Settling In; when Transition brings Tranquility

The rain finally came today and I, for one, am pleased with it.  I love the smell of fresh rain.  I love the fact that my chore of watering the gardens was taken care of by Mother Nature.  I’m pleased that the dust on our long gravel drive will be less inclined to cling to my car.  And I especially enjoy a nice evening in with the family, after a nice meal (salmon cooked to perfection by my husband), with all of us tucked inside for the night in our warm cozy house.  Even the dogs are enjoying their time inside, not caring to venture out where the rain will only pelt them with fat raindrops.

The rain is here for only a short bit but I’m glad just the same.  A change in the weather, especially during such a dry season, is never a bad thing.

Thinking about the change in the weather made me realize other changes have proven to give me the same tranquil feeling as the rain…

With the completion of my second book, even though I still have a list of to-do’s to check off before it’ll be in print, I feel good about letting go of what I’ve created so that I can move onto the next story.  The transition between one book and the next is like a mini vacation as well as preparation for how much I’ll have to give of myself once I begin the next.  I’m very excited to start a new book and while I know I’m about to climb another mountain, I’m up for the challenge and can’t wait to see how the story unfolds as the third book is brought to life.

I also recently took part in a large office move and I honestly wasn’t looking forward to it.  It was a change in circumstances and when you spend eight hours in one location, you really hope to feel comfortable with your surroundings.  I was comfortable where I was before.  I had no idea of what was to come and for me, that’s the biggest obstacle when it comes to agreeing to any sort of change.  Of course, I had no say in the matter so whether I liked it or not, we were moving.  I will say it was a difficult week getting moved and set up again and it has been quite a chore to catch up on what got behind while our computers were down.  However, now that we’re finally beginning to settle in, I will begrudgingly admit, I like our new digs. 

A change in the weather, a change in book projects and a change in location may have nothing in common except for the one small fact:  the transition involved with each has actually multiplied my sense of tranquility.  You’d think with all this change, I wouldn’t feel the slightest bit tranquil but each event has brought with it the acceptance of change so that I can settle in and look forward to what’s to come. 

Maybe as I get older I can continue to learn to adapt more easily to change, no matter what kind of change it might be.  These are big words spoken by someone like me but words I’ll venture to say just the same.  Perhaps I should also keep this tongue-twister of a quote in mind whenever I feel myself begin to dig in my heels in resistance to change:

          “Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the ways           things turn out.”  ~Art Linkletter~

 

It’s so close…I can almost taste it!

It’s time for me to take a big sigh of relief…because I’ve finally completed the last edit to Best Kept Secrets, the second book in the Jorja Mathews series.  I can’t tell you how awesome it feels.  Well, maybe I can, which is why I’m posting today. 

 

As a side note, I realize now I keep throwing around the title of the second book but I believe I neglected to actually post about it.  I had written a post some time ago about my dilemma when it came to choosing a name but eventually, I decided not to go with the original title I had been playing around with and I chose Best Kept Secrets instead.  It might not be considered too imaginative but check out the blurb on my book and you’ll see why.  You’ll also see the title to my third book, which will be Ties That Bind.

Anyway, the edits are complete…for the most part.  Because I feel like I now have all the time in the world (but really, I really don’t), I was going through my old posts to compare the timelines between the first and second books.  No two books are the same, which is true with regard to the editing, formatting, publishing and marketing, but it still doesn’t hurt to compare.

I wrote No Mother of Mine during a four-month period when I wasn’t working full time and had much more time on my hands at home.  I then spent another six months working through the editing process but it didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t thrilled with the editing process.  It was a learning experience for me because even though the manuscript had some outside professional help, there were still formatting and editing issues that were found later on in the publishing process.  Not something a new author wants to deal with but it opened my eyes to just how much work the whole process can be.

Best Kept Secrets was started during the National Novel Writing Month in November 2012.  This was a completely different way of writing a novel than how I wrote the first book.  While most of the “meat” was down on paper with regard to the scenes, I had to go back to fill in the gaps, add texture to the characters and place timed teasers to move the plot along.  The process of adding filler took me about three months so essentially, both books took four months to write even though I was working full time when I wrote the second book.  The process I took to write the second wasn’t my favorite way of putting together a story, but I’m thrilled with how the book turned out and I have enjoyed reading it through each edit, never tiring of how enjoyable the storyline has become.  I also feel my writing is tighter and I’m learning quite a lot with regard to dialogue so I hope to hear feedback with regard to whether readers see how I’m growing as a writer.

