Blithering Fool

Chatter for a Cold Winter's Day

2012-01-16T12:03:00.002-05:00

I think we finally have winter here in upstate NY. It's freezing out there! This reminds me of home. At least we have sun, so it's warming me up in my cubical. On lunch so I'm dashing this off quick.

Haven't been able to work out the last few days due to the downstairs toilet backing up and spilling carnage all over the floor and hallway carpet. I do my workouts down there, but I ain't going down there until we get the situation fixed. We're on septic and the septic system is shot, so we have to hook up to sewer.

We only got the carpet installed downstairs two years ago, but I'm thinking it might be prudent just to rip it out and put some quick and easy tile down in that small area outside of the bathroom. We'll likely have to replace the carpet in the laundry room as well, as some of that area got wet. *Sigh*

Last night we had a power outage for about an hour. My little guy was having a blast running around with the flash light. At least he was amused. Thankfully the power came back on before too long, though.

Last weekend I finished plotting out the known scenes for the current work in progress. Now I just have to sit down and finish writing the thing. Still having fun with this story. It's hard to get close to characters other than the ones in my Leah series, because I know those characters so well and it's so natural to write them. But I think it's good to do something else now and then to keep from stagnating.

I'll be ready to start the new Leah book right after this one is finished. I have some of it laid out in my head. Getting antsy to start.

If you're experiencing the same cold snap as I am, bundle up! It's going to be a long, cold winter, my friends.

The New Year is Almost Here

2011-12-27T10:17:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I started P90X2 yesterday. XCORE. Kicked my butt. Tonight is Plyocide. Bring it!

Here is a picture of the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten. Jeff had the covers of the Leah Ryan books made into posters and framed them. I've taken a photo of photos so it's not as clear as I'd like but you get the picture. No pun intended. Ha! I slay me.

I also got a kindle. I am in love.

But best of all I got to spend time with loved ones. Got a bit of reading done, and some plotting in my head. Oh, and my house is really, really clean!

I also created a new cover for Camilla and re-pubbed it under the name Tracy Sharp. I love the new cover.

So my resolutions for the new year include crushing P90X2 and finishing two books. One being the Young Adult paranormal that I have half finished.

How about you?

Christmas Wrapping

2011-12-21T10:26:00.001-05:00

Everything is nuts! But I'll leave you with my fave Christmas song!

Christmas Blither

2011-12-14T10:15:00.002-05:00

Christmas is almost upon us! Eeeeek! We finally got our tree up and decorated on Sunday. It looks lovely. It's amazing what a Christmas tree with twinkling lights and ornaments does for your holiday spirit. Got some good shopping done on Saturday but I still have some to do.

Made mini-cupcakes last Sunday too. My little guy helped me and I think got more frosting inside and on him than he did on the cupcakes he was frosting :) Such a blast, though. I'm enjoying it now because when he's sixteen I'm sure he won't want to frost mini-cupcakes with his mom, though you never know.

How about you? Are you finished your holiday shopping and decorating? Baking?

What are some of your favorite traditions?

Words of Wisdom On Being A Hack - Lilith Says It Best

2011-11-29T16:36:00.002-05:00

This is one of my all time favorite blog posts by Lilith Saintcrow. The original is here. Thought I'd share:

Good morning. I hope you’re comfortable? Good, good. Have a cuppa, settle in.

This last week I was informed that my writing advice was utter crap and nobody wanted to hear it because I am a hack.

As my friend Neutronjockey pointed out:

I believe the word “hack” is derived from the horseworld. A hack being a reliable, trustworthy, hardworking — I believe it was specifically referring to a horse used for work rather than pleasure.

While I won’t deny you pleasure-use … there is certainly nothing wrong with being a hack.

Damn skippy. There is nothing wrong with being a hack. And to that end, dear Reader, here is my Hack Manifesto.

My advice on writing is geared pretty specifically toward people who want to make a living at it. It’s also geared to people who love language and want to tell a ripping good story. It is not for Artistes or for fragile speshul flowers who want only squeeful strokes for their delicate, heart-shattering, mindstopping genius. Go read Annie Dillard or Natalie Goldberg if you want to hear how haaaaard writing is on the Delicate Flower. Here in my writing world, we work, and we work hard. We get our hands dirty. We take our goddamn rejection like adults, we buckle our belts tighter, and we get on with producing the best manuscript possible on several fronts.

That’s what being a hack is–taking pride in your craft, taking pride in producing something people can use and love. This is the heart of hackdom–creating things people can enjoy.

You can write utter crap and get away with it. But that’s not what the true hack does. Writing fiction that is supposed to show how smart you are or how you’re treading the path of High Litrachur is a fool’s game–literature disappearing up its own asshole, so to speak. The hack’s purpose is twofold:

1. To produce the best writing possible; clear, vigorous, and working prose that is easy for the reader to understand. And capable of carrying hundreds of pounds of theme, symbolism, plot, characterization, and all the workings of a good story effortlessly–WITHOUT BORING THE READER BY HOW F!CKING SMART YOU THINK YOU ARE.

This is very important. The best writing is not hard to understand. It is deceptively simple. We are in this business of writing to communicate. That’s what writing is, communication. Your communication is dead on the vine if you’re not looking to be clear and reasonably concise.

There is a fair degree of art in being reasonably concise and as clear as possible. Clarity is not just using the appropriate word–it is using the appropriate sentence length, giving enough detail to build the scene but not enough detail to choke the unwary reader in a morass, pacing appropriately, and pruning away all that lovely writing you’ve perpetrated without a clear idea of what it’s for.

There’s another aspect to this: consistently producing what a reader will enjoy reading. Now, I’m not saying you have to stick to hackneyed trends because that’s what Everyone Else Who Has Succeeded In The Genre has done. I’m saying you need to understand why a genre is the way it is, why myths and fairytales work, the rules of the form you’re working in. You have to know HOW the engine works before you can go tinkering with it to make it work better. You can’t just slap crap on the page and expect people to worship you. If your business is to tell stories, you need to know how stories work so you can pick the appropriate parts to jam in their engines to make them run without sticking and backfiring.

2. The second purpose of the hack is to have fun.

Yes. Fun.

Look, if you’re not enjoying writing, or not enjoying WHAT you write, what the hell are you going to do it for? This is not a line of work where it’s possible to dink around and make a living. Precious few writers, even hacks, do this for the money. IF you want to make a living doing this, you MUST enjoy some part of it or you’re going to end up with a serious ulcer and bitter, bitter nastiness in your soul.

Plus, there is that indefinable quality of joy in some work. If I’m not having fun on the page, how the hell can I expect the Reader to? And I don’t just mean the shallow fun of explosions and titties, nice as those are. I mean the soul-deep joy of creating something that’s as good as I can make it. I mean a ripping good yarn, a story that the Reader gets emotionally involved in. I don’t care if the Reader laughs OR cries OR gets angry OR suffers with the characters OR gets angry at the characters. I’ll take ANY of those, or ANY other strong emotional reaction. If the Reader has that emotional reaction, that kick from the story, I have done my job and created something useful.

That, my dears, is my idea of FUN.

The hack understands that people are not going to consistently fork over their hard-earned cash to read mental wanking that doesn’t work for them. The hack wants to create something people will use. If it’s a romance novel that makes a Reader sigh, if it’s a Western that makes a young girl smell gunsmoke, if it’s a doorstop of fantasy that makes a fanboi happy inside, if it’s a novelization that draws a Reader back into the world of a movie or a telly series they loved so much–all of these are noble, worthy pursuits. These are things worth doing well for the Reader’s sake. Without the Reader, a writer is just shouting into the wind–and while a certain degree of shouting into the wind is good exercise, there comes a point (sooner than you think) when that shouting is just sound and fury signifying nothing but an overblown ego.

Part of being a hack is being professional. A hack comes in on or under deadline, understands that an editor really just wants to make a story better, knows that critical reviews (even the ones that are just sour grapes from a jackass who chooses to review instead of writing his* own crud) are valuable in their own way, and is constantly looking to make their work better. A hack understands the fine balance between obeying the conventions of a genre and slipping a hand under genre’s skirt to tweak ever so gently at those conventions–all to provide an enjoyable experience. (*snickers gently*)

A hack can engage in stunt-writing, as long as s/he has a clear idea of why/how to break the rules. But a hack will not expect others to bow down to their Deathless Genius. A hack takes pride in the work. A hack does not take pride in the size and firm plumpness of his or her ego.

And here’s another statement some people are going to take issue with. I firmly believe that each and every artist who deserves the name is a hack. An artist has a hack’s work ethic and a hack’s understanding of the form they’re working in. Those without the work ethic, those who do not expend the effort, are artistes, dabblers, dilettantes.

There is nothing wrong with artistes, dabblers, and dilettantes. They’re just fine, they’re okay, and there is nothing pejorative in those terms as far as I’m concerned. I simply save my admiration for the hacks because I understand how hard they work. And I am proud to be called a hack–the same way I’m proud to be called a bitch. A bitch works hard and takes no crap from anyone, is assertive, and has self-esteem. So does a hack. (Which, tongue-in-cheek, beggars the question of whether I’m a bitch hack. *snerk*)

Dickens was a hack. So was Dumas. So was Shakespeare–his funky butt got PAID for the work he produced, and he understood WHY the plays worked. (He still gave off some stinkers, but given the political climate he was working in, no wonder.) Zane Grey is just as valid as Jane Smiley, and I think they’re both hacks because they both figured out something that worked and kept/keep refining, reinventing, and and making it work still further. Louis L’Amour? Edgar Rice Burroughs? Alice Hoffman? Edgar Allen Poe? Barbara Kingsolver? Anthony Trollope? Jack Kerouac (even in his more nutty stimulant-laced moments)? Stephen King? Others too numerous to list?

Hacks. Proud hacks. Hacks I’m proud to read. The quirk that considers some of them “fine litrachur” and others “damn hackdom” is merely an accident of media taste. Or the taste of some hoity-toity reviewers.

So. Yes, I’m a hack. A hack is dependable, responsible, faithful, hardworking. A hack is in love with language and determined to produce the best story they can. A hack is enjoying herself to the hilt while churning out good prose. So, goddamn hell yeah, I’m a hack.

And I really would not want it any other way. Now excuse me. I’ve got writing to do. Tune in next week for my rant about how genre is just as good as highfalutin’ litrachur. I expect to wax just as rhapsodically bitchy about THAT, too…

Funny Bumper Sticker Quotes

2011-11-25T10:29:00.004-05:00

- Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult
- Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.
- Condoms are easier to change than diapers!
- BOMB SQUAD: If you see me running you better catch up!
- Blondes Tease....Brunettes Please....
- Boys Lie!
- Ax Me About Ebonics
- Be nice society already sucks.
- According to my best recollection, I don't remember.
- Abandon the search for Truth; settle for a good fantasy.
- Adults are just kids with money.
- Adrenalin is my drug of choice.
- According to my calculations, the problem doesn't exist.
- Air Pollution Is A Mist-Demeaner
- They didn't let me out, they just gave me a day pass!
- IF THIS STICKER IS GETTING SMALLER, THE LIGHT IS PROBABLY GREEN
- Friends help you move; real friends help you move the body.
- We're not old people we're recycled teenagers!
- A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory.
- A clean car is a sign if sick mind.
- Very funny Scotty; now beam down my clothes
- He who laughs last thinks slowest.
- 3 kinds of people: Those who can count and those who can't.
- A day without sunshine is like, night.
- BAD COP! - NO DONUT!!!
- Could You Drive Any Better If I Shoved That Cell Phone Up Your Ass?
- Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation.
- Keep honking, I am reloading!
- You’re Just Jealous Because The Voices Only Speak To Me
- You Have The Right To Remain Silent. Anything You Say Will Be Misquoted And Used Against You
- You know your getting older when Happy Hour is a nap.
- Your Child May Be An Honor Student, But You’re Still An Asshole
- WHAT WOULD SCOOBY DO!
- This Would Be Really Funny If It Weren't Happening To Me
- Unless You're A Hemorrhoid, STAY OFF MY ASS!
- When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like Grandpa. Not Screaming And Yelling Like The Passengers In His Car

Warning to Newbie Writers

2011-11-18T13:34:00.002-05:00

Joe Konrath posted this on his blog yesterday. If you're a newbie writer and are considering taking Penguin up on this offer. Don't. Please don't do it. This is a complete rip-off.

Penguin charging $549.00 to format your ebook and upload it to retailers is insane. They say you can format your own ebook and they'll upload it to retailers for $299.00. This is also a rip off. But that's not even the end of this scam. They want 30% royalties after you've paid them to do something you can learn to do on your own.

Joe has a list of people in his blog entry who you can hire to format, edit and do cover art for you. They are much more reasonable than Penguin is, and they won't take a cut in your royalties.

This is highway robbery in my view. Penguin is playing on the desperation of writers who want so badly to be published, they are willing to pay large amounts of money to have a BIG publisher upload it to retailers for them.

Please don't do it.

