Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 44

Wiggle Room

MOOD STATUS: Happy! Kidlet has her school Halloween parade and class party today! (Always a fun time--even for the moms)

Good news! I finished my outline for my new work-in-progress: Kissing Kendall.

I don't know why but I always begin outlining at different points for each book that I'm writing. For this new wip, I began to outline after I had three chapters written.

My last wip (Sunny Days for Sam *currently under submission*) I didn't outline until I hit chapter seven! Weird, huh?
But that's the point where I stopped and figured out how I was going to take them to the ending and wrote an outline from chapter 7 to chapter 12. I pretty much stuck with I outlined then too.

For Georgie on His Mind, I outlined from about chapter two to the end. Only I allowed myself A LOT more wiggle room since I outlined it so much earlier.

Actually according to original outline, my hero's ex girlfriend came back to town. (Huh. That didn't happen) Also, in my original outline there was supposed to be an armed robbery at the pharmacy toward the end of the book! (Wow, that didn't happen either. Hmm... but the pharmacy did have some condoms stolen) :)


Hmm...I see a pattern with outlining early. I tend to give myself MUCH more wiggle room in the story plot. So it'll be interesting to see how much I follow from this new outline.


So why bother outling early? Well, I'm just anal enough to want some kind of map or direction in my writing--even if I don't bother following it exactly. I'm more of a visual person and I NEED to see it play out on paper in front of me. Once I'm satisfied with it, I can write and change things as the mood strikes. But it's always nice to have something to fall back on in case I get stuck.

How about you?
Do you follow your outlines perfectly or do you allow yourself a lot of WIGGLE ROOM too?

On Birthdays...

Hey, all! Guess what? Last week I celebrated a... birthday.

Yes, it's true.

I pretty much kept it on the down-low because 1) I didn't want to make a big deal out of it and 2) I was super jammed up all week with individual birthday celebrations and didn't really have time to write a blog post to tell anyone. :)


Ever since college by birthday has turned into a week long fiesta of parties instead of just one day. Not sure how that happened, but the hubby just shakes his head at me every year.

Yesterday, even my neighbor told me, "Wow, yours is the longest birthday I know."

Hey, it's not my fault people like to shower me with parties, gifts, and/or cake. LOL (I've had three cakes, by the way. Most of which are in the freezer now)

Anyhew, the hubby ended up taking me away for a few days in the middle of the week to a really beautiful bed and breakfast. We visited some local wineries (yes, New Jersey makes some worthy wines) and did a little shopping.


I even bought myself this cool sparkly ring:





-------------> Doesn't it look fun?



I call it my "bling ring". :)



Anyhew... since I had birthdays on the brain and was looking over my WIP, I realized I've never written a book where one of my characters had a birthday. In fact, I only remember ONE book in all the books I've ever read where the main character celebrated a birthday.



The book was Honey Moon by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and the scene was an especially heartbreaking one. I think it worked so well, because birthdays can carry a high level of stress ( just like the holidays) which can provide a great opportunity to showcase something special about your character--whether it's fear of getting older, fear of being alone on his/her birthday, or maybe worry over no one remembering it.

I'm thinking of working in something like that to my recent WIP. I think it'll add to her motivation.

What about you?


Do you remember the last book you read which featured a character having a birthday?
Have you written a book or scene in which one of your characters is celebrating a birthday?

Special Guest Blogger!

Hey, all!
I'm still playing catch-up with being away this weekend, so I'm very honored to have a special guest blogger today!
Please welcome author Maria Zannini!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My most loyal fans can't read, yet they've stuck with me through every mood a writer can face. The one I could always count on was a black and gray herding dog called Chelly.

She was always under my desk, next to my feet and never far from a potential scratch behind the ears.

Chelly died two years ago and words cannot express the hole she left behind. But Tank, my 130 pound Rottweiler took her place as head foot warmer and kissy monster. Since he's such a big boy he lays in the corridor leading up to my office, making sure nothing gets in or out without his approval.

Tank was best friends with Chelly so whenever he hears her name he raises a brow in subtle expectation. Still, he knows she's not coming back. For a long time I thought so too.

It had been a terrible night of edits for True Believers, my mojo had taken a hike and it seemed as if I had lost all ability to string three coherent words together. I was angry, frustrated and tired. I closed my eyes for a moment then opened them when I thought I heard something under my desk.

(If you follow my blog, you know I live in an area where it's important to ALWAYS know what is advancing on your pinky finger—or toes.)

I looked down and saw a dog-sized shadow hop over my feet.