The editing involved with Best Kept Secrets began in February, which means this book also took six months to edit.  I hope that what I learned from the first will help alleviate editing issues with the second…I can’t expect perfection but I’d really love to come close.

Once No Mother of Mine was finalized, it took another two months to work on the cover and make changes to the eBook format before it was published as an eBook first and then in paperback a month later.  The process may have taken longer than it should because it was my first time, or maybe that’s a normal timeframe.  I’ll find out soon enough.  If July hadn’t kept me away from serious writing for close to three weeks in a row, the second book would be much closer to a publication date. 

Regardless, I’m still working to have the book available before the end of summer - you might think August, but summer actually ends in September.  The paperback version of No Mother of Mine was made available in September 2012 and unless my fairy Godmother makes things happen while I’m asleep, it’s likely Best Kept Secrets will be available in September 2013.  While I would prefer an August date, September appears to be the month for releases in this writer’s household.    

While my initial belief was that no two books are alike, when it comes to No Mother of Mine and Best Kept Secrets, the timeline for both involving the writing, editing and publishing process is pretty similar.  That’s good to know.  It gives me something to work with and it also gives me something to improve on, should I figure out how to find more time to write (and edit). 

I’ll be positing updates as I move towards a definite publishing date so keep an eye out here or on my Facebook page for information as I go through the final stages towards publishing.  I know, the process seems slow but hang tight…it won’t be long now.

  

Learning to cut through the Noise and Listen

There’s been a lot going on lately, no question.  The past few months have been a whirlwind of events with my oldest son’s graduation from college, his graduation party, my husband’s surgery, Lakefair, a family vacation and my stepmom’s surprise 60th birthday party (yup, we pulled it off…even after surprising her on her 50th!).  Whether the event lasted one day or a week, each required preparation, planning and organizing before and during the event with a short time to catch our breath before the next.   

I already knew July was basically shot and that August would be the month to get back on track with writing but what I hadn’t realized until the other day was that I also have to get back on track with relaxing. 

What the heck is relaxing?

Relaxing:  to spend time at ease; to spend time resting; to make or become less strict; to make or become less tense.

Yeah, sometimes I forget the meaning of the word because it’s just not an act I’m prone to exhibit.  Oh, I relax but my form of relaxation keeps my hands moving, my brain spinning and my thoughts processing.  I just can’t sit still and be.  I can sit still and read, write, cross stitch or scrapbook but the thought of doing nothing…well, who has time for that?

This definition of relaxing is more my style:  to spend time doing things for pleasure, especially as a relief from the effort and stress of everyday life.

That’s what I’m talking about.  Whether I read, write, scrapbook, garden or play horseshoes, this is my form of resting and it makes my life feel less strict and it causes me to feel less tense.

However, the other day I decided to take a break from writing because my office was just getting too stuffy and warm (we’re having a real summer here in the Pacific Northwest!).  Rather than hassle with finding a fan, I decided to get some fresh air and take a walk around my gardens.  That’s not always a good idea because I tend to see things I need to do…a little weeding here, some watering there, or other chores I’ve been too busy to take care of.  I think I did pull a weed or two and I also decided to dig up some potatoes before deadheading a dahlia.  But eventually, I got the urge to sit in the canopy I have set up nearby the gardens.  Not for any particular reason; I just thought I’d take a seat in one of the comfortable camping chairs and take a rest.

Once I sat down, I felt that I needed something else to do.  I couldn’t just sit there.  I saw myself heading back into the house to grab a book, a magazine or my journal but my body didn’t respond to that idea.

So I sat there.

And I enjoyed the comfort of a chair under the canopy while the day turned to dusk. 

Piper, my dog, sniffed every inch of the yard before she finally lay down on the grass just outside the canopy, and my cats, Hershey and Misty, joined in by hanging out with us.

And we all sat there.

Eventually, I heard a small bird chirping in a bush nearby.  He’d been playing peek-a-boo with me earlier when he got frustrated at me for continuously walking by the bird feeder.  Now that I was staying in one place, he was happily singing me a song.  Then a frog chimed in with a chorus of croaks.  Not quite the sing-song voice of a bird but a melody of its own, just the same. 

And we continued to sit there and listen.

Soon another visitor approached; one I have had mixed feelings about the past week.  A doe and her two very young fawns have been tempted daily by the plums on our tree, the rose petals in the garden and the blackberries behind the canopy.  They are beautiful creatures but they can wreck havoc with just one visit, much less many. 



You can correctly guess that at this point, Piper didn’t just sit by and let the deer enter our yard.  She gave a few quick barks of warning and it was enough to warn the deer that they should head in another direction for the evening (or until we went to bed).  Good girl.

