Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 53

Write the Darn Book! – Part #3

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#1 – Write the darn book. And make it your best work.
We will start with this suggestion because if you don’t learn anything from the subsequent points, this one will ensure you some measure of success.
An author has to have confidence in his/her work in order to market it to others in the same way that you’d have to feel good about any product you’re sticking your neck out to sell.  And that’s what Indie Publishing is all about. It’s you and the book against millions of others in the same exact position. When you have that kind of competition, you better know that your product is as good, if not better than anyone else’s in your particular genre.
Now you might think I’m talking about the big names like Nora Roberts or James Patterson, but I’m not…not really. Even though they sell their books on Amazon the same way the Indie authors do, they’re in a different class. They charge a lot more for their work, have a huge following that are faithful, and don’t worry too much about us undiscovered.
It’s you against others like you who are willing to charge small prices in order to get their work out to as many people as possible. And many have found by past experience lower prices are one of the best ways to do so. When Amazon first releases your book, it’s shown as a new release and this is the first place for your book to catch the reader’s interest. This is where point #5 comes into play. Get the best damn cover on your work as possible. (More about that down the road!)
Many authors have done statistics on what genre is selling best and that’s the type of book they’ve choose to write. Not saying it’s the way to go, but if you don’t have a specific story in mind, it’s a good idea. Why not hedge your bets?
I didn’t. I wrote the stories of my heart and I’ve had to really push them to make any kind of headway whatsoever. In fact I wrote five for the Vicarage Bench series and three for the Angel series, and after banging my head against the wall of— nnah? nnah? (Disinterest in the majority of readers) I finally broke down and wrote the books I knew would be more successful.
Darned if I wasn’t right!!??  (wished I really looked like that!!) The Vegas series – Partnersand Roll the Dice have met my expectations and are slowly garnering a small level of success. I have great hope that with the release of High Stakes Gamble in the New Year, that this will help the series to yet more prosperity.  (Fingers held in prayer-like position...) 
 Of course with Amazon’s small contribution ahem!J

 
  Note: November 20 & 21st I will be enjoying the visit of a lovely author, Anna Markland, but will start back into this series “Write the Darn Book” on November 22nd with Part #4.
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Write the Darn Book! - Part #2

This is my second part to the series of “Write the Darn Book” and before I go into each of the points I made in part one (Nov 15th), I wanted to enlarge on some of my remarks in the introduction.
In 2006, when I signed my first contractor with Wild Rose Press, I admit to hyperventilating with excitement for having been blessed with a contract. I couldn’t sleep for dreaming of what I was going to do with all the money I would be making in my new career.  This small e-pub had just recently opened their doors and they were learning the business the same as myself—beginners who braved this new frontier together. And they were wonderful to me and the other authors who signed with them. We all had great experiences with these ladies because most of us had tried the traditional route and had nothing but rejections to show for our efforts.
Now you might think those rebuffs happened because our work was inferior. Well in some cases you’d be right. But in many circumstances the publishers rejected the work for reasons like there were too many characters, the work was too long, too short, not enough romance, too much narrative, the genre wasn’t selling and on and on.  
In my case, and at my age, I didn’t think I had the time to ride out years of the type of treatment many of my colleagues had experienced. Send away work, wait months and months to get an answer, if you were lucky enough to even hear from the agents or publishers at all, and then have to try someone else just to get the same results. So to win a contract on my first try with Wild Rose gave me a huge burst of confidence. Being a person who easily accepts change, I could see the way of the world, the new future of the ebooks, and I had no problem with this route. No one could take away my joy or trample on my success just because I would follow a different pathway to getting my work in print.
In those days, the contracts were for two years, and the time flew by as I kept producing more books to add to my series. But there was one thing that did irk me big time . Every three months when the royalties were to be paid, I would get a notice saying that unless I’d earned over $25, there would be no check. I think it took almost a year before I finally got reimbursed and if I remember correctly, it was around $35. I told myself I needed to get more books out there to earn more money.
So time moved on. Once I had written five books for the series—3 novellas and two full-length, my frustration had peaked. I will admit that in the beginning having my name on a lovely cover did turn me on. And for a while it was enough to satisfy. But those chintzy checks kept coming and not for each period either.
By now I had it figured out. I needed another series…something different than the spirit-time/travel stories I had loved writing so much for the Vicarage Bench. Maybe the readers didn’t appreciate this kind of tale as much as I enjoyed writing them. So I wrote the first book of my next series called My Cheeky Angel and tried to garner interest with some of the traditional houses and even with agents. Again the waiting was intolerable and rejections eventually forthcoming. The overall consensus was that I had too many characters and they wanted vampires, not angels. Meanwhile, way too much time had passed.
Over those years, I had gotten to know a lot of other writers and I’d heard more and more stories about the ones who had decided to try the Indie route. Many were crowing about their successes and I wanted to crow also. So I bit the bullet (as they say in my neighborhood) and got involved with the yahoo loops. I asked so many questions, they must have groaned when they got the daily notices and saw my name there many days more than once. Then I lucked out and found a local group where a few of the members had already started down this path. From them I got invaluable hands-on help and support.
Once I started down this path nothing was going to stand in my way. I knew there would be some expenses involved but I’d already gotten used to paying out money for promotions that never produced any returns. I would just use that money for my new strategy to finally sell my books and see a profit. (Yeah – right!!??)
As you can imagine, what sounds easy can be a nightmare when a person actually puts the plan into motion. Along the way, I learnt many vital lessons and tomorrow I will start to share those with you.
 
