Not Afraid of the "F" Word

2010-12-15T07:27:00.005-06:00

Buy a Book- You Can't Give More Enchantment For Less.
The Fiction Writers Co-Op—48 authors of distinguished, award-winning, and best-selling fiction—recommend:

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex. "...the writing is so vivid, lusciously sexy and chillingly outrageous by turns..." - The Star Ledger

The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh. "This tender tale of sisterhood, self-discovery, and forgiveness will captivate fans of contemporary women’s fiction.”- Library Journal

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers. "A powerful portrait of sisters growing up in the shadow of violence . . . A thought-provoking, heart-tugging debut." Boston Magazine

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan. "A wonderful love story…Buchanan weaves Niagara Falls’ history and her storytelling together masterfully.” − Elle

By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan. "Remarkably learned and heartbreaking romantic novel... Despite its medieval setting, the story has contemporary echoes... Hard to put down, beautifully executed, highly recommended." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette. "Fans of Cecelia Ahern’s PS, I Love You will find a lot to like here ... strong, richly detailed ... with a truly lovable heroine ... the spins and turns the story takes along the way are well worth the ride." —Library Journal

The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate. "Senate handles the hefty topics of loss and remembrances with lightness and respect and in so doing, redefines comfort food." --Publishers Weekly

Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook. "Bestseller Cook [Must Love Dogs, Life's a Beach] charms again with this lively warm-hearted look at changing courses mid-life."
-People Magazine

The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri. "This hopeful, comforting novel is a testament to the power of taking chances and starting fresh, and a reminder that life can bring joy after sorrow."--Miami Herald

All the Numbers by Judy Merrill Larsen. "Larsen depicts a mother's year of grief and recovery with a sure and honest voice."--Booklist

Spin by Catherine McKenzie. "The tag line is: ‘How far would you go to get what you always wanted?’ and Kate Sandford, protagonist of Catherine McKenzie's first novel, Spin, goes so far she makes you cringe. … Where A Million Little Pieces … was tortured and powerful, Spin is more about entertainment and fun. … Full of pop-culture allusions, some really funny ones. … Spin is a compelling, fast-paced read.” – The Globe and Mail

The Truth About Delilah Blue by Tish Cohen. "Both of Cohen’s previous novels (Town House and Inside Out Girl) are in development as films, and The Truth About Delilah Blue is sure to follow. She is clearly familiar with the cinema’s propulsive rhythms, and has an almost Hitchcockian sense of how to uncoil audience guts and play double dutch with them." --The Globe and Mail

The Bird Sisters by Rebecca Rasmussen, forthcoming from Crown Publishers, April 12th. "A magical debut, original and poignant, lovely and moving. I absolutely loved The Bird Sisters and will carry Milly and Twiss with me as if in a locket for a long, long time." --Jenna Blum, Bestselling Author of Those Who Save Us.

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos. "[W]hat happens when life throws us kinks and crumbles the plans we've so carefully laid out . . . There is poetry in her words and all around the world she has created."--Richmond Times-Dispatch

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Diana Gabaldon says of this fictional biography of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, "This is magic! Childhood, sensuality, love, sorrow and wonder, all bright and complex as the shifting patterns in a kaleidoscope.

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. "Here's a warning: Mistress of the Sun is dangerously seductive. It's one of those books that will grab you and hold you captive till the last page is turned." —Calgary Herald

Stay by Allie Larkin. "Larkin makes writing look easy. Stay has everything...humor, heart -and, endearingly, buckets of dog slobber." —The Miami Herald

Kings of the Earth by Jon Clinch. Robert Goolrick calls it "eloquent and moving, written with precision and clarity to stave off loss — the loss of history, of art, of humanity." O Magazine's lead pick for summer reading, and a Washington Post Best Novel of 2010.

My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher. "... rendered with humor and heart." -- People "... a laugh-and-cry novel whose plot includes equal portions of heartache and hope." -- The Chicago Tribune

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow. Chosen by Barbara Kingsolver for the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, "Durrow's powerful novel is poised to find a place among classic stories of the American experience." --Miami Herald. A Washington Post Best Novel of 2010!

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. GortnerPower. Passion. Poison: History's most notorious queen tells us her side of the story. "Fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory will devour this!" - BookList.

Souvenir by Therese Fowler. An IndieBound selection and book club favorite, this novel about family, fate, regret and redemption is "truly impossible to put down.--Booklist. USA Today says it's "Compelling...the characters are likable, troubled, and human, and are well worth following on their journey."

After You by Julie Buxbaum. Jodi Picoult says of this novel about love and friendship: "Buxbaum writes with honesty and grace about the things we know about our friends and the things we wish we didn't. After You highlights—beautifully and compellingly—the truth that sometimes we have to lose the people closest to us to find ourselves."

Children of the Waters by Carleen Brice Jacquelyn Mitchard author,The Deep End of the Ocean, says of this novel about what really makes a family:
"I was exhausted and singing the blues the hour I began Carleen Brice's new novel, Children of the Waters. Five hours later, I'd finished this fresh, free-rein novel about mothers' secrets and children's sorrows and was shouting 'Hurray!'"

Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell, the story of Claude Monet in his young struggling years which led to the birth of impressionism and his great love for his model and wife , the tragic Camille. The Boston Globe said, "an enthralling story, beautifully told" and Bookpage added, "A vivid portrait of Monet's remarkable career."

Remedies by Kate Ledger. Remedies explores the complicated nature of pain, in the nerves of the body and the longing of the heart.... "an immediately gripping, expertly woven tale of pain and healing. Ledger is a brilliant writer; the book is dazzling, but more importantly, it is moving."--Elin Hilderbrand

Shelter Me by Juliette Fay “What a gorgeous paradox of a book: a deep, thoughtful exploration of a young mother’s first year of widowhood that is as much a page-turner as any thriller" says bestselling author Marisa de los Santos. Publishers Weekly deemed it "a wise and inspirational debut."

Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T12:02:00.001-06:00

This has become my traditional Thanksgiving post . . .

I first wrote this post in 2007, and ask your indulgence as I post it again. It still seems appropriate. . . .

"You can plan all you want to. You can lie in your morning bed and fill whole notebooks with schemes and intentions. But within a single afternoon, within hours or minutes, everything you plan and everything you have fought to make yourself can be undone as a slug is undone when salt is poured on him. And right up to the moment when you find yourself dissolving into foam you can still believe you are doing fine."

Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety

Thirteen years ago, just before dinnertime on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, my seven-year old son was hit by a car. Now twenty, he'll be arriving home from college tomorrow; his twenty-one year old brother the next day. We have much for which to be thankful. But that night, for a few moments, I wasn't sure I'd ever breathe a thankful breath again. When the neighbor boy burst into my house, yelling, "Eric just got hit by a car!" my world froze. I wasn't sure I could face what awaited me just outside my front door. Somehow, I propelled myself outside, after tossing the phone to the neighbor and telling him to call 911. When I hit the porch steps I heard my son's cries and I thought, Okay, he's alive. When I knelt by his side, I saw his feet moving and told myself, Okay, he's not paralyzed. And I knew right then we were incredibly lucky. And I was thankful beyond measure.

Later, after the ambulance ride, after the X-rays, after the doctor shook his head and said, just before releasing him, "He's fine. He shouldn't be but he is," I remembered the above Stegner quote. The salt had been just ready to pour down on me, on us, on our life. And then it didn't. But I knew how easily it could have rained down over our world. A different driver. A bigger, faster car. A shift in the trajectory of my son's body as it flew through the air. But, even now, I have to turn my mind away from those awful possibilities.

Our lives are full of such moments, but many times we don't even know it. We don't know what we've narrowly escaped, what's just missed us. And so, for what we know and don't know, I am thankful. For the times the salt didn't pour down and for the strength to continue when it did, I give thanks.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but even more, I wish you a spirit of thankfulness as you go about your lives everyday.

I'm Over Here . . . Among Friends

2010-08-18T10:45:00.006-05:00

Is anyone still reading this? Bueller? Anyone?

I'm now over at the Girlfriends Book Club Blog along with 34 other wonderful writers and we so hope you'll join us. I'll still try to post here occasionally.

Happy Fourth!

2010-07-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

I love the Fourth of July. Not just because I have a big party and blast Springsteen from the porch speakers and we watch the fireworks from my front yard.

No, it's much more than that. I am unabashedly patriotic (in my dyed-in-the-wool liberal democrat way). I love what the day represents--fighting for what we believe in. Standing up for our rights. Saying, no way, we're not gonna put up with unfairness.

I love that over 200 years ago, men were willing to die to create a new democracy, a democracy that has withstood wars and impeachments and terrorism and bungled elections. A government that often works in spite of itself.

And I hope that in 2010 we haven't become blase to the freedoms we have that others around the world can only dream about.

So, as you celebrate today, maybe take a moment to appreciate what we have and say a little prayer for all those who don't.

(This was originally posted in 2008. I still feel like it's appropriate.)

Writers in Their Own Words-GCC

2010-03-30T17:17:00.003-05:00

In case you didn't pick this up last summer . . . or you did and were hoping it'd soon be out in paperback, you're in luck! To get an insider's look at what Sheila has gone through since writing her book, read this.

And here is what I wrote last summer when it first came out . . .

I've got a fun new book to tout today by my buddy Sheila Curran.

Everyone She Loved is getting some boffo press like:

Penelope Cameron May's unusual last request sets off the action in this riveting novel of love and friendship, betrayal and lies. Sheila Curran draws the reader in and this inventive book won't let go. Prepare to be surprised and moved. I read it in one delicious gulp.
Masha Hamilton, The Camel Bookmobile, The Distance Between Us

'Everyone She Loved' was the voice inside my head - at a time when I first contemplated my own mortality ... this could have been my husband, my girlfriends and my children ... it raises every emotion and suppressed fear within us all, with a clarity that is both deeply uncomfortable and yet stridently beautiful. Julz Graham, Dimensions

To whet your appetite even more, here's Sheila in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Books are born in strange places. This one was conceived in the front seat of a car.

No, not that kind of conception. My friend Julianna was driving. Our daughters were chatting in the back seat. I was talking about an article I’d written for McCall’s about two young girls in Arizona whose parents had died within months of each other. “Did you know that in some states, if there isn’t a will, the kids can be sent to foster care?”

The girls in my story weren’t so unfortunate. Their mother had named her best friends, another pair of sisters, as the children’s guardians. ”Just make sure you chose someone to take over if something happens to you.”

From there we talked about difficult it would be to chose which couple among one’s siblings and friends would best be suited for the job. Where did one couple’s permissiveness slide into overindulgence, another’s consistency into unbearable strictness? The idea of dying was hard enough, but figuring out which couple would most love your kids in your absence? Impossible.

We paused in our conversation just long enough for my brain to settle on yet another catastrophic possibility. “You know what would be worse?” I asked. “What if I died and John (my husband) married someone awful? I’d have no control at all!”

Another pause. “Unless,” I continued. “I could get him to agree that if he remarried, my sisters and friends would check out the bride. Make sure she wasn’t some kind of wicked stepmother.”

And thus was hatched the idea of EVERYONE SHE LOVED, a novel that explores the faith one woman placed in her dearest friends, the care she took to protect her family, and the many ways in which romantic entanglements will confound and confuse even the most determined of planners.

2.) Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I always start with a character who intrigues me.

3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I think because I come from a big family, it’s really hard to choose a favorite. I love all of them. There’s Penelope, who has died by the time the book begins but whose oversized personality permeates the novel. Her stepsister Clover, who seems like such a ditz at the beginning, is dear to my heart because she makes me laugh. Lucy, who is my main character, is, of course, my alter-ego, and so is Martha, who’s such a smart-a*&s.

4.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I’m lucky enough to have an office in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I sit in a comfy armchair, feet on an ottoman and write on my laptop, coffee on a table to my right, dog lying to my left. I try to write from 9-3 but sometimes it’s just two hours a day. A few times a year I sit there and can’t even get a word written. Those aren’t fun. In the early phase, I write a lot of scenes I’ll later throw away. Some days I ‘go down the rabbit hole,’ which is what I call researching on the Internet.

5.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Getting into the flow where I’m not even really aware that I’m writing.

6.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Well, Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird has a chapter called Shitty First Drafts. I like that. I tell myself that if I can write even one bad page a day, it’s better than no pages.

Writers in Their Own Words-GCC

2010-03-16T11:01:00.007-05:00

This morning I am thrilled to be introducing you to my buddy Jenny Gardiner's memoir, WINGING IT! It's getting great press . . .

"Often comical and sometimes tragic but never dull, Gardiner's memoir proves that the hope of having a model pet (or child) is usually not realistic. It will speak to animal lovers and offer fair warning to anyone considering the 40-year-plus commitment of owning a parrot." --Library Journal

"As sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Winging It really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite."
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream, and Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler

And, I know from personal experience and her debut novel, Sleeping With Ward Cleaver, that Jenny will absolutely make you laugh out loud. Now, let's hear from Jenny in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

We've had this crazy parrot for almost 2 decades and people are always so entertained by her and stories about her, so I thought it would be fun to do a book. My sort of funny backstory is YEARS ago, I was sitting in a bat mitzvah, and I get really antsy when I'm a captive audience, especially when everything isn't in a language I can remotely understand. So when I was sitting there for like 3-1/2 arduous hours (it was a high holiday so they had a huge service with it), I pulled out a notebook and pen and HANDWROTE four chapters of what would eventually become this book...

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Well, I know this is a question to be applied to a novel, but I'll bite anyhow ;-). Graycie, my parrot. Because she is a complex character with both internal and external conflicts, and her arriving at our doorstep with many imperfections and issues then led to both internal and external conflict with me and my family. hehe

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I write very catch as catch can. I have 3 teens and lots of pets and so much going on, I try to steal time whenever possible. I prefer to write in the morning. If I'm on deadline, I will escape to a coffee shop--I have a favorite where I can tuck into the back of the shop and tune everything out. But I can't do that often because I'd feel badly leaving my pets home unattended--they get very unhappy when they're left alone for long (and then they cause trouble!).

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I love to just concoct things out of nothing. And to take various bits of information and weave them together into a cohesive story. It's always a challenge and the process of it is so fun (especially if there aren't things getting in the way of your being able to focus on the writing).

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Just go with your gut and write what's in you. I do believe that ultimately that's how the best book will be written.

Shout out to Sarah's Debut!

2010-03-10T10:24:00.006-06:00

My buddy, Sarah Pekkanen's debut novel THE OPPOSITE OF ME is out! Yay! I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy and I loved it. Funny, sweet, smart and totally unputdownable. It's getting tons of great press (Redbook, Jennifer Weiner, etc.), so you'll want to snap it up NOW.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Happy reading!

More GCC-Writers in Their Own Words

2010-02-24T12:09:00.009-06:00

So, we're still stuck in February and all looking for an escape. Fear not, here's another one for you: Megan Crane's Everyone Else's Girl.

Meredith does things for other people. She irons clothes for her boyfriend, she attends her ex-best friend's horrendous hen party for her brother (who's about to marry the girl) and she moves back to her parents' house to look after her dad when his leg is broken. She's a good girl and that matters. But when she gets back home, all is not as Meredith remembered. Especially Scott, that geeky teenager from her old class at school. He's definitely different now. And so, it seems, is she. One by one, her family and old friends start to tell her some home truths and Meredith begins to realise she's not so perfect after all. Maybe it is time she stopped being everyone else's girl and started living for herself...

It's been called "Amusing, heartfelt and emotionally sophisticated chick-lit" by Kirkus and none other than Meg Cabot says, "Megan Crane rules! Cancel your evening plans: You won't want to stop reading until you've devoured every delicious word."

Now here's Megan in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
This was the second book I wrote. I had finished the first, sold it, and was living in my parents' attic for a few months while I finished up my dissertation. So I could see that there were all kinds of people I grew up with who were still in my hometown, and I was intrigued as to why. Some were settling there. Some, like me, were passing through between other parts of their life. Others were lost. I wanted to write about that feeling--about not knowing who you are, and how coming back home to your parents as an adult can muddy the water but can also help you see the truth. It was an interesting process!

I am much more driven by character than plot. I try to dig inside characters and figure them out, because I'm fascinated by identity--by the things we all cling to as markers of who we are. I try to do this in social situations, too, with less success--at least in books I can force the characters to make sense!

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
I've always had a strange relationship with this book. I felt that the characters never really did what I wanted them to, and that I never really got a handle on Meredith the way I should have. But when I got my hands on this version of the book, about five years now since the book first came out, I re-read it and realized that I actually really like this book. I like how messy the characters are--especially Meredith. She's in a rough place here. She has to fall face-first into the muck, and she's really only just figured out how to climb out of it by the end... but I like her for it. I hope readers will, too.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I'm pretty fierce about my daily word quotas, which are really the only way I can write as much as I do. (I wrote five books last year and will write at least four this year.) I usually write 2,000 words a day--although at a certain point last fall I had to write 3000 a day to hit a particular deadline, and I found that dizzyingly difficult. The internet is my greatest time-waster. I'm starting to use Mac Freedom to turn it off for stretches here and there, because I can't be trusted--and I will often look up to see that hours have passed and there I am reading Jezebel and hitting refresh on Twitter... Not good.

I have written all my books (I'm on number 15!) on the same desk, which I'm a little superstitious about these days. It's currently located in the office I share with my husband, overlooking a pretty sweep of trees and mountains and the Hollywood sign here in Los Angeles. It's filled with books and pictures, and somehow, helps the words come.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
When the story just flows from my head to the page, and it feels like magic.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
Just do it. Just write. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.

GCC Tour and book giveaway!

2010-02-17T14:11:00.006-06:00

Just what we need to get us through these cold dreary days of February . . . a fabulous new book--DRIVE TIME by my buddy Hank Phillipi Ryan . . . and free books to two lucky commenters.

In a starred review from Library Journal, they wrote: Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride as Charlie McNally and Boston’s Channel 3 News investigate a nefarious car theft/forgery operation and race to get their story on the air before their lives are endangered. In the meantime, Charlie becomes consumed with secret sleuthing as blackmail and suspicious deaths threaten the private, prestigious Bexter Academy where her fiancé teaches. Amid late-night stakeouts and dangerous car chases, Charlie finds time for romance, wedding planning, and bonding with her future stepdaughter. In her fourth series entry (after Prime Time, Face Time, and Air Time), Ryan once again channels her Emmy-winning investigative reporting expertise to craft a realistic and compelling mystery, full of hairpin turns and dangerous intersections at breakneck speed.

Let's hear from Hank in her own words . . .

1. How did the character of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McNally come about?

What a great question. I have NO idea. She was born when I got a weird spam in my email. It was what looked like lines from a play by Shakespeare. I thought--why would someone send a spam like that? And it crossed my mind--maybe it's a secret message.

I still get goose bumps telling you about it. And I knew, after all those years of wanting to write a mystery, that was my plot. And that turned out to be the Agatha-winning PRIME TIME. But Charlie? Well, I knew I had a good story, but who would tell it? A television reporter, of course. And she just instantly popped into my head. Named, fully formed. I knew her perfectly.

The other characters were more difficult to get to know. But now, Charlie surprises me a lot! And I love when that happens.

2. Any mistakes you’ve made along the way, have you learned anything from them?

Hah. That’s another long blog for another day. Mistakes? Ah, on a huge level, people always yell at me for working all the time. ALL the time. Is that a mistake? None of this would have happened without that. Would I change it? I have to say no. So is that a mistake? I'm not sure. On a tiny level, I should have put together a mailing list of bookstores. Still haven’t done that. Wish I had.

3. Advice to fledgling writers?

On my bulletin board there are two quotes. One is a Zen saying: “Leap and the net will appear.” To me, that means: Just do it. The other says “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” And I think that’s so wonderful—just have the confidence to carry on. Writing is tough, arduous, not always rewarding in the moment—but no successful author has ever had an easy path. When you hit an obstacle, pat yourself on the back. You’re a writer!

So, leave a comment between now and Friday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. CST and be entered into a drawing to win one of two copies of DRIEV TIME!

Peace on Earth; Good Will toward Men

2009-12-23T08:40:00.007-06:00

It feels so close, I can almost touch it.

By dinner time on Christmas Eve, my two sons will be home, and with the rest of the family we'll gather round the table and eat dinner as a family. I'll try to make a toast--to us, to life, to happiness--but I'm sure my voice will catch in my throat, my eyes will fill, my younger son will laugh, my older son will smile, and my husband will finish the toast for me.

We're incredibly lucky and I know it.

Not that it's been an easy year, but it's been another year in our lives and that counts the most.

I spent Monday baking cookies and chex mix, finalizing my grocery lists, wrapping the last few presents, and thinking back on Christmases past.

This afternoon, I'll bake several batches of Christmas cut-out cookies, wrap the stocking stuffers, and settle down by the fire and read for awhile. Tomorrow, I'll worry until one old jeep pulls into the driveway and one airplane arrives from Seattle.

Then, all I'll have to do is enjoy having all of us under the same roof for a few days.

And we'll make memories that will carry me through until the next time.

And that's what I wish for all of you--warmth, family, memories. Sweet times. Hold tight to all of them.

All the best for 2010.

Food, Glorious Food!

