Julia Karr's Blog, page 3
May 29, 2017
Update on XVI book 3
If any of you are still hanging in here with me... I just five minutes ago sent off the completed manuscript to my agent!
Tentative title is XVI - Homecoming.
I hope to have more news soon!
And, for those of you who haven't given up on me - thank you! The journey is drawing to a close on Nina's adventures & I can't wait to get this book into your hands!
Tentative title is XVI - Homecoming.
I hope to have more news soon!
And, for those of you who haven't given up on me - thank you! The journey is drawing to a close on Nina's adventures & I can't wait to get this book into your hands!
June 23, 2016
News on the XVI Book 3 front
Just sent the draft of XVI Book 3 to my beta readers! It won't be much longer (I hope!) I'll keep y'all posted on progress to publication!
December 23, 2015
Merry Christmas! Peace on Earth!
As a writer, I always have my dictionary close at hand. Sometimes looking up familiar words is a good thing. Today I revisited Peace. The Webster's definition: (in part)
Peace [Latin pax, pacis, peace] A state of quiet or tranquility; calm, quietness, or repose; freedom from war or hostility; a cessation of hostilities; absence of strife; tranquility of mind; harmony; serenity; public tranquility and order. This Peace is what I wish for the whole world, today and every day! And, I hope to live my life as a reflection of this peace.
Image from this website
Peace [Latin pax, pacis, peace] A state of quiet or tranquility; calm, quietness, or repose; freedom from war or hostility; a cessation of hostilities; absence of strife; tranquility of mind; harmony; serenity; public tranquility and order. This Peace is what I wish for the whole world, today and every day! And, I hope to live my life as a reflection of this peace.
Image from this website
August 27, 2015
Now appearing at...
If you're in the neighborhood... I'll be at Village Lights Bookstore in Madison, IN this Saturday from 1-3 p.m. Village Lights is an awesome place and I am thrilled to be doing another event with them. It promises to be a beautiful weekend, so if you're close by - you should come to Madison. It's a wonderful walking/shopping town - and there are some good eats to be had - and I'd love to see you!
April 22, 2015
Dancing with Manuscripts!
It's been awhile since I posted anything - period. Just wanted to let y'all know that book 3 is simmering on the back burner - taking a needed rest before editing/revising begins on May 1st.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch - or more accurately, back at the 1890's bungalow I call home - I have been hard at work on a contemporary YA novel, the first draft of which I will (hopefully) have completed by April 30th.
Flipping back and forth between book 3 & new book reminds me of changing partners when ballroom dancing. Here's an excellent post about why that's a good thing. I think the reasons listed in the article translate well to writing, also.
Changing things up forces one to focus - and writing well requires focus.
Changing partners in dancing requires one to adjust to a different style - writing in a different genre, on a different story requires style adjustment, too.
Change, while not necessarily comfortable, is the only way to keep from stagnating. No writer wants to stagnate!
So - on to more Dancing with Manuscripts!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch - or more accurately, back at the 1890's bungalow I call home - I have been hard at work on a contemporary YA novel, the first draft of which I will (hopefully) have completed by April 30th.
Flipping back and forth between book 3 & new book reminds me of changing partners when ballroom dancing. Here's an excellent post about why that's a good thing. I think the reasons listed in the article translate well to writing, also.
Changing things up forces one to focus - and writing well requires focus.
Changing partners in dancing requires one to adjust to a different style - writing in a different genre, on a different story requires style adjustment, too.
Change, while not necessarily comfortable, is the only way to keep from stagnating. No writer wants to stagnate!
So - on to more Dancing with Manuscripts!
March 19, 2015
First Draft, XVI series, book III - Done! (& a teaser)
Just so y'all know... the first draft is cooling its heels - waiting for a week or so until I jump in and start edits / revisions.
Teaser...
Wei looked as scared as I felt. “Skivs,” we whispered, simultaneously.
Teaser...
Wei looked as scared as I felt. “Skivs,” we whispered, simultaneously.
February 19, 2015
Baking bread / Plotting / Laura Ingalls Wilder
There is a connection, but first... a couple of facts.
1. I love to cook - specifically, I love to bake bread.
2. I am short. (almost 5' 2")
Today I decided to try a new recipe--Spiced lentil, sweet potato, and kale whole wheat pockets. Because the pockets are yeast risen, the dough must be kneaded. Kneading dough is fun for me for a couple of reasons. I love the repetitive motion of press, fold, turn, repeat... and I find it meditative. It's also the perfect time for creative ideas to bubble up.
Unlike many bakers though - who move the dough effortlessly from mixing bowl to their kneading surface (mine is a big old board reserved exclusively for bread and/or pie crusts), I have to get out my trusty stool to stand on. Why? Because my kitchen counter is too high for me to get good leverage on the dough.
trusty stool
This morning, as I was kneading, I thought about Laura Ingalls Wilder. When my daughters were little (way too long ago for me to admit), on the way back from visiting family out West, we drove to Mansfield, Missouri to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum. It was the last place Laura and Almonzo lived, and he built this farmhouse there.
picture from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home & Museum website
One of the things that most impressed me about the house was the kitchen counter. Apparently Laura was short, like me. Well, actually a lot shorter! (4' 11") And, Almonzo built the kitchen counters so that they would be comfortable for her to use. (What a guy!)