 

Write the darn book!

I’ve recently spent some time trying to help a friend come to a decision as to whether she wants to publish Indie or not. Which means a choice between traditional publishing with a company who will do all the work, or doing it all yourself.  She needs to ask herself these questions. Is she willing to invest the extra time, energy, hard work, and probably most important for many, a huge outlay of money?
Let’s understand that I’m talking about self-publishing in a professional manner. Many have chosen this route. They make up their own covers, have a friend or relative who is a teacher edit their work, and try to format the inside without any idea of what needs to be done. And then wonder why the book isn’t selling.
Some authors I know (me…gulp!) at the beginning of their careers choose to go with the first E-publisher who offers them a contract and at the beginning were quite satisfied. They found their books on the internet, realized their dream of seeing their name on a cover and sat back to wait for the royalty checks. To wait and wait…. Picture a skeleton sitting in front of a dusty monitor with tears dripping from each cheek bone.  Trust me! I know the feeling.
If you have some computer skills, a lot of energy and a few Indie-author friends close by who can help you (or even some pals online that would be willing to step up), you have a chance. I gave her this list to read before we would talk further.
 
1. Write the darn book. And make it your best work.
2. Join some Indie groups so you’re in contact with those who know what to do and will help with advice. The Indie Romance Ink and the Author's Network on yahoo are two good examples.
3. Get your social media working - twitter, facebook and goodreads at least. Of course, I’m taking it for granted you already have a website and/or blog.
4. Make sure you have at least one, if not two, good editors – a line editor and a content and copy editor. You need to search for these people and not pay top dollar because there's no guarantee that you'll get your money's worth. Getting recommendations is the best way to do this (which is why you need to be affiliated with other Indie authors).  Remember! There are many editors to choose from; people starting in the business who need work.
5. Find a good cover artist - again someone who's recommended. And get rid of the picture you have in your head about the exact way you want the cover. Most times it’s impossible to do, and if they try, which most artists will try, it’s not going to help sell your book.  The best idea is to see what others in your genre have chosen for their cover, authors who are selling really well. Then show those to your cover artist and let him/her come up with ideas. Chances are they have a better vision than you do of what’s popular.
6. Find a formatter to set your book up properly so that your book looks professional. Again, shop around.
7. If possible, either join in with a promoting group like the IBC (Indie Book Collective) group I'm in, or start one yourself so that it isn't just you pushing your own work.
8. Publishing the book on Amazon, or any of the other outlets, is the least work of all but a bit scary when you first do it. Other authors are very good about answering questions for a newbie who is stuck. Hence, the need to join an Indie group.
9. If you think it’s finally time to sit back, relax and wait for the money to roll in, think again. Now is when the real hard works begins. Now you have to promote the book. (This is where a group comes in handy.)
AND
10. Write the second darn book, and make it as soon as possible after you’ve published the first. Make it your best work.
**For the next few days, I will take each of these points and enlarge on them using my own experiences as my imformation source. You won't believe what I went through until I hit it lucky!!??
 

