Wicked Woman and New York City

WICKED

 

I

shall be

horrible

when I am an

old woman who sits

and whispers wickedly,

stories into children's ears.

They must lean closer and closer

to hear me murmur tales so evil.

Careful kiddies. Too close and I will bite.

Okay, that's my fun for today. I love to write poetry, even when it's mostly bad. I wrote this one several years ago and had fun with it. But, as a kid I loved to be scared, loved spooky stories.   Not as fond of being scared now. I'll be speaking at Thrillerfest in NYC, on a panel about suspense. Now that I find scary. Why couldn't I be speaking in OKC, among friends? Oh, yeah, I wasn't asked.   This old lady, a  bit nervous about the whole big apple thing, but it will be so much fun. Amy is coming to outshine my sparkles. Can't wait. So, if anyone will be in NYC, July 12, come listen to the Suspense panel.

Tangled Writing

I took a Zentangle class this weekend, and once again heard something that applies to art and to writing. Are you surprised?

Zentangle is an art you create one stroke at a time.

Writing happens one word at a time.

Zentangle is more about the process than the finished project.

Writing is more about the process than the finished project.

Create small, portable projects, one small one, (write one page or one scene) at a time.

Creating is like eating an elephant. (One bite at a time.)

Everyone would take the same designs, (same story idea) and end up with something completely different than any one elses.

If you have never seen Zentangles and want to learn more, visit www.zentangle.com.

 And-keep on writing - one stroke/word at a time.

Winds of Life

This was my beautiful, peacful place to journal, watch birds and enjoy the morning on days off. Now, thanks to Oklahoma wind, the chimenea is broken into several pieces, the tent is ripped and the blue umbrella is broken. Very sad. I refust to post a pic of the destruction. Could sit and watch hummers, pretend I was in Colorado.

Yes, I'm whining even though I know the losss is nothing compared to wild fires burning houses, tornadoes wiping out towns, but it was my little spot and I will miss it.

But, I will pick up the mess, go on, find another way to keep my peaceful safe spot intact. Like life, you pick up and go on, even when things conspire to make you sad. Your book doesn't sell,whatever plans you had fell through, sickness interferes with the way you want life to be.

Life just is, in spite of what we plan. We write in spite of life, and sometimes in order to live because if we didn't write, what would keep us sane? We have control of the words we put on paper even if we can't control a lot of other things about the writing, publishing game and about the world around us.

So, I'm reminding myself to keep on keeping on, write no matter what and live life the best I can, no matter what big or little obstacles life puts in my way. I can move, go around, over or through obstacles and end up where I want to be, even if it is only sitting at a table, drinking coffee, watching birds and journaling.

Mountain Men in the Wild

I just read a book that impacted me in more than one way. Keep in mind that I'm a fiction addict and rarely read non-fiction not related to my day job (i.e. Medical.)

However, once I began Wild-Lost and Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, I couldn't stop reading. I felt everything she felt, met and liked other hikers, was ready to knock-out a couple of hunters. I will never look at hiking, back-packing and food in the same way.

At the same time I admired the writing and was wrapped up in making it to the end of the trail, engrossed in nature along the way, I marveled at the structure as Cheryl wove in all the things that brought her to the trail. If you ever want to write a memoir, read this one as she takes one pivotal event in her life and links everything to it.

I not only learned about nature and the PCT as well as dealing with loss, anger and grief, but learned more about writing a riveting memoir than I ever have. 

If you haven't read this, go to  http://www.amazon.com/Found-Pacific-Crest-Trail-ebook/dp/B005IQZB14/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1340832886&sr=1-1&keywords=wild  Beleive me, you'll be glad you did.

Penquins in the snow-a lazy weekend

I was lazy this weekend. I did laundry, played with a two-year-old, we looked at a Cherry Ames Cruise Nurse book together. I painted a new pastel picture, (see above.) Visited with friends, had Sushi with my daughter's friend and sent her off to Paris with a book about writing in Paris.

I painted penquins in a snow storm. But did I write? No. Did I plot? No. Did I get a rejection? Yes. Now I have to incorporate urban fantasy revisions, but I didn't do that either. I guess my brain thinks it needs a break, or I prefer to think, the writing cells are regenerating so that I'm ready to write.

I used a new painting technique for snow with pastel, called dusting. Doing new things will sometimes trigger plot ideas or story direction. Suggestions from an editor gave me ideas about revising another Urban Fantasy to make it better, build a more complete world. So, even when I'm not writing, the cells are working on material to tie in later when I'm putting words on paper (or on the computer.) Nothing you do is really wasted, from watching birds to seeing a child pretend to read a book that is too old for her. That child may read later because she was shown a respect for reading at two.

