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 The only thing that has changed since I went from being an unpublished writer to an author with a contract is that I have real deadlines.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Published or unpublished, we all fight demons.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 Personal ones that every writer, published and unpublished, struggle with all the time.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?

College Kid's in the House: Time to Have Fun

Hey Y'all, it's Spring Break!!! I'm so excited because the CK is home for the week and we are having a blast. We're shopping, going over my website design, and generally making mischief. She's a great girl and I cherish every minute I have with her.

And she's a big part of why I have the courage to write my stories. The CK is a brave, wonderfully talented, take it on the chin and get up again kind of girl. I guess you could say she's a Spunky Kid with a big heart. The girl is on fire and I love her energy, enthusiasm for life and the world around her.

Remember that no matter how important we think our work is that cherishing our families and our friends is far more important. At the end of my days, I hope that this is the lesson that my girl carries forward.

Who do you cherish? What crazy, fun things do you do together? If there was one person you could talk to again from your world, a family member or dear friend, who would that person be? For me it would be my Oma. I miss her. She was a Spunky Kid, too!

From My Pinterest Recipe Board: Tried It & Liked It

The Physicist and I are on a "life transformation" plan. This means we're trying a lot of new recipes, eating less red meat, and exercising more. I wish I could say the pounds are sliding off, but they aren't. However, I feel so much better and part of the reason is the great new recipes I've found and tried on Pinterest.

Here's recipe I pinned on my recipe board that was wonderfully created by the Shugary Sweets blog.

Santa Fe Peppers

Ingredients

3/4 lb ground turkey breast (I used a pound and it came from the 4 pack at COSTCO--love it!)

1 1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt (optional)

I can (28 oz) Crushed Peppers

1 can (15.25 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz) sweet corn, rinsed and drained

3 cups Jasmine Rice cooked (I made 2 cups brown rice and only used 1 cup)

8 fresh Sweet Red Peppers (I had the 6 pepper multi-colored red/yellow/orange pack from COSTCO and they were awesome--had leftover stuffing)

1 cup reduced fat Colby Jack cheese (I used reduced fat Mexican blend cheese shredded)

2 green onions, sliced

Instructions/Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Wash peppers and slice the tops of each pepper, remove the seeds. Stand each pepper up next to each other in a large baking dish (13x9 if you have 8--slightly smaller if you have 6)

2. In a large skillet brown ground turkey until fully cooked, drain and return to skillet. Add cumin, salt, tomatoes, black beans and corn. Simmer about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile cook rice (I cooked mine first--it would also be a great way to use leftover rice).

4. Add cooked rice to skillet (start with a half cup and go from there--this recipe makes loads of filling) and combine completely. Remove from heat and fill each pepper with the mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for about 40-45 minutes. Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake an additional five minutes until melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onion pieces. Serve and enjoy.

Man, y'all this stuffed pepper recipe was A HUGE HIT and I absolutely will make it again. I think it is good for when company's coming and it's easy on the wallet. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it. And check out the Shugary Sweets blog for more recipes. This gal can cook!!

Oh, and after you're finished eating this yummy meal, come see me on Pinterest and check out my favorite heroes and heroines over here.

Retro Blog: Resolved to Battle the Demons of Fear and Doubt (first aired 1/9/12)

Feeling low? Been rejected again? Feel like giving up? Don't! Here's a retro blog from January 2012. I almost quit. Read and see how I conquered the Demons of Fear and Doubt to find the will to keep on trucking.


January 2012:

Usually when I say I will embrace positivity and all things light and wonderful a serious case of doubt, fear and anxiety follows. Despite knowing that the universe will challenge my resolve, I continue to state my desire to be positive and conquer the beast.

Why? Why do I risk this battle? This battle which will call into question my belief in myself and my drive and my hopes and my dreams?

I wish I had the answer, but I don't. I just know that I do enter into these battles almost as right of passage. It's as if I must call into question my resolve to succeed in order to prove to myself that I will not let the dark days kill my passion for writing and crafting books.

The Physicist has wisely learned to nod and say nothing when I wage these wars. I will be honest here: I'm not quiet about it. My CPs have learned to let me rant a bit and nod their heads then say it is the nature of the beast. My beast, my achilles heel is my impatience.