Friday Fly-by

2011-11-04T12:58:00.002-04:00

Wow. November. Can you believe it? Totally snuck up on me. This year, though, I'm starting holiday shopping early. I've already gotten my little guy several of the Cars Series cars and a Thomas the Train set with a track and train station included. If I get shopping done a little at a time it won't be so stressful.

The writing on the current work in progress has been strange. I get sleepy after writing one scene. I hope this has more to do with the emotional impact the writing has on me and not a reflection of my writing itself ;)

It has been slower going, because I'm mostly writing on the weekends only. But what I am writing I'm happy with. Another character has introduced himself to me. Interesting fella. A teenager with green spiked out hair. He has a very intriguing and dangerous ability, as well, which delighted me when he revealed it to me. Pretty cool.

Has anyone been watching American Horror Story? Wow. Very creepy and very cool. I'm liking it.

Okay, back to work for me.

Creepy Little Girl

2011-10-28T09:55:00.001-04:00

The Untitled Blog Entry

2011-10-24T11:15:00.003-04:00

The last week hasn't been awesome in terms of writing, but yesterday I had a great parking lot session. I got 4 pages, which doesn't sound like a lot, but actually isn't bad. It was funny because my brain was fuzzy from trying to fight off some virus that left me with a sore throat and no energy, and I really didn't think I had ANY pages in me, but I just placed my fingers on the keyboard and wrote one sentence, which lead to another and another. Before I knew it I had a 4 page scene.

Love when that happens.

But it's one of those scenes that I'm not completely certain I'll keep all of. I may need to cut it down. The scene invovles a minor character's back story, so I'm not sure if I need all of it, even though I love all of it.

Sadly, sometimes you have to take Stephen King's advice and murder your darlings.

We'll see what happens.

Watched Joyride yesterday, which is a great spooky movie. Love it. Hadn't seen it in years so I really enjoyed it. Love the month of October for all kinds of reasons, one of them being the creepy movies. Sadly, I fell asleep on the couch during A Haunting in Connecticut last night. That's a good one too.

And The Messengers, if you haven't seen it.

One of the creepiest things I've seen in the last two weeks is all the Christmas decorations up in the stores already. I mean, fully decorated, lit Christmas trees. I mean, come on! We haven't even had Halloween yet! Right? Am I right?

Or am I just a grinch?

Spooky Retro Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

2011-10-20T11:30:00.000-04:00

Stolen Cookies and Dead People

2011-10-17T12:43:00.003-04:00

How many of you watched The Walking Dead last night? Oh. My. God. That episode had me on the edge of my seat the entire hour and a half. There was one scene that I found so frightening that I actually had to turn away. Masters of suspense. Unbelievable. I think what is so scary about this series is the fear of what might happen, because they established very early on how dangerous the walkers are to the living.

At one point during the show we heard some movement in the kitchen. Something moved the cookie sheet I had laying on the stove. Jeff gets up and stands in the doorway between the kitchen and livingroom and flicks on the kitchen light. I watch his eyes scan around, then move back to a spot on the stove. Then he starts chuckling and shakes his head.

He says that just the eyes and ears of the mouse could be seen peeking out above one of the burners, just behind the cookie sheet. The mouse took off pretty quick, down into the burner, so he must have a hidey-hole in there.

My little guy and I baked cookies earlier in the day. Those cute pre-cut halloween shapes? Yeah. Apparently Mickey or Minnie likes them too. There was a cookie lying on the burner, which he'd gone and stolen from a container (covered in Suran Wrap which was barely disturbed) on the counter next to the stove.

Strong little bugger. Brave, too. But I guess you don't get anything if you don't take risks, right? He failed this time around, but I know that he's robbed us of food before. Important lesson from the little free-loader.

Don't Give Up!!

Got about 9 pages done this weekend. The story is moving along nicely, and surprising me each time I write a scene. The characters are really coming into their own. Each time I don't feel like writing, or I feel pissy because book sales bite the fat one, I'll think of Mickey/Minnie!

Ramblings

2011-10-12T17:10:00.003-04:00

Good parking lot sessions this morning and at lunch. I'm just beginning the second act of the book. So far I'm still interested which is good. I didn't know if I'd like this character enough to stick with her, but she's become pretty interesting to me and there's more to her than meets the eye.

Back into P90X. Not every single day but if I can get 4 work outs in a week I'll be good. Did Shoulders, Arms, triceps and ab ripper last night. The only really bad thing is that I don't have much time with my little guy, as I work a full-time day job, so when he decides to hang with me and play with his cars and trucks while I work out, it's good. Tricky getting dinner and his bath in though. And my shower, since I'm sweating like crazy after a work out.

The Walking Dead starts up again on Sunday night! Woohoo! I'll be watching it on demand the next night or the next after that. I can't keep my eyes open much after ten o'clock, and it's at ten p.m Eastern time. But I can wait :)

Looks like rain out there. *Sigh* It's been so beautiful lately. Like summer, really. Won't be long before we have snow. Would you believe that Walmart has Christmas trees up already? With lights and everything. I mean, really?

Sheesh!

Ick

2011-10-05T11:56:00.002-04:00

So I come into work on Monday morning and there's a horrible smell, and it's been raining like hell so I'm thinking we have a mold problem. But soon I discover that the smell is strongest right around my desk, so I'm wondering if it's food that I've forgotten about in a drawer or something. I'm looking in my drawers and all around, and the more I breathe the more I'm thinking it smells like something dead.

Finally, I look under my desk to see a huge dead mouse decomposing in a trap.

Disgusting!

Ugh!

So that's my story of finding a dead body this week. It wasn't pleasant. Still I feel sad for the little guy. He was just trying to grab some grub. He can't exactly drive up to the nearest drive-thru and order up some fast food.

Though fast food might've been a more terrible death for him. That stuff is toxic.

Anyway, I'm really hoping I don't find any more of these furry little critters.

Dark Vengeance

2011-10-03T10:02:00.003-04:00

Jeff Mariotte's Dark Vengeance is released tomorrow! Here's the blurb:

When a gorgeous stranger seeks refuge at Kerry's summer-share house, she knows her life is about to change. Daniel Blessing is mysterious and charismatic—and on the run from a powerful witch named Season. Kerry and her friends don't believe in witches and spells, but Kerry can't help believing Daniel…and falling for him.

But falling for Daniel pulls her into a feud his family has been waging for generations. A dark feud of passion, magic, and revenge. Which means all of their lives are in serious danger. Because now Season wants Kerry and her friends dead, too.

Nice and creepy for the month of October! Muhahahahaha!

Friday Stuff

2011-09-30T10:08:00.002-04:00

My week ends on an excellent note, with some really nice reviews!

A Five star review from Kel Loves Books on Goodreads here. Five star reviews of all three Leah books and my novella Camilla by Katy Sozaeva here. And a nice review by Margaret on Goodreads here.

While I know that there are bound to be people who don't enjoy the books, I'm letting myself feel ecstatic today :)

Knowing that there are people who do enjoy the books makes me want to write more stories, and gives me the momentum to continue with the one I'm working on now. So thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have taken the time to read the books, and to those who also take the time to write your thoughts down in a review. I very much appreciate it.

In return, I promise to write my ass off and work to create excellent stories :)

Autumn Approaching

2011-09-28T10:50:00.002-04:00

I've been pretty quiet lately. Lots of stuff going on. I can't believe that it's already the end of Sept. That blows my mind.

Been doing well with the parking lot sessions in the a.m. As it gets colder around here, I'll have to figure something out. It isn't as easy to type with gloves on. But I really do well with the net book on my lap, with my truck around me. I guess I feel like I'm in my own little safe pod, and no one bothers me.

Bought some cute hanging tinsel goes and pumpkins for the tree in our front yard. I'm a sucker for the Halloween stuff. If I'm not careful I could very easily turn into one of those people who goes all out, totally tricking out their yards and houses. There was a lady down our street who did that every year, and I loved it. Sadly though, she's moved :(

Another sign of autumn and cold weather approaching is that the mice have moved in. I was sitting on the couch, leaning against one end with my knees up as I usually do when movement on the carpet caught my eye. A little mouse sat there twitching it's tail and looking at me. When I tilted my head to get a better look he took off into the kitchen, and I haven't seen him since.

I hate to kill mice. They are very cute and I've rescued mice from my cats before. But they poop on the counter and in my coffee mugs, and that just ain't cool. We've tried setting live traps, but they just grab the food and take off. Smart little buggers. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Not Good.

2011-09-26T09:44:00.002-04:00

Hmmm. I made the mistake of trying the new interface on blogspot and it's screwed up all my photos. Not a good scene. It'll take some time to fix it, me thinks.

Friday Ramble

2011-09-23T14:02:00.002-04:00

I had a great time with Joann Hamann-Buchanan yesterday on her radio show, The Eclectic Artist Cave. She is so much fun! Once I get the link to the podcast I'll post it here.

Some happy news, all three Leah Ryan books are ranking in the top 10% in the Amazon kindle store as of an hour ago! Woohoo! That's sweet!

It's Friday! Halloween is around the corner. I'm looking for spooky reads, which I love. I'll be picking up a copy of Jo's Souless Light, which has gotten fantastic reviews! Pick up a copy!

Back to work with me!

Props from Not the Baseball Pitcher!

2011-09-17T11:08:00.002-04:00

This over at Not the Baseball Pitcher

Repo Chick Blues – Tracy Sharp

I first became aware of this writer and her Leah Ryan mysteries in a dual interview, alternating back and forth on Jeff and Tracy’s blogs. The first part has a nice book trailer that spells Leah Ryan out nicely. It was fascinating reading the back and forth between the two. Long familiar with Mariotte’s work, it introduced me to a new writer I find extremely refreshing. She writes well and her character of Leah Ryan looks very promising.

Leah Ryan is a reformed car thief working construction these days to pay past due lawyer fees for her brother Jesse. The two of them are all the family they have and he’s in prison for computer hacking, due to get out in a few weeks. She runs into trouble when her jeep gets repossessed, which gets her fired from her job because she can’t get there.

Desperate, she asks the man who repossessed her jeep, Callahan Parker, for a job(which took balls, speaking in a metaphoric manner). Hesitant, he agrees and she finds her car thief skills, though maybe a bit rusty, come in handy. She also makes a terrible enemy on her first day on the job, Brent Woodard, when they repossess his car. The man swears revenge, just as Leah vows to stop him when they learn he also smuggles young oriental women into the country for a life of prostitution.

That posture, as she begins to pick at the man, puts her life, and everyone around her, in jeopardy. Jesse disappears the day after getting out of prison

Leah calls on Callahan and some friends from her juvenile detention days for help.

Leah Ryan is an appealing heroine, she and her devoted mastiff, Buddie. Skilled in self-defense skills, and working the weights regularly, she also knows guns and knives. This is a nice set-up for the series(two more are available now). I have them all and will get to them soon.

Highly recommended.

One final word. Both the author, Tracy Sharp at Blithering Fool, and the publisher, Justin James at Dare Empire eMedia Productions are good people. I bought this book from Amazon and couldn’t get it to load into my Kindle app. The Kindle people couldn’t get it to work either, so I asked for a refund, explaining to Tracy sharp on her blog that I’d had problems, sorry. It wasn’t long before she sent me an email apologizing and had copies of two of the Ryan books attached. A day later I got an email from Justin James of a similar note. I certainly appreciated that and bought the third book(no problems loading that one) immediately. They have some interesting stuff over ther andit looks like I’ll be picking up more ebboks from them.

Thanks so much, Mr. Johnson. I so appreciate your taking the time to read the book and to post your lovely review. So much appreciated.

Last Installment of Jeff Mariotte/Tracy Sharp Interview

2011-09-05T11:16:00.007-04:00

TS: Are you a pantser or plotter?

JM: I have worked both ways, but I prefer to have a good solid outline in hand before I start writing. I don't see it as limiting, as some people do, or as stifling creativity--I wrote the thing, after all, which means I've already been putting creativity into it. I see it as a road map for a trip, Along the way, I might see an area I want to explore that's not on the map. I can go explore it, with the security of knowing that I have the map, so ultimately know where I'm going and won't get myself lost.

I know you work where and when you have a chance--parking lot writing sessions, I think you called some of them. How do you manage that, physically? Laptop? Notebook? What do you need to have with you when you write?

TS: Parking lot sessions occur early in the morning on weekends and after I drop my little guy off on week days. When you have a small child it's impossible to write when they are awake, and since I'm pretty much shot at night after I put him down to bed, I need to write when my mind is fresh. All I need is my laptop or netbook and a shady area to park in. Lately I've been using the netbook more often. It's just really easy to drag around. Writing in my truck is great because I really don't hear much going on around me, and I write best when it's really quiet. The winter months are more challenging. It's too cold to write in the truck, so I have to set my alarm and get up an hour earlier. Five a.m sessions are nice, once I wake up. The waking up part is tough.

Which was the easiest book to write and which was the most difficult?

