Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 27

Favorite Blogs

I subscribe to a handful of blogs, and while I’m brewing my coffee, scroll through them on my phone blog reader. I’ll be honest, for most of the postings, I read the title and the first paragraph and mark as “read.” It’s not they aren’t interesting or that I want to unsubscribe, it’s just I subscribed to all of them for various reasons and on any given morning, those reasons may not always be applicable to that first cup of coffee.

The blogs I subscribe to range from children’s literature blogs (handy for my educator classes and to know what is current in children’s literature), blogs on writing romance (helpful when I’m writing a romance and need craft inspiration), author blogs (most of which are who people I have personally met or authors in the publishers houses where my books are published), and a few arts and craft type blogs (helpful for my other creative outlet of sewing and mixed media collage)

However, there are two blogs which, almost, without fail I read in their entirety.

1. Four Corners Design, written by local, Everett, mixed media collage artist Amy Duncan. I subscribed to Amy’s blog after I met her at a Fresh Paint Artists At Work Festival. Since then, I’ve also had the opportunity to take one of her local workshops on recycled journals. Her blog is filled with pictures of what she is currently working on as well as her struggles in the creative process and her successes. I think it’s these struggle and successes in her creative process which speak the most to me. Although we work in different artistic mediums, it’s her sharing of the process which I look forward to reading. You can read the Four Corners Design blog here.

2. Author, Marion Dane Bauer’s Blog–Marion was a Vermont College Faculty member during my years working on my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. I never had her as an adviser or workshop leader, but when she gave readings and lectures, I always attended. I loved her grounded, strong sensibilities in writing good, solid middle grade.  I came late to subscribing to Marion’s blog, but after seeing various friends from my Vermont College years, posting her blog posts on their Facebook feeds, I finally subscribed.  Marion, like Amy, shares both technical craft posts as well as her successes and struggles in the creative process of writing. Marion’s blog comes to me through my email about once a week, and when it does, I always take a deep breath and sit down for a good read. You can read Marion’s blog here.

 

Now, I’d love to hear what blogs are your favorites that you read without fail? And why do you love them? Please post the links in the comments!

May Author Events and News

Just a little update on some of my May author events as well as things going on “behind the scenes.”

The week of May 12-18, I will be participating in the Children’s Book Week Blog Hop. This is a great blog hop for those who love children’s stories–all ages! At my blog, I will be blogging about summer books. There will also be a giveaway at each blog in the hop.

On May 12, I’m also participating in Sew Mama Sew’s annual giveaway day (it’s really a week). This is a fun blog hop where participating blogs give away a sewing item or something handmade. Look for a cute owl drawstring bag and a pack of vintage note cards on my blog!

On May 17, I’m participating in a special Facebook event entitled, Meet the Books To Go Now Authors. My time slot is from 9 am-9:30 am and I’ll be doing some fun giveaways (including a few of my  crafty items!). If you’re on Facebook, I hope you’ll stop by!

In writing news, I’ve been asked to write a Christmas novella which will be a very special Elmheart Hotel Christmas wedding story. My deadline is the end of August and the publisher, Books to Go Now, will be rolling the story out in late fall.

And I’m busy drafting the first in a new sweet contemporary romance series. These will be full length books for the category markets. I’ll be pitching these at the Fall RWA Conference in Seattle where I’m also presenting a workshop entitled, “Map It Out: Discover Plot in Your Story’s Setting.”

I’ve also been asked to participate on a panel at the AWP 2015 Conference in Minneapolis. The panel is entitled, Write from Your Guts: Cultivating Courage in the Writing Classroom. We won’t know until August 1 if the panel is accepted, but fingers are crossed.

So that’s it from this side of the writing desk! Happy Writing!

 

 

Auctions, Classes and Contest Opportunities

Happy Friday! There are a couple of opportunities that have popped on my radar in the last two weeks to share with everyone:

 

Brenda Novak’s Annual Auction for Diabetes Research is now open. This auction runs until the end of May. There are some amazing chances to bid on critiques with agents, editors as well as items such as book baskets. You can find all the details here.

