FOODIE FRIDAY--Cottage Pie (meat entree)

Quite a few years ago when our daughter was two going on three, we traveled to Disney World—mainly to take advantage of their ‘kids under 3’ are free policy.  She was potty trained and a real trooper. We did take an umbrella stroller that first year, but in the years afterwards she walked or Daddy carted her on his back.  Even today at the grand age of ten, she’ll fuss and complain when we walk around the block, but take her to an amusement park and she leaves us in the dust!

Our first night at Disney, we had reservations at the Rose and Crown Pub at EPCOT.  We were eating when a waiter came up to use and asked if our daughter wanted to start the Illuminations: Reflections of Earth a laser/fireworks show on the lake. Of course, neither my hubby nor I thought to bring a camera! Rachel held the wand, and when told to point it over the lake, she did. A single flare burst out and the 12-minute show started. Though we were unable to document it with pictures, it was truly an experience.

Out of the Cooking with Mickey cookbook with only slight modifications:

Rose and Crown’s Cottage Pie

¼ cup butter

1 cup onion, diced

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef

Salt

Pepper

¼ tsp, savory, ground

1 cup brown gravy (McCormick’s brown gravy mix works best)

2 cups potatoes, mashed (I always have boxed potato flakes to use)

Grated cheddar cheese

Heat butter in 9-in. skillet. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add beef, salt, pepper, and savory and continue cooking 5 minutes longer. Stir in gravy and heat until bubbling. Spoon mixture into a buttered 8-cup flat casserole dish. Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned.

Enjoy!

What I learned from J. K. Rowlings--part 1

Monday was laundry/ironing day.  I wanted to watch two movies that my kiddo got from the Easter Bunny, Tangled and Megamind, but the snotty little kid wouldn't let me. Hey, if the plastic had been opened, I would have watched them, but it wasn't and I felt she should have the thrill of opening them herself.

Anyhoo, the kidlet suggested I watch the Harry Potter movies. So with the final installment due out July 15, I decided to revisit ALL the movies. Monday, I watched THE SORCERER'S STONE  and THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. Now, this isn't to say that I haven't read the books, I have . . . a couple of times, but while I enjoyed the books I also felt that the movies did justice to the books. 

--something that doesn't always happen when the rights are sold to Hollywood (Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson's book, THE LIGHTNING THIEF, turned movie was a disaster!). I think Jo--I'll just call her Jo for ease, not because she and I are best buds or anything--was able to provide input to the creation of her stories, which is why the HP movies are so successful, well that, and the excellent acting and directing.

There are so many things that I can write about but today I'll concentrate on planting information without it feeling like author intrusion (forcing the character to do something that isn't in character or author manipulates the scene in a manner that takes the reader out of the story) or an info dump (telling the reader EVERYTHING the writer knows about X, Y, or Z). It was her subtle and delicate handling of dribbling in bits of information that shows the audience what they need to know without saying, "Hey!  Look here!  You need to pay attention!!"  Here are a few case-in-points:

From THE SORCERER'S STONE:
wand--When Harry gets his wand from Olivander's, Olivander remarks that a phoenix core resided in only TWO wands: Harry's and VOLDEMORT's wand. Olivander also plays an important, though minor, role in the later books.
cloak--the orgins of the cloak don't become known until the last book, but basically Harry's father gave it to Dumbledore for safekeeping. The cloak is part of a made up mythology Jo wrote to explain things in the end of the series.
wizard's chess--prior to Hermoine leaving for the Christmas holidays, the viewer sees Ron teaching Harry how to play Wizard's chess--this plays a role at the end of the movie. I do feel that Ron was sharper than he is written and portayed in subsequent books, because chess requires the player to think ahead.
quiddich--first snitch--Harry doesn't catch the snitch in the typical manner in his hand, instead he catches it in his mouth.  This plays an important role later on in the series as Dumbledore hids a clue for Harry and Hermoine to find.
--Comment from McGonnagall when they are late to class on the first day suggesting they get a map to find their way AND a watch--this was planted (whether by accident or on purpose, I don't know) for #3 THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN in the form of the Maurader's map and the time turner.

From THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Ron's wand--Ron's wand has to break to make all his spells backfire.  It breaks when they are doing something 'illegal' (flying a car and crashing it into the whomping willow--this tree also plays an important role in book #3). Jo also shows the reader the consequences of the broken wand (incomplete transfiguration of rat into cup AND the 'eat slugs' threat against Malfoy, prior to the vital scene)
mandrakes--This little scene provides characterization for quite a few characters, but the important fact is they must be used to un-petrify someone (planting the idea).
Fawkes the phoenix (probably named after Guy Fawkes. :-))--Remember: the phoenix only gave TWO feathers. Harry is sent to Dumbledore's office having to do with the petrifying of students and he 1) questions the sorting hat, 2) sees the phoenix burn up. He also learns that phoenix's tears have healing powers.
spiders--Ron hates spiders, so of course, spiders figure in #2.  Not just spiders--big honkin' spiders.
Dobie, though house elf, he and his kind have greater power than the wizards ever gave them credit for. He also goes against his wizard family to try and protect Harry, though it backfires quite a bit adding a lighter element. Plus his release plays an important role in the final book

There are tons of additional elements I could name, but it would put this blog in the way-too-long category.
But what you should take out of this is to show the reader important plot points without telling the reader about them.

Thank you, Jo!

Later, Peeps!

TRUE CONFESSIONS: I am a . . .

reality show addict.

I didn't start out that way. I wasn't one of the first Survivor viewers. I didn't watch any of the reality MTV shows or the ones like Big Brother and Batchelor where the claim to fame is how much booze and canoodling they can do.

But a few have caught my interest.

The first one I started watching was the AMAZING RACE--love it!  I want to be on it, but hubster refuses to try.  He knows he would be doing a lot of yelling at me and doesn't see any reason to show that side to the world, though it wouls be interesting to see the world this way.
I'm really enjoying this season's, UNFINISHED BUSINESS. The last few teams are decent people and are playing honestly this time . . . well, there was that unsportsmanlike behavior from the Globetrotters . . . 
And yes, I want the cowboys to win, but they keep making mistakes. Update: Cowboys were sent home last night. They made so many mistakes on numerous legs and managed to bounce back. But this time, no such luck due to the U-turn, forcing them to complete the other challenge of the detour. :-(  If they don't win, I like Mallory and her dad.

