Peggy Jaeger's Blog - Posts Tagged "writinglife-amwriting"
#Writinglife
for images, click on this link:
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/04/19/wr...
Yesterday I worked on a few lines of dialogue for over two hours.
Really.
Did you think all this witty repartee just jumps into my head at will?
No. It doesn’t. Not even close.
Everyone knows writing is a solitary, ofttimes monotonous life and this is why. Creativity, while at times coming in bursts and flames of speed, usually…doesn’t. It’s hours, days, months, sitting at a laptop, playing with phrases, rearranging words, charging emotions with verbs and descriptors, bleeding, spewing, dying and then being reborn until finally FINALLY the perfect sentence or snippet of dialogue that reveals sososososo much more than is said, is created.
Yeah…it’s just like that.
Every day.
Every. Friggin’. Day.
Can I get an “AMEN” from all my writer friends out in the blogosphere because you know this is true?!
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/04/19/wr...
Yesterday I worked on a few lines of dialogue for over two hours.
Really.
Did you think all this witty repartee just jumps into my head at will?
No. It doesn’t. Not even close.
Everyone knows writing is a solitary, ofttimes monotonous life and this is why. Creativity, while at times coming in bursts and flames of speed, usually…doesn’t. It’s hours, days, months, sitting at a laptop, playing with phrases, rearranging words, charging emotions with verbs and descriptors, bleeding, spewing, dying and then being reborn until finally FINALLY the perfect sentence or snippet of dialogue that reveals sososososo much more than is said, is created.
Yeah…it’s just like that.
Every day.
Every. Friggin’. Day.
Can I get an “AMEN” from all my writer friends out in the blogosphere because you know this is true?!
Oh, the places I'd go....
to see images, click this link:
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/04/28/oh...
Be it ever so humble…..
I’ll admit this freely – I don’t travel well. My husband calls me the “ugly American” and it’s too true. I am a spoiled homebody. I like nothing more than staying in my house, in my jammies, reading a book or cooking for friends and family. Yeah, I know. I live and lead a very boring, limited life, so this blog topic was one that required a huge amount of thought on my part. The last time I traveled anywhere was when my daughter was in college, doing a semester in Barcelona and then in Dublin. My Husband and I went to visit her in both places.
And just FYI, she graduated in 2011. What year is it now, hmmm? Yeah. That’s the last time I went anywhere.
So, the Top 5 places I’d like to visit.
Well, let’s see…
I actually had to go out and buy the book 1000 Places to see before you die because I couldn’t even come up with one.
I don’t like planes – they are a necessary inconvenience, though. I dislike trains even more, and forget about being in the car longer than an hour without stopping to stretch my legs. Total torture.
So…those 5 places.
Hawaii might be nice because it’s like…Hawaii!! Lava and beaches and leis. But it’s such an asshugging long trip from the East Coast to get there. I might have to make a few stops along the way, like Washington DC. The architecture, the history, the scandals. I could spend a few days there without problems. But I’ve been there already. Numerous times. This is supposed to be a post on places I haven’t visited yet.
Okay, so #1. Hawaii.
2….hmmm. Tuscany. I think I’d like to see Tuscany because I loved that book Under The Tuscan Sun. It would be great for my cooking skills to learn how to make authentic Tuscan dishes using fresh Tuscan ingredients…like wine!
3…..(scratching head) The Swiss Alps because I liked Heidi. My in-laws actually went to the Swiss Alps on a trip once and my mother-in-law told me it was absolutely her favorite part of that vacation. Seeing the Matterhorn, riding the Glacier Express. She loved it and since she’s such a good judge of things, I figure I would too!
4….(biting nails, now) Australia, and mainly Queensland because I lovedlovedloved The Thorn Birds. I was so heartbroken when Colleen McCullough died, I actually went to Church that day and said a prayer for her soul. She brought the Australian outback to full, vivid, life with her writings and she is sorely missed.
5….(really digging deep now!) Got it! San Fransico because I loved the JoyLuck Club. Amy Tan is a fabu writer and I remember reading this book in a day because I was so invested in the characters and their lives as they navigated through their heritage, culture, and tried to assimilate into the American lifestyle and the Bay Area without trading in their old world ways. Her writing is lyrical, fluid, and flows from the page.
So. I could stop In San Fran on the way to Hawaii, and after a week swimming the Pacific shores, move on to Australia. Next stop from there, Tuscany and finishing in the Swiss Alps.