Also, as a part of Brenda Novak’s Annual Auction for Diabetes Research, fourteen contemporary authors have put together a box set of books entitled, A Sweet Life, which you can purchase on Amazon for 2.99. This is an amazing collection with authors including Susan Mallery, Debbie Macomber, and RaeAnne Thayne. This set is only available for digital readers.

YA writers–The Celtic Hearts Golden Claddaugh Contest is now open and taking YA and New Adult submissions. The manuscripts must be unpublished, although published authors can apply. Submit your first thirty pages and even if you don’t place, you will receive a critique by three published judges. However you must be a member of RWA to enter this contest. Details here.

Looking for some writing classes but don’t quite have the big bucks to attend a conference such as RWA Nationals, consider a class at the Margie Lawson Academy. Classes include: Creating Compelling Characters, Deep Editing Techniques to Make Your Opening Pop, and From Blah to Beats, Giving Your Chapter a Pulse. All the information is here.

 

 

 

Spencer Hill YA Contemporary Pitch Fest Opportunity

Spencer Hill Contemporary is taking YA Contemporary pitches from April 28-April 30, 2014.  This special pitch fest is happening on Brenda Drake’s blog click on the link here. Yes…that’s right, this special pitch fest starts today!!

You’ll need only the meat of your query (hook & mini-synopsis), and you only have 200 words (max).

Spencer Hill YA Contemporary is looking for contemporary, realistic YA fiction only. This means anything that takes place in our world and abides by the generally accepted laws of reality, time, and space.

For this contest we are looking for real stories with real characters that we can fall in love with and pretend, with very little suspension of belief that those characters could exist out there somewhere. Strong voice and unforgettable characters are important to us.

How do you make your query stand out? Pinpoint the piece of the story that makes your query unique. Tell us who your character is, what your character wants, and what stands in the way.

Spencer Hill Contemporary only takes agented submissions year-round, so this is a really unique opportunity where most of our editors are in one place looking at your query! Keep in mind that we are not agents; we are editors looking for authors who want their books to be considered for publication! We are accepting completed, polished YA manuscripts only. If you’ve submitted your cowboy story before and someone on staff has read/reviewed/passed previously at any time, then please do not resubmit.

Before you enter, please take a moment to check out www.spencerhillcontemporary.com to check out most of our current and upcoming titles.

Again, the pitch fest is taking place on Brenda Drake’s blog here.

Good luck! Let us know if you sell your book!

Call for Submissions–Children’s Writers

For many years, I wrote articles for the Institute of Children’s Literature monthly newsletter. Now, head editor of the ICL Newsletter, Susan Tierney, is the acquisitions editor at Schoolwide and she’s looking for submissions from children’s writers.

Schoolwide is a subscription based service for educators where they can access and download articles, short stories and even novels for their classes.

Currently, they are seeking articles, short stories and poems which are out of print and you have the rights to.

Here are the details:

 

Susan Tierney, is now acquisitions editor at Schoolwide, an educational publisher of reading, writing, and grammar curriculum products. They’re looking for submissions of books, stories, and articles for which the author holds rights and that support K-8 reading and writing for a digital classroom library. They’re interested in practically any fiction or nonfiction except preK and older YA, and they’ll accept (1) previously published materials for which the author holds rights or (2) completed manuscripts of original, unpublished work.

To Submit: Email only to submissions@schoolwide.com, with author contact information;

website address, if any; title of the work; word or page count; targeted age/grade level; and a brief synopsis or outline in the message body. For previously published works, indicate the publisher, date of publication, and if applicable, whether an illustrator holds rights to the artwork. Attach the completed work (Microsoft Word only) and a résumé or list of writing credits. Indicate if the submission is unpublished, self-published, or previously published, and if so, by whom. Place “Manuscript Submission, SCBWI” in the subject line.

They’ll pay a royalty based on the number of times a title is accessed, and they’ll respond in six months, if interested, out-of-print works will get the first look, under the assumption that they will need less editing.