I have been watching SURVIVOR for the last 5 years.
Rob IS the master manipulator and if they don't do something soon, he will get a much-deserved win.
The rest of his team are a bunch of sheep. Rob says jump, they respond, "off which cliff". Unless Grant organizes a coup, then NONE of them deserve the money. They are worse than the year Saundra (sp?) stole the win from Rupert.
Though if they manage to get Rob out of the way and Phil is in the finals then my money is on Phil.  And speaking of Phil--HE IS A TOTAL FROOT-LOOP and I hope they have plenty of security around. If during the reunion show and he claims he was 'playing a game', he's lying. Starvation, dehydration, and being around people you don't like and who don't like you, is stressful. His blow-ups are real, but he's smart enough to use them to manipulate the show. Plus he's one of the biggest hypocrites out there--stealing rice and then biotching about Steve not willing to let them put their contaminated rice in with the clean stuff. Pul-eeze! I wouldn't let him do it either and not because I was being a pain, but because I know about mold spores.  The rice may look clean, but it isn't. Adding it to the good rice simply contaminates the whole container.
I must add that the SURVIVOR powers-that-be are AWESOME for the way they change up the game!

AMERICAN IDOL has become far too Kumbaya for my taste. Don't get me wrong I like sweets, but this season makes my teeth hurt. I enjoyed the shows up until the top 10. Now, I'm bored. I don't care who wins and I've stopped watching. I think part of the problem is that they broadened the categories from which the contestants can pick songs--come on, giving them TEN YEARS WORTH OF TOP 40 HITS TO CHOOSE FROM?? Lauren and Scotty will always go with the country options, which is fine because that's their strengths. We get it. But force them to sing Hip-Hop and then we'll talk.

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL--yeah, it's my secret fix. I like it. What can I say? I think it's because I like the challenges, make-up and clothing the models wear. I'm not a girly-girl, but this must satisfy some latent urge.

Speaking of clothing, I can't wait until PROJECT RUNWAY is on again!  Love it! And love Tim Gunn!

And last for today, DANCING WITH THE STARS has gotten boring, too. They need to shake it up some how. As much as I love Kirsti, she needed to go home this last week. If it wasn't her then it should have been Kendra, but they have too many 'fans'. I used to like that the judges had more input than it appears they do. Petra was an incredible dancer, but she was too nice and blended into the background.  Hmm . . . methinks the producers are manipulating things to keep the controversy up.

Another dancing fix that I can't wait to watch, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. Love the dancers, love the judges, love the amazing choreography!

That's my line-up of reality TV that I watch . . . and have stopped watching.  Sorry, time to go watch GHOST HUNTERS!

Later, Peeps!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Margaret's Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe was requested by Bob P.  Thanks for joggin’ my noggin’!

As with all my recipes, there is a story behind this one, too.  It simply took a little bit of time to search for some pertinent information—such as the year that I WON THE YEAST BREAD COMPETITION AT THE TULSA STATE FAIR, and place third overall in the Culinary Arts category. 

Uh-huh, it was a biggie! *doin’ a little dance here*

So I dug through my box of ribbons—to be honest, most of them are horse show ribbons--and discovered that it was in September of 1993 when I won my category.  I think I also won $5.00 and a bunch of Red Star yeast and maybe some flour.  Nothing big, but it was fun, and I got a big fat ribbon.

This recipe was originally from a Bon Appetit magazine.  At that time, I simply hand-copied the recipe (no computer), so I don’t have any more info than that. I personally think it’s the icing that makes the recipe . . . though I don’t think they allowed icing on the cinnamon rolls when I entered the competition.

Margaret’s Blue Ribbon Cinnamon Rolls

¾ cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)

2 envelopes dry yeast (4 ½ tsp bulk dry yeast)

1 2/3 cup warm half-and-half (105-115 degrees F)

¼ cup solid vegetable shortening

¼ cup sugar

1 Tbls. salt

6 ½ - 7 cups sifted all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, room temperature

¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

¾ cup pecans, chopped

1/3 cup raisins

2 tsp. cinnamon

Oil large bowl and set aside. Pour warm water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and stir to dissolve. Blend in milk, shortening, sugar and salt. Add 3 cups flour and beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form workable dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to oiled bowl, turning to coat all surfaces. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.

--I usually put the bowl in the over-the-stove microwave with the stove light on. This allows the microwave to stay a nice warm temperature.

Grease two large baking sheets. Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll out into 12 X 18 inch rectangle. Spread with butter (use clean hands). Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar, nuts, raisins and cinnamon mixture. Start from one long edge and roll dough up as for jelly roll, keeping out air pockets. Cut into slices slightly over 1 inch thick. Arrange on prepared baking sheets, tucking ends of dough under. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes (turn the oven to 170 degrees F, and the TURN IT OFF) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls until golden, about 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare icing.

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar

¼ to 1/3 cup orange juice

¼ cup butter, room temperature

½ tsp. vanilla

½ tsp. almond extract

Combine all ingredients in small bowl of electric mixer and beat at high speed until smooth, using only enough orange juice to form spreadable icing. Frost rolls while still hot. Serve rolls warm or at room temperature.

My First AH-HA Moment, what's yours?

My previous couple of posts made me think back to my writerly beginnings and my very first AH-HA! moment.

Now, writers tend to have multiple and numerous AH-HA moments, or we should; otherwise, we would be living in a vacuum and fail to learn new things. As a writer, we must be asking the question 'why'. If we fail to question and seek an answer then we are as as bad as a stagnant pond on a hot summer's day--smelly with loads of fish poo.

Writers should be always learning, honing their craft, and pushing their boundaries. By doing so, we learn and have AH-HA moments.

I will always remember my first AH-HA moment.

I don't remember the year, but I do remember everything else.  I was working on my second manuscript, THE DRAGON WARRIOR, an ill-fated Viking romance with a fairy dusting of paranormal witchery. I had been a member of RWI for probably two years and I desperately wanted to belong to a critique group.

One day I was asked to join a group. HALLELUJAH!! I was excited beyond words.  The group was small, comprising Marilyn Pappano, Susan Shay and Linda Trout. We met every other week (I think. Sorry, I've slept since then) and thus began the most brutal writing time of my life.

I still get nosebleeds from thinking about that darn learning curve!  But I learned a lot from that experience.

After awhile, I had to quit the group.  I simply couldn't keep up the pace of submitting new work, since I worked part-time and had a youngster. I got to the point that I was writing crap--crap that shouldn't be seen by the human eye--just so I'd have something for them to crit.