JM: Easiest is a tough call. In some ways, The Devil's Bait was easier than many, because of a stylistic decision I made early on. It required a lot of research into some areas that were foreign to me--the ins and outs of the big banks, money laundering and how law enforcement deals with it, etc.--but I wanted to write it in a leaner, more rapid-fire fashion than usual. The paragraphs are short, the chapters are short, there's still a reasonable amount of description but less than I typically use. Once I was in that rhythm, the pages came fast.

Every book is difficult in its own way. My nonfiction book Criminal Minds: Sociopaths, Serial Killers & Other Deviants, which is a nonfiction account of every criminal mentioned on, or who inspired, the episodes of that TV shows first five seasons, was hard because of the sheer amount of research involved, and because of the subject matter--I was up to my neck in information about truly horrible people and the truly awful things they have done. It was a bit of a downer, you might say. But the book came out pretty well, and I think it's actually a good reference for writers, because it covers a lot of criminals, and police procedure, the real work of criminal profiling, etc.

Are your first drafts over-stuffed, or too slender, or just right? In other words, is your editing/revising process mostly about getting rid of excess or filling in the gaps?

TS: When I'm writing the first draft I always think it's too slender, but when I read through it after I reach the end, it's actually pretty close. I do some layering in during later drafts, but the initial draft is where all the good stuff comes from. When I write, I spill some of my own blood on the page, and so it's exhausting but cathartic. I write about things that piss me off. Things that I don't understand. Something really needs to set a fire under my ass for me to stick with it. Each one of the Leah books deals with something I find horrific and unfathomable. The writing is my way of trying to process terrible things I have trouble wrapping my mind around.

I'm very aware when I begin a scene what the purpose of it is. So I don't tend to write blindly and then have to cut a ton later. Every scene has a roll in moving the story forward and revealing something about character. So other than layering in some descriptive stuff and fleshing out scenes here and there, the drafts are pretty close.

Strangely, though, the original idea I have in my head is never what the book turns out to be. The story always turns into so much more. It's always like an unruly octopus that keeps sprouting arms.

I want to thank you, Jeff for being so kind and for coming up with this unique and fun idea. I've had a blast doing the dual interview with you. I'm also really glad that you responded to me because I now have another fantastic writer to follow, and I'm thrilled that I have not only your new stuff but your backlist to read.

You've been a joy to work with.

Anyone who hasn't read Jeff needs to. You are cheating yourself out of reading skillfully written, totally addictive edge of your seat stories. Pick up a couple of Jeff's books now!

Great thanks are due to Tracy for responding to this crazy idea with enthusiasm and attacking it with gusto. She's a fine writer with a few terrific books available now and many more to come in the future. If you're not reading her, you might want to get on the bandwagon before she's so popular that you won't be one of the cool kids.

J.S As for me, I've been doing this a while and have a pretty hefty backlist. But for the moment, since these blog posts are all about pushing the traditional envelope, I'd like to call your attention to my newest endeavor. After a long career publishing books mostly through the big traditional houses, I've started releasing some of my work in e-book form.

One of these, horror novel , The Slab, is a reprint of a small press publication from a few years ago. It's been very nicely reviewed, and if you like intelligent, suspenseful terror, you might find it worth a look. Nine Frights is a brand new collection of short horror fiction, some of which has been previously published, some of which is original to this collection.

And The Devil's Bait is a taut, suspenseful thriller about a decent woman who finds herself in a precarious situation, a jaded, mostly over-the-hill mercenary who is looking for a little late-in-life redemption, and a big bad bank. I hope you'll check them out.

Dual Interview Between Jeff Mariotte and Myself Continued

2011-09-04T08:16:00.010-04:00

Jeff's Dark Vengeance coming out next month! I love this cover.

Interview continued from Jeff’s blog . . .

JM: What work, by somebody else, do you wish you had written?

TS: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane. Also, I loved Silent Joe by T. Jefferson Parker, though recently I read his L.A Outlaws and that is an incredible story. When I read those two writers, I'm seriously awed. They are just so phenomenal.

Writers often have other passions and talents. What, other than writing, are yours?

JM: I often manage to fit my passions into the books. I'm interested in deserts and the border and politics and western history, for instance, and those are often the topics I write about. I enjoy photography, and some of the photography I do is when I'm researching settings for the books. I also have a quibble with the typical advice "Write what you know." To me, it makes more sense to say, "Write what you want to know," because then the research is fun and interesting, and consequently the book will likely be more interesting. I like music (as a listener, not a performer), and again, I try to work that into the books--what music a character listens to, and how he or she listens, says a lot about that character's personality.

Do you know what the end of Leah's story is going to be yet? I'm not asking you to reveal it, just wondering if you've thought that far out.

TS: I actually haven't thought that far. I've never even known the ending of any of the Leah books until I've gotten there. She keeps me guessing, and that's part of the fun for me. I can plot out all I like, but she rarely listens. She pretty much does what she likes.

Favorite character from a book or movie and why?

JM: Yeesh! There are so many great ones. Dave Robicheaux from the James Lee Burke books, Spenser and Hawk from Bob Parker's, Laura Cardinal from J. Carson Black's, Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, Charlie Parker, Tess Monaghan... and that's just from mysteries and thrillers, and off the top of my head. If you add in movies, too, the list grows and grows. Indiana Jones? The Sundance Kid? Holly Golightly (okay, from a book first, but Audrey Hepburn really brings her to life)? You didn't mention TV shows, which would add a whole other level, with folks like Vic Mackey from The Shield and Omar Little from The Wire...

I guess if I can only pick one, I'll go with Atticus Finch, from the book AND movie To Kill a Mockingbird. He's smart, he's learned, he's a great dad. He also has a social conscience and the guts to put everything on the line when it counts. And he has a steady shootin' hand. What more do you need?

That was a hard one, so I'll throw you a twist on it: Who's your favorite character to write, and why?

For the answer to that one, you’ll have to check Jeff’s blog!

Nine Frights

The Slab

The Devil's Bait

Dual Author Interview with Jeff Mariotte

2011-09-01T10:42:00.015-04:00

his is the second part to the dual author interview between Jeff and I, the first part of which is here.
Jeff very graciously responded to a post I did on Network Your Blog asking other authors if they wanted to exchange book covers and purchase links.

Jeff replied with the extremely cool idea of a dual blog interview which would go on for many days, alternating days and blogs. He was also the only one who responded. So he took pity on me. I'm very excited because his idea is far better than anything I've come up with so far. He's also an excellent, sharp as hell writer who you should NOT miss.

So here is the second part of the interview! Enjoy!

JM: What was the first thing you wrote (after childhood) that you showed to somebody else, with the idea that you might want to be a writer?

TS: It was a spooky little ghost story about a little girl who drowned in the tub because her alcoholic mother neglected her. She haunted the new family who moved into the house. My friends loved it because it scared the hell out of them and I got a charge out of scaring the hell out of them. Scaring your friends is fun. But I tend to have that effect on people anyway :)

I always wonder this about writers. What was your most frightening moment?

JM: It probably helps for a horror writer to have known fear from time to time. Of course, every parent knows plenty of fear, every time something bad happens (or might happen) to one of the kids. But I'll say my most extended fright was when my family moved to Germany, during the summer before my senior year of high school. We stayed in a hotel for a while, then rented a house in town. The house didn't have enough bedrooms for me to have my own, so I was intended to sleep in the basement.

That first night, I hardly slept a wink (and we had been in the country for weeks, so it wasn't the novelty, or jet lag, or anything like that). It was a vibe that the basement held--no specific incident or vision or anything. It just felt wrong. Bad. Creepy.

After that first night, I never slept down there again, and rarely went down at all. I just plain didn't like the place. The extent to which I didn't like it is demonstrated by the fact that I, a high school senior, preferred sleeping in the living room, with no privacy and a couch that wasn't quite long enough, to having all the privacy I would have wanted down in that basement.
Years later, I learned that in that small German city, there had only been one murder in the last hundred years or so. Guess where it happened.

That's right. The basement.

Your turn...

What's the hardest aspect of writing, to you--the part that, if you didn't have to deal with it, you'd be much, much happier? And how do you manage it?

TS: The hardest aspect of writing for me is to keep chipping away at the story when it's like pulling teeth. When the characters aren't talking to me and I have nothing new to say, those are the days when it's the hardest. I'd be thrilled if it were always like flying. When the story is coming to me so fast and furious that I can't type quickly enough, and the hours fly by.

That rush you get when everything comes together. The moment you realize why you planted that tiny, insignificant thing way back in the beginning of the story that has become so important near the end. That line that you almost cut a bunch of times but left for no other reason than that you had a niggling in the back of your mind that you needed to keep it, and you were right. Moments like that make it all worth the pain of the inevitable trudge uphill.

Craziest thing you've ever done?

JM: That's a tough one. I've probably done plenty of things that various people would consider crazy, but it always seemed like a good idea at the time. Twice, I've left jobs to take different jobs that paid considerably less, but in both cases it was to get me closer to where I wanted to be, career-wise, which was sitting at my own desk writing books. So the craziness of those decisions is probably open to debate. I would probably have to say jumping out of a second floor hotel window, in Switzerland.

It wasn't to escape a jealous husband, or anything like that--it was, in fact, to go down to the lake and take pictures at sunrise. I woke up early and went downstairs, but the hotel's front door was locked, and there was no one at the desk (this was not one of your big chain hotels, just a little, locally owned place). I guess they have different fire safety laws in Switzerland than they do here. Anyway, I was up and wanted to be outside, so I went back up to the second floor. There was a window in the hallway, so I opened it, climbed out, dangled and dropped.

I wanted to protect my camera bag, containing what is still the best camera I've ever owned, a Minolta SRT-101 SLR, so landed on my feet and apparently took too much weight on my heel. It kind of hurt, but I walked down to the lake, which was socked in with fog and totally not photographable. I went back up the hill, found that the hotel door had been unlocked in the meantime, and crashed for another hour or so. When I got up again, I couldn't put any weight on that foot, and found out that I had broken the heel. So, not such a good idea.

How did you find the publisher for Repo Chick Blues?

TS: Originally Repo Chick Blues was published by Liquid Silver Books in 2004. I'd gotten several bites from agents who decided to pass in the end. I sent the book to LSB and got a response about a week later. They loved the story and if I added five sex scenes they'd publish it. I thought, what the hell? I added the sex scenes, then wrote Finding Chloe, which was published by LSB as well.

I decided to shop Dirty Business, the third in the Leah Ryan series, to a different publisher. Dare Empire Emedia Productions took it on within a week of my sending it to them. They asked for the first two books, re-released those, and Dirty Business will be released August 31st.

Your turn.

Let's see. . . craziest thing you haven't done but want to do?

To see Jeff's answer, visit Jeff's blog!

Check out some of Jeff's books here:

Nine Frights

The Slab

The Devil's Bait

Dirty Business Out Today!

2011-08-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

My first ever book trailer! Taglines courtesy of the talented Jeff Mariotte

The Storm is Comin'

2011-08-26T10:49:00.003-04:00

Woohoo! Going to see Don't Be Afraid of the Dark with the girls tomorrow! I'm STOKED! I can't wait! I LOVE scary movies, and this one looks really creepy, eerie and spooky. Awesome!

Gorgeous day out there. At least I have a window at work I can gaze out of :)

Plyometrics kicked my butt night before last. Paying now for taking some time off when the heat and humidity were ferocious here in Upstate NY.

Had one good parking lot writing session this week. Not great but I'll get my momentum back. Mind over matter. Hectic lately. Makes it harder to squeeze everything I need to do in. But I'm plotting the story in my mind. This is good.

Yikes. Everyone who is in the path of this storm, please take care. These things are devastating.

Author Interview and Giveaway!

2011-08-24T19:44:00.006-04:00

I'm being interviewed over at Book & Dimension, and we're giving away a copy of Repo Chick Blues!

Come see us!

Repo Chick Blues Winner!

2011-08-19T16:10:00.000-04:00

Cassandra! Thanks for commenting!

Giveaways!!

2011-08-17T14:35:00.006-04:00

I'm giving away 2 books today. One ecopy of Repo Chick Blues and one copy of a novella I wrote under the pen name TJ Element. Why the new name? Because it's a different genre than I usually write in.

For the copy of Repo Chick Blues, just comment and I'll use a random name selector and announce the winner on Friday a.m :)

For the novella, go to Camilla and enter the coupon code TY85N

The code is good until Friday :)

Conversation Snippet

2011-08-17T09:51:00.003-04:00

A co-worker and I were having a rather morbid conversation yesterday about wakes. She mentioned that a friend had passed away a few months ago, at only 27 years old. We'll use the name Bill for the purpose of this blog:

Kara: "People don't look the same at all when they're lying in a casket. Bill looked completely different."

Me: "Oh, I know. People always say, "Oh, he looks so peaceful. Just like he's asleep. No. People don't look asleep. They look dead."

Kara: "Right? And they did his hair all wrong. They parted it on the side. He never parted his hair on the side. And he was all clean cut and clean shaven. He was never clean cut and clean shaven. He just looked ridiculous!"

By this point I'm laughing so hard I'm almost choking.