2009-12-11T11:51:00.001-06:00

I'm guest posting at (Never) Too Many Cooks today. Check out my musings (and recipe) on Risotto.

Holiday Gift Ideas and Writers in Their Own words

2009-12-03T14:49:00.011-06:00

I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings filled with family and food and laughter. I don't know if you're like me, but I don't even really think about holiday shopping until, well, until the pumpkin pie is gone. So, like, now. And then I start realizing, whoops, I better get cracking. And then I worry about what to get and when to find the time to shop.

Well, worry not because BOOKS are always the perfect gift (and the perfect fit. Plus, they are so so so easy to wrap!). And I have two to recommend, via the GCC. Without further ado, let me introduce Wendy Tokunaga and Melissa Senate.

Wendy's new book, LOVE IN TRANSLATION is for anyone who’s ever dreamt of finding love and family in an unexpected place... Michelle Redmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog calls it “A delightful novel about love, identity, and what it means to be adrift in a strange land. This story of a search has an Alice in Wonderland vibe; when Celeste climbs down the rabbit hole, one can't help but follow along.”

And Melissa's book, THE SECRET OF JOY, starts with the question: What would you do if you discovered you had a half-sister you never knew existed? "The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts." –Claire LaZebnik says, "The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts."

Let's hear from them in their own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Wendy: In this case I was driven by the character. I wanted to write about what it’s like to be a female gaijin (foreigner) in Japan, a place that despite its sophistication still can be construed as somewhat xenophobic, with many Japanese displaying a weird fascination mixed with disdain toward people who are different, especially Westerners. I also wanted to write about a cross-cultural relationship and how love can transcend culture, as well as the power of music. So with all this, I had to put a plot together, which came second. But this plot also spawned other themes: the meaning of family, identity, and what it means to discover your own voice.

Melissa: Several years ago, I received a startling email: I think you might be my half sister. Whoa. I was, indeed. I didn’t know how I felt about everything such an email had swirled up, so I ended up writing about a woman who discovers she has a half-sister she never knew existed and set her off to find her. Only the very nugget of the idea is based on my own life; I flipped everything else on its head. But the emotional force driving the story is very real.

I often steal from my own life when I start to write a new book, so in that sense I’m driven by plot, but because I never base the characters on myself or anyone I know, the characters take over completely and drive the plot themselves.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Melissa: I love Joy Jayhawk, the main character’s half sister. I share some of her trials and tribulations, and I understood her reserve and emotional journey in a way that made me feel so close to her.

Wendy: I have a special fondness for Mariko. She’s a native-born Japanese who grew up frustrated with the social restrictions placed on her in Japan as a Japanese woman. She married an American and ended up living in the United States. But a family issue has brought her back to Japan and her American-influenced personality makes her stick out like a sore thumb. She’s much too direct, laughs too loud, and has a penchant for using every English swear word possible. But she also doesn’t give a damn what people think about her.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

Wendy: I work in my own home office when I’m writing new material for a novel. Once I’ve written a significant amount of pages (or, more like when I just can’t come up with any more to write!) I print them out and go to a coffee house or somewhere, read the pages and make notes. Then I will go back to my office and input changes. Then hopefully I’ll write more new material, though that is what I find the most difficult.

Melissa: I fell madly in love with this beautiful mahogany secretary-desk that is completely useless for writing, so of course I bought it with a matching beautiful chair. The desk is tiny and barely holds my laptop and the glass of Coke Zero I can’t seem to write without. But the desk itself inspires me! My writing process hasn’t changed since my first book (and I’m now on my 10th, though I keep hoping it will): I write and revise as I go, so it takes me a verrrry long time to write a first draft. The good news is that when I’m done, I only have to do a second draft to edit, then a third to polish. I wish I could just write a draft all the way through, letting it be shitty, as my hero Anne Lamott advises, and just getting it all down. Maybe one day.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Melissa: When my characters truly begin telling the story for me, when the words come that easily.

Wendy: Definitely the revision process. I like kneading and massaging the rough prose I’ve already written.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Melissa: Trust your gut. It knows.

Wendy: In the words of Anne Lamott, you are allowed to have a shitty first draft. And it’s nothing to be ashamed about.

Writers in Their Own Words-GCC

2009-11-13T12:42:00.005-06:00

I'm thrilled to be "touring" my fellow GCC buddy, Jessica Brody whose newest novel, Love Under Cover, is in stores now! Booklist calls it an "an honest, witty portrayal of modern love."

In her job, she’s an expert on men…

In her own relationship, she doesn’t have a clue.

Boyfriend behaving badly? Suspect your husband of straying? Jennifer Hunter can supply the ultimate test. She runs a company which specializes in conducting fidelity inspections for those who suspect their loved ones are capable of infidelity.

An expert on men, Jennifer can usually tell if they're single, married or lying... Unfortunately, her new boyfriend, Jamie, is one of the few men that she's never been able to 'read.' Has she finally found the perfect man or is he too good to be true?

A captivating new novel from the bestselling author of The Fidelity Files.

Let's hear from Jessica in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

As soon as I finished writing my first novel, The Fidelity Files¸ I knew that Jennifer’s journey wasn’t over yet. Although she had seemed to find her happy ending there was so much more fun stuff I had in mind for another book. Setting Jennifer up with an entire agency of fidelity inspectors was definitely the first and foremost on my mind for the next instalment.

Plus, I really wanted to explore what a fidelity inspector would be like in a committed relationship. After everything she’s seen—all the cheating, dishonesty, and betrayal—would she really be capable of settling down herself? So that’s what I set out to focus on in this book.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I love Jennifer’s three friends. They’re all fun to write in their own unique ways. Zoë has a terrible road rage problem and she has a habit of talking on the phone while driving so those conversations with Jen and Zoë on the phone are always really entertaining for me. I get to channel my inner turrets patient. Sophie is totally neurotic. I love going over the top with her.
And John is the flamboyant gay boy from West Hollywood who is always quick with his sarcasm and wit. Sometimes I don’t know where his remarks come from. I must be channelling my inner gay man because I’ll write something that he says and think, “That’s really funny. Where the hell did that come from?”

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I have a desktop and a laptop but I prefer to write on my laptop. I do all my “busy work” like emails, interviews, website stuff, on my desktop and I found that switching computers helped me switch focus.
I used to not be able to write in a public place. But then I discovered “white noise” mp3s. They basically play nothing but…well, white noise. Now I go to my favorite coffee shop, pop in my ear phones, crank up the white noise and the world around me dissolves away. Plus… coffee helps.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part? Definitely the first 50 pages. They fly by. They’re brilliant and fresh and exciting and full of promise. I feel like I could do anything. I feel like I write an entire novel in two weeks.

My least favorite part? Everything that comes after that.

4.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Jump and the net will appear. You can’t wait for the perfect opportunity to come along, you just have to go for it. When I decided I would be a published author, I made the decision and I leapt off the cliff…without a parachute. I quit my high-paying, corporate job at a move studio, started taking odd jobs off of Craigslist to make ends meet, downgraded my car, my apartment and my lifestyle to save money and just went for it. I never looked back. I turned down three job offers from other studios, all which paid even more than I was making when I left my previous one. I sold my first novel a year and a half after I quit. Now I write full time and this year, for the first time since I quit my corporate job in 2005, I’m making more as a writer than I was making as a “suit.” Do what you love and the money will eventually come. I’m a big believer in this. And I am living proof that it works!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-10-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's another "Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace" NICE HAPPENS Tuesday over on my JUST BE NICE blog. And it's also my younger son's birthday. (So please excuse the cross-post.)

It's fitting. He was born at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday night 22 years ago today. I'd like to say he's been full of grace his whole life. I'm not sure that'd be totally accurate.

He's been full of boy. And trips to the emergency room. And sweetness.

He made us a family.

He makes me laugh and smile.

And here's one thing I've learned from him about niceness (among many other things. He really is a sweet kid.)--when you call someone, start with "First, I wanted to say 'hi.' And see how you are." That's the way to start the conversation, even if you're calling to complain or ask for money or explain you might not have done so great on that test you took last week.

Start with showing you care. Start with love. After that, everything else is easy.

Happy Birthday, Eric! Come home and visit soon. Your mom misses you.

Writers in Their Own Words-GCC

2009-09-29T10:47:00.007-05:00

Today is the first real autumn-y feeling day we've had. I love it. There's Italian Beef in the crock pot, I'm wearing a light sweater, the jeans I haven't worn in 6 months still fit, and I'm ready to make a cup of tea and curl up with a good book. Lucky for me, Marilyn Brant has provided the perfect book: According to Jane.

Susan Wiggs, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, describes it a "A warm, witty and charmingly original story." And Cathy Lamb, author of Henry's Sisters, says it's "An engaging read for all who have been through the long, dark, dating wars, and still believe there's sunshine, and a Mr. Darcy, at the end of the tunnel."

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go--sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love--perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . .

Now, let's hear from Marilyn in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
I’m definitely more driven by character, but I think a good set of characters leads to situations that can be shaped into an interesting plot. For According to Jane, I started with a “What If?” premise: What if a young woman had Jane Austen’s ghost giving her dating advice? How would Jane instruct her? Would she listen? What might go awry? And what if Jane were wrong about someone? Would the young woman have the courage to follow her heart against the voice of wisdom?

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Ellie, my heroine. She and I share a certain introspection and we each had a tendency toward perfectionism in school, plus, we were both children of ‘80s pop culture. I gave her those sides of me and love her like a favorite cousin. However, we’re not one and the same. Most of her painful relationship problems were (thankfully) extrapolated from things I observed or they were exaggerated from some real events and grafted to modernized versions of scenes I found fascinating in Austen’s novels. I like to think she handled those challenges fairly well, at least given how difficult it is to grow up. Certainly better than I would have.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I write in my home office--a messy place, cluttered with stacks of paper and towers of books, but also a very nice window overlooking our backyard. Sometimes I’ll write at a local coffee shop (either with my laptop or, most often, just by hand on notebook paper), and that has the advantage of endless cups of coffee and occasional snacks. As for my process, I’m a very slow writer. It’s rare that I can draft more than a page or two in an hour. I obsessively reread and wordsmith before moving on to the next scene, which in no way means that I don’t also revise again (multiple times) at the end of a manuscript. It takes me about 9-10 months to completely write a women’s fiction book from start to finish.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
Getting to do something creative every single day. Truly, that’s been such a gift. Even when the plotting of a scene is giving me fits or the synopsis doesn’t seem to make sense at all…I love knowing that I have a place to play with these characters and storylines. My hope is that by writing about women’s dreams and experiences as honestly as possible, I might get closer to helping readers recognize truths about their own lives. It was this sense of “recognition” that my favorite novelists gave to me.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
I’ve gotten a few good ones, applicable to life as well as writing, I think:
“Begin as you intend to go on.”
“It’s better to be than to seem to be.”
“Always over-deliver and under-promise.”

Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family, but she also hangs out online at her blog "Brant Flakes." When she isn't rereading Jane's books or enjoying the latest releases by her writer friends, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry.

Novel 101: Begin Wherever You Start

2009-09-21T07:40:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was a couple of days away from going back to a WIP I'd set aside last April. Back then (last spring) I was going back to the drawing board and completely rewriting/revising a novel I thought I'd finished several times. I finished that rewrite at the end of June, took some time away from all writing (except thinking about it), then did another read-through and tweaked things here or there and sent it off to my agent.

Then I skipped town for a week.

Then I was ready to go back to that WIP. I knew the characters, knew their voices, had the whole story arc in mind.

But, the week I was getting all ready to dive back into Full-Writing-Mode, something happened. Something I had very little power over. Absolutely no control.

A mother started telling me things. She wouldn't let me go. I couldn't ignore her no matter how hard I tried. And, damn, what she had to say was incredibly compelling. I even found myself dreaming about her. Seriously.

So, I started writing her story. And her daughter's. And then, the detective who's working with them started telling me about some of the struggles in her life.

And an image was in the background, an image that lends itself to a really lovely, haunting title.

So, I began writing. Not the story I thought I'd be writing, not even, necessarily where I thought it would start. But I began it. And I've pecked away at it nearly every day since then. It's starting to take shape. The characters are telling me more, letting me into their lives. And I can't stop thinking about them. It's kind of like falling in love.

Scary, thrilling, and never quite what you expect.

Spreading the word . . .

2009-09-16T08:03:00.003-05:00

The lovely Larramie, fairy godmother to writers and readers, wrote an incredibly nice post about my new blog . . . and I have a new post up over there as well. Please stop by . . .

Thanks!

My Mama Taught Me Better

2009-09-14T09:45:00.005-05:00

What's going on in society these days? I mean really. Look at Kanye West and Joe Wilson (two names that have probably never been uttered in the same sentence before!).

When did rudeness become acceptable? Defensible? The status quo?

When did apologizing become a sign of weakness or backing down?

My mother taught me to be kind. Be responsible. And yes, to stand up for what I believe in but in a civilized manner. She taught me that the world doesn't revolve around me. I passed those lessons on to my sons. I said I was sorry . . . and I MEANT it when I said it . . . when I'd been unfair to them. Or even just short-tempered. I believe that being willing to apologize shows strength and compassion.

Rudeness is never acceptable. Even when I've been treated poorly, it's not okay. I don't want to stoop to the lowest common denominator. I want to rise above it.

Breaking rules is not okay. I learned this one many times, but the best reminder came when I was 16 and had gotten caught going off campus for lunch (something only seniors could do and I was a junior). Since I was the driver, I got three days detention. Since I wouldn't rat on who else was in the car with me they tacked on another two days (I felt sort of noble about that!). When I tried to defend myself to my mom (who wasn't buying any of my teenaged outrage, by the way) by exclaiming, loudly, that it was a stupid rule, she calmly replied that it might well be but I had two choices: obey it or work to change it. Breaking it was not okay. In honesty, I'd like to say I worked to change it, but no. I did get better at not getting caught (it was all in which parking lot I parked in, I discovered).

But, I digress.

Joe Wilson was out of line to yell "You lie!" during President Obama's speech. He could have groaned or booed. That's what the parties in opposition do. And now he's acting like not apologizing makes him more of a man. Uh, no. It makes him look weak and stubborn and ill-bred. His mama must be shaking her head.

And Kanye? Most of the folks nominated for any award DON'T win. That's the law of numbers. And just because you think the voters got it wrong, you don't get to hop up and announce your opinion to the world. You win some and you lose some. That's life. Deal with it without looking like a doofus. Or worse. What must your mama think?

What's happening? Do we need a MOM SQUAD or something to go from town to town and teach civility? Kindness? The Golden Rule?

Shouldn't it come naturally?

***UPDATE*** check out my NEW blog Just Be Nice . . .

Remembering . . .

2009-09-11T10:44:00.002-05:00

It's a strange day this morning . . . crisp blue sky, just like 8 years ago. I was teaching that morning, and I still remember my students' faces as they watched the towers fall.

Writers in Their Own Words--Take Two!

2009-09-08T20:31:00.005-05:00

I have another fab recommendation for you . . . and another great writer to introduce you to (if you don't already know her). Hank Phillippi Ryan, an Emmy-winning Boston television reporter and award winning mystery writer has a funny, smart group blog and a series that you'll love! Air Time is the third installment.

Some would say, It's Prime Time for Air Time! Here's what else is being said:

“Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. First-class entertainment.” Sue Grafton

“I love this series!” Suzanne Brockmann

“AIR TIME is a fun, fast read with a heroine who's sexy, stylish, and smart. I loved it." Nancy Pickard

Smart and savvy Boston TV reporter Charlotte McNally is back. In AIR TIME she’s taking on the fashion industry, where she learns “When purses are fake – the danger is real.” AIR TIME is the third of the back-to-back-to back Charlie mysteries—the first PRIME TIME (also in bookstores now) won the Agatha Award for best first novel. FACE TIME (also in bookstores now) is a BookSense notable book.

Let's hear from Hank in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Imagine the research I had to do into the world of designer purses! It was tough, but someone had to dive in…

Actually, Charlie’s investigation into the world of counterfeit couture came s straight from been there-done that. In my day job as a TV reporter, my producer (not Franklin!) and I have done several in-depth investigations into the world of knock-offs—not only purses and scarves, but blue jeans and watches and DVDs and videos.

We went undercover and with a hidden camera—like Charlie does—into various back-alley stores where counterfeit merchandise was being sold, and also into some suburban purse parties where women—certainly knowing they were fake and thinking was fine—were scooping up piles of counterfeit Burberrys and Chanels.

You should know— law enforcement tells us, it’s not illegal to buy the purses—unless you’re buying large amounts that are obviously for resale. The illegality is in the copying and manufacture and sale of what’s clearly a trademarked and proprietary item. (As the elegant fashion exec Zuzu Mazny-Latos tells Charlie in AIR TIME—it’s like taking Gone with the Wind—and putting your name on the cover.)

Anyway—lots of AIR TIME is based on research and reality—besides the undercover work, and the research, I’ve done many interviews with the federal agencies in charge of battling counterfeiting, the attorneys who help big companies protest their products, and even the private investigators the designers hire to scout out counterfeits.

2.)Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Ah, it's both. I start with one little germ of a plot twist--and then figure out how Charlie is going to figure it out! So I know what I know--and she knows what she knows. And then she has to solve the mystery--based on what I let her know.

3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Oh, I can't possibly answer that. Charlie McNally is dear to my heart of course. When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in: when “you” get chased by the bad guys, or when “you” get held at gunpoint. And I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction.” But Charlie can say things I can’t say about the reality of television, and because she’s fictional, she can go places I can’t go. And say things I can’t say!

And the very sweet 8-year-old Penny, I must say, touches me every time I write about her And I get so many letters from readers, concerned about her, and asking about her, and who I based her on. But really? She’s right out of my imagination. (She’s the character who sometimes makes readers cry...along with Charlie’s mother. I guess family relationships are sometimes—universal.)

And in AIR TIME there’s a new character . a gorgeous FBI agent named Keresey Stone. She’s amazing. And unpredictable. But I wonder what you’ll think about her?

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I’ve been a television reporter since 19, um, 75. I’m still on the air at Boston’s NBC affiliate, and still at work as an investigative reporter. (And I’m always hoping my best story ever is just around the corner.) So I come to work at Channel 7 every morning—tracking down clues, doing research, hoping for justice and looking for a great story that will change people’s lives. (Hmm..sounds a lot like mystery writing!)

Then at night we go back home—and when I’m in writing mode, I write til about ten pm, in a wonderful study that’s lined with bookshelves. I admit—I have a cluttered desk, and no real filing system, except for “piles.” But I know where everything is. I like it to be quiet.. At the TV station, it’s chaotic and loud, with three TV’s blasting all the time—and I can work fine there! But at home, with the books—quiet.

Because my schedule is so tight, I keep track of my words. If I know I have to write 90,000 words by the deadline, I literally divide that number by the number of days I have—and then set that as a goal. I try to write maybe—to pages a day. And on weekends, more. If I can do that, I’m thrilled.

I push my way through a first draft. I say to myself—just get the story down. Just do it. And you can fix it later.

Then I cook dinner, and my husband and I have a very late dinner together! You can imagine how patient he is!

I used to be a pretty good cook, and diligent about exercise. My husband and I gave dinner parties and went to movies and went on vacation. Sigh. That’s all pretty much over. I have a full time job as reporter, a full time job as a mystery author, and a full time job as a wife (with two step-children and two step-grandchildren!) That doesn’t leave much time for much else.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Revision, no question. I love that. You have this whole first draft, and you get to go back and see what you really have. I often have wonderful revelations when I read over the first draft—there are themes and rhythms and even clues that I didn’t realize were there! It’s always so rewarding.

And after 30 years in TV, I know how valuable editing is—so I look at it as a real treat. To get to polish, and tweak, and rearrange, and make it all shine—oh, it’s great fun.

The other favorite part—when readers love the books. I can’t tell you how often I’m out on a story, for instance, and a stranger will come up to me , and pull the book out of a purse or briefcase, and ask me to sign it. I can barely resist bursting into tears. It somehow completes the writing, you know? when someone reads it.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

There’s a plaque on my bulletin board with the question: “What would you attempt to do if you know you could not fail?” That gives me a lot of courage.

Hank’s giving away five ARC’s of PRIME TIME to readers…to enter the drawing contact her through her website and put ‘PRIME TIME ARC’ in the subject line!

Writers in Their Own Words

2009-09-02T14:57:00.005-05:00

With September now upon us, I'm excited to tell you about a new release by one of my Girlfriend Cyber Circuit buddies, Joanne Rendell.

Her new novel, Crossing Washington Square, is drawing rave reviews, and seems like the perfect book to curl up with as you watch the eaves begin to turn and the kids head back to school.

Across Washington Square live two very different women …with their very different love of books.

Some women follow their hearts; others follow their minds. In this “charming, witty, and cerebral” second novel from the acclaimed author of The Professors’ Wives’ Club, we return to Manhattan University, where two strong-willed women are compelled to unite their senses and sensibilities.