--plus I discovered, quite recently actually, that I'm a feast-or-famine type of writer. When I'm writing, I'm WRITING. The rest of the time, I'm goofing off, working out story problems or editing and formatting.

Again with my digressing!  Back to my AH-HA moment.  My memory might be wrong--it's a sieve, remember?--but this what I recall.

We were sitting at Olive Garden, occupying a table they so desperately wanted to turn, and I had a scene that was critiqued. Actually, if I remember correctly it was a fairly clean scene that time.
SCENE: My heroine had been rescued from being burned (or simply left to rot) at the stake by a Viking.  She passes out and awakens on his longboat. I describe stuff, and had decent cause and effect going on, but I knew something was wrong with the scene, but I didn't know WHAT.

Our lovely Marilyn piped up and said, "I know what it is."

"What?" The rest of us chimed in.

"The emotion is missing."

*ding, ding, ding, ding*

Wow.  What an epiphany.  True, when you write romance the story should be all about emotion, but I didn't get it until this point.  And emotion isn't just for romance, it's for every story you write.

Emotion aids characterization by defining who that character is by the way they act, react, overreact, or under react in a situation or with another character, etc.

Emotion deepens the character's point-of-view (POV) The deeper the writer can get into the head of the character the more accurate the character is written, thus the greater the conflict.

Emotional conflict is one way for a character to grow through the story--it's imperative for a romance.

Character growth is the deep down reason a reader is drawn to a story.  Oh, the external plot might be what hooks the reader, but in the end, all the reader invests his/her emotions to the character driving the story.

Who wants to read about a stagnant character? Or even one who is without flaws, is richer than Midas, or smarter than Stephen Hawking.  All I can say is BORING.

Remember: writers must constantly be learning and your characters should show emotional growth, too.

Later, Peeps.

How I judge contest entries

On Saturday, I received an email from the Daphne paranormal category coordinator.  When I saw the subject line, RE: Judging, my first response was, "Uh-oh!" 

Yeah, I tend to jump to the worst conclusions sometimes. I opened up the email and this is what it said:

I just reviewed the entries you judged for the Daphne.  I want to say what a great job you did.

Can you tell me a little about your writing background? I'm intrigued with your insightful comments.

Oh, okay--
I dun good. :-)

But I had to review my comments on the six entries to see what I had actually written.  I judge so many contests every year that I don't think about the entries after I return them. I might check the titles if I happen to see a list of the contest finalists, but that's it.

I have to admit that I did a pretty decent job of judging this batch of entries.  I approach judging contest entries a little bit differently than many writers.

1. I open EVERY document hoping to be WOW'd. I totally understand agents/editors in this regard. I love, love, LOVE reading a story that might have craft issues, but speaks to the reader.
2. I go with my gut instinct the first time I read the entry. Many judges will read the story and then go back to the entry and judge it.  I find that this tends to result in nit-picking on my part, so I don't do it.
3. I go with the BIG PICTURE items. When I first started writing I was asked to join a crit group--to be perfectly honest, I simply wasn't ready to join this group. Though I gathered a few nosebleeds while climbing the learning curve, I needed help with the 'big picture' stuff--pacing, emotion, dialogue, etc. Don't get me wrong, I loved and appreciated their patience! And boy did they have to be patient!

I refuse to line edit--and I don't want ANYONE to pull out the Chicago Manual of Style and fix my stories!--but I will point out a weak or awkward sentence and offer suggestion that might help the writer make it better. Thank you very much!

A while back, there was a conversation on RWA's PRO loop about edits.  Many people chimed in and said that they do the line edits first and then worry about the big stuff later.

HUH???

Why would you waste your time 'fixing' sentences if you don't address the big stuff first?  That's insane!

Think about it for a second.  Okay, that's enough thought. 

--If you have a pacing issue and need to cut sentences, paragraphs, scenes or even CHAPTERS, what good does it do to make your verbs more active or place your comma in another spot?  Been there done that with GNOME.  It wasn't until my TENTH edit did I cut 7000 words (3 chapters) and rewrite chapter 1(1500 words) to fix the pacing.
--if your editor wants you to combine two characters into one. This changes the personality/internal conflict/motivation of the character. Did it with FAERIE and it DOES trickle down throughout the story.
--if you need to thread-in another plot line, or deepen the character's motivation, or whatever

If there's a bigger problem to address and it needs to be addressed BEFORE line edits.

Now, this is just my opinion, so take it or leave it.

Later, Peeps!

Validation as a Writer

A week or so ago, I went on a minor rant due to the insipid comments I mentioned on my blog, A Tad Ballistic.

One of my peeves was that many of the unpublished writers wanted the 'validation' of an industry professional.  This was one of the main reasons they were pursuing traditional publishing. 

--I won't go into it again, but traditional publishing is changing, whether New York likes it or not. Print is NOT dead, but for publishing houses to survive they will need to be pro-active about the electronic publishing biz. Some are slowly evolving, but many aren't. Technology is moving too quickly to 'wait and see'.

Anyhoo, I had just received a good review from my target audience and I thought that was validation even though I self-published.

I was wrong.

Yes, I know some of you have to pick your jaws off the ground, but here it is again:   I WAS WRONG.

But not entirely--see how I squeaked out of that one!

Being reviewed by a writer's target audience is important, but so is garnering the interest of an editor or agent. BUT both of those have problems with personal tastes, subjectivity, and the ability to sell your product.

So how does one gain the validation all of us seek? How do we know if we are a decent writer and storyteller?

Jody hit it on the head in her comments.  Validation has to come from within.

But how, you ask. Here are a few thoughts that flew into my head, since I'm busy editing FAERIE.

• by accepting that your pacing is off in a chapter or chapters and DELETING them and rewriting it to make it work. (In GNOME, I deleted 10,000 words or 1/4 of the entire story. Sometimes tweaking will work, but sometimes it's better to start over)
• by merging or deleting characters/scenes who aren't doing their job. (currently doing this. It's hard to delete a character that you love, but ask yourself honestly about what they deliver to THIS story) 
• by really looking at your own writing objectively (can take years to reach this point--trust me!) and making changes to make the story BETTER and not just DIFFERENT

I'm sure there are more examples, but I need to get back to my pissed-off water nymph.

Later, Peeps

Merging Characters

I am so not happy.  I wrote this entire blog and then *poof* the silly thing disappears in cyber space!  Arrggghhhh!!  I KNOW this won't be the best blog I can write . . . because I already wrote it!
--sometimes I hate blogger!