Goal Setting

In the last year, I’ve revised and written another draft of my memoir, KIDS IN ORANGE, as well as revised a middle grade novel, GRANDDAD’S TOYS which is now currently on submission. I’ve written and had published two sweet, contemporary romance novellas (HALLOWEEN LOVE FORTUNE and NEW YEAR HEART SONG), and I’ve written and submitted a sweet, contemporary romance short story to Musa Publishing for their upcoming new ezine, Love Notes.

Although Books To Go Now wanted more novellas in my Elmheart Series and this motivated me to keep writing on that series for a two-year period until all six were complete, I am not a writer who, at this time, is under a contract to write more books in a series or line for a publisher by a specific deadline. So, how do I remain productive in my writing output?

Goal setting!

Goals should have two elements– something to measure and an element of time. For example, by the end of the week, I will write 5,000 words on my new sweet, contemporary romance novel.  In order to get to those 5,000 words, each day I will write 1,000 words, and for me, when I am fast drafting a new story, getting to those 1,000 words takes about two hours–if I have already done the brainstorm work with a plot outline, character sketches and created the details and a map of my setting. If I have not done that brainstorming work, then each of those are one and two day goals in the week before I begin to write.

Jane Porter, in her book, WRITING THE BESTSELLER: ROMANTIC AND COMMERCIAL FICTION, says to write three goals.

1. An Immediate Goal--A goal to be accomplished in the next week or month

2. Short-Term Goal: A goal to be achieved within the next six to twelve months

3. Long-Term Goal: A goal about where you’d like to be in five years. (I often shorten this to be two to five years because of the way the publishing industry changes so much right now).

 

But, if I’m working on a book, what are some external things I use to motive me?

1. Contests–RWA chapters host many contests throughout the year for everything from YA romance to contemporary to paranormal. Some of the contests are open only to unpublished authors, or authors unpublished in that genre in the last five years, but others are open to both published and unpublished authors.  Some of the RWA Chapter contests are only open to RWA members, while others are open to all writers. All the contests do require a fee payment of some sort, but you also receive detailed critiques from up to three judges and since most contests ask you to submit the first thirty pages, this critique can be invaluable–even if you don’t place in the contest.

One contest currently taking submissions is:

Emerald City Opener Contest sponsored by the Seattle RWA Chapter: Polish the first seven pages of your novel and submit to this contest. This contest is only open to unpublished authors, or authors unpublished in the genre they are entering in the last five years. Both RWA members and non-RWA members may submit.

 

2. Monthly Writing Challenges–November is National Write a Novel in a Month (NaNoWriMo) and it often feels as if the whole world is writing a novel. Local libraries host write-ins and workshops, coffee shops provide space for write-ins and there are endless people cheering you on-line. SPEEDBO in March, sponsored by the blog, SEEKERVILLE, is another way to get motivated in a month to write a novel while having people cheer you on.

3. Conferences–In the Pacific Northwest, it seems April kicks off a six-month conference line-up. There is SCBWI Seattle’s Spring Conference, Oregon’s Spring Conference in May, The Pacific Northwest Writers Conference in July, The Willamette Writer’s Conference in August, Write on the Sound in October, The Whidbey Island Writer’s Conference in October, and Seattle RWA Conference in October.  Conferences can be great way to set yourself a deadline. Find one you want to target with editors who might be interested in your book and then set that conference date as the target date for when your book will be finished. Most conferences sell out early, so be sure to note when the conference opens for registration when you identify one you want to attend. Also, if you want to target a specific editor or agent to pitch, be sure to get your registration in early, and often, it can be better to attend a smaller, regional conference than the larger conferences.

I’d love to hear what goals you are working on and how you motivate yourself to meet those goals in the comments below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winner of ROMANCE FOR ALL THE SEASONS

Congratulations to Leslie Rodriguez who is the winner at my blog for a signed print copy of ROMANCE FOR ALL SEASONS (ebook if International). Leslie’s gardening tip was to run her fingernails over a bar of soap so she will not get dirt in them!

On April 19, the grand prize winners of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop will be announced here.

Thanks everyone for your great gardening tips and recipes!