So - today, while the dough is rising, and the outside temps are frigid (1° F), I am at the dining room table writing what I plotted earlier while kneading the dough.
Teaser from XVI Series Book 3:
"Every muscle and sinew was poised to leap on him, to destroy him. But, that was exactly what he wanted me to do—fight. I would fight, but not with my body."
Keep warm & have a FUN Thursday!
1. I love to cook - specifically, I love to bake bread.
2. I am short. (almost 5' 2")
Today I decided to try a new recipe--Spiced lentil, sweet potato, and kale whole wheat pockets. Because the pockets are yeast risen, the dough must be kneaded. Kneading dough is fun for me for a couple of reasons. I love the repetitive motion of press, fold, turn, repeat... and I find it meditative. It's also the perfect time for creative ideas to bubble up.
Unlike many bakers though - who move the dough effortlessly from mixing bowl to their kneading surface (mine is a big old board reserved exclusively for bread and/or pie crusts), I have to get out my trusty stool to stand on. Why? Because my kitchen counter is too high for me to get good leverage on the dough.
trusty stoolThis morning, as I was kneading, I thought about Laura Ingalls Wilder. When my daughters were little (way too long ago for me to admit), on the way back from visiting family out West, we drove to Mansfield, Missouri to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum. It was the last place Laura and Almonzo lived, and he built this farmhouse there.
picture from the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home & Museum website
One of the things that most impressed me about the house was the kitchen counter. Apparently Laura was short, like me. Well, actually a lot shorter! (4' 11") And, Almonzo built the kitchen counters so that they would be comfortable for her to use. (What a guy!)
So - today, while the dough is rising, and the outside temps are frigid (1° F), I am at the dining room table writing what I plotted earlier while kneading the dough.
Teaser from XVI Series Book 3:
"Every muscle and sinew was poised to leap on him, to destroy him. But, that was exactly what he wanted me to do—fight. I would fight, but not with my body."
Keep warm & have a FUN Thursday!
February 16, 2015
A snowy day/ book 3 update / teaser
What more can a body want on Monday? If you live in the Northeast, maybe not snow - but we've had so little here in the Midwest this winter (at least where I live!) - that it's beautiful to look at. Large, soft flakes - dry, powdered sugar snow. I'll take a day or two of this... then Spring, please!
Over 2K words added to XVI Series, Book 3 today (that's 86K total & I'm still writing...) Here's a little teaser for y'all:
Spence smirked. “You pack quite a wallop for a girl,” he said. “One I won’t forget.” The smirk darkened.“Play nice,” Ciarán said. “Besides, what else would you expect from Alan Oberon’s daughter?”“Ah, the great Alan Oberon,” Spence said. “Long may he reign.”
Stay warm & dry & read if you're snowed in!
Over 2K words added to XVI Series, Book 3 today (that's 86K total & I'm still writing...) Here's a little teaser for y'all:
Spence smirked. “You pack quite a wallop for a girl,” he said. “One I won’t forget.” The smirk darkened.“Play nice,” Ciarán said. “Besides, what else would you expect from Alan Oberon’s daughter?”“Ah, the great Alan Oberon,” Spence said. “Long may he reign.”
Stay warm & dry & read if you're snowed in!
February 12, 2015
Update on Book 3 & a teaser
Whew! Got smacked down by a vicious head cold and am just now getting up and back in the writing saddle again.
While I was down for the count, I did a lot of reading. I highly recommend the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny. And, if you haven't read the latest in Maureen Johnson's thrilling Shades of London series - The Shadow Cabinet - then hie thee to your local bookseller or your local library with great haste!
Here's a bit of a teaser from XVI series book 3...
Wei looked pointedly at Chris. “Mission accomplished then, eh, big brother?”
His jaw tensed. “You could say that.”
Stay warm & healthy!
While I was down for the count, I did a lot of reading. I highly recommend the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny. And, if you haven't read the latest in Maureen Johnson's thrilling Shades of London series - The Shadow Cabinet - then hie thee to your local bookseller or your local library with great haste!
Here's a bit of a teaser from XVI series book 3...
Wei looked pointedly at Chris. “Mission accomplished then, eh, big brother?”
His jaw tensed. “You could say that.”
Stay warm & healthy!
February 3, 2015
Writing Book 3 thoughts...
While rushing to the climax of XVI Book 3, I've been thinking of the rambling way I write a first draft. I'm more of a "pantser" than a "plotter". I start out by knowing (what I believe to be) essential scenes, and the end of the book... nevertheless, my writing seems to go all over the place. While doing the writing however, a fundamental thread of theme emerges and the story organically grows into what I'd been imagining... while ofttimes not even knowing what that was. (One of the things that makes writing so freakin' cool!)
Today's teaser:
"Power seekers believe no means too heinous to attain the ends they desire."
Back to writing...
Today's teaser:
"Power seekers believe no means too heinous to attain the ends they desire."
Back to writing...