I spent the last couple of weeks merging two characters. Why would a writer do this?

Well, there are many reasons.  First, the character isn't pulling his/her weight. Second, they aren't moving the story forward. In other words, they are simply superfluous. 

When I finished my final edit of GNOME, I had to come up with a series name.  I didn't have a name.  I didn't like my first ten ideas, but then I came up with THE GOBLIN'S APPRENTICE.  I had to make the goblin appear in the first book--oops.  He didn't show up until page 50 of FAERIE.  It wasn't hard tweaking GNOME, but cleaning up the mess in FAERIE was a nightmare. Two weeks later, I managed it!  Yay!
I spent the last couple days re-editing the first 60 pages of FAERIE (again!) to get rid of the clunkiness of the writing.

But the worst is over and I can continue editing to have FAERIE up and ready to go by May 1.  I just hope my artist has a cover for me by then . . . she's suffering some issues, too! 

Pushing through . . .
Later, Peeps.

FOODIE FRIDAY--Almond Ham Roll-ups (Appetizer)

I’ve had this recipe for years, over 30 years, and I believe I have made this recipe (or forced my nieces or nephew to make them!) virtually every single Thanksgiving.  Okay, I might have skipped one or two along the way, but these are awesome bite-sized pieces of party food.  Easy to make ahead and cut when ready to serve. I’ve also stream-lined the process after many years of making them. And if you don’t know me very well, let’s just say that my goal in life is to be as efficient as possible, not for the sake of efficiency, but so I can goof-off . . . though I never told my bosses that. Trust me.

Almond Ham Roll-ups

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (Philadelphia brand), softened

2 Tbls. mayonnaise

1 tsp. instant minced onion

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp dry mustard

¼ tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce (I really don’t measure this—just shake in the heat)

1 Tbls. finely chopped toasted almonds (toast blanched/slivered almonds in pan, then run them through a small food processor or coffee grinder before measuring)

1 12 oz. pkg thinly sliced boiled ham (rectangular, @ 3 inches x 6 inches)

Combine all ingredients except ham, stirring until blended. Place ham slices with edges touching on paper towels, pat dry with more towels. Spread mixture on ham slices until covered. Roll up in jellyroll fashion, starting at short end.  –at this time, ham rolls can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to one month. Thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Cut each roll into ¾ inch slices.

Makes 5 dozen

2011 Pool Opening

Pool in winter

About thirteen years ago, we put in a pool.  At the time our entire back yard was grass, all grass--no pond, no trees, no anything--so a pool was an ideal space filler.

This picture was taken a couple of winters ago (no fireplace!), but you can see that the cover is spring-loaded and attached to the deck.  The cover is made up of a mesh material.  Mesh has tiny little holes in it, thus all sorts of dirt, pollen and various other funk falls through, but it keeps the majority of leaves and other stuff out of the pool (organic debris stains the plaster).

cover removed

Last weekend--Saturday, we 'opened' the pool.  This means we took the cover off and had to start vacuuming the funk off the bottom.  Oh, and when I say 'we' it's that royal kind of we, where my hubby does the work. And I watch and click some pictures.
 

vacuuming funk from bottom

 When you vacuum the bottom of the pool, you don't want to put it through your filter as it will just glump it up and you'll have to constantly clean the darn thing, so it goes to waste.  Luckily we have school property behind us and it has a huge water drainage system, so our water goes down there.  Plus if you looked at old Platte's of the school and neighborhood, you would notice that the back part of our yard was a pond.

 Slowly running the vacuum helps keep the funk on the bottom and doesn't stir it up too much.  At the same time, we needed to drain the pool.  There's a product that is put in Chlorine tablets called 'conditioner', which causes a cynuric acid build up.  This doesn't harm the swimmer, but it does cause the chlorine to become basically inert, which means it doesn't do it's job of sanitizing. The only way to get rid of it is to drain the pool and clean the plaster sides. 


partially drained









At this time, we noticed a 'verde gris' mottling on the plaster.  This is usually caused by copper that is pulled out of the water and it stains the pool.  Again, it isn't harmful, just not as attractive to swim in.

After we drained 1/2 the pool, and the child and her friend decided it would be 'fun' to play in the 55 degree water and, of course, managed to get soaked, we filled the pool.  Two hoses going full blast took it about 18 hours to fill up. 

next morning

We couldn't run the pump while it was filling, so it's still cloudy, but you can see the dots on the stairs.  The hubster had power washed the stairs, but the neighbor's maple tree was puking little yellow whirlygigs and they stained the stairs.  The chlorine will eventually fade them.

Monday/ kreepy krauly

Here is the pool today--Tuesday.

Tuesday morning with Maggie

And that my friends is what opening a pool looks like.  Now all we need to do is turn the heater on and have some glorious sunshine and we are ready to party this summer!

Later, Peeps!

Riding Dragons

Have you ever ridden an dragon?

I have.

But I had forgotten what it felt like. Freedom, excitement and a oneness with the creature between your knees are only of few of the feelings.

I don't like forgetting the majesty of those animals, but I'm truly grateful for my friends who remind me of who I am . . . even if they didn't realize it at the time (Thank you, Meg!)

I virtually rode my first dragon when I read Anne McCaffrey's DRAGON SINGER. I was a teen and there wasn't much choice for reading material at the time for 'young adults'.  Edgar Rice Burroughs, Zane Grey, and a host of other authors occupied my reading until I rode that first dragon.

For the next ten years, I read everything and anything fantasy, but especially McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series (Yes, they are on my keeper shelves!). 

But it wasn't until I rode my first horse did I understand McCaffrey's dragons and their riders.  This epiphany didn't happen overnight. It took three horses and almost twenty years before I really understood. 

Each of my horses taught me something: Princess--the basics of riding and jumping, Abe--each day was a challenge with you, but damn, you taught me to stick to the saddle through rears, bucks and spins, and when you got bored the combination of the aforementioned naughty behaviors, and Buster--such a common name for a noble beast out of Secretariat's line--you taught me magic.

Buster was barely green-broke when I got him--he could walk, trot and canter with a rider, but steering and stopping were optional.  After many hardships and torn ligaments (his, not mine), we had some spectacular moments . . .

but sometimes we would fly.

It didn't happen every time I mounted him, but when everything was right with the world, we were invincible!

Meg brought it all back to me when she posted this video on her Twisted Sisters blog.

The beauty of it brought tears to my eyes--and I'm not a crier--well, okay, I do cry at most Disney movies, but that's beside the point. 