That wouldn’t be so bad.
Le sigh.
This was a hard blog to write, peeps. Really hard considering I don’t leave my house much!
Let’s see if the other authors in the blog challenge have as hard a time as I did coming up with 5 places… I’m going to bet they didn’t.
.
Robin Michaela – Travel? Here’s my Bucket List
2.
Over There!
3.
Where in the World? (Ed H)
4.
Shari Elder On the Road Again
5.
When Wanderlust Strikes
6.
Cathy Brockman – If I Could Go Any Where. . . Cathy Writes Romance
7.
Maureen Bonatch – I’d Visit Once I Stop Striving to be a Hermit
8.
Sherry Lewis – Oh the Places I’ll Go
9.
Dream Vacation Spots–Sara Walter Ellwood
10.
Helen Henderson – Out and Away – Dream Journeys
11.
Peggy Jaeger – Oh, the Places I’d go
12.
Linda McLaughlin – Linda’s Top 5 Places to Visit
13.
Alina K Field – My Top Five Places — Alina K. Field
https://peggyjaeger.com/2017/04/28/oh...
Be it ever so humble…..
I’ll admit this freely – I don’t travel well. My husband calls me the “ugly American” and it’s too true. I am a spoiled homebody. I like nothing more than staying in my house, in my jammies, reading a book or cooking for friends and family. Yeah, I know. I live and lead a very boring, limited life, so this blog topic was one that required a huge amount of thought on my part. The last time I traveled anywhere was when my daughter was in college, doing a semester in Barcelona and then in Dublin. My Husband and I went to visit her in both places.
And just FYI, she graduated in 2011. What year is it now, hmmm? Yeah. That’s the last time I went anywhere.
So, the Top 5 places I’d like to visit.
Well, let’s see…
I actually had to go out and buy the book 1000 Places to see before you die because I couldn’t even come up with one.
I don’t like planes – they are a necessary inconvenience, though. I dislike trains even more, and forget about being in the car longer than an hour without stopping to stretch my legs. Total torture.
So…those 5 places.
Hawaii might be nice because it’s like…Hawaii!! Lava and beaches and leis. But it’s such an asshugging long trip from the East Coast to get there. I might have to make a few stops along the way, like Washington DC. The architecture, the history, the scandals. I could spend a few days there without problems. But I’ve been there already. Numerous times. This is supposed to be a post on places I haven’t visited yet.
Okay, so #1. Hawaii.
2….hmmm. Tuscany. I think I’d like to see Tuscany because I loved that book Under The Tuscan Sun. It would be great for my cooking skills to learn how to make authentic Tuscan dishes using fresh Tuscan ingredients…like wine!
3…..(scratching head) The Swiss Alps because I liked Heidi. My in-laws actually went to the Swiss Alps on a trip once and my mother-in-law told me it was absolutely her favorite part of that vacation. Seeing the Matterhorn, riding the Glacier Express. She loved it and since she’s such a good judge of things, I figure I would too!
4….(biting nails, now) Australia, and mainly Queensland because I lovedlovedloved The Thorn Birds. I was so heartbroken when Colleen McCullough died, I actually went to Church that day and said a prayer for her soul. She brought the Australian outback to full, vivid, life with her writings and she is sorely missed.
5….(really digging deep now!) Got it! San Fransico because I loved the JoyLuck Club. Amy Tan is a fabu writer and I remember reading this book in a day because I was so invested in the characters and their lives as they navigated through their heritage, culture, and tried to assimilate into the American lifestyle and the Bay Area without trading in their old world ways. Her writing is lyrical, fluid, and flows from the page.
So. I could stop In San Fran on the way to Hawaii, and after a week swimming the Pacific shores, move on to Australia. Next stop from there, Tuscany and finishing in the Swiss Alps.
That wouldn’t be so bad.
Le sigh.
This was a hard blog to write, peeps. Really hard considering I don’t leave my house much!
Let’s see if the other authors in the blog challenge have as hard a time as I did coming up with 5 places… I’m going to bet they didn’t.
.
Robin Michaela – Travel? Here’s my Bucket List
2.
Over There!
3.
Where in the World? (Ed H)
4.
Shari Elder On the Road Again
5.
When Wanderlust Strikes
6.
Cathy Brockman – If I Could Go Any Where. . . Cathy Writes Romance
7.
Maureen Bonatch – I’d Visit Once I Stop Striving to be a Hermit
8.