Remembering our Angels!

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  Remembrance Day      
From the time I was a child, I never really got it!! I mean – I know it’s the day to remember our fallen soldiers and what they’d given up to protect our country, but for some reason, in my mind, it was always about the ones who we had lost.
As an adult, I now know that is not the case. I like to remember the ones who have returned to us also. They took years out of their lives to give to the service—years where in many instances their families didn’t know if they would return. They lived in fear every day, waking up wearing the worry like an extra layer of bulk to haul, just to go to bed that night, say prayers of thankfulness for having gotten through another day and beg for the same luck tomorrow.
So I do want to acknowledge my thankfulness that we have such (guarding angels)  men and woman in our world. People who willingly take on the role as our caretakers.
Bless you!!
 
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Meet fantastic storyteller, J. Thorn, in a Kick Ass Book Promo!

 

I loved reading the humorous book of essays called Raising Zombies, and I am thrilled to introduce you to the author and wonderful storyteller, J. Thorn.

My 5-star review on Amazon
Raising Zombies is one of the best books I've read for a long time. So humorous that after I yakked about it ad nauseum to my husband, he finally decided to read it. Just like I knew would happen, I caught him chuckling and at times laughing out loud just as I had. Not only is Mr. Thorn funny, but as a teacher in his earlier career, he's very insightful about children. Many of his observations equalled my own and shone a light on mistakes being made by today's parents who won't let kids just...well...be kids. They don't want children challenged where there might be failure. And they don't want them left alone to discover that imagination can be their best playmate. And heavens if one of their babies gets a bruise or suffers a hurt whether emotional or physical, it's not tolerated without there being an uprising. So how do these little people grow up with any kind of armor against what the world has in store for them as adults?
Other essays took on the ridiculousness of how the some folks try and control our way of thinking by saying that we're offending a segment of the population with our politically incorrect expressions. To show how silly they get sometimes, Mr. Thorn drew up his own list. A couple of my favorites were: Dracula--endorses the irresponsible practice of transmitting bodily fluids. And this one: Skeleton--exhibits insensitivity toward those with eating disorders. I could go on because they were so well done.
Another insightful passage that made me think included these words: "The events that forever change the evolution of the species happen without warning, sparked by the will of the Common Man, not from the wisdom of those in power." I believe this line was pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement. So interesting and so true!
As you can imagine, I could go on and on about this wonderful book. I thought about what I liked most to share that with you and I decided it's the authors voice and his way of sharing his ideas. He doesn't presume to preach, nor does he bore the reader to tears. What he's done is shine a light in areas that we all need to look at more clearly.
 p.s.  If this man was ever to take to the stage as a stand-up comedian, I'd stand in line to buy a ticket.  
 
J. Thorn:
 
Raising Zombies. The title was in my head before the essays were saved to the hard drive. I don’t know if I ever consciously decided to write a narrative non-fiction about my time as a teenager of the 1980s, an educator, and a parent. I did not intend to willingly expose all of my childhood insecurities on Amazon, and I certainly did not intend to have anyone read it. Please laugh at my mullet and my Def Leppard obsession. Go ahead and have a chuckle at my expense. I wrote this collection of humorous essays for closure on a chapter in my life and to address tendencies in our culture around child-rearing that are damaging childrens’ ability to deal with reality. I saw many things that pissed me off but ranting about them to family, friends, and co-workers wore thin. But if you can make people laugh, think for a moment, maybe even begin to question the traditions they’ve so blindly followed, things can change in an instant. If you have any doubt about that, think about how quickly the idea of Communism died in the late 1980s.
 I normally write fiction, horror, and dark fantasy. I often portray zombies as mindless creatures pursuing nothing but their most basic, instinctual urges. So when I had to make a final decision for a title, I never wavered from the initial idea. In a way, many families and schools are doing just that, raising zombies. The “good” kids are the ones who conform and obey. They are not the ones who challenge the system through creativity. Innovation comes from calculated risk-taking and that will never happen if we constantly reward the rule-followers and punish the divergent thinkers.
 Now that Raising Zombies is on the virtual shelf, I hope people will read it and think about what they do with and to their children. I don’t expect every reader to agree with my perspective—I question everything and you should too, including the ideas I present in this book. I pose some opinions that will make mainstream America shudder and I expose other cultural norms that are downright embarrassing. It’s not the Chinese or Al Qaeda that’s keeping America from being a global leader; it’s our sense of entitlement. Teach your children to earn their success.  
This is our lucky day because Raising Zombies will be in a Kick Ass Promotion for November 7 & 8 for FREE .  *** and for those of you who love tomance My Cheeky Angel is also FREE
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Editors make such a difference.