 

Finders Keepers–Making a Glass Float

I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Lincoln City, Oregon recently. Lincoln City is home to the annual Finders Keepers event where glass floats are hidden on the beach for winter beach walkers to find. This is the inspiration behind my picture book app, FINDERS KEEPERS which is available from MeeGenius.

The days I was in Lincoln City, the sun was shining but the wind blowing off the ocean was breathtakingly cold! Even so, I did manage to get out every day and hunt for a glass float. I didn’t find one, so I headed over to the Jennifer Sears Art Glass Shop to make my own. Of course, I really only helped a tad bit by picking colors and doing a little turning of the glass float in the hot, hot fire.

Here are the pictures from making a glass float!

We began by picking colors from plastic bins. Looks like many craft projects!

Next, a little bit of glass was placed on the end of the pole and stuck in the hot fire. This made it very liquid and it was dipped in each of the colors.

This is the hot, hot fire. I could barely stand in front of it!

The glass came out of the hot fire and was rolled back and forth to give it the circle shape. See how none of the colors from above are in the glass? That’s because it’s so hot right now!

But…look…after many times of going back in the hot fire and rolling and cooling…a glass float took shape. Now see the colors! In order to get it to “blow up.” They attach a small hose to the end and I blew my own air into the float. That’s the best thing about making these floats, is it’s your breath which is inside.

The glass was taken to this station where the date and LC (Lincoln City) was stamped. He’s stamping the imprint.

Here is the glass float. It was placed inside a large bin with other floats to cool slowly overnight before I could pick it up the next day!

Authors in Bloom Blog Hop

Happy Spring! This month, I’m participating in Authors in Bloom Blog Hop. Each author on the blog hop will be posting a giveaway, gardening tip, recipe or both!  It’s a spring celebration designed to introduce you to authors and give you a chance to win prizes. You can find the list of authors on the blog hop here.

On my blog, I’m giving away one signed print copy of my newest sweet, contemporary romance book, ROMANCE FOR ALL THE SEASONS. (US entries only for print/International may win an ebook copy). In order to be entered, please leave me a comment with one of your favorite gardening tips or recipe titles. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you!

Blurb: ROMANCE FOR ALL THE SEASONS is a collection of six, sweet contemporary novellas which will delight your heart at Valentine’s Day, sweeten hot summer days, banish Halloween ghosts and goblins and warm your soul during the holidays.

In one of the stories, LOVE’S BID, main character and hero, Eric, loves to garden. Here is a blurb from that story:

Blooming purple lilacs and colorful red and yellow tulips danced merrily in a soft breeze coming off the lake. Someone had a flair for gardening. Cassie climbed four stone steps leading to an impressive three-story brick house. The black door matched the shutters and a small gold plate etched with the last name of “Atkins” hung above the gold doorbell.

Cassie pressed hard on the doorbell and waited. Her stomach roiled with small butterflies. In the flurry of

planning for the auction, she’d overlooked the most important part—securing the procurement forms. And that,

Sadie had explained to her, was something only Eric could do as Board Treasurer. It wasn’t like her to be so

careless, but there had been too much on her plate for months. First, there was the auction for the school district,

then there was the children’s spring art camp, and then a large order came in for her painted mural benches.

She’d been working frantically, night and day. The hard work obviously affected her ability to concentrate.

Cassie stepped back and stared upward at the massive house. Eric had done very well for himself. All his

schemes must have come to something, she mused.

A metal shovel hitting the sidewalk caused Cassie to jump, turn around and meet up face-to-face with

Eric. She breathed deeply and took in his blue jeans covered with dirt, a deep wet line of sweat running down

his black T-shirt, and a long narrow band of dirt across crossed his forehead.

“Cassie.” Eric frowned. “Did we have a meeting?”

Cassie’s mouth parted slightly, but the words didn’t form.

“Cass?” Eric repeated.

“The auction.” Cassie fumbled in her bag. “I need to go over the list of sailors and their items with you.

We need procurement forms. I’m sorry to barge in on you at home, but we don’t have much time. I didn’t want

to wait until our next board meeting.”

“Oh.” Eric cleared his throat. He leaned back on the shovel. His long tapered fingers tapped the handle.