Sherry Lewis – Oh the Places I’ll Go
9.
Dream Vacation Spots–Sara Walter Ellwood
10.
Helen Henderson – Out and Away – Dream Journeys
11.
Peggy Jaeger – Oh, the Places I’d go
12.
Linda McLaughlin – Linda’s Top 5 Places to Visit
13.
Alina K Field – My Top Five Places — Alina K. Field
I'm a Calendar Girl!
My interview on http://affairedecoeur.com/AuthorInter...
When did you start writing?
I’ve always been a journal-er, what most people call a diarist, ever since I was a kid. And I wrote stories in my journals all the time about girls who weren’t like me, who led amazing lives, and had adventures. I still write in my diary every day, but now I actually get to publish the fiction stories!
What have you learned about writing since you started?
That it’s my oxygen. My drug of choice. The thing I need to do every day in order to feel total joy and remain happy.
Tell us about your new book or series.
CAN’T STAND THE HEAT is the third book in my Will Cook for Love series from Lyrical Shine. CSTH tells Stacy Peter’s story. She’s a television producer who’s developed a show she thinks will be perfect for her network. Before the programming chief will give her the green light for the show though, he asks her to do one more programming favor for him and executive produce an upcoming cooking competition called Beef Battles for the network. She’ll need to deal with famed director Dominick Stamp who is no fan of producers, or anyone else who interferes with his directing style. Dominick and Stacy are about as opposite as opposite can get in every way – physically, emotionally, the way the treat the staff, you name it. But you know what they say about opposites and attraction!
What is your idea of a perfect writing day?
Basically, I have the perfect writing day everyday! I write for 3-4 hours in the morning, then go to the gym and do all the adult stuff I need to do like laundry, grocery shop, etc. Then after lunch I write for another 4-5 hours until my hubby comes home from work, I cook dinner, and then we relax for the rest of the evening. Yup, that’s my life. Don’t hate me!
How/where do you get your plot ideas?
I am a world-class people watcher. And eavesdropper. All my plots start out with the characters. I see a person in a restaurant, or the bank, or even on line at the movies, and I start to imagine their backstory. My first character is usually my heroine, so I give her a life, a career, and a problem. Then I think of a hero who will be integral in either resolving her problem, or adding to it. From that, a plot develops.
What is the most difficult thing about creating and developing characters?
Making them real to the reader. I’ve read books where there is no way on God’s green earth the main character could survive in the real world. Either too stupid, too arrogant, too just plain dumb to be real. I try – and I try hard – to make my characters seem like you’d meet them as neighbors, or at work, or even standing behind you in line at the grocery store. I give them faults, real emotions, issues. See? Real people! When I get it right, and a reader tells me that they could see, hear, and relate to my characters, I do a happy dance, because that’s the highest praise you can give me.
What is your favorite thing about being an author?
Knowing I touched a reader’s life, or made their day when they read something I wrote.
How many books do you currently have out on the market and what genres do they fall into?
With CANT STAND THE HEAT it’ll be eleven and they all fall into the contemporary romance genre. If there was a genre called small town, family oriented, humorous contemporary, that’s where my books would fit.
Will you be attending any book signings or conventions?
A couple coming up:
April 15, the 2018 Author’s Night by the Sea, sponsored by the New England Author’s Expo. http://www.newenglandauthorsexpo.com/...
April 27, The New England Chapter of RWA LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT Book signing https://www.eventsinusa.net/event-rom...
RWA2018 – Denver Nora Roberts Readers for Life Literacy Book Signing: https://www.rwa.org/literacy
I will also be part of a panel of authors (I’m the only romance writer!) at the Toadstool Bookstore in Keene, NH on April 21, 2018
I will be speaking at the Maine Romance Writers retreat in May 2018 http://www.maineromancewriters.com/p/...
Pass on some words of wisdom, please, to aspiring authors.
Simply, don’t worry about writing to trends, or anything else. Today’s teen vampire love story will be taken over by tomorrow’s billionaire baby series. Just write the story of your heart. That’s what I did. I knew my story was a little unusual for a contemporary market, but it only takes one editor to say YES for you to be published. So just write the best story you can and make it the story you would want to read if you weren’t the author!
Purchase Can't Stand the Heat by Peggy Jaeger
Contact information:
Personal web page : https://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
When did you start writing?