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Today, I finally completed the revisions on my new book, Lovable Christmas Angel . That's the same 45,000-word book I had written in 18 days. When I say I completed the revisions, I mean that I got back the edits from two editors that I hired to check my work - one is a wonderful copy editor, and the other is the perfect line editor. Between them both, I think we've found every error I made and have strengthened the story tremendously. To tell the truth, they pointed out blunders I would never have discovered because of the fact that I didn't even know that some of the stuff I had done was wrong… sigh!!
 
And let me tell you, there were dumb screw-ups everywhere. I'm terrible at punctuation. Never know where the commas should be??? Always mess up on the right places to put Em dashes. And I tend to over explain myself in long narrative passages, and oh yeah, fragmented sentences are another downfall. (I did get to keep some...fist pumping...yesss!!) 
 
This is the first time that I've gone to this extreme of using two editors and I'm so glad that I decided it needed to be done. In the past, I had a bad experience with one of my books "Roll the Dice". Right then, I'd made up my mind to never let that happen again. I guess we all have to screw up in order to learn from our mistakes. Plus, it's nice to feel comfortable about the work that's put out there with your name on it. And let's face it—this self-publishing is a huge learning curve for someone who previously had no idea how to do anything but open up e-mails. (Yep - Moi!)
 
As you all know, there is so much involved to do with publishing that it’s downright scary. By the time you get the book written, most readers would expect that the bulk of the work is finished. Not so! Not in today's world for the Indie author. It's actually just the first step. To be assured that you won't get bad reviews, the writing also has to be clean. And who better than good editors to make sure that happens.
   
Next step – get the darn thing published!! :-) 

Halloween Partay!!!

I remember (in ancient times - ahem!) when I was a child in Winnipeg. Halloween was the day us kids would hurry home from school in a panic to get our costumes organized. Back in “the good ole days” my mom used to get a bunch of used clothes out from the closet in readiness. My sister and I would fight and scramble to get the pieces that would best fit our vision of whatever witch or old man our mom had dictated as our choices for that year.


The money was never there to buy costumes. Folks today think of it as a necessity but we never had the wherewithal for such foolishness. Not when there were pieces of cardboard, old clothes and paints to make up something that would ensure us our ultimate goal - that of getting as much candy as possible.

As the light waned, we’d watch out the window, prancing from foot to foot, praying that the streetlights would come on soon. It was our sign that the time had come. Mom would give us each a pillow-slip and some gloves (Winnipeg right??) and off we’d go to join hordes of other goblins all racing to and fro to get their anticipated cache.

Up and down the streets childish voice yelled Halloween Apples??!! Little ones in the care of older brothers and sisters were dragged along, forced to keep up because there were only so many houses in the neighborhood that would give away candy apples as reimbursement for singing a song. And everyone on our street had practiced their song knowing that the reward far outstripped the effort.

Soon we’d have to drop off the first load at the house because the pillowcases, half full of apples, would be heavier than we could manage, and mom would have warned us that she would be running out and would need reinforcements from our precious supply before the night was over. At first, we always begrudged this necessity, but after stuffing our faces with as much junk as we could force down, it didn’t seem to be so painful to let her pass some of it back out again.

