With Renewed Energy...

So, I've come to a fork in the road, and I'm excited about it.  I'm heading down an alternate path free of stumbling blocks and pebbles.  

I have 3 different book-size projects, all in varying degrees of progress.  When I run into too many hurdles with one, I leap over to the other for a time - probably a bad habit to have gotten myself into.  I wouldn't call it abandonment, necessarily.  I'm just shifting gears and letting the words cool!


This time, I've put my walking stick aside and tied the laces on my running shoes, as the end is in clear view on another project.  My middle grade mystery, the first in a series, I hope, is the closest one to being completed, and I'm thinking that would be a great first book to help me break into the world of book publishing. 


Yeah, I know.  "Middle-grade mystery" sounds a lot like a Mandie book or a Nancy Drew, but it's not.  Of course, it's written with a Christian perspective, but hopefully the characters and setting will better distinguish it from the others.

I think this particular piece of work reminds me of the books I enjoyed reading as a kid.  Growing up, when I happened across a book I enjoyed, I read it over and over again.  I discovered Charlotte's Web and read through it 12 times!  There were many others too, all offering characters and scenarios unfolding in a world different from mine, but one to which I could easily relate.  I want so much to offer that same feeling of contentment and comfort to readers today.

Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

Blessing of the Day!

Last weekend was a busy one.  After spending all day at the Ventura Book Festival, Sunday was church, lunch out, then a group of 6 of us heading out to the beach for the afternoon.

When I thawed out the tri-tip roast that morning, I wasn't counting on it feeding all 6 hungry mouths, but God was!  All the way back, I fretted and fidgeted wondering if I should throw a few burgers on the grill to be sure "dinner" stretched as far as it needed to.  That was my mistake.  That was me trying to meddle in something God already had under control.

Long story short, God came through once again.  We pulled the roast from it's 2-hour smoking session, and I would argue with anyone that it was actually bigger than when we put it in!  God is amazing in his provision for us.  I thank him for each new day, and I especially love how he works in the details.

I'd love to hear YOUR blessing of the day.  Leave a comment and tell me how the Lord is blessing you!

How Are Fictional Characters Born?

Are you a people watcher?  If you're a writer, chances are your super-writer's radar pulsates wildly with a simple trip to the grocery store or the local shopping mall.  I love plopping myself in the midst of plain, ordinary folk.  But I find that it's the ones who aren't so plain nor ordinary who make for great story material. 

How are they dressed?  What's with the purple pants and orange vest?  Is that a toupee?  I wonder why she's limping.  How do they speak to their children or treat their dogs?  Is she really putting salt on her ice cream?  So much can be extracted from the details, and writers, of course are all about the details.

I'll never forget the day when a simple name introduced itself to my brain.  All I had was a name, but in that alone arose a full-on character.  I knew exactly who she was, what she looked like, how she spent her days, what was important to her, and how she would respond to any given situation.  I rushed to the computer eager to get it all on the screen.  With no regard to grammer, style, spelling, punctuation, whether marketable or not, I knew I just had to let go and let the words fly - that doesn't happen very often with me, so I figure, when it does, LET IT!

A completely new voice came through; one I didn't know I had! 

She'd  been brought up in the lap of southern hospitality, but clung to her exposure to a more refined, sophisticated lifestyle in England during the time when her late husband was employed there.  Somehow, a story emerged from my brand new character.  Her surroundings, her interests and her lifestyle all worked cohesively to make her believable to others instead of a little stick figure to be moved around through the pages.

A writer experiences each day with eyes wide open and ears alert to possibilities.  Anything is possible in a fictional world - where will your next character come from?

Agents, Authors and Books, Oh My!

You know that space between an ant's chin and the ground?  That's how close I came to handing off my synopsis and author bio (along with the first 3 chapters of my book) to a full-fledged literary agent today.  I suppose I saved myself a bit of frustration in the long run by not doing so.

There we were talking, laughing, almost on a first-name basis, when I reached into my bag to retrieve just a fraction of my manuscript; it's the one that wakes me up at night and gnaws at me during every waking moment, begging to be finished already!  Turns out, Agent X doesn't represent Christian authors!  Oops:(  Somehow I missed that - I was still hanging on the fact that she was desperate for young adult historical fiction.  My bad.