I've had people ask me how I can write about fantasy creatures: faeries, gnomes and especially dragons.

It's easy . . . because I've ridden one.

A Tad Ballistic!

Yesterday, I read a blog by Rachelle Gardner and commented, along with hundreds of other readers.  My comments by far were in the minority.

Most of the commenters wanted to be published in the traditional method for--get this, this is what I have a problem with--VALIDATION. Oh, my personal validation was having an 11-year-old read and enjoy my story, plus I have a small group of under-priveledged after school kids who are fans of my work (my MIL is reading to them).

Validation is all fine and dandy, but they seem to be missing the bigger picture. 

Does anyone have the answer?  Do you know what I'm getting at?  Well, if you've been reading my blog, and many others, you will know the answer.  Okay, okay, I'll give it to you.

Publishing is a BUSINESS.  What do businesses do?  They make money.

They aren't here to validate the author's existence or pat your hand.  They want to make money on a product, your story. You can have the best damn product in the world, but if it doesn't fit in their narrow view within their various imprints or what is currently selling, then it won't get a contract. It has NOTHING to do with the writer's ability to craft a good story.  It has to do with the ability to sell the product and turn a profit.

It's all about making money. PERIOD.

Ditto for agents.  Oh, I'm sure some agents pick up authors who they see as potential moneymakers, but if they can't sell your product--THEY DON'T MAKE ANY MONEY.

Another few commenters wanted the publishing house's publicity and marketing muscle.

Uh, again, if they had been reading any one of numerous blogs by agents and traditionally published authors, they would realize most of the monies reserved for publicity go to the big guns, NOT the debut authors.  Oh, I'm sure it happens, but I'm also sure someone does win the lottery, too.  Who is to say debut author A will get the said monies?  The odds are against you.

Plus many of these commenters want to simply write, they don't want to do publicity, worry about contracts, money, promoting, etc. 

Uh, again, they have managed to stick you head in the ground.  A minuscule number of authors simply write.  If they are smart, they will know the ins and outs of the business.  Follow the money trail. Knowing your rights and legalities of the contracts is only smart business savvy.

Who do you think sets up blog tours? or bookmarks? or local book signings?  YOU. So many authors spend their small advances on their own publicity. Unless you have a huge platform already built, like THE PIONEER WOMAN, then the publisher does the publicity BECAUSE IT'S A GUARANTEED SALE.

Some authors wanted an advance.  Again, most advances are less than $10,000 and more of them hover around $1-2,000 dollars for the debut author. AND you don't get an advance in one lump sum. Publishing houses want to hold onto their money for as long as possible--they make more money on the interest it generate than giving it to you. 

I have many traditionally published friends who have commented that their advances are now split into FOUR increments. Some are still three increments (1/3 on signing, 1/3 on acceptance of manuscript, 1/3 on publication), but look at your contract before you sign.
*REMEMBER--many times it takes two years for a book to go from contract to bookshelf*
1) signing of contract
2) ACCEPTANCE of manuscript
3) acceptance of edited manuscript
4) publication and distribution (many times this step hasn't been happening. And don't forget your book sits in limbo during this time)

And don't forget that the agent takes her cut before you even see the money. EVERYONE gets paid before the author does. 

And many of the commenters put down self-publishing--and as I said before, I agree with them up to a point--but they all talked about how much money it costs to self-pub.

WHAT??

Are they still in the freakin' 90's??  The only reason it cost me any money to self pub is because I have zero artistic talent and wanted to have awesome book covers! Many commenters also mentioned that you can't tell the chaff from the wheat with self-published books.  I think you can, if you take the time and trouble.  But, yes, there is a problem with too many writers who aren't ready to SP and it does glut the market.  All a potential reader has to do is read a blurb and they can sense the quality of the story.

Trust me, it's easier than you think.

Anyway, rant over, now I need to get back to my bocce ball dodge ball game that I'm editing in FAERIE.
Oh, bocce balls are the hard black balls used in lawn bowling--let the dodge ball frenzy begin!

Later, Peeps!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Spaghetti Meat Sauce

This recipe originated from a Sunset Pasta cookbook--though it’s nothing like the original. 

Wine is used in this recipe, but don’t use wine you wouldn’t drink. And if you don’t drink wine, then omit it and use water instead.  I’ve cooked this so many times that the ONLY thing I actually measure is the salt.

If you use a different brand of tomatoes, you might need to experiment with the salt AND the sugar.  If the tomatoes are too acidic, more sugar might be needed.  Sausage varies in salt content also, so I might want to taste a cooked piece prior to adding the seasonings.

We tend to serve this thick meat sauce over basic thin spaghetti noodles, but I have also used this sauce as the meat layer in a lasagna recipe.  Serve with Caesar salad, a nice glass of red wine (hey--the bottle’s already open!) and a heated loaf of bread (neo-Tuscan boule or roasted garlic artisan loaf) to wipe up the sauce on your plate.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

2 Tbls olive oil

1 med onion, chopped

2 med carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 can diced tomatoes (Hunts)

2 cans tomato sauce (Hunts)

½ cup dry red wine

2 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar

¼ tsp pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

1 tsp EACH dry rosemary, oregano leaves, and dry basil

1 bay leaf

½ lb sliced mushrooms

Heat oil in large stock pot (6-8 qt), until shimmery. Add and sauté vegetables for 3-4 minutes.  Add meat and cook until brown, breaking up sausage into large chunks, drain any liquid.  Add rest of ingredients EXCEPT mushrooms and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, cover and allow sauce to simmer for an hour.  Add mushrooms, and cook for 10 more minutes while salted water is heating for pasta.

Enjoy!

Second Story Fear Rearing Ugly Head

For the last month or so, I've been seriously avoiding editing FAERIE.  At first, I thought it was because I wanted to write the short story I had planned to give away as a freebie.  Well, I've been stuck with that story, too.

FAERIE had been read by a beta reader and her comments were minimal.  I thought I had ironed out the main plot threads and we were good to go, with the exception of Rhan, my goblin mentor. So what was my problem?

Tuesday afternoon I opened my file on FAERIE, I glanced at my beta's notes for chapter one and started reading/formatting it.  And then I figured out why I wasn't motivated to edit it.

I had used the first chapter of FAERIE as a teaser at the end of GNOME.  The story had been written and edited numerous times . . . especially the first chapter. 

What if I changed something in chapter one and disappoint my readers?