Professor Diana Monroe is a highly respected scholar of Sylvia Plath. Serious and aloof, she steadfastly keeps her mind on track. Professor Rachel Grey is young and impulsive, with a penchant for teaching popular women’s fiction like Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Devil Wears Prada, and for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

The two conflicting personalities meet head to heart when Carson McEvoy, a handsome and brilliant professor visiting from Harvard, sets his eyes on both women and creates even more tension between them. Now Diana and Rachel are slated to accompany an undergraduate trip to London, where an almost life-threatening experience with a student celebrity will force them to change their minds and heal their hearts…together.

Let's hear from Joanne in her own words:

How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

The idea for this book evolved over a few years. As someone who has lived the academic life (I have a PhD in literature and now I’m married to a professor at NYU), I’ve always loved books about the university – books like Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys or Richard Russo’s The Straight Man. But what I noticed about such campus fiction was the lack of female professors in leading roles. Even the female authors like Francine Prose and Zadie Smith, who’ve written campus novels, they too focus on male professors. Furthermore, most of these male professors are disillusioned drunks who quite often sleep with their students! I wanted to write a novel with women professors taking the lead and I wanted these women to be strong and smart and interesting – instead of drunk, despondent, and preoccupied with questionable sexual liaisons!

Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

That’s a tough one! My knee jerk response is to say Professor Rachel Grey because, out of the two female leads, I identify most with her. Rachel teaches chick lit in her classes and has to defend her work and the genre to her stuffy colleagues who think only the classics and literary fiction should be studied. As a grad student, I would be reading classical literature and poetry by day, but then secretly read popular women’s fiction at night (Bridget Jones’ Diary, I have to say, is one of my all time favorite books!). Rachel is also flawed and emotional, yet good and honest and brave. I like that about her.

Every time I revisit the book, however, I like Professor Diana Monroe more too. She’s super smart and has great poise and grace as a teacher. She’s the kind of uber-professor that every academic secretly wants to be. She’s also pretty darn scary in her austerity and brilliance. But she has a vulnerability too and her life started out pretty tough and therefore, every time I revisit the book, I like her more.

What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I write early every morning while my six year old sleeps. I try and write a minimum of 500 words a day. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s my goal. I write at my desk at the front of our apartment. We live on a very busy street in Manhattan so my writing is “lulled” by taxis honking, firetrucks hooting, and jackhammers pounding. With all this practice, I could probably keep writing through a meteorite shower!

What's your favorite part of writing?

Sharing book ideas with my husband. He’s my biggest fan and my inspiration.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Write 500 words a day. It doesn’t matter if they are complete rubbish, you can always edit them later, just try and get 500 words down.

Good advice, from a fabulous writer who's written a wonderful book!

Vacation Preparations . . .

2009-08-17T13:38:00.006-05:00

I'm in list-mode. You know the kind:

~arrange for house-sitter
~get pedicure and spray-on tan
~do laundry
~pick up cute new sandals (on sale)
~decide which books to take
~print out mapquest from airport to hotel
~print out boarding passes
~check the National Hurricane Center for 5-day (less reliable than 3-day) forecasts. Repeat as needed every few hours.

What? That last weather related item isn't on your get-ready-for-vacation list? Yeah, me neither. Until now. Until I happened to notice last week an item on my google homepage about "hurricane activity picking up in the Atlantic and heading to Florida."

Whoops. So, the first trip my husband and I have been able to take in two years, that doesn't involve work or family obligations, just the two of us, nothing but sun and sand and wine and good food. And, well perhaps a hurricane evacuation plan.

So, on the positive side, it would certainly be an adventure ("Something for the Christmas card" my husband commented), but I'm really not looking for a "roughing it" vacation. I never am. I'm not a camper. I like electricity. I also like not worrying about being swept out to sea. Although, should I survive such an ordeal I might finally have a topic for a memoir.

Yesterday afternoon, perhaps tiring from my frequent updates about Bill (and Ana which is no longer an issue and Claudette, which never was), my husband suggested that I call our hotel. I needed to make dinner reservations (and clarify if our room came with a fridge. It does.), so he said that I could ask them about the impending storm. Good idea, I thought, make sure they have an up-to-date evacuation plan. (Yeah, like they need me, a born and bred midwesterner, double-checking their hurricane preparedness.)

So, that's what I did. I called this morning. A delightful young man named Robert took my call. I started with the dinner reservation. "No problem, ma'am." Then asked about the fridge. "Yes, ma'am." Okay, I said, what about Hurricane Bill, I asked. "Bill? A hurricane? That hasn't even made the news here." Huh, I thought? How can that be? So, I said, I guess I don't need to be worrying about that. "No, ma'am."

Whew.

I guess.

But I'm still checking. Every few hours.

I'll file a full report upon my return.

What's Cooking?

2009-08-05T09:56:00.005-05:00

As mentioned in my last post, I'm between writing projects. My manuscript is off in other people's hands right now and I'm not yet in full-panic mode. I'm making notes and brainstorming Book #3, but won't buckle down with it until September. So, one of the ways I fill my time is by cooking.

Last week the food editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called me to see if I I'd be interested in being featured in "What's Cooking" and if I had any good summer recipes. Fortunately, I was and do. Here's the link:

and, um, it might be good to not pay any attention to the calorie count.

Back to the blogworld . . . and GCC!

2009-07-28T11:02:00.005-05:00

Whew! I'm back. It's been a crazy summer, but I finally feel like I've got my head above water (and groceries bought and laundry done).

The completely new rewrite (and I mean NEW . . . different POV, new setting, lots of previous characters gone, others in much larger roles, etc.) was written in record time (for me, that is) and is now off to my agent. So that means I can now look around and take care of all the things I let slip. I'm reading and cooking and ignoring the weeds that have taken over my garden. And that also means I get to blog about my buddy Carleen Brice's newest release, CHILDREN OF THE WATERS, which Booklist hailed as "a compelling read; difficult to put down." It explores the connection between love and race, and what it really means to be family and poses the intriguing question: Can two strangers become sisters?

Let me first say I love Carleen. She's smart and fun and creative and wonderfully supportive of her fellow writers. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of her debut novel, ORANGE MINT AND HONEY, and I knew within the first few pages that she was a fabulous writer. And you don't have to take my word for it because it's being made into a Lifetime movie(!!) and also won her a slew of awards.

Let's hear from Carleen in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

The idea came from a story my sister-in-law told me. She’s biracial and was given up for adoption and raised by a white family. Her birth sister, who’s also white, found her when they were adults. I wondered what would happen if she had been adopted and raised by a black family.

I can’t really separate character and plot—they go hand in hand for me. But I need a strong handle on the story or else I’ll just keep writing in circles.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

A secondary character named Fletcher who is a senior citizen who sells marijuana to other seniors. The why is obvious, right?

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

Haphazard. My process is whatever it takes at the time—a walk, going to a coffee shop, getting up early or staying up late, working in the kitchen. And my office is always a mess.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

When I find little clues in my story that I’ve left for myself that help me work out the problems. I like how the subconscious and the collective unconscious work or serendipity, whatever it is.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Do what works for you. I hate those “absolutes” people toss out. You must always or can’t ever. Phooey. Do what works for you and your story.

Carleen has written an amazing book--lyrical, moving, and one that will have you singing for joy. I promise.

Can I get an "Amen" on Overkill?

2009-07-02T08:23:00.003-05:00

Is this just me? Or did anyone else scream at the sight of Matt Lauer on The Today Show this morning, standing in Michael Jackson's kitchen with his (Michael's) two dogs? I mean, yes, Michael's passing was sad, he lived a very tragic life (even in the classical, Greek sense of the word, not just the overused "News at Five!" sense in which everything is a tragedy). I was a big fan of The Jackson Five growing up, still break into song at times. He was adorable and grew into an incredibly talented solo artist.

Then he went nuts. With the plastic surgery and lifestyle and dancing on top of his lawyer's car last fall.

So, yes, his death at age 50 was sad. But a week's worth of mourning and retrospectives and headlines? Please. That was the entire Today show today. After the "dog scene" mentioned above, I flipped to Good Morning America only to be greeted with the breathless news that "Coming up, a look inside the King of Pop's Bathroom!"

No thank you very much. I don't really want to see inside anybody's bathroom.

Is it just me? Has my curmudgeonly nature completely taken over? Or can I get an "Amen" to letting people die in peace and giving them and their loved ones some privacy?

Me, I'm off to read the paper and drink coffee on my front porch.

Writers in Their Own Words--GCC

2009-06-22T10:03:00.006-05:00

I've got a fun new book to tout today by my buddy Sheila Curran.

Everyone She Loved is getting some boffo press like:

Penelope Cameron May's unusual last request sets off the action in this riveting novel of love and friendship, betrayal and lies. Sheila Curran draws the reader in and this inventive book won't let go. Prepare to be surprised and moved. I read it in one delicious gulp.
Masha Hamilton, The Camel Bookmobile, The Distance Between Us

'Everyone She Loved' was the voice inside my head - at a time when I first contemplated my own mortality ... this could have been my husband, my girlfriends and my children ... it raises every emotion and suppressed fear within us all, with a clarity that is both deeply uncomfortable and yet stridently beautiful. Julz Graham, Dimensions

To whet your appetite even more, here's Sheila in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Books are born in strange places. This one was conceived in the front seat of a car.

No, not that kind of conception. My friend Julianna was driving. Our daughters were chatting in the back seat. I was talking about an article I’d written for McCall’s about two young girls in Arizona whose parents had died within months of each other. “Did you know that in some states, if there isn’t a will, the kids can be sent to foster care?”

The girls in my story weren’t so unfortunate. Their mother had named her best friends, another pair of sisters, as the children’s guardians. ”Just make sure you chose someone to take over if something happens to you.”

From there we talked about difficult it would be to chose which couple among one’s siblings and friends would best be suited for the job. Where did one couple’s permissiveness slide into overindulgence, another’s consistency into unbearable strictness? The idea of dying was hard enough, but figuring out which couple would most love your kids in your absence? Impossible.

We paused in our conversation just long enough for my brain to settle on yet another catastrophic possibility. “You know what would be worse?” I asked. “What if I died and John (my husband) married someone awful? I’d have no control at all!”

Another pause. “Unless,” I continued. “I could get him to agree that if he remarried, my sisters and friends would check out the bride. Make sure she wasn’t some kind of wicked stepmother.”

And thus was hatched the idea of EVERYONE SHE LOVED, a novel that explores the faith one woman placed in her dearest friends, the care she took to protect her family, and the many ways in which romantic entanglements will confound and confuse even the most determined of planners.

2.) Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I always start with a character who intrigues me.

3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I think because I come from a big family, it’s really hard to choose a favorite. I love all of them. There’s Penelope, who has died by the time the book begins but whose oversized personality permeates the novel. Her stepsister Clover, who seems like such a ditz at the beginning, is dear to my heart because she makes me laugh. Lucy, who is my main character, is, of course, my alter-ego, and so is Martha, who’s such a smart-a*&s.

4.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I’m lucky enough to have an office in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I sit in a comfy armchair, feet on an ottoman and write on my laptop, coffee on a table to my right, dog lying to my left. I try to write from 9-3 but sometimes it’s just two hours a day. A few times a year I sit there and can’t even get a word written. Those aren’t fun. In the early phase, I write a lot of scenes I’ll later throw away. Some days I ‘go down the rabbit hole,’ which is what I call researching on the Internet.

5.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Getting into the flow where I’m not even really aware that I’m writing.

6.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Well, Ann Lamott’s Bird by Bird has a chapter called Shitty First Drafts. I like that. I tell myself that if I can write even one bad page a day, it’s better than no pages.

This is a perfect summer read, so order yours today!

Always a New Adventure

2009-06-16T08:26:00.003-05:00

I know that when I used to look at my parents (or pretty much everyone who was, say, over 40) I figured they were just a step or two from fossilizing.

Then, I became an adult--in both age and mindset, and I realized all sorts of adventures were still ahead of me. In the past 4 years I got married, had a book published, left a stable job (high school English teacher) and embraced another (less stable, but it rocks!).

And new adventures, large and small, continue.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to write an installment on a "round robin short story". A Romance-y, chick-lit-y story. Um, not me. But it's been a hoot and they asked me to write another entry. Which I did. You can enjoy the whole thing at Romance in the Backseat. (My second installment might not be up until tomorrow.)

At the end of this month, I'll be having a little, out-patient-y procedure to remove my gall bladder (which is full of multiple, mobile stones. I was pleased to know the stones are busy little guys and not lazy slugs. But then my doctor pointed out it's the mobile ones that are the trouble-makers.) This will be both an adventure and a reminder that I AM middle-aged, I suppose.

What new adventures do you have on tap?

(And, yes, I'm still writing Unexpected Grace. 2600+ words yesterday. I'm very excited about it.)

Writers in Their Own Words--GCC

2009-06-07T21:11:00.006-05:00

I've been writing like a madwoman lately . . . and I'm loving every minute of it. This week, my goal is another 10,000 words. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I've got another Girlfriend Cyber Circuit buddy to introduce you to . . . Judi Fennell is fun and smart and has a perfect debut novel for your beachside reading, In Over Her Head.

When Erica Peck, one terrified-of-the-ocean marina owner, finds herself at the bottom of the sea conversing with a Mer man named Reel, she thinks she's died and gone to her own version of Hell. When the Oceanic Council demands she and Reel retrieve a lost cache of diamonds from the resident sea monster in return for their lives, she knows she's died and gone to Hell.

When they escape the monster and end up on a deserted island, she amends her opinion - she's died and gone to Heaven.

But when Reel sacrifices himself to allow her to return to her world, she realizes that, Heaven or Hell, with Reel, she's In Over Her Head.

Let's hear from Judi in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
I was working on a Fairy Tale series that are modern, paranormal twists to the old stories: Beauty and The Best (my American Title and original Gather.com finalling story), Cinda Bella, and Fairest of Them All, so I wanted to twist The Little Mermaid. Plus I saw the movie Failure to Launch and Matthew McConaughey's character was perfect for Reel. It all came together as the easiest story I've ever written. It just... flowed.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Honestly, I can't pick. I love all of them, even the sharks - and since I'm terrified of them in real life, that's saying something. We've got the hero, Reel, a devil-may-care, playboy type who really isn't; Erica, who has The Incident hanging over her head and making her question her self worth; Chum the chatty suckerless remora (due to an unfortunate boat propeller incident); Ceto the sea monster villainess--or is she?; Hammerhead Harry; Vincent the Great White with an agenda; Ernie and Amelia... I had a blast meeting all of these "folks."

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I do my best "splurge" writing locked in my office or at Borders. No internet, earphones in and I just let the story splurge onto the keyboard. I go to that place and immerse myself in it for hours. 6, 8, 10 at a time. It's draining but fulfilling. Editing is a little less intensive and for my final run-through I print the whole thing out in 2 column pages and block off several hours to go through it at one sitting.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
When the story flows out of my fingers as if I'm not even thinking of it. That usually happens when I'm immersed in it for about two hours.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
Never, ever give up.

That's great advice, Judi . . . and I'm glad you took it to heart!

Promises, promises (or Novel 101)

2009-05-26T14:49:00.011-05:00

Hello out there . . . anybody still reading this blog? Can't say that I'd blame you if you're not. I have all these good intentions . . . and I'm apparently busily paving a new road to hell with them.

Anyway, my apologies for so few posts this spring. As I might have mentioned a few times, I'm in the midst of writing a book. Note that I left off the prefix "re-". That was on purpose. I've rewritten/revised/re-imagined this particular MS several times over the past two years. And in April, after some soul-searching, and some "poor me/why me" complaining, and some wine, I decided to undertake it all over again. I blathered about that here.

And ever since, that's what I've been doing. Every morning I trundle up to my 3rd floor office, coffee cup in hand, open my laptop, put my scent-of-the-day candle on my candle-warmer thingie, and start writing. 1000+ words later (or more. Today was 2106!), I run spell-check, hit save, and jot down some notes about where I'm headed in the MS tomorrow. I've told my agent she'll have a finished draft by the middle of July. And now I've also told you the same thing. So I urge you to nag me about it. Seriously. I'm approaching this with more discipline and focus than ever before. Not that I ever thought writing a book was easy. (No, I've done it. I know how hard it is.) But, I'm learning it's not just the book or the writing or the ideas or any one thing. It's all of it and more. The timing has to be right, the story has to be true, and the writing has to have its own voice. Do I think I've hit that trifecta? Yes. Could I still be wrong? Of course. I certainly have been before. But this is what I do. I'm a writer, ergo I write.

Two of my writing pals have recently posted about their own writing processes (and hey, here's a shock, more eloquently then I have), so I urge you to check out Kristy's post and Patry's whole cool new blog.

Now, I ask for a bit more indulgence . . . I'm off to make myself some iced coffee so I can go sit on my porch and read what I wrote this morning. I'll be back to posting more regularly one of these days, too. But for now, my writing energy is focused elsewhere.

Summer in a Bowl

2009-04-29T12:46:00.007-05:00

Okay, this is completely off-topic (and I'll soon have a new Novel 101 post), but this is something I have to share. This is my new favorite, to-die-for recipe. One of those I-could-eat-this-everyday recipes. And, it's healthy, easy and versatile.

I found it by going to one of my favorite sites, The Food Network. And it's from one of my cooking idols, Ina Garten. Love, love, love her.

Here it is, PANZANELLA, with my changes in bold:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)--I used olive bread. Yum.
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes--I used those little cherub cherry tomatoes
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick--I didn't use a hothouse
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers, drained--I left these guys out

For the vinaigrette:

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar--I used white wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.

For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.

This rocks. It's even great the next day for lunch. I added diced pepperoni and salami one night to make it more of a meal all by itself. Another time I'll probably add some leftover grilled chicken.

Anyway, enjoy.

Writers in Their Own Words--GCC

2009-04-20T13:51:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure what it says about us, but my husband and I have become quite addicted to what we refer to as "Dead Wife Shows"--you know the kind of quasi-news show that's on at 9 p.m. (CST) on a Friday or Saturday night (when folks with real lives are out) that's billed as a TRUE-LIFE MYSTERY. It seems to usually center around some poor woman who ends up dead and then they try to solve the crime. It's fun, in a middle-aged couple sort of way, to sit on the sofa and follow the clues. Then we go to bed. We are Cuh-raz-ee!

So, you can imagien my excitement when I got to chat with April Henry co-author of Face of Betrayal. April knows how to kill you in a two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. She had one detour on her path to destruction: when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children's author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.

By the time she was in her 30s, April had come to terms with her childhood and started writing about hit men, drug dealers, and serial killers.

Publishers Weekly said Face of Betrayal is “A sizzling political thriller… The seamless plot offers a plethora of twists and turns.”

Tell me this doesn't sound great: When 17-year-old Senate page Katie Converse goes missing on her Christmas break near her parents' white Victorian home in Portland, Ore., law enforcement and the media go into overdrive in a search for clues. Three friends at the pinnacle of their respective careers--Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor; Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter; and Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent--soon discover that Katie wasn't the picture of innocence painted by her parents. Did Katie run away to escape their stifling demands? Was she having an affair with the senator who sponsored her as a page? Has she been kidnapped? Is she the victim of a serial killer?

Let's hear from April in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
Lis Wiehl, my co-author and FOX-TV’s legal analyst, wanted to write a book with three main characters: a federal prosecutor (as she was), a TV reporter (as she is), and an FBI agent (as her dad was). When we decided to work together, we batted around a bunch of ideas that had their roots in true crimes. Face of Betrayal has echoes from a number of real-life cases, most notably Chandra Levy’s.

As a mystery and thriller writer, I’m all about plot

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
I like Cassidy because she is kind of venial and vain, but honest.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I write in my home office, on my couch, at the library, at my gym. At first I couldn’t write at home because I would find myself doing something else. Now I’m better at getting my butt in the chair and away from loading the dishes. Lis and I will email each other back and forth a half-dozen times a day. When we have the basic idea, I’ll start working on the first draft. Then together we fine tune it.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
When the characters and situations take on a life of their own and start going in directions that are perfect – and that I didn’t forsee!

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
Let it sit. The longer you can stay away from a manuscript, the more easily you can see the flaws. Months are better. Weeks are okay. Even days, in a pinch. But hours? Hours doesn’t give you enough distance.

I love April's advice about letting your writing sit to give yourself some distance. And of course, one great way to get away from your own writing is to lose yourself in a fabulous thriller. So, go read, kids, and enjoy!

Fun for Spring . . .

2009-04-14T11:17:00.004-05:00

Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan, the smart women behind this website, are the co-authors of the new book seen here. And it's a fabulous, funny, SMART, guide for all of us when we're looking something fun (and maybe beach-y) to read. I asked Sarah my regular "In Their Own Words" questions and here are her answers . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

The idea was originally suggested to us by Rose Hilliard at St. Martin's, who asked, "Have you ever thought about writing a book on romance novels?" To which we said, "Hahahahha! What?"

As a reader - I love looking at questions like this. Am I driven by plot or character? Both equally, demanding whore that I am! I love characters who are nuanced, who aren't what I expect, who do or say things that I wasn't ready for but fully respect and want to follow onward from that page. And I love plots that carry those characters to places that neither they nor I are prepared for, that don't follow the expected progression through courtship and tribulation and resolution.

