What makes you cry, sob, blubber or bawl?

Do you cry often or hardly ever?  Do you feel embarrassed after a good cry or fully cleansed?  Do you cry at the drop of a hat or does it take a catastrophe? 

Everyone has different triggers and some might make sense while others may make you raise a brow but I don’t think anyone can argue with the fact that shedding a few tears now and then can be good for you.  It means something has affected you strongly enough to trigger the emotions many try so hard to hide…sensitivity, compassion, kindness, concern.

I’ve already shared at least one thing that can make me cry.  Yeah, I’m a sucker for a show that gives me a reason to root for someone reaching so hard for their dream and why wouldn’t I be?  I’m able to relate while I also reach hard for my own dream.

Television and movies are more likely to bring a tear to your eye because so many of us are visual but have you ever read a book that made you cry? 

I have.  Not many, but a few.  And why did they make me cry?  Most likely a character I liked had to die for whatever reason or something tragic has happened, especially when it involves children or animals.  But this is only if the author is very good at descriptions and character emotions so that I can see and feel what the characters are going through.

I don’t know that my books will ever make anyone cry but I hope they hit a nerve every now and then so that you think you might shed just a tear.  Hitting any emotion, whether it’s sadness, humor, anger or concern for a character is a great achievement every writer would hope to accomplish.  It means the reader is connecting with the story and the characters.  It means the reader cares.

I care about my story and my characters and I hope the readers do as well.  Especially if it means they’ll come back for more as the series continues because I enjoy the thought of others wanting to spend more time with the characters I’ve created.

While I won’t go around killing off my characters to draw any tears (well, maybe), there are other difficulties many deal with in life that can be brought into a book to draw readers in.  In No Mother of Mine there was the question about whether a mother could harm her own children, the question about Jorja’s parentage, the question about why Kat’s mother abandoned her as a child and the question about how an upstanding citizen could hide their true nature.  Whether a reader has ever experienced these types of situations or not, most readers have at least asked the question, “why?”  Why would a mother hurt her child?  Why would a parent lie?  Why would a mother abandon a child?  And, why do people kill? 

In Best Kept Secrets some questions are answered while more arise.  Who is Jorja’s father and why did he leave?  How far will a mother go to protect her child, even at the risk of her own life?  How do people deal with terrible or tragic events in their lives while doing their best to live normally?  How do you protect your loved ones when the evil you perceive is not the evil you must be prepared for?  And, how many masks can one person wear?

In real life, we don’t always get the answers but in books (most of the time, anyway) we do.  And if the author is able to pull you into the story and into the lives of the characters so that you really want to know the answers, the book will also pull strong emotions from you as you turn each page to get those answers.

And maybe, whether the results relieve you or sadden you, they may also make you cry.  But that’s okay.  As with writing, reading is more of a solitary task so if you show any emotion, no one really has to know.  And even if they do, is it such a bad thing to express any sentiment for a fictional character you enjoy reading about?

As the creator of characters in my world, my answer would be ‘no.’

Can Creative Chaos be Organized?

I’ve been bitten by a bug.  Not a real bug, thankfully, but a bug to organize and prepare for the next season.  It’s an urge I get a couple of times a year and doesn’t just involve the change in weather.  It’s the urge a squirrel must have when he begins to hide food for the winter; although the urge I have has nothing to do with food.

Well, I take that back.  I am cleaning up around my gardens and I’m going to be storing away my garden decorations later this week after what I expect might be one of the last really hot weeks of the year.  Once the gardens are all cleaned up and ready for the fall, my pumpkins can wreck as much havoc as they choose once they can stretch out to invade the areas they haven’t been allowed to inhabit until now.  I admit it feels good at the end of the summer when the gardens need very little attention.

I’m also preparing for the next season of projects.  It’s a funny thing what happens when I’m in the middle of writing a book.  I tend to make a lot of piles.  Piles of articles or magazines I need to read.  Piles of paperwork I should spend time going through.  Piles of books I’d like to read.  Piles, piles, piles.

Any why so many piles?  Because I spend so much of my time working on my book that I tend to get behind on everything else.  I try to get through the piles, but I get through them much more slowly. 

So, now that I’m not in the process of continuously writing but with the knowledge that very soon I will be, I must clean up those piles to make room for the next version of creative chaos which will soon surround me.

And when I get the bug to clean and organize…watch out.  My family knows to steer clear of me because they’ll just get in my way.  Getting organized means getting back on track.  To stay on track, I need to continue to stay organized.  Creative chaos is one thing but getting too far behind on many tasks to the point of feeling buried is quite another.    

So what do I do to stay organized? 

I do use piles, I will admit, but many would argue that piles are no way to stay organized.  It works for me but it’s finding the time to get through the piles that becomes difficult.  So once again, I need to focus on time management and, maybe, I need to limit the need for so many piles.

