The road to nowhere

          

DD decided to write a book of her own.  On Post It's. 

Isn't that where all good novels begin? I thought I'd perseverate a little longer on a topic from last week. Beginnings, remember? I've discovered something about the process of starting a novel. It helps to really understand where you're going. You don't need to know all the words that will get you there, but definitely know the lay of the land. A few years back, fresh after reading 'On Writing' by Stephen King (a masterful work for any writers toolbox) I decided to do what the wise one suggested and place my plot "under house arrest". 

Um yeah. 

I wrote myself into a 50 thousand word corner. No plot, just words. Lots of them. I still have that work languishing around on my hard drive. I'm hoping to dress it up and make it pretty one day. Meanwhile I've sworn off placing plot's under house arrest. For me it hasn't been such a good idea, so outlining it is. Not a neurotic word by word play of what's going to happen (I call that finished) more like a loose scene by scene idea to get me from chapter to chapter. I can't call it all from the beginning so I loosely make suggestions like home, work, out, for the feeder band chapters where it's still too far off to tell what might happen. Then as events unfold, I can outline more precisely. 

It's guidance. 

Nothing arresting that might get me into trouble, just a few arrows pointing me in the right direction.

Tell me what helps you get to where you're going. Outline or house arrest? 

***And a HUGE shout out to Katie Ganshert who landed super agent Rachelle Gardner!

Whoo Hoo Katie!!!!! I'm thrilled for you! AND to Stephanie Faris who recently signed with ~awesome~ Natalie Fischer!!!!!! I'm so thrilled for you too!!***

*The winner of White Picket Fences is... Tabitha Bird!* 

Caution, Watch downhill speed.

I'm surviving my NaNo word count goals. It's sort of a miracle actually. So it got me thinking, what's my deal the other eleven months? Obviously I thrive under pressure. Usually I just kick a thousand words around and go to bed. I'm pushing much more than that these days. So I thought I'd share what I think has happened.

1. I like the idea of do or die. Even slightly suggesting a deadline makes my heart race. There I said it.

2. Once I tied up my internal editor and bound her with duct tape, life was much simpler in terms of the flow of words springing forth from my fingertips. It's a breath of fresh air without her around, really.

3. I let my MC take total control. I give her loose guidelines like time and place but she totally dominates the scene. I suppose I really have her to thank for the sparks emitting from my keyboard.

4. It helps to know I can relax in December. Cuddle up with a nice cup of coco and edits. 

Maybe writing a novel in a month isn't such a bad idea after all? OK, I hear you. 50K hardly a novel makes. But it's a start. So maybe my edits start in mid December, I'm OK with that.

What about you? Has NaNo taught you anything? If you're not NaNoing what has the first draft taught you? Ever race though a novel at breakneck speed? 

Blog Review White Picket Fences

White Picket Fences 

By; Susan Meissner

Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way.

 

Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away.

 

MY THOUGHTS; This is a great moving novel that taps into dormant secrets that slowly begin to erode this not so average family. Part young adult, part woman's fiction. It reads smooth and has a nice satisfying ending that manages to weave all story lines into one climactic ending. Overall I give this book four out of five stars.

****

Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn’t driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novel The Shape of Mercy was a Publishers Weekly pick for best religious fiction of 2008 and a Christian Book Award finalist. Susan and her husband live in Southern California , where he is a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four grown children.

To purchase this book please visit:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074570&ref=externallink_wbp_whitepicketfences_sec_0916_01

If you would like a free copy of this book, please leave a comment below. Winner to be announced Friday =)

The publisher has furnished me with a complimentary copy for my review.

This one takes the prize

In 1888 Alfred Nobel read his own obituary. It was laced with negative connotation. You see, turns out his manufacturing of dynamite made him a killer, a maimer, a contributor to some of the most horrific war atrocities of the times, by proxy. He didn't like that. In fact it burdened him so that he spent the rest of his life figuring out how to absolve his explosive legacy and leave a gentler more humane contribution to the world, thus the Nobel prizes were born.

His premature obit read, The merchant of Death is Dead. "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday."

Ouch. 

Truth is we do a lot of things that seem like a good idea at the time. Some of our novels are born that way. Wouldn't it be great to leave a wonderful literary legacy? I thought instead of making a list of potential novel idea's, I'd work on a list of the type of novels I'd like to have under my belt before I finish the race.  Don't get me wrong, manufacturing dynamite was his business, it paid the bills and to his defense he didn't invent them. But he did recognize the flaw, and sought to redeem himself in the light of human kind. 

Are you writing books that can help people in some way? Do you believe all novels should include morals? Do you feel a sense of responsibility when you write?    

Death does not become me

Tuesday morning I woke up and decided it would be a great day to star in my own romantic suspense novel! (Not really, but it sort of unfolded that way.) You see, I had these books to deliver to the post office  for the winners of my giveaway Tamika and Jennifer Shirk (hello ladies) anyway it was pea soup foggy out, but I was feeling energized from a run and DD was willing to tag along, so why not? 

 

My car happened to be parked on the street as to give all those trick-or-treaters better access to the serious chocolate I was eating/dolling out a few nights prior. Um did I mention it was foggy? So when the speeding truck nearly sideswiped me from out of nowhere I wasn't too surprised. In fact, I mentioned to DD that I didn't see that one coming. Anyway, onward. I cut into the middle of the street attempting to make a U turn. That's when the car decided it was a good time to stall.  I accelerate,  but nothing. Also, this would be a good time to mention the scary hairpin turn just beyond the passenger side. I try not to panic and pluck DD from the car as we dash back across the street.

