to get my foot in the door via print. But I want print. But my books are very erotic and that might turn them off. I don't know what to do. I have plot. I have story. I have characters. I KNOW how to SHOW not tell. I am a decent writer. But when when when... ????

I know when I get back from Disney after spring break, I'll be writing/revising at breakneck speed just in case the Writing Gods have mercy on me and I final with the infamous "kiss scene." I'm half way tempted to send it as is to Ellora's Cave and see if they find it as revolting. I didn't think it was bad. Argh argh.

I must learn to listen to my own voices in my head. I am listening to them from now on.

Writing is easy compared to trying to publish it.

Tuesday Accomplishments

Yesterday I worked for four hours and managed to lay down the flesh of the newly constructed framework of the story leading all the way to the end. It still needs editing, but I have actual scenes to edit. Wahoo!! I printed out the last 50 pages and am reading through them this afternoon. My morning is a little shot otherwise I'd do it now, but my darling daughter arrived home at 3:30PM so I lost some sleep, and after going back to bed, I slept in till 7:30--now her piles of laundry and mine are in the washer and I am finally able to catch up.

I'm getting my pencil out for this read through... making changes and going through the entire novel with my find tool with the XXX parts to work on as well as words I use a lot LOL. Then I will print out the final 50 again tomorrow, and do a highlighter edit. Then back into it again. Whatever is accomplished between now and Friday afternoon, is it. I am FINISHED. I need to move on to a fresh story and a new idea.

Not that this one doesn't need tweaking. But at least it is tweakable.

I Brought the Computer with Me and I am Happy I Did!

Well I decided to bring my computer with me at the last minute. Boy am I ever glad I did! I wrote a bit at the airport while waiting for my plane to fly me off to D.C. Then I wrote this morning at the orthodontist's office and managed to finish a scene and start the transition onto the next scene. I was supposed to go out tonight, but that got canceled and I have my friend's house entirely to myself (not totally--a dog and 3 cats will be joining me), so I am free to fritz on the computer to my heart's content. Yay!! I am so happy I brought it with me.

I have one scene to work on and brought the hard copy with me so I could work on it. I will be finished it (I hope) by the time I return to my home on Sunday afternoon. Then I will be ready to move forward to the next scene by Monday.

Now, I am cautiously edging toward the climax of the book. And I am trying not to freak out as I have to rewrite it and make it tighter and less dark. I also have to write at least two additional scenes or rewrite some scenes in the later half of the book. Technically, I have 10,000 words to write. But it's probably more. I have cut that many from the draft and saved them in another document. They're probably useless, but one never knows. Some of them are scene skeleton stuff so not really ever intended for the "draft." But the story is coming together.

I am so anxious to get it done! And I just read another article by an author who writes 3 - 4 books a year. This is where I want to be. I don't want to be tinkering with the old books forever! I have new ideas and fun stuff to try as a writer. Plus I have grown in my craft so I need to utilize that knowledge and move forward. The ultimate for me would be to have 4th book done, revise 2nd book, sit on 3rd book and market it as well as enter it into contests. I'd like to start my 5th book as well this year. It would be so AWESOME to have 6 under my belt by 2010. But I have to be realistic. 5 might happen.

How? Book in a Week. I am taking the course for the first time and I hope to knock out a first draft by end of fourth week. I hope it works out for me. If the technique works, then I will utilize it for the series I plan to work on for the Young Adult market. Man, if I can tap into that market and hook a bunch of teen girls, I am SET!

Now to reading about writing... oh, I am so glad I brought this with me.