I am not patient. I like answers, results, follow through information in a timely manner. That being said, the flip side of this is that I provide all the above in a timely manner. I am fast, efficient, organized, driven, reliable, committed to giving my best. So if you hire me, you'll get a great worker. Or writer (hello? publishing world? can you hear me now?). Give me a deadline and I will meet it barring death or major catastrophe.

Trust me on this. I won't let you down.

But the writing world doesn't operate on Christine Time. It operates on a time wheel which I have yet to understand. I don't like this time wheel. It's maddening to me. And waiting. Oh, the endless waiting and waiting and waiting drives me insane.

Over the weekend--after embracing positivity--I had a huge meltdown over it. By Sunday I was ready to QUIT. Yes. QUIT. Seven plus years--four of them extremely high paced--of shooting for the stars, the moon, the sun. Countless dollars spent on conferences, contests, classes, workshops, membership dues, travel, proper clothing, paper, pens, office equipment, gas, hotels, postage. Hours upon hours slaving over stories that might never be read.

It all seemed like a grand waste of my time on Sunday. I ranted about my frustration. My beasts of fear and doubt raging through me and out of me in great bursts. I rebelled. I began shopping on-line. I went to stores and looked at pillows. I did anything BUT the writing.

The Physicist just nodded. He didn't try to fix it (good man that Physicist). The CPs just texted me with little one liners and LOLs and gentle reminders about how I can't control anything but the writing and submitting. And then I came to meet myself in the mirror of all my angst and anger and anxiety.

And I said to myself, OK, you've hit the lowest point. Now what? Well, there's nothing else for me folks.

I have to write. I can't not write. I want to win. I will find a new way to achieve my goals while continuing to work on the manuscripts. I will surround myself with positive, loving, understanding people who GET ME and MY DREAMS. I will not give up despite my weaknesses as a person and a writer.

I do embrace positivity. I also embrace the fact that sometimes I will need more than my own will to get through the dark days. I will need my friends and my support system in place.

Surround yourself with people who support you. Don't just embrace positivity. Embrace people who can be positive FOR YOU.

January 2014:

Guess what? The last three paragraphs will always be true. Never give up. Never surrender. Don't quit. Because if you do, you reject yourself!

And if I had quit? I wouldn't have had the thrill of signing my first ever publishing contract to Entangled Publishing in May 2014.

Once again because it can't be said enough:

Surround yourself with people who support you. Don't just embrace positivity. Embrace people who can be positive FOR YOU.

Happy Writing!

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?

:)

From My Pinterest Recipe Board: Tried It and Liked It

I love Pinterest. It's like scrapbooking without all the stickers and hole punches (but I still love to think about scrapbooking). My hero and heroine and romance boards give me plenty of inspiration for my stories. Sometimes when I'm stuck during a first draft issue, I go to my story boards and that helps unglue the plot mess and get me pumped to go forward.

But sometimes I just get deliciously lost in the amazing recipes that I find on Pinterest. I have a recipe board and I'm determined to make more of the recipes this year. If I try it and I like it, I'll share it with you!

Here's this month's selection from My Pinterest Recipe Board:

Roasted Garlic Lemony Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets

2 tsp. extra virgin oil (I probably used a tad more)

1 tsp. sea salt/coarse salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1 clove garlic minced

grated parmesan cheese (not the fine kind--this is a combination of two recipes so do with it what you will)

freshly squeezed lemon juice (about half to one lemon depending on how much broccoli you have)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper till coated.

3. Bake on cookie sheet (I cover mine with foil and spray with Olive Oil cooking spray first) until florets are tender enough to pierce stems with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving bowl (or not--I don't). Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli and sprinkle with parmesan) then serve.

This is really good stuff. I've made it many times for the Physicist and the College Kid. I consider this  a "Company's Coming to Dinner" dish.

Try it. You might like it.

And follow me on Pinterest to see who I think makes the perfect hero!

http://www.pinterest.com/cjglover63/

Entangled Publishing is 3: Celebrate all Month

My publisher is celebrating it's third birthday!! Happy Birthday to Entangled Publishing. And my category line, INDULGENCE is celebrating it's 3rd Birthday as well.

Join the party!

And all month long you can buy any Entangled Publishing book for .99 cents!! That's a great deal.

I'm new to the Entangled family and proud to be part of this big birthday bash.