Running in the house I scream at Soprano to move the metal carcass before some lead foot teenager gets into a surprise head on collision. Needless to say he was not thrilled by this news. Quickly he instructs me to stand in the street and deflect on coming traffic. I'm thinking, um like with my body? Hair pin turn remember? Being a good wife, I immediately comply. 

Soprano gets in the car and turns the engine.

What's that smell? What's that stuff that looks like lemonade gushing from under the engine? Gas?

I run towards the car and pound on the window screaming, Get out! But Soprano turns the engine again. So what do I do? Run behind the car, pass out from fright momentarily in the street as he desperately and unwittingly tries to back over me. I barely muster the energy to get up and continue rescuing Soprano when he gets wise to our impending doom, grabs me and and we head across the street to safety. That's when he tells me, I think someone cut the gas line.

*sigh* I'm no super hero, really I'm not. In fact, if this was some kind of cosmic field test, I failed miserably. 

Let's itemize the damage;

*Torn jeans? Check.

*Severely skinned knee? Check.

*Majorly ruined super expensive and yet comfy shoes? Check.

*Bruises on various body parts? Check.

*Ruffed up wedding ring? Check. (If the diamond was bigger it might have broken my fall. Note to self, invest in bigger rock for personal safety purposes.)

*Humiliated in front of ogling neighbors? Always.

We did call 911, after all, we just dumped tons of fuel into the storm drain of the pacific and the street was primed to burst into flames. 

*Cute blond fireman with broad shoulders and dimples grinning wildly? Check. In his defense Soprano was down the street at the time, and I looked like I needed to be rescued. (It's his job people ;) 

On the bright side, Soprano and I didn't blow up. Turns out the gas line just sort of decided it was a good day to disconnect. No foul play was noted by the mechanic.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it, love triangle and all. 

Honestly it was harrowing morning. BTW, I had a terrible case of the why me's after that.  

Lesson's learned? 

Book giveaways can be dangerous.

Stay in bed on foggy Tuesday mornings.

BTW, Soprano treated DD and I to a trip to our natural habitat, the mall. 

The books eventually made it to the post office. 

What do you know? I got my HEA after all.    

Just tell me you had a safe week and all your shoes escaped unharmed. And if you haven't already, wish Lisa and Laura a big congrats on their recent book sale! Congrats ladies, well done. 

Blog Tours

~Blog Tours~

Book:  Leaving Carolina

Author:  Tamara Leigh

Summary:  

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick , North Carolina , twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, 

ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant

 in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler. Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leavin

g money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.  Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

My thoughts: Definitely a fun light hearted read with a southern twang. If an easy read with bits of humor is what you're looking for then this is it. Honestly, I felt the attempts at humor felt a bit stale at times. I wish the romance element was played up a bit more.  

I give this book three and a half out of five stars

***(*)

Book:  What Matters Most

Author:  Melody Carlson

Summary:  

Maya’s Green Tip for the Day: Recycled fashion is one of the most fun ways to go green. A pair of jeans could be transformed into a denim skirt. A sweater into a vest. A bunch of old ties into a dress. A blanket into a poncho. Accessorize it in new way–with beads, buttons, appliqués, buckles, stencils, or ribbons…your imagination is only the limit. (65 words) Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything. To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

My thoughts: What's not to love about Maya? She's got it al together with a few minor set backs, plus she's environmentally friendly. What's not to love about that? Great YA written in diary format so there is a voyeristic appeal. Fun read with great life lessons along the way. 

I give this book four and a half out of five stars

****(*)

Book:  Limelight

Author:  Melody Carlson

Summary:  

Claudette Fioré used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crooked accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone. Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fioré questions her own values and finds herself wondering if it’s too late to change.

My thoughts; I'm not certain about this novel. It's positioning seems off to me. The MC is in her eighties although you quickly forget this information because of her almost chick lit like antics and thought process. Her quest for God is thinly veiled and doesn't culminate in an outright relationship with the Lord but she does eventually find her way to church. I like the fact she is seeking God and longs to know answers. No romance in this one, if you like a narrative type story that reads more like a stream of conscience then perhaps this is your cup of tea. I longed for a little more story behind the chatter.  

I give this book two and a half out of five stars.

**(*) 

The publisher has furnished me with complimentary copies for my review.

Leaving Carolina : http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421661

What Matters Most: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421197

Limelight: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070824

From the beginning

Have you ever been inspired by something that once held you back and turn it into a positive experience? Let's say chocolate is your nemesis and now you've decided to write a tell-all about your years in coco butter? (so my next book) Or how about that blemish in the human condition famously known as high school? You know, those oh so painful formative years spent chasing Mr.-not-so-right and applying hairspray in the girls bathroom? Um can you say do over? 

That's what writing's all about in a way. Something new to do, something to do over, do better, you get the picture. It's a whole new world waiting to be formed, lived, and hopefully not regretted. 100 thousand words is a long journey. Make it worthy of your time. And to quote the greatest sneaker ever, just do it. ;)

Any do over's making their way into your plots? Nemesis? Arch enemies? Prom queens or Nobel peace prizes? Or maybe just say hello.