Finally by the end of the evening—we’d stick it out as long as there were lights on in front doors and our frozen fingers and toes could stand the cold—we’d head home to peruse our catch and gloat about the candy we’d stuffed into pockets, hoping that sharp motherly eyes wouldn’t see the bulges.

Because we so seldom had candy, parents in those days knew that the best way to handle this bounty was to pass out daily treats in order to make it last. Funny thing is, by the end of the week, we’d run out. Always wondered how that could happen. Of course, today I know exactly where the stuff went.
Darn sneaky parents!!
Christmas Runaway - a short story!


One 5 star review read -
Mimi Barbour has pushed all the Christmas buttons in this endearing short story; loneliness, family misunderstandings, the realization of how fast time goes by, traditional foods, snowy weather, even a beloved family pet.
If you enjoy heartwarming Christmas romances, you will wile away a pleasant hour reading Christmas Runaway. This book and many other fabulous short stories will be FREE in a Partay starting November 1st at http://freepartay.com

A cute story!

 
I  once won a cookie contest with my Cranberry Shortbread Cookies.
I had decided to enter into the Chatelaine contest, because my recipe had such a great history that I thought to share it with the readers. To my astonished delight, my cookies were picked, if I remember correctly, as winner #3. I still have the coffee pot, blender and various baking ware as proof.
All 10 winners were printed in the Chatelaine magazine for the entire world to see, and I’ll admit to walking around with a puffed up chest for a few days. Now that I remember, I do believe it was the first time I’d ever seen anything I wrote in print!
The story goes that as a new bride, I had moved to northern Canada, to a place called Stewart, B.C. It was within a few miles of the Alaska border so it was pretty isolated. In those days (and unfortunately still today) the best meal I could produce was a killer peanut-butter and banana sandwich. Needless to say, my husband is our chef and has been since the beginning. My little contribution to our meals is the dessert.  
Understandable, as a new bride, I had very few recipes and the holiday season was approaching. So at a bingo game with some other ladies I lamented my terrible lack. An older Scottish woman, who I thought a real sweetheart, said, “Lassie, I will give you a true Scottish shortbread recipe handed down from my mother and hers before her. I’ve kept this to myself for that many years, but I like you. Since you’re a new bride, I’ll share.”
So saying, she took a napkin from the table and wrote her shortbread recipe on it. I quickly rewrote it once I got home and have used the basis of this recipe for many others
The variety that won the contest has ½ cup of dried cranberries and ½ cup of pecan pieces added.  
To this day, I get so many compliments on my wonderful cookies that it truly isn’t Christmas for my family without a plateful of these decorating the table.
**A sequel to this story is that the woman’s granddaughter, who was a young girl back then, called me a few weeks after reading the magazine. She told me her name and that she was Peggy's grandaughter and asked me if these were her grandmother’s cookies. When I said yes she laughed and told me that many years ago her granny had slowly faded with Alzheimer’s without ever having written her precious recipe down. By the time her own mother had realized that no one had a copy of the famous shortbread, she couldn’t help them and so none of the family had the original recipe. Now...they were finally able to have the cookies they had grown up eating. 
(Picture of Original Recipe)
Contacts in case you you'd like to keep in touch other places online: 
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  Spooktacular Giveaway Hop   To celebrate in this Spooky Blog Hop I will be choosing one winner for a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate and will also gift 5 e-books of my last release called "Roll the Dice". Back Page Blurb:“You shot me!” Aurora is incensed. Her new partner shrugs and answers. “I saved your life.” From the very first page of this riveting story, these two battle for supremacy in trying to catch the serial rapist who ripped both their lives apart. With all her might, Aurora fights the attraction to Kai's baby blues that tease and start her internal warning devices humming. After all, her job is her life, and determination mixed with courage has always been her lifeline. Kai has a mission of honor to undertake. The man who raped his sister can’t be allowed to live—after all, she hadn’t! Revenge fills his soul, while visions of his new partner fills his heart. The sassy woman rattles his calm, and he can’t keep his hands to himself. Doesn’t mean she has the power to stop him from doing what has to be done. IN ORDER TO HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN A PRIZE, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU.***I WILL ALSO BE ADDING YOUR NAME TO MY NEWSLETTER LIST, SO IF ANY OF YOU PREFER NOT TO BE ADDED, PLEASE MENTION IT AND I WILL OF COURSE RESPECT YOUR WISHES.