Don't laugh.  This is a very real fear.  I don't have many readers, but I do have a few who want to read the next book in the series. What happens if they notice something I took out of the teaser or changed in the first chapter?  What if I make a change and the trickle-down effect changes more than I had planned?

Well, this is where I pull up my big girl panties and think like a real author.  I won't be able to please everyone all the time, but I have to do what is right for the story. 

I think I'm ready.

Later, Peeps!

"You HAVE to (fill in blank) . . .

A friend hands you a book and says, "You HAVE to read this!"

Or "You have to try this wine/food/etc."

Or someone says, "You HAVE to take this class, it's just what you need."

Uhm, I don't know about you, but I hate it when someone says that I "Have to do Whatever."  It makes me want to set my heels down and not budge.  Maybe it stems from my childhood, where the parent tells you things you "HAVE TO DO". Or maybe I'm just obstinant and ornery.  I don't HAVE to do anything I don't wanna do . . . well, with the exception of doing my taxes, taking a test so I can drive a car, or paying for stuff, etc. ect.  I'm talking about the extracurricular stuff that life throws at you.

On the book front: I had a work friend tell me that I HAD to read, THE HORSE WHISPERER.  I had a horse and was fanatical about him, plus I love reading romances and she told me it was a romance.  It isn't.  I nearly threw the book across the room when "hero" commited suicide by horse.  I felt sorry for the HORSE and was glad the "hero" was dead, because that move wasn't heroic and by no means was it a romance. I refuse to read books that people tell me "I have to read." I'll read the blurb and maybe a page or two, but if it doesn't interest me, well, there are a bazillion books I'd rather read than the one "I have to read."

On the culinary front:  I'll confess right up front that I've been guilty of doing this to my husband, especially when we went Missouri winery hopping pre-kidlet.
"Here, honey, you have to try this." I'd say, handing him my glass. 
"Is it good?" he asks. 
"No, but you have to try it.  It tastes like you're licking a tree."
The center of the country wasn't known for it's wines, mainly due to the climate.  Many vines can't handle the intense summer heat, especially at night, but they are developing vines that produce grapes for this region, which is resulting in wineries popping up. And just like you can't be a great writer simply by writing one book, the same holds true for many things, including making wine. 

On the class-taking front:  Some people love and live for taking on-line classes.  Many writers that I know will take more than one at a time. I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. Oh, I've heard the Margie Lawson workshop is excellent, but even if I won a free packet I'd probably not even look inside.  I'm pig-headed in that way.  Right now, RWA PRO is having a free class for all the RWA PROs about using Wordpress.org as a website tool.  One of my very good buddies is co-running it, but I'm simply not interested.  Oh, I'm sure I could learn all sorts of fascinating things, but I don't do classes.  And I have other things to do instead of working on the class assignments. 

Am I going to regret not doing this class?  Maybe, but I doubt it.  After all, if I'm still interested I can simply read the archives.

The point of this blathering blog is I don't like being told that "I have to do anything." much like 98% of the population. 

Well, time for me to go, 'cause I have to start editing FAERIE. :-)

Later, Peeps!

April Fool's--no joke

Last Friday was April Fool's Day.  And I'll be the first to admit that I don't like the traditional tricks and jokes that tend to go on, so my family is awesome in that respect and they don't mess with me. So many good things happened that I wondered if someone was playing a April Fool's joke on me.

The highlight was having my book mentioned on three blogs.  One blog was a planned interview, the other two were a total surprise.
The blog that excited me the most was a book review of GNOME. This review was so very special to me.
1)  It was my first book review that was exclusively on a blog
2)  It was a review given by an eleven-year-old.  The reviewer is smack-dab in the middle of my target age range.
3)  Not only was he my target age range for this story, but he was a BOY! I'd been told by so many agents/editors/bloggers on the internet that they want 'boy' books, as boys and girls will read boy books, but only girls will read girl books.  Uh, my character is a girl and I don't think that fact bothered him at all.
4)  I was more excited by this review than I was to be in the paper a couple weeks ago!
The third blog was a shoutout to Rubix Boy for joining the blog-o-sphere as a young reader/reviewer.

Rubix Boy's review excited me because I had been having a hard time finding reviewers who would read MG --a self-pubbed MG at that.  I knew what I wanted to do for my next step in marketing, but I didn't have the connections that I needed to get the word out.  In steps Misty of Topshelfebooks who helped me out by sending out the word on various FB pages that I wanted MG book reviewers. 

I had one teacher (w/150 6th-8th grade students, many with e-readers) and a few other parents request GNOME.  I happily gave them a coupon code to get a free copy from Smashwords with my only request being: post a review on Amazon Kindle, Smashwords and/or Barnes & Noble Nook. It can be a good review or a bad review, but I want it to reflect the brutal honesty of that age group.

But that's all the marketing/publicity news I have for now since I need to seriously get cracking on editing FAERIE.

After all, Rubix Boy requested the next book in The Goblin's Apprentice series . . .

Later, Peeps!

Two blogs to check out

I'll be playing on Edited to Within an Inch of My Life today and answering questions throughout the weekend.
And I'm super stoked to have a review written on my middle grade book by an 11-year-old! Thank you, Rubix Boy!!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Swedish Meatballs

My daughter requested that I post this Swedish Meatball recipe today.  This is another one of my mom’s recipes that I copied from her file, but have no idea where she got it.  I’m sure I could call her and ask, but I’m too lazy today.  If I had to hazard a guess, it came from an old Women’s Day magazine. UPDATE: I called my mom and she doesn’t remember either, but give the woman some slack because she picked up the recipe 40-50 years ago. 

And I have another sad thing to report.  Zwieback crackers, which used to be teething crackers Nabisco made, are no longer available.  But I found a zwieback recipe if you’re interested. And as they are twice baked cookies, a light cinnamon biscotti might work or Progresso panko bread crumbs.

Swedish Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef

½ lb. ground veal

½ lb. ground pork

¾ cup Zwieback crumbs, finely grated (or alternative)

1 cup light cream

1 cup water (or less—wait to add)

¼ cup minced onions

½ cup butter

1 Tbs. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. nutmeg

2 egg yolks

Soak crumbs in cream. Stir in water and mix with meat. Fry onion lightly in 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add to the meat with the seasonings and egg yolks. Mix well. Shape into very small balls (1-inch). Fry in remaining butter over low heat. Shake pan occasionally.

Serve over bed of cooked egg noodles, surrounded by border of fried onions.