Six Sentence Sunday

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It's Sunday. Time to share six sentences from one of your books or WIPs in the comments section. Even better, bur a link to your own website where you post your sentence so we can come see you, that way you get traffic to your blog or website and latch on to a potential reader.

Come on down.

Six sentences from Privy to Murder

“I worry about you, Mumsie,” I said, “thinking you are taking advice from an Egyptian mummy. And if you knew Brian was so bad, you could have warned me.”

“You’ve never paid attention to Ka’s warnings.”

She was right. I lost confidence in mother’s counseling efforts after she began channeling messages from spirit advisors—more than one, she claimed.

Mumsie was  tall, elegant, and slender, with short, sassy white hair.

Okay, your turn to share your web address, blog address or a snippet.

---

Monday Mash-up

FREE Books and Mumsie's Magic

Go here for free books and reommendations  http://ereadernewstoday.com/category/book-of-the-day/

From Mumsie's Magic Book

Since Mumsie likes the idea of doing Tarot readings by computer, over the internet, she wants to protect her computer against viruses.

Turn the computer on and defragment the hard drive. While it does that, you need to clean the outside of the computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc. Chant:

Mother Goddess hear my plea,
keep my computer virus free
let it's files stay where they belong
and my writing flow fine and long.

A little sage smoke for cleansing and salt for protection never hurts, but don't expect spells to do all the work. Install a good virus protection system, back-up your files and only download from sites you trust.

Writing-Tips and Tricks

Voices Inside My Head

Yes, Maxine is in my head ofte, but I can't think of the good comebacks as fast as she does.

About voice:

I had a difficult time figuring out what "voice" meant when applied to writing. Still not always sure my ideas match with everyone else, or anyone else. But here's my take on it.

Voice is how you recognize who wrote something. If you read something written by Stephen King or Dean Koontz, and you're read things by them in the past, you will likely recognize the style/voice, which often go together.

King has an everyman, conversational style, characters you recognize and fall in love with because you grew up with them. Koontz has amazing imagery when he writes. Is this voice, style or a combination of both.

When I write fiction, my voice shines more when I write in 1st person. Then the character's voice will burst through so you know when she is speaking, or he. For most nonfiction, mine is a conversational style, with humor when appropriate, unless it's technical writing, then all bets are off and we won't tackle that here.

If you are a music fan, you can probably listen to a new piece of music by Vivaldi or John Williams, recognise their style/voice, and know who wrote it without being told. It's that way with writers who have a stong voice.

How do you get there? Practice, paying attention to how your writing sounds. My friend Amy Shojai has a distinct voice whether she is writing fiction or nonfiction. I'll know it right away. Read widely and pay attention to voice as well as style, they are often tied together. 

The Significance of Oranges

Did you know that in the movie, The Godfather, the director used a motif of specially-placed oranges to signal coming danger?

The Don kicks over a basket of oranges when he’s attacked by Sollozzo’s men. Fanucci tosses an orange during his final stroll through Little Italy. Clemenza grabs a pitcher of wine with floating oranges as he tells Paulie to go do his job, then later kills Paulie for not doing his job. Tessio reaches across Mama Corleone to grab an orange during the wedding, literally crossing the Corleone Family, which later has him killed.

There are many more examples and the oranges are just some examples of Coppola’s mastery of mise-en-scene, or in laymen’s terms, the symbolic placement of all elements in the frame. In Part I, Coppola shows a fish pattern on the bar window where Luca Brasi is strangled, foreshadowing the scene where Sonny receives a Sicilian message: “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.”

In the Lake Tahoe scene where Michael tells Fredo, “You’re nothing to me now,” check out the row of life rafts outside the window. Across the left of the frame, where Michael sits, there are plenty of rafts (safety), but to the right, behind Fredo, there are none (danger). These particular rafts take on even more significance when you consider where Fredo ends up at the end of the movie. (Dead in a lake.)

Now I need to watch the movie again and see how to use this in writing, forshadowing. I’ve heard about themes, and symbolism in stories but this is the first clear picture I’ve had in my head of how that can work. How can I translate this from a visual art form to words that make the vision clear? I think it will take work, but be challenging to try. Anyone know of other examples?

One commenter will win an electronic copy of Privy to Murder.

Spring is here.

Rain and clouds and spring, all here today. Yay-flowers will bloom. Trees already in bloom. I need to spring forth and start writing more. I've been in a promotion mode, reading mode and neglecting putting new words to the page. Not good.