Holding off for a Hero

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I want to welcome my friend Gail MacMillan to Believe! Her newest book will be released today, and we're celebrating the big event by asking her some personal and not-too personal questions about her life as an author. I've had the privilege of Beta Reading her book and will tell you that I enjoyed it thoroughly. For one thing, it’s humorous—which I like. Also, her characters are wonderful, especially Emma the heroine. But then the hero, Frasier, is pretty darn keep-able also. There's enough conflict to keep one interested, and a romance to make it perfect. In fact, it just keeps getting better until at the end....well, you don't want it to end! 
    Gail, Can you tell us about your new release? October 19th was an exciting day for me.  That’s the day my romantic comedy “Holding Off For A Hero” was borne into both print and e-book.  Since the pivotal scene takes place on Halloween, the pub date couldn’t have been better.  With the ghost of a murdered lumberman, an ax protruding from his chest, haunting their wilderness retreat and a pair of thugs ready to murder them, hero and heroine are in for a harrowing October 31st.   I had such fun writing this story, I truly hated to see it end at 65,000 words.  I had many more adventures to relate about heroine Emma and her hero Frasier.  As a result, I’m currently working on a sequel featuring Emma’s twin sister Etta (short for Henrietta).  One of the main reasons writing this tale was such a delight is because several of the characters are based on real people.  Emma carries within her fictional DNA the genes of a remarkable woman I’ve known for years and who embodies the spirit of generosity, trust and adventure coated in a wonderful sense of humor.  Frasier MacKenzie, the hero, is a brave, let’s-just-get-the-job-done kind of guy who finds Emma with her infectious joie de vivre one huge crimp in his carefully laid out plans.  Emma loves a good time, which infringes no end on Frasier’s work ethic.  When he discovers he’s actually enjoying her antics that could spell an end to not only his current project, but also his career, he decides that the choice of fire or frying pan would be child’s play by comparison. And then, of course, there’s the secondary hero and cover guy, my Pug Bruiser.  Bruiser has appeared in magazine articles for the past six years, but this is his first foray into the highly competitive world of cover model.  He’s definitely got one of those faces that, while it may not launch a thousand ships, he definitely catches attention with his good-natured grin or sagging-lip sadness.  Like Emma, he, too, possesses a love of adventure and proves to be her perfect companion in “Holding Off For a Hero.”  He’s also a natural comedian.  Since dog fanciers have been enjoying reading about his escapades for the past half dozen years in various doggie magazines, I decided he would be a perfect character to appear in a romantic comedy. I’d love to hear from readers regarding “Holding Off For a Hero.”  If it gives anyone a laugh or a sigh, please let me know.  Bruiser and Emma will be delighted to hear from you as well at macgail@nbnet.nb.ca You write in more than one genre.  Do you have a favorite?  Which one do you find the hardest?  My favorite is always the one in which I’m currently writing. One of the negative things about writing in various genres is that it prevents branding that will allow readers to follow you more readily.  The good thing about it is that you’re never, ever bored or stuck in the proverbial rut. Where do you find your story ideas?  My first creative writing teacher always compared writers to magicians.  Writers can make stories appear out of thin air, she said.  And that’s where most of my ideas come from.  Sometimes a person, or an event, or even a scrap of overheard conversation can trigger a story, but mostly it’s just a spark in the brain.  Agatha Christie could never explain where her Poirot came from.  He just arrived, full blown, in her imagination.  How do you research your novels?  With my contemporary novel, I stick to the old adage of writing what you know…the lakes, woods, rivers, wilderness and mountains of our beautiful province of New Brunswick. Of course, my historicals require actual research, but I’ve always had a love of history, made it one of my major studies in university (which wasn’t all that long ago, since I graduated two years after my oldest daughter received her degree), and traced our family’s ancestors for years so it’s work I thoroughly enjoy.   Do you have time management tricks to keep you on schedule?  Not really.  The natural rhythm of my creative life pretty much dictates my schedule.  