Zan Marie Steadham's Blog: In the Shade of the Cherry Tree, page 20

Write-A-Thin Check In

  One month. One goal. That's the plan at least. The Women's Fiction Writers Association sets aside January to focus on one goal--rewriting, revising, editing, writing. Whatever the member needs to do, we all fall in to help and congratulate each other on achieving that goal. My goal is to add rough, new words to the nine known holes in Part 2 of FRIENDLY FIRE. Here's my initial list and where I've gotten on it.A Few Days LaterMeeting with Manuel Nunez to talk about Samant...

Squeeeeeee!

Time out for a fan girl moment!

If you know nothing about Diana Gabaldon's epic series OUTLANDER, I have a treat for you...

And if you do know OUTLANDER, I have a wondrous event for you...

Announcing the first official trailer for the STARZ production of OUTLANDER due to premier this summer.

And if you want to know more, check out THIS for more info, pictures of the spot-on perfect casting, and videos of Diana and Ron Moore the Executive Producer talking about staying true to the stor...

Happy New Year and...

...Happy Birthday to me! 

Yep, today is my birthday. As the years pile up, gifts become less and less important to me, but this year, I have two that take the cake.
My dearest John bought me a Kindle Paperwhite to replace my Kindle 3. He did buy it in November, but I knew it was my birthday gift. ;-)My good blogging buddy, Charlotte Rains Dixon, writing teacher, coach, and author, gifted me with a 25 page critique. It's due to her today. And I'm excited to get her feedback. BTW, if you ha...

What's On Your Shelf?

It's nearly 2014. The clock is ticking and tomorrow we'll be in a brand new year. Many writers will begin the year with a new goal--finishing the rough draft (that's me), or revising their novel, sending out queries, or some other goal related to their stories.

What about picking a craft book to read? Have you ever made that a resolution?

I am. Besides finally finishing FRIENDLY FIRE (I promise I will! Honest!), I'm going to try to use the books sitting on my shelf to learn more about making my...

Christmas Babies--Finale

And in conclusion...
All Decked Out!     The roar of the vacuum stopped. Samantha trundled it to the closet and then stood at my elbow. “Can we talk before you take me home?”
    “May we? Of course.” I scanned her face. Worry tucked her fair brows together and my heart clenched.
    Her eyes were starting to fill. “How do you do Christmas without your husband? I mean…I miss Mom…”
    Tears rolled down her cheeks as my throat tigh...

Christmas Babies--continued

As I promised in the comments last week, here's more of "Christmas Babies" from FRIENDLY FIRE. Enjoy!
Ooops!

      All good things come to an end though, and as the credits rolled Mia slid off the sofa and bounced on the rug. “Beep! Beep!” Her high pitched squeal made me wince.     Raina’s piping voice joined her sister’s raising the level of cacophony. Samantha reached for Raina to quiet her.     Mia’s smile widened and her hops took on a f...

Christmas Babies

It's the Christmas season and I wanted to gift you with a bit of FRIENDLY FIRE. This scene is from early in the story and Laura Grace has her hands full. There's more to this, but I didn't want to overload you. I know you have gifts to buy, cooking to do, and cleaning for the holidays. ;-)

 Baby-eye view of a Christmas tree
          A cold steady rain had finally lifted the fog, but Cherry Hill was still swaddled in a gray cocoon of winter. I could...

Mini Book Reviews: On the Romantic Side

 

I don't usually read pure Romance. Nothing wrong with it--just not my cup of tea. Then again,sometimes it's just the thing I need for a quick read. Then there's the meatier ones that add in history or are women's fiction with strong romantic elements. Here's a sampling of my more romantic reads.

A SINNER IN PARADISE Deborah Hining--Women's Fiction with a healthy dose of romance
There's nothing not to like in A Sinner in Paradise. Deborah Hining has created a unique, intere...

Giving Thanks!

 It's Thanksgiving week in the US and we're cleaning, shopping, baking, and cooking up a big feast. I wouldn't mind having those turkey cookies! ;-)

And I thought it was a perfect time to take stock and list a few things I'm grateful for.
I'm thankful for the CompuServe Books and Writers Forum and most especially for the Writers Exercises folder. I've learned all I know about craft there. Thanks, y'all. You're the best. You've helped me from my first struggling scenes to a nearly finished...