No dog. Just the shadow.

I stared at the floor as my brain tried to reason what I had just seen. Chelly was the only dog who ever sat under my desk. And it was normal for her to lightly jump over my feet just before I pushed away from the computer.

Was she still with me?

All the stress from editing melted away and I sat there waiting for a sign that she was still here.

I called her name and Tank came bounding into the room and gave me a big sloppy kiss before laying his giant head on my lap. I scratched his ears and asked him if he'd like a cookie.

He looked at me like I was an idiot. "Of course, I want a cookie!" (I happen to be very fluent in Dog.)

We got up to liberate the promised cookie and I turned back one more time to peek under my desk.

I can't help thinking Chelly's still with me, trotting behind me as close as my shadow.

Something tells me, she never left.

I miss my girl, but I still have Tank and now we've been joined by Iko, otherwise known as my penance on Earth. But that's another story—one that requires alcohol for the telling.


Tell me about your pet. How long has s/he been with you? Does he keep you company when you read or write?

***

Maria Zannini's latest release is a science fiction romance called TRUE BELIEVERS .


Mix one cynical immortal and one true believer and throw them into the biggest alien-hunt the world has never known. Rachel Cruz is a Nephilim masquerading as an archaeologist and she's stuck with an alien who believes she can lead him to his ancestral gods. Black Ops wants to find these gods too. They want them dead.

Follow Maria here:

Blog
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter

Contest time! Every time you leave a comment, tweet or mention "Maria Zannini" anywhere with a link to my blog, your name goes in the hat for a chance to win a Texas sized prize. Go here for more information.

PS And if you're a real pal, you'll go to RT Reviews and vote for my novel, MISTRESS OF THE STONE. Go on. You know you want to. And if you vote for me, I'll love you forever.

Back from DC!

MOOD STATUS: "Exhausted". Very little sleep and lots of walking on this recent weekend trip to DC.

Hi, all! Thank you so much for stopping by Diane Estrella's blog for a chance to win a copy of my book. She will have the results of the book win and all the other winners of her giveaways over on her blog today. :)

Friday, after I posted on my blog about her contest, I left town on a little trip with a few of my friends and their hubbies. (This was a no kids weekend trip) Last year we went to Boston and this year we decided to give Washington DC a whirl.

The last time I was in DC, I think I was in 6th grade so it was nice to get back and see the sights. We stayed in the Georgetown area and that's where all our dinner reservations were. My favorite was the Peacock Cafe. I'm still thinking about the food I ate there. It was THAT delicious!!

We got into Georgetown late so we just walked around the shops before dinner. Saturday we were able to do the bulk of sightseeing in the monument area. Our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. Believe it or not, I had never been there or had seen the changing of the guards before, so it was really cool to be able to do that. Then we needed o grab some lunch so we were told (by many people we asked) to go to Chinatown.
Fine. So we jumped on the Metro. Well, we did that and then... yada yada yada my friend is asking the Pentagon police to call us a taxi. LOL
Long story.
Just know there were lots of Metro delays, lots of escalators and somehow we ended up at the Pentagon--which was completely deserted. (The area around it too) Very weird.
Anyhew...after all that, we finally made it to Chinatown and decided to go into an Irish Pub. We ate quesadillas there. (Does anyone else find humor in that?) :)
After lunch we went to the Holocaust Museum. Oh. My. Gosh. What can I really say about that? I would have liked to have spent more time in it. It was incredibly moving. If you're ever in DC, this is a MUST SEE.
I did want to see the Lincoln Memorial again but there wasn't enough time in our schedule. Obviously a day and a half isn't enough to take in the sights. Next time, Abe.
Basically, the purpose of the trip was to just have a nice couples' weekend, hang out, see some sights and enjoy some nice meals with each other. But we did manage to catch of the "night life" in DC too.
I have quite a few stories, but I'll tell you just this one: We decide we all want to go dancing. So my friend looks up and sees a club called Midtown on the second floor of this building. The music was really pumping. Sounds great, right? But the catch was there was a LONG line to get in.

In fact, it's just like what you see in movies and TV when you think about a NYC club with the velvet ropes and people waiting to get in. Well, we reluctantly got in line. But we're only there standing for about 30 seconds then all of a sudden a guy all runway-suited-up with the earpiece and all (just like TV!) approaches us. He asked us how many were in our party. So we tell him six and then he tells us to follow him. He led us behind the velvet rope and right up the steps of the club and didn't charge us any cover either. It was so cool!
We felt like total rock stars. :)
What a great time we all had! But I need to go back to Dc and bring the kidlet--when she's a little older. :)
Oh, and they had this place called Georgetown Cupcakes in Georgetown. Every time we passed by it--no matter what time of day or night--there was a line outside the door. (What is it with DC and lines?) Anyway, Sunday before we went home we bought a few boxes of cupcakes to take home.
PS: They were definitely worth standing in line for. :)

No writing for me today. It's all about unpacking, laundry, and catching up on emails.