Sometimes I get on what I call a writing jag. Then I write and write and write.   I’ll hit an equally powerful reading one.  Now if I could just land on a housecleaning time slot… What is it about your current release that excites you the most?  I’m pleased with “Holding Off For a Hero” because two of the main characters are drawn from wonderful, real-life creatures.  I say creatures because while the first is Emma the heroine, the second is my Pug Bruiser. Both Emma and Bruiser have brought so much into my life with their courage, sense of adventure and humor, and joie de vivre, a book definitely had to be written about them. Out of all your novels, which hero and heroine are your favorites?  Why?  At this time I have to say Emma and Frasier in “Holding Off For a Hero”.  They’ve been such fun to work with.  They’ve made the story almost write itself.   Do you set daily expectations or goals for your writing?  Not for writing exclusively.  Often a goodly portion of a day can be spent promoting a book, dealing with editors and publishers, and keeping up with the latest developments in the publishing industry.  That being said, there is never a day when I’m not somehow involved with writing and the creative process. What do you know now that you wished you’d known when you started writing? I wish I’d known that a story that doesn’t grab one editor’s interest might be the pride and joy of another.  Over the years, I’ve all too often let one editor’s opinion darken my way.  I was inclined to think that once one editor had rejected a story, that piece had no value.   It was a particularly cruel rejection that eventually made me see the light.  I’d written a story that would go on to win an award.  The first editor that I sent it to replied that I’d better take up gardening, that I’d never make it as a writer.  Twenty-six published books later, I wonder what he’s doing these days.   Do you ever hit the wall or find you’ve written yourself into a corner?  How do you turn that around? Fortunately that doesn’t happen to me very often. What does occur can be equally troublesome—finding what I call plot holes in your story on a fourth or fifth draft, just when you think you’ve covered all bases.  Okay…enough with the business stuff!  How about some personal insider info? When you’re not writing or reading, what would we find you doing?  Enjoying family, friends, and dogs.  I spend a lot of time outdoors and relax by walking and training my dogs.  They’re the ultimate exercise machine.  Unlike a treadmill that just sits quietly in the basement, they’re in my face, prancing, demanding “let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”  Who can refuse such high-pressure invitations!  Favorite food or recipe?  No doubt there.  Cherry cheese cake. Yummm! Tell us one thing about you that might surprise us…it can be a secret…we won’t tell.   I’m a bookaholic.  I can’t resist buying books.  Last month, I decided to take a pledge and not purchase any books for the next thirty days.  Then along came Mimi Barbour’s “Roll the Dice” and, plunk, off the wagon again.  Bad, bad Mimi!ow abHo

  

 
  

I did it—it’s done— Finito!!!

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The book, Lovable Christmas Angel , has been written. I added the most wonderful two words just moments ago. THE END!
I know I my deadline was yesterday.  I tried so hard to get it finished. I could have cheated, and no one would have known the difference…except me. And when you think about it, I guess I’m really the only one who’s affected, aren’t I? No one else really cares if it’s done on one day or the other. Mind you, I know you’re all happy for me that I did complete it. And it does feel great to share.
 I’ll admit the truth about why it took one more day. There was a chapter missing. I knew the story floundered near the end, and I had no idea why. I went to bed fretting about it and woke up in the middle of the night with my characters all bopping around in my head trying to get my attention.  Turns out, I hadn’t logically structured my child character to act the way I wanted him too. He needed to be in a special place at a specific time, and I’d just plopped him there without any prearranged buildup. 
Ahhh! As soon as I rethought what I’d done, it came to me that I drastically needed one more scene. So…I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m glad also. Because it’s the perfect passage which has made the story that much better— stronger, and more beautiful.  The final, unedited word count was 40,014. And just so you won't worry, I am still married. Hubby hasn't divored me because of abondoning him and most of my household chores for 18 ...very hectic days :-)