Judith Post's Blog, page 105
July 10, 2016
Each book is different
I finally finished the last chapter, ever, of Enoch’s story.
July 5, 2016
BOOK RELEASE DAY!
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Opposites Distract is finally up, book 2 in my Mill Pond romance series! Hope you enjoy.
July 2, 2016
Inspiration/Perspiration
I’m writing a novella to finish the Fallen Angel series. That series started with Enoch grabbing his friend/fellow angel, Caleb, and wrestling him to the ground so that he couldn’t join Lucifer when he tried to overthrow the One. Enoch did save Caleb from the pit, but he couldn’t save him from himself. Funny how that works in life, isn’t it?
When my sister (who hates to cook) learned that she had diabetes and had to take insulin, I offered to cook extra for supper every night and send her home a healthy meal. Patty stopped at our house on her way home from work every night and appreciated the effort, but the experiment failed. She missed carry-out so much, she’d freeze the food I sent and chow down on something from Taco Bell. Soon, her freezer was full and her sugar was still high. She wasn’t quite ready to embrace new habits yet. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want helped. Enoch learned that the hard way, too.
When the One tossed Caleb to Earth to punish him, Caleb discovered that he loved it here. Actually, he loved it a little too much, so Enoch was sent down to clean up after him. Another lesson learned. Good intentions can bite you in the ass. For poor Enoch, it looked like he’d never get to return Home because Caleb never intended to change his ways. There’d always be a mess left in his wake.
I didn’t want to end the series with Enoch, who’s too conscientious for his own good, stuck here because of Caleb, who’s too self-involved to ever do the right thing. That’s why I’m posting DISGRACED, AGAIN on my webpage each week. A couple more chapters, and I can end the series the way I want it to end. Yes, Enoch made a mistake. Should he be punished for it for eternity? Not my style. I suck at discipline, so I want a happy ever after–of sorts–for both Enoch and Caleb. Soon, I can wrap up their stories, and then I’ll concentrate on my fifth romance again. Those always have happy ever afters. So my writing life will be good:)
June 30, 2016
Chapter 7’s up!
Who’d have thought Enoch would be working with Caleb…again? But he is, and they’re on their way to confront Samiel–the black sheep of their heavenly home. Enoch doesn’t see any good coming from this, even if they try to compromise. Samiel likes to get his own way, the reason he and the One always bump heads. http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
June 25, 2016
Romance isn’t always glamorous
I’m working on my fifth romance right now–the start-ups of two people being attracted to each other, doing the awkward mating dance of Does he like me? Is he the right one? In book 5, Joel’s been married before. He meant to “save” the girl who seemed too fragile, too messed-up who was in high school with him. Instead, they have a daughter with cerebral palsy, and his wife can’t cope. They finally divorce , and Joel raises Adele himself. He doesn’t expect to marry again. What woman would take on a daughter who’ll never grow up and leave the nest? And then he meets Miriam–almost six-feet tall with an inner core of steel. She’s a high school English teacher–an Amazon with a potty mouth–and what can I say? She loves his pot belly, and he loves her “take life by the horns” attitude.
I wanted to write a book about a couple who are past the first blush of euphoric romance. These two have had their ups and downs and they don’t expect fireworks at love’s first kiss. They’ve lowered their hopes, and they end up with more than they ever expected. That’s one of the things I’ve learned to really enjoy about romance. The story can be about two people, facing serious life challenges, who find a partner who’ll share their battles.
My husband and I have been married a LONG time. We’ve raised two kids together, helped raise two grandsons with my daughter–a single mom–and we still love being together. There’s still romance, but it’s more practical now. That’s what I wanted for Joel and Miriam.
Romance, these days, since I broke my leg, means a husband who gladly helps me wash my hair in the kitchen sink and carefully changes the dressing on my leg. John’s always there for me. He always has my back. By the end of book 5, Joel and Miriam will be that tight, too.
June 24, 2016
Chapter 6 is up!