BUT - if I have to pick one, I'm a character reader. A very standard plot trope between two incredible characters will rock my world every time in the hands of a skilled writer. Characters, especially truly realistic ones, are definitely my preference.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Aside from me and Candy? Mavis! She's our stereotypical romance reader, as illustrated by Joanne Renaud, who looks like one might expect: fanny pack, slippers, baggy pants, kitten sweatshirt. But in the book, she has terribly insightful and clever things to say.

You can see her here.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

It depends. Sometimes it's "Butt in chair, hands on keyboard." And sometimes I go into what I think of as "word labor," when something I've been ruminating on starts to percolate and the words are coming NOW GRAB A PEN AND START TAKING NOTES FOOL. That happens every now and again and I'm always blown away when it does, and thankful for wherever that shot of awesome came from.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

You know that feeling when you write something that totally works for you, that ties everything together or makes you see another layer to what you're trying to say, and you're kinda blown away by the idea that came flying out of your own brain? That. Love that.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

From Laron's collection at NinthMoon.com: BICHOK. Butt in chair. Hands on keyboard. This shit ain't gonna write itself.

Happy Reading, everyone!

Novel 101 (Starting Over)

2009-04-07T15:42:00.006-05:00

I know I've been incommunicado for a few weeks now.

But, like spring, I do believe I too am emerging from winter and hibernation, tossing off some covers and turning my face towards the sun.

I've been doing lots of reading, a little traveling, and am in the process of wrapping my head around a new way of looking at things, particularly my WIP.

I think one of my strengths as a writer is how I capture the quiet moments of my characters, their introspection, their "resting." And that's all well and good, but in and of itself it isn't enough. As one of my most trusted readers/editors put it, I need to "earn the resting" and I need to earn it through action.

I know this, I really do, but I don't always do it. I can fall in love with my own paragraphs, sometimes, to the detriment of the whole. Last week I was talking to high school writers (one of my favorite things to do) and I found myself saying, over and over, "No matter how beautifully written a scene is, if it doesn't move the plot forward it has to go." They'd nod at me and jot down my words (almost like they thought I knew what the heck I was talking about) and it made me feel all professional (which is nice) but when I was driving home and thinking about it I realized that I needed to hear that advice more than those kids did. I need to listen to my own pearls of wisdom. And put them into action.

Next week (or maybe sooner, depending on how the week plays out), I'll be opening up a brand new document. And I'm going to allow the "what if's" to fly across the page. I'm going to earn my resting. I'm going to be open to the possibilities of magic in the world of my characters. I'm going to be prodding myself to know that it's in the characters' doing that emotions are elicited and honest and true. I'm going to be relentless that every scene--action and quiet--has to move the plot forward.

Because while the resting is important, I need to remember that growth is an action.

Forgotten Books

2009-03-27T11:49:00.001-05:00

Hey Kids, I'm over at Patti's Blog for her Friday's Forgotten Books post. Check it out. I'll be back next week (I promise) with a full-blown post.

Writers in their own words--and Blog Touring!

2009-03-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

I've never been a horror movie kind of girl. Not any of the Friday the 13th flicks, or the Elm Street ones or Freddy Krueger. I didn't like ghost stories when I was a kid (or even now). I don't like to be scared just to be scared. I can create enough nightmare scenarios with my own vivid imagination, thank you very much.

Unless they're smart. And funny. Maybe even sassy.

For instance I loved loved loved Fargo.

I appreciated Pulp Fiction.

And my buddy, Joe Konrath, writes a smart, compelling, funny series starring the detective Jaqueline (Jack) Daniels. And they're addictive.

And he's now branching out with his first horror novel, AFRAID writing under the name Jack Kilborn. And as much as I know I'll lose way too much sleep reading this, I also know I won't be able to put it down.

Along with scaring and amusing readers everywhere, Joe's one of the nicest guys in the business. I met him at my very first writing festival and he made me feel like part of "the club." His blog is without a doubt one of the best resources for writers anywhere--if it's not in your bookmarks, it will be as soon as you check it out, I'm sure.

Anyway, let's hear from Joe in his own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I'm a firm believer that good writers are storytellers, not charactertellers. A story is about conflict, rising action, resolution. That's the essence of narrative structure.

For example, if you take the most compelling character you've ever read, and stick them in a Starbucks drinking coffee for 400 pages, the book will likely be boring.

That said, I think characterization is incredibly important. I write a series featuring a cop named Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, and part of the reason readers keep coming back is they like the character, and the cast of supporting characters.

So I like to take interesting, flawed, dynamic characters, and stick them in page-turning plots.

As for AFRAID, the story is about a murderous evil that invades a small Midwestern town. It's a military unit, called The Red-Ops, made up of serial killers with commando training. That's the hook.

But it wouldn't be much fun unless that Red-Ops team went after characters that the reader cares about.

It's sort of a tightrope act, making sure there is plenty of action and scares, while also making the characters realistic, compelling, and likable.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

There are five Red-Ops, each a different sort of psycho. Santiago is a former South American interrogator. Taylor is a Ted Bundy-like stalker. Ajax is an oversized butcher. Logan is the myterious, creepy type. But my favorite is Bernie, who, like his name, enjoyed burning things.

It's like a super hero team of psychopaths.

As for the good guys, I like Fran, a waitress, single mom, scared to death of the dark, and Ace, an elderly county Sheriff in waaaaaay over his head.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I sit my butt in the chair and write. My desk is usually littered with notes, and because I never learned to type, I spend long hours staring at my keyboard.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I love it all. Creating new worlds. Putting my heroes through hell. Writing dumb jokes. Especially writing dumb jokes.

My Jack Daniels series has a lot of humor in it. In fact, CHERRY BOMB (Jack #6, coming out in July) has the funniest scene I think I've ever written, featuring a new character named Slappy.

AFRAID has zero humor in it, and I had a hard time keeping the jokes at bay. With AFRAID I didn't want to give the reader any breaks--there aren't even chapters. No humor, no falling action, no mercy. That was a challenge, but I think it resulted in a damn scary book.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

From my wife: You aren't allowed to give up.

I garnered more than 500 rejections before my first sale. That's why my motto is: There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published.

So, there you have it--buy this book. And leave the light on!

Finding the Right Words

2009-03-03T10:47:00.007-06:00

As a writer, I spend my days with words . . . trying to find the right ones, the best combinations, the perfect order. Do I say it this way or that way? It can seem like a never-ending puzzle. It can make me crazy.

But when they all fall into place, when the words arrange themselves, magically it might seem, even lyrically, I remember why I love what I do.

I need to remember the words of wisdom from E. B. White, one of my writing idols, who was advised as a young newspaper reporter struggling to tell a story, to "Just say the words."

This has been on my mind lately for a few reasons. One, I'm in full-on "writing mode," completely rewriting a manuscript. New POV, one narrative voice taken out (but reappearing in a different form), major changes throughout. It's exhilarating and terrifying. And words matter. Every single one. But I'm trying not to overthink it. I'm reminding myself to Just Say the Words.

The second reason this has been on my mind is because, as part of my participation in a Writers Week Celebration at a nearby high school in April, I was asked, "What's the best line you ever wrote?" (This was for the author information page.) I flipped through my book. Even looked at various blog posts. There are lines I like, lines I think capture a moment or a feeling. But when I looked at them in isolation, I thought, hmm, not so much. I'm not sure this one line is the best. One line kept popping up in my thoughts, but I thought it was probably too simple. Or not professional enough. So, in my e-mail to the director of the program, I was very apologetic about it, sort of made a little joke, and promised him I was working hard to come up with a better line. I didn't want him to think it had been a mistake to invite me to participate. But you know what? He wrote me back and said he thought the line I'd given him was perfect. So, I told him thanks, and to go ahead with it.

I'd Just Said the Words and hadn't even realized it.

The best line I've ever written?

"Love, Mom."

Curled Up With a Good Book

2009-02-19T10:40:00.010-06:00

It's cold and gray out most days and when it's like that all I feel like doing is making soup and crawling under a quilt with a cup of tea and a good book. And I've been lucky this winter--my husband gave me three books for Christmas. So, without further ado, here's what I've been enjoying in 2009 . . .

Stewart O'Nan's Songs for the Missing. This takes a tough subject (an 18 year-old girl disappears on her way to work) but O'Nan handles it with grace--the narrators include her parents and younger sister as well as her friends. Each one has such a clear voice that they really allowed me to inhabit his fictional town. Beautifully done.

Kathleen Flinn's The Sharper the Knife, The Less You Cry. I loved this memoir of a year in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School. She writes with honesty and humor. She also removes the glamour of cooking schools!

Tasha Alexander's A Poisoned Season. I loved the first book in this "series" And Only to Deceive, and this one did not disappoint. The mystery is smart (almost as smart as the main character) and the details of the time are spot on. A thoroughly enjoyable trip to London.

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows', The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I'd heard about this book, but had no idea what to expect. It's wonderful. Delightful. Poignant. Plus, you'll find out about some WWII history I'd never known. It's told in letters which are by turns funny, sweet and heartbreaking.

And just last night I started Wally Lamb's, The Hour I First Believed. Now, I'm only 20 or 30 pages in, but even as I was falling asleep I kept wanting to read one more page. And then another. And when I was at the gym this morning I'd catch myself thinking, ooh, when I get home I can read more of that book. As a writer, it's fascinating to see how he weaves in flashback and backstory without my even noticing. And as a reader, I just want to turn the page.

I can't say enough good things about all of these books--I highly, highly, highly recommend them.

So, what're you reading?

A Hard Anniversary

2009-02-07T11:03:00.008-06:00

A year ago tonight, I wrote this post. The outpouring of support from friends near and far was amazing, and it continued to flow in, as I talked about in this post.

Today marks the first anniversary of the City Hall shootings and it's still hard to fathom that they happened here, where I live, to people I knew. The following is a piece I submitted to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which they ran as a letter to the editor.

Two years ago, when Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby were discovered here in Kirkwood, we, as a community grappled with how it could have happened right here in our own backyard. Michael Devlin became the face of the bogeyman, that danger in our midst we never suspected or saw. I remember shivering when my oldest son, away at college in Ohio, mentioned that of course he knew who “Devo” was—everyone did. The story brought the national media to town, and I thought, well, there it is, Kirkwood’s 15 minutes of fame.

I wondered how many times I’d seen Shawn over the years and hadn’t known it. And I worried about what else I was blind to, what else I wasn’t seeing.

And then one year ago, gunshots fired into the heart of my town, and we gathered, in stunned shock, to mourn, to hold close, to ask why. We lit candles, and held up flags, and bought buttons and yard signs to show our unity. We answered questions from friends and family who called from far away to ask if we were okay (not really, but we said yes), if we knew any of the victims (most likely, yes), and how this could have happened (no one knew how to answer that one).

Once again, we tried to make sense of a danger we hadn’t foreseen. And we beat ourselves up at how we could have missed the signs, the clues, the warnings.

After the national media folks left, with their trucks and lights and cameras, winter ambled on. Community meetings began as we tried to answer the hardest questions, as we tried to speak from our hearts, and as we tried to understand one another.

Finally, spring arrived, bringing with it rain and an election and Mike Swoboda’s emotional return. We went back to our routines, stopping at odd moments to gasp at the realization of what had transpired in our own town, at our City Hall which could have come right out of central casting.

Soon, summer was here, and as I walked my dog in the mornings, down streets named for presidents, I wondered if it was just my imagination that made it seem as though there were more people out, that front porches were more popular, and that strangers were friendlier, kinder, more open.

I wished Matt Lauer or Katie Couric would come see my town now, in all its summer green and warmth. I wanted them to see the real Kirkwood, the one that welcomed me eighteen years ago when I moved here and nurtured and protected my sons as they grew up.

And while that won’t happen, other things have and will. There continue to be community meetings. A fundraiser brought in an outpouring of donations and dollars for the families of those killed in the rampage. People seem to wave and smile more.

And as we come to the first year anniversary of the shootings, I wonder what the next year will bring. I hope we’ll continue reaching out and trying to understand one another. I hope we’ll be more patient and less rushed. I hope more neighbors will spend time in their front yards and come to appreciate even more the friendliness of front porch steps. I hope we’ll expect the best from ourselves and give the benefit of the doubt to others.

That would be the best legacy of all. Ken Yost, Mike Lynch, Connie Carr, Mike Swoboda, and Officers Biggs and Ballman loved Kirkwood and worked hard to make it a better community. In honoring them, we shouldn’t accept any less from ourselves.

Writers in their own words-GCC

2009-02-03T10:55:00.004-06:00

I don't know about you, but when it's cold and dreary out and heading to a warm beach is not in the cards, often the next best thing is to crawl under the covers and into a book. Carolyn Jewel's Scandal will heat you up!

The earl of Banallt is no stranger to scandal. But when he meets Sophie Evans, the young wife of a fellow libertine, even he is shocked by his reaction. This unconventional and intelligent woman proves to be far more than an amusing distraction-- she threatens to drive him to distraction. Unlike the women who usually fall at Banallt's feet, and into his bed, Sophie refuses to be seduced. And soon Banallt desires her more than ever-- and for more than an illicit affair.

Years later, the widowed Sophie is free, and Banallt is determined to win the woman he still loves. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe his declaration of love and chivalrous offer of marriage-- her heart has already been broken by her scoundrel of a husband. And yet, Sophie is tempted to indulge in the torrid affair she's always fantasized about. Caught between her logical mind and her long-denied desire, Sophie must thwart Banallt's seduction-- or risk being consumed by the one man she should avoid at all costs...

Sherry Thomas, author of Delicious, calls it "An intense, beautiful love story and a most rewarding read." And Kathe Robin of Romantic Times says, "Jewel grabs you at the first word and never lets go."

Now, let's hear from Carolyn in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
I came up with a vague idea about two character that eventually turned into this book. I am definitely a character driven writer. There is no point (for me -- many other writers are completely different on this), in spending a lot of time plotting. I have a general notion of what will happen but this changes dramatically as I write and discover my characters.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Banallt, the hero, for having the balls to fundamentally change himself. No wait – Sophie, the heroine for seeing past her prejudices.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
Chaotic as to both. More than one writer has told me they find my process to be frightening. I am a pantser (A seat of the pants writer) with just enough structure to make me seem normal until I get in there with the machete and cut, rearrange, restructure, rewrite and re-create my mess of a story until, suddenly, it's no longer a mess.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
Editing

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
Just start over.

Enjoy!

And the winner is . . .

2009-01-29T08:09:00.002-06:00

Wildflower! She has a signed book winging its way to her as I write this.

(For everyone I had e-mail addresses for, I sent a note saying "sorry, your name wasn't the one pulled out of the hat.")

We The People

2009-01-23T08:42:00.008-06:00

Inauguration morning began for me in the soft darkness of dawn when my nephew dropped 6 of us off on the Virginia side of the Potomac. Our breath puffing out in clouds, our muffled footsteps the only noise, we walked on a pathway between the Iwo Jima Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. It seemed fitting. The headstones of the young men, most no older than our three sons, served as a reminder of the price that has been paid throughout the years so that we could be doing exactly what we were doing. We were about to witness and celebrate the exchange of power -- an exchange that had come about peacefully. An exchange that we were all responsible for.

My eyes were wet from more than just the cold.

We crossed Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial in front of us, the sun rising behind it. The enormity of the day, of the change that had come, pulled us forward.

By 7:30, my husband and I were in place on the Mall, midway between the Washington Memorial and the Capitol.

I'd wondered how we'd while away the time until the ceremony began four hours later, but I had no need to worry. On the Jumbotron in front of us, the "We Are One" HBO concert from Sunday afternoon was being shown. So we danced ("Shout" with Garth Brooks) and sang (with Stevie and Usher and Shakira) and cried (Springsteen's "The Rising" with a gospel choir). The spirit of celebration and change and hope filled the crowd.

And then it all began.

And I'd thought I'd know how I'd feel, worried that I might be underwhelmed. I mean, what could compare to election night and his words in Grant Park? But this was so much bigger. I was witnessing history, a specific moment when everything changed and the world watched.

His words rang out and I felt myself relax. I trust him and his slim shoulders and his huge brain to carry the weight of the United States. I know the road ahead will be long and rough--but I trust him to lead the way.

He's already banned torture. With one flick of his pen, one scrawl of his signature.

And I was there. Along with several million other folks who I will never see again. But for that morning, we were family, united in hope and pride and optimism.

I'm still feeling the warmth.

I, Too, Sing America

2009-01-16T17:14:00.009-06:00

I've always loved this Langston Hughes poem

And with all that's to come in the next week, it seems quite fitting to reread it and think about. (Feel free to zip on over and savor it.)

I'll be in the crowd on the National Mall on Tuesday, clapping and crying and bearing witness to an amazing form of government and a country who, even with all her flaws, has made democracy work for over two centuries.

I'll post again at the end of the week, sharing what I know will be an incredible experience.

True Confessions

2009-01-10T11:52:00.016-06:00

I need to come clean about something.

Deep breath.

Okay, here I go.

I have no flipping clue how to keep up with all the social network sites. I have no idea how other people do it. I had to ask my son how to write on someone's wall on facebook, and after he got over how funny he found it that I was even on facebook (and no, he does not want to "friend" me) he showed me. But, later, when I wanted to do it again I couldn't remember how (and I'm pretty smart) and I was too embarrassed to ask him again. So, if you are wondering why I don't write on your wall, that's why.

I'm on goodreads. And apparently have lotso' friends. I'm also on shelfari and belong to several groups (or so it says).

I have a page on Red Room. Myspace, too. And the afore-mentioned Facebook (under my non-author name).

Oh, and also LibraryThing.

For all I know I'm on bunches of other social networks. Periodically I'll get an e-mail notification that someone wants to be my friend. And it all seems so cheery. Smiley. I mean I wasn't even working at it and BAM! what do I know but, hey, a new friend! Some of the names are even people I know. People I AM friends with in real life. But there's this whole virtual reality world that just seems a little too Jetson-y to me. (Okay, time for another true confession . . . I never liked Star Wars or Star Trek.)

And I keep thinking perhaps I'm missing out on something. But then I think that if I spend all my time trying to connect "in space" I'll never get anything accomplished in my real bricks-and-mortar life.

Don't get me wrong . . . I love e-mail and blogging and the friends I've made through the cyberworld. And if you ask me to "friend" you I'll happily comply. But don't be offended if I fail to write on your wall or join your group. I'm not being a virtual snob; I just don't know how to do so.

And please please please don't suggest twitter or flicker. Those would send me right over the edge, I fear.

But, feel free to shoot me an e-mail. Or go really radical and pick up the phone and call me. Don't worry--I'll get back to you. And even though I have caller-ID, I never screen my calls.

* * * * *
By the way, I'm tickled to have all the new visitors because of the book giveaway (see previous post). And the contest runs through Jan. 21.

Writers in their own words--and a Book GIVEAWAY!!

2009-01-07T12:17:00.011-06:00

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to take on 2009! I cleaned/rearranged/purged my closet, I've organized my calendar, and I'm committed to the gym 4 days a week. I've even balanced my checkbook. So now it's time to kick back a little bit (I mean we're already a week in) and not only chat about a fun new book, but give a signed copy away to one lucky commenter. So, get your fingers ready and when you're done reading, comment away!

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Brenda Janowitz who is the author of JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging your adversary and other things they don’t teach you in law school) and SCOT ON THE ROCKS (How I survived my ex-boyfriend's wedding with my dignity ever so slightly intact), as well as the short story BASED ON A TRUE STORY. You can learn more about Brenda here and check out her blog.

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

When I finished SCOT ON THE ROCKS, I just knew that Brooke’s story had to continue! Since both she and Jack are lawyers, I thought it would be so much fun to pit them against each other in the courtroom… all while planning their fairy-tale wedding. Thus the idea for JACK WITH A TWIST was born!

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I love all of my characters equally, as if they were children!

But in JACK, I had a lot of fun writing Brooke’s mom. She drives Brooke completely crazy, but ultimately, always wants what’s best for our protagonist. I had so much fun having Brooke’s mom drink too much champagne and embarrass Brooke at every phase of the wedding planning.

And before my mother gets up in arms, no, Brooke’s mom is not based on my mom! (Although she does like a nice glass of champagne just as much as the next gal….)

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I write on my laptop which means that I can pretty much write wherever I please! I love to write on my couch at home, or, if I’m too distracted, at a nearby coffee shop. A fun thing for me is to meet my writer friends and have coffee or breakfast and then put our laptops on the table and write the rest of the day away!

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I love beginnings! It’s always so much fun to get started with a new project and set the stage.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Keep writing! It’s so easy to get discouraged or feel like you don’t have the time to write. But like anything else that is important in life, you have to work at it and make the time for it. 

Edit! Editing your work is almost as important as the writing itself. Sure, you’re telling your story, but it’s also important to consider the way that you tell it. You want your writing to be tight, elegant and polished. It can only get to be that way through careful and thorough editing. 

Develop a very thick skin. You’re putting yourself out there when you write and not everyone is going to love what you do. But that’s okay! You’re not writing to please everyone out there.

Brenda has graciously offered to send signed copy to a randomly selected commenter. So, don't be shy, okay? I'll pick one lucky winner after midnight on Jan. 21 (that gives you two whole weeks!).

A Toast . . .