Kara: "I'm serious! Somebody should've reached in there and messed his hair up a little bit. Or put a Red Sox cap on his head. Something."

But she has a point. I do my make-up and hair a certain way every day. I wouldn't want somebody to do it wrong and then everyone looking in on me like that.

Neither would Kara. We find this all very disturbing.

Friday!

2011-08-12T14:21:00.002-04:00

Friday. Wow. The weeks fly by so quick I can't even keep track. It's a gorgeous day here in Upstate NY. No humidity. Sunny. Mid-seventies. I wish it could be like this forever.

I've been dreaming about editing and formatting manuscripts. Obsessed? Yes. This always happens to me. When I'm deep into a project I tend to not want to let them go and no matter what, some part of me is still attached to it some how. I could actually see the words on my laptop screen. So realistic.

Have you all heard of Amazon's new Booklending program? Excellent idea! Fantastic! If you haven't, go check it out! No pun intended :/

Great source for getting books and also a wonderful resource for those wanting to post reviews :)

Tues Fly-By

2011-08-09T16:26:00.002-04:00

Working on a secret project that I'm really excited about. Just in the outlining stages right now so it'll take some time but I plan to really begin after I finish Vault, my YA paranormal. We'll see how it turns out.

Managed to bang out 4 pages today. 2 during half hour parking lot morning session and 2 during half hour lunch. Training the muse to show up when I do. So far so good.

Finding that I'm happiest when working on something. This isn't news to me, but sometimes I forget it. When I'm not working on a writing project I tend to get cranky and a little down. So I need to keep at it.

P90X. I'm woefully behind. I'm going to start all over from scratch in a week or so, when this cold is completely gone.

Back to work before I get canned! Sssshhhh!

Summer Cold and Writin' Stuff

2011-08-08T11:37:00.002-04:00

*Sniffle* *Cough* Don't you just love summer colds? My little guy is getting over one, and usually I can avoid them, but not this time. *Sigh* Ah well.

Having fun with the current work in progress. Have decided to self-pub this one, and a novella I wrote three years ago. I'm finding that the story is flowing much better not worrying about what a publisher is going to think. I can think of writing the best story I can write without those boundaries. It's so liberating.

Writing in a different genre, one I've never written in before (Paranormal Young Adult Mystery, yeah, it's a mishmash)is turning out to be a lot of fun, too. I have to write before work and on my half hour lunch but I get two pages done each session and it works.

Knowing that I don't have a lot of time helps me to just get down and write. I don't have time to ruminate or whine. This seems to work for me. Most of Dirty Business was written during Nano two Novembers ago. Just pushing through and blocking out all the self-doubt and inner talk really worked well for me. So I'm kind of doing the same thing here.

If you just shut up and write, you allow your characters to talk to you because you're not blocking them or drowning them out with your own inner dialogue. Worries and self-doubt or creativity killers for me. I'm learning to block it out because I just don't have time for it.

Early in the morning the parking lot sessions are good because it's not too hot to work yet. Autumn is good for outdoor car sessions too. But come winter, I'll have to figure something out. My little guy doesn't nap much for me anymore. So I have to make time while I'm out of the house.

Aside from working the day job, spending a lot of time staring into space trying to clear my cottony feeling mind.

Not workin' so hot today.

Finding Chloe Release Day!

2011-08-05T09:56:00.002-04:00

Release day!

Blurb:

An exotic dancer vanishes from the underbelly of the city. Repo agent and reformed car thief Leah Ryan has a knack for rescue, and she's a sucker for a lost cause. Unable to turn away from helping find a stripper whose disappearance many are indifferent to, Leah soon discovers that there are those who would keep Chloe Nolan from being found, and that there is far more to her disappearance than meets the eye.

Leah and her friend Jackson Quick soon find themselves in a deadly game of obsession and corruption, where the line between innocence and guilt is blurred, and where nothing is as it seems. Added to the chaos is a hot ex-boyfriend and a steamy reporter, neither of whom Leah can't seem to get enough of.

L.A Banks

2011-08-04T10:07:00.002-04:00

L.A Banks passed away yesterday morning. She was very ill, having fought a brave battle with adrenal cancer. She was an amazingly talented writer, who wrote in many different genres. She was a lady who held herself with poise and grace, and brought joy to her many fans and I'm sure to all who knew her.

It's a very sad day for me.

Thurs, thurs . . .

2011-07-28T11:16:00.002-04:00

Another good parking lot writing session this morning. I need to try and get out there earlier though. At this rate I'm only writing two pages a morning. Really enjoying writing this book. It's the first Young Adult book I've written, and it's going really well. *Knock on wood*. I don't actually have any real wood around me at the moment so a generic counter desk top will have to do. Writing this blog post from work in a hurry.

The book is also a paranormal. I haven't written a lot of the supernatural stuff, but really getting into it lately. It's nice for a change. I love writing the Leah Ryan books, but I need to do something different so that I don't get bored and stagnant with the writing. Challanges are good.

P90X is only 2 to 3 times a week lately. It's hard trying to squeeze in every night with the full-time job and the little guy. But it's better to be too busy than to be bored, for me, anyway. I tend to get depressed when I'm not busy. I'm one of those people that needs to be working away at something all the time.

Summer is half over! I love the fall but not looking forward to winter. Winter was a bitch to us last year here in NY. So. Much. SNOW!

Been reading Joe Konrath's blog quite a bit lately. The man is a genius. Definitely worth reading if you haven't been.

Off to do some writing on my lunch half hour. What are you all reading?

Tuesday Blithers.

2011-07-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

Finding time to sneak away on my half hour lunch to write a page or two each day on a new work in progress. I don't want to say much about it because I don't want to jinx myself, but so far so good. Writing for a bit sitting in parking lots before work.

Yesterday I forgot that I go into work a half hour earlier while I was tapping away on my netbook. Came back to reality, alarmed. I was 15 minutes late. I'm a person who is never late. So I'll have to get a watch with an alarm on it or something.

Juggling this book with Dead for Good. Keeps me from getting bored.

Finishing T. Jefferson Parker's Red Light. Excellent book. Really good mystery and I love his characters.

It's hotter than hell out there, and wicked humid. YUCK!

Dirty Business Cover

2011-07-15T16:30:00.001-04:00

I love this!

Finding Chloe to be Released Aug 5th

2011-07-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

An exotic dancer vanishes from the underbelly of the city. Repo agent and reformed car thief Leah Ryan has a knack for rescue, and she's a sucker for a lost cause. Unable to turn away from helping find a stripper whose disappearance many are indifferent to, Leah soon discovers that there are those who would keep Chloe Nolan from being found, and that there is far more to her disappearance than meets the eye.

Leah and her friend Jackson Quick soon find themselves in a deadly game of obsession and corruption, where the line between innocence and guilt is blurred, and where nothing is as it seems. Added to the chaos is a hot ex-boyfriend and a steamy reporter, neither of whom Leah can seem to get enough of.

Author Chat!

2011-07-05T16:08:00.001-04:00

Come chat with me tonight at the Dare Empire Lounge. Be there or be square!

Fireworks and Release Day!

2011-07-04T06:54:00.009-04:00

Woohoo! Repo Chick Blues is available today!

Blurb:

Reformed car thief Leah Ryan is trouble. But she is keeping her nose clean when her Jeep is repossessed. Unfortunately, most of her money is going toward past due attorney fees for her younger brother Jesse; a mischievous hacker serving his last few weeks in prison.

Without a way to get to her construction job, she is fired. Leah needs a job fast. She’s a natural at stealing cars, and decides to ask Callahan Parker, the man who repossessed her Jeep, to hire her. This decision marks the beginning of a nightmare for Leah Ryan.

During her first night of work, Leah makes an enemy of a twisted drug lord, Brent Woodard, who targets her for revenge. Things go from bad to worse when Leah discovers that Woodard is smuggling Asian women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution.

She is determined to stop him, by any means necessary. But Woodard has friends. Among these is a crooked, sadistic cop who makes her plan more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

Soon it’s not only her life at stake, but that of her brother Jesse, who disappears within a day of his release from prison. Leah enlists the help of Callahan and a few friends from her shady past; a past she promised herself she’d never return to, to enter into a dark underworld of sex, drugs and death.

Available at:

Smashwords
Amazon
All Romance Ebooks
Book Strand
Dare Empire Emedia Productions

If anyone is interested in reviewing Repo Chick Blues on their blog for me, please contact me at tm-sharp@hotmail.com

Happy 4rth everyone!

Tues Fly-By

2011-06-28T14:41:00.003-04:00

Wrote a creepy little scene involving a flesh eating zombie on Saturday, sitting in my truck in the drive-way during a rainstorm. It was fun, but I had to bail when it got too hot in the truck.

Not much else new. Plyometrics kicked my butt last night. Wasn't feeling all that well yesterday morning and forgot about it by end of day, so did Plyo, and then felt like I wanted to cry.

It had been two weeks, with the exception of Kenpo X night before last, so my body has gotten a little lazy. Gotta whip it into shape again.

Repo Chick Blues gets re-released in 6 days! Woohoo!

Stoker Weekend

2011-06-23T07:10:00.012-04:00

Stoker Weekend was awesome! Met lots of cool people!

Me and Jeff

Spooky Crew

Spooky Podium

Peter Straub and Joe Hill

Mike Arnzen and Laurence C.Connolly

Haunted Awards.

Graphic novel panel.

weekend

2011-06-13T11:19:00.002-04:00

Excellent Friday night with the girls at my house. Pizza and The Dilemma, which was very funny. I love both Kevin James and Vince Vaughn. The pizza and company rocked, and Ben had a bunch of fun flirting with the girls.

Worked on the proof for Chloe and got a work out in. I love plyometrics but it kicked my butt!

My sister is here visiting. She arrived yesterday and my little guy is beside himself with glee. He loves the girls :)

Getting ready for Stoker Weekend! SO EXCITED!

Party!

2011-06-10T12:27:00.001-04:00

Munchies, pizza, beverages and movies with the girls tonight! Woohoo!

Back to work on the proof for Chloe tomorrow.

Words in any Great Writer's Toolbox

2011-06-01T11:45:00.004-04:00

I was visiting Paperback Writer this morning and she has a super cool post on Word Clouds. So I decided to play around with a Word Cloud on what I think the traits are that make up a good writer. You can go to Wordle and make up your own word clouds.

Click on the picture to make it bigger. Actually, I think it takes you right to my word cloud on the Wordle site. This is cool stuff.

Busy Busy

2011-05-26T14:04:00.002-04:00

Between P90x and proofing the re-release of Repo, I'm a busy little camper. Not complaining. Just don't have much time for blogging. But thought I'd do a fly-by. It's gorgeous and sunny outside. Nice to finally see the sun for a few days.

Must find time to watch Let the Right One In, a Swedish vampire movie, which a work friend brought in for me to watch. I saw Let Me In, the American version of the movie, a few weeks ago and like it a lot. I thought it was about a half hour too long, but it's well done and worth watching. The story is just as much a story of love and friendship as much as being a vampire story, and so has a lot to offer in terms of story line.

I'm a movie lover, and as the amazing Alexandra Sokoloff tries to drill home in her wonderful blog, movies are an excellent way for writers to learn structure, tricks and story. If you haven't checked out her blog and you're a writer, you need to, because you're robbing yourself of some fantastic advice.

Okay, back to work for me.

Stalked

2011-05-20T18:34:00.003-04:00

If you have been stalked and are interested in sharing your story on camera, contact Daresha Kyi:

Hello,

Atlas Media Corp, is a leading nonfiction production company known for producing quality shows for popular cable channels, including Discovery Health’s top-rated medical show "Dr. G: Medical Examiner."

We are beginning production on our second season of STALKED, a documentary series for ID: Investigation Discovery about people who have been the victims of stalking. Each half hour episode focuses on one person’s story and is hosted by Dr. Michelle Ward, a psychologist who specializes in clinical neuroscience. Dr. Ward has been the victim of a stalker herself and now devotes her career to the study of criminal behavior. This groundbreaking series premiered this year during National Stalking Awareness Month and through it we hope to raise public awareness about this very important issue.

We are currently looking for brave men and women who have been stalked to help others by talking about their experiences on camera. Although it might be a challenge, please seriously consider doing an interview for the show because we believe a lot of good could come from sharing your story with others, perhaps even preventing them from having to go through what you have endured. Although we don't do "disguised" or silhouette interviews we take great precautions to ensure your safety by changing names, dates, and locations and/or omitting information you don't want shared such as the fact that you might have children.

Please feel free to contact me via phone or email at your earliest convenience to discuss this further. I would be happy to provide additional information or answer any questions you might have. I truly hope we can work together to bring awareness to this worthy cause. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Daresha Kyi
daresha@gmail.com
323-401-8289

Covered

2011-05-19T20:54:00.004-04:00

Isn't she gorgeous? This is the new cover for Repo Chick Blues, which will be re-released with Dare Empire Media Productions. I. LOVE. IT. This cover takes my breath away!