I use a day planner, as well.  I make list upon list of what I need to do, need to buy, who I need to call, errands I need to run, etc.  But eventually, those lists become useless if you never find the time to cross everything off the list.  Again, there’s the issue with time management and, maybe, learning not to fatten those to-do lists beyond what I’m capable of.

I also like boxes.  I have boxes for items I need to store, items I need to go through, items I need to file away, and items I need to save in a scrapbook or photo album.  But eventually, those boxes pile up, which turns my space from creative chaos to just plain clutter. 

To dig myself out of the clutter, I like seeing new ideas on how to stay organized.  I was recently reading through a magazine from one of my piles and there was an ad for some websites designed to help organize all areas of a person’s life.  Intrigued, I checked them out and overall they do appear to have something for everyone for every area you could think of…

• there’s a page for geeks (tech accessories to protect and personalize);
• a page for parents (products and advice to help parents who are overworked);
• a page for everyday organization (many storage products and ideas);
• a page that caters to those who adore pens and other writing instruments; and
• there’s a page for planners and other paper products to help you stay organized (from one of my favorite companies for organizing products). 

I like the idea of so many options to stay organized so I thought I’d share since I’m always on the lookout for any new tool or idea that might help me stay organized.  Speaking of that, I better get back to what I was doing so that I can prepare for another busy week. 

Until next time…

 

My long weekend ends with a visitor!

I realize my blog posts haven’t been the usual Sunday/Wednesday schedule lately but that’s occurred for a number of reasons, most of which are likely explained away when I finally do post.  The lack of posting this last weekend also had its reasons; with the main one being that I decided to take a long weekend and that involved hardly any butt time in the chair.

I took a long weekend for a couple of reasons.  First, I just needed a break; a break from work, a break from the computer, a break period.  Second, I’m in between finishing one book and starting another so time away from the computer at home and at work meant time to get other projects done and out of the way.  And third, I had other matters I needed to tend to and it was just better to focus my attention where it was most needed rather than where it would be no use if my mind was elsewhere.

I got my break, spent extra time with my family, was able to tackle a good number of projects and I kept my focus on other important matters.  Overall, it was a very good weekend.  My weekend is now almost over and as depressing as that sounds, I was also anxiously waiting for this day because I thought I’d finally receive the proofs of my second book, Best Kept Secrets.  With no mail delivery the past three days, I was excited to learn that the proofs were waiting at the post office like I hoped.  The copies are now waiting to be reviewed so that I can add any final edits to the book before I make it live and available for everyone else.

With the box at home and on the dining room table, I pulled out each book to stack them on top of each other.  Really, it’s just not easy to describe what an awesome feeling it is to see your book in print for the first time.  I then wondered how the new book would look sitting next to the first book so I grabbed a copy of the first to place it by the second.  While the covers aren’t similar so that it’s obvious they’re in the same series, I’m happy with the second cover and ready to move on to finish with the publication.  As I stared at both books side-by-side, it was then that it struck me…I’ve completed my second book!  I’ll have two published books out there and soon will be working on the third!

It just amazes me when I really think about what I’ve accomplished so far.  And I’ve done it with so much else going on in my life at the same time.  But I’m no exception to the rule.  Every writer does it.  They have to.  No one lives just to write…you also have to live your life to give your writing depth as well as a familiarity readers can relate to.

There’s no trick to it – there’s just the need to create mixed with the ability to find the time.  Most of my life I’ve minimized my passion to write but not anymore.  I’ve found the time to write two books and I will continue to find the time to create more. 

But the creation will have to wait just a bit longer.  I’ll need to hear from my beta readers with regard to their feedback and I’m reading through my own proof copy of the book to note any final edits as well.  I expect to have Best Kept Secrets available for sale in the next two weeks or so and I’ll be posting updates with a publication date once I can narrow it down better.  I’m also working on dates for the next book signings so look for updates here and on my Facebook page because I’ll be posting more information once I have dates and times confirmed, with one to take place in Tenino and the other in Olympia. 

Until then, I need to get back to focusing on the next phase towards publishing.  With that said, I’ll get back to proofing my book! 

 

 

Just Hanging out

This is such a strange time for me, this in-between stage.   I’m in between the completion of one book before I start writing another.  I’m still thinking about my characters as they were but also planning ahead to what they will be doing. 

As much as I want to continue from where the story left off, I just can’t quite get serious about writing again - even though I really want to. 

But it’ll only be a short break while I wait to review the proof of Best Kept Secrets and then I really need to focus on some marketing for the second book before I bury myself in writing the third.  While I wait for the proof to arrive, which may be next week since this is a holiday weekend, I have no other choice but to find other things to do. 

So I’m just hanging out.
 