What did you do this weekend?
When was the last time you went to Washington DC? What's your favorite place to visit there?

Book Giveaway for GEORGIE ON HIS MIND!

IN THE NEWS: Teen's bike stolen by apes and chicken . Read more HERE.


Hey, all! My good friend and blogging buddy, Diane Estrella is hosing a giveaway of my recent Avalon Books romance:
GEORGIE ON HIS MIND.

Isn't that sweet?

If you're interested in trying to win a copy, go over to her BLOG from now to Sunday, October 17th and comment to be entered in the drawing. Winners will be announced on her blog this Monday, October 18th.

PS: She's hosting a BUNCH of other goody giveaways too, so don't miss out!!

Here's a little bit about my book (um, in case you haven't heard)

Georgie Mayer has no boyfriend and rarely goes out. In short, she needs a life. Since she's graduated college and returned back home, her brother's protectiveness has been in overdrive, and she hasn't been able to have any fun, never mind get a date.

So what's a poor particularly attractive girl to do in a situation like this? The only thing she can do: find him a woman!

He'll thank her for it in the end. That is, if his best friend Walt Somers would stop interfering with her plans. The handsome pharmacist has made no secret that he doesn't approve of what she's up to. Unfortunately, having Walt hanging around does strange things to her mind, and suddenly she can't help but take a healthy interest in him. But how can Georgie entertain thoughts of the two of them together when Walt still treats her like his best friend's little sister?

Here are what nice reviewers are saying about my book:

**"I really enjoyed this one. Both Walt and Georgie have been burnt by love and are understandably reluctant to try again. The contest for a date with Clay adds an entertaining complication to the budding romance. The setting of a small seaside town and the entertaining cast of characters make this story a perfect one to while away a couple of hours."
4 COFFEE CUPS

Maura-- Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

** "A cute, funny tale from beginning to end..."

Patti Fischer-- Romance Reviews Today



Whew! I know. I'm sick of me too. But that's all the hot air out of me for today.

Have a GREAT weekend!

Not Liking the Award Winning

MENTAL STATUS: "Groovy". Feeling great! Thanks for all the get-wells. :)

So last week, we had a little discussion about books in my critique forum. None of my crit partners are on GoodReads so we were recommending books to each other and talking about books we were disappointed in.

After one of my crit partners talked about how much she disliked this one book, I decided to do her he biggest favor ever and recommend a great one. A book I knew for sure she would love as much as I did.


However, it didn't go as well as I had hoped...


Me: Oh, you didn't like ABC book? Yes, not her best, but you should read XYZ book because it's really cute and even won a RITA.


Her: XYZ book? Is that the one with the hero who is A and the heroine who is B? Yeah, I read that already. Hated it.

Me: (scratching head and squinting at the screen. She couldn't have written "hated it". No. She must have misspelled "loved it") Um, are you sure we're talking about the same book?

Her: Yes. I'm sure. Hated it.


Me: (cringing again at the word hated. How can that be? This book won the RITA for goodness sakes!) Um, but didn't you like it when the heroine met the hero and---

Her: NO.

Me: B--B--But...

Her: Trust me, Jenn. Read it and didn't find it amusing at all.

Not at all?

My poor critique partner had to put up with at least five more minutes of "Really?" "Are you sure?" "Not even when this and this happened?" "Are you pulling my leg?" "Really, really?"


Because obviously if I loved a book and it won the RITA, wouldn't it stand to reason that she should love the book too?

Well, of course the answer is no. Everybody has different tastes.

I don't know why at the time I couldn't wrap my mind around that fact. (Actually, I'm still shocked. LOL) But just because a book wins an award--even if it's the BIGGEST award for romance writing ever--it doesn't automatically guarantee a person will love a book. (For those of you who don't know, the RITA award is the equivalent to the Oscar for romance writing.)


And for the record, I, personally, have never disliked a book that won a RITA. Nope. It's never happened. But I have disliked many movies that have won Oscars...

Here are a few:

American Beauty totally didn't get what the hype was about this one

Fargo I was NOT amused by this film at all. The acting was excellent but the story horrified me.