We're looking at a release of July 4rth! So I'll have lots to celebrate!

Woohoo!

2011-05-18T14:10:00.001-04:00

Monday I got contract from Dare Empire Media Productions for Dirty Business! I'm SO EXCITED!!!! What's more, contracts with them for the re-releases of Repo Chick Blues (book 1) and Finding Chloe (book 2) are pending.

Very excellent!

Now I need to buckle down and finish Dead for Good so that I can get to work on book 4 of the Leah Ryan series.

Been kicking butt with P90X too. Last night was shoulders and Arms, and tonight is Plyometrics! Yeah! Bring it!

What's Your Motivation?

2011-05-05T11:01:00.004-04:00

As writers we tend to pay attention to the way the people around us act and react in various circumstances. We are watchers. Observers. And then we record what we see by using our observations in our stories. We are natural researchers, for that reason.

Do you pay attention to your own motivations? Do you know why you react the way you do in the myriad of circumstances we find ourselves in each and every day? I've learned to pay attention to how I'm feeling at certain times, because I know I'm going to use those feelings and motivations in a book some time.

Are you a people pleaser? Are you a peacemaker? I'm a fixer. I tend to try to find solutions to situations that need fixing. I'm also a pleaser. I like to do things for people to make them happy. However, I'm a person who can easily walk away from somebody if they tick me off. I don't like to waste my time and energy on things that are pointless. While I'm not a confrontational person, I'm not afraid to be firm and call someone on bullshit behavior.

Are you a vengeful person? If somebody cancels having coffee with you are you likely to do the same to them next time around just to even the score, and teach them a lesson? Do you want to punish somebody who has hurt you, even if it's in some small, petty way? Are you a prideful person? Unwilling to admit you're wrong or that you've made a mistake, or that you were just being an asshole that day?

I'm not a vengeful person and I don't have patience for one who is. I'm freakishly easygoing so I'm not easily pissed off. However, I walk away from sulking and pouting. The silent treatment. These are all behaviors designed to regain control by manipulating the other party into feeling ostracised and to force them into stepping back into line. It's a horseshit maneuver that doesn't work on me.

But an honest apology and a confession as to why someone is being a jerk will disarm me. I'm a forgiving person, and I respect honesty.

When you're angry, do you barrel around guns blazing? Or is it a dangerous, slow burn? Silent fury? How do you react to one or the other?

I'm not afraid to admit I'm an asshole, because everyone makes mistakes. So if I'm acting like a tool and I know it, I'll be the first to apologize. Everyone acts like a tool sometimes. It's not a crime. It's worse when you can't admit it and you use a bunch of excuses to cover up the fact that you were really just being a tool. Which in turn makes you look like more of a tool. Am I right?

Your characters are going to act like tools too. What is it that triggers that behavior? How are they acting like a tool? Do they react with anger when they are hurt? Or do they turn inward, walk away and lick their wounds?

How do you react when you're attracted to someone? Do you want to spend more time with them or are you more likely to run away because you're shy? What makes you happy?

Every action results in an action of some sort. Pay attention. Why are you reacting in the way that you do? What are you triggers? What are you characters' triggers?

The Space Around Us

2011-05-03T12:20:00.006-04:00

As writers, we perpetually ask "why?" We are insatiably curious, for better for for worse, and sometimes it gets us into trouble. But by Cripes we learn. We learn about ourselves and about other people. We learn about how we move through our space and around and through the space of others.

As I writer I'm more likely to allow someone to roam through my space than not, because I'm curious. I want to experience what it's like to have that person moving through the space I occupy, and how it effects how I continue to occupy the space around me.

This all sounds pretty mystical. But it isn't, really. You know when someone his near you. The feeling in the air changes. The space chages. You know you are sharing space with someone else. I'm a believer that the vibes we put out changes air and space as well. I'm a freakishly intuitive person and I can usually pick up on what someone is feeling pretty quick.

It's in the tone and timbre of their voice. It's in the softness or hardness and pace of their step. If someone is pissed off, I can usually feel it coming off them in ripples and even waves, and I don't even have to be looking at them to know it. I've been known to know what someone is thinking. It happens to me every day. Been like this since I can remember. It's more of a feeling though, than actually hearing words.

I attribute this uncanny intuition to my chaotic childhood. When things are unreliable, you learn to sharpen your intuition as a survival technique, and it has served me well in my life. I still sometimes make bad judgement calls, and it's not because I am not aware of what I'm doing. It's because I'm curious and because I don't always think the way others do.

I'm sensitive to how others feel, and sometimes it has a negative effect on the writing. It gets too much. But it's who I am and I've learned to deal, for the most part.

Some things and people can't be changed. You can try but it's not going to happen. These people I tend to maneuver around instead of moving through their space. People I've tried to help in some way, to no avail. People I've realized want to exploit some part of me for their own gain, while giving nothing back. People who don't really care who you are or where you're going. They are a waste of time and energy, and frankly, a waste of my oxygen, so I don't spend much time sharing it with them.

It takes time to realize that some things and people are a waste of your oxygen, because they will suck the air away from you and leave you gasping. They don't ever change, either, because they really don't care about you. They care about sucking the life force out of you and using it to feed the gaping black hole inside of them.

We've all experienced this. Friends or relatives who are always in some kind of crisis. Being in a relationship with a taker/narcisist who will use you and leave you a husk of your former self trying to claw back to who you are, if you're lucky enough to get out of it. People who are negative all the time.

As writers, it's valuable to have met people like this, and even to have experienced the soul bruising a relationship with them can result in. It's even more valuable when to know to move out of their space, and to stay far enough away that they won't be feeding from you any longer.

Know when to walk away. Know when to stop asking "why" and just accept a lost cause when you see it. Writing is hard enough without spending your energy gasping for breath.

"I Plan to Write a Book Some Day"

2011-05-02T10:33:00.003-04:00

I've had people over the years ask me how I write a book from start to finish. Some of them are interested in writing a book some day. That's cool. I say do it. But when I respond with an answer about craft and the elements of a story, and everything that goes into writing a book, their eyes veil over. They don't want to hear it. They don't want to know about how much work actually goes into writing a book.

Look, I love writing. I'm obsessed with craft, thank God, or else I'd never be able to pull writing a book off. I study the hell out of writing. I am single-minded about how to get better. I pour over books and blogs from writers I respect and adore and absorb whatever I can about technique and skill. I devour everything I can about how to write well. About mechanics and character, structure and theme. Everything I can find that will make me a better writer.

It's taken me years. At least a decade to become a decent writer. I can't say that sitting down and winging it won't bring about a fantastic book, but the odds are pretty slim. If you really want to write a good book, you need to learn everything you can about writing.

Writing is skill. Not just an art. You can have talent pouring out of you but if you don't know how to employ technique and skill in your art, your talent will fall flat.

Why not do your art justice and take the time to learn what you need to learn in order to make your talent shine? A writer does him/herself a terrible disservice if they don't.

Creating Character

2011-04-21T11:16:00.002-04:00

This is a really cool post by Alexandra Sokoloff. Character is a tricky thing, and I don't go about creating character analytically. Character for me emerges as I'm writing as as I see how the characters react to their situations and surroundings.

But it is definitely worth taking a closer look at character for the good of your overall story. Approaching the creation of the people who populate your book in a clear, purposeful way can open doors in terms of insight into the motivation and purpose of your characters. It's important to know why they react in certain and specific ways.

Also, it is important to stay true and consistent to your characters. Everyone may act a little out of character now and then, but the people in your stories have their own personalities and backgrounds which cause them to think and act in the ways they do.

You may not use all the background and experiences you know about your characters in your story, but you'd best know them well for yourself. Sometimes hinting at something has more of an impact on a reader than telling them everything.

Check out the post. Excellent stuff.

Nostalgia - Pics of me and My Sis

2011-04-17T14:13:00.009-04:00

Retro Video

2011-04-15T15:59:00.002-04:00

Ooooooh yeah!

Plyo and Genre

2011-04-15T11:29:00.002-04:00

Plyometrics kicked my butt last night and I LOVE it. I sooooo love it. I think I'm addicted to the P90X cardio work outs. I like the strength training too, I'm just not as good at it.

Friday! YAY!

Figured out something important about the current work in progress. It's a horror/thriller. Not a mystery. There may be some elements of mystery but it doesn't have a mystery that needs to be solved. I keep getting blocked because I'm so used to writing and plotting mysteries, and this book has a completely different structure to it. So I'm trying to navigate it and it's a bit slow going.

But I'll get it.

Studying here and there on how to write good horror. It's a skill. Any genre you write takes skill, because they all have their own structure. You can have cross genre books, which are awesome, but the main structure needs to be there.

Okay, gotta git!

This and That

2011-04-07T10:18:00.003-04:00

Been pretty sparse on real content on this blog lately. P90X is taking up pretty much all my spare time and energy, but I'm working on Dead for Good in my head. I'm working scenes and characters, and getting seriously creeped out, which is a good thing. Means that the book is actually taking hold again, and that's a great feeling, even if it is a bit disturbing. I'm already disturbed anyway.

Spring is finally coming around. I'm sneezing my head off and enjoying the sunshine. Only real trouble is that I don't know how to dress in this. It could be cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and by the time I leave work I'm shivering again. I dress my little guy in layers for this reason.

Speaking of him, he blew a kiss to a robin this morning. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

Sipping coffee and trying to clear the cobwebs from my mind. I think allergies are making me feel sluggish, and the sudden weather changes aren't helping either.

So back to work for me.

This should work

2011-04-06T09:55:00.001-04:00

The video didn't work when I tried to post it yesterday. So I'm trying again.

The Killing

2011-04-05T14:14:00.005-04:00

AMC has wowed me again. First they knocked my socks off with The Walking Dead, and now with The Killing. Want to view the first two episodes? You can do so here right now :) Or, if it doesn't work you can view it on AMCs site here.

Night Owl Reviews Contest!

2011-03-31T10:29:00.003-04:00

Hey! You can get free stuff if you particpate in Night Owl Reviews Spring Fling! It's a web hunt. You need to be 18 or older to participate as some of the sites and books are erotic. But this contest promises to be fun. Check it out!

Awesome Quote and Creepy News

2011-03-23T12:05:00.003-04:00

This from Caitlin Kittredge: "I have the attention span of a six year old hopped up on pixy stix and coke. (The drink, not the drug, although I probably do have a cokehead attention span, when it comes down to it.)"

I hear you, girl. I so hear you.

This little tidbit made me so happy I wanted to run around screaming in glee. Stephen King will be writing at least one episode of The Walking Dead I love the Walking Dead. So much so that it makes me feel warm and fuzzy just thinking of being able to lie on my couch with a bunch of cushions behind me watching it. I'd even venture to say that it makes me feel downright blissful in anticipation.

King also said that he intends to co-write and episode with son Joe Hill, who is a fantastic writer, and creeped the hell out of me with his book Heart-shaped Box. Loved it.

So happy news today. I'm bouncing off now to do some real work, at my job, since my lunch is almost over :)

The Temptation of the New, Sparkly Idea

2011-03-21T12:01:00.002-04:00

Paperback Writer did a wonderful post here about how a writer can be harassed by characters and ideas to the point of having to put aside the current story ad start something new. It happens to me a lot. I try to resist, but it's very difficult. That sparkly new idea is so tempting.

Sometimes the new idea or character promises things they can't yet deliver. You follow them on a path that leads to nowhere. But sometimes it's a wild ride that brings you to all kinds of amazing places, so fast it might be hard to keep up. This happened to me with the latest Leah Book, Dirty Business. It's really a lot of fun when that happens, as exhausting as it is.

Currently, I'm trying hard to keep my mind on Dead for Good, the current book which I've already abandoned once, but new ideas and characters for two different books keep injecting themselves into my thoughts. It's terrible, because I'm easily distracted, and the new ideas are always so persuasive.

I'll keep trying to finish this book, though. If only just to finish it. It just isn't right to keep it waiting in the wings.

Mind Shift

2011-03-14T16:17:00.003-04:00

This is a fantastic idea. I think back to when I was a kid in school, sitting at a desk in one of several rows, staring out the window because I was bored out of my mind. Having a teacher stand in front of the class and just talk at us from a text book was not the way for me to learn.

I'm the same way today. I need stimulation to learn. I love this project.

Things are much different today. Kids have computers in their classes instead of sitting with just a pen and notebook in front of them, for instance. That's very cool. But there is still need for change.

Sandy Speicher, who leads IDEO's Design for Learning Program, describes the program as, "Unpredictable, inconsistent, and designed to be wildly relevant for learners, their engagement, and their development."

The world is rapidly changing. Old models and paradigms are obsolete.

It's time our ways of teaching change as well.

Creativity and Exercise

2011-03-09T13:11:00.002-05:00

I'm in the third week of P90X, and finding myself feeling more creative. I've always found that exercise helped me with creative thinking, but this is amazing. Too bad I haven't figured out how to do the writing AND the P90X at the same time! Here is a cool article outlining various ways that exercise helps brain function in general. One bit in particular stands out:

Physical Exercise Helps Higher Brain Functions-Study

Before enrolling in the trial, and four months later, the cognitive abilities of the participants were tested in four areas: memory, executive functioning, attention/concentration, and psychomotor speed.

