I'm finally getting some substantial writing done after a month mostly absent from the keyboard. Castaway Dreams is chugging toward its conclusion within a chapter or two, and I'm feeling good about how it's going. It helps that I have much of the climactic scene and dialogue already written, and I'll be able to drop it into the framework of the story. Now I have to stop thinking about the next book and stay focused on this one. It's an occupational hazard that I hear about from other writers. The work you're doing doesn't feel as exciting as the work you'll do next. But this happens with every novel I've written, so I'm used to it by now and know there's only one cure--finish this book before I start the next one. Otherwise, I'll have a file drawer full of unfinished manuscripts, which wouldn't help anyone.
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Image via Wikipedia I had an eye exam today and it took longer than usual because the doc and I were discussing a research question I had. I'd asked him at one point about giving my heroine an interesting vision problem, but ended up not using it in my novel. However, he was enthused at the concept and was very forthcoming with information and ideas. I find that generally when I ask people for research help in their particular areas they're excited to help. No one says, "Euuuwww...I don't want to help write one of those books!" (My math teacher son did refuse to look at my sex & geometry scene, which I fully understood, but he was kind enough to put me in touch with another math teacher who was most helpful.) People like to be called on to discuss their areas of interest. The MDs, RNs, EMTs and other medical professionals who've read scenes in Castaway Dreams were all great and as my manuscript nears the finish line I owe them all a debt. I feel b...
"Julia blinked away the sudden moisture in her eyes. 'Oh, Mama, I wanted to be more like you. Bold and adventurous, not afraid of anything!' Christine set her cup down with a click and stared at her daughter. 'My dear child, there is so much I am afraid of! Every mother has constant fears for her children's safety, and their happiness! But you were the daughter I dreamed of. You sparkled and shone. I would watch you at parties with all your friends, filling your dance card and laughing, and I was so proud of you and so happy for you. I did not want you to be like me when I was young, sitting on the sidelines watching the other girls have fun!' --Smuggler's Bride Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who worry and fret, and are proud and happy too.
I was offline for the past 10 days or so and it's amazing in hindsight how soothing that can be. It's not that I don't love all of you bunches and bunches, but sometimes not being connected all of the time to the world outside is a good thing. I had more time to think, to be with my family, to let my mind go down other avenues. On the other hand, it's also good to be back and to pick up the threads of my normal life. Today's been a catch-up day, but tomorrow I expect to be back at work writing.
Image by Yupa1 via Flickr Kindle's coming to Target ! Just like peanut butter and chocolate, and fine wine with a good cheese (must be lunchtime with all these food similes), two of my favorite things are coming together. Target stores are going to be selling Kindles in the near future. It's starting with stores in Minneapolis ('natch) and South Florida (Yay!). This makes me happy as a Kindle author, and as someone who's been a loyal Target (or as my pretentious friends say, "Tar- zhey ") fan for many, many years. Related articles by Zemanta Target to begin selling Kindle (news.cnet.com)
Image via Wikipedia Back from visiting the family in Minnesota. I want to thank the North Star state for having excellent and warmer than average weather while I was there, especially after I warned my Florida native husband it could snow in April in Minneapolis. He was not excited by this news. While I was gone my yard man planted the orange tree I bought. When I went out to check on it today and give it a drink, it was covered in fragrant flowers! I'm so looking forward to eating fresh oranges from my own tree next year. Didn't get much writing done while dealing with family business, but I did tweak a couple of scenes to my satisfaction. Tomorrow it will be back to my regular schedule, and I'm looking forward to finishing this first draft soon.
"Johnson’s Books might not be the first stop a sailor made in Portsmouth–the brothels likely had a better claim to that distinction–but it was popular among the officers and seamen who could read. A good book, like music or games, helped to make the voyages pass more easily. She’d seen men who were seamed and scarred by flying shot and timber caress a book of poetry in anticipation of long nights and little to do." --The Bride and the Buccaneer I sent some books off yesterday to Operation Paperback , an organization where volunteers mail gently used books to soldiers serving overseas. I was sorry I couldn't send more. There were quite a few requests for military histories and biographies, but I'm still holding on to all my research books so I couldn't send those. I could fill a request for paranormal romances, and I'm thinking I need to catch up on my suspense reading so I can send those paperbacks along. I still find books that end up on my keeper shel...
No Pink Plume for Me Ah well. Like my Gators, I was eliminated early on. I won't be winning the coveted pink plume in the DA BWAHA, but I can say "Wait 'til next year!" And the radio show went very well. We had quite a few callers on "Conner Calling" and I think we could easily have gone another hour. It was great fun, and I look forward to returning on a future show.
Radio Daze Reminder! Listen for me at 1 p.m. EDT on "Conner Calling" on Friday, and you can catch the show on streaming audio here. It's WUFT/WJUF's phone-in/email-in talk show about books and authors. The North Florida NPR station reaches from Lake City down to nearly the middle of the state, so you can hear me live or on your computer. We'll be talking about The Bride and the Buccaneer , ebooks, Florida history and more, so tune in!
I'M IN THE TOURNAMENT!!! "64 books. 1 champion. Get your game on." It's time for the March Madness of the DA BWAHA . As one wag said it so well, the annual competition is "where romance fans stomp all over their favorite authors' hearts to get to the finish line and a shiny new iPad!" You can sign-in and fill your brackets until Wednesday, and then the voting and elimination begins. The Bride and the Buccaneer is in the Historicals category and I'm flummoxed to have been chosen given the array of talent alongside my book. Nonetheless, I would appreciate your stomping all over those other authors' hearts and voting for me. Want to buy some of the books in the tournament? Go to All Romance DA BWAHA store for the ebooks, or follow the Amazon link at the tourney site for the paper editions. Read great books! Win wonderful prizes! Does it get any better than that?
MORE LIBRARY LOVE I attended a Foundation meeting yesterday and heard some great things about awards our library is winning, ones we're nominated for, and perhaps most importantly, the work we're doing at the county jail. We believe our public library may be the only one in the nation with a full branch of the library housed in the jail. It has much of the material you'd find at any library branch, with a few differences. For example, all the books are paperbacks so they cannot be used as weapons. Only the librarians have internet access on the branch computers, though the patrons can use CDs such as the Florida Statutes to do research. But here's the surprising part. The sheriff's office pays half of the expense to maintain the library, and has for years through administrations of sherriffs both Republican and Democrat. I've known all the sherriffs in the 30 years since the jail library opened, and none of those men and women were bleeding-heart libe...
Radio Daze! I'm going to be on "Conner Calling", WUFT/WJUF's phone-in/email-in talk show about books and authors. It's our North Florida NPR station, with a signal reaching from Lake City down to nearly the middle of the state. Listen for me on Friday, March 19 at 1 p.m. ET, and you can catch the show on streaming audio here.