2008-12-31T12:42:00.006-06:00

To a year filled with family and friends, adventures and surprises, health and strength, achievements and goals met . . . for all of us.

Oh, and book sales that blow the roof off!!!

Happy 2009!

Holiday and New Year Musings

2008-12-21T10:41:00.007-06:00

It's bitterly cold here in St. Louis today. My husband is at the mall (only 3 shopping days left!), one of my sons is at the Rams game with college buddies, and I'm about to go make another batch of cookies. The crockpot is filled with the makings for White Chicken Chili, and in a few hours friends are coming over to enjoy the chili and cookies and some holiday cheer.

I moved to this town and this house 18 years ago next month, and the two families coming over tonight are the first people I met. They are, literally, my next-door neighbor and back-fence neighbor. At the time, our kids were toddlers. The three youngest of those kids will be joining us tonight, all home from college. It'll be the first party where none of them will have to sneak a beer in the backyard.

Over the years we've worried about teachers and mean kids at school and college acceptances. We've driven carpools, and babysat. We've mourned the loss of parents and buried beloved pets. We've welcomed new puppies and one grandbaby. We all danced at my wedding 3 years ago. We've borrowed eggs and traded recipes and sat up way too late drinking wine. We've brought meals after surgery and driven each other home after medical procedures. We've had health scares and put out one driveway fire.

We try to get together more often, but life gets in the way and we find ourselves running into each other at the grocery store and saying things like "we've got to get together" and we wave from the driveway or holler over the back fence. So, it's a treat to actually have a date on the calendar when we can relax and laugh and reminisce.

And that's one of the wonderful things about this time of year. For one, my house is all decorated and cozy so I want to light the candles and have friends over. For another, it's a time to look back and look forward, and that naturally means thinking about good friends.

When I moved here, so much ahead of me was unknown. Divorce, remarriage. A first novel being published. Teaching full-time and then changing careers. In the past year, even, our three families have weathered sadnesses and celebrations like families all over the world. And I love looking back at the quilt of our lives, pieces here and there of all the things that have made us who we are, woven together in tears and laughter and love.

Who knows what we'll be celebrating at the end of 2009?

But to all of you, I wish you a holiday filled with warmth and laughter and family and good friends. And a 2009 full of joy and surprise and adventure.

See you next year.

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-12-17T16:35:00.005-06:00

In this hectic time, I'm here to help you out with yet another book suggestion, courtesy of the GCC: Melissa Clark's Swimming Upstream, Slowly.

Melissa is the creator and executive producer of the award-winning television series, 'Braceface', and has written for shows on the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and Fox. She received a master's degree from the writing program at U.C. Davis, and currently lives in Los Angeles. This is her first novel. Let's hear from her in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Swimming Upstream, Slowly was born because I was having lunch with a friend and overate. I lifted my shirt to expose my bloated belly and the friend said, half joking, "Are you sure you're not pregnant?" and I said, "Yeah, right, from a lazy sperm." I went home that night and started outlining it for a movie. I decided, eventually, to write it as a novel instead. I am usually driven by character, but this book was very plot-y, so I was driven by both in this one.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

The Jordan character was initially just a throw-away character, but as I kept writing he became more integral to the plot. It was fun to write those scenes with Sasha and see where they headed.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

For Swimming... I quit my TV writing job to write the novel. I had the luxury of time and money to do so. I joined a workshop at UCLA and used it as a motivator. I finished the book in a year and three months.

I just finished a draft of a new novel and spent most of my writing time at the Santa Monica Public Library. I teach now, so my writing time is more precious.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Coming up with ideas, finessing scenes, watching two characters meet.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

"The best part of being a writer is getting to spend time with other writers" --Myra Freid, writer.

I love, love, love That last quote. It's absolutely true!

Adventures in Wrapping

2008-12-15T17:44:00.011-06:00

Today it was cold and icy outside. I chose to stay inside where it was toasty and cozy.

I baked cookies and made chili and wrapped presents which will soon be under the tree (as soon as we put it up).

I love this time of preparation and waiting.

I unpacked all the Christmas decorations yesterday. The day before I started (and came darn close to finishing) our Christmas shopping. Hence the need for gift-wrapping today.

I had a great time this afternoon. The aroma of freshly baked cookies hung in the air, I filled the CD player with Christmas carols (I just love this David Bowie/Bing Crosby rendition of "Little Drummer Boy"), and I sat at the dining room table and wrapped presents.

And you know what?

BOOKS ARE THE PERFECT GIFT!!!

They are much easier to wrap than anything else. I mean, Macy's rocks, but their boxes are flimsy. And rarely does the item fit as neatly inside as I'd like it to. And then there are the items that don't fit neatly into boxes. So creative taping becomes important. But, books. Oh my. Even my dog could wrap books (and he doesn't have opposable thumbs). And, if you're like me and have to mail some gifts, well, can I just mention that they're a cinch to mail? Okay, I mentioned it.

I've got a slew of books on my wish list. And at least 5 of the folks on my list (and we're cutting way back this year) are going to be the lucky recipients of books.

So, if you're still looking for that perfect gift, wander into your local bookstore and buy bunches.

Think Fearlessly, Act Locally

2008-12-09T07:17:00.015-06:00

So, I spent last week putting the final touches on my MS. Today I'll read it through one last time, tweak a few things here and there, rewrite the synopsis, and send it off to my agent. Yes, I'm well aware that all the news in publishing (and the auto industry and Wall Street, and . . . . ) is bleak. I believe a week ago we had "Black Wednesday." To some, I suppose, it would seem silly at best and utterly pointless/stupid/bang-your-head-against-the-wall frustrating to be sending off a MS in the hopes it'll be published. But, read this journal entry written by my dear, wise author friend Bev Marshall. She gets to the heart of why we write.

In working on this last revision/rewrite I discovered that I was writing fearlessly. Okay, the market might have cratered, but that didn't mean I should give up on my characters. I'm not writing for some vague "market" anyway. I'm writing to tell a story, an important story. I'm writing because it's who I am and what I do. And so my words soared out onto the computer screen. Nobody's buying? Okay, then, even more reason to write from the heart.

And as I went about the rest of my week, I thought how freeing it was to write without fear. And it extended beyond just writing. So, the economy is terrifying? That gave me the freedom to scale back on my holiday buying, but it also meant that I wanted to make what I give count all the more. Distill it down, so to speak. Rather than 6 or 7 wrapped presents under the tree, what are three things that will tell my son I really know him?

And what can I do for the booksellers who've helped me so much? I can get off my couch and go buy my books from them rather than adding to "my cart" with a click of the mouse. And lots of those great indies have web presences, too.

Here are two of my local stores who will get my business:

The fabulous Main Street Books in St. Charles, owned by the wonderful Vicki Erwin

And the classic Left Bank Books in the Central West End (and now also in downtown St. Louis. Yes, they just oepend a new store this fall. You gotta love that!)

Two other indie stores that have treated me (and gobs of other authors well!) are Schwartz's in Milwaukee and The Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans.

Feel free to share your favorite indie store when you leave a comment. And this holiday season, don't let the bad news hold you back.

Fearless. That's my new motto.

Writers in their own words-A Double Dipper!

2008-12-03T05:47:00.000-06:00

In keeping with Monday's post about books being the perfect holiday gift, I have a GCC two-fer to offer all of you: Malena Lott (far right)and Jessica Brody!

In Malena's novel, Dating Da Vinci Ramona Elise is in a rut—a 36-year-old widowed mother of two, she can’t seem to find what make her truly happy in life. Making sure her kids are happy isn’t the hard part; Ramona’s looking for the passion she lost two years ago when she lost her husband and her world turned upside down. When a handsome Italian immigrant walks into her English class, Ramona never expects to find la dolce vita (the sweet life) in a younger man—or in her self!

Jessica's novel, The Fidelity Files confronts the thorny issue of infidelity head-on with its controversial main character Jennifer Hunter. Operating under the code name “Ashlyn,” Jennifer leads a double life. Her friends and family all think she’s an investment banker who’s too busy to date. In reality, Jennifer is hired by suspicious wives and girlfriends to test the faithfulness of their partners. Her job has made her pretty cynical about her own love life. But just as she’s ready to swear off men for ever, Jennifer meets sexy, sophisticated Jamie Richards, a man who might just past her fidelity test. However, before she retires her secret agent self forever, she takes on one last assignment – a job which will permanently alter her perceptions of trust, honesty, and love.

Let's hear from each of them in their own words:

First Jessica Brody about Fidelity Files . . .

1) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Before I became a full-time writer, I worked in a very corporate environment. And like all corporate jobs, there were a certain number of “alcohol-related” events that I was expected to attend. I would often find myself at work happy hour functions in nearby bars, observing the interactions between single and non-single co-workers as their behaviors gradually declined from professional to something else entirely. Something hardly capable of being described as “appropriate.”

Witnessing these “indiscretions” upset me on a profound level. I secretly wished that someone would tell the “conveniently” absent significant others about what their husbands/wives/boyfriends/ girlfriends/fiancés really did while attending these “obligatory” and supposedly “uneventful” work functions. But I certainly wasn’t going to be the one to do it. I was brave enough to think it…but not exactly brave enough to go knocking on people’s doors with bad news. You know what people tend to do to “the messenger.”

So instead I created a character whose job and purpose in life was to do just that. To reveal the truth to anyone who wanted to know. To knock on all the doors that I never had the courage to knock on. An invincible superhero-esque woman whose quest is to fight against the evils of infidelity. But of course, she soon finds out…she’s not as invincible as she once thought.
I’m definitely more driven by character. I like thinking up interesting characters with intriguing back stories and then forming a world around them. Like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a story about a woman who tests men’s fidelity for a living?” Then I go forward from there. “What would her life be like?” And “What kind of interesting things would happen to someone like that?”
2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

My favorite character is definitely Jen’s gay friend, John. Every scene he’s in was always the most fun to write. And the easiest. He’s definitely the comic relief of the book. I don’t know where some of his lines come from. They just kind of emerge as if I’m channeling a flamboyant and sometimes annoying gay man from another dimension. I would be writing a scene with him and he’d respond with a line that was so him and I would just stare back at it on the page, laugh and say, “Where did that come from?” Needless to say, he was one of my favorite characters to return to in the sequel.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

The writing process is very random for me. It all depends on the day. Because I tend to be equally right and left brained, sometimes I feel as though the writing process is just a constant struggle (or sometimes clash) between the two sides of my brain to come up with a consistent way to write a novel. I write outlines, because my analytical side tells me it’s the right thing to do, but then halfway through the story, I come to the conclusion that I only write outlines so that I’ll have something to deviate from. I create complicated spreadsheets (a nod back to my days as a strategic analyst) for my storylines and page counts and pacing only to abandon them halfway through. And yet, despite this seemingly random chaos, it all feels perfectly natural to me. As if it was designed specifically for a purpose. So I suppose, my lack of a defined process is a process in itself.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part of writing is definitely the beginning of the story. There’s nothing more exciting and inspiring than a fresh new idea and a blank piece of paper. The possibilities are endless, the promise is huge and the character is brand new. It’s like that first four-hour long conversation with a new guy. So much hope for where it could go!

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

“Finish it.” Okay, I realize some explanation is required here. But when I first started writing my very first book, I had no idea if it was any good or not. I was excited about it but I was so uncertain about my writing. So I showed it to a friend who used to be a literary agent and she said, “This is good. You should finish it.” So I did. Now, mind you, that book never got published. It’s still gathering dust on the proverbial shelf. But it did give me the push I needed to take my writing seriously and keep going. Two years after getting that piece of advice I started on a new book...the one that eventually became The Fidelity Files. And today, I’m a published author. All because of those two words. [Cue the dramatic inspirational music here.]

And now Malena Lott about Dating Da Vinci . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I don’t recall the exact a-ha moment when the book idea came to fruition, but I’d just moved into a new house in the ‘burbs, my whole department had just been laid off, and I was in a big transition period as a stay-at-home mom and starting my own consulting business. I was definitely in a place in my life where I was thinking: what’s next? And, what does it mean to truly be happy? So Ramona sprung to life, and since I’ve always been a huge da Vinci fan – there wasn’t anything that guy wasn’t gifted at – it all just came together. I’m driven by character as my journeys are within for my female protagonists.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I change the answer given the day, because I really do think there are so many fun characters in the book. Today I’ll answer Leonardo da Vinci because he’s new to America and so full of life. He’s good at everything he tries, and he falls for Ramona, a woman who desperately needs to feel joy and passion again.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I try to write every morning. If I’m not working on something new, then I’m revising or editing or marketing. I like to get that done in the morning while my kids are in school and my toddler is busy with his breakfast and educational videos. (The Simpson is educational, right?) Not really. My writing environment changes based on where my toddler is in the house and the weather outside. I have two patios so I love to take my laptop outside, and inside I either write in my library on a sleek black recliner or upstairs in the playroom on a mod pink 1950s chair.

 4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

By far, ideas and dialogue, though I’m really not very heavy on dialogue. My favorite part is usually any part that I’ve gone back and read that I think passes the muster.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Learn the craft. I’ve written all my life, but you can always improve and with experience you can get better. So read a lot, write a lot works for me.

So, you heard it here first . . . great gift ideas!

As You Shop this Season . . .

2008-12-01T07:20:00.010-06:00

Books, books, and more books. They are always at the top of my Christmas wish list. I love waking up on Dec. 26, knowing the fridge is full of leftovers, there's nowhere I have to be, and I have a stack of new books to dive into. If I want, I can spend the day in bed, cozy under my down comforter, and read the day away.

I also love to give books as gifts. They are easy to wrap (you never have to wait for some surly clerk to find a box for you) and they are always a perfect fit. They never go out of style.

Now, I know, that this year especially, people are throwing their hands in the air and acting as though the book business is dying if not already dead. Well, to paraphrase one of the gods of American Literature, I DECLINE TO ACCEPT THE END OF BOOKS.

Books allow us to visit worlds and lives that are far removed from our own. Books take us on journeys we could never plan or afford. Books introduce us to characters who become friends.

When I was teaching, I'd tell my students that they were to always write about books in the present tense because, as I'd explain, when you open the cover of a book and dive into it, the story is happening right then. Those characters are living their story right at that moment. They are always alive in those pages. Cool, huh? Every time I read it, Atticus is guiding Scout and defending Tom Robinson. And Boo Radley is watching and protecting.

So, you see, books will never die. Elizabeth Bennett is smitten with Darcy over and over again (even though she can't admit it!). Caddy Compson will keep trying to help Quentin even though she knows she'll never be successful. But her love is too strong to give up.

These characters live anew every time someone opens the covers of the book. That's what you give someone when you give a book as a gift.

If you're looking for suggestions, check out all my posts on this blog labeled Book Recommendations or Writers or GCC.

My author buddy Carleen Brice has a new blog full of book suggestions.

And every Monday I'll be posting suggestions, ideas, etc.

Today my plug is for memoirs. I know memoirs have gotten a bad rap because some folks wrote ones that weren't. But real memoirs, good memoirs, are wonderful. They read like novels with the added poignancy of knowing a real live person is behind the story. Here are three that I'm a fan of this season:

~Gail Konop-Baker's Cancer is a Bitch about how having cancer helped her reexamine her life and start living the life she wanted. It's funny and inspiring and not what you think of when you hear "cancer book". Just trust me and read it, okay?

~Kin Reid's No Place Safe, a riveting look at what it was like to be 13 and have her mom leading a serial killer investigation. It's a coming of age tale in every way.

~Kathleen Flinn's, The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry about her experiences at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

"Moment of Thanks" Reprise

2008-11-23T05:35:00.003-06:00

I wrote this post last year, and ask your indulgence as I post it again. It still seems appropriate. . . .

"You can plan all you want to. You can lie in your morning bed and fill whole notebooks with schemes and intentions. But within a single afternoon, within hours or minutes, everything you plan and everything you have fought to make yourself can be undone as a slug is undone when salt is poured on him. And right up to the moment when you find yourself dissolving into foam you can still believe you are doing fine."

Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety

Thirteen years ago, just before dinnertime on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, my seven-year old son was hit by a car. Now twenty, he'll be arriving home from college tomorrow; his twenty-one year old brother the next day. We have much for which to be thankful. But that night, for a few moments, I wasn't sure I'd ever breathe a thankful breath again. When the neighbor boy burst into my house, yelling, "Eric just got hit by a car!" my world froze. I wasn't sure I could face what awaited me just outside my front door. Somehow, I propelled myself outside, after tossing the phone to the neighbor and telling him to call 911. When I hit the porch steps I heard my son's cries and I thought, Okay, he's alive. When I knelt by his side, I saw his feet moving and told myself, Okay, he's not paralyzed. And I knew right then we were incredibly lucky. And I was thankful beyond measure.

Later, after the ambulance ride, after the X-rays, after the doctor shook his head and said, just before releasing him, "He's fine. He shouldn't be but he is," I remembered the above Stegner quote. The salt had been just ready to pour down on me, on us, on our life. And then it didn't. But I knew how easily it could have rained down over our world. A different driver. A bigger, faster car. A shift in the trajectory of my son's body as it flew through the air. But, even now, I have to turn my mind away from those awful possibilities.

Our lives are full of such moments, but many times we don't even know it. We don't know what we've narrowly escaped, what's just missed us. And so, for what we know and don't know, I am thankful. For the times the salt didn't pour down and for the strength to continue when it did, I give thanks.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but even more, I wish you a spirit of thankfulness as you go about your lives everyday.

Love Your Neighbor/Writers in their own words

2008-11-19T09:45:00.003-06:00

I've been lucky to have the best neighbors anyone could ask for. We've lived next door for going on 18 years. In that time we've graduated 4 kids from high school, two from college (the last two aren't far behind . . . at least that's what they tell us). They've driven my younger son and me to the ER more times than I can count. We've shared meals and tears and laughs and wine.

One day, when I was at work, they noticed a bird flying around inside my house. They knew that while I didn't have a pet bird, I did have a dog and cat who were likely wreaking havoc throughout the house. Fantastic neighbors that they are, they used the spare key they have (yeah, they're that kind of neighbor), came over, rescued the bird, set it free, calmed down the animals who were supposed to be in the house, and straightened up the lamps that had been knocked over. When I got home, all was well.

I know I'm lucky. But, if I ever forget, reading Saralee Rosenberg's new book, Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead will definitely remind me!

A “For Sale” sign on your lawn is fine, unless you’re not the one who put it there. In DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD, Saralee Rosenberg’s fourth hit-home novel on Long Island, Mindy Sherman and Beth Diamond are warring next door neighbors who have zero in common, but no place to hide. Housewives have never been this desperate, or this funny.

The story begins on move-in day when Mindy notices that her new neighbor’s shed is bigger than her mother’s condo, and the vanity plate on Beth’s Lexus reads FSHNCRZY. It hardly bodes well for meaningful friendship as the Shermans are broke and Mindy’s favorite designer makes Mets t-shirts. Still, her husband, Artie, predicts that Mindy and Beth will become the next Lucy and Ethel. “In real life they hated each other,” Mindy cried. “In real life they laughed all the way to the bank,” he pointed out. “Which bank?” she asks.

Now, eight miserable years later, Mindy is still trying to compete, squeezing into jaws-of-life jeans, for in her neighborhood, thirty is the new wife. Even Artie isn’t immune. “Someone called us Shrek and Fiona!”

That someone is Beth, the ivy-league blonde next door who as resident sancti-mommy, makes Ann Coulter seem civil. It’s another day, another dilemma until Beth’s marriage becomes fodder on Facebook. Suddenly she needs to be “friended” and Mindy is the last mom standing.

For two women who have never shared a meal, it’s a hilarious balancing act as they join forces in order to keep their messy plates spinning thanks to overbearing in-laws, errant husbands, a troubled step-son, a failing business, an unplanned pregnancy and a possible relocation that would leave one of them very far from Bloomingdales.

Then, Mindy and Beth’s reality check nearly bounces on a harrowing flight when they discover a startling secret that they pray they are not too late to share.

DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD is a highly emotional, spot-on romp through bedrooms, boardrooms and backyards, making unlikely heroines out of two moms who never imagined themselves as survivors, let alone as best friends.

Here's Saralee in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Of my four novels, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD is the only one that was inspired by, well, me! The story is based on my first novel, ALL IN THE CARDS, which was never published, but did take a very exciting journey to Hollywood. Back in 1997, Bette Midler optioned it for a feature film (she was looking for a follow up comedy to “First Wives Club”). Exactly! Wow! First time out and it’s a homerun. Sadly, the reason you never heard of it is because ultimately, Bette and her partner couldn’t get financing or find the right screenwriter to adapt it. Bye bye Bette... Now fast forward to a few years ago. My novels, A LITTLE HELP FROM ABOVE, CLAIRE VOYANT and FATE & MS. FORTUNE had done very well but were about single women looking for love in all the wrong places. I wanted to write about my “peeps” in the suburbs and pitched my editor on letting me rewrite ALL IN THE CARDS. She was hesitant because she wasn’t sure Avon was the right publisher for a suburban/soccer mom story with bickering neighbors. Then came “Desperate Housewives” and suddenly it was, get me suburban/soccer mom stories with bickering neighbors. Timing is everything.... So although DEAR NEIGHBOR is an incarnation of my earliest novel, it is a much richer, deeper, funnier story and is resonating with readers of all ages.

2) Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I always tell readers who ask what my new book is about that the better question is who is the book about because if the characters don't resonate for them, they'll lose interest and possibly not finish. That's why I work so hard creating three-dimensional characters who sound, look and feel real and who have their good points and bad. If readers can relate to them as they do friends and family, and if they even worry about them when they put the book down, then I know I have done my job and the reader will take the whole ride with me.

3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I absolutely adored my protagonist Mindy because she was so honest and genuine and she never stopped trying to improve herself, improve her husband and her kids and improve her life. The fact that she rarely saw any signs of progress is what her made her so funny and vulnerable. But the one character that I grew to love and was challenged by was 17-year old Aaron, Artie's son from his first marriage. I drew from my experiences from when my son was that age and was one part sweet and three parts nasty. But in him I saw so much heart and intellect that needed discovering, I enjoyed peeling away the layers of the onion chapter by chapter so that readers would see his great potential too. The old adage about not judging a book by its cover is true for people as well.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I’m a crack-of- dawn morning writer maybe because my muses are busy all night and can’t wait to have me pour out what they sunk in (at least they let me go to the bathroom first). That being said, when I’m in the zone, I write morning, noon and night. I know I’m done, however, when I look up at the computer screen and I see this, “She said, hjkljkl;uiop.” Then it’s time to shut the lights. As for where I write, the majority of my work is written while chained to my computer table which is situated right smack in the middle of my master bedroom... I never thought this would be my workspace. I always fantasized about having the kind of home office that “playwright” Diane Keaton got in “Something’s Gotta Give.” - this huge, white, ocean-facing office that was stocked with floral bouquets and a breathtaking view. Perhaps one day, but for now it’s fine. I look out at my beautiful backyard and at least my commute is a breeze. Not to mention I can make it to the fridge in under thirty seconds.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I am crazy about writing dialogue and would spend days working on a scene between Mindy and Beth to make sure that I got the tone, the phrasing, the timing and the subtle nuances just right. There was so much that they wanted to say to each other after eight years of making each other crazy, I just had to let it out a little at a time, like air coming out of a balloon. But the scene I loved writing the most was the one where they are in a hotel room and Beth confronts the fact that she might be pregnant. It is a funny, poignant moment where both characters reveal their greatest joys and misgivings of motherhood and I remember when I sat at my computer, the words just poured out and I had to sit still to hear every last word coming through. I realized at the end that they had just broadcast my own conflicts and vulnerabilities about being a mom and it was whoa... where did that come from?

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Good question. When I first began writing fiction, I turned to many of the wonderful books that are out there to teach the craft. But the two books that became my bibles, the ones that I still refer to when I'm stuck are the stand bys for many writers, Bird By Bird by Anne LaMott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I found so much wisdom in their words, and they gave me the courage to listen to my inner voice and trust it. Now when I'm being pulled in different directions, I just close my eyes, listen to the conversations going on in my head and miraculously, I know what to do. I thank them for that.

Finally, here's praise from Booklist: "Through a winning blend of hip and humble humor, Rosenberg simultaneously skerwers and celebrates the institution of suburban sisterhood."

Novel 101--A Radical Revisionista

2008-11-16T09:03:00.007-06:00

So, once again I'm revising. Revising the MS I thought was done a year ago. The MS I've since rewritten 3 (or was it 4?) times.

This has been the hardest book I've ever written. Okay, I know it's only the third (or fourth?) book I've even started. But I also know it's the most complex. I think it's better than All the Numbers. And the writing of it has been a completely different experience.

I remember when I was pregnant with my second child, thinking, well, I'm an experienced mom so I know what I'm doing. Uh huh. I knew the basics. Nursing. Diapering. But each baby taught me how to be his own mom. What worked with one son didn't always (or ever) work with the other one.

We talk about books being labors of love . . . like child rearing. We talk about the fear of sending them (kids and books) out into the world to get knocked around. And I'm discovering that each book gets written in its own way just like each child gets raised in his or her own way. And I have to give myself over to that.

My sons taught me how to be a mom. My sons taught me I could handle things I'd never imagined. They taught me I was stronger than I ever thought. They taught me I had to take risks and be fearless so that they could dare to take chances and chase dreams.

My characters teach me the very same things. My characters are teaching me how to be a writer.

And one of my dearest, most trusted reader-editors used the perfect phrase for all of this. She told me being cautious wouldn't strengthen my story. She told me that "a more radical approach to revision is the right one."

Which means that I'm reconsidering major plot points. I'm looking at scenes and thinking, what the hell, what if I connected these characters here? Or here. I'm fearlessly "killing my darlings"--deleting those scenes that might be beautifully/wittily/choose-your-adverb written but DON'T MOVE THE STORY FORWARD. Or worse, SLOW IT DOWN.

I'm moving things around, withholding information, rediscovering characters' motivations. It's exhilarating and terrifying (kind of like parenting toddlers or teens). I know it's working when I wake up thinking about my book, when in those not-quite-awake moments an idea or solution comes to me and I just know it's perfect. Which tells me that all night my subconscious has been working on my book.

I'm letting go of what I thought the book was supposed to be and grabbing on to what it's becoming, what it was destined to be.

Again, kind of like watching my sons become the adults that was in them from the start.

It's an amazing journey, both parenting and authoring. And much of the time I need to remind myself to enjoy the ride and stay out of the way.

Our Words Take Us All Over the World/GCC

2008-11-13T02:55:00.001-06:00

I had an amazing experience this week . . . and it was proof, once again, that when we send our words out into the world, we have no idea where they'll land and who they'll touch. This week, I received a fan letter (via e-mail). While fan letters are ALWAYS cool, this one was even more so. Because it came from a reader half a world away, a young Taiwanese woman who loved my book (which has been translated into complex Chinese characters) and wrote to tell me so. I was incredulous and thrilled. When I first imagined being a published author, when I first dared dream the dream, I couldn't have foreseen the lovely people I'd meet because of a story set on a small Wisconsin lake. But that story has taken me around the world.

And now I get to introduce you to another writer whose words will also go places she could never imagine. Kelly Para's new novel, Invisible Touch, poses the question, Do You Believe in Fate?

Kara Martinez has been trying to be "normal" ever since the accident that took her father's life when she was eleven years old. She's buried the caliente side of her Mexican heritage with her father and tried to be the girl her rigid mother wants her to be -- compliant and dressed in pink, and certainly not acting out like her older brother Jason. Not even Danielle, her best friend at Valdez High, has seen the real Kara; only those who read her anonymous blog know the deepest secrets of the Sign Seer.

Because Kara has a gift -- one that often feels like a curse. She sees signs, visions that are clues to a person's fate, if she can put together the pieces of the puzzle in time. So far, she's been able to solve the clues and avert disaster for those she's been warned about -- until she sees the flash of a gun on a fellow classmate, and the stakes are raised higher than ever before. Kara does her best to follow the signs, but it's her heart that wanders into new territory when she falls for a mysterious guy from the wrong side of town, taking her closer to answers she may not be able to handle. Will her forbidden romance help her solve the deadly puzzle before it's too late...or lead her even further into danger?

Now, let's hear from Kelly in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

I've always believed in intuitive vibes and repetitive signs and thought wouldn't it be cool to have a girl who really saw visions and have to piece the signs together to help others? But not only that, but this gift had to also be a curse and would a logical mother believe her? And from there Kara was born in my mind with secrets and pain and grief and romance. I am more character driven. I don't believe plot is my strength. I really love to push my characters to their limits.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

My favorite character in Invisible Touch is Kara. She's dealing with a strong psychic gift that is often at times a curse and tries to get a handle on it all by herself while the family deals with the grief of losing her father. She's got a strong heart and like a lot of teens with personal dilemmas trying to hold it together.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

Before I take any notes, or jot down ideas, I always start a book by writing a scene. Once I get that scene down then the brainstorming comes next. My writing environment is my laptop. :) I have a desk with a computer with access to the Internet, and at times I'll set my laptop there or take it to the recliner.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part is building characters from scratch, and then using my imagination to create their stories.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

So many, but I think the one that comes to mind often is that your writing skill is like a muscle. You have to work that muscle in order to build your strength as a writer.

This and That

2008-11-12T09:20:00.004-06:00

So, you can tell I'm following in the blog footsteps of Therese and those cool gals over at The Writers' Group by changing the look of my blog. Let me know what you think.

I know my posts have been sorta skimpy lately (sorry!), but I've got a new post up over at Erma all about seizing the day, I'll be touring for GCC tomorrow, and next week I'll have a new NOVEL 101 post.

Have You Ever?

2008-11-06T21:16:00.005-06:00

Lisa over at Eudaemonia got this from Debra over at From Skilled Hands--
“Have you ever…?”

Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (sort of)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

How about you?

Transformation

2008-11-05T08:52:00.000-06:00

We did it. All of us. We voted and changed the world.

Now the work begins.

But we move forward with hope and wonder.

And we move forward behind a smart, brave, kind man.

Think. Vote. Please.

2008-11-01T01:14:00.000-05:00

Earlier this summer, a picture on the front page of The New York Times stunned me. And it haunts me still. It was of a little boy, a toddler, with both of his ankles in casts. He was from one of the African nations struggling to have fair elections in the midst of war. Men had come in, and when his mother refused to say where his father was and how they had voted, they shattered the little boy's ankles.

Think about that for a minute if you can. Think of the terror and horror his mother endured. The pain of the little boy. These were people who faced brutality and possible death just for trying to vote.

We have an election on the horizon and while there has been lots and lots (and lots!) of words said and written about it, there are people who won't vote because they are too busy or they just plumb forget or they don't care. There are also people who will vote without being informed. They'll vote one way because of hair style or skin color or internet rumors that are e-mailed and forwarded by idiots (sorry, Dad.).

And I want those people to think of that little boy and his mother.

I'm voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. There, I said it. For all to see. And with no fear of harm coming to my family or me.

I believe that Obama is our best chance for change and hope and a positive direction for our country. I believe that Obama as president can help America regain her stature and good standing in the world. I like that he's smart. I want a president who's smarter than I am. I firmly believe that he wants the same things for his family and their future that I want for mine. I trust him with my economic future. I agree with him on most social issues. I wish he were more adamant about gun control, but I can't have everything. I support what he proposes for health care.

Do I know every last detail on all his positions? No. But I have listened and read enough to trust him and his vision for America.

For the past few weekends, I've walked through neighborhoods in my town, canvassing for Obama. I've chatted with neighbors who are undecided, who have decided for the other side, and who agree with me (and asked for yard signs). Everyone was friendly (okay, one woman was a bit crotchety) and what struck me was the thoughtfulness of those I talked to. One woman in particular said she was really struggling; she likes Obama, but she's pro-life. She couldn't decide what to do. And while I wished I could sway her, I know she has to decide. But she's thinking about it which is the most important.

I wish I could go door-to-door in more neighborhoods, more states. I wish we could talk to and with rather than at.

This election is too important to hand over to the talking heads on Fox News and MSNBC and CNN.

Think of that mother in Africa and her little boy.

And please vote.

Quick Update!!

2008-10-30T11:11:00.001-05:00

Allison's book (see below) just hit THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST!!! Whoo-Hoo. That's some rarified air.

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-10-28T10:25:00.004-05:00

So, a week or so ago I'm sitting on my sofa, drinking coffee and watching The Today Show. When they started talking about "Fall Must Read Books" I set the paper down and took notice. But then, when they held up a book by one of my very own GCC buddies, I nearly spewed my coffee. (Not, may I add, that we don't all deserve it, but this is a little bit like Charlie getting the golden ticket.) So, without further ado, let me introduce you to Allison Winn Scotch, author of the acclaimed new novel Time of My Life.

The Tampa Tribune called it, “Funny and frank. A serious comedy that shines light into the darkness.” Now, I don't know about you, but I'd like a little light shining into the darkness. It explores those "what if" moments, that wondering we sometimes do about different paths and choices we could have taken. . . .

Jillian Westfield has the perfect husband, the perfect baby, and the perfect home in the suburbs, but sometimes she finds herself wondering about the life she left behind. A few short years earlier, she was living with her undeniably attractive but unreliable boyfriend Jackson, working a demanding job at an ad agency, partying too much, and living in a less than perfect New York apartment. But those days were full of possibility and free of diaper changes, trips to the grocery store, and endless days fulfilling only the needs of her daughter and husband. Now, discontented in her faltering marriage, Jillian can’t help but think about what her life would have been like if she hadn’t married Henry, quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom, or spurned her mother’s attempts to reconcile after two decades of silence. What if she’d stayed with Jackson in their run-down apartment and tried a little harder to make their relationship work? What if she’d answered her mother’s letter? What would her life be like now? One morning, Jillian gets a chance to find out. She wakes up in her old apartment, right in the middle of her life as it was seven years ago, before she’d left Jackson and her job, and ignored her mother’s letter. With 20/20 hindsight, Jillian has the chance to discover “what if” once and for all – and to decide which life she really wants.

Here's Allison in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
I knew I wanted to write a book that dealt with time-travel in some way…the last episodes of Felicity were among my favorite hours of television EVER, and I was drawn to doing something like that. But I didn’t know how to sort it out in my mind. In fact, I mentioned something to my agent about “time-travel” for my next book, and I think she thought I was nuts! But then one afternoon while this was on my mind, my best friend called while she was on vacation in a city of her ex-boyfriend, and she said, “I’m so weirded out…I can’t stop thinking about what my life might have been like.” Then we had one of those intimate life conversations that you can only have with your closest friends about her what-ifs and my what-ifs, and how this was all very normal, even though people didn’t really talk about it. We hung up, and I headed out for a run, and bam, the idea, characters and plotlines just presented themselves very clearly. I came home, wrote what are now the first 14 pages, and sent them off to my agent, who flipped for them. I think, as so many of us get older and look back on our younger years with nostalgia, it’s very easy (and normal) to consider what the other possibilities could have been – and I wanted to explore that.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
I don’t think I have a favorite character, but I did have favorite scenes. Well, I loved the scenes in the book in which Jillian, my protagonist, ran into her future husband, Henry, only she was now running into him in the past…and she was also now attached to someone else. They were great fun to write because, well, imagine what would be going through your head if you KNEW what was going to happen with this person but had to pretend that he was a stranger? Those scenes gave me the opportunity to have a little fun, infuse some humor, but also have Jillian reassess how she remembered her husband: she sees him through clear eyes before she got used to seeing his face wake up next to her every morning.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I write very quickly – purging it all in about two hours a day. Most of the heavy mental lifting comes at hours when I’m NOT writing: when I’m walking my dog, working out, trying to sleep, and then, I sit down in the morning at about 10ish and force myself to get it all out on the page. But because I’ve worked through the scenes so much in my brain, the words and scenes usually come out of me pretty easily. When I’m stuck, I try to throw some conflict my characters’ way, and that usually gets me unstuck.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
Can I say finishing a book? Because, yum, yeah, that is! But I guess a more specific answer is when I craft what I just innately know in my bones is a wonderful sentence or scene: to a non-writer, this might sound really weird and arty (like an actor talking about his craft), but as a writer, every once in a while, you pull something out of you that you really can’t believe you wrote…and it’s a heavenly moment, that second when you’re better than you thought you could be. I have a favorite scene in Time of My Life that I occasionally reread and have no recollection of writing…but am pretty proud of myself for that specific scene.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
Hmmm, good question. I guess it was to be patient. A lot of writers want recognition NOW – they want to sign with an agent NOW, the want to get a publishing deal NOW, they want a bigger advance NOW – but becoming a skilled and successful writer takes practice and time. Sort of like becoming a professional sports player: maybe you were born with some skill, but you have to hone them to be ready for the big leagues. Don’t send our your ms to agents unless you are 1000% sure that it’s ready, and then, be more sure that it’s ready. Be okay with not hitting the bestseller list (figuratively speaking) with your first book – that’s what second and third books are for. Etc. For me, at least, this is about having a CAREER, not instant gratification, and while sometimes that’s hard to remember, it’s a very critical part of succeeding in our industry.

Time of My Life is a perfect book as the days drift into November. And you don't have to just take my word for it--The Today Show agrees, too.

Swinging in the Heartland

2008-10-22T03:41:00.001-05:00

I've lived 35 of my 48 years (including the last 28) in the midwest--Illinois, Wisconsin and Missouri. Fly-over country to you on the coasts. The Heartland.

I love being a midwesterner . . . it's solid not flashy. Practical not trendy. (Although I do seem to remember that the Crocs craze started here. Sorta defines us, don't you think?).

By no one's definition would I be considered a swinger.

But, man, oh man, am I starting to understand all the excitement in being a swinger. And it's changed my life. My husband's, too. It's crazy. Hot. Exciting. Even, dare I say it, sexy.

For the first time ever I'm living in a swing state. Oh, yeah, baby. Missouri rocks!

For example, on Monday, John McCain, Dick Cheney and Bill Clinton were all within a stone's throw (or short drive) from my front yard. Hubba hubba.

This weekend, Obama drew 100,000 people to a rally in downtown St. Louis. That's 15 miles from my house. I mean, he was practically on my front porch. Plus, in the last week I received calls from Michelle Obama and a bunch of pollsters. After all these years of feeling like my vote didn't really matter and my opinions counted even less, everyone is vying for my vote and complete strangers want to know what I think. (Too bad my kids are less interested in my opinions.)

Seriously, it's pretty cool. Democracy in action. Neighbors--even ones with dueling yard signs--are out talking and walking and participating in this every four-year political experience. Never have I lived in a state getting this much interest during an election. Never has it mattered more.

And, oh baby, does it have me excited. Swing high, swing low, swing all over the place--Missouri is where it's at right now and I'm loving it.

(Also posted on my group blog.)

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-10-15T08:05:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I know I haven't been much of a poster lately. I wish I could say it's because I've been jet-setting to exotic places. Or writing up a storm.

But that wouldn't be quite accurate. I have been busy . . . and out of town a bit. But, mostly, my days have been filled with the mundane--grocery store trips, running to the gym, errands, appointments. You know, those everyday things that make up our lives.

I do have a new post up over on Erma where I pledge to slow down and enjoy the hot flashes. Good times.

I also have a bit of escape reading to share with you, courtesy of Nadine Dajani's Cutting Loose, where you'll meet three women who are as different as could be—at least that’s what they think—and the men who’ve turned their lives upside down as their paths collide in sizzling, sexy Miami. . . .Ranya, Zahra, and Rio . . . .In this city of fast cars, sleek clubs, and unapologetic superficiality, Ranya, Zahra, and Rio wrestle with the ties that bind them to their difficult pasts, each wondering if she will ever manage to cut loose . . . .

Let's hear from Nadine in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Definitely character. Cutting Loose is a very loosely-based spin-off of my first novel, Fashionably Late, in that Ranya, who was originally a very minor character does something totally wacky at the end of the novel. She runs off to London when she discovers her husband of one month is gay. Not a terribly original departure point, but it’s in how I tried putting together an original story around this character that I had the chance to exercise me creative muscles. Inspiration came from my obsession with Latina magazines and Ugly Betty at the time (Ranya gets her first job working at Sueltate magazine – I used the real life magazine Latina as inspiration for Sueltate) and from a desire to turn certain stereotypes on their heads. For example, I often think about how so many Arabs (Lebanese Arabs especially) living in the US are Christian, not Muslim, and so how do they feel when the “terrorist” label extends to them? I’m Muslim myself, but I would imagine I’d be even more ticked off than I usually am at the American media’s discrimination against Arabs if I were Christian. The Palestinian issue gets some air time in Cutting Loose as well but from an angle you don’t see too often in the States – Zahra’s home town is Bethlehem, as in Bethlehem, Palestinian Occupied Territories, which means she’s descended from some of the oldest Christian families in the world. But that’s not a nuance you’d get from watching cable news…

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I adored writing the character of Rio. She’s tough as nails and the perfect foil for meek Ranya. I could really see Rio in the eye of my mind, and for some reason, her dialogue came very naturally to me: snarky, unapologetic, critical, and smart. Or smart-mouthed… not too sure on that one!

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

It’s an extremely erratic process – isn’t that terrible? For any writers starting out – please do not take this as license to be erratic… it is NOT the best way to work. Unfortunately, I find that if I don’t get in a ton of “thinking time” up front and don’t work out the characters’ issues from the get go, it’s difficult for me to start. But once I have a few “Ah Ha!” moments under my belt, I get started and zip through the first draft. If I start earlier than I feel comfortable starting, I end up throwing out most of what I’ve written at the beginning. So to answer your question – a whole lot of daydreaming for many months, then a few hours a night to get the broad strokes down, and then cramming as I would for an exam – getting 4 or 5 thousand words out in one sitting, wherever I can squeeze in the time, usually right after work and many hours in a row! It’s a harrowing schedule, but so far it’s worked for me.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I love stumbling on that “perfect” scene that just seems like it’s writing itself. I had a few moments like that with Cutting Loose, especially those scenes written in Rio’s POV. When I got to Rio’s turning point scene, I wrote it quickly, with erratic jabs at the keyboard, and when it was done, it was really hard not to smile to myself like a mad woman for the rest of the day. The scene worked on every level, and it’s moments like that that make all the other scenes you had to chain yourself to the desk to write seem worthwhile!