If I want more books out there, must write them. But, I have to admit, I'm not displeased. The new Privy has been out for less than a month, and I've sold a couple a day. Thing is, selling is good but the actual writing is where it's really at.


http://tinyurl.com/6nmqhos

Playing on the White Strings

Last summer I attended a harp workshop. In addition to listening to, and playing lovely harp music, the workshop took place in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. While I listened to and played all kinds of Celtic music, anywhere I looked, was a mountain to watch, paint, photograph or just enjoy.

One exercise I learned in the harp group involved playing on the white strings only. You see, on a harp there are red strings, blue ones and the white. I discovered this: if everyone in the room plays on the white strings only, no matter what they played, every tune harmonized with the other. Wow. How fun is that?

Of course, after a while, you realize this is not something you want to do all the time. Why? Because there are no longer any surprises. Where are the contrast, unexpected notes, and conflict?

I’m guilty of doing that in my writing. Sticking only to the known and not ever branching out to the unknown with your writing is like playing on the white strings. It’s fun for a while, but pretty soon you may feel as if you are missing something. It’s time to try the colored strings, even if it is intimidating, and you’re afraid of failure.

If you write romances, branch out to mysteries. If you write nonfiction, why not write a short story? Poets, creative nonfiction might be the perfect genre for you. Never get stuck in a rut, try the new scary thing. What if you fail? You learn and stretch and go on to other things.

Come on, get off those white strings, and take a risk.

Onward and Onward and Prize!

I'm doing new things and setting new writing goals.

First news, Dan Case, from AWOC publishing is acquiring "Privy to Murder." It will have a brand new cover for it's re-release. Can't wait. It will be available as an e-book on Kindle and Nook and as a soft cover print book from AWOC Books.com.

So I'm revising and editing Privy once more.

Then I'm going to rev-up the revisions for "Fairy Dust" so I can send it to Carina.

After that I'll attack Museums are Murder, see what sales are with Privy and Edit "Bloody Murder" for re-issue.

In September I'll be going to a Celtic Festival in Colorado for a Harp class, should be so fun, girl friends too-wine and gossip and cool weather. What an idea.

I'll keep you posted. In honor of the re-issue, one commenter will win an electronic copy of the original "Privy to Murder."

Flowers and Dogs

Finally loaded pics of my yard so I can show you some of my favorite place, the patio and yard. Just because I love it. It's where I have coffee in the mornings, watch birds and just chill, at least on my days off.

The first picture is silly old dog Jasper. Then two yard views. If I dealt well with heat, I'd spend more time writing outside but I love early mornings and late evenings

Decided its time to write another Tali Cates mystery. So that's my current direction in addition to trying to sell to Woman's World.

New projects anyone? Or old projects you are going to renew? I've spent a lot of time exploring genre's but think I really want to go back to my first love, mystery with a paranormal element. So I need to start plotting away. I'm leaning toward making Tali's world and life a little darker and harder to deal with but don't want to give two much away.

To Market, to market

We've all heard the words "write for yourself, not for market." Of course we all want to be read, to sell, so we run to where the "money" is.

I thought I'd learned my lesson when I tried so hard to write straight romance and mystery with no paranormal elements, since that was selling. Guess what, it didn't work for me. The minute I let the paranormal elements creep in, I had way more fun writing and it must have come through because I began to sell.

But I got tempted again. A call for Medical Romances went out for Harlequin. I couldn't resist. I've been a nurse since before most people I know were born. I know medicine, I'm a good writer, I could do this. So I did. One chapter went out and got a request for more. 60pages later I sent off a three chapter proposal with a synopsis.

I was rejected. They really liked my writing and my strong heroine. However, my hero just wasn't the Alpha-McDreamy they had in mind for the medical romance line and they suggested I submit again, with a new idea and new characters. As rejections go, this was an extremely flattering one.

Guess what I learned. I write strong, kick-ass heroines. I like having the unexpected magic happen. The romance is secondary to the mystery/adventure, even though the romance is there. I'm going back to what I love because I had to make myself write the romance. I was already thinking of ways to add murder and mayhem into the mix. I may write a paranoramal that involves a medical background and mystery some day, but straight romance, probably not.

What genre switches have you tried and what did you learn? Comment about it to win an electronic copy of one of the Tali Cates mysteries.

Must be Eight

Didn't get as much writing done as I wanted this weekend but making slow progress. As soon as I finish chapter 3, off to Harlequin and then the wait, forever. In the mean time, write on. As long as I continue to make progress, it works for me, even if its only a few words.