I’ve always been a journal-er, what most people call a diarist, ever since I was a kid. And I wrote stories in my journals all the time about girls who weren’t like me, who led amazing lives, and had adventures. I still write in my diary every day, but now I actually get to publish the fiction stories!
What have you learned about writing since you started?
That it’s my oxygen. My drug of choice. The thing I need to do every day in order to feel total joy and remain happy.
Tell us about your new book or series.
CAN’T STAND THE HEAT is the third book in my Will Cook for Love series from Lyrical Shine. CSTH tells Stacy Peter’s story. She’s a television producer who’s developed a show she thinks will be perfect for her network. Before the programming chief will give her the green light for the show though, he asks her to do one more programming favor for him and executive produce an upcoming cooking competition called Beef Battles for the network. She’ll need to deal with famed director Dominick Stamp who is no fan of producers, or anyone else who interferes with his directing style. Dominick and Stacy are about as opposite as opposite can get in every way – physically, emotionally, the way the treat the staff, you name it. But you know what they say about opposites and attraction!
What is your idea of a perfect writing day?
Basically, I have the perfect writing day everyday! I write for 3-4 hours in the morning, then go to the gym and do all the adult stuff I need to do like laundry, grocery shop, etc. Then after lunch I write for another 4-5 hours until my hubby comes home from work, I cook dinner, and then we relax for the rest of the evening. Yup, that’s my life. Don’t hate me!
How/where do you get your plot ideas?
I am a world-class people watcher. And eavesdropper. All my plots start out with the characters. I see a person in a restaurant, or the bank, or even on line at the movies, and I start to imagine their backstory. My first character is usually my heroine, so I give her a life, a career, and a problem. Then I think of a hero who will be integral in either resolving her problem, or adding to it. From that, a plot develops.
What is the most difficult thing about creating and developing characters?
Making them real to the reader. I’ve read books where there is no way on God’s green earth the main character could survive in the real world. Either too stupid, too arrogant, too just plain dumb to be real. I try – and I try hard – to make my characters seem like you’d meet them as neighbors, or at work, or even standing behind you in line at the grocery store. I give them faults, real emotions, issues. See? Real people! When I get it right, and a reader tells me that they could see, hear, and relate to my characters, I do a happy dance, because that’s the highest praise you can give me.
What is your favorite thing about being an author?
Knowing I touched a reader’s life, or made their day when they read something I wrote.
How many books do you currently have out on the market and what genres do they fall into?
With CANT STAND THE HEAT it’ll be eleven and they all fall into the contemporary romance genre. If there was a genre called small town, family oriented, humorous contemporary, that’s where my books would fit.
Will you be attending any book signings or conventions?
A couple coming up:
April 15, the 2018 Author’s Night by the Sea, sponsored by the New England Author’s Expo. http://www.newenglandauthorsexpo.com/...
April 27, The New England Chapter of RWA LET YOUR IMAGINATION TAKE FLIGHT Book signing https://www.eventsinusa.net/event-rom...
RWA2018 – Denver Nora Roberts Readers for Life Literacy Book Signing: https://www.rwa.org/literacy
I will also be part of a panel of authors (I’m the only romance writer!) at the Toadstool Bookstore in Keene, NH on April 21, 2018
I will be speaking at the Maine Romance Writers retreat in May 2018 http://www.maineromancewriters.com/p/...
Pass on some words of wisdom, please, to aspiring authors.
Simply, don’t worry about writing to trends, or anything else. Today’s teen vampire love story will be taken over by tomorrow’s billionaire baby series. Just write the story of your heart. That’s what I did. I knew my story was a little unusual for a contemporary market, but it only takes one editor to say YES for you to be published. So just write the best story you can and make it the story you would want to read if you weren’t the author!
Purchase Can't Stand the Heat by Peggy Jaeger
Contact information:
Personal web page : https://peggyjaeger.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Starting off 2019 with a smile!
When an author you admire includes you in a Favorite pleasure read list, it just makes the new year full of wonderful potential!
Check out Nancy Fraser's blog, here:
http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/notes...
Check out Nancy Fraser's blog, here:
http://nancyfraser.ca/wordpress/notes...
New Hampshire NPR visit
Yesterday, on Valentine's day I was honored to be a guest on New Hampshire Public radio, talking about - you guessed it - romance. Here's the link to the interview:
https://www.nhpr.org/post/romance-wri...
you'll probably have to do cut and paste to listen to it!
https://www.nhpr.org/post/romance-wri...
you'll probably have to do cut and paste to listen to it!