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Anything Anne Lamott has written in her fantastic Bird by Bird qualifies as the best writing advice out there – let yourself write shitty first drafts, be absolutely honest in what you put on paper (which is so much harder that it seems), and be true to your voice, not someone else’s.

GCC--and An Opportunity

2008-10-07T15:04:00.005-05:00

Here's a quick tour with the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit--just in time for Halloween.

Deborah Leblanc is a master story teller, and never better than in her latest, Water Witch.

Dunny knew from an early age what it meant to be an outsider. Her special abilities earned her many names, like freak and water witch. So she vowed to keep her powers a secret. But now her talents may be the only hope of two missing children. A young boy and girl have vanished, feared lost in the mysterious Louisiana bayous. But they didn’t just disappear, they were taken. And amid the ghosts and spirits of the swamp, there is a danger worse than any other, one with very special plans for the children—and for anyone who dares to interfere.

Check out the book trailer on Water Witch.

Also, a quick public service announcement . . .

The Girlfriend Cyber Circuit is looking for new members. If you're a published female author with an active blog you could be part of a great community of writers who promote each other through their blogs. For more info, please email Karin Gillespie at kgillespie AT knology DOT net

Warning: Political Link Ahead

2008-10-01T11:21:00.002-05:00

My fellow bloggers over at Channeling Erma have dedicated this week to posting about the upcoming election.

I'm up today.

Pop on over and join the conversation . . . .

Last Night We Were All ONE Village

2008-09-28T09:53:00.011-05:00

I love authors. I've said that for a long time. From the time I was a little girl, I loved the writers who filled my world. E.B. White. Judy Blume. Then Harper Lee. Later, John Steinbeck and William Faulkner. I thought they lived a level or two above the rest of us. Their words were magic.

And then, I became an author. (Quick disclaimer: I know I'm not, nor will I ever be, at their level.) And, I started meeting other authors. Each one of them reaffirmed my belief that authors are generous and kind and smart. Caring and supportive.

Late this past July, I e-mailed my author friends (some of whom I only know through the blogosphere), asking if they'd be willing to donate a signed book for a silent auction held as a community fundraiser for the victims of the Kirkwood City Hall shooting. (The fundraiser was last night and early reports suggest at least one-quarter of a million dollars raised. ALL money will be divided among the families of the 6 victims.)

And thanks to these generous writers, I was able to put together 8 huge baskets:

~Kristy Kiernan donated copies of Catching Genius for a bookclub; I added her wonderful new Matters of Faith and snacks for the club.

~Carleen Brice donated copies of Orange Mint and Honey (including the audio book!) for a bookclub. I added mints, honey sticks and orange tea.

~Laurie Viera Rigler sent copies of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict for a club, to which I tossed in a copy of Pride and Prejudice, English shortbread, and toffee.

~Bev Marshall sent signed copies of Walking Through Shadows, Right as Rain, and Hot Fudge Sundae Blues. I tossed in pralines, caramel fudge sauce, and godiva chocolates.

~Amy Wallen sent copies of Moon Pies and Movie Stars, including the audio version, for a bookclub. I added moon pies (of course) goobers and raisinets.

I also put together three mixed baskets, "Mystery and Memoirs", "When You Want to Get Away . . . Lighter Women's Fiction and Memoirs", and "Stories to Make You Cry and Smile . . . Serious Women's Fiction and Memoirs." I had at least one signed copy of each of the following books:

Murder Unleashed (A Dead-End Job Mystery) by Elaine Viets.

Isabella Moon by Laura Benedict.

Fairway to Heaven (A Golf Lover's Mystery) and Deadly Advice (An Advice Column Mystery) by Roberta Isleib.

No Place Safe (a memoir) by Kim Reid.

The Smart One by Ellen Meister.

Earthly Pleasures by Karen Neches.

Sleeping With Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner.

Cancer is a Bitch (a memoir) by Gail Konop-Baker.

Souvenir by Therese Fowler.

Keeping the House by Ellen Baker.

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.

Each of these women took the time to sign, package, and mail books to me to help people they will likely never meet. When I delivered my eight baskets to the auction organizers, they couldn't get over that writers from coast to coast would do that. "Authors are wonderful," one of them said.

Yes they are.

(And if you haven't already read these books, run out and buy a couple copies and start reading them.)

Taking a Break from Baseball with Writers in Their Own Words

2008-09-23T10:30:00.006-05:00

It's fall, the nights are crisp, the leaves are just beginning to turn; what better time to curl up with a mug of hot cider and lose yourself in a mystery with “Top-notch writing, meticulous plotting – and a heroine who is perfectly imperfect…” (Diana Vickery, the Cozy Library).

That's what you'll find as psychologist/advice columnist/sleuth Dr. Rebecca Butterman plunges into her third mystery in ASKING FOR MURDER by Dr. Roberta Isleib (Berkley Prime Crime, September 2008.)

When Rebecca’s close friend and fellow therapist Annabelle Hart is found beaten and left for dead, Rebecca is determined to help search for answers. But this time, no one wants her help. Not Detective Meigs, who thinks the crime was either a botched robbery or the result of a relationship gone sour. And not Annabelle’s sister, who makes it clear that Rebecca isn’t welcome in family affairs.

The only place where her opinion matters is the therapist’s couch. Rebecca's agreed to see Annabelle’s patients while her friend is hospitalized, but it won’t be easy. Annabelle’s area of expertise is sandplay therapy, which Rebecca knows little about. While she studies the images in the patients’ sand trays and puzzles through Annabelle’s family secrets, another victim is murdered. With a killer on the loose, she can only hope the clues in the sand are buried within easy reach.

Here's Roberta in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven
by plot or by character? Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Definitely, I'm driven by character. I love my main character Dr.
Butterman--it's such fun to think about the kinds of cases she might be
treating and how her own history plays into the story. Because I was a
therapist for many years, I really understand her work and the way she
thinks about the people she tries to help. I stumbled into the sandplay part
of the story, but I found a wonderful therapist in New Hampshire who walked
me through the process of how clients use the sand trays and the figurines
and what it all means.

I've really enjoyed writing this series. I can highlight my background in
psychology and write about folks in that field who are competent and caring,
rather than the idiotic and downright hurtful professionals you often see in
movies and on TV. I’m very proud of the time I spent working as a clinical
psychologist, but happy to be writing now.

2.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

As I begin a book, I look ahead to the due date and figure out how many
pages I will need to write each week in order to hand it in on time. I build
in time for trips and family and time for my writers group to read and
critique, and then time for me to rewrite. Then I have a page goal for each
week. I write until I’ve hit the goal, sometimes even getting a little
ahead. I'm getting better at outlining because I find it makes the story
much easier to write. Not so many black moments when I have no idea what's
going to happen next...

3.) What's your favorite part of writing?

I love looking at what I've written and feeling excited about it. I love
seeing the new book in all its stages. I love meeting fans and talking
books. And I simply adore the friends I've made along the way.

4.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Get it all down, even if it's awful. You can always go back and fix things
later.

Roberta also blogs here and here.

Allow Me

2008-09-21T09:45:00.001-05:00

Go Cubs Go!!

2008-09-20T17:40:00.004-05:00

Hey, Hey Holy Mackeral!!

Let's Play Two!!

Here We Come October!!

Maybe I Should Leave Town More Often

2008-09-15T16:00:00.015-05:00

Well, I'm back from Vegas. Where we had a great time--good food, good wine, fabulous people watching--and, while I was gone I had a couple neat things happen in my "author" life . . .

First, I received a call from the Chair of The Big Read here in St. Louis (and the co-owner of one of the best indie bookstores in the world, Left Bank Books) inviting me to be on the fiction panel Saturday, October 11. Yes! I was thrilled to be invited and I'll be reading and speaking with Margaret Cezair-Thompson, author of The Pirate's Daughter and Jennifer Chiavarini, author of The Quilter's Kitchen: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel.

Then, when I got home, I had an e-mail waiting for me from the middle school librarian asking if I'd be willing to participate in their Author Days this coming December. But of course! (And not just because this is the school most of our kids attended, or because the librarian was my step-daughter's science teacher or because, of the other two teachers organizing this event, one taught both my sons in 5th grade and the other taught my younger son in 8th grade. No, those aren't debts that can be repaid by simply appearing at an Author Day!). Again, I was honored to be asked and will happily participate.

Finally, also waiting in my inbox was a lovely e-mail from a fellow Library Thing member telling me she was loving All the Numbers and would I mind if she reviewed it on her blog. Well, um, no, I wouldn't mind--I'd love it! Check it out here.

Also, I have a phone in book club visit tonight (one of 6 book clubs I'll be chatting with this fall!) with another blogger, the lovely Kristy over on Book Island.

So, just when I worry that my book is simply gathering dust on bookstore shelves (or worse, in bookstore backrooms!), I get hit with a flurry of reminders that it's not. And I'm tickled beyond belief.

And I'm reminded that even though I might not have come home from Vegas with big winnings from the casino, I'm richer than I ever dreamed possible in all the ways that matter.

Las Vegas, Redux

2008-09-10T05:18:00.000-05:00

The first time I was ever in Las Vegas, February 2007, didn't go so well.

It began with me in tears, somewhere in The Venetian, dialing up my husband on his cell phone. He was there on business; I'd flown in to spend the weekend with him. I believe our conversation started off with me trying not to sniffle and whimper like a total girl, but failing miserably. I was completely lost, I'd been lugging my suitcase all over the fake Venice "marketplace" and I could no more figure out where the actual hotel started than explain the game of craps to you. My husband asked if I could tell him where I was. I looked around and then said, "Across from the Oxygen Bar." He told me to stay right there and he'd be there in a heartbeat.

Later, after a cocktail (Or, um three. Maybe four.), I apologized for my emotional meltdown. Then I made an appointment for a "raspberry sherbet pedicure." I felt better.

Then, the next evening we decided to walk down The Strip and soak in some of the ambiance. Ambiance that consisted of swarthy men handing my husband baseball cards which advertised "barely legal asian blondes." Hey, hello, I wanted to holler. Do you not see me? The blondish non-asian woman holding this man's hand? We're with each other. See, we have these rings which suggest marriage?

I decided a few more cocktails would help. They did.

By the time we left, I was referring to Vegas as "Disneyland on crack." And I'm not a big fan of Disneyland. Or crack.

So, why am I willingly hopping on a plane tomorrow to join my husband in Las Vegas? Well, um, it's practically free. There's that. And I believe in second chances. Plus, we'll be at The Bellagio, so maybe I won't get lost in plasticland.

But more than that, and more than two nights away with my husband (and no kids) in a fancy hotel with room service and beds I don't have to make and bathrooms with big plushy towels (and robes!! God, I love those hotel robes.), there's the fantasy aspect of it. (Stop. Wait. Get your heads out of the gutter.)

Specifically, Frank Sinatra.

Is there anyone cooler? (Maybe Springsteen. Or Dennis Quaid but they're not Vegas-y.) Now, I know that The Sands and The Stardust have both been razed. And I know Old Blue Eyes has been dead for a decade. But there's a coolness factor that he still knocks off the charts. (Or is that just me?) And I know that The Strip isn't the same as it was in the Rat Pack glory years. But I can pretend.

A cocktail will probably help.

p.s. Humor me this week, okay? Next week, I'll be back, nose to the grindstone, pen in hand, working on my next tome. But for now, I'm looking for Frank.

(cross-posted over at Channeling Erma)

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-09-08T08:32:00.005-05:00

Today I'm excited to be touring my fellow GCC writer friend, Joanne Rendell, author of The Professors' Wives Club.

Here's a short description to whet your appetite . . .

With its iron gate and high fence laced with honeysuckle, Manhattan University’s garden offers faculty wives Mary, Sofia, Ashleigh, and Hannah a much needed refuge. Each of them carries a scandalous secret that could upset their lives, destroy their families, and rock the prestigious university to its very core.

When a ruthless Dean tries to demolish the garden, the four women are thrown together in a fight which enrages and unites them. The wives are an indomitable force. While doing battle with the ambitious dean, they expose the dark underbelly of academia – and find the courage to stand up for their own dreams, passions, and lives.

And here are a few glowing recommendations . . .

"As an NYU alum, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes escapades at the fictional Manhattan U. in THE PROFESSORS’ WIVES’ CLUB. Joanne Rendell has created a quick, fun read about a wonderful group of friends."
Kate Jacobs, NYT’s bestselling author of THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB

"The four women in THE PROFESSORS’ WIVES' CLUB who risk it all in pursuit of life, love, and green space in New York City are smart, funny and real -- friends you'd want for life. Rendell doesn't shy away from tough issues, but her light touch and readable prose make this charming first novel a delight."
Christina Baker Kline, author of THE WAY LIFE SHOULD BE

Finally, here's Joanne in her own words . . .

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

The initial inspiration for the book came amid a rather giggly, wine-soaked evening with one of my girlfriends who, like me, is a professor’s wife. After our usual catch-up, the cabernet began to flow and we found ourselves gossiping about other faculty wives. We talked about a wife planning a boob job; another pregnant with her fifth child. The best piece of gossip came last, however: a professor’s wife who’d just run off with one of her husband’s grad students.

The next morning I started to hammer out my first ideas for the novel. As I typed, the more I realized what intriguing characters professors’ wives would make. Even if they aren’t professors themselves (which many are), most professors’ wives are deeply connected and invested in the university where their husband or partner works. Like my friend and me, they live in faculty housing, they go to the campus gym, often their kids go to the same daycare. Yet these women often have little power when it comes to university decisions.

I liked the idea of pitting these seemingly powerless women against a dean who in his little kingdom of the university has so much power.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

Probably Sofia. Sofia is a real firecracker. She speaks her mind, she stands up for her friends, and she let’s no one get in her way. Yet, as well as being fearless, she’s fun and loving too. I think she’s a friend most every woman would want.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

I write while my four year old son sleeps. He stays up late at night and goes to bed when my husband and I do. I know some parents wouldn’t be able to do this because they need their evenings to themselves. However, this routine works for us and means I get a deliciously long morning in which I go the gym, come home, make my cup of Tetley tea, and then sit down to write. I always try and write at least 500 words a day. I started doing this in grad school when I was writing my PhD dissertation. 500 words might not seem a lot but it definitely adds up and keeps you moving forward.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

Just writing itself. Nothing feels as good as when you sit down, open your laptop, and the ideas and words start flowing. After a good morning’s writing, when a scene has gone well and dialogue has come easily, I always feel refreshed and fulfilled. Of course, after a writing session which hasn’t gone so well, when I’ve been lost for ideas or decided what I’ve just written isn’t working, I don’t feel quite so good. But those “off days” are made worth it by the “on” ones!

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

”Join a writer’s group.” There is so so much to learn from other writers. Not just about the craft itself, but also useful information about the publishing business. I started off writing fiction without joining a group and I made mistakes which I think I just wouldn’t have made if I had had other writer’s advising me.

Sounds like a great read for back-to-school time!

Take Me Away--Books and Vacations

2008-08-28T07:36:00.010-05:00

Last week I got to enjoy two of my favorite activities--travel and reading. The one thing that makes air travel bearable these days is knowing I'll have a few uninterrupted hours to crawl into whatever book I've stashed in my bag. Reading can even make the stale pretzels they give me seem tasty.

Now, I am always reading, always rearranging my TBR pile, choosing what to read next by whim or mood. So, selecting which book or books to take when I travel involves some planning, some guessing at what I'll have a taste for down the road. But one of the unintended results of reading while on the road is the synergy that can occur between book and place. When a book really transports me, thinking about it later or rereading it can take me back to where I was when the words first cast their power over me. And likewise, revisiting a particular place, in fact or in memory, can bring those pages alive again.

Rarely, has a book and trip ever meshed as perfectly as happened last week between my trip to Oregon and Amy MacKinnon's debut stunner Tethered.

I love mountains. And seacoast. Roads winding through pine forests. I love seeing a different geography than home. Travel introduces me to new worlds and so do books. This summer I've been lucky enough to visit parts of the US I'd never seen before. Montana, Idaho, South Dakota, Washington and Oregon. And I also got to see a lonely undertaker and funeral home and cold, chilly town on the East Coast. And the views blended into something that still has a hold over me.

Here's what I wrote to Amy when I got back from my travels:

Yes, there were things that were hard to read but the writing is so powerful and lovely. It's beautiful and brutal--kind of like the Badlands. And the message--that brokenness can be healed, that in reaching out to others in pain our own pain can be helped--was so right. And the last line is now in my top 10 (or perhaps top 5) of perfect endings.

This is an amazing book--and while I got to read it while looking at Mt. Hood, I know Amy's words would have transported me no matter where I was.

And no cheating and reading the last line first. But, mark my words, it will blow you away.

I AM Blogging . . .

2008-08-27T09:47:00.003-05:00

just not here . . . check out my musings about aging and Springsteen.

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-08-21T09:53:00.003-05:00

I'm pleased to be able to introduce all of you to one of my GCC buddies, Ellen Meister author of the just-released The Smart One.

Ellen has a knack for writing funny, smart novels that capture the suburban-mom life so many of us are living--okay, so maybe we don't all find dead bodies in yards next door--but you know what I mean.

Here's a brief description:

Beverly Bloomrosen has always been the smart one, the middle sister sandwiched between Clare, the beautiful and popular older one, and Joey, the rebellious rock-star younger one. But she’s hit a bit of a slump lately. Now 35, she’s embarking on a new career as an elementary school teacher and not exactly living up to her family’s expectations (“Maybe she can work her way up and eventually teach high school. That wouldn’t be so bad,” her mother helpfully comments). Bev has moved back into her parents' home on Long Island while waiting to see if a job opportunity in Las Vegas materializes, seeing it as her chance to start afresh…but before she knows it, life back at home starts to get very interesting.

So now, let's hear from Ellen in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?

It's about 50-50 for me. I usually have some idea I want to explore about a character or a relationship. But at the same time there are always a few plot ideas rattling around in my skull. The concept for a novel takes shape when a character idea and a plot idea meet and fall in love.

For THE SMART ONE, the inspiration hit me from several different directions. I always wanted to write a sister story because that relationship intrigues me. In particular, I wanted to explore the ways in which our childhood labels impact our adult lives.

The other big inspiration was a news story that happened right in my home town. A man moving out of his home opened a sealed 55-gallon industrial drum that had been in a crawl space since he moved in ... only to discover a mummified body inside. It was a young woman, nine months pregnant, who had been killed thirty years before. After she was identified as a factory employee of home's original owner, who had since retired, the detectives went to Florida to question him. They wanted to get a sample of his DNA to test against the fetus's, but before they could serve a warrant for it, the man shot and killed himself.

This happened so close to home that it captured my imagination and wouldn't let go. How could something like this happen in an ordinary suburban home in an ordinary suburban town? How did the killer keep his secret for so long? And how did it affect the people around him?

Of course, I had no intention of writing a true crime story, so I simply used this macabre event as the inspiration for a discovery made by my three adult sister characters ... and it became the catalyst that drives the arc of their relationship.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

I know this sounds like a hedge, but I love all my characters. For me, an author's affection for his or her characters--and all their flaws--is what makes a book truly memorable. So I always aim for that.

3.) What's your writing process like?

People often ask me if I outline my novels or have a more organic approach, and it really tends to be a combination of the two. I start out by thinking about the idea for a long time, and then I make notes. In the beginning they're very stream-of-consciousness-just random thoughts about my characters and story. Then a plot begins to emerge, and I start a rough outline. Before too long, though, I have to try my hand at a couple of chapters to get an idea of the voice and pacing, so I can figure out just how much story I'll need to fill a book. After that I go back and finish the outline ... which winds up being a very fluid document that I change as I go along.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

When I go out on a limb and take a risk and it pays off. What a rush!

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Write the story you most want to read!

And I'm Off . . .

2008-08-13T20:56:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I know I've been a bit incommunicado this summer, and I'm sorry about that. But, I've been busy.

Here are the two big things I've accomplished (other than keeping all the kids and pets alive. Not as much luck with my tomato plants, however. But, in the whole scheme of things I think that's a pretty good trade-off):

~just finished (as of 3:08 p.m. today) another complete rewrite of my MS. Whoo-hoo.

~Successfully drove 2200+ miles helping my son move to Seattle. I wrote about it here.

I've also cheered for the Cubs (much to the chagrin of the rest of my family who are all St. Louis Cardinals fans), followed the Brett Favre saga much too closely, and offered not-always-sought-after advice to all 5 children.

I've tried to get back to walking, given up on a walk-run regimen (but garnered some writing wisdom in the process), and broken all previous records for grilling out.

I've spent as many evenings as I could sitting out on the porch with my husband, sipping wine, talking over the day, and trying to never forget how incredibly lucky we are.

The next few weeks are looking hectic--6 days in Oregon, a Springsteen concert in St. Louis (and maybe one in Kansas City), 3 days in Chicago with my husband's family (yes, a Cubs game!!), 2 days in Chicago (a separate trip) for a book club and play time with some writer friends, and 4 days in Vegas tagging along with my husband. I'll be posting and checking in.