Even though I said I needed to learn to relax more often, it’s still a strange feeling when I take on the task of just staying put.  After dinner this evening, I was sitting in my favorite comfortable chair, a blanket over my lap and my legs curled up under me as I watched one of my favorite shows, Project Runway.  Unless it has to do with cross stitch or embroidery, I hate sewing and I’m admittedly not into fashion much but for some reason I like this show.  I think it’s fun to watch what the contestants can create when they are given such unique projects with such a limited amount of time. 

Anyway, I haven’t spent regular time in front of the television lately so I shouldn’t have been surprised when my husband teased me from the other room as he asked, “Are you really just sitting there doing nothing?” 

Yeah, incredibly enough, I was just relaxing.  I wasn’t also writing, cross stitching, reading a book, paying bills, organizing paperwork, journaling or anything else I might normally do while I watch television.  Instead, I was just watching television. 

What a concept.

Okay, I’ll admit, I did end up making some chocolate chip cookies while I watched my show but my son made the cookie dough for me…I only had to bake them.  And eat them.  While watching my show.

Still, making cookies and watching television – not something I’ve done a lot of lately.  It’s kind of nice and I’ll take advantage of the free time during the weekend and into next week until I focus completely on reviewing the proof my book.  I’m taking a long weekend for the holiday weekend and while I will hang out and relax during some of the weekend, I’ll probably also use the time to get other projects done so I can focus on writing again without any to-do-list distractions.  What are your plans for the long weekend?  Whatever they are, I hope they are productive, relaxing or just plain fun!

 

The Wait is Almost Over!

Building a book is hard work…which is my excuse for lying low the past few days.  Really, you’d probably think writing a book is hard work.  Well, I have to say…that’s the fun part.  Using your imagination to come up with characters and scenes is much more fun than the technical aspects of figuring out paper size, page count, font, page numbers (don’t even get me started on headers!), front matter, back matter…

See what I mean?  I’ve lost your interest already, haven’t I?

But that’s what I’ve been dealing with the past few days as I finished formatting the final revision of the book, confirmed my paper size, which confirmed my page count (yikes!  It’s longer than the last book!), so that my cover could be designed to size the book perfectly.  I was finally able to submit the completed novel to the publisher for review and I got the e-mail tonight to inform me it met the submission requirements. 

Do you know what all that means?  It means the book is --

Done. 

Complete. 

Finished. 

Ready to be printed so I can finally hold it in my anxious little hands. 

I guess I should clarify…I get to hold it but you’ll have to wait just a bit longer.  The book is finished but the final product has to be reviewed by beta readers before I can make it available to everyone else.  That said, I’ve ordered proof copies so my beta readers can help me find any errors which may have slipped through the cracks.  If any errors are discovered, I will make those changes and once those are fixed, I can then make the book available to everyone else.

Don’t worry.  I’m still on track to have the book available next month and I’m still shooting for mid-September. 

The wait is seriously almost over... 

Why I think about Halloween in August

Summer, as our kids know it, is just about over.  For some, I guess school has already begun but for us it doesn’t begin until two days after the holiday.  That leaves…let me check the calendar…twelve days left before my youngest has to move on to a more rigid schedule.  Oh yes, he is very excited.

If you believe that, I have a couple hundred books I’d like to sell you.

Every summer about this time I think back on the months behind us and I know it’s been a good summer if I’m satisfied with how much time we actually spent doing what we said we’d do. 

Am I pleased with how our summer went?

Yes, I am very pleased.

Something else that happens to me during this time of year is the inability to ignore a longing for the next season to come.  I don’t want summer to end, really I don’t, but for a month now I’ve tried my best to overlook the onslaught of holiday trinkets and things literally surrounding all the school supplies at the box stores or bulging off the racks at the local craft stores.  Christmas I enjoy, because it’s a fun time of year and all about family, but the months I really enjoy decorating for are the fall season as a whole and Halloween.  And there are lots and lots of fall and Halloween decorations out there.

Check out these little framed stickers I couldn’t pass up…

 

That’s a pencil underneath the frames to show you how small they are.  I do scrapbook but I didn’t buy them for any scrapbook or handmade card.  Instead, I immediately thought they’d make great decorations for my doll house around Halloween.  If you don’t know about my fascination with miniatures, check out this post here. 

The arrival of the school year and the glitz and glamour of new holiday items aren’t the only reason I look forward to the fall season and holiday beginnings.  I also very much enjoy the weather during the change in seasons.  I love the beautiful days we’re having which begin with a chill and which let you sleep easier with a much cooler evening breeze.  We get to enjoy our yard more because we’re working in it less.  The lawn doesn’t need to be mowed as often and the garden is winding down (except for the pumpkins and mine are doing awesome this year!).  The leaves are beginning to change colors and I always look forward to the beautiful photos I can take as the trees show off their glory before shedding their weight for the winter. 