Compared to the medication group, the exercisers showed significant improvements in the higher mental processes of memory and in "executive functions" that involve planning, organization, and the ability to mentally juggle different intellectual tasks at the same time.

"What we found so fascinating was that exercise had its beneficial effect in specific areas of cognitive function that are rooted in the frontal and prefrontal regions of the brain," said Blumenthal. "The implications are that exercise might be able to offset some of the mental declines that we often associate with the aging process."11

Very cool. So if you're feeling creatively blocked, try working out. It does help.

This and That

2011-02-28T11:18:00.002-05:00

Whew! Been crazy! One week into P90X! YAY! Bringin' it! Yesterday was my little guy's 3rd birthday party. I can't believe he's already 3 years old. Wow.

No writing in a couple of weeks. Mom's visiting and trying to get the P90X schedule down, which isn't easy with a toddler. Trying to get the bean used to us being down there and doing the work-out so that it isn't such a novelty. He's getting better. Not running circles around us while we're trying to work out. It could get dangerous with the Kenpo X kicks.

I can already see a change in myself in just one week. Clothes are fitting more loosely. That's a good thing. Except that I'll have to buy new ones eventually if the good progress keeps up. Either that or look like a hobo walking around in clothes that are floating on me.

Nothing much else new. Trying to find time to read but been so tired at night that I'm nodding off on the sofa. The workouts kick my butt! Today is a blissful day of rest, which is good because Mondays kick my butt anyway.

But tomorrow, I'm bringin' it again! Yeah!

Alice in Chains - Got Me Wrong

2011-02-21T20:25:00.003-05:00

Oh yeah, that's the stuff

Lyrics for Indigo:

Yeah, it goes away
All of this and more of nothing in my life
No colored clay
Individuality not safe

As of now I bet you've got me wrong
So unsure you run from something strong

I can't let go
Threadbare tapestry unwinding slow
Feel a tortured brain
Show your belly like you want me too

As of now I bet you've got me wrong
So unsure we reach for something strong

I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Something's got to turn out right

You sugar taste
Sweetness doesn't often touch my face
Stay if you please
You may not be here when I leave

As of now I bet you've got me wrong
So unsure we reach for something strong

I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
Strong, I haven't felt like this in so long
Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love
That don't last forever
Something's got to turn out right.

Wonderwall

2011-02-16T19:37:00.001-05:00

Woooaah. Had the wrong version of Wonderwall on the playlist. I now have the original version by Oasis. Much betta.

The Process of Creative Problem Solving

2011-02-16T10:42:00.002-05:00

In my internet searches of late, I came across this article by William J. Altier, which discusses creative problem solving. The gist of the article is that in order to problem solve creatively, we need to be open to new ideas, new answers, and to see things through fresh eyes. Assumptions are the enemy.

This theory can be applied to writing. His approaches to creativity work perfectly. The first step being Forget Everything You Know (the relationships).

When writing, you want to avoid cliches. You want to avoid ideas that have been over done and that are expected. You need to think about your characters without applying old tried and true traits to them. Same with plotting. Avoid taking the easy way out. Come up with something new and unexpected. Let your mind wander into different territory. Head down twisted paths you're not used to taking and see where they lead you and what comes up.

The second step, Remember Everything You Know. Altier quotes, Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: "Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking something different." See things in a different light. Look for beautiful flaws, unique angles. What could turn a scene idea into something unique and fresh? Something that resonates and stands out?

The third step in Creative Problem Solving is: Rearrange Everything You Know. When I write, I use what's called a Mind Map. I open a Word document and place text boxes on that blank page, and type in possible scenes and plot threads. Often times I don't even know the relationship between one thread and another until near the end, when inevitably I have a eureka moment when I say, "That's why I planted that there! That's why I wrote that scene!" Something along those lines.

It takes a lot of faith to allow something to stay in a book I'm writing when I don't know why I've written it in there to begin with. But if I trust myself, it all works out. That tiny little thing that seemed so irrelevant has become very important to the plot.

I move these boxes around a lot. Pretty soon I begin to see other ideas emerge in between those boxes. New relationships between characters and scenes. Sometimes it's like looking at those freaky pictures that you have to stare at and defocus your eyes for before the new picture emerges for you.

Some of these text boxes get deleted as I discard them as possible scenes for the story. The point is to get all your ideas down, even the ones that seem silly, and rearrange them many times on the screen. See what could work.

Most importantly, keep an open mind. Trust yourself.

New Playlist

2011-02-15T18:42:00.001-05:00

*Points to playlist to the right*

Act Two

2011-02-13T06:53:00.003-05:00

Working on act two of Dead for Good. Plotted out the elements I need to have in the second act yesterday, and rarin' to go today. Just need to find some quiet time away from the little bean. Daddy took him to get his hair cut and then out for a while yesterday so I got quite a bit of work done.

I love my little bean, but it's hard to concentrate with a toddler causing mayhem all around you :)

I had help from Chris Isaak's Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing. I played it over and over while I wrote two scenes. I love Chris Isaak's voice. So smooth and sexy. Not hard on the eyes, either. Found the video.

Silly, Stubborn Writer

2011-02-03T10:54:00.006-05:00

Got one scene written today. Seems like a small thing but considering that I've been fighting a lung infection for three weeks which has pretty much sapped me of any creative energy I may have, it's a pretty big deal to me. Finally got on antibiotics and an inhaler. Didn't know it was that bad. I'm stubborn and always think that I can deal with things on my own. Silly, silly writer girl.

But also my little guy has been sick and he's on his second round of antibiotics for his chest thing. When you're a mother you're usually focused on getting your kids better and you don't think much about that stuff you're fighting off.

Soooooo that means I have to wait at least a week to begin the P90X program. Doc thinks I won't get very far before I lose my breath or a coughing fit takes over. So I'll listen. It's frustrating though.

Still, ideas for scenes are running through my mind, and that's a good thing. When I can actually sit down and write a scene without almost nodding off at the end of it, I'll be a writing fool on this book. I'm having fun with it. It's eerie and spooky, and definitely not for the faint of heart. So I'm loving it.

So in the absence of anything productive to say to you, I'm directing you to the wonderful Lilith Saintcrow, who has a fantastic blog entry on fight scenes. Go take a look. Good stuff.

The Mind of the Creative

2011-02-01T13:44:00.009-05:00

This is a cool article. It's neat because it's like Gary A. Davis is actually talking about me. I guess he is. Since I'm a creative type. But it's neat because I can now say, "Hey! See? That's why I'm like this! He pretty much hits the nail on the head with everything he says.

I'm not absentminded or forgetful though, because I have a neurotic fear of being that way. Like I have a neurotic fear of being late. I am a risk taker and I'm not afraid of failure. I recently tried for a job at my company that I didn't get, but I didn't take it personally and asked the manager to keep me in mind for future positions. No biggie.

But I can be rebellious and I do get bored with triviality. And I hate boredom. Hate. It. But I can amuse myself so I'm rarely bored. If somebody gives me a super long explanation to something that only requires a sentence or two, I tend to zone out. Give me the short version.

Here is a blurb from the article. It's worth reading if you are a creative type or if you're close to one. Useful info to know, as I know I'm a bit of an enigma to some who know me. Thank God my fella knows me and understands. He just lets me be me :)

Creative Personality Traits

"Creativity" is not just a collection of intellectual abilities. It is also a personality type, a way of thinking and living. Although creative people tend to be unconventional, they share common traits. For example, creative thinkers are confident, independent, and risk-taking. They are perceptive and have good intuition. They display flexible, original thinking. They dare to differ, make waves, challenge traditions, and bend a few rules.

Like all of us, creative people make mistakes, and they subject themselves to embarrassment and humiliation. They must be willing to fail. Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, even recommended that one route to success was to "double your failure rate."

One particularly common trait of creative people is enthusiasm. The phrases "driving absorption," "high commitment," "passionate interest," and "unwilling to give up" describe most creative people. The high energy also appears in adventurous and thrill-seeking activities. Don't some of your most creative colleagues ride motorcycles, fly airplanes, sky dive, climb cliffs, or downhill ski?

Curiosity and wide interests are related traits, whether the creative person is a research scientist, entrepreneur, artist, or professional entertainer. A good sense of humor is common. Creative people tend to have a childlike sense of wonder and intrigue, and an experimental nature. They may take things apart to see how they work, explore old attics or odd museums, or explore unusual hobbies and collections. In other words, "the creative adult is essentially a perpetual child—the tragedy is that most of us grow up."

Another interesting combination some creative people display is a tolerance for complexity and ambiguity and an attraction to the mysterious. Creative thinking requires working with incomplete ideas: relevant facts are missing, rules are cloudy, "correct" procedures nonexistent.

Update:

My number one negative trait? If there were a photo next to the term Easily Distracted in the dictionary, you'd see my smiling face in it.

Also, in extremely stressful situations or even times of prolonged stress, things stop making sense to me and I have to take a breather. I may even get lost on roads I travel on all the time. Suddenly unable to remember where things are. Those streets and roads may seem foreign to me when I'm freaked out. Which, of course, freaks me out even more, exacerbating the situation.

Oh, and I take back the absentmindedness thing. I can be absentminded. I might put the milk in the cabinet and the coffee mug in the fridge. I do that shit all the time.

Lazy Sunday

2011-01-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Ugh. Nasty chest cold that is keeping me from beginning my P90X program. I guess it might be a good thing that I get sick now instead of when I'm part way through and then have to stop. I'm already following the nutrition plan, which is good because for the most part, follows what I'd eat anyway being insulin resistant.

Lazy Sunday otherwise. Going to try and get some writing done and maybe some packing up of some of Ben's clothes that don't fit him anymore, and just hang out with my boys :)

Maybe I can get some reading in there. That would be cool.

Justine Musk posted a cool article on her Facebook page about the top 5 qualities of productive creatives. Check it out!

Conversation With My Soon-To-Be Three Year Old

2011-01-28T10:05:00.001-05:00

So we're driving along and Ben sees this guy walking along the side of the road. This is the conversation we had:

Ben: "Mama, why is that guy walking when it's cold? It's too cold."

Me: "Well, maybe he doesn't have a car, honey."

Ben: "Why doesn't he have a car?"

Me: "Maybe he can't afford one. Cars are very expensive. Not everyone can afford to buy one, love."

Ben: "Why can't he afford one? He has no money? Why doesn't he get money and then he can buy one?"

Me: "Maybe he can't get to a job without a car, so he can't make money, and he can't get a car without the job to make money." (by now I'm getting a bit of a headache.)

Ben: (Pause and a sigh. Throws his little arms in the air) "Well, where's Santa Claus?"

He can make me laugh no matter what. I love my little bean.

Ouch! Whine

2011-01-23T13:42:00.002-05:00

I ordered P90X! As a writer, my job is pretty sedentary. Same with my day job. Doesn't involve a lot of movement, really, except for my hands. I do the elliptical 3 times a week but I think I need something more. Something exciting. Something challenging.

So I'm on a mission. I bought a pull up bar because you need one for this program. It's been years since I've been on my Bowflex, which my ex got custody of, so my upper body muscles are no where near what they were before. Picking up a 30 lb child several times a day just isn't enough.

So the last couple of days, my attempts are doing pull ups have involved me jumping up in the air, grabbing the bar, and being thrilled to hang there for a few seconds. This is great fun for my son, who giggles his little butt off at me. He thinks it's a laugh riot. "Jump again, Mama! You can do it!" He's my little cheering squad of one. God bless him.

This morning I thought I was going to cry. My back and arm muscles were screaming. I felt like a 90 year old. So this will indeed be a challenge. The program hasn't arrived yet, so I'm enjoying my last few days of being able to sleep in until 6 a.m.

That's it for now. Over and out.

Rogue Oracle

2011-01-20T14:42:00.003-05:00

Look at Laura's cover for her upcoming release Rogue Oracle! It's SO gorgeous! The first in this series, Dark Oracle, is a wonderful book. Loved it. If you're looking for an excellent urban fantasy, this series is for you.

Read more about this series here.

Searching for Truth

2011-01-19T20:50:00.003-05:00

I am and always will be a sucker for someone who is sincere. If you're a writer, tell me something true in your story and you've hooked me.

Sincerity, I believe, is becoming a rare things these days. We are all trying so damned hard to be what we think others want us to be. It's hard to tell what is true and what is affectation.

If you're a writer, even if you're writing fiction, you need to tell the truth. If you give your audience insincerity, they will know it and they will abandon you.

Give them the truth, even if you feel exposed. It has to come from the heart, or else it won't mean a thing. It'll just be one more insincerity. One more affectation in a world full of pretense, deception and disingenuity.

I'm interested in real people. Not the person you think is impressive. I want to know who you are in your soul. What hits you where you live. That is what draws me in and interests me.

I don't trust the rest of it.