“The auction.”

Was it her imagination or did Eric seem disappointed? No, she thought. It was only her lack of sleep, the

last three nights, getting to her. She felt delusional.

Cassie grabbed a manila folder from her bag. She opened it to the list of sailor’s names. It wasn’t as long

as she had hoped, but with a good amount of high bids, they should be able to pull off a successful auction. A

sudden gust of wind from the lake blew the papers onto the walk-way. Cassie leaned down to scoop them up,

and as she did, her barrette slipped and her hair cascaded around her shoulders. Cassie sighed and yanked her

hair back up into place. When she looked up, a look crossed Eric’s face she couldn’t quite read. Her eyes held

his as he reached out and moved a strand of stray hair away from her cheek.

“Thanks.” Cassie muttered. “Sometimes things just fly away from me.” She didn’t take her eyes from

his. His fingers played with her hair.

“Sorry.” Eric cleared his throat and yanked his hand away as if it’d been bitten. “Come around back to

the deck. It’s more protected from the wind.”

Cassie’s heart pounded as she followed Eric. She would not let herself get swept away with feelings for

him. It didn’t matter how incredibly good he looked in his work jeans, or how his eyes sought out hers in a

dance that ached with the promise of long sensual nights.

Cassie slowly trailed behind Eric. She couldn’t help but notice the colorful beds of red and orange dahlias

and purple lilacs. “The gardens are beautiful. You must have a wonderful gardener.”

Eric stopped abruptly and turned to face her. “I do the gardening.”

Cassie inhaled, took a small step backwards and stumbled. Eric smelled like dirt and a musky aftershave.

It took all her willpower not to step forward, lean against him, and surrender to his charms.

As a part of the Authors in Bloom Blog Hop, there is also ONE GRAND PRIZE of a Kindle or Nook with a $25 Gift Card as well as a second prize of $25 ereader gift card. In order to be entered to win the Grand Prize, you must leave a comment on each blog on the hop. You can find the list here. Only one comment per blog please.

Now for my recipe…I grew up in St. Louis, and one of my favorite recipes is a St Louis class–Gooey Butter Cake! This is a great recipe to bring to those spring parties!

Gooey Butter Cake (From Just a Matter of Thyme, Recipe Book by Roxie Kelly and Friends)

1 box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1 stick butter, melted

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups powdered sugar and some for garnish

Blend cake mix, 1 egg and butter until smooth. Press into a 9 x 13 greased baking pan. Blend cream cheese, 2 eggs, and powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture over first mixture in the pan. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes or until edges are brown. The middle will sink a little. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serves 10-12.

Finders Keepers Resources

FINDERS KEEPERS, a picture book app published with MeeGenius, is a story inspired by a real event called Finders Keepers in Lincoln City, Oregon.

During Finders Keepers in Lincoln City, Oregon glass artists create spheres which are hidden on the beach for winter beach walkers to find. A few glass balls are set out each day with the exception of special float drops such as the one which takes place during the Spring Break Holiday.

You can read about Finders Keepers in Lincoln City, Oregon here.

And you can see pictures of real glass floats on the Finders Keepers Pinterest Board here.

One of my favorite lines is the book is:

The ocean looked like it was very angry. The water moved in large swells and white foam covered the beach. Jesse touched the white foam. It wiggled like a big moving monster. The wind blew pieces of foam down the beach like tumbleweed.

Here are a couple pictures, taken from Ecola State Park, in Cannon Beach which is about two hours north of Lincoln City where the story takes place. This picture was taken during a fall storm like the one Jessee experiences. You can see how the waves are very foamy!

 

A few years ago, the Schack Art Center in Everett began hosting a yearly event called The Jetty Island Glass Float Find. This event is a part of the yearly Fresh Paint Festival where you can go to watch artists at work.

The Schack Center created this fun video showing how the glass floats are made and the rush to find them. Unlike the Lincoln City Oregon event, this is a one day event and there is a more of a “rush” and big Easter egg hunt feel to it than the one in Lincoln City which takes place over the winter months.