This recipe also makes an awesome meatloaf!  We usually cook 1/3 of the recipe as meatballs and the rest as a meatloaf.

350 degrees for 1-1 ½ hours

Enjoy this with a nice salad or green beans.
Bon Appetit!

Subtext and Characterization

I know I've spoken about subtext sometime in the past, but I've slept since then and can't remember much of that particular blog. The blog on Monday made me realize how much subtext plays into characterization.  Here is the definition of subtext and one of characterization:

sub·text  (sbtkst)

n.

1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text.

2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance.

char·ac·ter·i·za·tion  (krk-tr--zshn) n. 1. The act or an instance of characterizing. 2. A description of qualities or peculiarities: a list of places of interest, with brief characterizations of each. 3. Representation of a character or characters on the stage or in writing, especially by imitating or describing actions, gestures, or speeches.

So how do subtext and characterization collide?

Subtext aids characterization.  There is nothing more boring to read than a list of a character's traits, physical. emotional, or whatever.  After The DaVinci Code became HUGE, I picked up the book to see what all the hubbub was about, and promptly threw it across the room when the main character described himself when he was shaving (somewhere around pg. 6).  That's lazy, amateurish writing, IMO.

There are so many more ways to draw the reader into caring for the character without describing the character TO the reader. Subtext is part of it.  Subtext defines a character by how they react to a situation, or their thoughts while observing a scene, or the way they string their words together in dialogue or in there internal narrative.

Many times an avid reader can tell which character is speaking without a dialogue tag simply because of the way that particular character speaks.

Start the story with THIS story, but meld the characterization within the subtext of the first sentence. Here's an except from a book sitting on my desk, waiting to be read.

For example:

The two-block walk from the bus stop on Broadway to her apartment was a terrifying ordeal late at night.

The reader doesn't even know the character's name, but they already know something about the character from this first sentence.

• it's a female (her apartment)
• she doesn't have a lot of money if she's riding the bus
• it's a creepy part of town, maybe rife with dubious characters--from winos to gang bangers to addicts or dealers.
• she probably works a swing shift if she's coming home this late OR could have been at a library studying

Reluctantly she left the small island of light cast by the streetlamp and started the treacherous journey into the darkness.

• the second sentence enhances the atmosphere--upping the tension.  the reader knows something will happen, but what??

At least it had stopped raining.

• rain-slick street--slippery, can cause a distortion or double image on the pavement
• provides atmosphere

She clamped her purse tightly to her side and clutched her keys the way she had been taught in the two-hour self-defense class the hospital offered to its staff.

• she works in a hospital--could be any type of job from nurse aide to cafeteria worker to respiratory therapist to lab tech. Hospitals don't shut down. typical shifts: 3-11 or 4-12
• time--probably around midnight, give or take an hour
• she knew a few self-defense moves and was prepared to use them though she was frightened out of her wits

The small jagged bits of metal protruded between her fingers like claws.

• adding 'color' to the paragraph.
• she would jab/scratch like nobody's business, though terrified--increased tension.

The reader has a ton of information about this character from this first paragraph, without knowing her name, her height, background, or color of her eyes or hair. At this point in the story, it isn't needed. The reader is immediately immersed in the story--AND cares about the character--as the writer sets the stage, amps up the tension and sets it loose.
This is what subtext and characterization are all about.

Oh, the writer and story?

Jayne Ann Krentz's FIRED UP

Later, Peeps!

Story telling vs. Telling

Anyone can write a novel if you sit down and do it, BUT telling a story is a whole nuther beast!

One interesting tidbit that came about from the story in the paper was a phone call.  I have to admit that I'm not hard to track down, considering there are only about 5 Gollas in NE OK, so it didn't take a lot of looking to find me--Dude, I'm even in the phone book!

Anyhoo, I got a phone call on Wednesday and after a bit of phone tag I talked to the person--I'll simply refer to this person as DW--Delusional, self-pubbed, first-time Writer.  On an aside, I know this person will NEVER read this blog because DW doesn't think DW needs to learn anything about writing! DW was a cop and then a lawyer, plus DW reads and listens to TONS of books and can write better than any of the dreck out there! 

Sound familiar?  Yeah, DW is typical of about 99% of beginning writers, with the exception of the cop/lawyer scenario. And yes, I was one of them, too.

DW wrote a story (in 7 or 9 months) and self pubbed it.  DW wanted to know the super-secret password that got me into the paper--I wouldn't tell him! Just kidding!  Any writer out there KNOWS there is no easy way. My newspaper debut was simply a combination of timing, luck and networking. AND it wasn't about me so much as it was about the changing climate in publishing. PERIOD. (Since I wrote this, Connie Brockway-NY Times best selling romance writer-turned down a contract and is going rogue.  Her words not mine.  And Barry Eisler turned down $500K for a 2-book contract)


Did it sell more books?  NO. But it got my name out there.

Anyhoo, DW wanted to know how to go about marketing DW's story.  After a 40 minute talk, we parted ways with DW's, "You have my number, call me."  WTF??  DUDE--WHY WOULD I CALL YOU?? Talking to DW was like talking to a brick wall (cop/lawyer combo, remember?). In DW's words, DW's masterpiece was wonderful. DW's family and friends loved it (uh-oh). DW didn't need no stinking writer's group (I suggested Tulsa Night Writers) or critique group or to read books on craft (DW--if you lowered yourself to read my blog, call me--I have a list of books you need to invest in reading!)

But being a curious person--uh, every writer worth their salt is curious--I pulled up DW's story on Kindle.  What I have to say will probably come over as harsh, but I'm not DW's friend or family. I'm a writer who has been in the trenches for years, been there done that.
--and DW is in serious need of an intervention and reality check.