Anyone see the first episode of Walking Dead? It was good if you like zombies.

Day Four-Nano

Medical Mystery Saga

Very little writing done due to life interference, but even some is better than none. Will try to do more tonight. Need to focus and so much goes on between work and home, it's difficult to find that point for your mind to latch on to. Hoping for a better writing weekend and maybe some time on Friday and Sunday.

Sometimes I think I have a good handle on the story, other times I'm sure I don't. Writing out of my usual genre makes me have to work harder. I can't rely on a demon attack or magick happening to move the story along in a medical mystery and there are only so many times you can have a heart stop in one story. I actually have to make my characters work at being themselves.

Balancing

Once again I find myself in a balancing act, much like those very bad ones on America's got talent, the ones that Piers immediately buzzes because they drop something. I'm dropping. I get involved in one project and immediately drop something that I should be taking care of on another one. I'm trying to keep up with nonfiction, fiction and a work related project that I have to partly do on my own time.

Fiction is fun and what I love to write, even though it's work sometimes. Nonfiction pays, enough said. Writing about diarrhea and the bugs that cause it, not so much. Then there is studying for IC Certification. A pain, but necessary. I miss the fiction, since it gets short-changed for the more immediate deadlines.


Its kind of like when you write fiction only, love the creative juices that go along with writing the first draft but hate editing, and yet you are finishing a first draft, editing another project and writing a synopsis(everyone hates that.) I should have put a whine warning at the first of this, huh?

Here I am published, on Amazon and Kindle, print books and I'm fussing about having work to do. Can I whine about the full time job? No, guess not, since a lot of people would kill for one. Getting old? Oops, the alternative ain't so great. Guess I'd just better look forward to Colorado and get it together.

What's your whine today?

True Blood

Anyone watching True Blood? Interesting developments. I like that the plots are just a little different from the books to keep you guessing a little. Still fun to watch. Bill's new Vamp girl is funny. The actor playing Pam is spot-on with her, so is Lafayette.

Working in nonfiction right now, not my fave thing since fiction is more fun but nonfiction pays better, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do while you wait...and wait...and wait...to hear from that editor, agent etc.

So, what do you do to keep yourself busy while you wait for that important call, write more, exercise, work in the garden, all of the above?

New Experiences-toes

No, that's not my broken toe. I thought baby toes were a better choice since they are so cute. You don't want to see my toe, or toes.

I've had a new experience. I broke/dislocated my little toe. At any rate, after I rammed it into the corner of a trunk, I looked down and saw it sticking out at a right angle to the foot. Like Jasper's claw looked when he hurt it. So, I reached down and pushed the toe back where it belonged, heard a click, taped it to the toe next to it and iced it.

The toe is now a lovely dark violet color. And, did you know you can't wear shoes comfortably with a broken toe, including flip-flops. I'm limping, and wearing black slipper with everything-a totally sex and the city fashion look-NOT! Anyone who know me is aware that I'm not a slave to fashion, but black slippers, in the summer-come on.

On to writing. I decided to finish Agatha Ann and the Shadow Curse and printed it out. I've done more on it than I thought. It should be fun. Also, study for the certification test we won't discuss and wait, wait, wait to hear from an editor, which most likely won't happen for months, if at all. Just adore the waiting game. My least favorite part of writing.

So, what's your favorite or least favorite writing task? One lucky commentator will receive an electronic copy of "Fairy Dust" or "Museums are Murder." Their choice. Include an email addy.

The End is Coming

Earth quakes, floods, tsunami, volcano eruptions, baseball-sized hail. Is it the end of the world as we know it? Global warming must be causing it, or, is Mother Nature simply having a hissy fit because of things like the oil spill in the gulf? I'd do worse than that if I were her and you spilled oil all over me.

Our lives and careers seem to have the same ups and down sometimes. Then, we can't blame mother nature or global warming. It may be something we did or didn't do that started the down-ward spiral. What if we simply gave up and quit? Nothing good could happen then.

Writing is the same. There are those really good writing days and those where every word we put on paper sucks rocks, or seems that way to us. But guess what? Do we stop or push through? We know that book, story, poem will never be finished if we don't keep on keepin' on. So we do it. And when we finish, the product is good. We set out to make it even better.

We just have to be ready for those highs and lows in life and writing. Barrel through and see what happens. By the time you reach the end, you're on your way up again. That's were it gets good, the way up to the top. On your way, throw a mattress down so you can bounce your way back up if you slip and keep on trying.