I’m getting better at my walker, and my husband fit a card table under my desk so that I can slide my wheel chair under it and keep my leg up while I write. I’m back in business. This chapter’s a day late, but I hope you like it!
http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
June 23, 2016
Don’t Make the Mistakes I Have
I’m posting my blog really late this week. I have a good excuse. I screwed up. I’ve written plenty of posts about people learning from my mistakes. Those posts talked about writing or marketing–all of the things I did along the way that, in retrospect, I probably could have done better or smarter. This isn’t one of those blogs. This time, I’m telling you to never stand on a rocking chair to reach a high shelf. Because, if the cushion (a new one I put on that doesn’t tie) slides out from under your feet, then you can fall and break your leg. Which I did. I’ve stood on that rocking chair for years and years, but I didn’t think about the new cushion. I should have. But regardless, I won’t be climbing on rocking chairs ever again. I try to learn from my mistakes:)
I went to the hospital Saturday night and had surgery late Monday. Every nurse, doctor, and staff person I met was incredibly wonderful and made a crappy situation better. Did they roll their eyes when they asked how I broke my leg? Yes, they did, but they laughed with me, not at me:) Since my husband’s retired and can help me, and my family all pitched in to help, too, I got to come home last night, and boy, did that feel good! I can’t put any weight on my left leg for three months, so everything feels awkward and difficult, but I can’t ramble around the house like I usually do, and it’s not easy to pop in and out, so hopefully, I’ll keep butt in chair and get more writing done. There’s a bright side to almost everything, right?
Anyway, that’s why my blog’s late this week. So stay healthy, and keep writing! And don’t do what I do. No rocking chairs as step stools for you!
June 16, 2016
Chapter 5’s up!
Three angels couldn’t be more different. Caleb was tossed to Earth in disgrace. Enoch was sent to clean up his messes. And Samiel’s come for new opportunities. Between them, they make the vampires Caleb created look tame:)
Chapter 5’s up. http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
June 11, 2016
Writing: Same, but Different
I’ve started to write my fifth Mill Pond romance. I still like the town. I still like the people. I enjoy having characters from previous books mingle with new characters for a new story. My worry–keeping each story fresh and unique. Catherine Bybee manged it in her Weekday Bride series. Seven different romances, one for each day of the week. Seven stories that have a similar premise, but a unique take on it each time. My writer friend, writing as Julia Donner for her Regency romances, has done it with her Friendship series. Her eighth novel goes live on June 18, and I’ve already pre-ordered it. I love her work. Each one has a different feel, even though they all have healthy doses of her sly humor. As a matter of fact, I think her writing keeps getting better and better, the longer the series goes. Something I’d like to achieve.
(If you’re interested in Regencies, here’s the link for her latest: https://www.amazon.com/Barbarian-His-Lady-Friendship-Book-ebook/dp/B01GIFX2DM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1465673622&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Barbarian…++julia+donner)
A long time ago, I wrote a bundle of novellas to experiment with writing romance. That’s how I ease myself into writing something new. I try working on shorter pieces before I commit to something longer. I liked Emerald Hills, got good feedback on each one of them (which I lost when I combined them into a bundle–didn’t think about that:), but one reviewer mentioned that she’d have liked more variety in the stories, that they felt too similar to her. Now, I know that a writer can’t please everyone, but I wrote these as a learning curve, so her opinion stuck with me. If I ever wrote a romance series, I told myself to vary things up–have one with some humor, another that was a little more serious, throw in some different types of characters, and mix up the plots and themes a little. I think–at least, I hope–that I’ve achieved that.
For my Mill Pond romances, in book 1, I tried for a heavy dose of humor. For Brody and Harmony, in book 2, I tried to create two people who’d keep butting heads. And in the book I’m working on now, I wanted to throw in a few serious themes, but lighten them up with Miriam–a character with more snark than I’ll ever have.
When I read a series, I look forward to returning to the same setting, the same characters. I’m reading Patricia Briggs’s Fire Touched right now, and I’m enjoying how Mercy and Adam interact as a couple, how Warren smooths things over, and how Ben has such a potty mouth. It’s a world I want to visit and linger in for a while. That’s the joy of a series, returning to something familiar that I’ve missed. But each story has to be different enough to make me want to return again for new experiences. Everything’s about balance–keeping the old and introducing the new–a happy blend.
My webpage: http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JudiLynnwrites/
Twitter: @judypost
June 9, 2016
Chapter 4’s up
Just wanted to let you know that Enoch’s fourth chapter is up on my webpage. If you like vampires and fallen angels, you might like it.
http://www.judithpostswritingmusings.com/