The only visitors missing were the owls.  They are definitely my favorite.  Every year, they come back and I enjoy hearing them talk back and forth.  Once, while I was sitting out by the fire pit, one of the owls flew into the yard and landed in the tree right above me.  Another evening, one landed right on top of the outbuilding nearby.  It was an awesome sight and not one that happens often.  Usually, I only get to listen to them screech and hoot as they talk back and forth (like tonight…I can hear them from the window now as I write).

So this is what it’s like to cut through the noise and listen…to just sit, relax and be. 

It’s a chance to let the mind, body and spirit unwind as recharging also occurs. 

It’s a necessary reprieve from this hectic, loud, busy world of ours. 

And it’s a habit I should learn to enjoy more often.

Family Fun equals Photo Ops

It’s August; the month I must get back on track, which means completing the final touches for Best Kept Secrets, the second book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series, so that I can finally get it out there to everyone who is waiting for it.  I’ll also get back on track with my Blog-posting schedule but today will be somewhat of an exception, since it is my first weekend in three weeks when I’ve been able to spend some quality time with my writing to-do list. 

Because I need to get back to work, I won’t write much today.  Instead, I thought I would share some photographs from the family road trip we took the week before last.  It was a much needed vacation and I was very happy for some new photo ops.  Leaving Western Washington, which is green and lush with trees and color, we drove through Eastern Washington, where the terrain is full of browns and yellows with a smattering of pine and fir trees vying for the limited moisture to be had, before moving on into Idaho.  Regardless of the color, or lack thereof, there are always sights to be found no matter where the road takes us… 

Going over Snoqualmie Pass, I couldn’t resist checking out the cabins…here’s one of my favorites:

Snoqualmie Pass cabin

 On the way we enjoyed the many windmills spread throughout the farms:

Washington windmills

And we stopped to play in the Columbia River, which was much warmer for swimming than any of us had expected: 

Columbia River

While in Idaho, we visited the Silverwood Theme park but on our way we couldn’t resist stopping at this river (I didn't catch the name of it):

 

We spent a day on Lake Pend Oreille or a portion of it anyway as I’m sure it would take many days to actually explore that whole lake:

Lake Pend Oreille

Clear waters at Lake Pend Oreille

Looking over Lake Pend Oreille

 

Further down from where we swam during the day, we found Scenic Bay complete with a floating bar/restaurant and a house boat that absolutely made my day:

Scenic Bay

A houseboat under construction on Scenic Bay

 

On our way back through Washington we stopped to visit the Grand Coulee Dam:

Grand Coulee Dam

 

 We drove a somewhat scenic route along Banks Lake:

Banks Lake

Over Banks Lake

  
And finally ended up at Lake Chelan:

Lake Chelan

 

On our last day we couldn’t resist checking out Snoqualmie Falls (imagine how much water there must be during the winter months!):

Snoqualmie Falls

 

And we stopped off for a visit at the Point Defiance Zoo:

Can't resist the tigers!
 

or the bears!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend and if the sun is out in your neck of the woods, I hope you’re enjoying the weather as well.



Ready for another weekend!

 

 

 

 

Meeting Real Characters while Selling Fiction

To follow up on my post about the time I spent promoting my author name and books during Lakefair, I wanted to share some stories about the people I met during the event.  I also wanted to share some of my experiences since this is the first fair event I’ve taken part in as a way of marketing my work. 

Here’s a warning as a courtesy:  this post is a long one so grab a cup of coffee, or tea, or whatever your choice of beverage, because you’ll be here for a bit longer than usual.

So…where do I start?

One experience I enjoyed were the different vendors we met during the event, such as the two ladies who were in one of the tents next to mine.  Shannon is a photographer and had some of her photography on display, along with some jewelry for those who like to wear art rather than hang it on a wall.  Mary is also an author and was selling her own book, The View From My Roller Skates, a memoir she wrote about growing up in Olympia during the 30’s and 40’s.  Mary is feisty and young-at-heart and she reminded me of my feisty, young-at-heart Aunt Mariea (who would have gotten a kick out of Mary).  Shannon was a great tent neighbor and Mary was just plain fun so it was our loss when Mary had to stay home during most of the event due to the high temperatures we experienced each day.