Leaving Las Vegas Holy Snikes! Nicolas Cage played an alcoholic and I was ready to start drinking halfway through this movie too. TOTALLY depressing.

Those are just a few examples of award-winning movies that everybody else seemed to love and gush over and I DID NOT. Just another prime example of how subjective books, movies and art are. One if these days, I will remember that. :)

How about you?
Did you ever dislike a book that won a RITA or some other kind of award?
Have you ever disliked a movie that won an Oscar?

We Interrupt this blog...

We interrupt this blog to announce that I'm coming down with the stomach bug that I mentioned on Twitter that's been sweeping my household this week.
Feeling very achy right now, so I'm not finishing the blog post I had scheduled for Friday.

I'll try to be back and visiting blogs again soon! (Hopefully really soon)

But just in case, take care and have a great weekend. :)

Marathon Results!

IN THE NEWS:Pet alligator seized from liquor store in NY. Read more HERE.


Well, the hubby didn't stroke out. In fact, he did FANTASTIC in his first half marathon! Especially when you consider he was facing 30 mile/hour winds for the last 3 mile stretch. (brutal! I could barely walk let alone run in those conditions)

He paced himself with one of our friends and they both ended up finishing in 1:58: 43. So they definitely met their goal and finished in under two hours!!

PS. He was number 149 out 327 runners. So I thought that was great too!

They didn't know I was going to show up in the middle of their run to cheer them on and I managed to catch them before they went over the bridge and on their way back (which was about the 4 mile mark of their run). I brought a spoon and pot lid and was yelling and banging on it, which totally embarrassed the kidlet. But hey, she'll live. :)

I even brought my lid and spoon to the finish line too. One of the women doing the timing turned to me and said, "Wow, this is great! I love a cowbell at the end!" I held up my spoon and lid and she started cracking up.
She really thought I had a cowbell. LOL

It was a totally fun day (for me not the runners). Then we ended up hosting an after party at our house, which is the reason for the short post. The house is trashed.

But it was worth it. :)

Did you do anything exciting this weekend?

Half Marathon Writing

MOOD STATUS: "Pleased". I have a partial completed--it's rough, but my goal is done.

Well, as most of you know, I run--or light jog, as I like to say. The hubby has started to run too. I think I even mentioned that we both ran in our first 5K race a few months ago. Yeah, that's all well and good, but now he's taken this running thing to a new level.

How?

This Sunday he's actually running in his first half marathon race. Yes, that's 13.1 miles. 13.1 miles!!!!

That's two hours of running. I mean...who does that? I can't imagine doing ANYTHING for two hours straight! (However, he wants it noted that his goal to finish in under two hours) ***I'll let you know how he makes out on Monday. Assuming he's still living...

Anyhew, he's been training for this for a few weeks now with his running buddies. But they have a plan. It's this: run a mile then fast walk a minute, run a mile then fast walk a minute, etc... My friend who ran a half marathon straight said she did this method and it shaved 6 minutes off her total time (which is actually pretty good). The theory is that you can go faster when you run those miles if you give yourself little breaks in-between.

Interesting, huh? So I guess you're thinking that I've applied this to my own running, huh?

Well, no. But I HAVE applied it to my writing! Sort of.

I started paying attention to my writing time and how I was using it thanks to Patti Nielson's blogfest this week. Of course, Patti wasn't trying to have us write more. She was just interested in having us see how much we write in a week. But because of that, I wanted to make the most of that time I was using.

Normally, I write until I make my daily goal. No computer time or anything else until that goal is met. It works--usually--but I've noticed it's been taking me much longer to make goal these days--thus, limiting my blogging time.

So, this week I decided to use my hubby's training method--so to speak. I wrote for 45 minutes, took a 15 minute computer break. Wrote for 45 minutes, took a 15 minute break, etc...

And you know what? I found I was able to write much more (and stronger) in that 45 minute time frame by taking more frequent breaks in-between.

As a result, I wrote a whole chapter in four days and I didn't need as much total writing time. thus, my goal this week was met a day early.

Go, me!

What about you?

What works better? Long-distanced writing with little or no breaks in-between? Or do you do shorter writing times with frequent breaks?

Chance to win my book!

Avalon Books editor Lia Brown is over at the Seekerville blog today!
She's giving an opportunity to pitch and giving away two copies of Avalon Books. (Winner's choice!)

If you win, you can pick mine, Georgie on His Mind--or you have a chance to pick out any other great Avalon Books book. You can go to their website to see their catalog HERE.Good luck!