Laurie L.C. Lewis's Blog: Bloggin' It Up Here, page 57

WHAT MATTERS

Four days to deadline, and I'm simply not there. This is the point at which I hate the craft of writing, I dread the current project, and wonder why in the world I put myself and the family through this stress.

I'm not alone. Here are a few YouTube clips ( one and two) from another author who is also in the "whiny boat" with me.

I want to play! I want to swim! I want to mess around with dirt and bugs and the garden hose with grand kids!

So yesterday, after church, my daughter's family came over...

LESSONS FROM A 200 YEAR-OLD LETTER

I love to write, but I love research almost as much. Sometimes the days are long and the document you need to corroborate your point eludes you, but it's nearly impossible to scratch around old documents and records and not find a few things that give you an "aha!" moment and make your arms tingle.

It's like a treasure hunt. You begin with a single question, or a reference in a book, and then you pull out your keyboard and go "digging." Inspiration helps too. Sometimes an idea comes about wher...

KINGDOM BUILDNG

I've typed the letters off the keyboard . . . again. Too rushed to head to the electronics store for a replacement, I draw new letters on with White-out. Crazy, I know. My son was home for a few days and saw the mess I've made of it. He asked me why I let my seventeen-month-old grandson draw on my keyboard. Things are bad over here right now. . .

I'll turn this manuscript in in a few days, and then the promo will begin, the most uncomfortable part of being a writer. We begin with a noble idea,...

FATHERS

I've been a dreadful blogger lately because every waking minute has been consumed by the approaching delivery of babies--nursery preparations for a real, pink, squishy little grand daughter, to be named Avery, (after my book), expected July 29th, and two literary babies the publisher is expecting me to deliver to him beginning June 30. Wonderful days. . .

But tomorrow is Father's Day, and our youngest son, Josh, who now lives in LA, is home for about 100 minutes, so we're trying to squeeze...

THE POWER OF QUESTIONS

A particular section of "Awakening Avery" is generating some interesting buzz from readers:


. . . Every word she penned before meeting Paul was written to meet her grandfather's exacting standards. She could still hear his voice, pushing her, inspiring her. "Ask yourself the hard questions, Avery Xandra! Follow where they lead!"

Disillusioned and unsettled, she took a shower and redressed, all the while hearing her grandfather's voice in her head. "Don't just tell a story, Avery Xandra. Take m...

THE GULF OIL SPILL: IT'S PERSONAL

I turned on CNN this morning as I generally do each day, and the Gulf oil spill was the number one topic. Dr. Sanjay Gupta was in Chalmette, Louisiana conducting an interview with two fishermen's wives who are training to be peer counselors to help families deal with the devastation caused by surviving two catastrophic events--not in a lifetime, not in a decade, but within five years.

My ears perked up when I heard the name "Chalmette, Louisianna." Chalmette sits in a bowl below the mighty Mis...

LET'S SHARE OUR SUMMER!

I'm still swamped. Writing under deadline pressure is not fun, but I keep thinking how wonderful it will be to see the Free Men and Dreamers project completed. It began almost six years ago with a concept, and by December, the final two volumes of this patriotic series will be on the shelves, and I will be able to rest for a while.

Maybe not. . . The marketing of a book is a daunting task as well. We're still introducing readers to "Awakening Avery." The first official wave of reviews are in a...

"AWAKENING AVERY" BLOG TOUR BEGINS THIS WEEK!

"AWAKENING AVERY" Blog Tour!

Summer's here and what better way to kick it off than with a blog tour for AWAKENING AVERY by Laurie Lewis (read blog here) as "Avery" is the perfect poolside read!

"Avery can't cope with the death of her husband and is finally convinced by
her son to return to the family's Anna Maria Island vacation spot. With the
help from some new-found friends, Avery swaps her house with a widower
named Gabriel. As Avery and Gabriel step into each others lives, they begin
a corr...

AS WE SING, LET US ALSO REMEMBER

If you have ever found your eye tearing over the flutter of the red, white and blue; or felt the harrowed pangs of patriotism pound within your breast at the sight of a passing American flag, thank the most famous flag of all— the Star Spangled Banner—for the privilege.

Before the battle of Baltimore and the successful defense of Fort McHenry, the American flag was relegated to serve primarily as a political marker, identifying the current possessor of a position or piece of property. Rarely c...

BUSY

If you say, "Hey, I've already seen that picture on your blog," you're right. I slap it up every time I'm feeling overwhelmed, like now.

Book four of Free Men and Dreamers, the next to the last volume, will tell the tender tales behind the writing of the Star Spangled Banner, tie up the War of 1812 and move our beloved characters into the reconstruction of the nation. All good stuff.

My publisher is pressing for an August/September release. This is the fastest pace I've ever had to set to fini...