As we made friends with our neighboring vendors, I also met many different people who represented various types of readers and who I thoroughly enjoyed meeting.  Here are just a few examples:

One of the questions I keep coming across from other authors who offer advice is…who is your reader?  What do they do…what do they like…that sort of thing.  It’s a subject I could post about in more detail another time but on the first day of Lakefair, I met Linda and Petey.  Both of them were hilarious in the way they expressed themselves, they knew who they were, had a terrific friendship and they showed very openly how much they seemed to enjoy life.  I loved the fact that Linda bought my book as a gift for Petey so that she could take it with her when she flew back home to California.  Later, I thought about the fact that Linda and Petey are very much like other women I’ve met who have liked my writing and my book.  This is good; I believe I am finally beginning to have a better understanding of the type of “reader” I might be writing for. 

Chris, one of the vendors two tents down from mine who was selling jewelry with her mom, decided to buy my book.  Her mom then took a break from making jewelry to pick up my book and read a few chapters…and then a few chapters more.  It wasn’t long before Chris came over to tell me she lost her help with the jewelry because her mom was too engrossed in my book.  I felt bad, of course (well, sort of) but I was happy to hear her mom couldn’t put the book down.  The following day, Chris’ mom came over to tell me she had finished the book!  I was thrilled to hear it but then all I could think was, wow…with readers like that there’s no way a writer can publish fast enough! 

Rosilyn, who completely cracked me up when she just about hid under the table after making a statement that embarrassed her but made every one of us who heard the conversation laugh so hard our cheeks hurt.

One of the male vendors, who purchased my book because his tent was slow and he needed something to do.  Hmm…I had to think about that one for a minute.  But it was great to see a male reader want to purchase my book, even if it was because he had nothing better to do. 

A cute lady named Val who had an accent (English, I think).  If memory serves me right, she was with her husband and he asked me if my book was “explicit.”  I began to rattle off that it was a murder mystery but there were no gory details to worry about – he cut me off and said, “I was talking about sex.”  Oh…well then, of course my answer was just “no, there’s no sex.”  This might bite me in the butt since some people enjoy romance books and sex scenes but he only nodded his head at me and said “good” before giving his wife the go-ahead to purchase the book.  This time, no sex was a good thing. 

A guy named Perry, who was at the fair with his son, made me feel like a real celebrity when he asked if I would take a photograph with him and his son.  I don’t know how the photo turned out but it was sweet of him to ask and I hope that my encouragement makes him take the leap and move ahead with his own writing career. 

I had to laugh at myself but was also more than a little embarrassed after a conversation I had with Mark and his wife.  They were a very nice couple and Mark is a screenwriter so the conversation was enjoyable but at one point, Mark’s wife made this comment to him about my book, “You’re mum would have loved this book.”  He turned to her and said, “You’re right, mum would have loved it.”  Seeing a sale slip through my fingers, I quickly assumed “mum” had returned to Australia or New Zealand (I forgot to ask where they were from) so I told them they could always order my book on Amazon and just have it delivered directly to her.  You can just imagine my embarrassment when Mark pointed towards the sky as he informed me mum was up in the heavens (where a book could certainly not be delivered!) but he was laughing as he told me he’s certain she may have already read the book anyway (from beyond even).  It took me awhile to get my foot out of my mouth after that one!

While these readers and many more made each day go by at a pleasant pace, there were others who represented various types of non-readers as well.  I actually had to ask my husband not to ask the basic question, “Do you like to read?”  Why would I ask him that?  Because I couldn’t stand hearing even one person respond by saying they did not like to read.  I heard that response only a couple of times and it was enough.  My husband then changed the question to, “Do you like to read mysteries?”  This was better because readers do have a preference in genres so I can’t hold it against them if they really don’t like to read mysteries. 

Here are just a few responses my husband got to that question:

One woman said she couldn’t read…I seriously hoped she was just joking.

One woman responded with the statement, “My life’s a mystery.”

Another woman pointed to her husband as she said, “I have a mystery right here.”

Smart alecks, every one of them, but some did make me smile.

But then there was this guy, who actually asked me, “How much for an unsigned copy?”  Um…I think my pause and raise brows before responding was enough of an answer but I had to follow through and inform him the price was the same, whether sign or unsigned.  *sigh*  If I ever do make a name for myself in this business, I wonder if he’ll remember that conversation.

I also earned visits from readers who had already purchased the book and just wanted to meet me or who had met me before and wanted to stop by to say hello.  One such visit was from Terrie, the Life Enrichment Coordinator who I met when I took part in a book club meeting at her work place.  She’s still hilarious and full of positive energy and it was great to see her again.

Of course, the event wouldn’t be complete if it weren’t for the appearance of friends and family who stopped by to chat or even offer their company for a little while.  The whole event felt more like day camping and it was fun to share it with others who know us and wanted to share in the experience with us. 