I had talked about the trifecta of self-publishing before (Please, DW click the link and read the blog) and I will re-iterated it here:

• Cover and title, including design
• Blurb
• First couple of pages

1. Cover/title:  The one thing DW did right was use a pseudonym!  The cover and title were good, but it was hard to tell if the story was a cozy mystery, a suspense or a thriller.  Each sub-genre of mystery-type books have a particular 'feel' to them.  This cover and title was a combination of all three, which makes for a wishy-washy presentation. The cover and title are your first chance to 'show' the reader what the book is about--THIS IS ALL ABOUT MARKETING YOUR STORY.
2. Blurb:  Oi!  DW's blurb was composed of three disjointed paragraphs. It didn't flow. It didn't make sense and it didn't keep me interested in the story.  It was just 'stuff' thrown out there.  Now, this isn't to say it couldn't be fixed, it can, but DW will have to open DW's mind to change and that the blurb isn't pretty. As a reader, I DIDN'T CARE ENOUGH TO READ ON.  This is the kiss of death.  The reader has to care about what happens to your main character, otherwise there isn't a story.-- Blurbs are hard. Blurbs take a unique skill to write and not everyone can write them well.  Think query letter.  I spent numerous drafts composing the blurb for GNOME, I ran it by numerous writer friends, and I rewrote it 10-15 times.  I still hated my last sentence. A writer friend has a genius concluding sentence that he said I could use. So I did. A writer can't throw a decent blurb together in 15 minutes and expect to do it right.  Well, a writer can, but it ends up being a disjointed, uninteresting mess.
3. Pages:   First pages must be downloaded free for the potential reader.  I had to download a sample onto my Kindle--And I stopped reading after I read the first sentence.  Back-story, info dump says it all.  Very, very typical of a first time writer.  And then add the bullet point sentence structure courtesy of the cop/lawyer background and DW can wave good-bye to potential readers.  Back story info dump is all the crap  a writer needs to know about the main character that the reader doesn't care about.  BSID defines the character, but the reader doesn't give a rat's patootie about how the character evolved. --Start the story WITH the story! What happened to start the ball rolling in THIS story? This is imperative in all books, but especially with mysteries.

And that's my rant in a nutshell.  It is a rarity that a potential writer strikes gold with their first story and I bet if you ask them, those writers will tell you that they have been writing fiction all their lives, not just 7-9 months. Writing non-fic for a living doesn't count.

If you've never heard this saying, it's time to take note because I think there's something to it.

You have to write a million words of crap before you start writing gold.

I think I'm over my million words mark, and much of my first drafts are crap, but it's crap that improves its smell with serious editing.

Later, Peeps!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Many times, I’ll use leftover rotisserie chicken from a previous meal in this recipe.  If I don’t have any chicken, then I’ll poach a few boneless chicken breasts in water with whole peppercorns and a bay leaf.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups sour cream

1 7 oz. can salsa verde (Herdez)

2 cups chicken, cubed

1 small onion, or 1/3 cup onion, chopped

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 4.5 oz. chopped green chilies, drained

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

10-12 flour tortillas

Cheddar cheese, grated

Jalapeno pepper slices, optional

Take ½ cup of sour cream and hold for filling.  Mix sour cream with salsa verde and spread layer on bottom of 9 x 13 pan, reserving the rest for the top of enchiladas. Sauté onions in slight amount of butter until translucent.  Add chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chilies and mushrooms.  Stir in reserved sour cream.  Heat through.  Heat tortillas until pliable (microwave them 8-10 seconds each, if refrigerated) and place ¼ cup of mixture along the edge of the tortilla, sprinkle cheese if desired.  Roll and place tortilla seam-side down on baking dish. Continue until pan is full of enchiladas or mixture is gone.  Spread enchiladas with remaining sour cream/salsa verde mixture. Top with grated cheese and jalapenos.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

To lighten:

·         Substitute real sour cream with low fat.  Do not use no fat sour cream because it breaks down and becomes granular.

·         Sauté onions in a little water instead of butter

·         Use less cheddar cheese in recipe.  Do not use ‘fake’ or no fat cheddar cheese, as it just sits there and tastes like plastic. It’s gross, trust me.

 Enjoy!

Later, Peeps!

Being Derailed

As a writer, I often wonder why I'm stopped cold on a project.  I've been stuck with this short story for about a month now and couldn't figure out why.  Oh, other stuff managed to get in the way, like getting GNOME launched, jury duty and, of course, vacation, but why did I stop writing it in the first place?

Most of the time it's because I've taken a wrong turn.  I hate that!  And this is ultimately what happened here.

When I opened my draft yesterday and read the 400 words I had written, I realized it was because I allowed someone to derail my thoughts on the story.  I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but it had the same silly effect--I STOPPED WRITING. 

I hate to admit it, but it's easy for me to become derailed.  Originally, it was due to critique partners and then contests, but it really comes down to my own insecurity as a writer.  And yes, I think I'll always wonder if I'm good enough.

But now it's time to pull on my big girl panties, open that document, delete the offending material and start writing.

I must remember to take my own advice: NEVER allow anyone to interfere with the process. 

All writers need to have a second (or third, fourth or fifth, etc) set of eyes to read their material, but only after you have cleaned it up and it's ready for another person to read. 

Later, Peeps!  With luck, I'll have another freebie written to give away in time for FAERIE's release.
--which reminds me that I need to edit that story again!

Percy Jackson vs. The Ranger's Apprentice

Right before my ski vacation, I started re-reading the Percy Jackson (PJ) books by Rick Riordan.  I didn't plan to read them because I was right in the middle of another series, The Ranger's Apprentice (RA) by John Flanagan.  But what I found interesting was how the PJ books sucked me in and MADE me want to read them all over again.

Now this isn't to say that the RA books are not as good--they are--but it started me thinking about a writer's voice and style.

Riordan writes PJ in first person and he's an American, while Flanagan writes in third person and he's Australian.

You might not think their nationalities matter, but really it does BECAUSE this is the essence of who they are as people, how they are raised and taught.  In other words, who you are helps dictate your writing voice and style . . .  up to a point.

And in my opinion, Riordan's PJ books are the most engaging reads.  They are full of action, full of fun, huge amounts of dialogue, AND full of Greek Mythology that isn't rubbed in your face.  The things Riordan teaches the reader is so passive, and woven into the story, that the reader doesn't even realize he's learning anything.

This isn't to say that Flanagan's RA is bad, the books are just different.  He tends to write more narrative with detailed descriptions of various aspects of his story.  For example: archery.  Flanagan goes into great detail about the long bow, arrows, how to shoot, how to line up a shot, how to account for wind and distance, etc.  He doesn't do this in one lump info dump, but spreads it throughout the story. In other words, the reader KNOWS Flanagan is either a superior archer or he's very well read about the sport.

But as we all know, not every author is interesting to every person.  Stories that excite me, other readers might find boring.

The best we strive for is to write in OUR own style and voice.  Sometimes we hit it out of the park.  Sometimes we struggle.  But we ALWAYS strive to make our stories an entertaining escape.

Something to think about.
Later, Peeps!

I'm in the paper!

I'm in the Tulsa World newspaper!! Scroll down to "Writer publishes tales as e-books"