News Worthy Notes

For weeks, okay, maybe months, I've been silent here on my blog. (I do that when I have little of importance to say.)

News worthy note #1:  My son just got married! Yes, the colors are pink and black.

News worthy note #2: The whole family was together for the very first time. (Visit my Facebook timeline for tags.)

News worthy note #3:  I attended the American Night Writers Association (ANWA) Conference in February. Phoenix was a very welcome change of scenery, especially the sunshine. While there I pitched my current project - Duplicity of Love Trilogy, to Victoria Curran with Harlequin. She loved it and asked for the two novels I have completed. (Her Promise and In Her Hands) Her request is the reason I have tucked myself away as much as possible in my writing cave to work on the third in the trilogy, His Journey. It isn't completed yet, I'm working on it. But you see I have had reason to get sidetracked for a bit with this wedding.

Of course there is always the demand of my time to do the reading and reviews with InD'Tales e-magazine. You won't find my reviews here but you are welcome to follow this link https://plus.google.com/communities/102849317807537724903?gpsrc=gplp0&partnerid=gplp0#communities/102849317807537724903 to follow on Google or this link http://indtale.com  to subscribe and find out what I've been reading and what I think of each novel or novella.

I must admit that I am a bit hard on the authors and their books that I read, maybe even tougher than the other reviewers at InD'Tales (A tough call as we don't read/review the same books.)

So, there is a summary of what I've been up to. I wouldn't recommend you hold your breath until my next post, but then again, I tend to go in spurts so you might want to check back again soon.

Writing a Pain-filled Story

Writing update, least you perceive that I'm waiting on my laurels for some humongous event.
While children focused on finishing the school year, yours truly focused on creating an autobiography.
 I'm very aware of those of you who have asked me to write my own story over the years. I've gently refused delving into painful memories of living with the pain. But with WUFC's (Writers Unite to Fight Cancer) founder asking for me to share my story in under 4000 words, I have at last acquiesced. The limited word count allowed me to touch on moments that illustrate my experience with Multiple sclerosis without reliving them intently. Doing so made the hard part of the task much easier. At last the tale is completed and with beta readers.
(Beta readers are skilled authors of my acquaintance that will shred my baby before returning it to me in the course of making it stronger, faster, better than it was before. Okay, maybe not faster.)
Lest you get too excited or begin to place me in hero status, be aware that I have ulterior motives and that it is for a good cause that I write. This autobiography will be submitted, with a nice out-of-pocket fee in WUFC's annual writing contest. Contest winners will be published and sales from the book will be donated to cancer research.
I'm proud to be a part of WUFC at this juncture in my life and will let you know how the piece does later this summer/fall. If it does well, I'll obviously encourage you to purchase the book (I probably will anyway.) And if the piece doesn't win, I'll share it here.
Until then my friends---
Live in the beauty of the sunlight,
Laugh with those who share your lives, and
Love more intently than you have before.

Ten Things Writers Say, and What They Really Mean

I read this on Patty Froese blog and laughed so hard I have to share.
My thoughts are in italics.

A book is a labor of love.

Nineteen hours in drug-free hard labor with my daughter was easier, actually.
For me it was the hours of labor while my hubby and the nurse watch some golf!

Being a professional writer is an interesting and rewarding career.
(Check for the crossed fingers on this sztatement.)
Be anything but a professional writer. Don't make me beg you.
Yeah, I'll just die if I have to compete against someone I know.

I'm always thinking about my story, even when I'm shopping at the market.
I'm always thinking about . . . hey, are those chocolate-frosted donuts on sale?
And like hey, can I use that comment in that scene...becareful what you say out there!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the book.
I'm so glad your e-mail was a nice one because I just ran out of Valium. and chocolate...

Maybe Publishing is tough, but I love the competition.
Maybe Wal-Mart is hiring.
Don't you dare write anything worth reading...

My editor is thoughtful with responses and is making me a better writer.
My editor hasn't answered my e-mail and is making me crazy.
Where is she when I need her the most?   One hour to deadline. Dang was the Eastern Time or Pacific?

So you want to write a book? That's great.
Please don't ask me to help you write your book.
Plesze don't have the guts to finish it!

Sure, I can wait another six weeks for payment to be approved.
Sure, I can pawn my wedding rings again. Do you have any recipes for making something edible out of ketchup and beans?
You're lucky I pawned my pistol last week.

Writing a synopsis isn't so bad. You just have to think about it.
Writing a synopsis makes me break out in hives but I'm too poor to hire someone to do it for me.
Telling every other author how to write their synopsis isn't bad, but mine is impossible.

You will absolutely love holding your first book in your hands.
You will scream like an air raid siren, shake like you're standing naked in a blizzard and then cry like a teething baby while clutching your first book in your hands. P.S., don't let them videotape it.
Yeah, you'll do the exact same thing when you download it off of Amazon on the ornery little Kindle. I'll show you Kindle Fire!