So there it is…my first experience as I attempted to peddle off my work to unsuspecting fair-goers who had to choose between so many choices of vendors, I’m sure it wasn’t easy.  But to those who did decide to support a local author, I thank you, and I appreciate everyone who made the long days slip by easily, making this new experience even more enjoyable.

   

 

Finally back on the grid!

I really do believe this is the longest I’ve ever gone without updating my Blog.  It’s also possibly the longest I’ve gone without getting much writing in…at all.  It’s not a feeling I like very much and I completely look forward to the month of August when things will get back to normal.

Even so, I have to say the month of July has been an experience.  Not only did I take part in a 5-day event where I promoted my name, my book and the soon-to-be published second book in the series, I was also able to go on a family road trip for the first time in much too long.  I really needed a vacation but if you know me and the way our family takes vacations, I usually need a vacation after the vacation because we never have figured out how to actually rest while on our family trips.

Playing in Lake Pend Oreille

 

Oh well…to each their own.  Maybe our next vacation will include a relaxing week on the beach (but honestly, after two days, I’d be ready to take off for some real sightseeing!).

It’s hard to believe almost two weeks have gone by since I was anxiously preparing for Lakefair, as I wondered how the week would go, worried about whether I had enough books or if I had too many, concerned whether I had enough flyers and bookmarks to hand out over the whole 5-day period, preoccupied with how much time I’d be taking off work (not only for Lakefair but also due to vacation)…and trying my best to stay optimistic rather than let the pessimism take control. 

And that’s a really hard thing to do.

Thankfully, I had my husband with me the whole time.  He was the positive force which struck down any negative thoughts and he stayed with me during the whole event.  He’s the best salesman anyone could ever hope to have and because he’s my biggest fan, he’s even that much better.  There’s something about writers…we can be social but overall, I think we’d prefer to hide behind our books, our computer, our thoughts and our imagination.  We’d much prefer to let someone else talk about us, promote us, and encourage others to take a chance on us. 

So how would I describe the results of the event? 

It was, overall, a good experience.  What I did learn was that there is no easy way to prepare for this sort of event.  It can go really well, it can be somewhat successful or it can be a complete flop.  There really is no way to know so you have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.  For me, I’d say it was right between really well and somewhat successful but I’m still watching the results from the aftermath…as readers buy my paperback or the eBook on line and as I watch my author ranking fluctuate on Amazon.  It is an amazing thing to see when something you did causes the Amazon author ranking graph to suddenly shoot upwards from where it was only two days before.

Something else I really hadn’t been prepared for was how much fun it was going to be to take part in this sort of event with other vendors.  These vendors are in the same situation, only with different products, but they are your neighbors for at least 9 to 10 hours a day, five days straight.  It’s hard not to form at least some sort of temporary bond during the time you’re all working so hard to make the event a positive experience.

Another treat were all the dogs…wow!  I’m not sure I’ve seen so many different kinds of dogs.  It only made me miss my own. 


Sweet Newfoundland

And finally, what I especially enjoyed was how much fun it was to meet so many terrific people.  They would stop by to chat, ask questions and even share a few laughs.  There weren’t many who didn’t buy a book (if they didn’t already have one) before moving on which, of course, I thoroughly loved.  In return, they all gave me great conversation, a smile or a laugh and it made each day that much better. 

That’s all I can share right now without writing a book but I’ll be back in a few days to share more about some of the people I met during the event, along with a few tidbits and stories I’d like to share…including the good, the bad and the amusing.

 

Two days down, three more to go…

Well, it’s now the end of Day 2 of the Lakefair event.  I’m beat, I won’t lie.  Yesterday was a so-so day, with a light turnout for all the booths, not just mine.  The weather was also kind of crappy, with clouds that refused to leave us until late afternoon and a wind that just didn’t seem to want to ever go away.

 

Today was much better.  There were more people and the clouds broke almost right after we were ready for customers.  It got warm very quickly and we were soon wishing for any sort of breeze to hit us from over the lake!

 

This is the view over the lake from where our tent is set up, before the clouds finally broke.

We look forward to an even better day tomorrow and Saturday should be a great turnout as well.  We’ve met so many great people just in the past two days.  I really look forward to meeting many more.

And now…I’m off to bed.  Here’s a shot of my dogs (the third is up towards the top, blending in with the shadows but you can see those glowing eyes) after whatever mischief they got into all day has made them all very tired. 

 

 

This photo is a good portrayal of just how tired I feel right now.  So it's time for a good nights’ rest so we can take on another day at Lakefair!