In fact, the leaves are already falling.  Sad, but true.  As I was writing this evening, I kept hearing a noise.  A snap, a crackle…but I wasn’t quite sure from where.  I became certain it must be the deer, using the arrival of dusk to mask their entrance onto our property from the woods and into the yard.  At least three times I stood up to glance out my office window, hoping to catch them either at my rose garden or out by the plum trees. 

But there wasn’t a deer in sight.

Finally, when I heard the snap and crackle again, I glanced towards the maple tree outside and wouldn’t you know it?  The noise I heard were leaves hitting other leaves as they were falling down the length of the tree.  Very soon, we’ll be hearing other noises as the little helicopters fall from the maple trees.  You know what I’m talking about?  The seeds with wings?  They spin continuously as they fall to the ground and are actually fun to watch.  But eventually we have hundreds of them all over the place along with all the leaves.  Oh well, what does fall mean if it’s not for falling leaves?

Speaking of the deer, they are back for more snacks.  I just heard one of them snort outside and I can hear them chewing on the pits of the plums as they eat them.  It’s too dark now to see them though.  They are smart like that.  And pretty much why they eventually get their way.

While I am looking forward to the change in seasons and the holidays to come, I still plan to enjoy what we have left of our summer.  But unlike my son, my summer won’t end just because school starts.  It will end when Mother Nature finally decides it’s time to change her mood.

 

My Recipe for a Happy Marriage

Why does time have to slip through our fingers so quickly?  We know it doesn’t, not really…it passes the same now as it did before no matter how old we get, right?  The clock for a ten-year old is no different than for a forty-year old or an eighty-year old…it just seems to pass by more quickly the older you become.  Of course, if we could make one wish, it might be to let the bad times pass by at lightning speed while the good times freeze in time.

This past weekend would have been one of those good times I wish hadn’t gone by so quickly.  My absence from posting yesterday afternoon was due to the fact that I had made other plans:  my husband and I took off to spend the weekend at the beach to celebrate our twenty-second wedding anniversary.  To say we had a completely awesome time is an understatement.

 

Sunset at Ocean Shores

 It’s actually kind of hard to believe we’ve been married that long.  It really wasn’t that long ago when we were first dating, just getting to know each other and learning very quickly how much we were meant for each other.  Every year we celebrate another anniversary, I feel blessed and very fortunate to have met my soul mate so early in life.  I can only hope the same for everyone else out there but for those who haven’t yet met the one…I do believe everyone has someone special waiting out there for them. 

If I were asked what I thought was most important about a marriage, I’d say that’s a tough question to answer.  Not because I can’t come up with an answer but because there are so many different aspects to what makes a great marriage…

Love, of course, is a given.   

Love one another and you will be happy.  It's as simple and as difficult as that.  ~Michael Leunig~

Friendship is a must.  Even if you love someone, it isn’t much fun to spend time with them if you aren’t also best friends, with common interests.

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things.  ~Author Unknown~

Respect and appreciation is obvious but sometimes so lacking.  If you don’t show respect and appreciate the person who is supposed to be your “better half,” what does that say about your marriage as a whole? 

Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer.  ~Mignon McLaughlin~

Every couple should give the other space when it comes to separate interests.  I love to write, I have multiple hobbies and I enjoy having coffee or dinner with a friend.  My husband likes to play basketball (pre-surgery anyway), golf and play poker with his friends.  While we could probably spend 24/7 together and be happy, it’s always good to have at least some sort of separation so you can appreciate your time together that much more.

To keep the fire burning brightly there's one easy rule:  Keep the two logs together, near enough to keep each other warm and far enough apart - about a finger's breadth - for breathing room.  Good fire, good marriage, same rule.  ~Marnie Reed Crowell~

And speaking of time together, every couple has to work on scheduling those date nights…or date weekends…or whatever works for them.  Don’t put off time together because of the kids, or work or money.  Whether it’s a couple of hours, a long weekend or a whole week, every couple needs to spend quality time together.  Or rather, they need to make good on their QTR…quality time remaining (term coined by entrepreneur, H. Wayne Huizenga) and always remember to enjoy every minute they’re able to steal away together.  When couples don’t make good on their alone time, they are no doubt surprised years later when they realize they don’t really know the person they’re staring at across the kitchen table. 

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.  ~Mignon McLaughlin~

Of course, there are many other ways of tending to a marriage, such as kindness, forgiveness and trust, but let’s not forget humor…

Never go to bed mad.  Stay up and fight.  ~Phyllis Diller~

A man in love is incomplete until he has married.  Then he's finished.  ~Zsa Zsa Gabor~

So there’s my recipe for a good marriage:  love, friendship, respect, appreciation, kindness, forgiveness, trust, humor, space as needed and quality time on a regular basis.  It has worked for us and it’s a formula my husband and I will preserve as we continue to celebrate each year together.

Our wedding was many years ago.  The celebration continues to this day.  ~Gene Perret~