Fly-By

2011-01-16T13:03:00.005-05:00

Accomplishments so far this weekend:

- Washed floors
- Cleaned bathroom
- Baked an apple pie
- One scene written

Still want to write another couple of scenes. Plan to get on my elliptical at some point today as well.

Colder than hell out there. I'm about done with winter. Ready for warmer weather.

That's it for now. Over and out.

Update:

- Did 45 minute work-out on elliptical. Chose a harder program so that my muscles get an optimum work-out.

Update:

Wrote another scene, which invovled the use of a flamethrower. Very cool.

Procrastination and Writer's Block Justified! Ahem

2011-01-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

First off, hey all! I know I've been very scarce lately. I'm recovering from the holiday chaos. It was crazy for over a month, and I needed down time. That doesn't mean I haven't been working on the writing. I have. Mostly plotting Dead for Good, which is the new working title for The Collectors.

I like this story. I like it a lot. I think that the year long break I took from it whilst writing Dirty Business was just what I needed. I'm seeing it through fresh eyes.

Okay, so in my Internet and blog travels of late, I stumbled across this article, which talks about the contrasting roles of the limbic system and the cortex. This is pretty interesting stuff. It also makes a lot of sense.

So, there's this thing called the Reticular Activating System, or RAS for short, which switches the brain back and forth between the cortex and the limbic System. The cortex is where we get creative, the limbic system is responsible for triggering the Fight or Flight response in us when we're feeling threatened.

When the limbic system gets switched on, the cortex is effectively shut down. This means, of course, creativity is shut down. So if a writer is feeling threatened or stressed enough for the Fight or Flight response to kick in, creativity is out the window. Hello, writer's block and procrastination.

The are other reasons for writer's block and procrastination. I think that both are part of the creative process, in moderation. Sometimes you need to take a step back and do something else to let your ideas percolate. Also, there are tricks to help a writer jump-start their process again. Sometimes that trick is just sitting your butt down in the chair and typing. Eventually creativity will come back to you, if you're persistent enough.

Unless, of course, a major crisis is involved. There isn't much you can do about that. The limbic system will be busy trying to figure out how to keep you safe for you to be creative. Though I've spoken with writers who are able to use crisis in the creative process and use creativity to escape anxiety and stress.

I haven't really mastered that trick as yet, but I'm working on it.

So there you go. Be firm with yourself but don't beat yourself up too much if you've got a case of writer's block, or you are procrastinating. Just try to examine why.

Maybe you just need a little break.

Or chocolate.

Or a break and chocolate.

Anyway, chocolate should be in there somewhere.

Matt Damon at His Best

2011-01-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

A Quote That Struck Me

2010-12-30T10:50:00.001-05:00

"Can he love her? To love is to burn, to be on fire." Sense and Sensibility. Taken from Alexandra Sokoloff's post.

Unedited Excerpt from The Collectors

2010-12-26T21:17:00.005-05:00

“They explode on impact. Like a grenade. It’s a thing of beauty.” Zed’s eyes were alight with adoration and glee as he held one of the round, palm sized things in his hand. He turned it over, showing it off. I call them fun balls.”

“Sounds like something out of a sex shop,” Robyn said.

“Not a bad thought. Some people might be sexually aroused by blowing things up.” A huge smile crossed his face and he waggled his eyebrows, tossing the fun ball up into the air and catching it with one hand.

Robyn and Toby both took a step back.

“I wouldn’t be playing around with it like that if it explodes on impact.” Robyn eyed Zed. He was out of his damned mind. If he’d ever really had one.

“No shit,” Toby said. He lifted his palms toward Zed. “Just put that thing down, would you?”

Zed looked at them, eyes wide and curious. “What?”

“We just don’t feel like getting blown up today, if it’s all the same to you,” Robyn told him.

Zed looked slightly wounded. “Okay. But they really aren’t that fragile. You have to throw them pretty hard for them to explode. I designed them that way.” He chuckled a little. “I’m a bit of a klutz.”

“Greeeaat,” Robyn said. “That’s just what I want to hear while you’re bouncing that thing around in your hands like that. Why don’t you try juggling a few?”

Zed grinned. “Okay.” He reached into the box for another.

“No. No.” Toby stepped toward him, hands out. “She was only kidding.”

“Oh.” Zed’s shoulders slumped.

“Just put them all back. Explain to us, without demonstrating, exactly how they work, okay?”

“Okay.” Zed put the fun ball back into the box. “Here’s how you use it. You aim for your target and whip it at the ground near them. If you whip it at them, you might miss all together. You’d have to make sure to smash it against the target’s head.”

“How big of an explosion do these little jobbies make?” Robyn asked.

“Not as big as a grenade. Not enough to blow up things close to the target. But it will cause considerable damage to objects really close. Burns and such.”

“What will it do to the target?” Toby stepped forward, looking into the box.

“It’ll cause them a world of hurt. At the least, third degree burns. More likely? Melt the skin right off of them. It won’t be pretty.”

“What’s it made of?” Robyn asked him. “Or do I really want to know.”

“You’re better off not knowing. Just be careful with them. Respect them, but don’t be afraid of them. Their your friends when you need ‘em. Kay?”

Robyn nodded slowly. “Right. Uh, kay.” The guy was a fruit loop, but he really was trying to help. And he might actually save their asses.

“How many did you bring?” Toby moved to the window, peering out through a crack in the curtain.

“Oh, I’ve got two large boxes of these babies in the car.” Zed smile grew wider. “I didn’t even think of these things when you guys showed up. I was all caught up in the flamethrower demonstration. But these are perfect for when you don’t want to cart a flamethrower around. You know?”

“Right. Absolutely,” Toby moved a hand over his jaw and shook his head. “I just can’t believe we’re even talking about this. Having to consider using them.”

“Hey,” Zed said. “Shit happens. You’ve gotta be prepared, right?”

“Right. How much do I owe you?”

Zed’s face grew solemn. “Nothin’, man. Are you kidding me? You don’t owe me a thing.”

A silent beat went by as something meaningful passed between the two of them. Robyn felt like an eaves dropper, and stepped toward the window to peak outside.

“Okay,” Toby said. “I appreciate your help, Zed.”

“Anytime. Anything, man. Okay?” Zed’s voice was lower, sincere.

“All right,” Toby said. “Let’s get out of here. If one of them knows we’re here, more can’t be far behind.”

“What exactly do you mean by them, what’s after you, October?” Zed asked.

“Loan sharks,” Toby said, pulling on his canvas jacket.

“Loan sharks?” Zed laughed, head tipped back. “You’re running from loan sharks? You’re shitting me.” He walked toward the door. “I’ll take care of the bastards for you. I’ve taken care of more than one collector.”

Robyn stepped in front of the door. “Wait.”

Zed frowned. He turned back to Toby. “What? I don’t get it.”

“They aren’t the kind of collector you’re used to.”

“Well, how bad can they be? What? You got a hit on you?” Zed looked back at Robyn, then peered out the window.

“Oh, it’s plenty bad, Zed. And yeah, we have a hit on us. Both of us.”

“What? Mafia?” Zed asked, still looking out the window, his eyes shifting this way and that.

“No,” Toby said, “Hell.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2010-12-26T20:42:00.001-05:00

Been philosophical of late. Lots of little questions niggling at me. I'm thinking of character, and to think character, we need to think people. Human behavior. Every reaction causes a reaction (I've simplified this from Newton's Law of Motion, of course). My stories are both plot and character driven. I think in my books, character is driven by plot, though. The obstacles and inner desire of my characters are what lead them to react in very specific ways.

Of course people are like this too. Our inner desire lead us to act in ways that are sometimes stretching far past what is normally comfortable or even safe for us. Conflict leads to motion and change. We hope that the change is for the better, and that at the very least we've learned a lesson and grown.

I'm a firm believer that there are many shades of grey most situations. I don't think that anyone is entirely good or bad, but people tend to fall somewhere on a scale of ultimate goodness or badness (love the word badness. Don't think it's really a word but I love it anyway).

The book I'm working on now involves deals with the devil. Metaphorical? Oh hell, yes. We'll see how it turns out. It's one of those books that is screaming to be written. Whether or not it ever sees the light of day remains to be seen. But I'm having fun with it. Feels awesome to be getting back to it. Like I'm running full tilt through an open meadow with my eyes closed and my arms spread wide.

2010 has come and gone, and a brand new year begins. I'm excited and a little trepidatious, but ready to step into 2011 and kick ass.

Skipped the work-out on Friday, but back on the elliptical tomorrow morning at 5:15. I'm changing the work-out program to shake it up a little and to get full benefit of the work-out. Once my body gets too used to a particular program, my progress stalls somewhat. Hate stalling, in any aspect of my life. I hate when I feel like I'm not moving forward.

If I've hurt anyone this past year, or pissed anyone off, I can only apologize, ask for forgiveness and move forward. I'm a flawed person, but I'm not an intentionally hurtful one, and I'll work to do my best to be kind. I'll work to kick ass at the tasks set before me and try not to be too distracted this year.

I'll try not to beat myself up too much for my failures and weaknesses (this one is hard).

And I'll take the time to laugh. I'm pretty good at this one. Thank God.

I'll savor every moment with my little guy. He's a blessing and my heart.

With that, back to The Collectors.

Why is Horror So Popular Now?

2010-12-21T21:11:00.002-05:00

Vampires have been huge the last several years. Zombies are enormous right now. The Walking Dead came on the seen with a totally kick-ass episode on Halloween night, and took the nation by storm. Audiences were blown away. Can't get enough. Why?

I have a theory. I don't know if it's half-baked, but it's my theory none-the-less.

We've been hit with some pretty frightening, gut-wrenching things in the last almost decade or so. 911, Katrina, the recession, insert-your-disaster-of-choice-here. Putting it in an incredibly simplified way, I think people are trying to deal with trying to pick up the pieces.

Blood suckers? Zombies? Disaster movies? They deal with apocalyptic scenarios where people have to learn how to survive and navigate terrifying terrain into the unknown. They have to pick up the pieces and start from scratch in a new, frightening world.

Sound familiar? Thought so. I think we're punch drunk. Stunned and still somewhat dazed from dealing with so much shit. I think these stories are metaphors for what we've been dealing with in this quickly changing world. A creeping dread and the alarming feeling that we can't quite keep up. And when is the other shoe going to drop, anyway? Right?

But also, watching and reading about these extreme survival, good-against-evil scenarios helps us to feel better about our own situations. At least we don't have flesh eating zombies after us, right? Yeah. Life is sweet.

Art imitates life, right? Or is that too simplistic? I don't know. But I do know that horror is making a huge come back. What do you think?

So Busy!

2010-12-19T12:46:00.002-05:00

Going like a mad woman trying to get all the shopping done, the house into shape, cooking and baking stuff in order. Wow. I'm exhausted, and I'm not afraid to say it. Haven't had any time to read. On a slight writing break, so no actual tapping at the keys but my head is still there.

Yesterday morning and this morning I went shopping early to avoid the angry holiday mob. Let me tell you something. There ain't much holiday cheer out there. People are CRANKY. Wow!

Anyway, just a few odds and ends and my shopping is done. Thank you, God.

Think I'll take a nap while my little guy naps.

Mercy

2010-12-12T17:19:00.001-05:00

By Duffy. Hell yeah.

Pre-Christmas Rush

2010-12-12T07:13:00.003-05:00

My word verification for signing in this morning was facqu. Gotta love that.

Busy weekend so far. Went out Friday night with my friend Deb for a bite to eat and a couple of beers. It was nice. Nice place. Lots of wood. Fireplace. Nice atmosphere. Even a fire pit outside to stand around. It was snowing lightly too, so it was really pretty.

Ran around like crazy yesterday. At the hairdresser's at 8:15 a.m for my trim. Every 8 weeks. Last weekend I showed up at 8:15 on Saturday, a week early. I'm nothing if not prompt. Wondered why the lights were all off. Scared the hell out of her when she came downstairs and opened the door. Her salon is in her house. Very retro and very chic.

"Hi, Tracy." Round eyes, complete surprise. I'm figuring out fast by this point that I've got the wrong day. "I've got you down for next Saturday."

I'm usually early but that was craziness.

Mimmi and Papa took the bean for the day so Jeff and I could go shopping, which we did. All. Day. But it was good because we're both of the mind-set of get in, get what you need, and get out. We went to several stores and got exactly what we needed. I just have a few things left to get.

But let me tell you. I hate going into Toys R Us at Christmas time. Not crazy about it at the best of times, but Christmas time is horrible. Long lines at Kohl's, too. Walmart wasn't bad by the time we got there, though, which was cool.

We got to go have lunch too, which was nice. I love 99 Restaurants. They have the best boneless wings EVER.

Hoping for some writing time today. Cross your fingers!

Experimental Self-Photos

2010-12-04T13:47:00.011-05:00

I was playing around with the camera today. The sun hit me in the eyes while I was sweeping and decided to take a few pics. Washed the floors right after this. You can actually see my Swiffer Wetjet in the background on one of these hehe!

Sunday after a Light Snowfall.

2010-11-28T10:36:00.006-05:00

Jeff's back from Jersey and has taken our critter shopping so that I can have a bit of time :) Woohoo! So I've done dishes and some laundry and am doing the bathroom in pieces in between all this. Just swept the kitchen floor. Not ambitious enough to wash floors today but I'll do it next week.

So I'm dropping in to do a kind of fly-by post. The Collectors has taken such hold of me that I'm now dreaming of scenes. This is both good and bad. It means that I'm ready to continue writing the story, but I'll be obsessed with another story again.

December is coming fast. Those of you who've been hanging with me here for a while know that I'm not a Christmas person. I'm trying. Really. Not trying to be a downer. It's just a bad time of year for me. However, I'm making a concerted effort for my little guy, who is really into the Christmas decorations and lights. He sings Jingle Bells out of the blue and makes me smile, and actually feel in the Christmas spirit when he sings Christmas songs.

Something struck me recently. It's strange. Something so obvious that I think we take it for granted in our lives, really. You get what you expect. People will treat you with as much respect as you project that you expect. There have been a couple of recent instances that have left me rather disenchanted, disappointed and kind of pissed off, truth be told. But I then realized that people will only treat you the way you allow them to treat you. Most people are great. Doesn't happen very often. Every now and then, though.

What are you willing to put up with, and is it worth it at the end of the day?

Right?

I'm a giver and pleaser. I gain satisfaction from making people happy. However, sometimes people get used to that and take it for granted.

I'm not moaning about this. I'm actually kind of freaked about how true it is. You hear it all the time. But it really is true. You get what you project.

Do you expect the treament you deserve? Or do you expect to have to settle for less respect than you deserve?

On another note, it snowed a little yesterday. Went out with my little guy and played in the snowflakes. He kept jumping up, trying to catch them. So much fun.

Back to the document for me.

UPDATE:

Jeff took the bean to the museum. Woohoo! Baked a chocolate cheesecake as I thought of The Collectors. Have discovered that baking relieves stress. Practicing for Christmas. Jeff is my pigeon. He's a good pigeon. Says he won't fit into any of his clothes by the time Christmas comes.

Now knee-deep in The Collectors. Yeah!

Puttering

2010-11-27T13:10:00.004-05:00

Working on the website today and having fun doing it. Thinking of changing the colour scheme. It's time consuming but my little guy is napping and I'm just taking my time.

It's looking mighty dark and gloomy, so I think I'll get into The Collectors and see what I can dig up.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T11:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I just pulled my blueberry and apple pies out of the oven. They look nice. Not sure how they'll taste. Watching the Thanksgiving Parade on tv. Trying to get my little guy to nap.

Going to open the document and mind map for The Collectors and see what's what. Have a great day!

Saturday Morning in the Autumn

2010-11-20T08:02:00.005-05:00

Sitting downstairs in a rocking chair with my legs propped up on my little guy's bean bag chair, facing the the glass doors that afford a view of the back yard. The leaves are all dried out now and the trees are looking mighty bare. Grey day, too. Perfect for tackling the synopsis!

So here I go!

Update:

I think I've finally got it. Thank Christ. Now I just have to polish it to a high shine and get the query letter done.

Update: Query letter, DONE!

Now to spell check the book. Just realized I haven't done that yet. Ooops.

Sunday Night Ruminations

2010-11-14T20:50:00.003-05:00

Worked on the synopsis for a while but the bean didn't sleep for long so it was cut short. Had all kinds of time when he napped for 3 hours yesterday, but slept so little the night before because he was up all night coughing, that I just kept nodding off and my brain was all fuzzy.

It's coming along, though. Slowly but surely. No synopsis before it's time!

Went to see the holiday parade this afternoon. Gorgeous day. It was nice to get out and just breathe in some fresh air. My little critter is feeling better and had a great time. It was a fun day.

Finally hooked up the printer I asked Jeff for last Christmas. It's been sitting in a box until tonight. Haven't had a need for it up until now. After the spell check, Dirty Business is being printer on actual paper! Woohoo!

Got my copy of Moonlight Mile yesterday! SO damned excited about that! I caressed it and murmured sweet nothings to it all day. Yeeeeesss Preeeeecioussss! It's MINE! All MINE!

In bed early tonight. Back to the grind tomorrow.

New Playlist

2010-11-14T11:27:00.001-05:00

Little guy has another ear infection so not much time but I have another playlist up.

The Holidays are Coming Up . . . Sage Advice

2010-11-10T20:51:00.002-05:00

Got this in email today and it cracked me up.

Moonlight Mile - Finally!

2010-11-07T13:04:00.002-05:00

Moonlight Mile is almost in stores! I pre-ordered my copy from Borders, and can't wait to get it in my hot little hands. I've been waiting for this book for about 5 years, since I read the last Patrick/Angie book in the series.

Here is an interview with Dennis Lehane on Moonlight Mile. I'm so STOKED!!!!

Synopsis Stuff

2010-11-07T09:34:00.002-05:00

Snuck downstairs to work on the synopsis. This thing is kicking my ass. Had it way too long, and trying to trim it down to three pages. *Sigh* It's a nightmare doing that with my books, because they are so jam packed with action. It's hard to choose which are the most important highlights to include.

Made a pot roast and blueberry pie trying to figure this stuff out yesterday. Finding that cooking helps me sort things out. Might have to do more cooking today.

Not much else to report. Little guy doing better.

Back to work for me.

Nathan Bransford's Post on Conflict

2010-11-04T09:52:00.002-04:00

My little guy has been sick pretty much non-stop for two months with chronic ear infections, and a bout of strep. It's taken up any extra time and energy I have, so I'm re-posting something from Nathan Bransford, which I think is excellent. Here he writes about conflict:

Thursday, March 19, 2009

On Conflict

When I said I was going to blog about conflict on Tuesday, I'm sure at least some people assumed that I was going to say that you need conflict everywhere in a book: on every page, from start to finish, in every scene, passage of dialogue, etc. etc. etc.

I don't actually believe this! Sometimes a character needs to just stare at the water and contemplate the meaning of life and other great imponderables, like stock derivatives. Novels have quiet moments where there's not a hint of conflict that are serene and beautifully written and I wouldn't ever urge a writer to rip those out to introduce a gun battle.

But conflict is essential. I think of conflict sort of like a book's oxygen:

1. Your book needs it to survive. It doesn't need it constantly, but a book without conflict is pretty much DOA. It's not even really a book without conflict. It's just paper with words printed on it.

2. If any stretch your book goes too long without it it will also die (or rather, your reader will die of boredom).

3. You can use a lot of conflict to create a bright flame of a book that is relentless and charged, or you can create a slow burn that is more muted. You can also vary the degree of the conflict to do the same thing.

On this last point, some might also say that thrillers and other genre novels tend to put a lot of intense conflict on the page and the conflict comes fast and intense, whereas literary fiction tends to have less conflict. As a general rule this may be so, but it's not always the case. When you look at Ian McEwan's books, for instance, ENDURING LOVE in particular is a book where every word, exchange, moment... everything on the page is intensely filled with conflict. The characters are constantly in conflict with each other and with themselves, and it's an extremely intense reading experience as a result.

Now, there are two types of conflict in novel. There's conflict that happens above the surface, demonstrated through the actual actions and thoughts of the characters, and then there's conflict beneath the surface, which is more implied and unsaid. By way of example, there's the gun battle that happens above the surface, but there's also the character who is, say, freethinking in a 1984-type world. Even when he's not explicitly thinking about the world he lives in he's in implied conflict with the rest of that world.

So. Does your novel have enough conflict?

I personally feel that unless you are intentionally and specifically choosing to have a quiet moment you should always look for ways to introduce some degree of conflict. A character at peace with their surroundings and the characters they're interacting with is, well, completely boring.

A lot of times in novels it becomes necessary for things to happen that connect Plot Point A to Plot Point B, or to otherwise provide background information or motivation. Sometimes Character A just has to have a conversation with Character B where a certain thing happens so the rest of the book makes sense.

Too often though, writers focus on connecting the dots in a way that gives the reader the information they need to know without trying to tie the threads in a fully-realized scene that's interesting and engaging. Almost always it's best to try and introduce conflict to a scene in order to make it interesting and advance other aspects of the plot.

Ultimately, conflict is the reason we read novels. It forces characters to make decisions, it tests their strengths and weaknesses, it reveals what makes people tick. Conflict, ultimately is revealing.

A man serenely walking down the street is not a story. It only becomes a story when he is captured by space monkeys who try to force him to root for Duke. Now that's conflict.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T09:44:00.002-04:00

Blah Blah Blah

2010-10-28T20:58:00.004-04:00

I've been scarce lately. I think finishing Dirty Business has rendered me silent in terms of blogging and any other writing, with the exception of emails, except for the synopsis and query letter. But I am thinking about writing. All the time.

In the shower I realized the other morning that there were issues I want to address in the next Leah Ryan/Jackson Quick book that I hadn't realized I wanted to expand upon. The more I think about it, the more I want to make the next book from Jack's point of view rather than Leah's, and so consequently, Jack is throwing scenes up behind my eyes and talking to me pretty much non-stop about his history. Stuff I wasn't aware of.

Pretty interesting shit, really.

I love Jack. He's my dream friend. I love spending time on the page and in my head with him. Of course, if I were actually spending time with him in real life, I may become disenchanted before long. I'd get pissed at him cleaning up after me and generally being my conscious. But on the page and in my mind, he's perfection to me. All the flaws that make up Jackson are battle scars from his life that make him wonderful and beautiful.

I don't know if I can get his voice right. I may have to write his book in third person. Leah would spend a lot of time on the page too, of course. But this story won't be from her point of view. This one is Jack's story.

I'm excited about writing it. I have a plot loosely drawn out in my mind. But I refuse to write anything down until I have the synposis and query letter for Dirty Business finished. I'm also still scolding myself for ditching The Collectors in favor of Dirty Business, and feel like the fair and good thing to do would be to finish the damn thing.

*Sigh*

Jeff and I watched The Strangers last night. I wasn't happy with the ending. I don't think you should drag your characters through total shit and mayhem and not give the audience some kind of pay off at the end. But that's me. I think the bad guy should eventually get his/her ass kicked.

That doesn't mean that good guys can't die. It means that the villain (s) need to get theirs. Or at least be badly wounded. I don't think it's fair for a villain to get away completely Scott free.

Fading fast, so I'm signing off.

Oct 29th tomorrow. *Que spooky music* Halloween is getting closer. My little guy has his first Halloween party at his daycare tomorrow. He's so excited. I can't go because I've left early so many times in the last little while to get him when he was burning up with a fever at the daycare, and taken a half day and two full days for him being sick. I wouldn't feel right leaving early for his party :(

But Jeff is going. So at least one of us will be there :)

Have a spooky night!

Blithering Fool

Chatter for a Cold Winter's Day

The New Year is Almost Here

Christmas Wrapping

Christmas Blither

Words of Wisdom On Being A Hack - Lilith Says It Best

Funny Bumper Sticker Quotes

Warning to Newbie Writers

Friday Fly-by

Creepy Little Girl

The Untitled Blog Entry

Spooky Retro Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

Stolen Cookies and Dead People

Ramblings

Ick

Dark Vengeance

Friday Stuff

Autumn Approaching

Not Good.

Friday Ramble

Props from Not the Baseball Pitcher!

Last Installment of Jeff Mariotte/Tracy Sharp Interview

Dual Interview Between Jeff Mariotte and Myself Continued

Dual Author Interview with Jeff Mariotte

Dirty Business Out Today!

The Storm is Comin'

Author Interview and Giveaway!

Repo Chick Blues Winner!

Giveaways!!

Conversation Snippet

Friday!

Tues Fly-By

Summer Cold and Writin' Stuff

Finding Chloe Release Day!

L.A Banks

Thurs, thurs . . .

Tuesday Blithers.

Dirty Business Cover

Finding Chloe to be Released Aug 5th

Author Chat!

Fireworks and Release Day!

Tues Fly-By

Stoker Weekend

weekend

Party!

Words in any Great Writer's Toolbox

Busy Busy

Stalked

Covered

Woohoo!

What's Your Motivation?

The Space Around Us

"I Plan to Write a Book Some Day"

Creating Character

Nostalgia - Pics of me and My Sis

Retro Video

Plyo and Genre

This and That

This should work

The Killing

Night Owl Reviews Contest!

Awesome Quote and Creepy News

The Temptation of the New, Sparkly Idea

Mind Shift

Creativity and Exercise

This and That

Alice in Chains - Got Me Wrong

Wonderwall

The Process of Creative Problem Solving

New Playlist

Act Two

Silly, Stubborn Writer

The Mind of the Creative

Lazy Sunday

Conversation With My Soon-To-Be Three Year Old

Ouch! *Whine*

Rogue Oracle

Searching for Truth

Fly-By

Procrastination and Writer's Block Justified! *Ahem*

Ouch! Whine

Procrastination and Writer's Block Justified! Ahem