I'll also be reading. Just today I picked up Tethered (Yay Amy!!!). Expect a full report when I get back into town next week.

So, happy last few weeks of summer to all of you . . .

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-08-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I first introduced you to Jackie Kessler in a GCC post last fall and she's back with Hotter Than Hell, the third entry in her Hell on Earth series.

She's been called "the goddess of paranormal romance" (Dark Angel Reviews) and Publisher's Weekly refers to her book as "Sexy and bold."

Here's Jackie in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
Ever since Jezebel mentioned her buddy, the sexy incubus who could make her sweet spot tingle without even touching her, Daunuan refused to be just a minor character. Originally, he was going to be the one who shot Jezebel in Hell’s Belles and then he was going to get killed by Paul. But the book took a completely different direction from what I’d imagined, and next thing I knew, Daun was (shudder) helping Jezebel instead of hunting her.

And then in The Road to Hell, his feelings for her became quite clear—to me, if not to him and Jesse. Demons don’t love, after all. So what he was feeling must have been nothing more than indigestion. (No one ever said demons were the smartest creatures out there.)

I knew that I wanted to write Daun’s story, but it took a while for me to figure out what sort of story it would be. Daun’s in Hell, and Jesse’s with Paul, which doesn’t do much for a happily ever after for him. Did Daun even deserve a happy ending? He’s a demon—an Evil creature who has sex on the brain pretty much all the time. What would he know of love? What if he had to find out the hard way? Poor Daun. He never knew what hit him. (Hee hee hee…) And so, HOTTER THAN HELL (August 5, 2008).

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Daun, absolutely. He’s an evil bastard. In a cuddly sort of way.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
Usually, I write first thing in the morning, before my day job, and then at night, when my Precious Little Tax Deductions are sleeping. (Yeah, I get very little sleep.)

My home office is, simply put, utter chaos. But as long as I can see the monitor and I have a clear path to my keyboard, I’m golden.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
Man, there’s no rush like when you’re on a roll, and you know every single word you’re crafting is exactly right.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
To paraphrase author Cindy Procter-King (Head Over Heels), there are three things you need to get published: talent, persistence, and timing. While it’s difficult to write to the market, you absolutely can hone your craft and develop a thick skin. Write. No matter what, write. And never be daunted.

Buy this book. Now.

2008-08-05T06:00:00.005-05:00

My dear friend, Kristy Kiernan, has just written her second novel which blew me away and since it's available in stores TODAY, you must go buy it.

Matters of Faith is riveting, gorgeous and amazing. I'd read an early partial draft so I was very excited when Kristy sent me an ARC. I settled in to read it and was stunned. Here's what I wrote her when I'd finished it (about one day later): "I thought, having read the first half of your draft last winter, I knew where you were going with the book. I really did. But, you took me somewhere else entirely and I'm so so so glad you did. You just amaze me with the honesty and truth and compassion you wring out of your characters. And you don't tie it up in neat little bows--it's still sort of jagged, but comfortable. And more important, it's right. And honest."

But, don't just take my word for it. Here's what others are saying:

"In this tense, well-paced novel about belief, Kiernan explores what happens when faith and love test the limits of family fealty....The thoughtful themes, interesting characters and page-turning drama of this novel will likely make it a book club favorite."

--Publishers Weekly

"Kiernan's stunning second novel explores how one family reacts to a devastating tragedy. .. Unforgettable and moving, Kiernan's novel is an achingly real portrait of a family in crisis, one readers will react to passionately."

--Booklist

So, order it online here and here. Or, run out to your favorite store and grab a few copies. You can thank me later!

What a Short, Wonderful Trip It's Been*

2008-07-30T06:00:00.006-05:00

Twenty-two years and four months ago today, I delivered my first child, a beautiful, tiny, baby boy born in the wee hours (minutes, really) of Easter Sunday morning. He arrived a month early. (I don't believe he's been early for anything since.)

One week ago today, I delivered that same baby, now a beautiful young man to his new life in Seattle where he has an apartment overlooking Puget Sound, a job he's been dreaming about since he started college 4 years ago, and, at least as far as I can see it, the world by a string.

And it all passed in the blink of an eye.

How did it all happen, I found myself wondering on our 2200 mile drive west. Where did the time go? In his grin and in his sweetness, I can still see the little boy who fell out of his chair just about every day in 1st grade. And I also saw his intelligence and determination as he figured out, several times, how to back up the 17-foot truck with a car being towed behind it. Often when I'd pulled it a smidge too close to the gas pump or the curb or the building wall in the alley. I'd first seen those qualities when he'd finish a puzzle without asking for any help or follow the painstaking directions putting a lego project together.

I remember back to those precious quiet moments you only get with your first baby, those hours of rocking and nursing and staring at this person who relied on me for everything (that's true terror!), wondering who he might grow up to be. I hoped he'd find a career he'd love, a career that would fill him in all good ways. I wanted a life for him filled with passion and joy and challenge and satisfaction. And he's making it happen. He picked his dream city and he sent out letters and resumes and he now gets to claim his life. I'm thrilled and humbled.

We had lots of time to talk on our drive, and it was a luxury I haven't had with him in I don't know how long. At home, we chat, but it seems always in passing. When he's been away at school, there's the occasional relaxing phone call, but more often it's a quick "How are you? Love you. Bye." But the road stretched out before us, mountains and plains and rivers, and we talked. About politics and the environment and music. But a good deal of the time was spent reminiscing. As parents, I think we often wonder what they'll take away from their childhoods. What will they remember and hold fast to? I wasn't always patient or creative. I remember being tired much of the time. Should I have done more of this or less of that? We wonder and worry and try our hardest and hope for the best. But even then we don't always know.

But then, somewhere in South Dakota (after the keys had been locked in the truck but before we'd discovered the brakes were a tad touchy), he told me what a great childhood he'd had, how he loved those summers of adding on to his fort in the backyard and exploring in the woods near the park, how our neighborhood had been just right, filled with kids of all ages to play with and learn from, and how he was glad he'd had such unprogrammed summers filled with inventions and activities the kids dreamed up, and I felt myself relax. I'd done good. And so had he.

So, after the drive and the unloading and the short few hours of sleep before my flight home, when I hugged him goodbye at the airport and kissed his neck, I knew we were both ready for this next part of our lives together. People have asked if I'm sad he's so far away or if I cried when I said goodbye. And I'm not and I didn't. There's nothing to be sad or weepy about--22 very short years ago, I set out on a promise to give him roots and wings. And looking at him now, I think I accomplished both.

* With apologies to Jerry and the rest of the band for the paraphrase

(Cross-posted at Channeling Erma)

GCC and Road Tripping

2008-07-22T05:48:00.000-05:00

How appropriate that the book I'll be "touring" this week for you (as part of the Girlfriend Cyber Circuit) is Driving Sideways by Jess Riley and it's about a roadtrip of sorts and through the magic of "post options" on blogger, you're reading this while I'm on a roadtrip of my own as my son, his girlfriend and I drive a 17 foot U-Haul, towing her car behind us, from St. Louis to Seattle. They've each got spanking new college diplomas and dream jobs in their fields waiting for them--I have a hunch I'll garner some material for future posts (and maybe books!) along the way, but enough about me.

Back to Jess and her book, which tells the story of Leigh Fielding, a twenty-eight year-old kidney transplant recipient who—six years, hundreds of dialysis sessions, and a million bad poems after being diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease—finally feels strong enough to pursue a few lofty goals she’s been mulling for years: find herself, her kidney donor’s family, and the mother that abandoned her over twenty years ago.

And what better way to do just that than a solitary road trip across the country? Well, maybe not entirely solitary, because Leigh suspects she may have inherited more than just an organ from her deceased donor. It’s this sneaking suspicion that takes her trip down some unexpected detours—and the juvenile delinquent who blackmails Leigh into giving her a ride is only the beginning.

Booklist calls it “Smart and funny without being forced, sentimental without being maudlin" and it's currently hailed as a BREAKOUT BOOK for Target!

It sounds like exactly the kind of read that'll keep me occupied (when I'm not driving, of course!) driving through South Dakota. Here's Jess in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?
For Driving Sideways, I began with a premise and very basic plot, but once the main character was born, she took the story in her own direction entirely! I think for commercial fiction, you need a healthy balance between plot and character. Things need to happen to hold a reader’s interest—and you need a bang-up beginning, solid middle, and satisfying conclusion, with believable character development along the way. So it’s really a mix.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?
Oh, I adore Leigh. But most people find Denise the most entertaining, repulsive, hilarious, dangerous, and wicked character. They either love her or hate her, because she’s larger than life, missing many of the internal censors the rest of us have due to familial, financial, and societal mores and constraints. I wanted to create a character I could egg on, someone who would say or do the things most of us are unable or unwilling to. Someone you wanted to slap and embrace, sometimes in the same hour. Someone you might suspect as lacking a conscience, but ultimately you conclude she’s a good-hearted sociopath. She was a blast to create!

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?
I have a little corner office I hunker down in: it’s so cozy, with just enough space for me and my dog. I wrote Driving Sideways in the mornings, during my summer months off, every day until I felt like stopping. Now, because I’m juggling first-book promotion activities while simultaneously trying to finish book #2, I find myself writing fiction late at night. I’m still trying to figure out how to balance the two. (And it’s a good problem—one I never thought I’d have!!)

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?
I love when my characters take on a life of their own and run away with the story. When you actually lose yourself and tap into the collective subconscious. That’s where the magic happens, and it’s the drug that has me hooked.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?
I think different bits of advice are appropriate during different phases of the writing process. As a struggling writer with no agent, what I connected with was “Never give up” and “You always have room to improve your craft.” After I had a book contract, that shifted to “Writing is a craft, publishing is a casino” and “You will be the biggest advocate for your own book (so get off your butt and self-promote).” The advice I would give any aspiring writer is to connect with other writers for support, growth, and community. The same applies to newbie novelists—it’s a lonely profession, and I’d be lost without the friendship and assistance I’ve found from other writers at the same stage in their careers.

So, until next week, when I'll have more book recommendations, happy reading and safe motoring!

Novel 101 (Bonus Edition)--Or why I love massages

2008-07-18T06:00:00.001-05:00

Bet that got your attention, huh? Okay, so here's the scoop--

For the past five years or so, I've been getting regular, monthly massages. It's good for my health--physical and emotional (and, as you'll see if you keep reading, also good for my writing). My massage therapist has become a friend, and I look forward to seeing her. But, I have a confession to make. Sometimes I cheat on her. Last winter a friend gave me a gift certificate to a spa for a massage (she didn't know I was already seeing somebody). And, you know, different can be good. So, occasionally, when say my regular masseuse and I get off schedule or she has to go out of town, I sneak over to the spa to see Geoff.

Or like today.

Last week I decided to up my workout and rather than just walk, I started jogging every few blocks. I was all about getting more fit. It was working well. Until yesterday when my lower back felt like someone was jackhammering on it. With flamethrowers. Geoff fit me in. I explained that I'd started running and my lower back was now killing me. He nodded. Told me to start out face down and left the room. I did as I was told. When he came back in he started working on my legs. And then he explained what had happened. My hamstrings were really tight. So were my glutes (not in a good way). That had caused my lower back muscles to seize up. Also, my abs are not as strong as they could be (like I didn't know that!), which caused further strain on my back.

Great, Judy, you're saying. Fascinating. So you're in bad shape. Why do we care?

Here's where it gets cool and morphs into Novel 101.

I realized that what often seems to be the presenting problem isn't always the issue. I'd been applying heat to my back--which felt good but didn't help my hamstrings. Just like when a scene isn't working--maybe it's because an earlier section is too tight (like my hamstrings). Or another part isn't strong enough (like my abs). Just fixing the immediate scene might not be the fix you really need. Unless your novel is just a bunch of vignettes (and even then, probably), the problems are more than likely systemic--you've got to look at the whole. And when you shift one thing around, you probably need to see what muscles that change is pulling at. And when you can't get one part right, maybe rather than gnash your teeth and tear your hair out and rewrite that one specific part until you're blue in the face and ready to chuck the whole thing in the shredder, maybe what you should do is step back and think about what comes before and what comes after--and ask if those parts are as strong as they could be. Or too intense. What needs toning? What needs to be unknotted?

Ah, now doesn't that make sense? And one more tip--getting a massage is never a bad idea.

Novel 101--"Ripeness is all"

2008-07-14T12:24:00.008-05:00

So, it's been awhile since I've blogged here and even longer since I've had a Novel 101 post. Lots of reasons for this, but no good excuses.

The quote above is from my favorite Shakespeare play, King Lear. And, the point of it has been made clear to me yet again. (That's one of the totally cool things about my old buddy Bill--the truths he writes about apply on so many levels and keep teaching me even when I'm not looking for it.). Let me try to explain.

I'm not a patient person. I try, but it's a struggle. (Just ask my family.) But, I know that plenty of things are better with age. With ripening. The tomatoes in my garden. Wine. I know that things take time. There are processes which should not and cannot be rushed. I mean, heck, I'm a writer--getting an agent and publishing my first book took seven years. I've never been in the army, but I sometimes think the phrase "hurry up and wait" came from the submission process rather than the military.

But, as Shakespeare wrote, "ripeness is all." Things happen when they're meant to happen, being ready matters, and don't rush things that shouldn't be rushed. I know this; I just don't always embrace it.

Then, at the end of last week, after finishing the workbook for Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass, and after reviewing my notes and ideas and list of "what ifs" for my revision, I pulled out a hard copy of the MS of my novel, the one I thought I'd finished in February, but now know I haven't. The copy I hadn't looked at, not once, since February 28. And I started reading it. Almost immediately I went in search of several colored flair pens and these handy dandy little page flags:

Because, I'd discovered something in my MS--it wasn't as "done" as I'd thought. Having not looked at it in four months had given me some perspective, some "ripening"--I was finally ready to see the scenes that needed sharpening, the lines that needed some edge, the passages of prose that needed to be (eek!) killed off.

Even more important, as I started reading I understood some things about my protagonist I hadn't seen clearly before. She'd ripened as well, into someone even more complex than I'd initially seen.

We'd needed the distance from each other, the aging, the perspective--as much as I hadn't wanted to be patient, it had been a good thing (okay, there, Mom, I said it. I finally learned it. Blah, blah, blah, okay, okay, okay, patience is a virtue!).

So, that's my tidbit of writerly wisdom for the week (or maybe month, we'll see how things go). As hard as it can be, as much as I might want to send the MS off to readers, to my agent, to the world, I have to wait for the ripening--I have to allow for the cool days of spring and the warm rains of summer and the sunshine and moonlight and all that it requires. Then I have to look at it again and I have to trust that when it's truly ready, I'll know because my own words will tell me.

We All Have to Start Somewhere

2008-07-02T10:05:00.004-05:00

My buddy, Meg Waite Clayton (who I blogged about last week), has a fabulous blog called 1st Books, where she invites authors to chat about their journeys to their first books. I'm featured today which is pretty cool, but I know you'll want to check it out every Wednesday.

And, in the small world category, Meg and I met through our agent, got to be buddies through the blogosphere, and when we dug into each others pasts we discovered we'd gone to the same high school and graduated one year apart (but hadn't known each other back then. It was a big school). I pulled out my yearbook from 1976 and there we were, bad 70's hair and all.

I've also got a post up over at my group clog, so if you're craving more of my dulcet words, hop on over here.

Writers in their own words-GCC

2008-06-30T11:23:00.007-05:00

Today, for your summer reading pleasure, I'm tickled to introduce you to Amy Wallen and her debut novel Moonpies and Movie Stars.

One reviewer wrote that the book is “A delightful and exhilarating journey, kind of like being on a tour bus guided by Eudora Welty on speed.” and Booklist said, “Wallen launches a funny, touching, and bittersweet ride in search of family, but what her characters find is bigger than Texas and better than MoonPies.”

This sounds to me like a perfect fit for lounging in the hammock or by the pool, a cool drink in one hand and this book in the other. Here's Amy in her own words:

1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book?

I started with a monologue I wrote in which I was imitating my grandmother. She was a wild and crazy woman who owned a honky tonk (beer joint), hair salon, café, convenience store/gas station and various other businesses in a a small town in Texas.

Are you more driven by plot or by character?

Most definitely character is what gets me started. But plot is what gets me through to the end. Just like reading, I’m dying to know what happens to my characters and I don’t know until I write all the way to the end.

2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?

There will always be a special place in my heart for Ruby Kincaid, the main character, but really Loralva, her crazy rattlesnake rattler earring wearing sister was the most fun to write.

3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?

Me, two cats, a laptop, the windows open (I live in Southern CA so that’s all year), silence and a really good idea to get me started. But if I don’t have that idea, I go for a long walk or on a big hike and rifle through all the scenes in my head to see where I should go next.

4.) What's your favorite part of writing?

When I’m creating new stuff I think that’s the best part. But when I’m rewriting, I think that’s the best part. I think I just love it. I hate it at times too, of course. But that just makes the good times that much richer.

5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?

Just write.

That's advice we should probably all heed!

You Gotta See This . . .

2008-06-26T15:29:00.004-05:00

Remember a week or so when I wrote about The Wednesday Sisters? Well, check out this book trailer. I LOVE IT!!!!!

Odds and Ends

2008-06-25T07:42:00.008-05:00

So it's late June and I'm fully immersed in summer. Sitting on the front porch reading, talking, watching the world go by. Taking my dog on long walks and letting him play in the creek. Grilling almost every night. Even though I'm no longer tied, at least professionally, to an academic schedule, summer is still more than just a season. It's a philosophy, a state of mind. The kids are home and the rhythms of the house change. (Over on my group blog, my post today is about my summer mom makeover. In a sense.)

I'm also blogging less often. But that has more to do (I think) with the writing work I'm doing than anything else. I've decided to take another run at my MS for Unexpected Grace (for regular readers, this is the novel I thought I'd completed in February). I'm excited about this. I know I'm just a few fine tunings away from what I want it to be. And I've figured out how to get there. Which strings to pull, which threads to loosen. And I owe my buddy Kristy Kiernan a huge thanks for pointing me in the right direction. We were chatting a week or so ago, talking about writing and ice cream and dogs and such, and she recommended the Donald Maass book Writing the Breakout Novel.

I admit, I was skeptical. I viewed it (and many writing books, I hate to say) as on the same level of those articles and headlines that promise you can "lose your belly fat and still eat everything you want!" But this book is the real deal. It is practical and smart and hands on. It's not suggesting a formulaic anybody-can-write-a-bestseller plan. It's designed to help writers take a draft to the next level. It has clarified things for me. Crystalized what I was aiming for. Helped me give my characters and plot some needed torque. I highly recommend it. And I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Finally, and most importantly, three years ago today I married my trophy husband, my keeper spouse. Happy anniversary, John.

Bestseller Dreams

2008-06-16T07:27:00.008-05:00

So, last week, I'm just going along my merry way, planning meals, working on laundry, trying to write. Just another day in the life of a writer. Which looks very similar to my former life as a teacher. Yes, I can still go shopping and out to eat without strangers flocking to me, holding out books they'd like me to sign. I'm not on Oprah's speed dial. Hollywood hasn't yet called.

And then I get an e-mail from my agent. All the Numbers was released in Taiwan on May 28. It debuted at #23. Yeah. #23. No extra zeroes left off. The following week, it had moved up to #12. You can see the June 8 bestseller list here.

In case you can't tell what some of the other titles are, here you go:

#1 THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein
#4 THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson
#5 PREP by Curtis Sittenfeld
#12 ALL THE NUMBERS by Judy Merrill Larsen!!!
#13 MY SISTER'S KEEPER by Jodi Picoult
#14 DOUBLE CROSS by Patrick Woodrow
#15 THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne
#17 A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS by Khaled Hosseini
#22 THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
#23 SIMPLE DEAD by Peter James

Pretty crazy, huh?

It's amazing to think that my story has so caught on in Taiwan. Thrilling. Humbling. From my google searches, I know the book is being blogged about. Recommended. Now, I can't really tell what all is being said about it (on-line translation leaves much to be desired), but this goes right to the top of my "You Never Know" file. Almost two years after it was released here, in the good ol' USA, I'm now an international bestselling author.

It's all beyond my wildest dreams.

* * * *

Okay, enough about me. Now to a book that will likely be a bestseller right here this summer. I devoured it. And I keep thinking about it. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton comes out tomorrow.

Here's what I wrote Meg after finishing the book: "Well, I just have to tell you how much I loved, devoured, fell under the spell of The Wednesday Sisters! I finished it this morning after starting it Sunday evening. You so captured that time of innocence and change. (And, as a Cubs fan from way back then, you captured them as well.) I felt like a 6th sister--it's just a fabulous story, Meg and I can't say enough good things about it. Kath and Ally and Linda and Brett and Frankie are so finely drawn I feel as though I'll run into them in the grocery store. Like old friends I'd know anywhere."

You will love this book--the women are strong and flawed and honest. They grow and wonder and become who they need to be but not necessarily who they thought they'd be. The world of that time (the late 60's and early 70s) shapes and shakes them, but they also discover strengths they never knew they had. Buy several copies--give them to your friends, your sisters, your moms. You'll see yourself in these pages and at the end you'll find all sorts of things to celebrate.