Today I learned that writing/finishing my book and publishing it are not impossible.  The Book Festival was full of smiling, beaming first-time authors, all sitting at tables behind neatly-stacked fruits of their labor.  And I just have to say:  How exciting!  Congratulations to them.  Someone believed in them enough to publish their work.  Someone took their manuscript, their idea and said, "Yep.  This will sell - there's a market for this.  Sign here, please."

Along with the open mingling and hum of conversation I enjoyed wonderful, information-filled seminars.  My head is still trying to download it all; I met a few literary agents, an editor/consultant, several authors, some just newly published, many book lovers, and a whole lot of folks just like me; some were stalled at various points along the writing journey while others seemed to be waving  back from the finish line!  Either way, today proved that there is much to be learned about the publishing industry, the business side of writing, and I was fortunate enough to be in the midst of it all.  But I realized that the only difference between me and those published authors is a contract......and of course, book sales!  I believe it's a totally do-able, yet ambitious goal, and with God, I'll achieve it.

Today's book festival has given me the extra kick in the sweat pants toward pitching an actual agent who DOES accept work from a Christian perspective. I trust and believe that God will do the rest.

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, 

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25,26 (NIV)

Inspiration!

Sometimes, even the most creative of minds could use a little rich espresso for the brain to spark imagination.  The artist, chef, designer, gardener, and the writer all experience peaks and valleys when it comes to creative flow.

So, what sets your mind in motion?  For me, it's reading a book in my genre. 

Some days the wheels just stop spinning.  I can't explain it.  The well simply runs dry and thoughts of housecleaning or what to make for dinner replace anything story related.  I sit staring at that blinking, screaming cursor - "So, write something already!  Anything!" it taunts.  I can almost hear it!

That's when I break out the books.  I read through Christian fiction paying special attention to plot, flow, characterization, grammar, etc.  Is it holding my attention?  Why did the author introduce this character so far into the book?  What's with all the passive voice?  I thought that was taboo in the writing world.  Someone actually published this???  And why, oh why is it written in the 3rd person?

Ultimately, I think it all comes down to discipline and how I decide to spend my time.  When we truly want something to work, we MAKE it work.  And if I truly want to finish this book, I'll find the inspiration and the rusty wheels will churn.....one chapter at a time.

What Could Be Better?

Imagine spending a whole Saturday on the beach.  Well, sort of.  Technically, you're in a hotel on the beach.  Sound kinda boring?  Wait, there's more.  What if you're in a hotel on the beach at the 5th Annual Book Festival  connecting authors and book lovers (people like me) with booksellers, publishers, marketing experts and hello?  LITERARY AGENTS!

Sponsored by the California Literary Arts Society (CLAS), the Book Festival is where I'll be this coming Saturday armed with the first 3 chapters of my own book all shined up and polished.

I'm so excited!  Can you tell?  They're having guest speakers and offering classes throughout the day (for only $10 each).

If you live in the Ventura County area and are interested in attending, check out this site for more info:
www.literaryarts-ca.org

The Body of Christ

My dear husband, who only thinks in black and white, spends his days (and every waking moment) as a mechanical engineer. With him, opinions and actions belong either in the “right” column or the “wrong,” and must be supported by pie charts and diagrams! After 21 years of marriage, MY BRAIN STILL DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY!

He was born with a trumpet in his hands, an already well-defined embouchure and valve oil coercing through his veins. With our children’s first steps, he had them marching around the house just as he did in his drum corps days (minus the diaper and footie pajamas), and he’s been known to wake them not with a sweet good-morning song, but with a boisterous round of reveille blasted from the bottom of the stairs.

I, on the other hand, tolerate a little more “gray area” to life’s situations smoothing out the wrinkles of the day in order to maintain peace and tranquility. And when the early-morning trumpeting begins, I and my coffee cup escape out the back door to the garden where the only “trumpeting” is that of the wild finches. I move about the morning at a sloth-like pace seeking out that comfortable place in which to quietly savor the calm, serene, awe-inspiring moments of life. Aahhhh…..

What a combination we make!

I have found the same differences lie within the body of Christ. It’s no accident we’re comprised of such a mosaic of personalities, gifts and characteristics; each offering what is uniquely ours to give. Together, we balance each other out; the hospitable with the recluse. The enthusiast with the reserved, but ALL to the glory of God!

4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV)